Chapter 13

[Red Crow 1, Summoning Diagram]

At first, Mo Fei was genuinely afraid Anger might take him to a graveyard, but the car stopped at a high-end sanatorium in the southeastern mountains of S city.

"My grandmother’s lungs aren't very good, so she needs clean air," Angler explained as he unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car, "This is the best air quality area in S City."

Mo Fei nodded and asked Anger, "Why bring me to meet her?"

Anger glanced at Mo Fei and said, "I visit her every week, and besides, she's a perceptive lady."

"Perceptive?" Mo Fei was somewhat puzzled.

"Remember you once asked why I trust you?" Anger replied, "Mostly it's intuition, inherited from her, though hers is likely sharper. That's why I want her to meet you."

As they spoke, the two had already started up the steps.

In the center of the sanatorium stood a massive church, surrounded by serene greenery, a veritable paradise for those accustomed to the concrete jungle.

Mo Fei took a deep breath, appreciating the tranquility, thinking that living out one's final days here wouldn't be so bad.

"Only those over seventy are admitted here," Anger, as if reading Mo Fei's mind, remarked, "You'll have to wait another fifty years or so before you can come in."

Mo Fei sighed in resignation, thinking, Can't I even daydream?... This guy.

Then, Anger led Mo Fei around the church, heading towards a more secluded courtyard at the back of the sanatorium.

"Over there," Anger gestured towards a bench under a ginkgo tree, where a silver-haired elderly lady sat quietly reading. Mo Fei observed Anger's grandmother closely, unsurprisingly finding her a charming and elegant old lady, very attractive and composed, engrossed in her book, wearing a white sweater that lent her a youthful air.

"Emma," Anger approached and sat beside the old lady, "What are you reading?"

Emma lifted her head, and Mo Fei noticed her strikingly pure silver hair. She appeared to be of mixed heritage, with distinct yet harmonious features, undoubtedly more beautiful in her youth than even her photographs, and still very beautiful now.

"You look quite well," Emma touched Angler's cheek, "Did something good happen?"

Anger smiled without speaking, taking the book from Emma's hands to see it was an old English novel, "The Bride of April".

"Hmm..." Emma lifted her gaze, sizing up Mo Fei, and said, "Hello, young man."

"Hello," Mo Fei, unsure how to converse with someone of her age, politely nodded in response.

"What's your name? Are you a friend of An Ge?" Emma looked up and asked Mo Fei.

"Uh, my name is Mo Fei…" Mo Fei was unsure how to respond, just nodding his head, "Yes, sort of."

"My new assistant, he's quite capable," An Ge explained to Emma.

Emma nodded, pointing towards the church entrance not far away, and said to Mo Fei, "Mo Fei, there are cookies and milk tea we made over there. Could you get some for yourself and An Ge?"

Mo Fei turned to look, nodded, said "Sure," and then turned to leave.

"Hmm, he's quite good," Emma remarked to An Ge, "It's a wise decision to keep him as your assistant."

An Ge nodded, "I hope for your advice, just like with the previous ones. If you don't approve, I'll find someone else."

"Hmm…" Emma raised a finger, gently waving it, and said, "This one's a bit different."

"Different how?" An Ge looked at Emma, puzzled.

"Hmm… Mo Fei has a certain... different aura about him," Emma said with a smile, adjusting An Ge's hair, "Very unique."

An Ge paused for a moment and asked, "Aura? You mean he smells strange?"

"Hehe…" Emma chuckled, "It's a kind of aura. Everyone has their own scent. Some smell nice, some not so much. You have a rich fragrance, while Mo Fei has a fresh yet dangerous scent, but…" she paused, seemingly lost in thought.

"But what?" An Ge asked curiously, just as Mo Fei came back with three cups of milk tea and a stack of cookies.

Leaning close to An Ge's ear, Emma whispered, "He carries the aura of a half-demon." She pinched An Ge's chin, adding, "Be cautious. Who knows, one day he might take you to a strange place, one you're unfamiliar with."

"What place?" An Ge asked, intrigued.

At that moment, Mo Fei approached them, handing over the milk tea to An Ge and Emma.

Afterwards, Emma and Mo Fei chatted for a while, and the group enjoyed a pleasant afternoon until sunset, when Mo Fei and An Ge stood to leave.

Throughout their journey, An Ge seemed deep in thought.

"What are you thinking about?" Mo Fei asked, puzzled.

"Hmm, is there a place that you know of and I don’t? Somewhere unfamiliar?" Angler was still concerned about what his grandmother had said.

"Huh?" Mo Fei was confused, "What unfamiliar place?"

An Ge stroked his chin in silence, still appearing perplexed.

When the two were driving back to S City from the suburbs, it was already late. Mo Fei suggested to An Ge, "Let’s have dinner before going back."

"Yeah," An Ge nodded. At that moment, they passed near a school, where the outer walls were covered in graffiti made by the students.

"Oh?" An Ge suddenly exclaimed, "Stop here."

Mo Fei slammed on the brakes, the car's forward momentum causing An Ge to lurch forward. With one hand on the wheel and the other on the brake, Mo Fei reached out to shield An Ge from injury.

Startled, An Ge turned to Mo Fei after the car stopped, "You could have slowed down gently."

Mo Fei raised an eyebrow, "You always speak in a monotone; I can't gauge your emotions... so I had to brake hard."

An Ge seemed displeased, glanced at Mo Fei, and after a long silence, said, "I do use intonation."

Mo Fei smiled, "Alright, then say 'stop the car' in a tone that suggests I should brake hard."

After a moment of thought, Angler said, "Stop the car."

Hearing the unhurried voice, Mo Fei struggled to keep a straight face, "Okay, now try it in a tone for a gentle stop."

An Ge paused, then repeated, "Stop the car."

Mo Fei spread his hands, "See, no difference!" He quickly changed the subject as An Ge looked ready to argue, "Anyway, why did you suddenly ask me to stop?"

"Oh." An Ge seemed to recall something, unfastened his seatbelt, and stepped out of the car.

Mo Fei watched him walk up the steps to a graffiti-covered wall, standing quietly as he observed it.

Mo Fei also looked, noticing the graffiti depicted crosses, skulls, and such, in a disturbingly blood-red color. He opened the car door and walked over, asking, "What's with this graffiti?"

"Hmm…" An Ge mused with interest, "This isn't just random graffiti; it's a very professional summoning diagram."

"A summoning diagram?" Mo Fei was skeptical, "Summoning what?"

"Souls from hell," An Ge replied methodically. "I've read some early Western texts on demons, which detailed such summoning diagrams."

"Western magic books?" Mo Fei was even more baffled.

"The oldest summoning rituals originate from Norse mythology," An Ge explained. "Legends say that those trapped in hell endure unimaginable torment, especially those filled with resentment and subjected to cruel punishments. They desperately seek release, and summoning rituals are the best way to free these malevolent spirits."

"Just a legend, right?" Mofei felt it was a bit far-fetched.

"Magic or the supernatural isn't entirely non-existent. Humans don't need to exhaust themselves trying to scientifically prove the existence of spirits... I only know that if someone took the effort to write books and pass down these tales, there must be some merit to them," An Ge said, pointing to a pool of blood at the base of the graffiti. "This is the blood pool of hell. Legend has it that it's filled with countless blood-sucking worms that incessantly gnaw on those who fall in. Those who end up in hell's blood pool after death are mostly murderers who killed mercilessly in life."

"So this depiction of a devil crawling out of the blood pool, is it summoning a particular murderer?" Mo Fei asked.

An Ge nodded, "The symbols around the perimeter of the image are actually incantations. I just checked, and they're nearly perfect."

"Perfect?" Mo Fei was intrigued. Most of the graffiti here was done by students; could any be that skilled?

An Ge pointed to water stains, piles of ash, petals, and sparrow corpses on the ground, "All these are essentials for the summoning ritual... it's all clearly detailed in the book."

"Could it be that some student read the same book as you?" Mo Fei wondered.

An Ge shook his head gently, "The book is written in Greek, and the experimental procedures are entirely in Hebrew... I doubt an average college student would have such knowledge."

"What about you?" Mo Fei suddenly asked, "You're so young, how do you know so much?"

An Ge'er looked at him, "You just saw where Grandma lives... When I was a child, I often went to church with her, and a learned priest told me."

After hearing this, Mo Fei raised an eyebrow and asked An Ge'er, "So, this student, is he going to be a priest, or... a wizard?"

An Ge'er nodded seriously, "It's very possible."

Mo Fei smiled weakly, "An Ge'er, I was just joking."

An Ge'er looked at him puzzled, "But your tone didn't change, I thought you were serious." After speaking, he pointed to the car, "Go get the camera, let's take pictures of it."

With no other option, Mofei ran back to fetch his camera. After taking several shots of the mural, he asked Angler, puzzled, "So, what exactly did he summon?"

An Ge'er stroked his chin and said, "It's not clear, but there's something special here." As he spoke, he pointed to the middle of the mural, where on the shoulder of the demon climbing up, stood a raven, but this raven was blood red."