Upon returning home, Eros sought out the butler and instructed him to deliver a formal visiting card to Viscount Kenfield’s residence. The message stated that Eros would pay a visit at two o'clock tomorrow afternoon. He also had the butler prepare gifts that were dignified yet not overly ostentatious. In truth, even without his reminder, the butler would have handled it perfectly; such social etiquette was a mandatory skill for his profession.

  After arranging these matters, Eros headed to the backyard to continue teasing his "weak but playful" sister, Undine. This girl is truly adorable when she's trying to act tough, he mused.

  That night, while strolling through the garden with Estelle and the others after dinner, Eros suddenly felt a faint pulse from a specific mark within his soul space. He came to a halt and called out to Estelle ahead of him:

  "I have something to take care of. I’m heading out!"

  Before Estelle could respond, his figure dissolved into a mass of shadows and merged into the surrounding darkness. Vanishing along with him was Irina, who had been walking beside Madam Florika.

  Undine pouted at the spot where Eros had disappeared and complained to Estelle, "Eros was just like this at the academy—running out alone in the middle of the night. Who knows what he's up to?"

  "Mama, you really should keep a tighter leash on him. What if he’s doing something dangerous?"

  Estelle smiled gently. "Your brother has been sensible since he was a child; he knows his limits. Besides, the Artifact Spirit is watching over him."

  Undine grumbled under her breath, "Not sensible at all. He never listens to me and always tries to make me listen to him."

  After leaving the Ducal Mansion, Eros traveled for a while and was surprised to realize he had already encountered three Nighthawk squads. This was highly unusual. While clergymen from the Three Great Churches often patrolled Indiles at night, they were never this numerous. He hadn't even left the inner city yet. What exactly is happening in Indiles?

  He regretted not asking Bishop Ondo during the day. Suddenly, he remembered the "perverted serial killings" and "poisonings" the carriage driver had mentioned. He had suspected a supernatural link then—could the Churches' abnormal activity be related to those cases?

  The family's intelligence network in Indiles hasn't picked up a single word. Is it a brand-new development, or is the secrecy level too high? With such a large-scale mobilization, it had to be a sudden, high-priority event. The Lunar Sect’s operation? Possible. Anything involving the 'Sublime' ones deserves this much attention.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Thinking of this, Eros abandoned any thought of following them to investigate. Operations involving multiple "Sublime" figures were far beyond his current pay grade. Better to stay low for now.

  At that moment, the tolling of a bell echoed over Indiles. Eros watched as a transparent wave of light rippled outward from the sound. Since his spirituality gave no warning and Barbara offered no danger cue, he stood his ground and let the ripple wash through his body.

  After a moment, seeing no change in his physical state, he asked Barbara, "What was that?"

  "The Bell of Eternal Rest, hanging in the belfry of St. Elvira’s Cathedral," Barbara answered calmly.

  "The Bell of Eternal Rest..." Eros repeated the name as information surfaced in his mind.

  Grade 1 Sealed Artifact — The Bell of Eternal Rest

  

  
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    Ability 1: Any living being who hears the bell will instinctively follow its guidance into a deep sleep (Effective only on commoners).
  
    


  
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    Ability 2: Can actively manifest sub-bodies with identical powers to the original.
  
    


  
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    Ability 3: Can awaken all beings put to sleep by the bell (Effective only on commoners).
  
    


  
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    Side Effect: Any living being within a five-meter radius of the bell will remain eternally awake.
  
    


  

  So it's this thing. Most cathedrals belonging to the Church of Reincarnation held a sub-body of this bell. Its primary purpose was to handle commoners during supernatural incidents, ensuring they neither saw nor heard anything that might lead to corruption.

  Eros had only read about it in books; this was his first time seeing it used on such a massive scale. It looked as though the entirety of Indiles had been put under a collective trance. Within ten minutes, the city fell into a deathly silence. Aside from the streetlamps, almost every house was dark.

  "So the 'World of Mystery' begins?" Eros whispered. He gave a light chuckle. "Not my problem. I’ll steer clear of this clash between giants to avoid being swept away like a stray pawn."

  He sank back into the shadows, heading toward the location indicated by the mark. Along the way, he witnessed five separate skirmishes between Church officials and mutated monsters. No wonder they put the city to sleep. There are way too many corruption events tonight.

  Someone is intentionally releasing contaminants in Indiles. But why? To exhaust the Churches' manpower? That seems unrealistic.

  Eros eventually arrived at a row of townhouses. Following the mark’s guidance, he stopped before a specific door. He knocked and said in a relaxed, natural tone:

  "Open up. I’m here to fix the pipes."

  The moment he arrived, his Night Perception had scanned the area. There was only one person inside—someone whose "depths" he knew very well. After a short wait, the door creaked open. With his Dark Vision, Eros clearly saw Natalia’s beautiful face.

  She stepped back, and Eros walked in without hesitation. Natalia locked the door and said, "Follow me."

  She lit an oil lamp and carried it to a corner of the room. Eros followed as she skillfully pried up a stone slab from the floor, revealing a cellar entrance. Once inside, she lit several more lamps, brightening the underground space.