Chapter 315: The Holy Spirit
Ning Zhe gave the newly appeared corpse a quick inspection. This Mr. George, like Sally Sally, was killed by a close-range headshot. It seemed that the roulette game was still going on.

The previous game ended with the death of Sally Sally, and then the ghost started a new round. The person who died in the second round of roulette game was George in front of him.

At present, the number of people selected by the ghost at a time is actually not fixed, but will change adaptively according to the specific game rules. The reason why 5 people disappeared together this time is because the revolver has a capacity of 6 rounds, and 5 people plus 1 ghost are just enough to start a round of Russian roulette.

However, in reality, 6 rounds is only a common specification. There are also special revolvers on the market with a capacity of more than 20 rounds. If George had been carrying that special revolver, more than 20 people in the audience might have disappeared at once… Thinking of this, Ning Zhe’s eyes finally changed a little.

“What’s wrong?” Xia Yubing noticed the change in Ning Zhe’s expression and asked hurriedly, “Have you thought of anything?”

Ning Zhe didn’t say anything, but took out a small stack of playing cards from his pocket: Ace of Hearts, Jack of Hearts, Queen of Hearts, King of Hearts. King, Joker, Spades… they were exactly the ones he had found in Stand 5 where Diesel died.

Like Sally Sally and the others, Diesel seemed to be playing some kind of game with ghosts before his death, except that Sally Sally and the others were playing Russian roulette, while Diesel was playing some kind of poker game.

But what about Byers? What game was he playing with the ghosts?
Ning Zhe pinched the playing cards in his hand into a fan shape and said, “Do you remember Bayer’s previous description? Did he have any contact with the ghost before he died?”

Xia Yubing thought for a moment: “Uh, he punched the ghost? And then his fist was caught by the ghost.”

…caught by a ghost?

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Xia Yubing was stunned, and soon realized something: “Rock, paper, scissors? Rock, paper, rock-paper-scissors game?”

The fist that driver Bayer threw at the ghost was regarded as a ‘stone’.

The palm of the ghost’s hand that grasps his fist is considered as ‘cloth’.

“That should be it. Bayer lost to the ghost in the rock-paper-scissors game, and the price was his own life.”

Ning Zhe stacked the playing cards again and continued, “If I were to give this ghost a nickname, I would probably call it – the gambling ghost.”

Playing rock-paper-scissors with Bayer, playing poker with Diesel, playing Russian roulette with Sally Sally and others… All the strange phenomena that have appeared in the theater so far are related to gambling.

It is obvious that He Nianjun, who disappeared earlier, was probably dragged into some gambling game by a gambler and lost in the gambling, with the lunar calendar being lost as a bet.

But if we explain it this way, there will be a new doubt:
Why did Diesel, Bayer, Sally and others bet their own lives when they were both gambling with ghosts, while He Nianjun bet on the almanac that carried the rules of the snake god’s summons?

Ning Zhe looked at Sally Sally who looked a little dazed and George who was lying on the chair. No new dead person had appeared yet, which meant that there was no loser in the third round of roulette game and it was still in progress.

Once all existing ‘players’ are dead, it’s time for the gambler to start a new game.

Thinking of this, Ning Zhe already understood what he should do next.

Xia Yubing glanced sideways and saw him take out an ancient book with a brown cover from his arms. She looked at the cover and saw it was the Bible. The Dyke family are all devout Christians, and most family members carry a Bible with them, and Van Dyke is no exception.

The Bible that Van Dyck carried was a hardcover book with hand-painted illustrations. The paper was smooth and the handwriting was clear. There were corresponding paintings and illustrations next to some familiar religious scenes, such as: The Last Supper, the Crucifixion of Jesus, St. George slaying the dragon, the birth of the baby Jesus, the baptism of Jesus, etc.

Ning Zhe turned the Bible to the page where Jesus was crucified. The clear and colorful illustration occupied the entire page. The man nailed to the cross wore a crown of thorns on his head, and his body was pierced by a spear. Blood flowed down the spear. This spear was the famous Spear of Longinus in Christianity.

“Here.” Ning Zhe handed the open Bible to Xia Yubing, and then took out a small knife from his arms.

Xia Yubing took the book and looked down, only to see that Ning Zhe’s hands were covered with green jade scales. “This…”

Ning Zhe stabbed the tip of the knife into his fingertips, and drops of bright red blood oozed out from the gaps between the snake scales, dripping onto the pages of the book, and evenly dyed the eyes of Jesus Christ on the cross red.

Today is suitable for: [opening]

Speaking of consecration, most people think of sending objects such as Buddhist beads, pendants, etc. to temples or Taoist temples for some kind of ceremony to give them supernatural powers. However, the term “consecration” in the lunar calendar has a clearer meaning, that is, to consecrate the statues of gods.

When religious believers worship statues, they are not worshipping the clay statues themselves, but the gods they represent.

So when does the statue begin to represent the deity? The answer is after it is consecrated.

In ancient times, craftsmen would not carve eyes on statues of gods and Buddhas. After the statue was completed, they would choose an auspicious day and have senior clergy perform a consecration ceremony to paint the eyes and dot the pupils. Only after the consecration ceremony can the statue represent the god and accept worship from believers.

At this moment, Ning Zhe dripped his own blood, the blood of the snake god, onto the eyes of the “Crucifix”.

From this moment on, this Bible can represent the snake god and accept worship from believers.

“You can now worship this painting and pray for blessings from Jesus in the painting,” said Ning Zhe.

“Huh?” Xia Yubing was stunned: “But I don’t believe in religion.”

“The Pope of Rome doesn’t believe in religion either.” Ning Zhe said calmly, “Be obedient and worship him.”

“Okay.” Xia Yubing nodded obediently: “What about you?”

“I have some things to take care of. You stay here and watch over Sally Sally.”

Ning Zhe said as he handed the playing cards in his hand to Xia Yubing and walked out of the auditorium, saying as he walked:
“Remember to keep an eye out for new dead bodies here. Once the five people who disappeared previously have all returned to the real world, the gambler will start recruiting new people to start a new gambling game. There is a high chance that you will be chosen, but believe me, as long as you sincerely offer sacrifices and pray for blessings, nothing serious should happen.”

“Gambling depends on luck. Do as I say and your luck will improve today. It’s best to carry this Bible with you everywhere, and the effect will be even better.”

Today is suitable for: offering sacrifices, praying for blessings, and making fire.

“That’s it. See you later.” After Ning Zhe gave the instructions, he turned and left.

With the life he bought from the God of Wealth twice before, and the luck improved by following the lunar calendar, Xia Yubing should be able to keep the gambler here for a while. Taking this opportunity, he has an important matter to confirm. It is related to whether he can get the lunar calendar back from the gambler.

Watching Ning Zhe’s back disappearing into the darkness, Xia Yubing let out a long breath nervously, her heart pounding in her chest.

Following Ning Zhe’s instructions, she spread the Bible on the chair, imitated the Christians she had seen in the movies, bowed several times to the crucifix, stutteredly recited a few hymns, and prayed for blessings from the Almighty God.

“No… that’s not how it’s done, ma’am.” Sally Sally saw this and reminded carefully, “If you want to worship Christ, your etiquette needs to be more solemn. Putting your hands together perfunctorily like that will be considered disrespectful to the Lord. That’s not how the Mass is done…”

But I don’t respect any Lord anyway… Xia Yubing thought about it and decided to listen to what the girl had to say. Ning Zhe had said before that offering sacrifices and praying to this book could improve one’s luck, but he didn’t say what level of achievement was considered standard. She didn’t know if her half-baked ritual was standard, and whether it would lead to the failure of the judgment of “offering sacrifices” and “praying blessings”.

“So what do you mean by standard worship, um…how should the mass be held?” Xia Yubing asked.

Sally Sally blinked, stood up and walked to Xia Yubing’s side. They stood together in front of the open Bible and said, “A standard mass begins with singing hymns… This step can be omitted. Then we have to make the sign of the cross on our chests, then confess our sins to Christ and ask God for forgiveness…”

Xia Yubing didn’t understand what she heard, but she still cooperated and followed the ceremony process as Sally Sally said. However, she felt a little uncomfortable when she saw the kneeling part at the end. People in Jiuzhou still have some psychological barriers to kneeling.

However, when she thought that the blood dripping on the crucifix was Ning Zhe’s, and that she should actually be worshiping him, Xia Yubing couldn’t help but recall the humiliating scene of herself kneeling at Ning Zhe’s feet as a slave. She couldn’t help but get excited, and her legs softened and she knelt down, panting.

Sally Sally standing by clasped her hands together, looking at Ms. Xia who was kneeling down at the speed of light with some confusion. It was just a mass, why was her face so red?

After the mass, the two of them walked around the auditorium with the Bible, triggered the fire, and returned to George’s body.

When they returned, the third victim of the roulette game had appeared.

A female corpse with body temperature appeared on the seat next to Mr. George. She had also died tragically from a gunshot to the head. Large splattered blood made the carpet even darker red.

“Miss Anna…” Sally Sally’s eyes were lifeless as she stared at the new female corpse on the seat, and she looked a little dazed.

Just yesterday, she was still living a carefree life as a princess in the Fertile Crescent, looking forward to her 16-year-old adulthood ceremony. However, in just one night, she first learned about her cruel life from her “parents”, and after being auctioned as an “item”, she witnessed this strange incident with her own eyes, and people who were alive just now suddenly died one by one in front of her.

Life has its ups and downs, but nothing is as bad as this.

Xia Yubing looked at the dazed expression of the girl beside him. He was very familiar with her state. He had a similar reaction when he was in Zanju Town. The strange events happened too suddenly and the passing of life was too trivial. It was difficult for anyone to adapt.

“Um…Ms. Xia?” Sally Sally called softly.

“what happened?”

“That is… I want to ask, you seem to be very familiar with Mr. Dyke just now?”

Xia Yubing shook her head: “I would like to get to know him, but unfortunately the conditions do not allow it.”

“I see…” Sally Sally thought for a moment and asked in a low voice, “What will happen next?”

Xia Yubing spread his hands: “I don’t know either.”

She had no choice but to do as Ning Zhe said. Fortunately, Xia Yubing had already gotten used to it.

As the two were talking, they suddenly heard hurried footsteps coming from behind the audience. Turning around, they saw the middle-aged man and his entourage who had left the audience first.

The middle-aged man seemed to be a noble. Xia Yubing glanced at the five ‘Forget-me-not’ brooches on his chest and recognized that it was the emblem of the ‘Ix’ family that Ning Zhe had told her about before.

When the chaos just happened, the man named Ix and his followers had run to all the exits of the Santa Gloria Opera House. When they found that they could not get out no matter what, they rushed back angrily and wanted to ask Fusolus what had happened.

But this time when they came back, they did not see Fusolus. Instead, they were greeted only by an empty auditorium and Xia Yubing and Sally Sally holding the Bible.

The men in the Ickes family all pride themselves on being gentlemen, but this is not the time to be gentlemanly. Ickes and his followers walked towards Xia Yubing, and asked loudly as they walked, “Where is Milicato? Where did he go?!”

Xia Yubing shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe he ran away with the others. I’m not sure where he is.”

This answer did not surprise Ix. He reached his hand to his waist and asked again: “Since everyone else ran away, why didn’t you run? Why are you still here?”

Xia Yubing frowned. She heard the subtext of this sentence: Do you know something?
In this situation, Ix, who was desperate, was unwilling to give up any possible clues.

Xia Yubing looked at the right hand of the middle-aged man named Ix, which was on his waist. If nothing unexpected happened, that hand should be holding a gun now.

“This is crazy…” Xia Yubing cursed in her heart, frowned and said, “I really don’t know where Fusolus Milicato went. It’s futile for you to ask me…”

Before he finished speaking, Ickes raised his right hand suddenly, holding a Glock pistol with the safety on, aiming at Xia Yubing’s head: “Don’t make me ask a second time.”

“Calm down, I really don’t…”

Before he could finish his words, Ix pulled the trigger.

Xia Yubing subconsciously closed her eyes, but the gunshot that was supposed to happen did not come as expected. Ix’s eyes widened, looking at the Glock pistol in his hand in surprise.

“It’s stuck?”

Is that kind of praying actually useful?

There was no time to think. After the momentary accident, Xia Yubing immediately took out a revolver from his arms and pulled the trigger continuously in the direction of Ix. Six deafening gunshots immediately resounded throughout the theater.

(End of this chapter)