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I Loaded the Occult Panel

Chapter 145: The Lamb and the Cross · Oct 30, 2026

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Chapter List (554)

Page number / 12

101 Chapter 100: Shadow Inversion (Bonus 2) 2026-10-30
102 Chapter 101: This Time For Sure 2026-10-30
103 Chapter 102: The Slingshot Method 2026-10-30
104 Chapter 103: Lineage 2026-10-30
105 Chapter 104: Spirit Vision and Divination 2026-10-30
106 Chapter 105: Casting a Wide Net 2026-10-30
107 Chapter 106: Stone Armor 2026-10-30
108 Chapter 107: Next Time 2026-10-30
109 Chapter 108: New Supernatural Item 2026-10-30
110 Chapter 109: Solar Emblem 2026-10-30
111 Chapter 110: Three Traits 2026-10-30
112 Chapter 111: Family Chain 2026-10-30
113 Chapter 112: Shield and Bait 2026-10-30
114 Chapter 113: Inspiration Test 2026-10-30
115 Chapter 114: Stars and Ants 2026-10-30
116 Chapter 115: Wax Talk 2026-10-30
117 Chapter 116: Peanuts and Candy (Monthly Ticket Bonus 4) 2026-10-30
118 Chapter 117: Character Portraits 2026-10-30
119 Chapter 118: Supernatural Item Selection 2026-10-30
120 Chapter 119: Do I Need to Learn Combat Too? 2026-10-30
121 Chapter 120: Small Surprises and Big Surprises 2026-10-30
122 Chapter 121: The Military Medal and the Silver Ring 2026-10-30
123 Chapter 122: Lighting Up [Perception] 2026-10-30
124 Chapter 123: Madagascar Vanilla Bean Caramel Pudding 2026-10-30
125 Chapter 124: Bonus 2026-10-30
126 Chapter 125: A Diviner is a Detective 2026-10-30
127 Chapter 126: The Missing Girl? 2026-10-30
128 Chapter 127: Healing 2026-10-30
129 Chapter 128: Stone Fist 2026-10-30
130 Chapter 129: Shadow Armor 2026-10-30
131 Chapter 130: Upgraded Treatment 2026-10-30
132 Chapter 131: Supernatural Item Recovery 2026-10-30
133 Chapter 132: The Edge of Inspiration 2026-10-30
134 Chapter 133: Spell Formula — Moon Nail 2026-10-30
135 Chapter 134: Black Dog 2026-10-30
136 Chapter 135: Combinations of the Traditions 2026-10-30
137 Chapter 136: The Female Graduate Student 2026-10-30
138 Chapter 137: Buying a Gun 2026-10-30
139 Chapter 138: It’s the Smart Ones You Have to Worry About 2026-10-30
140 Chapter 139: Needle Piercing 2026-10-30
141 Chapter 140: Hunter Reserve 2026-10-30
142 Chapter 141: The Status of a Scholar 2026-10-30
143 Chapter 142: The Lovers 2026-10-30
144 Chapter 143: She Who Eats Shadows 2026-10-30
145 Chapter 144: Christmas Eve 2026-10-30
146 Chapter 145: The Lamb and the Cross 2026-10-30
147 Chapter 146: Jurisprudence 2026-10-30
148 Chapter 147: Wilderness Hunt 2026-10-30
149 Chapter 148: Highland Summer Lodge 2026-10-30
150 Chapter 149: Drop-Attracting Fire 2026-10-30

By the time the family reached the train station, a few people were already waiting on the platform.

There were still forty-five minutes before departure.

Richard pulled his train ticket from his pocket to check it again. The northbound train left at eight o’clock sharp, with one transfer along the way.

His mother held his hand tightly.

A little too tightly, even. Richard could feel the tension through her entire palm.

But she didn’t say a word.

”Did you pack enough?” his father asked.

”I did, Dad.”

”Don’t read on the train. You’ll ruin your eyes.”

”Okay.””And don’t stay up late once you get there.”

”I won’t.”

His father stepped away to check the platform number for him.

His mother finally spoke. ”Be careful on the way.”

”I will.”

”Call us when you arrive.”

”Okay.”

She slowly let go of his hand.

Her gaze drifted from Richard’s face to the far end of the platform.

Beside them, Evelyn suddenly chimed in. ”Don’t forget what I told you, Richard.”

”What was that?”

”Bring me back a present!”

”I’ll try.”

”Don’t just try. You have to!”

”All right, I have to.”

A train whistle echoed in the distance.

The locomotive emerged from the tunnel, gradually slowing down until it came to a smooth halt next to the platform.

The carriage doors opened, and a few attendants stepped off to organize the luggage racks.

Richard handed his suitcase to a porter and climbed aboard with his backpack.

The seats in the second-class carriage were upholstered, much more comfortable than the hard wooden benches in a third-class seat.

He chose a window seat and set his backpack on his lap.

Outside the window, his father waved at him.

His mother stood in the mist covering the platform.

Evelyn stood beside her, wearing her new dress under the coat Richard had bought for her.

”Toot!”

The whistle sounded a second time.

The train shuddered and slowly pulled away.

He pressed his face against the glass.

The young girl ran alongside the train for a few steps.

Unfortunately, her clothes and shoes weren’t suited for running today.

The train quickly outpaced her. Evelyn stopped on the platform and stomped her foot in frustration.

The carriage left the station and plunged into the tunnel.

Richard pulled the Iron Box his sister had given him out of his bag.

He opened the lid, picked out the dog-shaped gingerbread cookie, and took a bite.

The cookie’s surface was slightly damp from condensation, but inside, the strong taste of ginger powder blended perfectly with the aroma of molasses and butter.

...

The train rumbled north. Outside the window, endless rows of factory smokestacks and textile mills rolled past.

Richard leaned against the window and watched for a while before pulling out his notebook to review the materials Mr. Hutton had given him.

Leaving at eight o’clock meant he arrived at the transfer station by ten.

Because his destination was so remote, he ended up waiting three full hours for his connection.

Once the branch line train set off, the scenery outside changed drastically.

The industrial district was left far behind.

An endless expanse of grey-brown moorland stretched outside, dotted with the ruins of abandoned stone houses. In the distance, a thin layer of snow capped the mountain ridges.

In the wilderness of late December, the vegetation had shriveled into clumps of grey.

Occasionally, a hare or two darted through the brush, startled by the rumble of the train, and scrambled frantically into the rocky crevices.

Richard took out the sandwich his mother had packed and ate it slowly.

At two-forty, the train pulled into a tiny station.

”Whitcom Station. We have arrived.”

The announcement echoed from the front of the train.

Richard checked his ticket one last time, grabbed his suitcase, and stepped off.

The platform was completely deserted.

Here in Whitcom, the station consisted of nothing but two waiting benches.

There was a small ticket booth, but not even a clerk could be seen behind the glass.

The wind blew down from the highlands, carrying the scent of peat, limestone, and sheep dung.

Richard carried his suitcase out the exit.

Mr. Hutton was standing on the other side.

The old man wore a heavy coat, his white hair tousled by the wind.

It looked like he had been waiting for a long time.

”Smooth journey?”

”Very smooth.”

”The others have already arrived.”

Mr. Hutton didn’t bother with further pleasantries.

”We’re heading straight to the inn.”

A carriage was parked outside the exit, driven by a quiet older man.

Naturally, the carriage had no heating. It was freezing.

Richard shrank into his collar.

Outside the window, the endless grey-brown moorland continued.

He watched it for a while before trying to strike up a conversation.

”Sir, how long have people lived in this area?”

”Over six thousand years.”

Mr. Hutton said, ”Far longer than the history of ancient Rome.”

”That long?”

”Archaeological remains of the earliest settlers have been discovered right here.”

The old man’s gaze shifted to the scenery outside.

”We can no longer determine who those people were, but the stone tools and early tombs they left behind date back to the Neolithic age.

Then came the ancient Celts of the Bronze Age, followed by the Romans, the Saxons, the Normans... Wave after wave of different peoples lived and died on this land.”

”The older the land, the more prone it is to problems.”

Mr. Hutton stroked his beard.

”Every wave of civilization leaves its mark.

Religions, inscriptions, tombs, seals... Over thousands of years, these layers of history stack on top of each other, occasionally producing strange reactions.”

”Whitcom is exactly that kind of place.”

He looked at his student.

”Now you should understand why I said this mission would not be simple.”

Richard pulled his gaze back into the carriage.

”Have you worked with the other seniors before?”

”I’ve undertaken a few missions alongside Mrs. MacNeil.”

Mrs. MacNeil was the leader of this mission. When Richard first heard the news from his teacher, he had wondered if it was a bit too coincidental.

But on second thought, there were only so many Minor Adept mediums in the northern region.

Having a specialist like Mrs. MacNeil lead the team wasn’t all that unusual.

Mr. Hutton continued:

”There is a Ms. Sarah. This will be my first time working with her.

She’s an independent Hunter here, a Senior Practitioner, and she specializes in regular wilderness patrols.

She doesn’t usually take part in official assignments, but Mrs. MacNeil recommended her to us.”

”Why is that?”

”Her Hunting Rifle can hit some rather troublesome things.”

Mr. Hutton didn’t elaborate.

”You’ll see for yourself when the time comes.”

”What about the Newcomers?”

”Including you, there’s one Secret and three in the Scholar path.”

Richard nodded.

Having Newcomers from the same path participate together allowed them to observe and learn from one another.

”There’s no need to force yourself to be modest once we arrive,”

Mr. Hutton reminded him.

”You might be the youngest, but in our line of work, we hate people who pretend to know things they don’t just as much as we hate people who know things but pretend they don’t.”

”Understood.”

Whitcom Village was nestled in a low-lying hollow.

As the carriage wound its way down from the highland moors, Richard could see the entire village through the window.

There were about forty households. The homes were built from local limestone, their roofs covered in dark slate.

A church stood in the center of the village. The bell tower wasn’t tall, but the cross at its peak was exceptionally striking.

Near the village entrance sat an inn, with a general store and a few small workshops further in.

”We’re here.”

Mr. Hutton gestured toward the inn with his chin.

”That’s the place.”

The inn was called The Lamb and the Cross.

The sign depicted a kneeling lamb with a cross beneath its neck.

The carriage stopped in front of the inn.

The driver hopped down and helped them carry their suitcases to the steps.

Mr. Hutton paid the fare, and the driver took the carriage back the way they came.

Richard grabbed his suitcase and followed Mr. Hutton inside.

The fireplace inside was roaring, flames dancing across the logs.

Various liquor bottles hung behind the bar, where a middle-aged man—likely the owner—was wiping a glass with a rag.

The moment he stepped through the door, Richard felt several gazes fall on him at once.

The people sitting in the inn all turned to look at him.

The first to stand up was Mrs. MacNeil.

She was slightly younger than Richard had imagined.

Looking to be under forty, she was slim and wore a dark woolen skirt under a grey hooded coat.

”Little Richard.”

Mrs. MacNeil stepped forward and offered her hand.

”I just told Bigelow earlier that I wouldn’t get to meet you until spring. I didn’t expect to see you so soon.”

Her grip was firm.

Richard could feel a flow of ether emanating from her palm.

The Seat of the Sun trembled slightly, but it caused no discomfort.

”I’ve heard quite a bit about you from Old Biggs as well, Mrs. MacNeil.”

Mrs. MacNeil looked a bit helpless. ”Bigelow and his big mouth.”

”Whenever he talks about his school, he always starts with ’my incredibly powerful teacher’ and follows it up with ’my amazing senior sister.’”

”He actually respects the school a lot,” Richard said, trying to be diplomatic.

”Respect is one thing, and bragging is another. The two can be kept separate.” Mrs. MacNeil was noncommittal.

Next were the two Hunters.

Captain Field was in his thirties. Though also lean, he had a broad, heavy frame.

A shallow scar marred his left brow, stretching from just above his eyebrow down to his cheekbone.

”Hello, Captain Field.”

The man didn’t get up; he merely nodded.

Another woman was sitting in a high-backed chair in the corner.

She wore a hunting jacket over riding breeches and leather boots.

A double-barreled Hunting Rifle leaned against the chair next to her. Richard could tell at a glance that it was a heavily modified weapon.

”Ignore these two. Take a seat,”

Mrs. MacNeil said, pointing to a chair by the fireplace.

”Have the others not arrived yet?”

Richard sat down and placed his suitcase by his feet.

”They all arrived today,”

Mrs. MacNeil said.

”They’re just upstairs in their rooms unpacking. You’ll meet them at dinner.”

She turned and called out toward the bar:

”Boss, get this young man a room.”

The innkeeper behind the counter looked up and grabbed a brass key from a hook on the wall.

”Room Four. Second floor, east side.”

He handed the key over. ”The window faces east. Best view of the sunrise.”

Mr. Hutton rubbed his hands together.

”All eight rooms are fully booked. Including the two the owner’s family uses, we’ve bought out the entire inn.”

Richard slipped the key into his pocket.

”I’ll take my luggage upstairs first.”

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