Tivian North Suburbs, outside King’s Campus.
In the dead of night, at the entrance of the Irrigation River Bridge, the corpse marionettes controlled by Dorothy bid farewell to Vania and Nephthys. Then, Dorothy turns her attention to the battlefield. Sitting in the underground chamber, she murmurs to herself.
"Well, let’s see what we can find here. This is the first time I’ve had to scavenge items from the surface while being several kilometers underground."
With that, Dorothy begins to control the marionettes to search the battlefield. Through the marionettes’ eyes, she first notices Thorn Velvet, lying on the ground with a large hole burned through his chest, lifeless.
“Is this the damage caused by the Sunlight Spear? It pierced through three people at once, so the power seems quite impressive. And this is just the incomplete version. If it were the full version, Vania wouldn’t be able to handle it yet.”
Dorothy thinks this to herself. The Sunlight Spear that Vania has mastered is not the complete version. Its maximum output cannot exceed 6 points of Lantern. If Vania can offer more related mystical texts in the future, the power of the Sunlight Spear might be further enhanced.
“Speaking of which, the ‘miracles’ in Dark Souls are themselves products imitating the legends of the gods. I wonder if, after offering enough high-quality mystical texts, the Sunlight Spear could surpass the limitations of ‘miracles’ and approach the ‘original’ power of the gods?”
After pondering this for a moment, Dorothy begins to carefully search Thorn Velvet’s body. However, the results leave her somewhat disappointed. Thorn Velvet has almost nothing on him—just a box containing a spider and a few white pills.
“Not even a single sigil. It seems this guy used up all his supplies during his fight with the Hunters. Otherwise, he would have been even harder to deal with.”
Dorothy thinks this to herself. After finding nothing of value, Dorothy hides the spider box and pills, then begins to dispose of the bodies. She has the marionettes carry all the corpses into a small grove, where they dig a hole and bury them. After burying the other bodies, Dorothy has the marionettes bury themselves, leaving a mystery for any future police who might investigate this incident."Phew... Now it’s time to wait."
In the underground chamber, Dorothy lets out a long sigh and takes out her magic box. From it, she retrieves some cake, water, and biscuits, and begins to eat. At this moment, she is immensely grateful for her thorough preparations.
…
Dawn breaks, and the night fades away.
After a night has passed, in the area around the Northern Tivian Cathedral District.
The thin rays of sunlight shine on the spires of the church, and hymns echo in the morning mist. The towering church buildings stand as massive, blurry silhouettes in the haze.
Outside the cathedral district, in a well-decorated inn, Nephthys sits by a window, eating breakfast while gazing out at the bustling street below, filled with carriages and pedestrians.
After being picked up by Vania and brought to the city last night, Nephthys was settled here. This inn is very close to the cathedral district, just a street away, ensuring Nephthys a measure of safety.
"I never expected... that the Rose Cross Order would have a nun from the church among its members. The church must also be a powerful Beyonder force. Is the Rose Cross Order infiltrating the church?"
Recalling last night’s events, Nephthys thinks to herself. She is deeply impressed by the nun who came to pick her up.
"That nun, Vania, actually killed Thorn Velvet head-on... What incredible power! And she looks even younger than me. With Miss Dorothy being even younger, are all members of the Rose Cross Order this young and powerful?"
As Nephthys ponders this, there is a knock on her door. Startled, she walks to the door and asks.
"Who is it?"
"It’s me, Miss Nephthys."
A familiar voice comes from outside. Hearing this, Nephthys feels a sense of relief and opens the door. Standing there is Vania.
"Sorry, Miss Nephthys, it’s a bit late. We just finished morning prayers."
Vania smiles as she looks at Nephthys, who nods in response.
"It’s alright, Sister Vania. I actually just got up not long ago and am still having breakfast."
With that, Nephthys invites Vania in, and the two sit facing each other at a table. Vania begins by asking Nephthys.
"Miss Nephthys, did you sleep well here? Nothing unusual happened, right?"
"It was quite comfortable, thank you for asking."
"Good... That’s a relief. I was worried those cultists who harm students might have followed us. Since everything’s fine, let’s get straight to the point. I don’t have much time to stay here, so let’s make this quick."
Vania speaks to Nephthys, then takes out her holy scripture from her waist and places it on the table, flipping to the page where she communicates with Dorothy.
"I assume Miss Dorothy has already spoken to you. She’s currently on a mission against the cultists and has run into some trouble. She needs our help."
Vania looks at Nephthys, who nods in response.
"Yes, she mentioned... she needs something called a... mystical text?"
"That’s right, a mystical text. It’s a document containing mystical knowledge. For some reason, Miss Dorothy needs a mystical text related to the Silence spirituality this time. And the only way we can obtain such a text right now is to buy it."
Vania explains seriously, and Nephthys looks surprised.
"Buy it? Is there really a place in Tivian where you can buy such mystical knowledge?"
"Of course. After all, Beyonders need to trade with each other. We should be able to find the mystical text Miss Dorothy needs at the White Craftsmen’s Guild."
Vania says confidently, but Nephthys frowns in confusion.
"White Craftsmen’s… Guild?"
"It’s a secret society. You can think of it as a guild of craftsmen and merchants within the mysticism world. It’s said that more than half of all Beyonder transactions in the mysticism world are related to them. They have a branch in Tivian, and it’s quite large."
"I work at the Historical Scripture Department in the church, and occasionally I receive tasks to recover scattered mystical texts. These texts often end up being traded through channels that lead to the White Craftsmen’s Guild. So, because of my work, I often interact with them. I know we can buy mystical texts there."
Vania explains seriously, and Nephthys raises an eyebrow in response.
"I see. So, if we go there, we can buy the mystical text Miss Dorothy needs?"
"Yes, but there’s a catch. It’s not both of us going—it’s just you. When I recover texts, I deal with them directly, and they recognize me as a nun from the church. So, I can’t be the one to go. You’ll have to go alone, Miss Nephthys."
Vania says solemnly, and Nephthys looks surprised.
"Wait, just me?"