"Ah, it’s you, Miss Dorothy. You startled me."
In the ritual chamber beneath King’s Campus, Vania, who had been carefully observing the altar and statue, is startled by the sudden voice. She turns to see Dorothy and relaxes slightly.
"It seems you’re quite interested in this altar and statue," Dorothy says with a smile, and Vania nods in response.
"Yes, I am. As a nun in the Historical Scripture Department, I occasionally study various altars and statues. This one is quite unique, and it has certainly caught my interest."
Vania explains. The Historical Scripture Department is responsible for collecting, organizing, restoring, and researching various texts related to the Radiance Church, so Vania has some expertise in theology, particularly regarding the Radiance Church.
"So, in your opinion, what makes this altar so special?"
Dorothy asks, hoping to hear a church member’s perspective on the mysterious altar. Understanding its significance might shed some light on the Eight-Spired Nest’s goals.
"Well..." Vania ponders for a moment before continuing.
"In my opinion, this altar has clearly been desecrated. The spider head and the statue aren’t originally part of the same structure. The cultists must have grafted the spider head onto the statue to desecrate the deity originally worshipped here. The ritual they were performing was likely part of this desecration. As for what the completed ritual would achieve, I’m not sure. The spider head is probably the evil god worshipped by these cultists."
Vania shares her understanding, and Dorothy follows up with another question."Do you know anything about this spider god or the deity originally worshipped here?"
"The spider god... Hmm... To be honest, I’m not specialized in the study of cults. My knowledge of other religions and gods is limited. The Holy War Army in the church handles matters related to other religions, so they would know more. But as for the deity originally worshipped here..."
Vania begins to carefully examine the altar’s decorations and carvings, her expression becoming intensely focused.
"This altar has a strong Radiance Church aesthetic, and it’s in a very ancient style, dating back many years. Many elements suggest it was an altar for worshipping a Radiance Church deity. However, the problem is that this goddess statue doesn’t resemble any of the Three Saints. I suspect... this might be a statue of a heretical deity."
Vania shares her thoughts with Dorothy, who frowns slightly.
"You think this goddess statue represents a heretical Radiance Church deity?"
"Yes, that’s right. Among some heretical sects within the church, there are those who worship figures outside the Three Saints, claiming they are the true incarnations of the Radiant Savior. This goddess statue might be one of them.”
"Since the Historical Scripture Department sometimes deals with dangerous apocryphal texts, I’ve come across quite a few of these heretical beliefs and the figures they worship. But I’ve never seen a statue of a mirror-holding goddess like this one... Given the age of this altar, I suspect this might be an ancient heretical sect of the Radiance Church."
"An ancient heretical sect of the Radiance Church?"
Dorothy murmurs to herself, considering Vania’s theory. While it makes some sense, something feels off.
“Wait, based on the cognitive poison in the messages about this statue, this goddess should be associated with Shadow spirituality. But the Radiance Church is all about Lantern. How can a Shadow deity be the object of worship for a Radiance Church heretical sect?”
Dorothy can’t quite figure out the answer to this question. Regarding the mysterious Mirror Moon Goddess faith, she has already identified a few key points:
1. This faith was once widespread in Pritt but seems to have collectively migrated eastward.
2. This faith appears to have some connection to the Radiance Church, possibly as a heretical sect. However, the goddess is associated with Shadow, which is the opposite of Lantern.
3. For some reason, this goddess seems to have been targeted by a spider-related evil god. The Eight-Spired Nest seems to gain some kind of "influence" by desecrating these abandoned Mirror Moon statues.
Dorothy organizes the information about the Mirror Moon statue in her mind, identifying several key points and doubts. However, due to the lack of sufficient clues, she can’t deduce any concrete information.
“Sigh... No use thinking about this now. Let’s clean up the scene and get out of here.”
Taking a deep breath, Dorothy decides to focus on the task at hand. She quickly loots the ritual chamber, collecting more corpses. From the Black Earth-rank Beyonder who acted as Claudius’ decoy, she retrieves two Silent Sigils and about 50 pounds in cash.
Afterward, Dorothy, Vania, and Nephthys regroup and quickly leave the scene through the secret passage of the Star Numerology Scriptorium. Once they emerge from the ruins under the night sky, the three part ways. Dorothy promises Vania and Nephthys that she will share some of the loot after appraising and valuing everything.
After parting ways, Vania and Nephthys head to the city by carriage, while Dorothy doesn’t rest. She takes the opportunity to infiltrate the office of Andrew, the Serenity Bureau observer at King’s Campus, whom Claudius had impersonated. After a thorough search, Dorothy finds 150 pounds in cash and a mystical text.
After looting the office, Dorothy returns to her home at 17 Green Shade Town. She takes a comfortable bath, changes into her pajamas, and sits down at her desk.
After a brief rest, Dorothy follows her usual post-mission routine and begins tallying the expenses and gains from this operation.
First, the expenses. In terms of cash, Dorothy took a significant hit this time.
To ensure the success of the operation, Dorothy’s preparations for dealing with Claudius were costly. She spent nearly all her cash reserves: 350 pounds on vampire intelligence, 100 pounds on marionette construction equipment, 120 pounds on antidotes, and 70 pounds on gas canisters and steel swords. She even had to pawn some of the gold and silverware she had collected earlier.
In total, Dorothy spent about 640 pounds on this operation. After all the purchases, she was left with only 250 pounds in cash.