"The God of Craftsmen and Machinery... the one who propelled the Steam Revolution?"
Inside Green Shade Town No. 37, Dorothy murmurs thoughtfully after hearing Beverly’s words. If Beverly’s words are true, then this Core of Order might very well be the deity who would turn its gaze upon her after she invents the internal combustion engine.
“If what Beverly says is accurate, then the Steam Revolution was triggered by this God of Machinery through divine inspiration given to key inventors. That would make this deity the direct driving force behind the First Industrial Revolution. If someone in this world were to invent the internal combustion engine—a key component of the Second Industrial Revolution—without receiving divine inspiration, it’s no wonder this god would take notice.”
“According to Beverly’s rumors... this God of Machinery is also a God of Innovation. It is not satisfied with the current state of civilization and, when it deems the time right, it will trigger the next technological revolution. That means now is not the ‘right time’ in its eyes, so the invention of the internal combustion engine is not yet permitted to appear?’”
Dorothy thinks to herself. After speaking with Beverly, she has gained a new perspective on this world and its gods.
“Cognitive poison defines the boundary between mundane and mystical knowledge. But who decides which knowledge belongs to the mundane and which to the mystical? This power of definition might lie in the hands of the gods. These deities might be able to influence the scope of cognitive poison. For now, technologies like the internal combustion engine are classified as mystical, and this might be due to the influence of the Core of Order.”
“When I read medical books before, I noticed that this world, despite being in the Steam Revolution era, has an oddly advanced level of medical knowledge—antibiotics exist! This suggests that knowledge related to antibiotics is not affected by cognitive poison. Could this also be the influence of a certain god?”
Dorothy ponders this. While she can’t yet definitively confirm that the gods are the ones defining the boundaries of cognitive poison, she is certain that they have some influence. She can sense that the current state of this world is deeply intertwined with the will of the gods.
"By the way, you mentioned that fifty years ago, the Core of Order was merely the God of Craftsmen, forging weapons for the Radiance during the Dawn War... Does this Radiance refer to the Radiant Savior?"
Dorothy continues to ask Beverly, who, while crossing her legs and sipping on a cup of oil, responds."Generally, scholars who study this myth believe so. But myths are just myths—listen to them, but don’t take them too seriously. Unless you were there, no one really knows what happened back then. Whether this Radiance is the same as today’s Radiant Savior is up for debate. The specifics of divine matters are impossible to confirm."
Beverly finishes her explanation, and Dorothy falls into thought again.
"If the myth you mentioned is true, then the Core of Order might be an ally of the Radiant Savior. But why doesn’t the Radiance Church promote this? Their faith today only acknowledges the Three Saints. As an ally who fought alongside the Radiant Savior, the Core of Order is now treated like a suppressed heresy, with no public churches. Isn’t that a bit unfair?"
Dorothy continues to question. In the teachings of the Radiance Church, the Radiant Savior single-handedly won the Dawn War and drove out the evil forces. There’s no mention of any allies. In contrast, the legends of the King of Light do mention allies. From this perspective, the Radiance in the myths of the Core of Order seems closer to the King of Light.
"Eh... who cares about fairness? The only one who really needs large-scale faith is the Lantern path. The others don’t have much need for faith. If the Radiance Church acknowledged the existence of other gods, it would inevitably divert a lot of faith away from them. So it’s understandable why they don’t."
Beverly waves her hand dismissively. Hearing this, Dorothy frowns and continues.
"Only the Lantern path requires large-scale faith... What’s the relationship between Lantern and faith?" Dorothy asks with a furrowed brow, and Beverly responds with some surprise.
"You don’t know? The primary aspect of Lantern is faith. Many gods of other domains have churches in the mortal world, but this is mainly to expand their influence and allow their followers to carry out their divine will. They don’t expect to gain much from their followers. But Lantern is different. The gods of Lantern can actually draw power from the faith of their followers. The more believers they have, the stronger their faith, and the greater their power.
"This is why the Radiance Church places such importance on faith. Its influence spans the entire world, making it the only official faith in the mortal world. Because they can truly transform faith into divine power, with billions of believers worldwide, the Radiant Savior should be the most powerful among the gods of the mysticism world."
Beverly explains. After hearing her words, Dorothy is momentarily stunned, then recalls how the clergy of the Radiance Church accumulate spirituality. Their devout prayers to the Three Saints seem to strengthen the Three Saints, who in turn grant them spirituality. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship.
Of course, the primary source of the Three Saints’ power is undoubtedly the faith of billions of ordinary people. Compared to the faith of the masses, the prayers of the clergy might just be a way to test their devotion.
With this in mind, Dorothy understands why the Radiance Church has become the largest official institution maintaining stability in the mortal world. Since the faith of ordinary people is crucial to them, they naturally have a vested interest in maintaining order.
After hearing Beverly’s explanation, Dorothy feels satisfied with the wealth of information she’s gained from this visit.
"Well... thank you. This information is very useful to me. By the way, you’re not going to charge me for this, are you?" Dorothy asks Beverly, who shrugs in response.
"Charge you? This information isn’t particularly rare or secret. It’s not worth charging for. Besides, thanks to your intel last time, we made a huge profit. You’re now a VIP client. As a VIP, this little bit of info is on the house~"
Beverly waves her hand dismissively. Hearing this, Dorothy feels a pang of gratitude, thinking that if it were Beverly’s father, he would have charged at least fifty or sixty pounds for this information.
"In that case, thank you. I’ve pretty much finished what I came here for today, so I’ll take my leave now. Goodbye, and next time I’ll treat you to some oil."
Having asked all the questions she needed, Dorothy prepares to bid Beverly farewell. But Beverly stops her.
"Wait, don’t be in such a hurry. I happen to have a letter specifically for you. I was planning to deliver it to your door after brewing some coffee, but since you’re here now..."
Beverly calls out to Dorothy, who is surprised.
"A letter for me? Who’s it from?"
"Client information is confidential. I can’t reveal that. Don’t forget, it was you who suggested we start this mailing service. Wait here, and I’ll go fetch the letter."
With that, Beverly places her cup of oil on the coffee table, stands up from the sofa, and walks to a wall. After twisting a wall lamp, the room fills with the sound of clicking mechanisms. The floor beneath Beverly suddenly sinks, lowering her into the ground.
"What a fascinating house..."
Dorothy murmurs softly as she watches the scene. She then sits back on the sofa and waits quietly for Beverly to return. To pass the time, she begins to observe her surroundings, taking in the decor of her neighbor’s home.
“Even though Beverly is an automaton and lives in a mechanical house, the surface-level disguise of this place is quite well done. At least it looks like a normal person’s home.”
Dorothy thinks to herself, then shifts her attention to the coffee table. There, she notices an open copy of the Tivian Morning Post, and the headline immediately catches her eye.
"Bloody Tragedy! Another Street Murder in West Tivian’s Coal Ash District—The Fourth in Two Weeks!"
Seeing the sensational headline, Dorothy becomes intrigued and picks up the newspaper to read more. The article reports a gruesome incident in West Tivian, where a man stabbed another person to death in broad daylight before fleeing. The perpetrator has since been caught by the police.
At first glance, this doesn’t seem like an extraordinary case. Both the killer and the victim were ordinary people, unlike high-profile figures like Adèle. Moreover, since there were many witnesses to the murder, the crime is indisputable. The killer, after being arrested, admitted that the victim was his enemy, making this a typical case of revenge. There’s nothing particularly mysterious about it.
This is a fairly ordinary case. The reason it made the news is that similar incidents have occurred four times in the same district within two weeks. In other words, such street murders have happened four times in half a month, causing widespread panic.
In the newspaper’s coverage, these tragedies in West Tivian are speculated to be connected, and comparisons are drawn to the recent Night Demon incidents that have been causing a stir across the city. The media wonders if there’s some terrifying hidden truth behind these events.
In response to these speculations, the police have issued a statement in the newspaper, clarifying that the four street murders are independent incidents. All four killers were quickly apprehended and have confessed to their crimes. Their motives vary—some acted out of sudden greed, some killed out of long-standing grudges, and others killed in fits of rage after arguments with their partners.
In short, the summary is that a single district has seen an inexplicable series of four street murders in a short period. However, the four cases are unrelated, and all the killers have been caught and confessed. Their motives were all spontaneous acts of violence.
While it seems unbelievable, the facts are as they are. No wonder the newspaper devoted so much space to the story. The article also includes criticism of the deteriorating public security conditions in West Tivian’s Coal Ash District, which have worsened significantly in recent times.
"This does seem a bit strange. Four spontaneous street murders in two weeks... I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but I’ve heard that West Tivian has poor public security. I just didn’t expect it to be this bad..."
Dorothy murmurs as she reads the newspaper. The attention this series of incidents has garnered is almost on par with the infamous Night Demon. However, the Night Demon targets individuals of status and power, while the victims in these cases are all ordinary people. So there’s likely no connection between the two.
“Still, it’s terrifying to have so many spontaneous street murders happening in such a short time. Why can’t these people control their emotions?”
Dorothy ponders as she reads the newspaper. Just then, the sound of mechanical gears fills the room again, and Beverly rises from the floor, holding an envelope in her hand.
"Here you go, ‘Detective.’ This letter is for you."
Beverly hands the envelope to Dorothy, who is momentarily stunned by the term "Detective." She then examines the envelope closely. Although there’s no writing on it, Dorothy can detect a faint, pleasant fragrance. It seems the envelope has been sprayed with perfume.
The term "Detective," the perfumed envelope... Dorothy quickly guesses who the letter might be from.
"Thank you~"
After receiving the letter, Dorothy quickly bids Beverly farewell and hurries back to her own home. Sitting on her sofa, Dorothy opens the envelope and pulls out a letter written in elegant, flowing script.
…
"Dear Detective—Mr. Ed…”
"I have obtained crucial clues regarding my teacher. As per our previous agreement, I am informing you through the White Craftsmen’s Guild. I hope you can visit the Soaring Theater again by 8 PM tonight. Upon your arrival, I will share the information I have gathered. We may collaborate on this matter.”
"Your eternal admirer—Adèle Briouze."