In a secluded corner of the Hymn Cathedral, Ed and Misha sit close to each other. Their transaction is nearing its conclusion. After listening to Misha’s information, Ed, under Dorothy’s control, slowly speaks.
"Listen carefully, ma’am. The spy from the Eight-Spired Nest who infiltrated your investigation team is currently going by the name Vihan Valder, from Coset, South Lime County. You’d better remember that."
"Vihan?"
Hearing Ed’s words, Misha frowns slightly, recalling the image of the seemingly cheerful young man. Over the past few days, she had formed a rather favorable impression of him, but she never expected him to be a mole.
"I’ve seen Vihan’s records. His background is clean. There’s no record of the Eight-Spired Nest operating in South Lime County. Are you sure he’s the mole?"
With a tone of doubt, Misha questions Ed, who responds in a relaxed manner.
"If it were the real Vihan... then of course, there’d be no issue. But the question is, is the person in front of you really him? You should know, right? What are the abilities of the Blood Shade Path of the Eight-Spired Nest? What is the name of their Black Earth rank?"
Holding up a finger, Ed speaks to Misha. Hearing this, Misha suddenly pauses, then immediately understands.
"Are you saying... this Vihan has been replaced by a Shadow Facade from the Eight-Spired Nest? He’s not the real Vihan?!"
Misha’s eyes widen, her expression filled with disbelief. Ed nods in response."Exactly. According to the information provided by our mole within the Eight-Spired Nest, the details of your investigation team, formed by selecting members from national branches, were leaked from the very beginning by the big mole within your bureau. So, the Eight-Spired Nest planned to eliminate and replace the people you selected midway, allowing them to openly infiltrate your investigation team. And the poor guy who got replaced is Vihan."
Ed explains to Misha. Hearing this, Misha’s eyes remain wide with disbelief. She shakes her head slightly and murmurs.
"The details of the investigation team members were all leaked? That shouldn’t be... Could it be..."
Seeing Misha’s expression, Dorothy raises an eyebrow and, through Ed, asks Misha.
"Did you think of something, Miss Misha?"
"No... nothing."
Hearing Ed’s words, Misha quickly responds, then straightens up and looks at Ed seriously.
"You’re accusing Vihan of being a mole within our ranks. Do you have any evidence? How can we prove you’re not just slandering him?"
"As for evidence, you’ll have to find it yourself. If you have the resources, you could spend a point of Revelation to divine whether Vihan Valder is still alive. If you’re short on resources, you could also arrest the impostor and use Lantern to intensively detect the spiritual traces on him. It would probably cost around a dozen Lantern points to drain all the Shadow from him. If he doesn’t resist the Lantern detection, the disguise’s mystical effects will be directly revealed."
Ed shrugs as he speaks to Misha. Hearing this, Misha sneers.
"Hmph... No matter which option, the cost is quite high... But in times like these, we can’t afford to be too stingy with resources."
After saying this, Misha changes the subject.
"Alright, now that I’ve got the information I wanted, our transaction is complete. Let’s talk about something else. If I remember correctly, we still owe you something, right?"
Misha’s words are clear—she’s referring to the reward the detective should receive for returning the documents from Ulster.
"Thank you for remembering. What we need isn’t much—just two mystical texts related to Shadow or Lantern. You must have confiscated plenty of mystical texts from other societies, right?"
Ed responds to Misha. Hearing this request, Misha looks slightly surprised.
"You want mystical texts? That’s quite a specific request. Sure. Also, since my earlier answer didn’t fully satisfy your requirements, I can add one more. How about three mystical texts in total?"
"That would be great. You can send these texts through the White Craftsmen’s Guild. The recipient is still Detective."
With a slight smile, Ed stands up and extends his hand to Misha.
"Now that all matters of our meeting have been settled, it’s time to say goodbye. I hope we have the chance to cooperate again in the future, Miss from the Serenity Bureau."
Seeing the hand extended toward her again, Misha pauses for a moment, then stands up expressionlessly and shakes Ed’s hand.
…
North Tivian, a street far from the Cathedral District.
Although the winter streets are cold, the approaching end of the year has brought many pedestrians out, bundled in thick clothing. Workers are busy decorating the streets with trimmed branches and colorful flags, preparing for the upcoming New Year festivities.
Light snowflakes fall onto the road, melting instantly. On the wet streets, carriages of all kinds come and go. Inside one ordinary black carriage, Dorothy sits comfortably, gazing at the falling snowflakes and reflecting on what Ed had just witnessed and heard in the cathedral. Her expression is not particularly cheerful.
"I didn’t expect... that even the Serenity Bureau knows so little about the Shadow deity. Not just the holy symbol... but even the name... What a miscalculation..."
Tightening her cotton coat, Dorothy murmurs softly. While the transaction wasn’t without gains, her primary objective remains unfulfilled.
“Three mystical texts related to Lantern or Shadow... At least my scarce spirituality will be replenished. This outcome is acceptable, but the main issue is that I still haven’t obtained the Shadow holy symbol. Although there’s a lead... it doesn’t seem very reliable.”
Dorothy thinks to herself. Although it’s not confirmed, she strongly suspects that the Moon Maiden, the Mirror Moon Goddess, is likely the main deity of Shadow. The reason is simple—when she saw the messages related to this goddess in the underground ruins beneath King’s Campus, the spirituality she extracted was primarily Revelation and Shadow, with no other spiritualities present. This strongly suggests the goddess’s spiritual inclination.
So, Dorothy asked Misha for information about the Mirror Moon Goddess. The clues she received were scarce, but at least it wasn’t a complete dead end.
"Duke of Clarence, Barrett Despenser, huh?"
Dorothy mutters this name, stroking her chin. According to Misha, if she wants to learn more about the Mirror Moon Goddess, her only lead is this duke. However, as a high-ranking member of the royal family, getting close to him won’t be easy.
“Although Misha mentioned that this duke occasionally attends social gatherings, giving me a chance to approach him, the circles he moves in are too high-society for me to reach at the moment. It’s going to be quite difficult…”
Dorothy ponders this. Since arriving in Tivian, she’s been busy dealing with various cultists. She hasn’t had the time or resources to build connections in high society. Now, suddenly needing to approach a royal duke like Barrett Despenser feels like a daunting task.
“Hmm... Among my current connections, the person with the highest social status in the secular world is Adèle, right? She’s a big star in Tivian, after all. It’s not impossible for her to have connections with royal family members. Maybe I can think of something through her?”
Dorothy considers this as she sits in the carriage. After some thought, she decides to put aside these complicated matters for now. She’ll wait until she gets home, lights the fireplace, and warms up before figuring out a plan.
"Ugh... It’s getting colder and colder. My brain’s not working well in this cold. Let’s go home and warm up first."
Rubbing her hands and exhaling a white breath, Dorothy murmurs to herself. She then instructs the marionette coachman to speed up the carriage.
On the way back, out of boredom, she picks up a newspaper from the carriage. Since Dorothy often travels by carriage for hours at a time, she keeps a stock of newspapers and books in the carriage. She regularly updates the newspapers, and even in this weather, there are plenty of newsboys selling papers on the streets.
Picking up today’s Tivian Morning Post, Dorothy begins to read intently. Her crimson eyes scan the various news articles, and she is first drawn to the news about the colonies.
…
"The situation in the New Continent is not optimistic. On the morning of the 17th, tensions flared again in the border region between the Sandshore State of our kingdom and the Northwood State of Falano. Falano soldiers repeatedly crossed the border and were intercepted by our kingdom’s soldiers, resulting in a bloody clash. The Falano soldiers were driven back, and the current casualties are unknown…
It is reported that this is the third such incident this month. Governor Mitchell has called on the kingdom’s government to pay attention to the Falano issue in the New Continent. He stated that Falano poses a greater threat to the kingdom’s colonial territories than the natives, and he needs more soldiers to defend the kingdom’s interests."
…
“The situation in the New Continent doesn’t seem to be easing; in fact, it’s becoming more tense. For the Pritt colonies, their conflict has shifted from disputes with the natives to conflicts with Falano. Now, the governor is even requesting reinforcements from the homeland. Are we heading toward war?”
Reading this report, Dorothy ponders. She has been following the news about the Pritt colonies in the New Continent since May. From May to December, tensions have been steadily increasing. Half a year later, the situation seems to have reached a point where the governor is requesting troops from the homeland.
"Anyway, I hope nothing serious happens..."
Dorothy murmurs, then shifts her attention to the next piece of news.
…
"Official investigation results have been released regarding the explosion in the Adorton District on the 15th. The army has stated that the explosion was caused by improper handling of military supplies. The responsible parties have been held accountable. There is no evidence of deliberate sabotage by any other forces. The explosion caused no casualties, and the public is urged not to worry."
…
“Hmm... The official results of the explosion incident are out. Although that area wasn’t densely populated, it wasn’t completely empty either. Such an explosion needed a public explanation. I wonder how those Nether Coffin Order guys are doing in jail?”
Dorothy thinks to herself as she reads the article, which is deeply connected to her. Without dwelling on it, she flips the page and continues reading.
Then, the next piece of news immediately catches her eye.
…
"Breaking News! Princess Isabella has announced that she will host a New Year’s Eve party on the evening of December 31st at Bishop Square in the South District. She claims she will spend the final moments of the year with the public, welcoming the new year together!
Princess Isabella has hosted numerous speeches and gatherings for the common people in the past, but this is the first time she will host a party on New Year’s Eve.
According to Princess Isabella, this party will be different from her previous events. It will be a celebration open to the public, free of charge. She has also invited many important figures from various fields in Tivian, as well as other members of the royal family. She has prepared a surprise for everyone.
It is understood that, following Princess Isabella’s usual practice, this party may eventually turn into a charity event for the poor. Despite this, many important figures have already announced their attendance, including Duke of Clarence, the esteemed Barrett Despenser, a fellow member of the royal family..."
…
Sitting in the carriage, holding the newspaper, Dorothy’s eyes fixate on the name Barrett Despenser, Duke of Clarence.
Misha had just revealed that the possible holder of information about the Mirror Moon Goddess would be attending the New Year’s Eve party hosted by Princess Isabella on the 31st! And this party, with its distinguished guests and open access to the public, might just be the opportunity she needs.
"This party... If handled well, it might be a chance to make contact with that duke..."
Dorothy murmurs thoughtfully as she reads the newspaper. For her, this is an opportunity to approach Duke Barrett, a chance worth trying.
Closing the newspaper, Dorothy checks the date in the corner. Today is December 19th, and the party is in twelve days.
"Heh... It seems I’ll need to attend another world live New Year’s Eve party this year..."
Putting the newspaper away, Dorothy gazes out the window at the falling snowflakes and murmurs to herself.
…
Somewhere in Tivian, a beautifully decorated room.
On an open balcony, a young man with neatly combed brown hair and a fair, handsome face stands in the cold wind. He is dressed in a vest and shirt, seemingly unaffected by the chilly air. In his hand, he holds a newspaper—today’s Tivian Morning Post—and is reading the section about Princess Isabella’s announcement of the New Year’s Eve party.
As the young man reads, a large, terrifying black spider crawls out from his sleeve, scurrying across the newspaper before stopping next to a name: Barrett Despenser.