Northern Shore of Conquest Sea, Adria.
As the sun gradually descended towards the horizon, Adria basked in the golden glow of sunset. The bustling port was particularly busy, with a dense crowd gathered at the waterfront.
At the vacant dockside berth, an unusually large group had assembled. Hundreds milled about the waterfront, creating a rare scene for this typically orderly port. Among them were journalists desperately trying to push forward, police officers maintaining order, dockworkers watching curiously from afar, serious-faced city officials, dignitaries, and many formally dressed clergy members.
At the very center of the crowd, cordoned off by fully armed knights, stood three prominent figures. One was a middle-aged man wearing bishop’s robes and glasses, the bishop of Adria’s local church. Another was a young man in a sharp suit and formal hat, head of Adria’s secret police, responsible for Ivengard’s Deep Concealment Guards in the city.
These two represented Adria’s highest authority in the official Beyonder circles. Ordinarily, their simultaneous presence at an event would mean they were the central figures—but today was different. Between them stood an elderly man dressed in even grander bishop’s attire. The local dignitaries surrounding him maintained grave expressions, not daring the slightest negligence. He was Antonio, Archbishop from Ivengard’s capital, Pezhi, and head of the entire Ivengard diocese.
Ever since the Summer Tree incident, Antonio had been deeply involved, dedicating much of his recent efforts to handling it. To better coordinate matters related to Summer Tree, he had even personally arrived several days prior at Adria, home port of the Church fleet, and remained here, overseeing the matter closely until now.
Due to the Summer Tree affair, Antonio had already spent nearly ten days in Adria. Now that the situation was finally winding down, and with the kidnapped pilgrims due to arrive shortly, Antonio needed only to patiently wait at the port to personally welcome the returning pilgrims and host a celebratory banquet, bringing the whole matter to an end.
Antonio cast his gaze toward the distant sea, prompting everyone present to follow suit. Under their eager watch, silhouettes of naval ships gradually appeared on the horizon. As the fleet drew nearer, the neatly aligned ships grew larger and clearer until the flagship docked at the closest berth. Everyone looked up in awe at the enormous vessel.
Once the flagship had docked, boarding stairs swiftly extended to its deck. Amid music from a prepared orchestra, senior naval officers descended and walked up to Antonio amidst applause, solemnly saluted him, and promptly stepped aside. Afterward, all eyes turned toward the boarding stairs.
There, a nervous-looking nun in a white robe slowly descended. Under anxious gazes, she stepped onto the dock, causing a stir among reporters who immediately surged forward, only to be restrained by police officers maintaining order.With obvious anxiety, the nun approached Antonio. As she faced the gentle, smiling elder, words momentarily failed her.
“Um…You…you are…”
“You must be Sister Vania, yes? At last, we meet. I’m Antonio. You’ve had a difficult journey. Praise be to our Lord for your safe return,” Antonio spoke gently in fluent Prittish, smiling warmly.
Realizing who stood before her, Sister Vania hurriedly bowed respectfully.
“Ah… Archbishop Antonio, I’m Sister Vania Chafferon from the Tivian Church. Praise the Lord, please forgive my rudeness…”
“Relax, Sister Vania. You’re the hero who enlightened Summer Tree and the main guest at tonight’s banquet. No need for excessive formality. Come, many others are waiting at the banquet hall…”
With that, Antonio turned and departed, closely followed by the two prominent figures. Seeing this, Sister Vania immediately followed.
…
Time quickly passed, and the sunset faded completely, darkness slowly enveloping the city. Lights began illuminating Adria, casting the city into a beautiful glow reflecting off both land and water.
As evening descended, the Old Lord’s Palace in Adria was brightly illuminated. Within this former residence of Emmanuel, a grand banquet was in full swing.
Inside the palace hall, crystal chandeliers lit the expansive space. Tables overflowed with exquisite dishes, and a choir accompanied by a harmonious orchestra filled the air with beautiful music. Dignitaries from various sectors of Adria mingled with representatives of the pilgrims, engaging in polite conversation and immersing themselves in the peaceful ambiance.
However, amidst this tranquility, there was one noticeable exception in a corner of the hall. A group of journalists had surrounded a figure in white, pressing her against a wall, relentlessly asking questions.
“Sister Vania, how exactly did you manage to convert those barbaric fringe people?”
“Sister Vania, it’s said you even voluntarily treated the very barbarians who kidnapped you—is this true? Where did you find the courage?”
“Sister Vania, many faithful in Adria believe the Holy Mother herself aided you in converting those barbarians. What do you think about this claim?”
“Um…I merely did what I felt was my duty. It’s really nothing special…”
Countless questions rained down upon Vania like a fierce storm. Completely overwhelmed by such a situation for the first time, she was visibly flustered, unsure of how to respond. Eventually, the event staff intervened, ushering away the reporters and allowing her to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Freed from the reporters, Vania picked up a glass of fruit juice from a nearby table and stood by a window to drink. Just as she had taken a few sips, a familiar voice sounded from behind her.
“Hehe, Sister Vania, how are you finding the banquet?”
Hearing this voice, Vania immediately turned around. Approaching her with his usual gentle smile was Archbishop Antonio. Upon seeing him, Vania flinched slightly, hurriedly put down her glass, and respectfully greeted him.
“Holy Mother above, Your Excellency Archbishop, the banquet you’ve arranged is wonderful—I greatly appreciate it. The venue is beautiful, the music enchanting, the food delicious, and I’ve even met so many distinguished people…I’ve never attended such a lavish and splendid event in my entire life… However, I still feel…it’s perhaps a bit extravagant for someone like me…”
“Extravagant? No, no—not at all,” Antonio replied with a gentle smile.
“For you, who have saved hundreds of pilgrims and led tens of thousands from Summer Tree to embrace the faith, this banquet is merely a humble welcoming ceremony. Your accomplishments are genuine contributions to the Church. After your upcoming promotion, there will be even greater rewards awaiting you. If this simple banquet already seems extravagant to you, perhaps you ought to reconsider your current status, Sister Vania. You’re no longer an ordinary mid-ranking deaconess.”
Antonio spoke warmly, yet with an underlying seriousness. Hearing his words, Vania hesitated briefly, a hint of anxiety appearing in her expression before she continued softly.
“Your Excellency… I understand the significance of having guided tens of thousands from Summer Tree to the faith, but… to be honest, I find it strange to suddenly receive all this credit.”
“Strange?” Antonio slightly furrowed his brows.
“Yes, Your Excellency Archbishop. Perhaps you don’t know this, but during those days of captivity, although I did genuinely try to heal the people of Summer Tree and actively preached the teachings of the Holy Mother, the truth is that the effects were minimal at best… Most of them didn’t seem interested in what I had to say. Although I did everything I could to help them realize the truth, my efforts bore little fruit.”
“Your Excellency Archbishop, their sudden and official declaration of conversion to our faith was extremely unexpected. They announced it abruptly, crediting me with their conversion… but not long before, they were still resistant to my words. Then suddenly, they all started listening… It just makes me feel like something isn’t quite right…”
With a hesitant voice, Vania shared her doubts and the “truth” of what she had witnessed on Summer Tree. However, before she could fully express her suspicions, Antonio interrupted with a solemn expression.
“Sister Vania, you’re overthinking this.”
“Eh… I am?” Vania asked, startled.
“Yes, indeed,” Antonio replied seriously.
“Regarding Summer Tree, you need not worry so much, nor doubt yourself. You are precisely the one who rescued the pilgrim fleet and led those tens of thousands of people to convert. It was you who guided Summer Tree—this is beyond question. No one can challenge this truth, not even you. Do you understand?”
Antonio spoke firmly, with a profound tone and a hint of underlying severity. Observing his serious demeanor, Vania gulped nervously, hesitant about what to say next. After some consideration, she finally responded.
“I understand, Your Excellency Archbishop. It was indeed I who led the people of Summer Tree to convert… I shall no longer doubt myself…”
“Hehe… Good, good… May the Holy Mother watch over you, Sister Vania. I have seen clearly the sincerity and kindness within your heart.”
Antonio smiled mysteriously as he spoke. He was fully aware of the role this young nun had played in the Summer Tree affair. In Antonio’s eyes, although Vania was indeed a key figure, she remained entirely unaware of the complete truth behind everything. Thus, her innocence and confusion were understandable. Antonio had no intention of revealing the full truth to her. In his opinion, the less such a young nun knew about matters involving the Abyssal Church and deeper conspiracies, the better.
Antonio noted that upon discovering the immense credit attributed to her, Sister Vania did not allow pride to cloud her judgment; instead, she openly expressed her doubts about the situation, even if it risked diminishing her own achievements. Such actions clearly demonstrated Vania’s integrity and genuine humility. Witnessing her sincere character and clear self-awareness, Antonio felt inwardly reassured.
“Regardless of the true events on Summer Tree, Sister Vania’s moral integrity certainly proves her to be a worthy servant of the Holy Mother,” Antonio reflected silently.
As Antonio prepared to bid farewell and move on, Vania suddenly leaned in slightly and quietly spoke.
“Oh, there’s one more thing, Your Excellency Archbishop. Actually, I have a letter from Elder Anman of Summer Tree. He secretly entrusted it to me before I left, specifically instructing me to deliver it personally to the Archbishop in Pezhi.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, it’s written in the Summer Tree script, which I can’t read. Elder Anman instructed me strictly to deliver it personally. At first, I worried about how I might reach you, but fortunately, you were here in Adria to meet us directly…”
While speaking, Vania took out a rolled piece of coarse paper from her clothes and handed it over to Antonio. Upon seeing this, Antonio slightly furrowed his brows, quickly using his abilities to check the paper for any mystical traces. After confirming there was nothing unusual, he took the paper and unrolled it, beginning to read its contents.
Just as Vania had said, the paper was entirely written in the Summer Tree script. However, Antonio had substantial dealings with Summer Tree in the past and thus could understand the script without much difficulty. Soon, he finished reading the entire message.
The content of the letter was straightforward: Summer Tree intended to establish secret contact with the Church.
According to the letter, Summer Tree was currently purging spies from the Abyssal Church. During this cleansing, Elder Anman discovered that their previous secret communication channel with Pezhi’s Purity Heart Cathedral might have been compromised by the Abyssal Church. Therefore, Anman expressed his desire to establish a new communication channel with the Purity Heart Cathedral.
In the letter, Elder Anman stated that, due to the Abyssal Church’s formidable infiltration capabilities, he could not trust regular Church personnel and thus entrusted this important message only to the most trusted Sister Vania.
The letter detailed a telegraph address and a cipher. By sending this cipher via telegraph to the provided address between noon and 5 PM every day, the Church would establish contact with Summer Tree’s newly prepared secret telegraph station. Summer Tree claimed to have already obtained some vital Abyssal Church intelligence from captured spies, urgently needing to securely transmit this information to Purity Heart Cathedral. They requested Purity Heart Cathedral to send the cipher as soon as possible. The letter emphasized that since the previous communication method was compromised, it would no longer be used.
“A new secret communication channel to guard against the Abyssal Church’s infiltration…” Antonio thought.
“That certainly makes sense for Summer Tree after being infiltrated. But these conditions seem a bit strict—sending the cipher to a specific telegraph address between noon and 5 PM... I’m set to return to Pezhi early tomorrow morning, and along the way, there aren’t any telegraph stations readily accessible… Even if I wanted to send the telegram, there wouldn’t be anywhere to send it from.”
Reading the letter in hand, Antonio considered these issues carefully. Elder Anman mentioned having crucial Abyssal Church intelligence; naturally, Antonio was eager to obtain it quickly. However, if he departed according to his original schedule tomorrow morning, he wouldn’t be able to receive any messages for a considerable period during the journey.
After finishing the letter, Antonio didn’t immediately make his decision. Instead, he left the banquet briefly to instruct his assistants to send an inquiry to Summer Tree’s previously used telegraph address. As expected, no reply was received. This confirmed the truthfulness of Anman’s letter—Summer Tree was indeed trying to establish a new secret communication channel.
After confirming this, Antonio promptly decided to slightly delay tomorrow’s travel schedule. He would depart only after making successful contact with Summer Tree and securing the Abyssal Church intelligence. For Antonio, this meant waiting only a few extra hours, something he could easily afford.
Due to the sensitive nature of this matter, Antonio did not announce his schedule change at the banquet. Very few people in Adria knew about his sudden adjustment in plans.
…
Adria at night. As the banquet continued lively within the Old Lord’s Residence, Dorothy sat inside a private dining room at a waterfront restaurant elsewhere in the city. At a table filled with exquisite dishes, she was writing carefully on a small piece of paper.
Across from Dorothy, a striking university student with darker skin, dressed in a white dress, sat quietly. She was flipping through a small booklet with an intrigued expression. On closer inspection, it was the visitor’s guidebook for the Pure Flow Cathedral.
Nephthys, who had also arrived in Adria, briefly studied the simplified map in the guidebook before shifting her gaze out the window towards the distant cathedral museum, illuminated brilliantly by the lights from the bustling square. Her eyes shone with increasingly deep curiosity.