Under the scorching sun, the Desert Arrow train sped swiftly toward its destination. After the ambush incident, the train only paused for half a day to handle the aftermath before setting off again without delay, continuing its journey toward Yadith. Finally, after another day and a half of travel, it reached its destination.
Sitting in her own compartment, Dorothy watched the scenery beyond the train window. She saw the endless yellow sands begin to give way to patches of tenacious vegetation, followed by rows of low, modest stone houses. These barely-decorated and dilapidated houses gradually formed a continuous stretch. Standing before them were gaunt-faced locals, gazing curiously at the slowly decelerating train.
As the train continued toward the city center, Dorothy noticed the surrounding buildings becoming taller and more refined. The further they went, the more the low, shabby shacks vanished, replaced by grand, clean structures with exquisite exteriors. Alongside these buildings were meticulously maintained gardens and trees, together forming a picturesque landscape. Clear, flowing water ran through channels weaving between trees and buildings, some elevated aqueducts even spanning difficult terrain. Intricate statues adorned the area. In this desert region where water was precious, it was being diverted to sustain the lush greenery, creating the scenery of an oasis city.
Continuing onward, Dorothy gradually saw signs of damage—corners missing from buildings, shattered stones scattered across the streets, or enormous craters. Ruins dotted the otherwise opulent cityscape. Some citizens were seen rummaging through the rubble—evidence of the city’s wartime scars. Looking at this, Dorothy thought to herself.
“So this is Yadith? The capital of Addus, once known in tourist guides as the Pearl of the Starlight River. The Baruch Dynasty had built it into a prosperous city, reportedly rivaling some mainland metropolises. It even became a tourist destination for mainlanders traveling to North Ufiga. And it shows—aside from the sprawling slums in the outer city, the inner city’s construction is more beautiful than Adria’s... If not for the traces of war, one could easily imagine the grandeur it once held.
“But… internationally, Addus is still considered a desperately poor country with over 20 million impoverished citizens. What kind of cost did it take to build such a capital?”
The closer they drew to the center, the more densely the ruins appeared. Signs of destruction increased. Eventually, the train pulled into a damaged station, and Dorothy saw bullet holes pockmarking the platform columns outside the window.
“So we’ve finally arrived. Let’s get ready to disembark, Miss Dorothy…” said Nephthys, who was seated across from her. Her face showed clear impatience—clearly, she had grown restless after days of being cooped up in the stifling compartment. Dorothy glanced at her and replied.
“Not yet. Remember, we’re only traveling as merchants. We can’t get off until the main players do. Don’t mess that up…”
As she reminded Nephthys, the Desert Arrow came to a gradual halt. At that moment, Dorothy linked to Vania’s sensory feed via the communication channel to monitor her condition.Before the train stopped, Vania was already standing by the door, ready to disembark. Through her borrowed senses, Dorothy watched as the train door opened slowly. Several church guards beside Vania exited first. Vania then took a deep breath and stepped out onto the carpet outside the train door—only to see two rows of ceremonial soldiers lined up along the carpet.
“Salute!” came a command in the local North Ufigan tongue. The honor guards simultaneously drew their sabers, holding them upright before their chests. The sunlight reflecting off their blades startled Vania. Although their uniforms were mismatched and lacked formal cohesion, the sharp, battle-hardened gaze in their eyes revealed they were true veterans—not merely ceremonial troops.
At the far end of the honor guard formation, beyond the gleaming sabers and along the carpet, Vania saw two figures: a middle-aged officer and an elderly clergyman.
The officer wore a full military uniform, with slightly tanned skin and wavy black hair. He was tall and well-built, his chiseled features full of heroic resolve. Upon seeing Vania approach, he smiled, stepped forward, and extended his hand. Vania responded in kind, shaking it.
As they shook hands, the officer spoke in the local dialect. Vania’s translator beside her immediately interpreted.
“Welcome to Yadith, Sister Vania. I am Shadi, current leader of the Addus Revolutionary Army. On behalf of all in Addus who long for peace and yearn for freedom, I thank you for your visit.”
Borrowing Vania’s senses, Dorothy also saw this officer named Shadi and immediately recalled the Church’s dossier prepared for Vania.
Shadi—an Addus native, born into a noble family. He was known in his youth for excellent grades and a humble demeanor. His father, a Baruch Dynasty regional official, was dismissed after failing to collect enough taxes due to sympathy for the peasants. During a family trip, they were attacked by desert bandits: robbed, his parents killed, and Shadi himself enslaved. Difficult to manage, he was eventually sold to a tomb-robbing society as a mat.
Tomb-raiding guilds in North Ufiga often forced captives to trigger traps and curses ahead of expeditions—these sacrificial decoys were known as mats. Shadi became one of them. Records of his life became sparse during this time, until over a decade later he resurfaced as a White Ash-rank Beyonder tomb raider under a major guild called the Millennial Society.
Eventually, after internal strife and the death of its leader, the Millennial Society declined. Shadi gave up any bid for power and took his trusted followers to return to Addus, launching a revolutionary campaign to overthrow the Baruch Dynasty. Over several years, he initiated multiple uprisings—each one large in scale and often defeating Baruch’s national army, though ultimately suppressed by the dynasty’s elite Beyonders and hired bandit mercenaries.
Despite setbacks, Shadi repeatedly escaped capture, even evading Crimson-rank Beyonder from Baruch. Remarkably, he even inflicted damage during these encounters—something nearly unheard of for a White Ash like himself.
There are rumors that during his decade-long tomb-raiding career, Shadi acquired a secret weapon—something that allows him, as a White Ash, to fight evenly with Crimson adversaries, escape unharmed, and even injure them. However, what exactly this weapon is remains unknown.
“Because of the disparity in mystical strength, Shadi’s uprisings had failed several times. But he didn’t give up—instead, he continued scheming to overthrow the Baruch Dynasty. And this final time… he finally succeeded. According to intelligence from the Church, the key reason for his success was that he received powerful support from an unexpected ally.”
Sitting in her own compartment, Dorothy quickly reviewed in her mind the Church’s intelligence on Shadi, the leader of the Addus Revolutionary Army. Then she returned her attention to Vania’s perspective, through their sensory link. At that moment, Vania was just letting go of Shadi’s hand and politely responded in Prittish.
“Thank you, Mr. Shadi, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to welcome me. I will do everything in my power to promote peace. May the Lord bless Addus.”
After the translator beside Vania relayed her words, Shadi nodded with a smile. Then the elderly man standing beside him—dressed in a ceremonial robe, wearing a crown-like headdress fashioned from intricately folded cloth, and holding a thick scripture—stepped forward. After silently observing Vania for a moment, he slowly spoke, and the translator quickly interpreted.
“Welcome, servant of the Lord from across the sea. May we find mutual understanding under the Lord’s gaze…”
After he finished, Shadi promptly introduced him.
“Ah… this is Lord Muhtār. He is a key figure in our revolutionary army and a vital spiritual guide who helps us follow the path of the Lord.”
Hearing this, Vania paused slightly, and her thoughts briefly drifted to the past.
Last year, when she was still a humble scripture reader in the Tivian Diocese, Vania had joined the Church’s relic recovery team to retrieve mystical items left behind by Bishop Dietrich in Igwynt County, Pritt. There, they were attacked by a group of heretics—and the leader of that group had worn garb strikingly similar to the one this old man now wore. Only, Muhtār’s attire appeared even more elaborate and formal.
Remembering the deathly battle where her former companions fought to the end against the heretics, Vania involuntarily swallowed and then solemnly addressed the old man before her:
“Lord Muhtār… since we both worship the same Lord, I believe we can find some common understanding.”
Muhtār nodded with a smile after hearing her words. Meanwhile, in her compartment, Dorothy—observing through Vania’s senses—again recalled related intel from the Church.
According to rumors, after multiple failed uprisings, Shadi received aid from a surprising ally: the heretical branch of the Radiance Church active in Northern Ufiga—the Savior’s Advent Sect.
The Savior’s Advent Sect provided powerful supernatural support. With their deep-rooted spiritual traditions, they sent many Beyonder members to join the revolutionary army. Their presence finally gave Shadi’s revolution the power to challenge the Baruch Dynasty on a mystical level.
It’s said that among those sent to aid the revolution, there was even a Crimson-rank Beyonder. With the immense help of the Savior’s Advent Sect, the revolutionary army launched a final uprising and achieved a total victory. The Baruch Dynasty was defeated on all fronts—its Crimson-rank Beyonder were slain, its military routed. The revolutionaries stormed and seized the capital Yadith, symbol of Baruch’s royal authority. The dynasty was overthrown. Many nobles fled abroad, hoping to rally foreign powers for a counterattack.
But while the revolutionaries gained victory through the Savior’s Advent Sect, the cost was high. The sect deeply infiltrated the once-secular revolutionary army. Its followers were inserted into various key positions, and their ideological influence began to spread within the ranks.
There are signs suggesting that the new Addus regime may declare itself a theocracy and officially adopt the Savior’s Advent Sect as the state religion, replacing the Three Saints Orthodoxy. This is something Holy Mount cannot tolerate.
If the Addus Revolutionary Army publicly legitimizes the Savior’s Advent Sect, Holy Mount will immediately launch a military intervention. So far, the revolutionaries have not made any public declarations about religious policy, but Holy Mount’s patience is wearing thin. They will not tolerate this indefinite silence.
The Savior’s Advent Sect in North Ufiga is the product of a fusion between the True Radiant Lord Church and the Radiance Church, the result of a radical evolution of Savior worship. That’s why their adherents refer to the Savior as “the Lord,” a term colored by the vocabulary of the True Radiant Church. As soon as Muhtār used the term “the Lord,” Dorothy knew—he was part of the Savior’s Advent Sect. And likely… the Crimson-rank Beyonder.
“The revolutionary leader… and the highest-ranking representative of the Savior’s Advent Sect within the army… They seem to stand on equal footing during this welcoming ceremony…”
“The divination results said… there was a major internal schism within the revolutionary army. Could it be… these two? They appear cordial on the surface, but what hidden tensions lie beneath? This is getting interesting…”
In her compartment, Dorothy mused. Even from this one reception ceremony, she could already sense the undercurrents swirling within the Yadith regime.
The brief ceremony at the platform soon concluded. Led by Shadi, Vania and her entourage exited the station to board the prepared vehicle.
But during this moment, Muhtār lagged a step behind, standing silently as he watched Vania walk away beside Shadi. His gaze glinted with peculiarity.
“…Still bold enough to come, eh? Profane little nun…”