At the western outskirts of Igwynt, St. Amanda School.
At noon, Dorothy, dressed in her school uniform and finally making a rare appearance at school, strolled alone through the school garden, her expression troubled as she looked at her now much lighter wallet.
After a few questions, Dorothy had spent a hefty sum of 170 pounds at Aldrich’s place. The 335 pounds in cash she had painstakingly saved up were now reduced to just 165 pounds—more than half gone in a single stroke.
“Phew… Expensive as it was, at least I got the critical information I needed. To be honest, I hadn’t expected to extract so much intel. In the end, it was worth it.”
This was Dorothy’s assessment of the situation. Although she wasn’t in a rush to confront the Eucharist mentor yet, gathering intelligence early was essential. Despite her natural inclination for risk-taking, Dorothy wasn’t one to fight battles without preparation. She needed everything in order before venturing into danger.
While she had gleaned some information about the mentor, it wasn’t nearly enough. The mentor, being a rank higher than herself, was far from as easy to deal with as Buck and his henchmen had been.
Currently, the Crimson Eucharist’s operations in Igwynt had come to a halt. Dorothy had initially refrained from raiding Clifford’s base due to her depleted spirituality. But when she revisited the bookstore on White Pearl Street after her recovery, she found it empty—the group had vanished. Dorothy now suspected that the remaining Crimson Eucharist forces had regrouped around their mentor.
In summary, although Dorothy had begun collecting information on the mentor, she wasn’t ready to act yet. Other, more pressing matters were at hand.
“Pleasure doing business, Miss Mayschoss. While I know your research into the mysticism keeps you too busy to attend classes regularly, I must remind you that the semester is nearing its end. Your social practice grade is still missing. Even if you pass your exams, lacking this score will make it difficult to achieve a high overall evaluation.”
Replaying Aldrich’s words in her mind, Dorothy’s face darkened. She hadn’t expected the end of the semester to arrive so quickly, especially as a transfer student. “Ugh… My anti-cult efforts have shaken up the entire town, but they don’t count as social practice? Really? And now I have to waste time on this nonsense?”
Grumbling to herself, Dorothy stowed her wallet back in her bag and pulled out a form. It listed St. Amanda School’s recommended social practice projects—mostly internships at various institutions. Dorothy had specifically asked Aldrich for it before leaving.
“Looks like I’ll have to choose something and deal with it when I get home...”
Muttering under her breath as she scrutinized the form, Dorothy scratched her head and continued walking.
…
Afternoon, the basement of the Cypress Fir Tower.
The Igwynt’s Serenity Bureau was bustling as usual. Inside the director’s office, James reviewed files at his desk when a knock came at the door.
“Come in.”
At his response, the door opened, and Turner, a tall man, stepped inside.
“Director, the investigation into the house on White River Riverside is complete.”
Standing before James’ desk, Turner reported.
James nodded, adjusted his glasses, and asked, “What’s the situation?”
“The house belongs to a man named Buck Stoll, a member of the Ironclay Shipping Company’s board of directors. His family originates from the Earland Territory, and his ancestors were knighted. The family rose to wealth by selling off their ancestral estates. Buck holds some reputation in Igwynt’s upper society.”
“A knightly lineage, huh... What about the mummified corpse?” James pressed, and Turner promptly replied.
“The corpse found in the secret chamber bears the marking sigil that Gregor planted, confirming it as one of the Eucharist leaders we encountered at the docks. The body is severely mummified, nearly a full-fledged mummy. Restoring its facial features would be almost impossible. Based on prisoner testimony, we know his name was Clifford, but nothing more. The surviving captives were all tied to Buck’s operations and had no information on other leaders.”
“Clifford… That name isn’t exactly rare. It’ll be tough to narrow things down,” James muttered, frowning. At this moment, Turner raised another question.
“Director, I noticed the sealed vault is still undergoing security upgrades. Was the theft particularly severe?”
“Not terribly, thanks to Ada. We only lost a few spiritual storage items and a single mystical artifact.”
“A mystical artifact falling into the hands of the Eucharist… isn’t that dangerous?” Turner asked, visibly concerned.
James replied with an air of nonchalance.
“Heh, no need to worry. The stolen artifact is more of a toy—fun to play with but practically useless. If Brandon knew its true function, he wouldn’t have bothered stealing it.”
“To be of any real use, it needs to be fed with Revelation. But if we had Revelation approved for use, it’d be consumed for divination cases, not feeding trinkets.”
James chuckled as he spoke, setting down the file in his hand.
“Still, a loss is a loss for the bureau. What a pity. If I hadn’t been at the church that morning, none of this would’ve happened,” James lamented.
Turner, however, grumbled in annoyance.
“Hmph, those zealots. All that trouble just to purchase more Lantern materials? And they insist on dragging you into their red tape?”
“It wasn’t just about acquiring spiritual materials—there were other matters to negotiate as well.”
“Other matters?” Turner asked, puzzled.
James slid a document across the desk for him to read. As Turner’s eyes scanned the paper, his brow furrowed.
“Notice of Deployment: Relics Retrieval Team from the Tivian Diocese to Igwynt County?”
“Last month, a martyr site belonging to the Archbishop of Glorious Light, ‘Swift Radiance Sword’ Dietrich was discovered in Red Creek Town. The Tivian Diocese is dispatching a relics retrieval team to collect Dietrich’s remains and belongings. Since Red Creek Town falls within Igwynt County, they had to notify us in advance. That’s why I went to negotiate.”
James explained gravely. Turner considered this for a moment before responding.
“Red Creek Town… That’s far—right at the county’s edge. Are they asking us to assist with the retrieval? We’re already stretched thin, and that place is miles away.”
“No, it’s merely a routine notification. They also want some intel support. The southwestern part of the kingdom has recently shown signs of renewed activity by Glorious Light heretics.”
“Heretics from Glorious Light…”
“Based on intelligence, it’s likely the ‘Savior’s Advent’ sect. Though there’s no evidence in our county yet, neighboring areas have reported significant activity, prompting the church to take this seriously.”
James stood and turned to a large map of Igwynt County pinned to the wall. His gaze settled on a marked location near the county’s edge.
“Their team should arrive today. Let’s hope everything goes smoothly.”