The sun was shining, and the sky was clear.

On the vast and boundless Conquest Sea, blue waves rippled, spray splashed, and seagulls soared in the air. A snow-white cruise ship sliced through the waves like a sword, sailing toward the horizon. It left a white wake across the azure surface, striking and vivid.

The ship was immense and extravagantly luxurious. With three towering smokestacks and a hull more than ten meters tall, its expansive foredeck was as wide as a plaza. There, an open-air banquet was taking place. The weather was pleasant, and the mood festive. A dozen round tables were filled with all kinds of exquisite cuisine: fragrant pastries, tender noodles, aromatic wines, juicy meat steaks... A feast for the senses in every way. The dishes seemed to combine flavors and specialties from different countries and regions.

Around the enticing tables gathered many passengers, all elegantly dressed with refined demeanors. The men wore formal suits, looking dignified and respectable. The women donned glamorous dresses, each more radiant than the last. These were the elite of society, enjoying the pleasures of the voyage. They tasted delicacies while chatting and laughing, sharing their stories and insights. If one listened closely, they could hear a medley of languages—these people came from all corners of the world. They formed small circles based on language, yet no hostility existed between groups—only mutual respect and appreciation. It was a cultural mosaic afloat.

At one corner of the banquet, near the sea-facing side of the deck, sat Dorothy, wearing a straw sunhat, white sandals, and a light white dress. Her silver-white hair was braided. Seated comfortably, she sipped juice while glancing at the newspaper on the table. Across from her sat Nephthys, wearing sunglasses, a black inner top, and loose white pants. Her arms, adorned with golden jewelry, rested lazily on the chair's arms as she observed the lively scene.

"Another one of these parties... Rich folks really don't let any entertainment venue go to waste."

Nephthys remarked, having seen such scenes many times. Then, with a slightly puzzled expression, she added.

"There are so many foreigners on this ship... I mean, it's international shipping, but if I remember correctly, this ship is headed to Tivian, right? Are there really that many tourists going to Tivian?"

Nephthys voiced her doubts. Though Tivian was the capital of Pritt, it wasn't a tourist city. With severe pollution and vast slums, it hardly qualified as an attractive destination among major nations of the mainland.

Normally, while many foreigners did go to Tivian, it was rarely for tourism. Luxurious cruise ships like this one almost never made Tivian their destination. Pritt's actual tourist cities were located elsewhere—those were the real draws for visitors.

Hearing this, Dorothy took another sip of juice, set her glass down, and began adding sugar to it as she replied slowly.

"You're practically a native of Tivian, and you're still asking this? Just look for yourself..." she said, sliding her newspaper across the table.

Nephthys leaned in and, after a glance, immediately understood.

"The World Expo? So that's what it is... This expo has been in preparation for so long, and it's finally happening?"

She recognized the event instantly. As a Tivian local, she was more than familiar with it.

It was a grand international event long in the making by the Pritt government, initiated personally by the current King, Charles IV. Its purpose was to showcase national strength, promote Pritt internationally, and create opportunities for cooperation and industrial development with other nations.

Preparations had begun years ago, even involving the development of an entirely new city district, requiring massive investments in manpower and materials. The government placed great importance on the project.

Dorothy had heard about the expo not long after arriving in Tivian—through newspapers and other channels. In fact, the first time she saw news about it was the same day she first read an article about Adèle—quite a long time ago now.

If it felt long ago to Dorothy, it felt even longer to Nephthys, a local who had grown used to hearing "The World Expo is still being prepared." Now that it was actually about to begin, she was momentarily caught off guard.

"Damn... So all these foreigners are coming to Tivian for the expo? No wonder. I thought it still had some time to go. I was sure it'd be postponed again after that Duke Barrett assassination case at the start of last year…"

She picked up the newspaper as she spoke. In her mind, that incident had severely tarnished Pritt's international image, casting a shadow over the expo.

"The kingdom's government has invested too much already to back down now. That assassination may have had a big impact, but it was over a year ago. Now that the situation's cooled a bit, this is their chance to repair their image…"

"So if the expo goes well, it might cancel out that damage?"

"Exactly. But whether it actually succeeds in doing that… well, I'm reserving judgment."

Dorothy offered this analysis. The upcoming World Expo wouldn't just draw tourists from around the world—it would also see attendance from global political figures. The Pritt government would face unprecedented security pressure…

And right now, the Serenity Bureau—the nation's secret police—was riddled with infiltration from the Eight-Spired Nest. As one of the kingdom's core security forces, its compromised state made Dorothy doubt whether the event could proceed without incident.

"Let's just hope everything goes smoothly…"she thought to herself, swirling her freshly sweetened juice before taking another sip.

Beside her, Nephthys, still looking at the paper, suddenly said with interest.

"Actually, Miss Dorothy, we're just in time for the expo's opening when we get back—how about we go check it out together?"

"I'm up for it. Sounds like a good way to relax. The timing works out—I'll be back in Tivian just in time after I finish my business."

Dorothy answered casually between sips. Nephthys, intrigued, tilted her head.

"Business? Miss Dorothy, is there something you need to do before heading back to Tivian?"

"Yes… I can't return just yet. When we reach the next port, I'll disembark and go elsewhere first. You can head back to Tivian without me—I won't be long."

She spoke frankly after another sip of juice, but her mysterious tone made Nephthys all the more curious.

…

After traveling for some time aboard the luxurious cruise ship, Dorothy and Nephthys arrived at another port. This port was located in Falano, and from there, the ship would cross a strait and eventually reach the most important destination of its voyage: Tivian.

However, Dorothy did not remain on board for the journey to Tivian. Instead, she bid Nephthys a temporary farewell at the port, disembarked, purchased a new ticket, and boarded another vessel.

This new ship Dorothy boarded was smaller than the previous cruise liner, but it was also headed to Pritt—albeit to a different city.

The city Dorothy was now bound for was called Glamorne, a port city in the southwestern region of Pritt. After a short voyage, Dorothy successfully arrived.

She didn't linger long in the port. Instead, she immediately boarded a train heading north. Less than half a day later, she reached her destination: Glamorne.

"Whew... Returning to familiar ground again…"

Standing on a hill in the outskirts of Glamorne, Dorothy gazed at Lake Starbind, vast and calm as a mirror, reflecting the blue sky. She couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

This was the place where she had advanced to Crimson-rank.

Dorothy admired the scenery for a while, then glanced at the large craters and flattened peaks in the surrounding mountains near the lake—scars from a battle months prior. After reminiscing, she turned her gaze to the center of the vast lake, where a massive cathedral still stood.

Mirror Moon Cathedral—this was the objective of Dorothy's little excursion. She intended to attempt once again to summon the will of the Mirror Moon Goddess.

After resting for half a day in the peaceful city of Glamorne, night finally fell. As the small town drifted into slumber, Dorothy began her operation. She chose the full moon as her time and moved into action.

After the Glamorne incident, the re-emerged Mirror Moon Cathedral was taken over by the Church and the Serenity Bureau, though in truth, control rested primarily with the Church. Since taking over, the Church had been studying and renovating the cathedral. Even now, their personnel remained stationed there.

However, with much time having passed and the Church's investigation largely complete, the cathedral's security had significantly diminished. It no longer resembled the highly guarded state it was in just after the Glamorne incident. For Dorothy now, such defenses were insignificant.

Though it was still protected by Lantern guards, their strength was mostly Black Earth-rank. Even with many mystical items aiding them, they posed little threat to a Crimson-rank Beyonder like Dorothy.

Under the moonlight, leveraging her strong intelligence-gathering capabilities, Dorothy quickly bypassed the guards around Lake Starbind and the cathedral. She successfully infiltrated the cathedral's interior and soon arrived at the central chapel.

There, she discovered that the chapel had changed significantly from her memories.

The once serene and solemn Mirror Moon Cathedral had become, in Dorothy's eyes, a large-scale construction site. Murals and engravings bearing the Mirror Moon faith's iconography were being scrubbed or chiseled away from the pillars and walls. Debris was scattered across the floor, scaffolding lined the edges, and tools were strewn about. In the center of the chapel, the statue of the Mirror Moon Goddess—or rather, Dorothy's statue—had vanished, leaving only an empty pedestal.

"Sigh… So they've already begun renovations…"

Standing in the quiet chapel, Dorothy exhaled softly. Though she had anticipated this, actually witnessing it still brought a touch of disappointment.

When the Radiance Church discovered temples of heretical deities, they would assess whether they could be repurposed. If so, they would convert them into churches for the Radiance Trinity; if not, they would destroy them outright. From the look of things, the Mirror Moon Cathedral was clearly undergoing conversion.

"I wonder… In this state, can it still serve as a conduit to strengthen our connection…"

Dorothy muttered to herself as she gazed at the scene of disarray. Then, after inspecting the surroundings, she began her true task.

In front of where the statue once stood, Dorothy sat down cross-legged in silence and laid out a Shadow ritual array. Once the array was complete, she activated her ability.

Just like several months ago, Dorothy performed a ritual to gather the countless legends scattered throughout Pritt about the Lady of the Lake, ultimately manifesting these myths into a silver-glowing, illusory feminine figure suspended in midair.

Under the moonlight, Dorothy once again manifested the narrative embodiment of the Lady of the Lake within the Mirror Moon Cathedral. However, this manifestation was unlike the previous time. Last time, the embodied tale had quickly broken free of Dorothy's control and revealed signs of true sentience.

But this time, the Lady of the Lake remained static—just a regular narrative construct, unmoving without Dorothy's command, lacking the vivid vitality of before.

Clearly, the Mirror Moon Goddess had not descended again to infuse this vessel with Her will. This Lady of the Lake was nothing more than a construct created by Dorothy.

Seeing this, Dorothy grew uneasy and tried various measures—such as enhancing the Lady's strength, or offering prayers to the Goddess.

But nothing worked.

The Lady of the Lake never received the Goddess's will. After confirming this, Dorothy sighed faintly and dispersed the narrative construct to avoid wasting more spirituality.

"As I thought... The connection strength isn't enough?"

Watching the fading image of the Lady of the Lake, Dorothy sighed internally. This attempt to summon the will of the Goddess had, essentially, failed.

From the brief words the Mirror Moon Goddess had spoken months ago, Dorothy understood that to project Her power into Pritt, the Goddess required a strong conduit—a powerful connection built upon things closely tied to the Mirror Moon.

Back then, Dorothy had used three key elements: the full moon, the narrative construct of the Lady of the Lake, and the Mirror Moon Cathedral. Only with these could she summon the Goddess's power.

Now, while the full moon remained, and she had recreated the Lady of the Lake, the cathedral had been drastically altered by renovations.

Although Dorothy had previously performed a substitution ritual to make herself the cathedral's main deity, at the time of summoning, that ritual had only been used once and very recently. Back then, though the primary worship had shifted to her, traces of the Mirror Moon remained heavily present—providing enough residual connection strength to guide the Goddess's descent.

But now, the current state of the Mirror Moon Cathedral... it had already undergone deep renovations by the Radiance Church. Not only had the vast remnants of Mirror Moon faith been completely purged from the interior, but the cathedral itself might have undergone another substitution ritual. The traces left behind by the Mirror Moon Goddess had been significantly reduced.

Because of the issues on the cathedral's side, Dorothy was now unable to summon the will of the Mirror Moon Goddess. The part of her advancement ritual she had considered the easiest was now directly obstructed.

"This kind of situation… really is troublesome…"

Scratching her head, Dorothy stood up and murmured with a slight frown. Though she had anticipated this and mentally prepared herself, now that she was confronted with the reality, she still felt frustrated.

After her advancement, Dorothy had once considered trying to hide this Mirror Moon Cathedral again, but unfortunately, after the substitution ritual, due to certain key structural changes inside the cathedral, it had become extremely difficult to use the Concealment Ring to hide it once more. With no better option, Dorothy had been forced to leave it here for the Church to discover. The cathedral becoming what it was now had essentially been inevitable.

"Now that the Mirror Moon Cathedral in Glamorne is unusable… if I still want to summon the will of the Mirror Moon Goddess, I'll have to find a new Mirror Moon cathedral."

"This new cathedral needs to be of the same rank—a true temple. It must also be located within Pritt's borders and must be suitable for summoning the Lady of the Lake narrative body in combination with the full moon… But here's the issue: besides Glamorne, does Pritt even have another temple-grade Mirror Moon cathedral? Pritt isn't tiny, but it's not especially large either. Back during the Empire's era, it was just one province. Could there really be two temples in one province?"

Rubbing her chin, Dorothy thought gravely. After pondering for a while, she realized she was now facing a dilemma with the Shadow ritual.

"With Glamorne's temple unusable, I'll either have to search for another Mirror Moon temple in Pritt, or look in other regions that have inherited remnants of the Mirror Moon faith… or else find a way to cross the Wistful Sea to the east, and head to the legendary Nation of Night… None of these are exactly easy paths..."

Dorothy continued to think. But unable to come up with a good solution for the time being, she sighed softly and silently left the site.

After leaving the Mirror Moon Cathedral at the center of Lake Starbind, Dorothy's night wasn't over. Following the failed attempt to summon the Goddess, she shifted her focus to another target—the Radiance Church personnel who had come to Glamorne to investigate and renovate the cathedral.

The Radiance Church had stationed people in Glamorne for quite a while, studying the Mirror Moon Cathedral extensively. Dorothy figured that by intercepting some of their research results, she might deepen her understanding of the Mirror Moon—and perhaps even find clues to a new temple.

Under the full moon, Dorothy used the cover of night to begin searching throughout Glamorne. With her powerful intelligence capabilities, she quickly located the investigative personnel dispatched by the Church—housed in a residential area adjacent to the Glamorne cathedral.

In a row of upscale townhouses, Dorothy found the church agents assigned by the local clergy—specifically one who appeared to be their leader, a cleric-scholar. While most residents had already turned in for the night, this man in his forties or fifties was still awake in his study, diligently writing a report. He wore thick glasses and was surrounded by piles of books and manuscripts on his desk.

Dorothy dispatched one of her miniature corpse marionettes to infiltrate the cleric's home and quietly search for written materials. It didn't take long to yield results.

Through the cleric's identity records, Dorothy learned that his name was Kaiba, a cleric directly under the Historical Scripture Department of Holy Mount, and a White Ash-rank Beyonder. He had been dispatched to Glamorne after the incident to study the Mirror Moon Cathedral. His research had been ongoing since last year—a long-term assignment.

Once she confirmed her target, Dorothy continued searching Kaiba's apartment, focusing on the various texts he had written. Being a scholar, he had penned a vast amount—research papers, reports, manuscripts, as well as correspondence and telegrams exchanged with other church scholars.

After reviewing these documents through her corpse marionette, Dorothy—still hidden in the shadows of Glamorne's streets—took out her magic box, set it on the ground, opened it, and let Edrick, one of her marionettes, crawl out.

Dorothy had Edrick dust off his clothes and tidy up his appearance, then sent him off. Less than ten minutes later, Edrick arrived at the townhouse where Kaiba lived.

After standing in front of the building for a short while, Edrick reached out and rang the doorbell, then quietly waited. He didn't have to wait long. Footsteps soon echoed behind the door, which opened shortly thereafter.

Behind the door stood Kaiba, wearing casual home attire and glasses, his face lined with age and a trace of drowsiness. He frowned slightly at the pale-skinned, deep-set-eyed, hawk-nosed man standing before him.

"It's you? What are you doing here this late?"

"Ah, apologies, Cleric Kaiba. I have a few matters I'd like to consult with you about."

Edrick smiled and politely removed his hat in greeting. Kaiba nodded in return and said:

"Alright, come in. Let's talk inside."

"Thank you for the trouble."

With a brief response, Edrick stepped inside. Kaiba glanced out the door a couple of times before closing it. Edrick went to sit on the living room sofa, and soon Kaiba brought over a cup of freshly brewed tea and sat across from him.

"Thank you."

Edrick gave a polite thanks and sipped the tea slowly. Kaiba, observing him, spoke directly.

"So then, what's so important that you'd visit me in the middle of the night?"

"Oh, it's nothing urgent, Cleric Kaiba. I simply wanted to ask about your recent work. When did you begin this assignment? Where were you posted before? What does your research involve?"

Edrick swirled his tea and calmly questioned. Kaiba replied at once.

"I was originally under the Historical Scripture Department of Holy Mount. Because of the significant heretical ruins revealed in the Glamorne incident, I was dispatched here last September to conduct research. In the early phase, my work involved investigating and identifying the nature of the heretical site, cataloging and studying heretical texts, and searching for dangerous or valuable information. Later, I assisted members of the Theological Bureau in renovating the site. That phase is still ongoing."

Kaiba spoke evenly and thoroughly. After hearing this, Dorothy had Edrick continue.

"So then, did your early research yield anything?"

"Results? Quite a bit, actually. This cathedral was originally dedicated to the Queen of the Night Sky during the Third Epoch—very high in grade, of temple-grade status. I transcribed many texts from within. Though my grasp of Imperial language is limited and I could only translate a portion, even that has proven greatly useful to the Historical Scripture Department's future studies on the Queen of the Night Sky's faith…"

Kaiba continued explaining. Hearing this, Edrick's eyes lit up.

"Oh? Cleric, you can read Imperial script?"

"A bit, but very little. Due to the limitations of cognitive poison, it's extremely difficult for us Scripture Officers in the Historical Scripture Department to study ancient languages. Each person can only master a small portion of one ancient language. Deciphering a single ancient document takes a large team and a long time. It just so happens that the part I know includes some Imperial script, so I was able to decipher parts of the texts..."

Reclining on the sofa, Kaiba continued explaining to Edrick, who immediately responded.

"Then... would you be willing to teach me the Imperial language you know?"

"Of course, that's no problem. If you're willing to learn, I'll definitely teach you. Just be cautious about cognitive poison. It took me twenty years to grasp this portion of Imperial language while minimizing its effects. I'll be careful while helping you learn."

Listening to Kaiba's advice, Edrick smiled and said.

"Much appreciated. For now, let's continue discussing the results of your recent research, Cleric. We can save the language lessons for later."

Edrick then began listening seriously to Kaiba's research achievements. From Dorothy's perspective, most of the content was of little practical value—mainly hymns, ritual customs, and cultural practices related to the faith in the Queen of the Night Sky. At best, it helped her understand more about the religion.

Among all Kaiba's findings, only one sentence caught Dorothy's attention.

"The Moon's Appointee bears the Ring of the Moonlit Garden's Command, acting in the stead of the Queen's will across the Shadowed Heavens…"

"What does that mean? Who is this 'Appointee of the Moon'?"

Dorothy asked curiously through Edrick, after carefully listening.

Kaiba answered directly.

"The Appointee of the Moon is an emissary of the Queen of the Night Sky. According to our research, the faith in the Queen during the Third Epoch had something resembling a state structure. The title 'Queen' in her name wasn't symbolic—she genuinely ruled as a monarch. Thus, her emissaries functioned as imperial envoys.

"It's said that the Queen had many Appointees, organized in a ranked hierarchy and managed by a centralized body. High-ranking Appointees bore rings as credentials, and the highest of them received rings imbued with unique properties directly by the Queen herself. Those Appointees could be immediately elevated in status...

"These findings come from previous research. There's still much we don't know. But it seems the Appointees of the Moon represent the bureaucratic facet of the faith—corresponding to clergy on the sacrificial side. The higher-ranking Appointees were even more closely tied to the Queen herself than the priests.

"After all, the Queen of the Night Sky was not merely a deity—she was also a sovereign ruler, and the system under her command reflected both theological and administrative sides…"

Kaiba explained this to Edrick. Within the Historical Scripture Department, his research focus was precisely the faith of the Queen of the Night Sky, which was why he'd been sent here.

"A clergy-side and a bureaucratic-side? This Mirror Moon Goddess has a more complex faith structure than most deities… So, my Concealment Ring is actually proof of a high-ranking Moon Appointee. Then… the mother I've never met was also a Moon Appointee? But it doesn't seem that simple. Do Appointees really look exactly like the Queen herself?"

So thought Dorothy. After pondering briefly, she had Edrick ask another question.

"One more thing, Cleric—do you know if there are any remnants of Queen of the Night Sky worship outside of Pritt?"

"Remnants of that faith? Aside from Pritt, there are small traces in Cassatia and Osothris, but both are quite limited—far less than in Pritt," Kaiba replied.

Edrick continued.

"Then… do you know if there are any other Queen of the Night Sky ruins in Pritt on the same level as the one on Lake Starbind?"

"Something of that scale? Ha… To be honest, that lakeside cathedral is the only one of its kind I've ever seen. If you're asking if there's another one like it—I really don't know."

Kaiba smiled and shook his head. Hearing this, Dorothy furrowed her brows slightly. After a brief pause, she had Edrick ask one final question.

"Alright then, thank you for your cooperation, Cleric Kaiba. I've asked almost everything I wanted to. One last question—during your time working here, have you noticed anything unusual? Anything odd or worth noting?"

Dorothy had Edrick ask this in order to verify whether agents of the Eight-Spired Nest had returned to meddle again. She wanted to determine whether there were any traces or clues. The Eight-Spired Nest had once expended great effort for this temple—they might not give it up so easily.

Kaiba paused for a moment to think, then slowly replied.

"Something unusual… Hmm… nothing stands out in particular. But if I had to mention something, it would be that not long ago, some people from the Court of Secrets showed up. They came to investigate the local mysticism circles and brought me in for consultation."

"Court of Secrets? What were they investigating?"

Hearing this, Dorothy—through Edrick—asked further. If she remembered correctly, the Court of Secrets was the Church's external intelligence agency. Had they come to investigate the Eight-Spired Nest?

"The Secret agents… they came to Glamorne, apparently to trace a mystical text…"

Kaiba scratched his chin in thought. Dorothy murmured with a frown.

"A mystical text…?"

…

Beneath the night sky, under the full moon.

Far above the stormy sea, high in the distant clouds, a massive metallic vessel sped silently through the darkness—swift and soundless.

On its moonlit, shadowed deck stood a petite figure clad in a long trench coat, ignoring the cold and howling wind, gazing into the dark horizon ahead.

"Lady Artcheli, we're nearing the southwestern region of Pritt. We'll soon arrive in Igwynt… Are you sure we're not stopping by Tivian first?"

A voice with a mechanical tone sounded behind the small figure. She nodded and answered in a cold, clear female voice.

"No. Keep going."