In a small space adorned with intricate carpets and filled with wisps of smoke, the little fox Saria continues to recount her dream experiences to the black cat. When the black cat hears the na of the dragon in the dream, it frowns slightly and speaks with a hint of surprise.
"Paarthurnax... You said... that’s the na of the dragon? And he’s a servant of a divine being nad Aka?"
"Yes, according to the self-proclaid detective who worships Aka, that’s how it is. I was also shocked to think about what kind of being could command a dream dragon. I never expected it to be a Mystic Realm Divinity, sothing Grandpa once ntioned!!"
Saria clenches her fists and speaks excitedly to the black cat. Usually, such high-level beings only appear in the stories the black cat tells her, but now she has actually encountered one in person.
"Aka... Paarthurnax... I never expected... that dragon to be an Apostle..."
On the other side, the black cat squats on the ground, muttering the words it just heard with a serious expression, as if trying to deduce sothing from them. Seeing this, Saria can’t help but ask cautiously.
"Grandpa, what is an Apostle?"
"Apostles are servants who serve gods and divine beings. They usually reside in the various Mystic Realms alongside their deities. When a god has an important task that cannot be completed by their worldly agents, they send an Apostle to descend.”
"Mortals who ascend to the Gold-rank have the opportunity to gain a portion of divinity and beco divine beings. Only those with complete divinity are called gods. Apostles... are generally only possessed by true gods, such as the angels of the Radiance, the shepherds of the Gluttonous Wolf, the machine spirits of Steam, and so on..."
The black cat speaks to Saria with a serious tone. Hearing this, Saria’s mouth opens in astonishnt.
"So... the angels ntioned in church stories really do exist…”
"And... Grandpa, you said that only true gods can have Apostles. Does that an... this Aka might not just be a divine being, but possibly a true god? And this god’s Apostle... is a dragon!?"
Hearing the black cat’s words, Saria opens her mouth wide, her expression filled with surprise. She had originally assud that Aka was so kind of divine being, but now it seems that Aka might actually be a true god! This is far beyond what Saria had expected.
"We can’t be sure yet... It’s too hasty to make a judgnt based solely on two nas. The key is that I’ve never heard of either Aka or Paarthurnax before. No! Not only have I never heard of them, but I can’t even discern the aning behind these nas..."
The black cat mutters seriously, and Saria asks with so surprise.
"Huh... aning? Grandpa, can you discern the aning of nas?"
"Yes... When sothing is nad, its na must carry so aning. Generally, to understand the aning of a na, you need to know the language in which it was nad. Simply put, people na things in their own language. For example, Saria, you are a Vitalian, and your na is derived from the Vitalian language. In Vitalian, Saria ans ’lady’..."
The black cat paces back and forth on the carpet as it speaks. Hearing this, Saria curiously scratches her head.
“So that’s what my na ans... Lady... Lady! Hehe... it really suits ~”
Saria thinks happily to herself, while the black cat continues pacing and speaking.
"Therefore, every na has a specific aning in its own language. If you master enough languages, you can understand the aning behind any na…”
"But, I have mastered all the common mortal languages of this world and most of the mystical languages, yet I cannot interpret the aning behind these two nas—Aka... Paarthurnax... These nas clearly belong to a mystical language I am unfamiliar with. Their pronunciations seem to have been transliterated into Pritt Common, but I have no knowledge of the linguistic origins of these nas... I once spent a great deal of ti studying linguistics, and my intuition tells that these nas are not made up."
As the black cat speaks, it pauses and turns to Saria with a serious expression.
"Saria... Behind these two nas, there might be a lost language that even I am unaware of."
The black cat mutters solemnly. It has a high level of achievent in linguistics, having extensively studied both the common mortal languages of various regions and the mystical languages found in mystical texts. It could be called a master of linguistics. Yet, at this mont, it cannot explain the aning of these two nas, nor can it trace their linguistic origins. It cannot determine what language these nas co from.
This ans... these nas are based on a language that the black cat has never known or encountered! And a language often symbolizes a culture, a race, a nation...
If these nas co from a lost language, could this language... originate from a lost civilization?
"A lost language... Grandpa, you once said that civilizations create writing and language... Grandpa, are you suggesting that the dragon and the god it serves... might co from so ancient, destroyed civilization? Like North Ufiga?"
At this mont, with a look of disbelief, Saria speaks to the black cat with wonder. In her mind, if even her grandfather doesn’t know or recognize the language, it must co from so lost ancient civilization! So, is Aka’s true form a god awakening from the ruins of a destroyed ancient civilization!?
Hearing Saria’s words, the black cat doesn’t respond imdiately. It stands still, seemingly lost in thought for a while before muttering a reply.
"That’s a possibility... But to confirm it, I need more clues... Saria, in the future, if you happen to encounter Paarthurnax again, try to interact with him casually. If he seems friendly, you might cautiously ask him so questions—about him, his na... and Aka. If the answers contain cognitive poison, store them in a mory orb first and don’t absorb them."
The black cat speaks seriously to Saria, who nods firmly in response.
"Okay, don’t worry, Grandpa~ Lord Dragon is very easy to talk to. He gives off a very relaxed vibe, but he’s also very busy. Every ti I talk to him, it’s only for a short while before he has to leave.”
"Hey, Grandpa, what if I explain our situation to the dragon and ask for his help? If he’s willing to help us deal with those traitors, things would be much easier for us in the future."
Saria speaks lightly to the black cat, but the black cat sternly reminds her.
"No! No matter who you’re dealing with, don’t let your guard down. Until you understand Paarthurnax’s intentions, you can’t trust him too much. Unless you have a clear understanding of his background and can make a clear judgnt about him, don’t bring up these matters. Understand!?"
The black cat sternly instructs Saria, who can only nod disappointedly.
"Ugh... I understand, Grandpa."
"Hmph, you little brat, you need to learn the hard way not to trust others so easily..."
The black cat says with a hint of anger as it looks at Saria.
Just as the black cat is about to send Saria back to bed, it seems to rember sothing and asks her.
"By the way, you ntioned earlier that the group targeting the black dog has a na, right?"
"Yes, according to the self-proclaid detective who worships Aka... the group trying to harm the black dog is called the Eight-Spired Nest. Grandpa, do you know anything about this group?"
Hearing Saria’s words, the black cat pauses for a mont, then chuckles.
"The Eight-Spired Nest... Heh... That’s one of the Spider Queen’s tendrils in the mortal world. To take such direct action against Pritt... What are they planning?"
The black cat mutters thoughtfully, its eyes glinting as it gazes out at the night sky.
…
Ti flies, and soon the moon sets and the sun rises over the Pritt Kingdom. Night gives way to day.
North Tivian, Green Shade Town, morning.
A light rain falls over Green Shade Town, and the overcast sky drizzles steadily. The sound of raindrops pattering on the wet ground fills the air, and a chill perates the gray mist.
Inside the living room of Green Shade Town No. 17, a fire crackles in the fireplace, and raindrops patter against the window. Dressed in pajamas, Dorothy sits in a chair by the fireplace, holding a cup of hot tea. She reflects on last night’s dream and tallies her gains.
“Hmm... Last night seed quite fruitful. Not only did I kill a Black Earth-rank mber of the Eight-Spired Nest and protect Gregor, but I can also use him to gather information about the Eight-Spired Nest. I’ve established a connection with Gregor. If he encounters any ergencies in the future, he can pray to Aka, and I’ll know about it.”
“Also, I learned about the little fox’s abilities—a Dream Intruder of the Shadow path... Since it’s related to dreams, it’s likely a branch path with Shadow as the primary spirituality and Revelation as an auxiliary. Another Revelation auxiliary... Didn’t they say that very few people practice Revelation auxiliary these days? I’ve already encountered three of them. Is this so kind of fate?”
Dorothy ponders in her heart. Apart from the opposing spirituality of Silence, there are only four possible combinations with Revelation auxiliary: Stone, Chalice, Lantern, and Shadow. And now, she has encountered three of them. It feels like more than just a coincidence...
“Aldrich, Adèle, and the little fox... all of them are Beyonders with Revelation auxiliary. They’ve all crossed paths with in various ways and ford connections. Is this a coincidence? Or is there so other underlying factor at play?”
Dorothy thinks this to herself, but she doesn’t have the ability to verify such questions at the mont. So, she simply files her doubts away and begins to consider other matters.
Another major gain from this Dreamscape experience is that Dorothy has established an identity for the dream dragon—Akasha’s Apostle. This is mainly to enhance Akasha’s prestige. In the eyes of others, having a dragon as an Apostle clearly elevates Akasha’s status as a divine being... Of course, others don’t know that both the god and the dragon are Dorothy...
In the process of defining the dream dragon’s identity, Dorothy specifically chose a na—Paarthurnax. This is the na of a dragon from the world of The Elder Scrolls. He is the guide of the Dragonborn, the leader of the Greybeards, and ultimately leads the player to defeat the boss Alduin, freeing him from the shell of the World-Eater and restoring him to his divine role as the Destroyer.
It’s worth noting that dragon nas are in the dragon language. Dorothy was worried that the dragon language pronunciation of Paarthurnax might carry cognitive poison in this world, so she transliterated the na into Pritt Common for Saria and Gregor. The sa goes for Aka.
Aka is the abbreviated form of Akasha, which Dorothy has established as her divine identity. Coincidentally, in The Elder Scrolls, the ti dragon god is Akatosh, which can also be referred to as Aka. All dragons are fragnts of the Ti Dragon, so setting Paarthurnax as Aka’s Apostle makes sense.
Now, to make her fabricated god Akasha more convincing, Dorothy is preparing to develop so lore.
As she listens to the sound of rain outside and the crackling of the fire in the fireplace, Dorothy sits quietly in the living room, deep in thought. Finally, she lets out a long sigh, takes a sip of her hot tea, and looks out at the rain.
"Ah... Enjoying the warmth of the fireplace on a rainy day is such a pleasant experience... But I hope the weather is better when my brother finishes his investigation and is free to move around. It’s been a while since I’ve made him treat to a al..."
Dorothy says, then glances at the calendar on the wall, calculating how long it will take for Gregor’s train to arrive in Tivian.
…
Two days later, the overcast sky still hangs over Tivian. At the train station in West Tivian, a long steam train slowly decelerates as it enters the station. Amidst the billowing white steam, the massive iron beast cos to a halt beside the platform.
The train doors open, and passengers, eager to end their long journey, pour out of the narrow doors of each carriage onto the platform. The crowd is dense near the second and third-class carriages, while only a few people disembark from the first-class carriages.
On the platform, the train conductor stands by the train, anxiously discussing the disappearance of a train attendant with station personnel. A middle-aged man carrying a large suitcase steps off the first-class carriage, glances around furtively, and then hurriedly disappears into the crowd.
Not long after he leaves, a young man in a coat and a low hat, full of ambition, finally steps off the first-class carriage. Gregor, carrying his luggage, sets foot on Tivian’s soil. He looks around, sniffs the air, and frowns.
“Hmm... The air slls a bit pungent. In Igwynt, you only sll this near the industrial areas. Here, even the train station reeks of it... The air in the capital doesn’t seem very good…”
Gregor thinks to himself, also worrying about Dorothy’s health. He wonders if studying hard in such polluted air might affect her well-being.
Just as Gregor is lost in thought, a figure approaches him.
"Excuse ... Are you Mr. Mayschoss?"
Hearing this, Gregor pauses and turns to find a man in casual clothes standing beside him. Although they are dressed plainly, Gregor can sense sothing extraordinary in their deanor.
"Who are you...?"
Gregor asks, and the man in charge shows a badge with the emblem of a crown, a crescent moon, and flowing wind before speaking.
"We’ve been waiting for you for a long ti, Mr. Mayschoss. Please co with us."
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