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 assessnt of the situation. Although she wasn’t in a rush to confront the Eucharist ntor 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 so information about the ntor, it wasn’t nearly enough. The ntor, being a rank higher than herself, was far from as easy to deal with as Buck and his henchn had been.
Currently, the Crimson Eucharist’s operations in Igwynt had co 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 ntor.
In summary, although Dorothy had begun collecting information on the ntor, 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 sester 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 sester 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 ti 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 recomnded social practice projects—mostly internships at various institutions. Dorothy had specifically asked Aldrich for it before leaving.
“Looks like I’ll have to choose sothing and deal with it when I get ho...”
Muttering under her breath as she scrutinized the form, Dorothy scratched her head and continued walking.
…
Afternoon, the basent of the Cypress Fir Tower.
The Igwynt’s Serenity Bureau was bustling as usual. Inside the director’s office, Jas reviewed files at his desk when a knock ca at the door.
“Co 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 Jas’ desk, Turner reported.
Jas nodded, adjusted his glasses, and asked, “What’s the situation?”
“The house belongs to a man nad Buck Stoll, a mber 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 so reputation in Igwynt’s upper society.”
“A knightly lineage, huh... What about the mummified corpse?” Jas 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 na was Clifford, but nothing more. The surviving captives were all tied to Buck’s operations and had no information on other leaders.”
“Clifford… That na isn’t exactly rare. It’ll be tough to narrow things down,” Jas muttered, frowning. At this mont, 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.
Jas 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 consud for divination cases, not feeding trinkets.”
Jas 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,” Jas lanted.
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.
Jas slid a docunt across the desk for him to read. As Turner’s eyes scanned the paper, his brow furrowed.
“Notice of Deploynt: 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.”
Jas explained gravely. Turner considered this for a mont 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 rely a routine notification. They also want so 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.”
Jas 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.”
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