Beneath the clear sky stretched the boundless ocean, with seabirds soaring freely above. Gentle sea breezes created sparkling ripples across the water's surface.
A white passenger liner was slowly making its way across this vast expanse, leaving a long wake behind.
This ship had recently departed Navaha, and Dorothy was currently seated in its first-class cabin, occasionally inspecting the tidy room or gazing out at the expansive sea through the porthole.
“The environment is acceptable… It certainly can’t compare to the cabins on the Shimmering Pearl, but at least it's clean and won't be uncomfortable to stay in.”
Sitting beside the porthole, Dorothy evaluated her accommodations. Compared to the luxurious cabins of the Shimmering Pearl, this space was smaller and simpler but still tolerable. After all, this was already the best cabin available; other options included cramped rooms shared by four or large dormitories housing over ten. Having a private room was already a blessing.
“The cabin is passable… but I really do miss the luxurious cabin on the Shimmering Pearl. That was truly comfortable…”
Dorothy sighed nostalgically, remembering the Shimmering Pearl fondly as the most comfortable vessel she'd traveled on, barring the presence of numerous cultists onboard—though, admittedly, she'd ended up blowing the ship apart herself.
“Next time I get the chance, I should find another luxury cruise for travel. But I'll thoroughly investigate beforehand to ensure there aren't any suspicious individuals aboard.”
Standing up from her chair, Dorothy lay down on her bed and began reflecting on Navaha and her current plans.
“At least I managed to leave Navaha before the Church began their widespread investigation. I initially thought the Church would take a day or two to arrive after the incident, but they showed up the very same day…”
“Thinking about it now, they were probably already dispatched to handle the Abyssal Church situation and unexpectedly encountered the Blackdream incident. With these problems piling up, those Church members must be extremely busy.”
Dorothy mused, somewhat accustomed by now to stirring up trouble for local official Beyonder organizations wherever she traveled.
“Yet, why did the Blackdream Hunting Pack choose that specific day to hatch their moth? The Church fleet and Beyonders were still in port. Hatching then meant an immediate battle—couldn't they have waited for the Church to leave first? Why such reckless urgency? Perhaps they assumed they were exposed after the church investigation and decided on a final desperate gamble? That shows a real lack of strategic patience.”
Lying on the bed, Dorothy pondered this point, slightly puzzled by Blackdream’s abrupt action. Soon, however, she refocused her thoughts on her current objective.
“I'm now headed to Telva. According to information gathered in Navaha, Telva is the largest city in southern Cassatia. Though smaller than Tivian, it's significantly larger than Navaha and the nearest major city. A city of this size should definitely have a branch of the White Craftsmen’s Guild…”
“Neph’s study tour has finished visiting Navaha, so they'll likely set sail for Telva tomorrow before continuing to Ivengard. Vania’s fleet is reportedly ready to depart soon as well. Thus, within a few days, everyone should finally reach our destination. It certainly hasn't been easy…”
Reflecting on Neph and Vania’s itinerary, Dorothy realized that according to their original schedule, they should already be in Ivengard instead of still journeying.
Fortunately, everyone was finally moving forward again. Dorothy now hoped her journey would proceed smoothly, or at least with fewer complications.
...
Northern Shore of Conquest Sea, Navaha.
The southern port district of Navaha bustled with activity. After several days docked, the Church fleet was preparing to set sail once more, resuming its pilgrimage to Ivengard.
“Finally setting out again... It was supposed to be just a short stop, but we didn't expect so many unforeseen events.”
Sitting in her cabin, the white-clad nun Vania murmured softly as she observed the bustling scene outside. Dorothy had already briefly informed her about the unusual events of the morning and the specific causes behind last night's disturbances.
“I never imagined… such a dangerous cabal could be hidden within this ordinary little city—manipulating dreams, consuming Dream Cocoons, cultivating monsters, and tormenting minds. By any measure, their threat level rivals that of the Wolf Blood Society…”
“If I hadn't been under Aka’s protection and had Miss Dorothea’s assistance nearby, I might have fallen victim to these cultists that night at the church… Even though I was never forced into belief, Aka has once again saved me…”
Placing her hand gently over her heart, Vania reflected thoughtfully. This wasn't the first time she'd experienced divine grace. As a nun who had repeatedly received direct protection from Aka, she often felt a strong sense of unreality, yet her reverence for Aka continued to deepen.
“No! This time, it wasn't just me, but all the innocent people in Navaha… Even though Aka and Their earthly servants never openly preached any doctrines of salvation, their actions always brought about rescue, sometimes even surpassing the Church itself. This time, an entire city was saved…”
Gazing out at the bustling people working on the docks of the departing city, Vania felt deeply moved.
Initially, receiving revelations and protection from a foreign deity had terrified her, fearing severe consequences if discovered. But now, that fear had vanished entirely, replaced by gratitude for being able to connect with Aka. Under Aka's guidance, she had directly or indirectly saved many people—a feat she could never have accomplished as an ordinary scripture reader.
“According to Miss Dorothea, last night’s disturbances were caused by the dream-monster created by that dream cabal, and ultimately, Aka's apostle defeated it in the Dreamscape.”
“Miss Dorothea, despite her young age, can already communicate with a divine apostle? Her position among Aka’s followers must be extraordinary. I truly wish I could see for myself what Aka’s apostle is like…”
Vania thought with anticipation, but suddenly her attention was caught by an unusual scene outside the porthole.
She saw several figures walking away from the busy port where preparations for departure were underway. She recognized one figure immediately—it was Giorde, the commander of the escort fleet.
“That's… Lord Giorde. He looks unwell. The fleet is about to set sail; why is he leaving the ship for the city now? Is he fetching something important?”
“And those people next to Lord Giorde… those clothes, are they heresy investigators?! From Cassatia’s Tribunal? Where are they taking Lord Giorde? The fleet is clearly about to depart…”
Observing this scene onshore, Vania murmured in confusion, unaware that other eyes were also observing these events.
...
In Navaha, near the harbor, there was a high-rise hotel. Inside a room on its top floor, two figures stood—two men of different ages.
The younger man stood near the window, slightly pulling aside the curtain to peer through a narrow gap towards the port where the fleet was preparing to set sail.
The other man, middle-aged with a thick beard, sat behind a table inside the room, organizing stacks of documents with an attentive expression.
“Those zealots are indeed leaving; they're preparing to sail now. But suddenly, a new group of zealots appeared at the port—judging by their clothing, they're from the Tribunal!”
The young man at the window reported with his exceptional vision. Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man paused his paperwork, turned to look at the young man, and spoke.
“The fanatics from the Tribunal? Now this complicates things greatly… Those people are far more troublesome than the knights. Extracting information from them will be incredibly difficult…”
“But from another perspective, this likely confirms Costa and the others have fallen into these zealots' hands. Otherwise, the Tribunal wouldn’t appear here—they're probably here to take over the case…”
The middle-aged man frowned deeply after putting down his papers. Clearly, both men were members of the Abyssal Church, and their mission in Navaha was to investigate Costa's disappearance and the fate of the Deep Blue Heart.
“It seems Costa and the others are likely dead or captured. It’d be prudent to prepare a soul-summoning ritual directly on White Tear Island.”
The young man by the window spoke gravely, but the middle-aged man responded coldly.
“Soul-summoning? White Tear Island is too far away. If Costa and the others died here, setting up the ritual there wouldn't work. Besides, we don't even know precisely when they died. If it's been too long, the souls won't respond even if the ritual were close by.”
In the mysticism world, soul-summoning was a critical skill. Large mystical organizations typically employed Silence Beyonders specifically for this purpose, though their ranks were usually not high—often just Apprentice rank or Black Earth rank.
For organizations not specializing in Silence, soul-summoning had significant limitations, with distance being a major one. After all, the essence of soul-summoning rituals was to call forth spirits via a medium, letting them manifest by traveling to the ritual site. Distance between the soul and the ritual site was thus crucial. Unlike spirit channeling, soul-summoning couldn't directly summon spirits regardless of distance.
This was precisely why the Abyssal Church couldn't use soul-summoning to confirm the fate of Costa and the others. Their primary bases were located on distant islands across the vast ocean, making the closest base capable of performing such rituals far too remote from Navaha. Hence, they'd sent investigators directly to Navaha, but unfortunately, the results were disappointing.
“So what do we do now? The Tribunal’s fanatics have arrived. Continuing the investigation now is highly risky. Should we halt here and report back first?”
The young man spoke gravely, clearly reluctant to interact with the Inquisition. The middle-aged man responded with a cold snort, “Report? What exactly do we have to report? We neither know Costa and the others' status nor the location of the Deep Blue Heart. What kind of report could we even give?”
“Then what should we do?! The Tribunal is already here, we can't exactly... huh?”
The younger man abruptly halted mid-sentence, his gaze fixed on something in the distance. He rubbed his eyes with a frown, then looked carefully again, piquing the older man's curiosity.
“What is it? Did you see something?”
“Yes... Strange, the Radiance zealots' fleet is clearly about to set sail, yet the captain has come ashore along with several other officers… What are they up to?”
His words intrigued the middle-aged man, prompting him to stand up, approach another window, and peer toward the harbor. Soon, he observed the same unusual scene the young man had described.
“That's Giorde Bianchi, isn't he the commander of that escort fleet? Why is he leaving when the fleet is about to sail? And there are other captains and Giorde’s deputy. It looks as if they're being taken away by those Tribunal fanatics…”
The middle-aged man frowned deeply. As an Abyssal Church informant, he recognized many captains frequently operating in these waters, Giorde included.
“Giorde? So he's the commander. But why would the fleet set sail without its commander? It seems the Tribunal fanatics are escorting him ashore,” the young man remarked, puzzled.
After a moment of contemplation, the older man responded slowly, “I think this may have something to do with last night's disturbances. Perhaps Giorde and his crew did something that attracted the Inquisition’s attention. Those neurotic zealots tend to be even harsher toward their own people…”
“Last night's disturbances? Tsk… I slept so deeply last night, I don't even know what happened.”
The young man rubbed his temples, while the older man calmly replied, “I'm also unclear on the specifics, but something major must have happened to cause such widespread anomalies this morning. Perhaps Navaha is hiding secrets we aren't aware of…”
“Anyway, things seem even more complicated now. Giorde and his senior officers have evidently lost the Tribunal’s trust for some reason. They’ve used their authority to detain them. Now, the pilgrimage fleet might have to depart without Giorde and the others.”
As the middle-aged man murmured thoughtfully, a gleam appeared in his eyes.
“It seems our report will finally have some substantial content.”