Upon the surging sea, amidst rolling waves and strong sea winds, the vast fleet continued its steady advance. On the spacious deck of the flagship, the white-robed nun’s unease grew after hearing the priest’s words. After a moment of hesitation, she finally spoke.
"Oh… A welcome banquet personally arranged by the Archbishop, with numerous important attendees? Isn’t this… a bit too extravagant? We’re merely pilgrims... I—I really don't think there's a need for such trouble…"
"How could it not be necessary? Sister Vania, you’ve just successfully enlightened the hundreds of thousands of ignorant souls in Summer Tree, guiding them to recognize the world's true faith and bringing them under the Radiance of the Holy Mother. Given such an achievement, you certainly deserve a grand welcoming banquet."
Seeing the nervousness on the young nun’s face, André spoke in a reassuring tone. However, after hearing his words, Vania’s expression did not ease much.
"Ah… I only did what I was supposed to do. With the people of Summer Tree, I merely acted out of compassion and partly out of self-preservation, intending only to help them a little. I never expected them to truly embrace the teachings of the Holy Mother so completely. This… this outcome was entirely beyond my expectations. I—I really didn’t expect things to escalate this far…"
Vania spoke these words with the uncertainty and anxiety of a child who had inadvertently triggered something far larger than intended. Listening to her words, André paused briefly, his expression growing more serious as he responded.
"Sister Vania, regardless of how it happened or whether you originally intended to enlighten the people of Summer Tree, the fact remains that they have now officially announced their full conversion. You are undeniably the one responsible, the foremost contributor to this accomplishment. You must not doubt yourself.
"Newspapers have already begun publicizing your deeds. Thus, from now on, whoever you meet, you must remember your identity as the Missionary to Summer Tree. Understood?"
André spoke firmly and earnestly to the young nun. At his words, Vania trembled slightly, then nodded and softly replied.
"I understand…"
"Heh, there’s no need to feel nervous, Sister Vania. You should now return to your cabin and rest properly, to ensure you attend the banquet in your best condition," André continued gently, smiling encouragingly at her. Hearing this, Vania respectfully answered.
"Thank you, Father André. I’ll head back now."
Saying this, Vania turned and left the deck, making her way back into the ship’s interior. After walking through the long corridor, she finally reached her cabin. As soon as the door closed behind her, she leaned against it, exhaling deeply.
"Being the center of attention like this for the first time… it’s really nerve-wracking. I never expected such a huge reaction. The Archbishop arranging a banquet, making it into newspapers…"
Holding her chest, Vania anxiously reflected on her current situation. Although she had previously been warned, the magnitude of this event was beyond anything she had imagined.
Vania thought that at most she had simply persuaded some marginalized people to convert, similar to how the Tivian Church would send people to remote regions to spread the teachings of the Trinity Saints. She believed she had merely done the same as them. While her actions did warrant some credit, she never anticipated causing such an uproar, enough to catch even the Archbishop of Ivengard’s attention.
Thinking back to the scene when the Church’s naval forces arrived to escort her from Summer Tree, Vania still felt anxious. As someone who had grown up within the Church, having been just an ordinary scripture reader mere months ago, she was now overwhelmed by such special care and attention.
"Miss Dorothea had said that upon returning to the Church fleet, I should appear surprised and overwhelmed by the events in Summer Tree… At first, I was worried if I could act convincingly enough. But given the scale of the current situation, it seems I won’t even need to act anymore…"
Walking over to the bed, Vania sighed inwardly. With her current feelings, the anxiety and tension she displayed were entirely genuine.
"I wonder what will happen once we reach Adria… Hopefully, the attention dies down soon. Being the center of attention like this… really isn’t a pleasant feeling…"
Lost in thought, Vania sat down on her bed, casting occasional glances at the ocean through the cabin window. She then uneasily took out her personal scripture book, flipped open to a page, and began to write with her pen.
"Miss Dorothea, apologies for disturbing you again, but there’s some new information I must report. According to the priests aboard the ship, I will arrive in Adria tomorrow. At that time, there will be a welcoming banquet arranged by the Archbishop of Ivengard himself. I may have to directly interact with someone at the level of an Archbishop. Will I really be fine…?"
...
Meanwhile, across the ocean on another vessel—a common passenger ship sailing steadily through the expansive sea—Dorothy sat quietly in a first-class cabin, wearing a white dress reminiscent of naval uniforms. She gazed solemnly at the pages of the Literary Sea Logbook, carefully reading the latest message sent by Vania.
"The Church’s reaction to Summer Tree’s conversion is much stronger than anticipated… Not only have multiple newspapers across several countries reported the incident simultaneously, but even an Archbishop of a major diocese has arranged a banquet to welcome her… This is quite unexpected…"
Looking at the familiar handwriting on the Literary Sea Logbook, Dorothy thought quietly in her heart. She then glanced again at the neatly arranged headlines from various newspapers she had collected across Telva, all reporting on the pilgrims' peril, the Holy Mother's missionary nun, and the conversion of marginal peoples.
Dorothy had bought these newspapers throughout Telva before boarding the ship, aiming to gauge the Church’s propaganda intensity regarding the Summer Tree incident. Truth be told, the level of publicity far exceeded her initial expectations.
Dorothy had known that converting tens of thousands of marginalized people would significantly impact the Church, but she hadn't anticipated that the influence would be this massive. From what she could gather, the Church had simultaneously leveraged media in multiple countries along the Northern Shore of the Conquest Sea to report extensively on the Summer Tree incident, shaping it into a modern saintly missionary tale while excluding mystical elements.
The Church seemed determined to portray Vania as a new saint and Summer Tree's conversion as a new sacred tale for modern times. Dorothy observed that many passengers on the ship who read these reports engaged in heated discussions. Numerous devout passengers, deeply moved by the narrative, passionately proclaimed Nun Vania as a saint of this era.
"The Church’s reaction to the Summer Tree incident is extraordinarily forceful and swift, which seems peculiar," Dorothy thought.
"Just recently, they planned to obliterate the island entirely. Now, within days of Summer Tree declaring its conversion—and before clarifying the situation completely—they've launched such vigorous publicity. Something doesn’t feel right."
"With such immediate, high-profile publicity surrounding Saint Vania’s preaching, aren't they concerned about complications the next time they face obstinate marginalized people? Wouldn't this undermine their justification for decisive action? Furthermore, highlighting pilgrims in danger indirectly exposes the Church knights' failure to provide adequate protection. High-profile publicity also negatively impacts certain departments within the Church."
Dorothy, placing herself in the Church's position, concluded that she would indeed publicize Summer Tree’s conversion, but certainly not this quickly or aggressively. The current situation likely benefited a faction within the Church significantly, but another faction probably felt quite displeased.
"It appears internal divisions and power struggles exist within the Church as well. Vania’s current prominence is being exploited by certain internal forces," Dorothy speculated.
Indeed, in such a large organization, factional struggles were inevitable. The situation with Summer Tree was likely being leveraged internally by Church factions to further their agendas.
"However, this is actually beneficial. The more Vania is used by others, the more harmless she appears to those in power. Consequently, suspicion towards her diminishes, ensuring her personal safety," Dorothy reasoned.
Under Dorothy’s previous maneuvers, the Church knew that Summer Tree's true conversion reason was discovering Abyssal Church spies, revealing that the Abyssal Church had manipulated them, making Vania merely the surface excuse for the conversion. Thus, from the Church’s perspective, Vania was someone manipulated by Summer Tree. Now that a faction within the Church was using Vania to promote their agenda and suppress rivals, Vania again appeared as someone merely being manipulated in the eyes of opposing factions.
"What threat does such a repeatedly manipulated young nun pose?"
Therefore, Dorothy had instructed Vania from the outset to behave as if she genuinely had little cunning, appearing nervous, innocent, and devout—essentially a sweet and simple personality, a harmless figurehead. The more deeply rooted this persona became, the safer Vania would be within the Church, benefiting significantly from her achievements and reputation.
Fortunately, Vania’s true nature wasn't far from this sweet, innocent persona.
"Although this persona fits Vania comfortably, the heavy secrets she harbors that the Church cannot accept continue to weigh on her. With increasing attention, her internal pressure has clearly intensified," Dorothy noted.
Vania’s prayers to Aka had become more frequent recently, and her contact with Dorothy had also significantly increased, clearly reflecting her growing psychological strain.
Initially, Vania would contact Dorothy under the pretense of reporting minor issues, gradually shifting to trivial matters as an excuse to communicate. Now, Vania seemed increasingly inclined to reach out solely for emotional support.
In Vania’s eyes, aside from the mysterious and great Aka, Dorothy was the only one who fully understood her circumstances. In the Church's dangerous environment, Vania could only genuinely open up when communicating with Dorothy. Dorothy, naturally willing to alleviate her pressure, always patiently engaged with Vania whenever she reached out, understanding that maintaining Vania’s psychological stability was crucial for her safety within the Church.
The current interaction was no exception. Gazing at the familiar handwriting on the Literary Sea Logbook, Dorothy pondered briefly before writing.
"A welcome banquet arranged by the Archbishop, is it? I understand. It's alright. Even if the Archbishop arranged it, he might not personally attend and could simply send a representative. Don't worry excessively…"
Dorothy wrote many comforting words on the page. After finishing, she glanced towards the surging ocean outside the window, quietly calculating the remaining journey time.
"Judging by the current progress, we should reach port by midday. Due to delays from assisting the Church’s cleanup efforts in Summer Tree, Vania is somewhat behind schedule. Looks like I'll arrive in Adria ahead of her… If the chance arises later, perhaps I'll meet her briefly to reassure her…"
Time passed quickly. After nearly two days of sailing, the passenger ship Dorothy had boarded finally arrived at its destination, the large coastal city of Ivengard—Adria.
Dorothy, dressed in a white sailor-style dress, stepped off the ship accompanied by her parent corpse marionette carrying luggage. She glanced around the lively dock and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Leaving the docks, Dorothy and the corpse marionette carrying the luggage came to a bustling intersection. There were plenty of rental carriages waiting for passengers from the docks. However, Dorothy noticed something peculiar: not far from the intersection, by the shoreline, numerous small boats were anchored, each operated by boatmen dressed like coachmen. Many travelers preferred to board these boats instead of carriages, and indeed, there appeared to be even more people choosing boats.
Seeing this, Dorothy suddenly recalled that Adria was known as the "City of a Hundred Islands," composed of hundreds of natural and artificial islands. Waterways crisscrossed throughout the city, making boat travel particularly convenient and distinctive.
Being somewhat of a tourist herself in this new city, Dorothy naturally chose the more unique means of transportation. Soon after, she and the corpse marionette boarded one of the small boats. The boatman enthusiastically helped place their luggage before turning to the corpse marionette with a question.
“Sir, where do you wish to go? Or perhaps you'd like me to guide you along the most scenic sightseeing route?”
“Hmm... My daughter and I have just arrived and would prefer to find accommodations first,” replied the slightly plump, wealthy-looking corpse marionette, wearing a short hat and sporting a small mustache, smiling warmly at the boatman. Hearing this response, the boatman nodded enthusiastically and continued.
“Ah, in that case, I can recommend several hotels—comfortable and affordable. I'm certain both you and your lovely daughter will be satisfied.”
“Haha… there's no need for recommendations; we'd prefer to look around ourselves. By the way, do you know Pure Flow Cathedral? We’d like to visit that area first,” replied the marionette in fluent Ivengardian. Realizing that this passenger was no gullible foreigner, the boatman nodded knowingly.
“Understood. Pure Flow Cathedral it is, then. Please hold on!”
The boatman began skillfully rowing, moving the boat away from the shore into one of the city's waterways. Soon Dorothy found herself watching the buildings slowly recede on either side. Sitting aboard the boat, Dorothy gazed curiously with wide red eyes, taking in various statues and architectural designs along the banks, listening to the gentle sound of water, and occasionally passing beneath bridges where carriages clattered overhead. Other small passenger boats frequently passed by, and occasionally, groups of ducks paddled peacefully along.
After winding through several waterways, Dorothy's boat turned a corner and the buildings lining the banks suddenly disappeared, replaced by a wide-open plaza. At the far end of this plaza stood an imposing cathedral, seemingly even larger than Tivian's Hymn Cathedral. Atop the tall spire of the cathedral was a dazzling reflection of sunlight, causing Dorothy to squint slightly.
“Look there, dear guest! That's Pure Flow Cathedral ahead. See that brilliant glow atop the cathedral? That’s the most treasured relic of Pure Flow Church and the pride of Adria—the Crown of Emmanuel, with its shining Light-Bearing Gem!” announced the boatman proudly.
“A Light-Bearing Gem...?” Dorothy murmured quietly.
Feeling a hint of something unusual, Dorothy discreetly activated her spiritual vision. In her eyes, the seemingly reflected sunlight atop the distant cathedral took on faint shades of orange-yellow—the unmistakable spiritual color of the "Lantern" spirituality.
The crown's gemstone atop Pure Flow Cathedral appeared to be an exceptionally powerful mystical artifact, functioning as an Illuminating Beacon.