As he walked behind Dr. Marshal, Shaan remained silent. He still felt embarrassed and awkward around Dr. Marshal, especially after getting caught eavesdropping on his conversation with the other faction leaders.
"Sir. Marshal, where exactly are we going?" asked Mr courier, who walked right behind him. "Why are we taking this narrow path instead of our usual route ho?"
"Just follow . We’ll be there soon."
After walking down the narrow road, they saw a simple building not far from where they were. At first glance, the building looked almost the sa as the other buildings around it. There was nothing special or interesting about it, as Shaan had imagined. Strangely, though, a long line had ford in front of the building, leaving Shaan speechless.
"Oh my God, Dr. Marshal, what is that? What are they waiting for?" Chelsie widened her eyes.
"Alright, we’ve arrived at the famous noodle shop here in the Twilight Sanctum, and it’s called..." Dr. Marshal paused. "Ehmm, damn it. I completely forgot the na of this place."
"...Dr. Marshal, this isn’t the ti to think about that," Nalira said, pointing ahead. "The line’s getting longer—we need to get in before it grows even more."
"Yes, yes. That’s a good idea."
Without wasting any ti, they joined the line and waited patiently until they finally made it inside the building. The rich aroma of broth and spices greeted them instantly, making all of their stomachs growl at once.
’Oh wow, that sll... It’s amazing.’
"Hello, welco to Moonlight Broth Noodle Shop," said a woman with black hair wearing a waitress uniform as she approached them. "Follow , I’ll take you to an empty table."
"Okay."
The room buzzed with the sound of people chatting, spoons clinking against porcelain bowls, and the general hum of lively conversation. The atmosphere inside felt vibrant—completely different from the quiet streets outside.
"Here are your empty seats," the woman said, directing them all to sit down. "How many bowls of noodles would you like?"
"Four regular, and one special portion for a homunculus."
"Ah, understood." She quickly jotted down the order. "Please wait a mont. Your food will be ready soon," she added, then walked away from the table.
"A special portion for a homunculus?" Shaan rubbed his chin. "I had no idea noodle shops even offered als specifically for homunculus."
"This shop does indeed serve such special foods because so of the employees here are homunculi, and the visitors who co here are usually Daemonists/homunculi."
Chelsie turned to her side as soon as she heard that. "Mr. Courier, do you know about this place, too?"
"No. I have no idea about this place." The courier shook his head. "I’m often out on missions outside the twilight sanctum. I have no idea about this."
"Uhm... okay."
"Dr. Marshal, there’s sothing I want to ask you," said Nalira. "We’re already in the twilight sanctum, but how can we return to the human world?"
"Yes, that’s right." Chelsie nodded her head. "Uhm... I also don’t see any portals or anything that can take us back to the human world."
"Ah, that’s a good question, ladies," said Dr. Marshal. "Actually, a portal like Miss Chelsie ntioned does exist. The leader of the Twilight Codex designed an artificial portal as an alternative way to return to the human world. They call it the Umbra Core Gate."
"But where is the location of that portal?"
"If you first enter the city of Twilight Sanctum, you should see a large building here."
"The large building—wait, do you an the cathedral in the middle of Twilight Sanctum?"
"Exactly. Sharp observation, Shaan," Dr. Marshal nodded his head. "The Umbra Core Gate is located inside the cathedral building here. That cathedral is ho to the leader of the Twilight Ecclesia Faction, Mother Catarina Roseline, along with her followers," he explained. "Their main task is to protect the Umbra Core Gate from any possible threats."
"...But why is the Twilight Ecclesia faction assigned to guard the Umbra Core Gate? Why not another faction?"
"That’s because the Twilight Ecclesia faction is the oldest among the other factions. This faction is also a neutral faction and the only faction led by an Oracle."
"O-oracle?" Chelsie swallowed her saliva. "Uhm... Do you an she can see the future?"
Dr. Marshal nodded again. "Yes, exactly. That’s Madam Catarina’s unique ability—she can see the future before it happens."
Hearing that, Shaan imdiately got goosebumps. How could he not? The ability to see the future sounded incredibly extraordinary. No wonder no one dared to contradict Madam Catarina when she spoke.
"Interesting." Nalira slowly stroked her chin. "I had no idea about that."
"According to one of Madam Catarina’s visions, she said that a mysterious group would eventually try to take over the portal and seize control of Twilight Sanctum," said Dr. Marshal. "At first, everyone thought she was insane—but then, out of nowhere, the Resistance appeared and threw everything into chaos. After that, the faction leaders finally agreed to place the portal under Madam Catarina’s watch, ensuring that if she had another vision, the other faction leaders could anticipate any danger that might befall the portal.
"Ah, I see," said Shaan. "But how can we enter the cathedral and pass through the portal?
"You can access the cathedral anyti—as long as you get permission from both the leader of the Twilight Ecclesia and the leader of the Twilight Conclave," Dr. Marshal explained. "However, in your case, getting that permission will be extrely difficult, since all of you are still serving your social punishnt."
"Uhm... But how long will this social punishnt last, Dr. Marshal?" Chelsie asked curiously. "We weren’t told about this beforehand."
"It depends on the nature of the offense," Dr. Marshal replied. "For sothing like your case... probably around two to three weeks. You’ll need that ti to repair the bridge you damaged."
"W–Wait, what?" Chelsie froze in place, her entire body going limp. "S–So we’re stuck here for that long?"
"The point is, you need to finish your social punishnt first before you can get the permission required to access the portal."
’Damn it... so as long as we haven’t finished this punishnt, we won’t be able to go ho?’ Shaan shook his head. ’Great. Looks like this won’t be as easy as I thought.’
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