The sphere of light above Krimms Cathedral grew increasingly brilliant, bathing the Caster City State in a light like day.
Almost everyone in the city state stopped what they were doing and looked toward the Cathedral.
So were astonished, so annoyed, so cheered...
Countless believers of the Dawn Church lowered their heads, crossed their hands over their shoulders, and responded in low voices, "Praise the Dawn!"
For a ti, the entire Caster City State echoed with the single word, "Dawn."
Just then, a golden pillar of light pierced the dim sky, projecting onto the sphere of light and coating the silvery-white orb in a layer of golden radiance.
Imdiately after, a murmuring sound arose.
It was like soone whispering right in one’s ear, yet it was imbued with a majesty one could "hear."
"Sope, Sineas, Deen Ael, Nisola Risi..."
Listening to this whisper, Wei’en couldn’t help but furrow his brow. ’Is this the Gonzalez language?’
He tried to understand the aning of the phrase. ’"The Dawn, eternally bright... sothing descends, sothing carries what... death?"’
"What is all this nonsense?"
His ’Skilled’ level proficiency in the Gonzalez language was sohow not enough to understand the aning of these words.
’Unbelievable...’
「At that mont, night fell!」
A massive red moon slowly erged in the night sky, casting down a dim, crimson moonlight.
In an instant, the low, sonorous murmuring ceased.
The golden pillar of light dissipated.
Under the red moon’s glow, the silvery-white sphere of light retracted its brilliance, becoming less dazzling.
"Dawn!"
As that voice rang out, the sphere of light vanished, leaving only a slender figure lying horizontally in mid-air.
"Huh? How co she’s wearing... Is that armor?"
Seeing this, Wei’en couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. ’Wasn’t she naked before?’
Before long, the figure slowly drifted down, and the strange phenonon above the Cathedral dissipated along with it.
’It seems that even the radiance of the Dawn must keep a low profile beneath the red moon.’
[You have listened to the Sound of Divinity from an unknown existence. Your Spirit has been baptized. Evaluation: To so, it is a baptism; but to certain "people," it is blasphemy. Reward: Survival Points 3, Spirit Level -1 (Temporary).]
The mont Wei’en saw this ssage, a sharp pain lanced through his head, making him clutch it and cry out.
"What the hell? Blasphemy to certain people... is it talking about ?"
’Wasn’t it a baptism?’
’Why did it baptize my Spirit level away?’
After a long while, Wei’en finally recovered, angrily shutting the window while muttering curses.
"What kind of garbage Sound of Divinity is this? How is this piece of junk divine at all?"
It had knocked off one of his Spirit levels in an instant. The fact he wasn’t cursing Its na was him being generous!
Wei’en shook his head, secretly resolving that he wouldn’t spare another glance at any commotion related to the Dawn Church, even if it killed him.
But no matter what he thought, there was nothing he could do.
The Spirit level that had been baptized away wasn’t coming back...
CLINK.
Just then, a familiar sound rang out as the blue and white box began to flash.
Wei’en opened the box, puzzled. Seeing a few coins lying inside, he took them out and counted. "3 shillings and 6 pence. This is..."
Only then did he rember that the letter from the School had ntioned a ten percent discount on all knowledge exchanges for him.
"A windfall. Nice." A smile returned to Wei’en’s face.
It wasn’t a lot of money, but a small surprise was still a surprise, and it lifted his spirits again.
’So what if it’s one Spirit level? There will be plenty of chances to earn it back later.’
With that thought, he activated the "typewriter" and transmitted a detailed account of what he had just witnessed.
His intuition told him that what had happened at the Dawn Church today was anything but ordinary.
"August 9th, 1578, New Calendar. Weather: Clear."
"Today, a strange sight appeared at the Krimms Cathedral in the Caster City State. A beautiful, unclothed woman was enveloped in a silvery-white light and floated into the sky..."
In just five short minutes, he had completed an eloquently worded intelligence report easily exceeding a thousand words.
’This is big news, top-secret intelligence... they can’t call a slacker for this, right?’
Wei’en looked at the blue and white box with so anticipation. How much would the Ghost Soul School reward him for such a report?
If it was only 6 pence again, he would definitely quit—did they take him for a fool?
CLING-CLANG.
A clear, crisp sound ca from within the blue and white box, and Wei’en’s heart leaped with excitent.
He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he seed to hear the sound of countless coins dancing inside the box.
CLICK.
The box opened.
"Huh? One gold... a gold pound?"
Wei’en stared in surprise at the gold pound and an envelope inside the box.
Although he had expected sothing good, he hadn’t thought the Ghost Soul School would be so generous as to directly reward him with one gold pound.
This was the biggest reward he—including his predecessor’s ti—had ever received as an Intelligence Officer!
"Very good, Wei’en Loft. You have finally recovered your sensitivity to the value of intelligence. I am very satisfied with this report."
"At the sa ti, I have decided to modify the contents of the punitive mission previously assigned."
"An additional new task is being added—investigate the person who caused the ’Holy Favor Descends’ phenonon. This is to be completed along with the matter of the strange disappearances in the slums. You have three days."
"Upon completion of the mission, my departnt will not only forgive your past mistakes but will also give you an additional reward."
"On the path to seeking knowledge, death is not the end. —Olivia Tapia, Liaison Officer, Intelligence Departnt, Ghost Soul School, Shetland Kingdom."
’The School is defining the strange phenonon at the Dawn Church as "Holy Favor Descends"?’
Wei’en frowned at the term in the letter. He seed to have heard it from Kali before; it referred to receiving the favor of the Lord of Dawn.
’Could it be that the unknown existence from just now was the Lord of Dawn?’
’And the Sound of Divinity was what It said?’
’Damn it all, I finally know who screwed out of a Spirit level.’
But not a single thought of revenge crossed his mind...
’That’s a god. A single strand of its hair could crush . Better to think about sothing more practical.’
Wei’en looked at the new mission at the end and frowned.
’Why is the Ghost Soul School so interested in that person from the Dawn Church?’
However, compared to investigating the strange disappearance case in the slums, gathering information on a single person seed exceptionally simple.
He had many ways to investigate and get information on "that person."
The most direct thod was to find soone from the Dawn Church or soone who had attended the event at the Cathedral and ask them. That should give him a general idea.
’But such a simple task has been given two extra days... Does the Liaison Officer consider this mission to be on the sa level of difficulty as the slum case?’
Though puzzled, Wei’en didn’t dwell on it.
This arrangent was actually a good thing for him, giving him more ti to investigate the case in the slums.
He had already planned to use the Secret Investigation Departnt’s resources tomorrow to look into the slum disappearances.
If there was no relevant intelligence within the Secret Investigation Departnt, he would go to the slums himself for a look.
But if even that didn’t turn up any useful information...
Then he had one last resort—bla it all on that Sutle Dog that runs wild late at night!
Whether the people were eaten or made to disappear by so other entity, the end result was the sa...
Sutle Dog: AWOOOOOOOO!
(Offense taken!)
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