Chapter 107

Chapter 107: Search

In the theater hall, the attendees were enjoying the next performance on stage, while Dorothy was deeply meditating.

‘It seems… there is indeed some resemblance…’

Recalling the memory, Dorothy couldn’t help but think this as she compared the images in her mind. She continued with deeper comparison, bringing up two pictures from her memory to overlap their key details.

At that moment, Dorothy’s brain worked like an image processing computer, and soon, the comparison was complete. The Bill she encountered at Buck’s house and the man she met in the corridor showed a high degree of consistency in facial contours, body proportions, and lower face details, leading her to conclude they were likely the same person.

‘Bill is in this venue? What could be his purpose here? Were those children’s songs really related to the Holy Communion? Is he the source of danger as prophesied?’

Various thoughts began swirling in Dorothy’s mind, and many questions troubled her. After shaking her head, she decided to focus on the immediate issue—what crisis Bill might bring.

‘Firstly, I need to understand what form this crisis takes and how it targets me. Either the scope of the crisis caused by the Holy Communion is so wide that it includes me, or something about me has been exposed, making them notice me.’

‘Terror attacks seem unlikely. Such actions would risk drawing attention from the royal court and the higher church hierarchy. The Holy Communion was severely damaged because of me; they probably lack the strength for a large-scale operation now.’

‘So… maybe I’ve been exposed somewhere… When did it happen? How much have they found out? Do they already know my identity and location?’

Dorothy pondered, then began to survey her surroundings, carefully checking if anyone was searching for or monitoring her.

Then, she noticed something strange: at the edge of the audience seats, several theater staff were collecting invitation cards in sections, and after each row, they would organize and record the collected cards. Some audience members complained about this, but the staff continued to apologize and collect the cards.

‘Why are they suddenly collecting the invitation cards now? They checked them when we entered, didn’t they? Is there a problem that requires them to check again? No, that can’t be right. The party has already started, and they’re doing this—clearly disrupting the audience experience…’

Looking at the staff slowly approaching with the collected cards, Dorothy thought that destroying the viewing experience of so many people just to find a few problematic attendees would be counterproductive. This wasn’t a confidential meeting.

Unless… this problematic attendee must be found… even if it means disrupting the audience’s experience.

If the theater’s upper management is controlled by the Holy Communion, then I’m probably one of the people they must find…

Considering her previous deductions, these staff might have a method to identify her through the invitation cards.

‘What allows them to find me solely based on the invitation card? Is it divination through mysticism? No… If they could divine, they wouldn’t go through such trouble. Perhaps they can read some information from the card.’

The information readable from personal items is mostly scent, as only scent can be carried by objects.

With this deduction, Dorothy connected the dots. She guessed that the information she had exposed was likely a scent, exposed when she passed by Bill. A “Cup” Extraordinary Being, who possesses enhanced olfactory abilities or items, is not unusual. Their purpose in collecting the invitation cards is probably to read the original owner’s scent.

After all, randomly sniffing around the audience would certainly be considered extremely rude and result in being expelled from the venue. Collecting the cards, however, would be less confrontational.

Thinking this, Dorothy took out her invitation card and looked at it. The invitation card for this Charity Event was distributed by various related institutions, so it wasn’t registered.

The theater staff were systematically collecting the cards row by row, bundling and recording them separately. Clearly, if they found anything unusual in one bundle, they could determine which row the problematic person was in. By rearranging the order, they could pinpoint the exact location.

‘It looks like I can’t just hand over this card easily.’

Holding the invitation card, Dorothy thought that if it were taken away, it would be easy for them to detect her location and expose her completely. If she refused to hand it over or claimed to have lost it, she would certainly be noted down, and Bill might personally verify.

If she violently resisted, she would be exposed directly. If she fled now, it would leave an empty seat, and others would describe her appearance to the staff.

‘It seems a bit troublesome now…’

Realizing her current situation, Dorothy frowned slightly. Although the staff collecting the cards were still far away, they would eventually reach her. In front of everyone, she couldn’t openly resist or flee. Handing over the card would definitely expose her. Dorothy felt she was in a difficult situation.

‘I need to think of a way…’

Thinking this, Dorothy fell into deep contemplation.

…

On the other side, in the Radiant Church’s box.

Vania watched the show on stage, while the clerics beside her, locals from Igewent, explained things to her intermittently. Vania responded with forced smiles.

“Hehe… What do you think, Sister Vania? This is how the Lord’s children appear in Igewent. Isn’t it great?”

A cleric smiled and asked Vania, who replied with a forced smile.

“Well, yes, it’s really great. You’re right. Tonight has truly opened my eyes.”

“Oh… Really? Then which part of the show left the deepest impression on you? Can you share your thoughts?”

“Ah… Well, I think the children’s choir made the strongest impression. They were very… pure! Beautiful!”

“The children’s choir? Hehe, indeed… Let me tell you, Vania Sister, these children come from our local Orphanage of Mercy, a place that strictly follows the teachings of the Holy Mother. Just look at their spirit, and you’ll know how well they live under the grace of the Holy Mother…”

The middle-aged cleric with a big belly began to speak at length, focusing on introducing the achievements of the local church through the performance. Other clerics occasionally chimed in, explaining and introducing things continuously, leaving Vania, who was not good with words, to force a smile and respond.

It was clear that the local clerics brought Vania to this charity event to showcase their work to important personnel from higher-level organizations. Thus, showcasing their work was the priority, and socializing was secondary.

Initially, Vania thought she was simply attending a show, but she never expected it to turn into a social gathering centered around her. Besides Vania, everyone else in the box came to network, turning the event into a series of conversations, much like a leadership dinner.

Although the Radiant Church is a religious organization, its scale is immense, and any large organization will inevitably develop bureaucratic tendencies. Even the Radiant Church is no exception.

These are people from the capital diocese, with the Archbishop presiding over the entire Prit Diocese present. They must be properly entertained and given opportunities to showcase themselves.

This was the mindset of the clerics from Igewent. For Vania, a nun from the Scripture Department, this was overwhelming. Her introverted nature and lack of social skills made her unprepared for such a scene, leaving her flustered and resorting to forced smiles and stammering responses, feeling helpless inside.

Driven by her innate instinct as a nun, she silently prayed.

“Lord, please save me. I just want to quietly watch a few shows!”

…

Just as Vania finished praying, Dorothy sitting in the audience couldn’t help but freeze.