Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Interface

Sitting at her desk, Dorothy read the last few paragraphs on the torn page under the desk lamp. The alternative solution for the Guide mentioned there piqued her interest, and she began to ponder each possibility.

‘Could a spiritual item with matching attributes replace the Guide? If so, I need to find an item containing “Enlightenment.” However, “Enlightenment” mainly exists in knowledge, where can I find an item that contains “Enlightenment”?’

Dorothy thought to herself. Clearly, it would be difficult for “Enlightenment” to be embodied in a physical object. Finding such an item would be extremely challenging, if not impossible with her current means. At most, she could ask Audric if he had one, but even if he did, it would certainly be exorbitantly priced.

‘However, this method seems more feasible than directly finding an extraordinary being with “Enlightenment.” I can jot this down first…’

Then, Dorothy began to consider the second option.

‘Praying to a high-rank divine existence might also serve as a guide for the ceremony if the deity is in a good mood. This… feels less reliable than all previous options…’

Dorothy thought, not to mention whether a high-rank divine existence would even acknowledge her as a lowly pawn. Even if they did, who could guarantee that they would help out of kindness? The fragment clearly stated that even if there was a response, the outcome would likely not be positive. The result was entirely uncontrollable, with too much risk involved—she could easily end up in trouble.

More importantly, Dorothy didn’t know any high-rank divine existences at all. The only gods she knew about were the Three Saints of the Radiant Church. Who knew if those three saints really existed? Even if they did, with billions praying to them daily, what were the chances they would pay attention to her? Furthermore, given the current situation, the Church was anti-mystical and anti-secretive. Praying to the Church’s god would be like walking into a trap.

Leaning back in her chair, frowning, Dorothy fell deep into thought, pondering how to find a guide for herself…

“Sigh… What should I do? Asking someone is unreliable, and I don’t know where to look for items either. Praying to a divine existence is even more far-fetched; I don’t even know how to pray…”

Dorothy muttered softly. Just as she finished speaking, another voice echoed in her mind.

“I don’t even know how to pray…”

Hearing the unexpected voice in her head, Dorothy was startled and straightened up in her chair.

‘What was that just now…?’

Puzzled, Dorothy realized the voice in her head sounded like her own, and it was only part of what she had muttered.

‘What’s going on? Why does my voice echo in my head? Is this some kind of illness or other mysterious phenomenon? Or is it because of the “Poison Recognition” finally kicking in, causing me to lose my mind?’

Thinking about this, Dorothy was immediately frightened and started looking for a solution.

‘I have to try…’

“Hello… Hello… Can you hear me?”

Dorothy whispered again, but there was no echo this time, which made her wonder if she had hallucinated earlier.

‘No, let me think… How did those words appear… Why did only the last part show up, and it wasn’t complete. What was the exact last part of what I said…’

Recalling, Dorothy tried silently again.

“It’s like… not knowing how to pray…”

As soon as she spoke, the echo reappeared in her mind.

“I don’t even know…”

‘Oh my…’

Seeing this, Dorothy quickly controlled her emotions and carefully considered what she had said when the echoes occurred. She immediately concluded:

‘I seemed to get an echo in my head right after I prayed?’

With this conclusion, Dorothy decided to try again. She whispered softly once more.

“Pray… Hello~ Hello~ Moses~ Can you hear me now?”

“Hello~ Hello~ Moses~ Can you hear me now?”

‘Oh my, I really heard it again. It’s like I’m talking to myself…’

Hearing her own echo again, Dorothy couldn’t help but comment in her mind, but after this experiment, she was almost certain about the keyword that triggered the echo.

That keyword was “pray.”

After several more experiments, Dorothy was completely sure that the word “pray” could trigger the echo in her mind.

Why did this happen?

Dorothy thought carefully and had a rough guess. There was only one thing that could speak in her mind.

‘System… Was it you speaking just now?’

‘Confirmed.’

It was indeed the system. Only this thing could speak in her mind. After confirming that the echo was caused by the system, Dorothy felt relieved. At least, she could rule out the possibility of overconsumption of “Poison Recognition” leading to mental instability… However, the system’s answer raised even more questions.

Why could the system respond to the word “pray,” and what did it mean by “translating prayers”?

Suddenly, Dorothy had an idea. Could her system, which came with her from another world and could connect to knowledge, directly draw spirituality from it, be considered high-ranking? Could it respond to prayers?

If the system could act as a guide, wouldn’t the problem be solved?

With this in mind, Dorothy continued to ask the system.

‘System, can you receive prayers? Can you act as a guide for promotion?’

‘Confirmed, I can receive and translate prayers, and I can guide the grace…’

The system responded. Hearing this, Dorothy began to analyze the meaning of these words. According to the system, it was receiving her prayers and translating them into her mind. The previous phenomenon was actually her casual words being treated as prayers and translated?

And guiding grace… Grace was essentially the divine existence guiding mortals?

Confirming this point, Dorothy frowned slightly. Now, she began to wonder what this system, which accompanied her through the journey, truly was.

There couldn’t be anything in this world that existed without reason, including the system. It must be closely related to her journey.

After some thought, Dorothy decided to ask resolutely.

‘System, what… exactly are you? Or rather, what is your essence?’

Dorothy asked, but given her past experiences, she didn’t expect an answer. This time, however, the system spoke, answering with a soft whisper.

‘Interface’