Chapter 513

Chapter 385 – Transaction

With this thought in mind, Dorothy quickly copied all the research materials she saw in Duke Barret’s secret room, placed them in an envelope with a warning about poison recognition, and then went to Beverly’s house to send everything to Misha.

Afterwards, Dorothy rested comfortably at home for a day. The next morning, a wind-up doll wearing slippers wandered to Dorothy’s front door while sipping oil, and stuffed the package into the mailbox.

Upon receiving the reply, Dorothy immediately brought the package home, opened it, and took out four different secret transmissions and seven silver coins engraved with moon patterns—these were the “Shadow” storage items.

Dorothy naturally intended to use these storage items to recharge her family heirloom ring. She needed 2 points of “Shadow” just to manipulate a zombie puppet in and out of St. Hymn Cathedral once, and she didn’t have much “Shadow” left. As someone who often played a behind-the-scenes role and used anti-investigative spiritual habits, “Shadow” was quite important to Dorothy. Therefore, she decided to stock up on “Shadow.”

Among the other four secret transmissions, two were from “Cup,” one was from “Stone,” and one was from “Shadow.” After obtaining them, Dorothy immediately began reading. Soon, she finished reading all four secret transmissions.

…

The first secret transmission from “Cup” was titled “Diary of Breaking the Cocoon,” a diary-style secret transmission that described the author’s constant feeling of being bound. Amidst this suffocating sense of confinement, the author struggled and sought transformation and liberation.

At the end of the diary, the author used scissors to peel off their skin piece by piece. After breaking free from their physical constraints, they experienced unprecedented freedom and relief with their bloodied flesh.

The detailed description of the self-peeling process in the diary made Dorothy think through its feasibility in her mind. Surprisingly, there was some logic to it. She believed that if someone could endure the pain, this might be a rather decent guide for self-peeling.

From this guide, Dorothy obtained 3 points of “Cup” and 1 point of “Enlightenment.”

…

The second secret transmission from “Cup” was titled “Map of the Sea of Illusions,” a rather bizarre and absurd encyclopedic secret transmission. It recorded descriptions of enormous sea monsters in the ocean, as well as peculiar marine landscapes. Additionally, it included many descriptions of island tribes with non-human appearances and customs.

Looking at the descriptions and abstract illustrations of the sea monsters, Dorothy wondered if these creatures had any connection to the Abyss Cult.

Ultimately, Dorothy gained 4 points of “Cup” and 2 points of “Enlightenment” from this not-so-thin secret transmission.

…

The third secret transmission from “Stone” was titled “Rondovau Manuscript,” an engineering manuscript written by an architect named Rondovau while attempting to reconstruct a large fragmented sculpture in the Northern Ufeiga desert. However, before he could finish half of the reconstruction, both Rondovau and the workers involved in the project went mad due to poison recognition.

From the sketches in the manuscript, Dorothy could barely make out that the reconstructed part seemed to depict a quadrupedal beast, but among the remaining incomplete fragments, there was a piece that resembled a human ear.

Looking at the manuscript, Dorothy sighed, realizing that even professions like art, literature, and archaeology could be dangerous in this world.

From this manuscript, Dorothy extracted 4 points of “Stone” and 3 points of “Enlightenment,” unexpectedly gaining a lot of “Enlightenment.”

…

The fourth secret transmission from “Shadow” did not have a specific name; it was a lullaby meant for sleep. The lullaby mentioned that the fairy in the mirror would guard those who slept at night. Clearly, this mirror fairy was likely the same existence as the Lake Fairy, and this was an ancient Prit folk song.

After seeing this lullaby, Dorothy realized that various folk images created based on the Mirror Moon Goddess were probably very common in Prit several hundred years ago. Under the watchful eye of the Radiant Church, the faith in the Mirror Moon Goddess had spread among the people of Prit after being popularized.

From this lullaby, Dorothy obtained 2 points of “Shadow” and 1 point of “Enlightenment.”

…

Finally, after finishing all the secret transmissions, Dorothy summarized her current spiritual state:

8 Cups, 10 Stones, 5 Shadows, 2 Lamps, 14 Silences, 7 Enlightenments.

In addition, she had seven “Shadow” storage items.

‘Phew… The spiritual crisis after promotion has been temporarily resolved. With this amount of spirit, it should be enough to handle emergencies… Thanks to the Sister Knight from the Anonymity Headquarters…’

After reading all the secret transmissions and organizing her spirituality, Dorothy lay down on the sofa with a long sigh of relief. Previously, she had been most afraid of encountering unexpected situations when her spirituality was insufficient, leaving her unable to respond promptly.

Thankfully, there was Sister Knight from the Anonymity Headquarters. After trading information about the Eight Pinnacles with her, Dorothy managed to replenish her spirituality urgently.

Seeing her spirituality, though not much, at least she now had some, Dorothy felt a sense of security in her heart.

…

Since she finally achieved her short-term goals, Dorothy decided to take a few days off to relax. So, after the new year, she left home to start a leisurely life. However, during this period, she didn’t completely idle around; instead, she kept an eye on and helped her companions.

Firstly, regarding Kapak’s return to his hometown, although the truth of the duke’s assassination wasn’t disclosed to the general public, security measures throughout Tivyan became stricter, including customs. The sudden strictness made it difficult for a group of suspicious native inhabitants of the New World to board ships.

Fortunately, in the mundane world, the power of money could exert a stronger influence. After Dorothy gave Kapak two hundred pounds as a bribe and used Adèle’s connections in the East District to find a local gang leader to facilitate things, she managed to get these dozen indigenous inhabitants onto a ship bound for the New World. Kapak successfully returned home with them, and during his two-day stay in Tivyan, he also managed to purchase some items.

On the other hand, Vania was the first person to discover the scene of the duke’s assassination and also the rescuer of the princess. She was deeply involved in this assassination case. Therefore, for some time after the New Year’s celebration, she cooperated with the Anonymity Headquarters’ investigations. During the investigation, she often silently prayed in her heart for Dorothy’s help, and Dorothy secretly assisted her in dealing with various interrogations.

Gregor, meanwhile, faced a continuous series of overtime work due to the major case. This case shook the entire Anonymity Headquarters, leading to comprehensive and non-stop work aimed at conducting a thorough investigation of the Eight Pinnacle Nest.

The assassination of Duke Barret increased the importance the Anonymity Headquarters and the entire Prit Kingdom government placed on the Eight Pinnacle Nest to the highest level.

According to the intelligence Dorothy exchanged with Misha, this incident caused a stir in the royal court. King Charles IV was furious in court and ordered a nationwide investigation and eradication of the Eight Pinnacle Nest at any cost. Meanwhile, Archbishop Francesco of the Church expressed sympathy and condolences over the duke’s assassination and stated that the church would fully cooperate with the kingdom’s actions.

The Church and the Kingdom Government had already begun a comprehensive crackdown on the Eight Pinnacle Nest, and the final order given to Gregor by the Eight Pinnacle Nest was…

Total silence, waiting for the storm to subside.