Chapter 518

Chapter 388: Setting Sail

Northern Tivyán, a street somewhere.

In the winter sky, the rare sun disperses the gray clouds, and gentle sunlight illuminates the cold streets. The snow on the rooftops shines brightly due to the reflection, and melting ice and snow drip from the eaves onto the sidewalk.

Taking advantage of the rare winter sunshine, many citizens of Tivyán chose to step out of their homes and onto the streets. Recently, Tivyán’s tense vigilance had relaxed, and the relieved citizens seized the opportunity to enjoy the rare sunlight.

On a bustling street, at a restaurant with street-side seating, a white-haired girl dressed in a white cotton coat sat, eating grilled sausages while observing the scene outside. Across from her was a young man in a plain black cotton coat, looking haggard.

This young man is Gregor. At that moment, he had been working overtime for more than a week during the New Year. Due to the recent easing of the pressure from Tivyán’s official extraordinary agencies, he was able to make some time to meet with his sister. However, upon seeing her, he learned some unexpected news from her.

“Hmm… Dorothy, do you mean you need to go on some study trip? Not going to school for a while and going abroad?”

With a clearly shocked expression, Gregor spoke to his sister before him, while Dorothy nodded in response, continuing to eat her grilled sausage.

“That’s right. Gregor, you also know that our middle school is affiliated with Crown University and has a close relationship with it. Every year, Crown organizes some of its department students to go abroad for study trips to gain experience, and this study trip will begin in a few days.

“Because some professors at Crown believe it’s good for younger students to see the world early, they made an exception this year and granted several spots for our middle school, allowing some of us with excellent grades to join. I was selected because my grades are pretty good, and I just received the news the day before yesterday.”

As Dorothy spoke, she finished the grilled sausage in her hand, while Gregor couldn’t help but furrow his brow after hearing this.

“So, how long will this study trip take?”

“Hmm… let me think. It’ll probably last about two to three months,” Dorothy replied. Gregor continued to ask after hearing her words.

“Two to three months? That’s quite a long time… Won’t being away from school for such a long time affect your studies? And isn’t it a bit… much for you to go abroad alone at just thirteen?”

With a worried tone, Gregor spoke to Dorothy, who smiled and waved her hand reassuringly.

“Don’t worry, big brother~ We have teachers from the school leading us, and we’ll be going with a group the whole time. There won’t be any mishaps~ Moreover, it’s not just our middle school teachers going, but professors and seniors from Crown as well. Being with them means I don’t have to worry about falling behind in my studies. In fact, it’s precisely to broaden my horizons and learn more that I have to participate in this trip.

“Besides, being selected for such a rare opportunity will greatly benefit my future studies! The organizer of this study trip is Crown, and my goal is to get into Crown as well. If I participate in such activities and leave a good impression, who knows, maybe I’ll even be directly admitted later on.”

Upon hearing Dorothy’s words, Gregor’s eyes brightened at the mention of the possibility of direct admission.

“Direct admission? So, does that mean getting in without the exam? And such a good thing exists?!”

With raised eyebrows, Gregor exclaimed. His greatest wish at that moment was to see his sister successfully enter university, and now Dorothy’s mention of possibly being admitted to one of the top national universities invigorated him.

“Of course! If you don’t believe me, you can take a look at this. It’s the letter from Crown.”

Saying this, Dorothy took out an envelope from her bag and handed it to Gregor. The already damaged wax seal on the envelope bore the crest of Crown University.

With an expectant look, Gregor took the envelope and began to read the letter inside. Upon seeing the Crown University seal on the paper, his previously worried heart gradually calmed, and Dorothy couldn’t help but smile at Gregor’s delighted expression while reading the letter.

She knew her older brother had finally come to terms with it.

…

Soon after, Dorothy and Gregor finished their meal. After talking for a while longer, Dorothy said goodbye to her brother and set off on her way back to Green Shade Town.

Inside the moving carriage, Dorothy looked out at the bustling crowd outside the window and let out a sigh of relief.

“Finally, Gregor’s issue is settled. The next thing to do… is wait for the departure.”

Sitting in the carriage, Dorothy murmured to herself, reflecting on her preparations for the upcoming trip and persuading Gregor.

Since Dorothy learned that the Spider Fang Priest had a bird zombie with a lingering connection through a fragment of spiritual thread, from which she could potentially be tracked down, she immediately started thinking about how to sever that connection to avoid leaving any traces. The method she devised was to run far enough away to pull that spiritual thread taut and break it.

Once she thought of this method, Dorothy promptly decided on her travel plans for after the New Year and began to consider where to go for this long journey.

At the same time, Dorothy received messages from Nephnis and Vania, discovering that both also had travel plans after the New Year.

Neve was going to participate in a study trip organized by the school, while Vania needed to go on a pilgrimage due to her promotion, and both were headed abroad. After calculating their destinations, Dorothy quickly decided to head to Iwig.

Based on recent exchanges, Dorothy understood that Nephnis’s main destination for her study trip was the famous water city of Adria in Iwig, where they would attend a cultural exhibition. Vania, on the other hand, needed to go to the Rachel Valley in Iwig, which was said to be one of the holy places of the Holy Mother faction; her promotion required her to make a pilgrimage there.

Although the specific destinations of Vania and Nephnis were different, their main target was Iwig, so Dorothy naturally set her travel goal there as well, as it would provide mutual support during the journey.

“Iwig… seems to not be a peaceful country in the hidden history.”

Sitting in the carriage, Dorothy murmured to herself, feeling various pieces of information about Iwig stirring in her mind.

Iwig is a country located in the southwestern part of the main continent, on a peninsula in the Conquer Sea. The Conquer Sea is the body of water between the main continent and the continent of Ufeiga. Surrounded by the sea on three sides, Iwig is one of the important trade centers around the Conquer Sea.

According to the history books Dorothy had read, Iwig has experienced multiple civil wars and conflicts with neighboring countries. The most famous war occurred over four hundred years ago when Iwig, under the leadership of the “Arrogant King” Leo, invaded the northern confederation of the holy countries, provoking the anger of the church. At the call of the church, the confederation of holy countries and some nations across the sea from Iwig responded and launched an invasion of Iwig. This marked the punitive war in Iwig’s history.

Of course, this is the account in mundane history books. Dorothy had read a secret history version of this war in the transmission “Faith and the Sacred” provided by Misha, where the author explained that the essence of the war was due to Iwig’s open worship of the Abyss Serpent at the time, which angered the Holy Summit. The church personally intervened, organizing surrounding countries to wage a holy war against Iwig, ultimately purging all heretics and pagans from the land.

“If the account in ‘Faith and the Sacred’ is true, then Iwig is a country deeply intertwined with the Abyss Cult and the church throughout history, just like Prit, which also has many dark histories the church would rather not disclose.

“Although it has a dark history, it’s been over four hundred years since then, and this kind of hidden turmoil should have long since settled, right? According to the newspapers, Iwig’s situation seems quite stable now. It should be fine to go travel there; after all, it seems like there are plenty of places to enjoy.”