Chapter 554

Chapter 408: Dream Trap

Northern Tivyán, Navaha.

In a dimly lit cabin somewhere in Navaha during the evening, a woman named Garcia sat upright in her seat, her expression serious as she commented on a series of unusual actions taken by the Church fleet after arriving in Navaha. Her eyes were filled with caution and concern towards these unwelcome guests.

The sudden visit of the Church fleet made her uneasy; although on the surface, it seemed the fleet was simply here for mundane matters like delivering refugees, various signs indicated that things might not be so simple.

“Um… Ma’am, you mentioned that yesterday afternoon, the Church fleet indeed acted rather unusually at the port. It’s possible that they are involved in more than just mundane affairs. However, from my perspective, even if their purpose includes secretive matters, it shouldn’t be directed at us.

“As far as I understand, the people from the Church this time belong to the Order of the Holy Ceremony Knights, a military force, rather than the Tribunal’s investigators. Their task is to escort, and they also brought a designated passenger ship. If they were specifically here to investigate, they shouldn’t have presented such a show of force, so I believe they are not targeting us. Although there were some hidden matters at the port yesterday afternoon, they might truly be conducting some secretive tasks, but I think it doesn’t relate much to us.”

Standing in front of Garcia, a man named Gomez expressed his view. Unlike the suspicious Garcia, he believed that the Church’s sudden arrival was not closely linked to their side and that the sudden commotion at the port might simply be an accident.

“You’re being too rash, Gomez. Regardless, since the Church’s actions in Navaha involve secrecy, we cannot let our guard down. Even though they are not investigators, we cannot assume they are completely oblivious to us. What if this is a ruse?

“I received news that this morning and afternoon, the Church had specifically searched the coastline and within the city, as if they were looking for something… The behavior of these deity followers grows increasingly suspicious. Before we fall into a passive position, we must make some preparations, ready to protect the ‘cocoon’ in the worst-case scenario.”

With a serious expression, Garcia spoke to Gomez, her tone revealing displeasure at Gomez’s earlier careless attitude. After hearing that the Church had conducted substantial search actions during the day, Gomez’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Are they really looking for something? Well… if that’s the case, we need to take this more seriously. However, Ms. Garcia, I believe it is not yet time to take such preparations. At least… until we clarify this group of deity followers’ threat to us, we don’t need to make any large moves.”

Gomez continued speaking to Garcia, and after listening to his words, Garcia looked at him and slowly responded.

“So, what is your plan, Gomez?”

“Ma’am, I mean, we can send someone to enter the dreams of those deity followers and use the dream to uncover their true intentions for coming to Navaha. If these guys are indeed targeting us, we can respond immediately. If their purpose is not us, we won’t need to waste our energy.

“Now that the power of the ‘cocoon’ has grown to support our ability to use dream traps, there will be no lying in dreams, and with the nature of entering dreams, even those followers will find it difficult to detect any traces.”

Gomez explained his plan to Garcia. After thinking for a moment, Garcia spoke again.

“What you said… does make sense, but there is one issue: to activate the dream trap ability, we must be near the dreamers. Right now, those followers are holed up at the port, extremely vigilant, making it very difficult to get close. How can we use the dream trap without being detected?”

“That is actually quite simple, ma’am. Although the port’s guards are strict, those guys don’t stay inside all the time. Many of them wander into the city, and we can take action at that moment.”

Gomez continued talking to Garcia, and after hearing his words, she immediately responded.

“I know they will come out… but that’s during the day. During the daytime, they lack the foundation for drowsiness, and dream traps don’t work well. At night, they will all be back on the ships at the port.”

“No, no, no, Ms. Garcia, they don’t all return to the ships at night. To my knowledge, there is a place that attracts those deity followers even at night. Some of them even stay there until quite late, which is our opportunity to act.”

Gomez said with a hint of a smile, and upon hearing him, Garcia couldn’t help but curiously ask.

“What place are you talking about?”

……

Time flew by quickly, and soon, the faint light in the sky dimmed, and night fully descended on Navaha.

After dinner time passed, the seaside town, which had little entertainment, quickly quieted down. Many residents went to bed early, and the stars illuminating the city gradually extinguished.

By late night, aside from some craftsmen in the suburbs working late, the most lively place in all of Navaha was the city church.

Like other cities of this scale, Navaha’s city church is neither large nor luxurious; it is a plain, ordinary church, adequate for the citizens’ use.

At midnight, somewhere near Navaha’s city center, the doors of the Navaha city church are wide open, all the lights in the church are lit, and solemn religious songs played by special instruments echo from within, accompanied by fervent prayers.

Even at this deep hour of night, this ordinary church continues to serve its purpose. Normally, at this hour, the church doors would already be closed. The current situation occurred because the Church fleet is now docked at Navaha harbor.

This fleet is a pilgrimage fleet, filled with many zealous and steadfast believers. These believers from various places strictly carry out various religious activities according to a schedule, with evening prayer being a crucial part.

For these passionate believers, prayers at various times of the day are absolutely vital. Although the Church’s sacred texts do not explicitly dictate the location of prayers, for the devout, if there is a church nearby, it is best to pray within its walls.

Therefore, since the Church fleet docked at Navaha harbor, the port filled with pilgrims from the fleet. Having experienced a long sea journey, they would not miss the opportunity to engage in religious activity at a proper church, forcing Navaha’s city church to extend its hours, as is happening now.

Inside the church at midnight, numerous pilgrims of various backgrounds sit engaged in tonight’s evening prayer. Among them are brightly dressed wealthy individuals, ragged ascetics, and ordinary clerics and nuns, with Vania among them.

Gazing at the Three Saints Altar ahead, dressed in the standard white nun’s attire representing medical personnel, Vania was deeply focused on her evening prayer.

At this time, it was already late. The once crowded church now had many empty seats, and since Vania disliked competition by nature, she had chosen a later time to come here for evening prayer. Most of the pilgrims had returned to their ships by now, leaving only the last group behind, who, after finishing their prayers, would leave, allowing the church to close.

Amidst the solemn music pervading the church, Vania closed her eyes, hands clasped together in front of her, concentrating intently as she prayed sincerely to the Lord in her heart.

At this moment, Vania had been praying for some time, and perhaps due to the lateness of the hour, waves of drowsiness began to rise within her heart, swirling around her mind, making it increasingly difficult for her to concentrate while praying.

In frequent nodding, Vania momentarily paused her prayer, took off her glasses, and let out a big yawn, wiping at the tears at the corners of her eyes.

“Ugh… I seem to be a bit sleepy. Is it too late now? I really shouldn’t choose such a late hour for evening prayer; otherwise, it’s easy to get so drowsy that I can’t concentrate.

“But speaking of which… I’ve done evening prayers at this hour before, and I wasn’t particularly sleepy then… For prayer, I should be able to concentrate easily…”

Rubbing her eyes, Vania thought, slightly puzzled. Throughout her life, she had always loved praying, and feeling drowsy during prayer was rare for her.

“Maybe it’s because I was too tired from taking care of the wounded yesterday, which is why I feel so sleepy now… In any case, I should finish my evening prayer quickly, and afterwards I can go back to rest…”

“Even though I’m a bit sleepy, I need to gather my spirits and continue praying. An incomplete prayer each day would be disrespectful to the Lord…”

Thinking this, Vania continued to force herself to concentrate, putting her glasses back on and closing her eyes again, holding her hands together, and began praying intently once more.

However, this time, her prayer hadn’t lasted long before a stronger wave of sleepiness washed over her, and this time, Vania could not muster her energy once again and unconsciously drifted off to sleep.

So, there she was, on the church bench, amidst the pilgrims’ evening prayers, Vania’s head drooped as she closed her eyes, her hands naturally hanging down. Unbeknownst to anyone, she had comfortably slumped against the chair, her even, gentle breathing signaling that she had entered the realm of dreams.

……

As Vania delved into sleep, she unknowingly began to dream.

At this moment, Vania found herself in the large square of the Church District in Northern Tivyán, surrounded by blurred figures coming and going. She was standing in a scene she was most familiar with, looking dazed at everything in front of her, unsure of what was happening or what she was supposed to do.

Since Vania did not enter the dream using a waking dream technique, she was unaware that she was dreaming. She wandered around the square aimlessly, wanting to do something but unsure how to proceed.

Just as Vania felt lost in her dream world, suddenly, one shadow enveloped in black mist, obscuring its shape, slowly approached her from among the crowd of blurred figures. It stopped in front of Vania, seeming to smile before speaking.

“Hello, Miss Nun.”

“Uh… hello… sir… may I ask who you are?”

Responding to the shadow’s question, the dreaming Vania spoke in confusion, while the shadow continued to smile and replied.

“Who I am isn’t important; what matters is who you are. Miss Nun, I see your clothing is quite special; you must hold a unique position in the Church, right? Could you tell me your position and name?”

“Ah… my name is Vania Chafiron. I was originally a scripture reader at the Historical Records Office in the Tivyán section of the Prit Diocese, and now I serve as a temporary healing nun at Mercy Hospital…”

Facing the shadowy figure, the dreaming Vania answered plainly with a dazed look. Upon hearing her words, the shadow nodded.

“Originally a scripture reader, now a healing nun? I suspected correctly; someone wearing those clothes surely holds a special position in the Church… If you are a medical personnel, then you might take on the healing tasks for that fleet… you might even know their purposes…”

Muttering thoughts about Vania’s previous response, the shadow spoke softly before returning its gaze to Vania and continuing.

“Then… Sister Vania, I have some more questions to ask you, and I hope you will cooperate well with me…”

“Of course.”

Listening to the shadow’s words, Vania quietly nodded.

……

In a high-end hotel on the third floor of Navaha during the late night.

Having just finished her shower, Dorothy trembled slightly as she put on her clothes. While she dried her hair with a towel, sitting by the fire pit, her brows suddenly furrowed, as if sensing something. Her expression changed, and the hand drying her hair gradually slowed down.

“Hmm? Vania’s evening prayer… why did it suddenly stop? It was intermittent before it stopped completely. What happened?”