Chapter 592

### Chapter 428: Abundance

After the preliminary investigation of the scene was completed, Dorothy pondered a bit uneasily that, at this moment, the possibility of her safely rescuing Vania without being physically present was extremely low.

Although she was unsure about the situation at the church, it seemed that if they did not deploy extraordinary powers of the Red Tier, it would be quite difficult to rescue everyone. However, the church’s Red Tier agents were mostly tasked with guarding large cities and deterring major cults, making it unlikely for them to come in person.

Faced with the current circumstances, Dorothy couldn’t help but furrow her brows slightly. From what she understood, Vania’s situation was very dangerous, and the success rate of her attempting a rescue was low. She had no knowledge of the church’s plans and would not place her hopes on something she couldn’t grasp.

‘It seems I need to conduct a more detailed investigation to see if I can find some other clues that may be useful.’

Dorothy thought to herself, and then she directed the flesh puppet she controlled to continue moving through the town of XiasTree, searching for other useful clues.

Since this town was located right at the foot of that prominent gigantic tree on the island, Dorothy directed one of the puppets to head towards the giant tree. By skillfully evading the gaze of the townspeople, the flesh puppet she controlled finally approached the towering giant.

Underneath the giant tree, Dorothy discovered a surprising scene: a large open-air temple! This was the island’s worship site!

At the foot of the giant tree was a spacious square, surrounded by tall round logs adorned with intricate carvings, resembling tall pillars without roofs.

In the center of the square was a massive, burning bonfire, and the bowls of fire scattered around the square illuminated the surroundings. Beside the giant tree was a massive wooden goddess statue, as if it had naturally grown from the ground.

The goddess statue had a full figure, a blurred visage, and seemed to be cradling something in her arms. At the four corners of the square stood four altars.

Seeing this scene, Dorothy was momentarily stunned, then cautiously maneuvered the living puppet closer. Through the puppet’s perspective, she could see many indigenous residents moving about the square. Even at night, numerous people were kneeling in front of the goddess statue, seemingly engaged in some sort of devout prayer, and there were strict guards surrounding the open-air temple.

Dorothy directed the puppet to enter the open-air temple for a closer observation. She first examined the complex patterns resembling flourishing plant life on the pillars and then looked at the self-growing goddess statue. The more she observed these things, the stronger the sense of familiarity within her grew; it felt as though she had seen similar things before.

‘Strange… have I seen something like this before? Had I encountered the faith of this island, XiasTree, earlier?’

Dorothy contemplated, then directed the puppet to examine the four corners of the open-air temple, where the four altars were located.

Upon careful observation of the altars at the four corners of the open-air temple, she found that they all had similar structures but differing details. Their main body was a stout wooden platform, with the bases of the wooden pillars engraved with delicate patterns, while the upper parts featured relief sculptures, with four distinct figures carved on the platforms.

These figures were: a sailor with a bare upper body, standing on the waves and gazing into the distance; an elderly man holding a staff, stirring a cauldron; a hunter clad in furs, wielding a bow and arrow; and a graceful dancer, twirling elegantly.

In front of the altar of the sailor figure were offered several large, fresh sea fish and a basin filled with clear water. Without any apparent force acting upon it, the water in the basin was slightly disturbed, forming a small, constantly spinning vortex. Surrounding the sailor’s altar, vibrant flowers bloomed, and some young people were worshiping in front of it.

In contrast, the other three platforms had no offerings and no worshippers; although there were flower buds nearby, they had not yet bloomed. Compared to the goddess statue and the sailor’s altar, the other three altars seemed quite desolate.

Once Dorothy closely examined the four altars and recognized the four figures, she immediately understood where her sense of familiarity came from. She had seen these during the secret transmissions from Dalena, Adele’s teacher.

In the collection of paintings Dalena had gathered and in the extensive notes she wrote, Dorothy had glimpsed the faith on the Summer Tree Archipelago, which was indeed the faith of the Goddess of Abundance! It seemed to resemble the “Cup” deity system prior to the Amniotic Sac!

“I see… so this group of indigenous people, like Adele’s teacher, are contemporary remnants of the Faith of Abundance. That’s why this open-air temple looks so familiar…”

In her hotel room, Dorothy stroked her chin and murmured. She had encountered descriptions regarding the appearance of this temple, the style of the goddess statue, the decorative patterns, and the four altars in Dalena’s notes.

Dalena’s border mountainous area is like this Summer Tree Island, a remnant of the Faith of Abundance in this world. She had conducted thorough research on her devotion to the Faith of Abundance, and her notes contained abundant detailed information, describing everything from the temple’s artistic style to daily rituals. Dorothy had only glimpsed the appearance of the Faith of Abundance through the lines of Dalena’s notes, and now she finally saw it with her own eyes.

‘Dalena once described in her notes that the Faith of Abundance venerates the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature? Indeed, there is a kind of flavor present in the streets of Summer Tree Island. I never expected that these indigenous people of XiasTree actually worship the Goddess of Abundance. In a sense, this also explains where their extraordinary abilities in navigating the waves come from…’

Witnessing the distant scene of the temple, Dorothy understood in her heart. After confirming that the object of the indigenous people’s faith was the Goddess of Abundance, an idea arose within her.

‘Perhaps… I could try this. Although it is slightly risky for Vania, it is still better than sitting there as a hostage indefinitely.’

Dorothy thought to herself, then pondered in the room for a while before promptly taking out her magic box, retrieving the “Navigation of the Literary Sea,” and after opening it to a certain page, she considered for a moment before picking up her pen to write a message.

…

In the East District of Tivyán, at the Flying Drama Theatre.

In the dark night of Tivyán, spectacular performances were being staged as usual in the theater, with the audience’s cheers and applause ringing out in waves. Tonight was another sleepless night, just like the nights before.

In the backstage, in a lavish dressing room exclusive to her, Adele, clad in a bright red dance dress, was seriously applying her makeup in front of the mirror.

Suddenly, it seemed as if Adele sensed something; her brow arched slightly. She put down the eyeliner pencil in her hand, gazing at her alluring self in the mirror, and spoke softly with a hint of a smile.

“Having been away traveling for so long, I finally expect to hear from her~

“But knowing her personality, it probably won’t be a greeting, but rather some troublesome extraordinary event…”

With a gentle smile, Adele retrieved a magazine from underneath her dressing table. Flipping to a certain page, she soon noticed a line of text that had just recently appeared.

After examining the text for a moment, Adele thoughtfully stroked her chin and then softly murmured.

“About the faith and rituals from my teacher’s hometown… Hehe, where has the little detective gone now…?”