Chapter 479 Resolve
In the border region between Tosepu and Adus in Northern Ufeiga.
Under the twilight, on the Desert Arrow train parked beside the abyss, Dorothy sat in her carriage, her eyes fixed on the divination coin she held, gazing at the side with the imprint of the sun’s glow.
While Vania and Gaspare were conversing, Dorothy was always linked to Vania’s senses, thus hearing all of Gaspare’s report. She learned about the envoy group’s achievements for the day, and when she heard that the Adus Revolutionary Army was behind the attack, she felt somewhat surprised. She immediately performed a divination to verify this, and the result confirmed Gaspare’s prediction: the Adus Revolutionary Army was indeed behind this incident.
‘It was planned by the Adus Revolutionary Army? That’s not right… Do they have any reason to do this? According to Vania, the Adus Revolutionary Army had expressed in their letter to the Church that they did not wish to be enemies and hoped to resolve their differences through negotiations. They welcomed the Church’s envoy team and were willing to engage in dialogue and negotiation. Now they want to ambush the envoy team?
‘The key point is… the Adus Revolutionary Army is an armed force that nearly overthrew a country. As a rebel army capable of defeating the Adus Kingdom and entering its capital, Adis, how could they have no defense against divination? I can predict accurately every time… This is too strange.’
With her eyebrows slightly furrowed, Dorothy pondered in her heart. Adus in Northern Ufeiga was not a small country but a medium-sized nation with over twenty million people. Although it was not as powerful as the main continent’s major powers, it was still formidable. The fallen Baruch Dynasty had ruled Adus for nearly two hundred years, and there must have been a complete official extraordinary system operating within the dynasty. At the top of this system responsible for twenty million people was an Extraordinary Being of Red Tier.
The Adus Revolutionary Army managed to overthrow the Baruch Dynasty and destroy its rule, undoubtedly achieving victory on the extraordinary level against the official extraordinary beings of the Baruch Dynasty. They themselves possessed Extraordinary Beings of Red Tier, yet this revolutionary army seemed to have zero defense against divination, easily allowing results to be predicted. This was unbelievable to Dorothy.
‘There’s something wrong here… There’s definitely something wrong. In this world, how could a revolutionary army capable of overthrowing a dynasty have zero defense against divination? It’s completely unreasonable. Here in Northern Ufeiga, there are many ruins of the First Dynasty underground, and each ruin can yield some amount of “Enlightenment.” Most of the circulating “Enlightenment” storage items come from the north. Suddenly saying that a northern revolutionary army has no anti-divination defense? This is too abstract.’
Dorothy sat in her seat, deep in thought. She had already considered some possibilities regarding this strange phenomenon.
‘Perhaps… during their hard-fought battle with the Baruch Dynasty, both sides depleted their “Enlightenment” storage items during their divination battles, and haven’t had time to replenish them? This is indeed a possibility… After all, the Baruch Dynasty accumulated resources for nearly two centuries, so they likely had substantial anti-divination resources. If the revolutionary army and the kingdom’s forces engaged in a divination battle, even if the revolutionaries won, their own outcome wouldn’t be good either.’
Dorothy imagined this scenario. Normally, she would just think about it, but now was different. After confirming that the enemy had no divination defense, she could perform more divinations to gather more information.
Resolved, Dorothy reached into her pocket and took out another “Lamp” storage item coin, placing it in her hand. These “Lamp” storage item coins were ammunition used in the sniper rifle’s focused flame. Initially, the Eight-pointed group had put five inside at once; she had used two low-power shots and had three remaining.
“Has the Adus Revolutionary Army exhausted their anti-divination resources…”
Dorothy spoke the divination words, then threw the coin and slapped it on her hand. After removing her hand, the coin, now dull and face-down, lay quietly on her palm, directly negating her divination. This meant that the Adus Revolutionary Army currently had anti-divination resources available. Seeing this result, Dorothy’s expression became intriguing.
‘So they still have anti-divination resources… But they didn’t work at all. This is interesting. Why didn’t they use their anti-divination? Is there a problem with their anti-divination system? Or…’
Dorothy pondered, then took out another “Lamp” coin and threw it after speaking the divination words.
“Is there a significant internal conflict within the Adus Revolutionary Army…”
As the divination words rang out, the spinning coin landed on Dorothy’s hand. She covered it and slowly revealed it, showing the coin facing up.
Looking at this divination result, Dorothy’s eyes became playful.
…
Just as Dorothy was performing her divination to confirm the truth behind the ambush, Vania in the front carriage was also facing a difficult decision.
After Gaspare reported the investigation results of the ambush to Vania, he immediately suggested that Vania stop continuing to Adis and turn back at the next station because the Adus Revolutionary Army showed no sincerity. Continuing to Adis would only lead to d*ath. Gaspare’s suggestion left Vania very troubled, unsure how to decide.
On one hand, the divination results indicated the revolutionary army’s hostility. Going to their base was extremely dangerous. It made no sense to go voluntarily when you don’t know what the enemy wants. On the other hand, before setting out, Vania had been instructed to try her best to complete this journey, whether or not a peace agreement could be reached. She was told to return only after having a result, and not to give up halfway. Although Vania felt overwhelmed by this sudden mission, she genuinely wanted to facilitate this peace negotiation to prevent further warfare in Adus. As someone who grew up under the teachings of the Holy Mother, her heart was inherently kind.
The danger ahead and her mission created a conflict in Vania’s mind, making her hesitant and uncertain. Her indecision was evident on her face. Standing in front of Vania, Gaspare silently waited for her response, watching her hesitation with a patient gaze.
Suddenly, a familiar yet subtle voice echoed in Vania’s heart. Upon hearing this voice, Vania’s expression hardened momentarily before softening. Her eyes became resolute, and she spoke to Gaspare.
“Gaspare Priest, I think… we should continue forward.”
Hearing Vania’s words, Gaspare paused slightly, his eyes flickering with a peculiar light. He continued in a serious tone.
“Vania Sister, you must be sure. Adis is the revolutionary army’s stronghold. Everyone there might be against you, wanting your life. The dangers you will face there are hundreds of times greater than today’s ambush. If the entire revolutionary army turns against you, we cannot ensure your safety.”
Gaspare warned Vania sternly, his tone becoming increasingly severe until it carried a hint of threat. Although Vania’s expression changed, her attitude remained unchanged.
“Gaspare Priest, I understand what you said. Indeed, after today’s incident, the situation in Adis is much more severe than we anticipated. However, I do not want to give up because of this.
“The divination shows that the revolutionary army is behind the attack… but there are still doubts. Why does such a large revolutionary army have no anti-divination defense? With such a big doubt, there must be some conspiracy involved. I believe that the divination results may not represent the will of the entire revolutionary army… perhaps only a part of the revolutionary army harbors ill intentions toward us?”
Vania analyzed to Gaspare. Gaspare responded after hearing Vania’s words.
“Sister Vania, you’re right. There are doubts in the divination, but it is accurate. At least, it confirms that the revolutionary army is less sincere than they claimed in their letter to the Holy Church. We have used up all the divination resources given to us by the Holy Church. We cannot use more divinations to determine if they are truly divided. Your speculation is just a guess…
“You speculate that they might be divided, while I lean towards believing they are all united. Sister Vania, your guess lacks any evidence. Are you willing to risk your life on such a guess?”
Gaspare stated simply. His meaning was clear: Vania’s guess that some in the revolutionary army might harbor hostility was just a hypothesis. His assertion that they were hostile was supported by the divination results. Now they lacked the resources to judge Vania’s guess. Was she willing to stake her life on her guess?
Gaspare’s words were intimidating, causing Vania’s expression to change. However, her attitude did not waver. She placed her hand on her chest and spoke softly.
“Of course, I am willing… I believe that the Master exists in everyone’s heart, even among the Adus Revolutionary Army. As long as there are those willing to negotiate, as long as there is a chance to prevent war in Adus, I am willing to go, no matter how slim the chance.
“Not long ago, when I and other pilgrims were taken to the island by the XiasTree people, the situation was dire. But I believed that the Master existed in everyone’s heart. If I could make them understand the Master through my words, everything could change… And it did. The current situation is not as desperate as it was on the XiasTree island, so I am not ready to give up.”
Vania said to Gaspare, her tone becoming more serious, her expression more determined.
“I have made my decision, Gaspare Priest. No matter what dangers lie ahead, I will go. The peace of Adus depends on me. I will not give up lightly.
“Indeed, today’s events prove that the road ahead is extremely dangerous. Normally, we should not take such risks. Therefore, I do not ask anyone else to accompany me. You… and everyone on this train, can turn back immediately if you want to. I will not stop you. Even if I am alone, I will reach Adis…”
Vania said firmly to Gaspare. Hearing her words, Gaspare was surprised. He looked at the petite yet solemn white-robed nun standing before him, unable to connect this image with her previous hesitant and uncertain demeanor, or her usually gentle and sometimes weak appearance. After a moment of silence, Gaspare replied with equal firmness.
“Master above, since Sister Vania has made her decision, we naturally have no reason to hesitate or retreat. Our task is to protect Sister Vania’s safety, even if it means risking our lives!”
…
After reaching an agreement with Vania to continue to Adis, Gaspare bid farewell and left her compartment. When he closed the door behind him, he walked to another carriage and looked out the window at the sunset.
“Unworthy of being a teacher of the XiasTree… I underestimated you earlier.
“Although you were placed in this position by chance, you are clearly not just a decorative figure. You are different from what I expected…”
Looking at the sunset, Gaspare mused. He wondered what would happen if Vania had been intimidated and chosen to retreat under pressure.
A teacher of the XiasTree, a Gospel preacher of the Holy Mother, a nun for peace… Going to Adus to seek peace, only to be scared back by an attempted assassination before even reaching the place? What happened to the vow to fearlessly spread the gospel among tens of thousands of uncivilized people on the edge? Was this all a complete deception?
If Vania had decided to return, it would have been a devastating blow to her public image, far worse than failing to reach a peace agreement. Such a heavy blow would not only completely destroy her status within the church but could also affect Amanda behind her, causing severe negative impacts on Amanda’s faction.
Was it running away halfway, or trying but failing? These were two different concepts, and the former would be extremely damaging.
“So, let’s see how far you can go, Sister Vania…” Looking at the setting sun, Gaspare continued to mutter.
…
Inland of Northern Ufeiga, the Kingdom of Adus, Adis.
Scorching flames hung in the sky, mercilessly baking the war-torn city below. In the devastated station, countless soldiers wearing headscarves and holding firearms stood in formation on the platform, waiting for guests arriving from the distant railway. Before them stood two figures.
One was a middle-aged officer with slightly dark skin, dressed in the high-ranking military uniform of the Main Continent, carrying a saber at his waist. His eyes were fixed on the end of the railway track.
The other was an elderly man enveloped in a long robe adorned with religious symbols, the back of which bore an abstract sun. He stood silently with closed eyes, waiting without looking anywhere.
