Four Hundred Eighty-Fifth Demand
Inland of Northern Ufeiga, the capital city of Adus, Adis.
On the outskirts of Adis, within what has become the Radiant Church’s Enlightenment Mark Temple, Dorothy remains in a hidden space seemingly only separated from reality by a thin line, poring over ancient knowledge that has been sealed for thousands of years.
At Dorothy’s request, the library system of the Enlightenment Mark Temple, which had been stagnant, has restarted its work. Floating characters in the secret space continuously rearranged themselves in front of Dorothy’s eyes, forming new texts that revealed the secrets of the latter half of the path of “Enlightenment.”
…
The Path of Enlightenment, from Chalk to Red Tier Advancement Ceremony.
With the Cup as the vessel, the path of Spiritual Threads, the thread-weaving spirit shaman operates the spinning wheel of life.
With the Stone as the vessel, the path of Roaring Anger, the thunder summoner and sky command envoy.
With the Shadow as the vessel, the path of Enchanting Spirits, the dream traveler and the trickster writer.
With the Lamp as the vessel, the path of Foreseeing, the seer and the light watcher.
With one’s body as the vessel, the path of Pure Reason, the occult professor and the truth mentor.
…
To Dorothy, the floating text rearranged before her eyes into comprehensible General Language. The five advancement ceremonies from Chalk to Red Tier within the Path of Enlightenment were all reflected in her vision. Looking at the dense text, Dorothy was momentarily entranced. After a cursory glance at the entire article, she focused on the end, examining the advancement ceremony for the path of Pure Reason.
…
In the advancement ceremony from Chalk to Red Tier within the path of Pure Reason, from an Occult Professor to a Truth Mentor, the Occult Professor must have their “Enlightenment” spiritual energy, apart from their inherent spirituality, accumulated to 50 points. As for the other five types of spiritual energy, each needs to reach two-fifths of their capacity, or 20 points.
Beyond the spiritual requirements, the Occult Professor must also acquire six ritual artifacts, each of which must be blessed by a different deity’s Divine Blessing Object.
These six deities can be either Pure Color Deities or Mixed Color Deities, but they must belong to different domains of spiritual energy. Only with these six artifacts can the ritual array for advancing to a Truth Mentor be set up. Through this array, one can enter the ranks of high-tier Extraordinary Beings.
…
In the distorted temple hall, Dorothy watched the emerging text before her, her expression falling into deep thought. Having finally obtained the advancement ceremony to the Red Tier, various thoughts began to swirl in her mind.
‘Truth Mentor… Is this the name of the next rank I am to ascend to? Indeed, the requirement for spiritual energy is quite high.
‘Fifty points for “Enlightenment” is manageable; I already have 42 points, and a little more accumulation will meet the requirement. The key issue is that each of the other five types of spiritual energy needs to accumulate to 20 points. So far, only “Cup” and “Shadow” barely meet the requirement, with “Shadow” exactly at 20 points, and it would decrease quickly if used carelessly. Considering “Shadow” is a frequently used spiritual energy, it can be depleted rapidly.
‘As for the other spiritual energies, none have met the standard yet. “Silence” is relatively easier since it’s rarely used and has already accumulated 14 points, reaching the standard after reading just a couple more books. However, the status of the other spiritual energies is not good; “Lamp” and “Stone” have not exceeded 10 points, and accumulating enough would require significant effort…
Gazing at the many floating characters before her, Dorothy pondered in her heart. After reviewing her spiritual energy situation, she turned her attention to the specific requirements for the advancement ceremony.
‘The ceremony to advance to the Red Tier, like before, also requires items from six domains of spiritual energy. Black Earth requires reading six Secret Transmissions, Chalk requires six Holy Emblems, and now, for the Red Tier, it directly requires six items blessed by deities…
‘Secret Transmissions and Holy Emblems are manageable; given time, one can always find them. But divine blessings are different. These are Divine Blessing Objects, highly valued by large, devout organizations…
Slightly frowning, Dorothy pondered in her heart. Divine Blessing Objects are items influenced by divine grace after a senior religious leader prays for divine favor. Unlike common Holy Emblems, Divine Blessing Objects are precious in every secret cult church, though not as valuable as divine gifts or sacred relics. They cannot be acquired simply by donating money.
‘Six Divine Blessing Objects from different domains of spiritual energy… Tsk, this is no easy task. In the Radiant Church, a small chapel is dedicated solely to preserving such objects. Ordinary means won’t suffice…
‘Fortunately, this requirement isn’t limited to Pure Color Deities alone, meaning I can use Mixed Color Deities’ Divine Blessing Objects for the ceremony, reducing the difficulty. If he had asked me to find six Divine Blessing Objects from Pure Color Deities, it would be nearly impossible…
Continuing to think in her heart, Dorothy realized the declining faith in Pure Color Deities made obtaining their Divine Blessing Objects extremely difficult. Therefore, when she saw that the requirement wasn’t limited to Pure Color Deities, she breathed a sigh of relief. If it were Mixed Color Deities, she knew where to start, whereas Pure Color Deities might not even know the way.
Six Divine Blessing Objects were needed, and for Dorothy, acquiring them would require considerable effort. However, there was good news: she already had one, the Deep Blue Heart from the Abyss Cult, a blue gem that could awaken the divine descendant Haemohoiwi. It was a Divine Blessing Object blessed by the “Cup” deity!
‘Although I don’t know whether it was blessed by the Cup Mother or the Abyss Serpent… At least, it’s a Divine Blessing Object, and one problem is solved right away. Thanks to the Abyss Cult…
Recalling the Deep Blue Heart still in her Magic Box, Dorothy thought. Initially, she was frustrated about encountering the Abyss Cult during her travels. Now, she wanted to thank them for bringing out their Divine Blessing Object for the ceremony, which she stumbled upon.
‘Six Divine Blessing Objects, one for the “Cup” is resolved. Five remain. For “Stone,” I can only ask Beverly again if the Artisan Guild has any available for rental. With enough money, much can be negotiated with these merchants. Renting a Divine Blessing Object would be expensive, and my wallet might not hold up.
‘The Divine Blessing Object for “Shadow” can be sought from Little Fox. She is a remnant of the Dream Knight’s faith and might know something about Dream Knight’s Divine Blessing Objects. Otherwise, I’ll have to look to the Eight-pointed Spider Lord. Getting “Lamp” might be tricky; while the church’s Divine Blessing Objects are plentiful, obtaining them is another matter. Unlike Holy Emblems, it’s not just a matter of donating money. Perhaps Vania can help internally. “Silence” doesn’t have a clear path to obtain its Divine Blessing Object, so I can only hope to encounter the Underworld Coffin Cult again…
‘As for the final “Enlightenment”… Who knows if I can create another one like I did with the Holy Emblem…
Standing in the distorted hall, Dorothy pondered. After much trouble, she finally obtained the Red Tier advancement ceremony, giving her a clearer goal for future actions. Now, it was time to withdraw.
‘Whew… At least I’ve secured the advancement ceremony. My main goal in Adus is accomplished. It’s time to leave.
‘I wonder how the negotiations with Vania are going? If they can’t reach an agreement, I’ll just call it off and return. This matter involves national peace, beyond our control. If there’s no progress, we shouldn’t force it; safety is paramount…
Thinking thus, Dorothy used the information channel to contact Vania in the distant Akka under the pretense of praying, to check on the current negotiation status. According to the timeline, it should be the halftime break.
Soon, Dorothy successfully contacted Vania. However, after a brief exchange, the result left her surprised.
“What? You mean Muhetar has already returned?”
“Yes, indeed, Miss Dorothy. Just received the news. Members of the Savior’s Incarnation Sect left the rest area. The guards say they didn’t rest at all after the first half of the negotiations ended and left directly…”
In the palace’s negotiation hall, Vania, dressed in white, sat at the large round table, anxiously looking at a pile of documents. Nearby, the bewildered representative of the Revolutionary Army, Leader Shadi, looked out the window at the night.
“They just left? What happened?” Dorothy asked curiously, listening to Vania’s response. Vania continued to communicate with Dorothy mentally.
“In fact, nothing significant happened. The negotiations were like the previous rounds, with great differences between us and the Savior’s Incarnation Sect. There was almost no room for consensus. Mr. Shadi remained silent, not taking any stance. The entire negotiation process was at a standstill, with no progress. Although Mr. Shadi and I are still willing to continue, Sir Muhetar’s patience seems to have run out. They showed signs of impatience before resting, becoming increasingly severe in their remarks, and clearly expressed unwillingness to continue these fruitless negotiations.
“I think they’re tired of these negotiations that clearly won’t yield results. So, they chose to leave halfway through. I just learned this. I intended to notify Miss Dorothy, but you contacted me first.”
Vania explained to Dorothy. Listening to Vania, Dorothy’s face fell, and she continued to ask.
“How long ago did they leave?”
“Well… Our break was twenty minutes. They left immediately after the first half of the negotiations ended, so they should have been gone for about twenty minutes…
“Twenty minutes…”
Hearing Vania’s response, Dorothy felt a shock. The palace’s negotiation hall wasn’t too far; a carriage ride would take about twenty minutes. If Muhetar was coming back directly, he should be arriving soon.
Realizing Muhetar was about to return to the Radiant Church, Dorothy quickly maneuvered the zombies around the church to disperse and notified Nephnis, who was hiding nearby and ready to assist, to withdraw immediately to avoid being discovered.
Dorothy herself, however, couldn’t leave immediately as she hadn’t figured out how to exit this hidden space. Yet, she wasn’t overly anxious. The hidden space in the Radiant Church was created by powerful ancient supernatural forces, making it incredibly well-hidden. Muhetar, who had lived here for a long time, hadn’t discovered it. There was no reason for him to discover it now, and even if he could, he wouldn’t be able to enter.
With a nervous heart, Dorothy searched for an exit in the crude, distorted hidden space. Just as she was searching, she heard footsteps outside the hall.
Hearing the footsteps, Dorothy looked towards the hall’s entrance. Between the massive stone pillars, Muhetar and several clerics entered solemnly, their faces showing clear signs of anger.
Seeing Muhetar, who suddenly appeared with the same style as the hidden space, Dorothy was startled, fearing his gaze might fall on her. Fortunately, Muhetar walked straight to the altar after entering the Radiant Church, kneeling before the Savior’s altar without turning back to pray, seemingly unaware of Dorothy in the hidden space. Seeing this, Dorothy let out a sigh of relief.
‘Whew… It seems people in the real world can’t easily see the existence inside this hidden space, but those inside can see what happens in the real world. Although the shape is strange and limited to the interior of the Enlightenment Mark Temple, it’s quite magical…
Watching everything, Dorothy wondered in her heart, now understanding the basic relationship between the hidden space and the real world. Things in the real world cannot detect or interfere with those in the hidden space, but things in the hidden space can perceive the real world, though they cannot interfere either.
In summary, Dorothy in the hidden space was very safe. She could see and hear Muhetar, but Muhetar couldn’t sense her. Neither side could interfere with the other, and although Muhetar was a Red Tier, he was protected by the temple, making Dorothy temporarily safe. After confirming this, Dorothy had other ideas. Could she use the hidden space to gather intelligence on Muhetar?
She dared not use zombies to investigate Muhetar, but hiding in this hidden space, Muhetar couldn’t detect her—this was the perfect opportunity for investigation!
Thus, standing in the hall within the hidden space, Dorothy silently watched Muhetar praying before the altar. After waiting quietly for several minutes, she finally heard Muhetar murmur:
“Lord… Those heretics are still stubborn, erasing all our efforts in Adus with mere words. Shadi is ungrateful, refusing to fulfill his promises and forgetting his vows to you. Negotiations… have become meaningless. If this continues, we will only suffer humiliation.
“Lord… To protect your light from fading again in Adus, it is time for extraordinary measures. Adis must rise again with swords to truly return to your embrace…”
In the real world, Muhetar sincerely prayed before the Savior’s altar. Meanwhile, in the hidden space, Dorothy stood aside, her expression stunned as she listened to his words.
