Five hundred and eighteenth quest for knowledge.
Conquer the southern shore of the sea, Kankdar.
In the afternoon, in a certain dense forest outside the outskirts of Kankdar, there stood an artificial building under the broad leaves of the palm trees. From the outside, it looked like a villa built by a wealthy family in Kankdar.
Inside the courtyard of the villa, there were fountains and tree sculptures. Several uniformed teams patrolled back and forth within the deep and secluded environment. Two guards stood at the main gate of the courtyard, their expressions focused as they continuously guarded the door behind them.
Inside the small building within the heavily guarded courtyard, on the third floor, a woman sat in one of the rooms. She was around twenty years old, dressed in plain clothes with brown shoulder-length curls and slightly yellowish skin. Her face did not resemble the people of Northern Ufeiga but had some characteristics of someone from the New World.
The room she was in had walls on all sides, with only a skylight above to bring in light. The room contained only a simple bed and a table, with no other unnecessary items. The woman sat on the bed, her body bent forward, her hand covering her head, her eyes wide open, her face pale, and her expression showing signs of shock.
The woman sat alone in the spacious room, her twisted and wooden expression staring wide-eyed at every corner. Her entire body curled up at the angle between the bed and the wall, constantly muttering in a slight tremor.
“Ahh… Cup Mother… Holy Mother… My mother… Cup Mother… Holy Mother… My mother…”
The woman continued to mutter nervously in her slight tremor, her pale face filled with exhaustion, exhibiting severe signs of mental illness. Just as she continued to mutter, the door of the room suddenly opened, and a man wearing a headscarf and a long robe typical of Northern Ufeiga walked out. He looked at the trembling woman sitting on the bed and frowned slightly as he asked.
“Satraya, do you feel better? Did the medicine work?”
Upon hearing the man’s words, the woman called Satraya turned her head and looked at him with exhausted eyes. After suppressing her muttering, she gently shook her head and said.
“Huh… Huh… It did have some effect, but only a little… My head is still buzzing every day, and the nun’s words keep echoing inside… Sometimes I feel so hot… I keep thinking about that heartless woman I’ve never met, and I can’t help but cry whenever I think of her… Wuu…”
As she spoke, Satraya could no longer hold back and broke down crying. She buried her head in the blanket and cried loudly, causing the whole space to echo with sobs.
Seeing Satraya’s emotional breakdown, the man roughly understood that the effects of the medicine he gave her were minimal. He could only sigh helplessly.
“It seems the level of poisoning is much deeper than expected… Simple methods won’t be enough. Once we fulfill our contract with Robert, we’ll go back immediately. Stay at the base and receive proper treatment.”
The man said to Satraya, who then managed to stabilize her emotions somewhat. After wiping the tears from her face, she weakly replied to the man.
“Huh… Huh… Now, this is the only way… d*mn! Why did that nun affect me so much after reciting only two secret transmissions!”
Clutching the bedsheet, Satraya angrily said, and the man slowly responded.
“Poison Recognition has a much stronger influence on disembodied souls than on normal people. At that time, you were in a state of possessing another’s soul, so naturally, you were more deeply affected by the Poison Recognition. That young nun must have known this, which is why she specifically used Poison Recognition to drive you away. According to the intelligence, she was once affiliated with the Historical Records Office of the Church, so knowing some secret transmissions is quite normal.
“But the fact that Poison Recognition is even more harmful to disembodied souls is something few even among Extraordinary Beings know. How did that young nun know this? Could she have read it in a book before?”
The man said with some confusion, while Satraya on the other side clearly showed impatience as she grabbed the blanket and said.
“d*mn little b*tch… If given the chance, I will definitely make her suffer… Mmm…”
Satraya continued, not hiding her anger towards the nun who had failed to possess her. At this moment, she suddenly felt a headache and immediately covered her head with a pained expression. Seeing her companion being tormented by Poison Recognition, the man standing at the door couldn’t help but shake his head and continued speaking.
“Once Robert’s plan succeeds, that young nun won’t have a good end either. For now, stay here and rest. For us, guarding that thing is the final task. Once the task is over, we’ll go back and treat you properly at the base.”
After saying this, the man turned and left the room, closing the door again. Seeing the man leave, Satraya could only curl back into a corner of the bed and continue muttering to herself in trembling.
At this moment, above the room, near the slightly open skylight, a nondescript butterfly was perched, observing the situation inside.
…
At the same time, five or six kilometers away in the forest, Nephnis stood under the dense canopy of trees, peering intently in a certain direction. Beside her, a mountain cat spirit floated and licked its paws.
After gazing into the woods for a moment, Nephnis shifted her gaze to her surroundings. On the ground, there was a picnic mat spread out, with tea and sweets placed on it. Doro sat leisurely drinking tea with her eyes closed, placing the teacup on the mat and then opening her eyes. Taking advantage of this moment, Nephnis asked.
“Miss Doro, how is your investigation going? Have you found the prince’s soul?”
“I guess you could say I found it… There are quite a few guards protecting that villa. Inside the basement of the villa, there are many ghosts on alert and powerful spiritual detections. With such tight security gathered together, it’s safe to say those guys must have sealed the soul there.”
Putting down the teacup, Doro slowly said. Upon hearing Doro’s response, Nephnis couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Doro’s response at least proved that her previous tracking was correct, and what they were looking for was indeed there.
“Since we’ve confirmed the location, let’s figure out how to steal the soul. Miss Doro, is it easy to steal the soul-sealing item?”
Nephnis continued asking Doro, who stroked her chin and thought for a moment before responding.
“Judging from the security measures they have in place, it would be very difficult to steal that thing without anyone noticing. The basement where the soul is sealed not only has high-level extraordinary detection but also dense soul patrols, leaving almost no blind spots. My insect zombie puppet would find it hard to fly in, let alone a person trying to steal it.”
Recalling the initial investigation of the distant villa, Doro said, and upon hearing Doro’s response, Nephnis frowned slightly and continued speaking.
“Mmm… We can’t just steal it… If stealing isn’t possible, Miss Doro, are you planning to rob it…?”
With a hint of worry in her voice, Nephnis asked Doro, who shook her head in response.
“Robbing it wouldn’t work either. There are at least two nuns guarding that villa. It’s unrealistic for us to quickly resolve them and take the item without being noticed.
“If we don’t quickly deal with the target after making a move, they’ll have time to call for backup. Then, the city guard of Kankdar, including Mayor Robert himself, will arrive swiftly. We might end up being enemies with all of Kankdar before we even get the item. Open robbery would be an even worse decision.”
Doro continued explaining to Nephnis. Hearing Doro’s words, Nephnis secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling slightly reassured that they didn’t have to fight head-on. She continued asking Doro.
“We can’t steal it secretly… and we can’t rob it openly… So, how are we supposed to get Mazale’s soul?”
Nephnis questioned Doro, noticing that Doro seemed unconcerned and was leisurely eating sweets. This meant that Doro must have already had a plan in mind. Indeed, after eating a piece of sweet, Doro smiled and said.
“Heh, of course there’s a way. While investigating earlier, I stumbled upon an interesting point. Using this point, we might be able to steal the item without the others noticing…”
“An interesting point…”
Looking at the smile on Doro’s lips, Nephnis wore a puzzled expression.
…
Time passed, and gradually, the day came to an end. As the sun sank and the moon rose, Kankdar welcomed another night.
Late at night in Kankdar, the bright moon hung high in the sky. The strict guards in the villa in the outskirts of the city were just as vigilant as during the day.
On the third floor of the villa, in the empty room, Satraya continued to curl up on the bed, occasionally shivering and muttering.
Her symptoms had not improved since the day, and her mind was still being invaded by Poison Recognition.
“Holy Mother… Cup Mother… My mother… Holy Mother… Tsk… d*mn! Why am I saying it again? It’s just a few sentences. Why can’t I forget them? Mmm…”
Holding her head and rubbing her hair, Satraya’s face contorted as she harshly blamed herself for not being able to forget the nun’s words. Why were these words always echoing in her mind, even though she desperately wanted to forget them?
“Ahhh… I can’t stand it anymore…”
Holding her head, Satraya fell onto the bed in pain. She wanted to forget the nun’s words, but they were more firmly etched in her mind than anything else in her life. She wanted to reject these words, yet deep down, she desperately yearned for the nun’s voice to continue, to reveal more content after those words. Her suffering largely stemmed from this inner struggle.
“Huh… Huh…”
Lying on the bed, clutching the blanket, Satraya gasped for breath. Suddenly, she heard a crisp sound coming from above. Looking up, she saw the skylight.
At this moment, the skylight was bathed in the moonlight, shining through the transparent window. Satraya could see the bright moon in the sky through the window, and under the moonlight, she noticed countless tiny black dots moving on the glass. Upon closer inspection, these were ants.
Under the moonlight, an ant colony moved in formation on the glass, forming lines and weaving intricate patterns. These lines intersected and combined to form letters, which then formed words and sentences.
Suddenly, Satraya saw words appear in front of her on the skylight.
“I am bathed in the water of my birth mother, I am bathed in the bl**d of Cup Mother, I am bathed in the tears of Holy Mother…”
Looking at the words on the skylight, Satraya froze. Her eyes were fixed on the skylight, on the ants, and on the words and sentences that the ants formed and disappeared. These words seemed to have a magical power, completely capturing Satraya’s attention and preventing her from looking away from the skylight.
“Subsequent… Subsequent… It’s subsequent… It’s subsequent…”
Staring at the words on the skylight, Satraya muttered to herself, her expression blank. The pain and rationality that remained on her face were completely swept away.
The ants on the skylight formed the words Satraya deeply desired to know, but these words were interrupted shortly after. When Satraya felt bewildered, the ants rearranged themselves into new sentences.
“To find the subsequent text, go to the third-floor balcony. Do not tell anyone of your wish…”
“Third-floor balcony… Third-floor balcony…”
Looking at the words on the skylight, Satraya muttered to herself and got up from the bed. After putting on slippers, she opened the door and stepped out. Soon, she arrived at the balcony. On one of the columns, Satraya saw countless moths crawling there, forming new messages with their bodies.
“Aah, my mother, my three mothers, my one mother, I am one with all life, all life shares one mother with me…”
“In my dreams, I seek the sound of wings within my skull, I traverse the dark forest, seeing the remnants of moth scales…”
On the column, Satraya saw the subsequent content she wanted to see, and new information appeared. She stared wide-eyed at these contents and realized that they were only fragments. After finishing reading them, a new desire emerged in her heart.
“What next? What next? Whether it’s the mother’s or the moth’s, what comes next?”
With a blank expression, Satraya muttered silently. At this moment, the moths in her eyes flew up and flew toward the distant forest, seemingly guiding her.
Seeing this, Satraya immediately descended the stairs and walked into the courtyard. The patrolling guards saw her and asked with concern.
“Ms. Satraya, where are you going? You haven’t recovered yet. Don’t wander around aimlessly.”
“I’m going for a walk. It’s too stuffy inside…”
Satraya replied, then walked out of the courtyard without looking back. The patrolmen couldn’t do anything because they had no authority over Satraya.
Leaving the villa, Satraya walked into the forest. Not far in, she saw a group of moths dancing in the clearing. Among the moths, black sand rose from the ground, forming new sentences in the air.
“The three mothers are one, there is only one mother in the world, my mother, everyone’s mother, this world’s mother…”
“The moth lures me to seek light, telling me the truth, reality is a dream, and a dream is reality…”
“A beam of light, a thunderous sound, counting is one, this is the first enlightenment…”
Gazing at the content before her, Satraya stood motionless. She hungrily read the old and new texts in front of her. After finishing the brief fragments, the black sand suspended in mid-air suddenly converged into a single stream and drifted away. Seeing this, Satraya followed without hesitation.
Following the black sand, Satraya quickly moved through the dark forest. She didn’t know how long she walked, until her shoes were thrown off and her bare feet bled. Finally, she saw the black sand slowly come to a halt.
At this moment, a tall, completely cloaked and hooded figure appeared before Satraya. The leading black sand circled around the figure, forming a ring. Satraya slowly approached the figure, her eyes looking toward the face under the hood, but she could only see a shadow, no features.
“Why have you come?”
The towering figure spoke in a low tone as Satraya approached. Hearing the figure’s words, Satraya muttered in response.
“I… want to know the subsequent…”
“What subsequent? Is it about the mother? The moth? The number?”
“All subsequent… everything subsequent? Those… subsequent to the secret transmissions…”
“I want knowledge, the knowledge of those secret transmissions…”
Looking up at the towering figure, Satraya expressed her sole desire at this moment. The figure paused slightly after hearing this and then began to respond.
“Very well…”
“So… to grant your request, pray. Recite the prayer, and pray to Him. He will reveal everything…”
Accompanied by the figure’s words, the black sand beside him surged again. The black sand gathered in front of the figure, forming new words. Satraya looked at them and muttered silently.
“On this endless earth… the convergence of infinite destinies… the door and key to infinite truths…”
