Chapter 577: Reflections
Under the dark sky, the sea surged with waves. A small pleasure boat rocked on the surface, illuminated by flickering lights. A few zombie puppets were busy navigating the vessel, while their controller, Doro, sat comfortably in the cabin, summarizing the actions taken in Moncala.
Sitting on her bed, Doro gazed out at the dark sea beyond the porthole and considered the spirituality she had consumed during this trip to Moncala.
First, the consumption of spirituality related to “Shadow” was negligible; no matter how much she spent, she compensated for it by consuming moths. The consumption in terms of “Lamp” was primarily from firing a low-power focused flame, costing 2 points of “Lamp,” plus she affixed a sigil to the focused flame for retrieval, which cost another point. Thus, Doro’s total “Lamp” consumption was 3 points, and originally starting with 14 points, she now had 11 points remaining.
Next was the consumption of “Stone.” This time, Doro primarily used “Stone” to control her magnetic levitating carpet for a while during travel. The distance she flew this time was far less than the over twenty kilometers she traveled in Adus, so the consumption wasn’t too heavy, totaling 1 point. However, after her previous expenditures, she only had 11 points left, which means she now had 10 points.
The largest consumption this time was certainly from “Cup.” During her journey, she used 2 points on a sigil to seek people while on the passenger boat, and when she jumped into the sea, she used 2 points to buff herself with Water Absorption and bl**d-Eating. Controlling multiple auction house puppets for an extended period cost 3 points, and later she overstepped her limits to control a large number of zombie puppets commanding nearly all the island’s coastal defenses to support the retreat of Dry Wing, which used up an additional 5 points. All told, this amounted to 12 points of consumption. Doro originally had 17 points of “Cup,” and now only had 5 points left.
In summary, Doro’s current spirituality status was as follows:
5 Cups, 10 Stones, 50 Shadows, 11 Lamps, 26 Silences, and 50 Enlightenments.
“Ugh… This spirituality status is really not good… My main ‘Cup’ spirituality is now single digits, completely insufficient for sustaining the next operation. It looks like I really need to go to the big city and stock up on some books.”
Looking at her current spirituality status, Doro felt a sense of urgency. Not only did she need this spirituality for a series of actions to come, but she also needed to accumulate it for the potential upcoming promotion.
Doro required six Divine Blessing Objects to promote to Red Tier, and she already had five secured, just waiting for a bit to gather them. The only one left was the Divine Blessing Object of “Enlightenment,” which she was still searching for. Additionally, she had to pay attention to her spirituality accumulation, where only three of the six types met the required standards, while the other three were lacking by quite a margin.
“Well, at least spirituality can be acquired through buying books, a stable channel. As long as I have the money, it shouldn’t be a problem. Coincidentally, on the way to Moncala, I encountered a group of kindred spirits and earned a bit of money by helping them with some business—though it wasn’t much, it was enough to buy a few books.”
Continuing her thoughts, Doro reflected on the journey, recalling how she had detected something off with the fish scent, leading her to discover the smuggling dealings between the Intestine Cult and the Hook Shark Gang. By intervening, she managed to swipe 47,000 Lire from the transaction, which she exchanged at the bank for 2,200 Prit pounds. Adding that to the 500 pounds she already had, Doro now had nearly 2,700 pounds in cash… While not a fortune, it was enough to purchase three or four Secret Transmissions.
In fact, Doro also entertained a bolder plan: to wait for Edward and Dry Wing to start fighting. Once Dry Wing summoned moths to hypnotize the entire city, she could send zombie puppets to raid the auction for cash and extraordinary items. Since any item in the latter half of the auction would be priced in the hundreds of thousands of Lire, Doro would strike it rich if she managed to swipe just a few.
However, considering that the auction was located in the central area of Moncala, she would need to make a swift exit after securing her primary targets. Even if she managed to steal some goods, she wouldn’t have time to fetch them. Moreover, leaving zombie puppets on the island while Edward scoured for the thief was an unwise choice. Doro’s puppets controlling the cannons were all stationed at sea, and only after Edward finished his search and the Pseudo Moths were released by Dry Wing could Doro let her puppets land on Moncala’s main island and occupy the coastal fortress.
“Sigh… Right now, I should hurry to set sail and reach the nearest city to rest, then take a ship to the big city and look for the White Stone Craftsmen Guild to buy Secret Transmissions and replenish my spirituality.
“Speaking of Secret Transmissions, after the moth died, it also randomly dropped two Memory Orbs. I wonder what kind of content is inside them, and if I can exchange some spirituality to fill the gaps.”
With such thoughts, Doro began to focus her attention on analyzing the two Memory Orbs she had absorbed from Dry Wing. These memories seemed to relate to two Secret Transmissions.
The first Secret Transmission, titled “Mysterious Outlook,” was a collection and analysis of folklore from the coastal regions of the Mysterious Sea. In this Secret Transmission, Doro gained some fundamental information about the Mysterious Sea.
The Mysterious Sea was a vast body of water located in the eastern part of the Main Continent, connected to the Conquer Sea. Unlike the bustling trade of the Conquer Sea and the Western Ocean, the Mysterious Sea had hardly any ships passing through, with only sporadic routes along the edges. The depths of this sea were considered a forbidden zone for all vessels.
The Mysterious Sea was known as one of the most dangerous bodies of water in the world, rumored to have navigation facilities fail completely within its expanse, even extraordinary navigation offered by “Lamp” was unreliable. Once someone entered its depths, the sun and moon in the sky would dim to the point of being invisible, and on the vast sea without any points of reference, ships would be eternally lost until their resources ran out, and the crew perished, leaving wrecks that drift aimlessly upon the sea, thus giving the Mysterious Sea its name.
In the coastal towns of the Mysterious Sea, various legends had circulated, including tales of giant sea monsters dwelling in its depths. Some claimed that ships swallowed by the Mysterious Sea would transform into ghost ships that sailed on, laden with treasures. Stories told of fishermen accidentally drifting into the Mysterious Sea, returning days later to find that decades had passed, and everything in their hometown had changed. Some returnees allegedly witnessed gigantic phantoms of cities deep within the sea. There were even rumors that fishing villages on the shore had a tradition of offering human sacrifices to the sea…
This Secret Transmission collected numerous tales concerning the Mysterious Sea and provided analyses categorizing what might be true or false. Among the final words of the author was a statement that caught Doro’s attention.
“In the depths of the Mysterious Sea… there exists the Kingdom of Night… The ocean is rife with illusions; all directions and coordinates are meaningless… The only way to traverse this madness, besides the Divine Light, is through the forgiveness of the shadows themselves.
“Thus… the fragmented Black Moon is of utmost importance; it is a fragment of the Moon Crown. If it can be reassembled completely, I could have a chance to seek the moon’s guidance and reach the end of the Mysterious Sea…” Bartolomeu Valena.
Sitting on her bed, Doro silently reviewed the memories of the Secret Transmission in her mind until she noticed the author’s signature, causing her brow to furrow slightly.
“Bartolomeu… that great explorer who has returned from the Mysterious Sea several times? He’s the author of this Secret Transmission? Wow, his exploration of the Mysterious Sea is incredibly deep; he could write such a transmission.”
As she perused the information in her mind, Doro thought that the content Bartolomeu wrote in the Secret Transmission was quite intriguing, especially regarding the so-called Kingdom of Night.
“Is there really a Kingdom of Night in the depths of the Mysterious Sea? What does that mean? Could it be that the Mysterious Sea harbors a nation? Given its name, could it be related to ‘Shadow’? The Mirror Moon Goddess Church in Prit says it plans to migrate eastward, and the Mysterious Sea lies to the east. On the Third Era mural held by the Savior’s Incarnation Sect, there appears to be an additional landmass to the east of the continent—what connection might there be?”
Furthermore, he mentioned the fragmented Black Moon—could it be the Black Moon Amulet he has stored for auction in Moncala? According to his own claims, it’s a fragment of an extraordinary artifact known as the Moon Crown, and if the Moon Crown were to be reassembled, it would be the key to traversing the Mysterious Sea. Such an important item, why would he be willing to sell it? Isn’t his goal to reach the end of the Mysterious Sea?
Leaning against the head of her bed, Doro pondered in confusion. If this Secret Transmission were true, then the complete Moon Crown would be an essential tool for traversing the Mysterious Sea. She couldn’t fathom why Bartolomeu would sell it—he doesn’t seem like someone in desperate need of money.
Having contemplated for a while but unable to decipher Bartolomeu’s intentions, she reluctantly shifted her focus to the other Memory Orb left behind by Dry Wing, beginning to examine it.
This Memory Orb contained a record of explorations along with some scattered notes. These records consisted of several special Dream Realm coordinates, seemingly the results of Dry Wing’s examinations of the Dream Realm environments at those coordinate points.
At these seemingly difficult-to-interpret coordinates, Dry Wing recorded a general level he designated as the “Disorder Level.” As the Dream coordinates changed, the levels he marked continued to rise, indicating he was traversing towards a target within the Dream Realm, but as he advanced, the disorder intensified, and once he marked it as extremely dangerous, he ceased his explorations.
Within this coordinate record, there were also Dry Wing’s remarks.
“As the ‘Sacred Cocoon’ grows, the radiating divine influence also strengthens, and the forbidden zones continue to expand. We can no longer approach the Sacred Cocoon as we have done in the past; otherwise, we will inevitably be eternally lost…
“However… care for the Sacred Cocoon must not cease. To absolutely ensure the prophet moth emerges from its chrysalis, our protection cannot end here; we must find ways, apart from the Divine Light, to traverse the lost zones and approach the Sacred Cocoon once more…”
Rubbing her chin, Doro pursued the new content in her consciousness with intrigue, only to embark on another round of contemplation.
“Sacred Cocoon… could it be Panmoth’s cocoon? Does this mean that the god of the Black Dream Hunter Group, Panmoth, is currently undergoing metamorphosis in a cocoon? Due to Panmoth’s continuous growth, the external divine radiation has generated a vast area known as the Lost Zone, making it impossible for the Black Dream members to get close. They are trying to find ways to approach the Sacred Cocoon again.
“According to Dry Wing’s statement, to traverse the Lost Zone and get close to the Sacred Cocoon requires a divine-grade ‘Lamp’ for guidance. Since the Black Dream cannot find one, they must seek other methods. Based on this logic, they might have their eyes on the Moon Crown…
“According to Bartolomeu, to traverse the Mysterious Sea, apart from the Divine Light, the Moon Crown is necessary. The situation in the Mysterious Sea seems similar to the Lost Zone created by the Sacred Cocoon in the Dream Realm—both being results influenced by extremely high-tier, even divine-grade, ‘Shadow’ powers. So, after seeing Bartolomeu’s Secret Transmission, were members of the Black Dream considering piecing together the Moon Crown to attempt crossing the Lost Zone? Is that why Dry Wing wanted to come to Moncala to purchase the Black Moon Amulet? It’s not about the amulet’s effectiveness, but rather about piecing together the Moon Crown to continue approaching the Sacred Cocoon?”
Analyzing Dry Wing’s Memory Orb, Doro considered this reasoning. Combining the information from the two Memory Orbs, this was the most reasonable inference she could form. Suddenly, she had a plausible guess regarding the Black Dream Hunter Group’s intentions.
“Interesting… It seems that next time I see Little Fox, I might have some valuable intelligence to trade in exchange; just when I’m a bit low on cash… I hope they aren’t in too dire a situation…”
With that thought, Doro shifted her thinking and began considering other matters.
“By the way, in Dry Wing’s memories, they claimed they needed to ensure that what emerges from the Sacred Cocoon is the prophet moth. If this prophet moth refers to Panmoth, why emphasize ensuring that it is she? Could the Sacred Cocoon also produce something else?
“Ugh… I don’t know enough about dreams to make judgments here. It would be better to pass all this information to Little Fox and let them analyze it.”
As Doro considered this, she began to think about how to handle the Secret Transmission knowledge contained in the two Memory Orbs. Since they were clearly “Shadows,” and her own “Shadow” was already maxed out from consuming moths, she planned not to convert them into spirituality but rather to exchange them for knowledge from other realms. However, the results of the exchange weren’t very satisfactory.
The knowledge regarding the Mysterious Sea returned was that of the Abyssal Ocean of Ishil’s legends and navigation experiences. This ocean is located within the Endless Abyss—a churning chaos of multiple planes—an unpredictable and exceedingly mysterious and dangerous sea. Countless dead demon lords’ bodies form islands upon its waters, even hosting the city built by the succubus queen, Noticura. Successful navigation through it requires extensive experience and abyssal knowledge, but these insights hold little value for Doro in her current situation. Given the world’s differences, the knowledge included only some rudimentary tips for emergencies and sailors’ skills for steering ships; aside from that, there was only a smidgen of abyssal martial skills and demon language.
The knowledge about Dream Realm exploration yielded a pollution prevention record from the Emerald Dream, seemingly authored by a druid. Compared to the previous abyssal ocean, the Emerald Dream was something Doro was a bit more familiar with, deriving from the main stage world of Azeroth within “World of Warcraft.” The Emerald Dream is reminiscent of a dream realm of the Azeroth world, a wild natural habitat inhabited by green dragons. However, the experience of treating pollution in this realm was also not particularly useful to Doro.
“Ugh… all of this is rather useless knowledge… Not every exchange yields practical skills; the breadth of knowledge is vast, and combat topics are just a small part of it…”
Looking at the new knowledge she had obtained, Doro thought to herself, then rubbed her temples, steeling herself to continue maneuvering the boat through the night, hoping to reach the nearest island town by morning and finally get a good night’s sleep.
