Fifth Hundred and Seventy-Ninth Telegram
In the vast hall of Junhai Fortress, the old pirate Edward sat at the head of a long table, his gaze heavy as he stared intently at a piece of letter paper in his hand, saying nothing.
As he read the contents of the letter, a fierce fire seemed to burn deep within Edward’s eyes, but this burning flame was tightly suppressed by him. His breathing was heavy, and an invisible pressure radiated from his body, making the surrounding space extremely oppressive. Under this uncomfortable atmosphere, Roland couldn’t help but swallow his saliva and cautiously asked Edward in a soft voice:
“Father… who sent this letter? What does it say?”
Upon hearing his son’s words, Edward paused slightly before crumpling the letter in his hand into a ball and then took a deep breath before answering:
“It’s nothing… This is not something you should be concerned about.”
“I understand…” Listening to Edward’s words, Roland immediately bowed respectfully, indicating that he would not press further about the details of the letter. Then, after pondering for a moment over the crumpled letter, Edward continued speaking to Roland:
“I need to go out for a short trip soon, which might take a few days. You will have to handle things in Moncala in my absence.”
“Oh… Father is going on a long journey? Then I will immediately start preparing.” Hearing Edward’s words, Roland first showed a hint of surprise in his eyes before asking. Edward then waved his hand and spoke again:
“There’s no need to prepare anything. This time, I’m going alone, secretly. I don’t want too many people to know. Just call your brothers over so I can give them some instructions…”
“You’re going alone… Alright, I understand.”
After hearing Edward’s words, Roland respectfully withdrew, leaving the vast hall momentarily empty except for Edward, who remained seated in his position, gazing into the void, lost in thought.
…
Iwig, the eastern coast.
During the day, gentle sea breezes blew across the azure sea, and under the clear sky, flocks of seagulls flew and chirped continuously. Amidst the waves, a large white passenger ship emitted thick smoke as it slowly moved forward. Countless passengers gathered on the front deck, leaning against the railings and gazing into the distance, where the faint outline of the city hinted at their destination.
On the edge of the deck, Dorothy, dressed in a light, thin, and simple dress, sat on a fixed white chair, reading a newspaper she had picked up at the last port. Her attention was focused on a relatively small section of the news.
…
“The new Holy Relic Custodian of the Church, Sister Vania Chafelin, recently completed her first Holy Relic Exhibition in Moncala, achieving unexpectedly successful results.
“For a long time, Moncala has been known as the City of Pirates and the City of Gamblers, a city lacking faith, where its residents and those who aspire to live there do not place the teachings of the Lord in their hearts, nor do they regard the Church with seriousness amidst the flow of desires. So-called faith is merely superficial.
“Therefore, few had high hopes for the success of Sister Vania’s first Holy Relic Exhibition. Many newspaper commentators believed that Sister Vania should have chosen a city with a stronger foundation of faith for her first exhibition to ensure a good outcome. Few believed that a religious event in Moncala would attract many participants, and a relatively unsuccessful first exhibition might have discouraged this young and promising nun.
“However, the reality was unexpected. Sister Vania’s Holy Relic Exhibition in Moncala was immensely successful. Within a short period, tens of thousands of local residents and tourists came to visit, causing the small church in Moncala to be crowded for a long time, even leading to traffic congestion on the streets. As a religious event, this exhibition’s grandeur was rare in Moncala’s history, with the last such grand religious event dating back more than a hundred years—the baptism ceremony of the founder of Moncala, the Pirate City Lord Edward.
“Afterwards, the official authorities of Moncala even announced that they would follow Sister Vania’s suggestion and rebuild a grand church in the city to commemorate this exhibition. In the thousand-year history of the Church, there have indeed been numerous examples of churches built to commemorate certain events, mostly to honor martyrs who died in holy wars. These were often built during special periods after wars. Building a grand church due to a routine Holy Relic Exhibition during peacetime was unprecedented. Moreover, building such a church in Moncala, a city generally considered to lack faith, underscores how significant the impact of Sister Vania’s presence was, even just for a few days.
“Now, many commentators believe that Sister Vania has awakened the dormant faith in Moncala, allowing the people here to feel the Lord’s light once again, much like she did in the Conquer Sea and Adus.
“However, it’s worth noting that while many now praise Sister Vania for bringing faith back to Moncala, some conservative voices within the Church criticize this as mere surface-level change. Some say that the residents of Moncala are interested in the Holy Relic Exhibition not because of the relics but because of the nun herself, and their interest in the nun is driven by dirty desires rather than faith. They argue that this exhibition is not a rekindling of faith but a form of desecration. The Church’s frequent publicity of Sister Vania has had negative effects, and clergy members should not be so visible, behaving like dancers.
“These critics believe that nuns should pray devoutly in the church rather than frequently moving around and appearing in newspapers. Sister Vania’s beauty incites lecherous thoughts rather than piety, and she should wear a veil whenever she appears. However, few pay heed to these criticisms. After all, without genuine piety, the authorities of Moncala wouldn’t spend a fortune rebuilding a grand church. For the Church as a whole, they are pleased to see such developments, as they signify the expansion of their influence in the new era.”
…
“Huh… I never imagined that Edward would directly promise to build another church in Moncala for Vania? That’s quite considerate… But thinking about it, it makes sense. As the on-site representative of the Church in the 29th incident in Moncala, how they report to higher-ups is crucial for Edward. He must try his best to leave a good impression on Vania and her team, hoping they won’t say anything bad about him.”
Holding the newspaper, Dorothy thought to herself. At first, Dorothy hadn’t expected Edward’s generous gesture, but this move could also benefit Vania’s status within the Church. Therefore, she was glad to see that Vania was getting lucky again in the eyes of the Church.
“Dorothy, we can already see the port of Adria! We’re almost there!”
At this moment, a familiar voice sounded beside Dorothy. Next to her, Neve, wearing a loose blouse and long skirt with a sun hat and sunglasses, was looking into the distance at the city and said to the girl beside her with a hint of happiness in her tone. Dorothy turned her head and replied softly:
“Adria… It’s been months since I last saw it, and now I’m back…”
After successfully escaping from Moncala, Dorothy used her zombie puppet to navigate a small ocean liner to the nearest island town near Moncala. She couldn’t keep the ship sailing without entering a complete sleep state, so she couldn’t sail directly to the mainland. She needed to find a place to transfer and rest properly.
After nearly a full day of navigation, Dorothy arrived at Björk Island using precise navigation skills and a map memorized in her mind. She rested there for a while, sleeping for most of the day, and then found an opportunity to use the zombie puppet to sail the ship from Moncala out of the island’s nearby waters. She sank the ship far enough away to dispose of any traces. Then, she bought tickets with Neve and boarded a regular passenger ship to the mainland. After several days of transfers, they arrived at the coastal city of Iwig, where they had previously stayed, Adria.
“I never imagined I’d see this city again… By the way, Dorothy, your current goal is to find a branch of the White Stone Craftsmen Guild in a big city, right? There are many big cities along the Conquer Sea, why did you choose Adria?”
Standing next to Dorothy, Neve shifted her gaze from the distant city to the girl beside her and said. Dorothy simply answered:
“There’s no special reason. If I must say one, it’s because Adria is farther from Moncala, and I have a fairly good impression of it. Anyway, every big city has a branch of the White Stone Craftsmen Guild, so why not pick a comfortable place to stay for a few days and rest properly?”
Dorothy said this. In this era of rapid industrialization, almost every major city on the Main Continent had established various sizes of industrial zones. Without much environmental awareness, these industrial zones brought various kinds of pollution to the cities. Dorothy had been to many big cities, but none of them had high livability ratings.
The situation in Adria was different. Due to geological issues, Adria couldn’t develop large-scale industry. The municipal government here recognized the benefits of tourism earlier and began to transform the city towards becoming a tourist and trade city. Thus, Adria became one of the few prosperous cities with little heavy industry, resulting in better living conditions.
Dorothy felt pretty good staying in Adria for a few days, except for the occasional flooding during high tides. So when she chose to search for a branch of the White Stone Craftsmen Guild in a big city, she picked Adria, which she had prearranged to do even while still in Moncala.
Standing on the deck of the ship, Dorothy gazed into the distance at the increasingly close port and then took out a ticket from her clothes to check it. The arrival date on the ticket was July 10th, today, which was 11 days after the Moncala incident.
“Arriving on the 10th… Quite punctual, isn’t it? There are still five days until our scheduled meeting. I wonder if he’ll show up on time?”
Gazing at the ticket, Dorothy pondered in her heart and began to look forward to the upcoming appointment two days later.
…
After arriving in Adria, Dorothy and Neve checked into a hotel. Over the next five days, they rested and relaxed. Dorothy particularly relieved the tension from planning and escaping the Moncala incident. After five days passed, the calendar turned to July 15th, and Dorothy began to focus on her main tasks.
In the morning of a sunny day, Dorothy sat in a riverside café in Adria, sipping tea while manipulating a distant zombie puppet to enter a secluded art wood carving shop. The well-dressed young male zombie puppet walked up to the shop counter and spoke before the owner could open his mouth.
“Hello, I need to commission a Saint’s Pillar sculpture about 4.25 meters tall, made of oak. Can you do it?”
Listening to the words of Dorothy’s zombie puppet, the front desk attendant was slightly stunned and then smiled.
“Of course, but sir, this custom order is a bit large. We need to discuss the details and specific requirements with the master. Please come with me.”
Saying this, the front desk attendant left his post and went through a small wooden door on the wall. Dorothy’s zombie puppet glanced briefly at the dazzling array of wood carvings and followed behind.
This was the White Stone Craftsmen Guild branch in Adria. Through Beverly’s connections, Dorothy easily found her way here.
Dorothy’s zombie puppet followed the front desk attendant through the small wooden door and entered a dim and narrow corridor. The attendant, hearing the footsteps of the customer behind him, whispered:
“Are you here for a secret transaction service?”
“No, I don’t plan to buy anything right now. I need to use your No. 4 telegraph room for real-time telegrams. I will wait there for a reply.” Dorothy manipulated the zombie puppet to speak to the front desk attendant, who responded immediately.
“Real-time telegram communication? Haha… Sir, you have very timely information. This service hasn’t been around for long, and only a few people have used it.”
Laughing, the front desk attendant led the zombie puppet down the corridor, turning left and right, and finally arrived at a private but nicely decorated small room. The floor was covered with carpets, and there were comfortable sofas inside. On the coffee table stood a telegraph machine, whose wires connected to the outside through several small holes in the wall.
After the zombie puppet sat on the sofa, the front desk attendant closed the door and left, asking if translation services were needed before leaving, but the zombie puppet refused. Dorothy then instructed the zombie puppet to adjust the telegraph machine in the small room. After adjusting it, she waited. After waiting for several minutes, the telegraph machine on the coffee table suddenly started buzzing and spitting out a long strip of paper. Dorothy listened to the sound of the telegraph machine and read the dots and lines on the paper, understanding its meaning immediately. It was some confirmation information.
Then, Dorothy instructed the zombie puppet to send a reply via the telegraph machine to confirm. Soon after, the telegraph machine began to spit out meaningful content.
“I am bl**d Wave, in the base of a traitorous Artisan Guild merchant. I have sent this telegram to you at this time as per your request, Thief.”
After the buzzing stopped, Dorothy couldn’t help but smile after translating the telegram content. Then, she quickly tapped the telegraph key to respond to the other party.
“Hello, Lord bl**d Wave, I am the thief who stole your fifty gold bricks. Now, are you ready to retrieve part of them?”
“Less talk, what do you want?” After Dorothy responded, the reply came impatiently. Seeing this, Dorothy directly sent a message.
“What I want is information about the Abyss Cult. Since you have leverage over the Abyss Cult, and they have gone to great lengths to bring you back, they naturally have plans for you in the future. You might have guessed that the Abyss Cult, and even the entire Placenta Sect, are plotting something significant. If they find you again in the future and threaten you with leverage to make you do something, tell me their demands. I will consider the value of this information and return part of the gold bricks to you.
“Of course, I know that the gold bricks I currently hold are urgently needed by you. Therefore, I can also pay you in advance. All you need to do is provide me with sufficient intelligence about the Abyss Cult and the entire Placenta Sect. Then, I can return five gold bricks to you in advance, to alleviate your immediate needs. What do you think?”
Manipulating the zombie puppet, Dorothy sent new telegrams to the distant Edward. In these telegrams, Dorothy had already encrypted some key points, and the decryption method was left in the letter given to Edward.
