The Conspiracy
Seated comfortably in her suite at the hotel, Doro sat in her chair, gazing at the spiritual content within the zombie puppet’s field of vision. After reading the secret transmission “Leachel’s Sorrow,” which documented the lesser-known but significant battles during the Mudflow War, she began to focus on extracting the spirituality from it. Soon after, she managed to obtain 8 points of the “Cup,” which was quite substantial.
Following the first two parts from Edward’s secret transmissions, Doro immediately controlled her zombie puppet to start flipping through the last secret transmission sent by Edward. This secret transmission was titled “The City of Dark Depths.”
This secret transmission was also a book that compiled and analyzed legends, similar to some other secret transmissions Doro had seen before. The author of this transmission was studying a particular legend circulating in the Conquer Sea, with the goal of researching a deep-sea city called “Ayiam.”
In the author’s description, Ayiam was a vast, ancient city submerged beneath the Conquer Sea, with dark and deep underwater ruins. Legends about this city were passed down among fishermen around the Conquer Sea and the indigenous people on the Conquer Sea islands. Some tales described it as a place where countless terrifying, half-fish, half-human monsters lived; all were male, competing with fishermen for catches, hunting animals and humans on the shore, and even forcing land creatures to mate with them to produce offspring.
However, other legends portrayed Ayiam very differently. These stories claimed that the inhabitants of the deep-sea city were not monstrous fish-people, but beautiful merfolk—both male and female. The females were beautiful and graceful, while the males were strong and handsome, together forming a prosperous sea civilization. It was rumored that these merfolk actively helped ships and people in distress at sea and guided lost travelers with their songs.
The author noted in the book that although these conflicting legends seemed hard to believe, the existence of Ayiam was almost certain. However, while the city might exist, the existence of the fish monsters or merfolk living there was likely fabricated. The reason was that in the current era, non-human intelligent races and extraordinary beings had long since been extinct. Records of non-human races establishing civilizations could only be traced back to the distant Second Era, which were mostly marginal civilizations. The author did not believe that such non-human civilizations still existed in the present Fourth Era.
However, he speculated that Ayiam was likely built by an ancient non-human race because the name “Ayiam” had not undergone much phonetic evolution and was very difficult for humans to pronounce.
Therefore, the author of the secret transmission speculated that the legends of fish monsters or merfolk were probably created by the Abyss Cult. He suspected that the Abyss Cult might have found and controlled the deep-sea city, possibly even setting up their headquarters there. As for what they had discovered or were researching within Ayiam, it remained unknown.
‘The deep-sea city of Ayiam… a city built by an ancient non-human civilization? Indeed… the pronunciation of the city’s name is somewhat similar to Abyss Language… If such a city really exists in this world, then it can only be controlled by the Abyss Cult… It might truly be their headquarters.’
‘Additionally, there is another point worth noting in this secret transmission—it mentions the civilizations established by non-human intelligent races. These civilizations were only recorded in the Second Era, meaning… the Second Era might have been an era when humans coexisted with other non-human intelligent races? But why did these non-human civilizations all go extinct?’
Doro pondered this as she looked at the new secret transmission content in the zombie puppet’s hand. She remembered buying the secret transmission “The Dream Explorer’s Record” from Audric in Igewent. In it, she had seen descriptions of harpies and abyssal races. Later, in her extraordinary journey, she wondered why she hadn’t encountered these fantastic creatures, only to realize now that they had gone extinct in such ancient times.
After finishing the last secret transmission, Doro habitually began to extract spirituality again. From this transmission, she obtained 5 points of the “Cup” and 3 points of the “Lamp.”
Adding up her accumulated spirituality, Doro’s current status was as follows:
28 Cups, 16 Stones, 50 Shadows, 22 Lamps, 31 Silences, 50 Enlightenments.
‘The “Cups” suddenly increased by 17 points, reaching the required level instantly. The secret transmissions from Edward were quite helpful. Now, the only ones that are still lacking are the “Stones” and “Lamps.” Once I reach Tivyán, I’ll think of ways to make up for those.’
‘Another thing worth noting is that after my promotion, the spirituality used for promotion will disappear. If there’s any crisis after promotion, not having enough spirituality would be awkward. So if possible, I should accumulate more of the main spirituality needed for promotion.’
After finishing the secret transmission, Doro reflected on this in her heart. Then, after drinking a sip of coffee, she stood up from her seat, stretched lazily, and walked to the window, gazing out at the scenery outside. After a moment of contemplation, she murmured softly,
“So, it’s time to go back…”
…
On the eastern coast of the Prit Kingdom, Tivyán.
During the day, on the Silver Road in the East District of Tivyán, crowds bustled and carriages flowed through the streets. Amidst the light dust, a young man in a shirt and vest, looking spirited, walked along the sidewalk, scanning the street scenery as he strolled.
Chewing on a piece of soft candy, Gregor strolled leisurely, taking advantage of his weekly holidays to come here to shop or just relax. Having not worked overtime for quite some time, he made it a weekly routine.
Holding a fishing guidebook he had just bought from a roadside stall, Gregor continued to look around for any items he might like. At a children’s clothing store, he stopped and looked at the pretty dresses displayed in the window, considering whether to buy one as a birthday gift for his sister when she returned. But thinking that Doro was already fourteen years old, he hesitated about whether she could still wear such things.
‘Sigh… I shouldn’t just buy it directly. If it’s too small, it would be troublesome. I need to wait until Doro comes back and go shopping with her to try things on. But the question is, when will Doro return?’
Gregor thought to himself as he looked at the children’s clothes in the window. His sister had been abroad for nearly a year and had yet to return. If he didn’t receive frequent telegrams from her to assure him of her safety, he would have been worried sick.
‘I hope she returns soon…’
Gregor thought to himself, then turned his gaze away from the window and continued walking down the street. After crossing another intersection, he turned onto a less crowded road and slowly continued forward. At this moment, he discreetly focused his peripheral vision on the opposite side of the street, silently observing the condition of the shops lining the road.
As Gregor walked, his gaze suddenly sharpened. His originally relaxed expression turned serious, and he quietly stopped, turning towards the opposite side. His eyes fixed on a store that seemed to have opened recently.
Standing in place, Gregor stared at the store across the street for a moment before stepping forward, crossing the road, and entering the store. Inside, he saw a few customers browsing the merchandise and a slightly chubby boss with a mustache sitting behind the counter, reading a newspaper.
After entering the store, Gregor first wandered around, looking at the products on the shelves. Then he approached the counter and knocked on the table. The boss, who had been reading the newspaper, turned his head toward the counter, slightly startled upon seeing Gregor.
“Boss, do you have Dao Lun red silk?”
Looking at the boss, Gregor asked casually. Upon hearing this, the boss immediately responded, having carefully considered it before speaking.
“Red silk cloth… I do have some, but I’m not sure if it’s the shaman Dao Lun red silk you’re looking for… How about we go inside and check?”
Saying this, the boss got up, instructing the clerk to watch the shop, and then walked toward the back room. Gregor followed him, passing through several corridors until they entered a small, dim room. Seeing Gregor enter, the boss closed the door behind him and then turned to face Gregor, who had already taken a seat.
“Lord Adeline, you’ve finally arrived…” The boss said respectfully as he approached Gregor. Gregor smiled slightly and replied.
“It’s been a long time. Are you still called Donald?”
“Yes, yes… Those black dogs haven’t noticed our area, so there’s no need to change identities. Suddenly changing names would cause some trouble.” The boss, who went by the name Donald, smiled as he spoke. He had been waiting for Gregor for several days.
At the beginning of the year, the Eight-pointed faction withdrew from Tivyán collectively to avoid attention due to the assassination attempt on Duke Barret. This included Donald, who was in charge of connecting with Gregor regarding the Eight-pointed matters. Before leaving, Donald had informed Gregor that they would return to Tivyán once the heat died down, with Donald continuing to serve as Gregor’s contact person.
When the Eight-pointed were about to return, Donald left a prearranged signal on the wall near Gregor’s home, indicating the agreed-upon meeting place. Gregor would pass by occasionally during his holiday to check the situation. This place had usually been closed, but today it finally opened.
To prevent the human-faced spiders from falling into An Yinju’s hands and causing risks, the Eight-pointed did not issue human-faced spiders to Gregor, who was acting as a “spy.” Instead, they assigned Donald to be his single-line contact. With the Eight-pointed returning to Tivyán, they decided to reactivate this hidden line.
“Are we… starting to come back now?” Gregor asked solemnly, looking at Donald, who immediately responded.
“Yes, the organization’s deployment is gradually returning to Tivyán. The current situation has calmed down, and we will resume operations here.”
“Resume operations… Does this mean… another action like the one against Barret?”
Listening to Donald’s words, Gregor asked seriously. Donald continued to answer.
“I don’t know for sure. Actions of the level of assassinating Duke Barret are rarely shared, especially if they aren’t directly related. Just like the previous operation, we knew nothing beforehand.
“But I can confirm one thing: the organization’s focus is not currently on Tivyán, but it will gradually shift here. Our current task is to prepare some preliminary work in Tivyán to ensure that subsequent important actions can proceed smoothly and obstacles can be removed.”
Speaking in a low voice, Donald said to Gregor. Gregor paused slightly after listening, then continued.
“From what you say, do I have a new assignment now?”
“Yes, the organization now has a new assignment for you… Lord Adeline, you should be familiar with Misha Devenhill, right?” Donald whispered to Gregor. Hearing this, Gregor’s eyes narrowed slightly, then he continued.
“Misha Devenhill… the eldest daughter of the Devenhill family, royal knight, close confidant of Prince Harold… and my direct superior in the Black Dog Bureau… I certainly know her. I’ve worked with her on many tasks over the past six months. She’s a capable woman who is tough and takes risks. Why… is she under scrutiny now?”
“Yes… as you said, this Ms. Misha is very capable. According to intelligence from above, she seems to have become aware of some key aspects of our organization within the Black Dog Bureau and has started conducting her own investigations privately. We have tried to interfere with her through various means, but her stubbornness has been unexpected. For us, she has become a troublemaker…”
Donald said silently, and Gregor responded after a brief silence.
“So, are we going to control this troublemaker… or…”
“No need to control, just eliminate her directly!” Donald said decisively. Gregor paused slightly after hearing this, and at this moment, Donald continued.
“The higher-ups said that Ms. Misha poses a risk of becoming the next Barret, so we must deal with her early. Your current position in the Black Dog Bureau, as her subordinate, makes this task most suitable for you,” Donald told Gregor. Gregor shook his head silently in response.
“Me? That might be difficult… Although I can get close to her, she is chalk and I am earth. This is an inter-level assassination, even with the element of surprise, the success rate is very low,” Gregor said with a pessimistic tone. Donald continued.
“This isn’t a problem, sir. The higher-ups have said they will find a way to create an opportunity for you to ambush Miss Devenhill. For this, you need to provide us with her schedule for the next few days. Based on her schedule, we will deploy accordingly to ensure her swift elimination. During this operation, the organization will assist you to the best of its ability.
“Lord Adeline, the higher-ups have said that if this operation succeeds and the troublesome individual is eliminated without any leaks, they will find a way to let you inherit her position in the Black Dog Bureau, or even arrange a promotion for you, making you a chalk.”
