On the six hundred and tenth day,
In the hidden space inside the Twinkling Star Lake within Gramorn, Dorothy stood in the vast Mirror Moon Church’s chapel, gazing at the Mirror Moon Statue that bore an uncanny resemblance to her own appearance, while stroking her chin in contemplation. She was pondering how she could bring the church to the present world.
‘With Mother’s ring, I can instantly flip the entire church inside out and transfer it to the Twinkling Star Lake. However, this would certainly alert the Eight Pinnacle Nest. Although the church would be protected by a secret barrier once it arrives in the present world, preventing ordinary people and even most Extraordinary Beings from detecting it, this wouldn’t fool the old man of the Red Tier. Especially not under his intense monitoring of this place…
‘So, to move the church up, I need to seize the right moment. Only after understanding the movements of those guys should I act. If they decide to leave because they can’t find the entrance, it would be ideal. Then, I could perform the ceremony after they have withdrawn. That would be the best scenario. However, considering the current situation, the Eight Pinnacle Nest won’t give up so easily…’
Dorothy mused to herself, realizing that to transfer the church to the present world, she needed to understand the movements of the Eight Pinnacle Nest. Previously, it was very dangerous for her to spy on the Red Tier of the Eight Pinnacle Nest, but now things were different. She was inside a hidden space where what was outside couldn’t see in, but what was inside could see out, just like the space in the Enlightenment Mark Temple in Adis. Dorothy could fully utilize this space’s properties to spy on the Eight Pinnacle Nest.
Since the Mirror Moon Church’s functions were better preserved, her investigations through the hidden space were more efficient. The entire Twinkling Star Lake and its surrounding small areas were within her detection range.
‘I still need to clarify the specific situation before making any plans…’
Dorothy muttered to herself, deciding not to rush with the ceremony under the Eight Pinnacle Nest’s blockade, choosing instead to wait patiently.
…
Time passed swiftly, and soon a day had flown by.
Above the Twinkling Star Lake in the present world, the sun gradually sank behind the mountains to the west. As the evening twilight faded away, the moonless night enveloped the sky. Shadows crept across Gramorn, turning the whole area quiet. After all the boats on the lake had docked, the lake settled into tranquility.
Under the peaceful night, invisible bl**d mist once again covered the entire lake. On the dark surface of the lake, countless chirping sounds echoed. These sounds originated from a swarm of black bats.
Huge numbers of bats flew close to the water, soaring over the vast black lake. This scene resembled a group of bats emerging from a cave to hunt, yet these bats showed no interest in the insects flying above the lake. They seemed intent on searching every corner of the lake without tiring.
During the night, the vampires of the Eight Pinnacle Nest transformed into countless bats, dispersing into the bl**d mist over the lake, ceaselessly searching for the secrets hidden in the waters.
At a remote lakeside, an elderly man with sparse hair and a tall woman holding a glass of red wine stood together, gazing at the dark lake before them. This was Elderly Man Berard, the Spider Fang Priest of the Eight Pinnacle Nest, and Gethsmoor, who called herself the “Imperial Seer.”
“It’s a moonless night… It looks like there won’t be much to gain tonight…” Gethsmoor murmured, swaying her glass of red wine and looking at the moonless night sky. After taking a sip, she continued, “The moon… is the domain of the Queen of the Night, and the mirror… is His symbol. The prayers from Tiwyan mention that the entrance to the temple lies in the domain of the mirror. If the mirror refers to this lake, then the reflection of the moon in the lake should be the key to entering the temple…”
Berard spoke slowly. Listening to him, Gethsmoor wiped the red mark from her lips and added, “Similar words… you’ve said this before. You checked the reflections on the lake during the previous nights when there was a moon. Did you find anything?”
“No, because the lake is too large. From different positions, the position of the moon’s reflection changes. The moonlight spreads across the lake, and the reflection is everywhere. I cannot confirm which reflection is the correct node.” Berard responded to Gethsmoor, while she continued with a slightly disdainful tone, “Oh… unable to locate the position. Does this mean you haven’t made any progress in days?”
“Not exactly… Gethsmoor, although we haven’t seen results yet, we have made significant progress.” Berard frowned slightly as he continued, “Recently, I have shifted the focus of our search from the lake itself. I dispatched more people to nearby towns to gather intelligence. So far, we have obtained many valuable clues.”
“For example, there are some interesting legends among the common folk in Gramorn. Fishermen here have a taboo about night fishing during full moons. Legend has it that fishermen who go out at night during full moons, regardless of their experience, will get lost on the lake. If they’re lucky, they might return the next day; if not, they may never come back.”
“So the fishermen say that there’s a monster in the lake, a creature that only appears during full moons. This monster can make people lose their way, dragging them underwater and leaving them disoriented. They call it the ‘Full Moon Water Nymph,’ believing it to be the ruler of this lake, since it only emerges during full moons.”
Berard slowly recounted his findings. Listening to him, Gethsmoor frowned and immediately replied, “These are just ignorant stories from the common folk. We’ve searched the bottom of the lake and found nothing. What’s the point, Berard?”
“My point isn’t that the monster really exists. Though these stories sound absurd, they might not be entirely baseless. These legends have their own reasons, which could be related to the secrets of the lake.”
“Do you remember what the prayer said? The temple will rise without a key during the full moon. Combining this with the fishermen’s tales, something special must happen in the hidden temple in the lake during the full moon, affecting the lake’s conditions and causing extraordinary phenomena that the fishermen have noticed, leading to this legend…”
Berard patiently explained to Gethsmoor. Listening to his words, Gethsmoor’s expression showed a hint of interest.
“Full moon… you mean that something special will happen when the full moon comes, giving us a chance to find the temple of the ‘Queen of the Night’? ”
“Yes, the full moon is the time when the moon is at its fullest and strongest, a sacred moment for the followers of the Queen of the Night. If the Queen of the Night truly has a temple hidden in this lake, it might resonate or even harmonize with the moon in the sky during the full moon. At that time, we might be able to pinpoint the location of the temple.”
Berard said solemnly to Gethsmoor. After hearing this, Gethsmoor nodded slowly.
“Hmm… makes sense. Your analysis this time is quite good. There might indeed be a chance to discover something when the full moon comes. But unfortunately, we’ll have to wait another half a month… what a hassle…”
Gethsmoor said, taking another sip of the red liquid in her glass. She looked out at the lake, seeing her and Berard’s reflections under the starlight.
…
On the other side of the Twinkling Star Lake, in the color-inverted hidden space, Dorothy floated near the colorful edge of the lake, watching the reflections of the elderly man and the woman.
Through the mirror, Dorothy observed the two individuals named Berard and Gethsmoor as they exchanged and eventually left by the lake in the present world. Her gaze met theirs, but they did not notice anything amiss.
Although she successfully gathered important information about the Eight Pinnacle Nest using the hidden space behind the mirror, Dorothy’s face remained serious, indicating that the news she had learned was not favorable.
‘These two people, are they the ones sent by the Eight Pinnacle Nest to search for the Mirror Moon Temple? One of them is an old acquaintance… the Spider Fang Priest of the Eight Pinnacle Nest. Is this one the real deal…?’
Dorothy thought to herself, remembering the face of the elderly man vividly. This was the same Spider Fang Priest of the Eight Pinnacle Nest whom she had encountered at the beginning of the year in Duke Barret’s villa, which had been the direct cause of her decision to leave the country. She hadn’t expected to meet him again after such a long time.
Dorothy had witnessed the power of the Spider Fang Priest’s manifestations and took the presence of this possible original entity seriously. However, the woman he was talking to also caught her attention.
‘That woman, Gethsmoor, seems to be on equal footing with Spider Fang Priest Berard. Her demeanor and tone show no respect for a Red Tier individual like Berard. This suggests they might hold equivalent status within the Eight Pinnacle Nest. In other words, the Eight Pinnacle Nest has sent more than one Red Tier to Gramorn…’
Dorothy analyzed solemnly, though she had anticipated this possibility when analyzing the bl**d mist over the Twinkling Star Lake. Confirming the presence of more than one Red Tier increased her pressure significantly.
‘Goodness… Two Red Tiers are stationed here. It seems the Eight Pinnacle Nest places great importance on this temple, far beyond expectations. The Savior’s Incarnation Sect only sent one Red Tier to plot over the entire Adus. Now, for this temple, the Eight Pinnacle Nest has gathered two Red Tiers in this small city. It looks like they are determined to succeed…’
Dorothy pondered with furrowed brows, realizing that the presence of two Red Tiers from the Eight Pinnacle Nest exerted immense pressure on her plans. And this wasn’t the worst news. The most concerning situation was that the Eight Pinnacle Nest was planning to wait until the full moon!
‘The restrictions over the Twinkling Star Lake follow the ancient ritual process of the Mirror Moon faith. According to the prayer, the church automatically transfers to the present world every full moon, receiving the worship of ordinary people.
‘Now, although the church’s automatic transfer function has been suppressed, the church’s extraordinary system still interferes with the present world during full moons, thinning the boundary between realms and extending some of the church’s functions outward.
‘This mainly serves to recharge the church’s own extraordinary system. Without the maintenance of the clergy, the spiritual supply for the entire church and its hidden spaces relies solely on moonlight. Thus, during the full moon, the church actively moves closer to the present world, extending its functions outward to absorb the densest moonlight of the month, extracting “shadow” from it. During this time, the entire lake would exhibit extraordinary phenomena. If there are people on the lake, they would be affected. Afterward, it might reveal the truth behind the so-called Full Moon Water Nymph.
‘This spiritual extraction project is a crucial part of the church’s autonomous extraordinary system, affecting the energy supply of the entire system. With my current permission level, limited to a single ring, I am insufficient to stop the church’s function from activating.
‘This means that… once the full moon arrives, the church will approach the present world as it did before, interfering with the lake to absorb moonlight. I cannot prevent it. If those people stubbornly wait until the full moon, they will definitely notice the anomalies in the lake, possibly breaking through the mirror and entering this space…’
Suspended above the lake, Dorothy pondered with a frown, realizing she must devise a comprehensive strategy to address the current situation.
From now until the full moon, there were two weeks left. These two weeks were both her countdown and preparation time.
…
Hmm… Finally, I have a chance to post. It’s not easy. Since comments are back to normal, my updates will resume normally as well.
As previously mentioned, with the recovery of posts, there will be minor additional updates. I can only add a bit, so there will be double updates today and tomorrow. This is the first update, and there will be another one tonight.
Additionally, the book club is full, but it seems many people still haven’t joined. If there are enough requests, I will open a second group.
…
Finally, here is a chapter recommendation: “The Dead Me Joined a Horror Game”
