A street somewhere in North Tivian.
In the winter sky, a rare sun dispelled the clouds, and gentle sunlight shone upon the frigid streets. The accumulated snow on the rooftops became very bright due to reflection, and the melted ice and snow flowed down the eaves, dripping onto the sidewalk.
Taking advantage of the rare clear winter day, many citizens of Tivian chose to leave their homes and come out onto the streets. Coincidentally, the tense alert in Tivian had recently relaxed, and the relieved citizens also took this opportunity to enjoy the rare sunshine.
By the side of the bustling street, at a table along the street of a certain restaurant, a white-haired girl wearing a white cotton coat sat there, scrutinizing the scene on the street while eating grilled sausage. Across from her sat a young man in a simple black cotton overcoat with a haggard complexion.
This young man was Grego. At this time, he had already experienced more than a week of continuous New Year overtime. Due to the recent easing of the high-pressure crackdown by Tivian's official extraordinary agencies, he was able to take some time to meet with his sister. However, he didn't expect to receive surprising news from her mouth upon meeting her.
"Hmm... Miss Dorothy, what you meant just now is that you need to go on some kind of study tour? You won't be studying at school for the time being and will go abroad?"
With a clearly astonished expression, Grego said to his sister in front of him, while Dorothy nodded in response, still eating her grilled sausage.
"That's right, Grego, you know that our middle school is an affiliated school of Crown University and has deep ties with Crown University. Every year, Crown University organizes students from some departments to go on study tours and practical training to broaden their horizons, and such a study tour is scheduled to start in a few days.
"Because a professor at Crown University believes it's a good thing for younger children to see the world earlier, they exceptionally gave our middle school a few spots this year, allowing those of us with excellent grades to go along. I was selected because my grades were pretty good; I just received the letter the day before yesterday."
As she spoke, Dorothy finished the grilled sausage in her hand, and Grego couldn't help but frown slightly after listening to her words.
"So, how long will this study tour last?"
"Hmm... Let me think, it will probably be about two or three months." Dorothy continued to answer Grego, and Grego continued to ask after hearing this.
"Two or three months, that's a bit long... Being away from school for such a long time, will it affect your studies, and is it a bit... for you to go abroad alone at only thirteen years old?"
Grego said to Dorothy with a worried tone, while Dorothy smiled and waved her hand in response.
"Don't worry, big brother~ We are going with teachers from our school, following the group from beginning to end, so nothing will go wrong~ And it's not just teachers from our middle school going, but also professors and senior students from Crown University. Going out with them, you don't have to worry about falling behind in your studies. Rather, it's precisely to broaden my horizons and learn more things that I must participate in this trip.
"Besides, being chosen for such a rare opportunity is of great benefit to my future studies. Crown University is organizing this study tour, and my future goal is also to get into Crown University. If participating in such activities frequently makes a deep impression on Crown University, maybe I can even get direct admission later."
Dorothy said this to Grego, and Grego's eyes immediately lit up upon hearing the possibility of direct admission to Crown University.
"Direct admission? So, it means getting in directly? There's such a good thing?!"
Grego said with a raised eyebrow. His biggest wish now was probably to see his sister successfully get into university. Now that Dorothy suddenly mentioned the possibility of direct admission to one of the nation's top universities, it immediately lifted his spirits.
"Of course, if you don't believe me, you can look at this. This is the letter written by Crown University."
Saying that, Dorothy took out an envelope from her bag and handed it to Grego. On the somewhat damaged wax seal of the envelope, there was the imprint of Crown University's school emblem.
With an expectant expression, Grego took the envelope, then took out the letter paper inside and began to read. When he saw the seal of Crown University on the letter paper, Grego's originally worried heart gradually calmed down, and Dorothy, seeing Grego's happy expression while reading the letter, couldn't help but show a slight smile at the corner of her mouth.
She knew that her big brother's side was finally settled.
...
Soon after, Dorothy and Grego finished their meal, and after talking for a while longer, Dorothy said goodbye to her big brother again and set off on the road back to Green Shade Town.
Inside the moving carriage, Dorothy looked at the bustling crowd outside the window and couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
"Finally, Grego's matter is settled. Next... it's time to set off."
Sitting on the seat in the carriage, Dorothy couldn't help but mutter. What she had just done was the final preparation before setting off on the trip: persuading Grego.
Ever since Dorothy learned that the Spiderfang Priest held her bird corpse puppet, which still had a damaged spiritual thread connection to her, and that there was a possibility of finding her through this damaged spiritual thread, in order not to leave a hidden danger, Dorothy immediately began to think about how to break this spiritual thread. The method she finally came up with was to run a sufficient distance, using a length far exceeding the control range to forcibly snap this spiritual thread.
After thinking of this method, Dorothy immediately decided on her post-New Year travel plan and then began to consider where to go for this long-distance trip.
It was at this time that Dorothy consecutively received contact from Naifnis and Vanya, and then discovered that they also had travel plans after the New Year.
Neff was participating in a study and investigation activity organized by her school, and Vanya needed to go on a pilgrimage to a holy place due to her promotion. Both of them happened to be going abroad. After considering their destinations, Dorothy also immediately decided on her destination, which was Iweig.
Based on their communication over the past few days, Dorothy understood that Naifnis's first main destination for her study tour was Adria, a famous water city in Iweig, where they were going to attend a cultural relics exhibition. Vanya, on the other hand, needed to go to Lecher Valley in Iweig, which is said to be one of the holy places of the Holy Mother faction of the Church; her promotion required her to go there on a pilgrimage.
Although Vanya and Naifnis had different specific destinations, their overall goal was Iweig, so Dorothy naturally set her travel destination there as well. Going together all the way, everyone could at least look out for each other.
"Iweig... In the hidden history, it doesn't seem to be a very peaceful country either."
Sitting in the carriage, Dorothy muttered to herself, and at the same time, various pieces of information about Iweig began to surface in her mind.
Iweig is a peninsula country located southwest of the Main Continent, on the Conquest Sea. The Conquest Sea is the ocean between the Main Continent and the Ufeiga Continent. Iweig is surrounded by the sea on three sides, and to the north are the defending countries guarding the Holy Mountain. Among the many countries along the Conquest Sea, Iweig is a very important one, being one of the trade centers around the Conquest Sea.
In the history books Dorothy had read, Iweig had experienced several civil wars and wars with neighboring countries. The most famous war occurred more than four hundred years ago, when Iweig, led by "Arrogant King" Rio, invaded the northern defending countries, thereby angering the Papacy. At the call of the Papacy, the defending countries and some countries across the sea from Iweig responded one after another, jointly sending troops to invade Iweig. This was the Punishment War in Iweig's history.
Of course, this is the account in the secular history books. Dorothy had read the hidden history version of this war in the secret transmission "Faith and Holiness" given by Misha. In the book "Faith and Holiness," the author explained that the essence of this war was because Iweig openly worshipped the Abyssal Serpent at that time, thus angering the Holy Mountain. The Papacy personally intervened, organizing surrounding countries to launch a holy war against Iweig, and finally purifying all heretics and otherworld religions in Iweig.
'If the account in that book "Faith and Holiness" is true, then Iweig has historically been a country deeply involved with the Placenta Ebergrass Church and the Church, just like Prit, it also has many dark histories that the Church is unwilling to make public.
'Although there are dark histories, after all, more than four hundred years have passed, and this kind of hidden turmoil should have long since subsided. According to the newspapers, the situation in Iweig is currently relatively stable in all aspects, so traveling there should be no problem, and it seems there are quite a lot of places to visit there.'
Sitting with her legs crossed in the carriage, Dorothy thought happily that she had just finished her promotion. At this time, she was not in a hurry to consider the preparations for the Scarlet Tier promotion. Instead, she seriously intended to go on a trip and play for a while to relax, after all, she didn't want to be a promotion robot.
To persuade Grego to agree to her trip, Dorothy specially spent one hundred pound in labor fees for Beverly to use her identity as Crown University's acting school director to get her an official letter. With it, Dorothy could have a sufficient reason to travel. After all, Dorothy still had a guardian, and before a child traveled far, they still needed to explain things clearly to their parents.
Now, everything was ready. In a few days, it would be time for Neff and the others to set off, and Dorothy was also looking forward to that day.
"Oh, right... before I leave, I should still give some necessary greetings."
Suddenly, Dorothy in the carriage seemed to remember something and took out her "book-sea navigation record."
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...
"Ho~ You said you're leaving Tivian for a while? Detective Miss..."
In a bar private room in a certain part of the East District, Adele, dressed in disguised casual clothes, was shaking the red wine glass in her hand while talking to Dorothy, who was sitting close beside her. Dorothy, while twisting her body somewhat uncomfortably, spoke.
"Yes... that's right. Because of some matters in the society, I need to go on a business trip for a while, so I'm specially notifying you. I won't be around for a while, so if there's a conflict with the Wolf Blood Society, you'd better be cautious and don't act rashly."
"Is that so... Thank you very much, Detective Miss, for specifically coming to inform me. But don't worry, due to the official crackdown, including the Wolf Blood Society, all the societies in Tivian are being very well-behaved now. There won't be any movement for a while~"
Adele said this while stroking Dorothy's silver-white hair, and a subtle expression flowed in her narrowed eyes.
'What do you mean thank me for coming in person... I originally just wanted to casually inform you with a text, but you said there was something important to discuss face-to-face. Who knew that after I came, it would be just to drink with you!'
Her cheeks slightly red, Dorothy, leaning against Adele, tried hard to suppress her pounding heart as she thought. If it weren't for Adele helping her a great deal on New Year's Eve, she actually didn't want to come much.
Dorothy was being intimately leaned against by Adele at close range. When she usually interacted with Adele as a Corpse Puppet, she could remain composed, but now using her main body was clearly a bit overwhelming. After enduring it for a while and being unable to bear it any longer, she planned to stand up and speak.
"I, I'll sit across from you and we'll continue talking..."
"No need~ Sitting across from me at such a distance is too distant... Come, let's drink." Just as Dorothy was about to get up, Adele placed her hand on Dorothy's shoulder, gently pressed her back into her seat, and then picked up another glass of red wine and handed it to Dorothy. Dorothy couldn't help but say anxiously.
"Don't! I'm only thirteen and can't drink!"
"Huh? You're really thirteen? Not some old guy pretending to be young... If that's the case, then there's nothing I can do." Adele said somewhat unexpectedly after hearing Dorothy's words, then put the wine glass back on the table with a slight hint of disappointment. Dorothy on the side breathed a sigh of relief after seeing this.
"Honestly, if it weren't for having so many things lately, I would also want to do a tour and travel around various countries, travel everywhere. It just so happens that there are some exhibitions and events in the near future that I'm quite interested in."
After taking another small sip of wine, Adele continued to speak with a hint of regret in her words, and a hint of doubt also appeared in Dorothy's eyes as she spoke.
"Exhibition? Are you referring to the cultural relics exhibition in Adria next month?"
"Ah, that one, I've heard of that one too, but as a dancer, I'm not really that interested in cultural relics. What I'm more interested in is this..."
Adele said this while taking out a fashion magazine from her small bag and flipping through it, finally opening to a certain page.
Printed on the black and white magazine was a well-dressed middle-aged man with a small mustache. Below his portrait, there was a large headline.
"The most beautiful sapphire in history - the deep blue heart, will begin its first public exhibition on January 25th, on the shining white pearl cruise ship. The famous jewelry collector, Mr. Massimo. Russo, will display his proudest collection to the world on the sea!"
"The most... beautiful sapphire in history?"
Looking at the content on the magazine displayed by Adele, Dorothy couldn't help but murmur.
...
Time flew by, and soon, about another week had passed. The day of Dorothy's departure finally arrived. After handling all the affairs in Tivian, Dorothy boarded the long-distance passenger ship in the port area of East Tivian.
Under the gray sky, on the vast ocean, a white medium-sized passenger ship was moving forward, emitting black smoke, leaving a long white wake on the sea surface.
On the deck of the passenger ship, the sea wind howled and swept across. Few passengers braved the sea wind to stay on the deck, and among them was a group of young men and women led by an old man.
"The location we are currently in is the middle section of the Prit Strait. Two hundred and twenty-seven years ago, our patrol fleet encountered the Faloro main first fleet in the nearby waters. The patrol fleet relied on courageous resistance to delay the arrival of the Royal Navy's main force, and a fierce naval battle broke out here..."
In the sea wind, an old man with glasses and the demeanor of a scholar was telling the history of the past to the young men and women in front of him, who were dressed in various ways. The young men and women were also listening attentively, and some were diligently taking notes.
On the other side of the deck, Dorothy, wearing a black cotton dress, with her hair neatly tied up and a small hat, was leaning against the railing and looking with interest at the scene of the live lecture in the distance.
After a long while, the live public lecture on the deck finally ended. Following the words of the old professor, the group of young men and women scattered, going to different places, some returning to the cabin, and some remaining on the deck.
And one of them, without a sound, walked over to Dorothy's side. That was Naifnis, wearing a trench coat.
"Phew... it's finally over. Listening to the lecture in the sea wind is not only freezing, but I could barely hear clearly."
Coming to Dorothy's side, Naifnis said with a slight complaint, and Dorothy replied with a smile.
"Well, I can see it's a unique experience. And I can also see that your professor is in good health."
"Yes, Professor John, although he looks old, he has no less energy than young people."
Naifnis said this, then she looked at Dorothy and moved closer, looking around before lowering her voice and speaking.
"But speaking of which, I didn't expect Miss Dorothy to not only agree to my study tour request, but even come along... Are you... perhaps going to other places to carry out some secret mission for the society?"
Naifnis said mysteriously to Dorothy, and Dorothy couldn't help but laugh in response after hearing this.
"There's no mission, you're thinking too much. I just came out to travel and relax this time, there's no mission."
"Just traveling and relaxing? Is that so..."
Listening to Dorothy's words, Naifnis said thoughtfully, and just as she was about to say something more, suddenly a large wave hit the passenger ship, and the entire ship body swayed quite violently for a moment.
Since Dorothy was also observing the sea conditions while chatting, she had anticipated the arrival of the big wave and grabbed the railing in advance, so nothing happened when the ship swayed. On the other hand, Neff almost fell due to imbalance and managed to regain her balance by grabbing the railing with difficulty.
After that, Naifnis couldn't help but start complaining.
"Ugh... this ship is a bit small, it's too easily affected by wind and waves... I really want to get to Barcelona port quickly. Once we get there, we can switch to the shining white pearl, that's a big cruise ship."
'shining white pearl?'
Listening to Naifnis's complaint, Dorothy couldn't help but raise her eyebrows slightly.