At noon, with sunlight streaming in, inside a very clean kitchen, a curly-haired girl with a large bow tied on her head stood there, humming a tune while cooking, happily preparing lunch.
Amidst her busyness, the girl standing on a small stool skillfully used the kitchen utensils to prepare two plates of food. One dish contained baked bread chicken legs and a vegetable salad, while the other contained several fried fish. After preparing the dishes, the girl poured some milk, one cup for drinking and one dish.
After all the dishes were prepared, the girl put everything onto a tray and carried it to the dining room. At this moment, a Black Cat was sitting at the dining table, its eyes fixed on a hand mirror placed on the table. Its expression was extremely serious, as if it could see something in the hand mirror.
"Grandpa~ Dinner is ready~"
The girl named Shaliya placed the tray on the dining table and served the dishes onto the table. She gave the plate of fried fish and the dish of milk to the Black Cat, keeping the plate of bread chicken legs and a cup of milk for herself. Black Dream, upon hearing Shaliya's voice, also nodded and moved the hand mirror in front of it aside.
"Hmm... Got it."
As it spoke, the Black Cat began to lap up the milk in the dish before it. Meanwhile, Shaliya, after sitting down, looked curiously at the ancient hand mirror with crescent patterns placed beside the Black Cat, and then asked curiously.
"Grandpa, you've been staring at the mirror since just now... and your expression is a bit strange. Did something happen?"
"More or less... Just now, I received news from the Shadow Mirror that the Black Dream group of traitors showed a major anomaly this morning. All the Pseudo-Moth we could confirm began migrating at the same time, changing their Dream World coordinates, and are now completely untraceable..."
After lapping a few mouthfuls of milk, the Black Cat said to Shaliya. Hearing the Black Cat's words, Shaliya couldn't help but be startled, and then said in surprise.
"All the Pseudo-Moth of the Black Dream Hunter Group have started moving? How could this happen? This has never happened before, has it...?"
"It hasn't happened since you can remember, but this situation has happened before. When the society undergoes relatively serious changes, they will take similar actions, intending to strengthen concealment... Therefore, the Black Dream Hunter Group must have encountered something recently, and it's likely something bad."
The Black Cat said this to Shaliya. After finishing the milk, it started eating the baked fish on the plate using both paws. After hearing the Black Cat's words, she slightly furrowed her brows. Then, as if she thought of something, she continued to murmur.
"Encountered something bad recently? Hmm... Speaking of which, last night when I went to the Dream World to find the An Yin Bureau's Black Dog to go hunting, he asked me about the Black Dream Hunter Group. He said a Rose Cross Detective had entrusted him to ask."
"That Rose Cross?" Hearing Shaliya's words, the Black Cat, who was gnawing on the fried fish, became serious. Then, it raised its head and looked at Shaliya with a rather solemn expression, and then continued to speak.
"You mean... last night, Rose Cross specifically asked someone to ask you about the Black Dream Hunter Group? Could it be that they have intersected with the Black Dream Hunter Group?"
"Hmm... I think so. According to that Detective, he traveled to a small town in southern Castile and found that a disease called 'Wasting Sleep Syndrome' was prevalent in that town. He said that these patients all worshipped a Moth God that could bring beautiful dreams. After hearing this, I knew that it was a breeding ground for Black Dream to cultivate Pseudo-Moth. So, I asked Black Dog to relay some basic information about Black Dream and Pseudo-Moth to that Detective and told him to be careful... After all, in the dream, I often receive care from that Paturnax. It should be fine to tell them some things that are not related to ourselves."
Shaliya said this to the Black Cat. Then, after thinking for a while, she continued to speak.
"Hey... Grandpa, don't tell me that after I gave them that information, Rose Cross directly attacked the Black Dream Hunter Group. They fought with Black Dream, which is why Black Dream showed such unusual behavior today."
While biting into the bread, Shaliya told Black Dream her guess. Hearing Shaliya's guess, the Black Cat shook its head.
"Impossible. You gave them the information last night, and the Black Dream Hunter Group showed an anomaly this morning. If they really attacked the Black Dream Hunter Group, it would be almost like acting immediately after getting the information. No matter how you think about it, that's too rash. At least they should analyze it."
"Furthermore, based on the previous actions of this Rose Cross, it's not just hatred between them and Black Dream, they might not even know much about each other, and they lack a reason to act."
The Black Cat analyzed in a serious and formal tone. Hearing its words, Shaliya said somewhat disappointed.
"Hmm... is that so? It would be great if they fought. Perhaps Paturnax could fight against the Pseudo-Moth in the Dream World..."
"Don't think too much, Shaliya... To deal with those traitors, it's best not to place our hopes on external forces that we ourselves cannot figure out." The Black Cat said this, and then after gnawing a few more bites of meat from the fried fish, it continued to speak.
"However, this time Black Dream's anomaly still concerns me greatly. I will try to figure out what exactly happened to them... Hmm, if you have a chance, you can also subtly ask Black Dog or even Dragon about how that Detective who encountered the Black Dream stronghold is doing now, which city that stronghold is specifically in, and if there have been any special phenomena recently. You don't need to ask deliberately, just say a few words when you find an opportunity."
Black Dream instructed Shaliya like this, and Shaliya also nodded after finishing a cup of milk.
"Okay, I understand, Grandpa."
...
North Shore of Conquest, Navaja.
In Navaja in the afternoon, in the southern port area, the Church's fleet was still anchored there. Like many citizens of Navaja, many sailors and passengers on the fleet were discussing the chaos from this morning.
Due to the nature of the Church itself, most people on the fleet noticed unusual activity last night, as if some large-scale Extraordinary event had occurred. However, they could not know how serious this event was, and the few people on the fleet who had actually experienced this event were severely affected.
Inside the Captain's cabin of the fleet's flagship, the 'Boon', the overall commander of the escort fleet, Jode, was currently leaning on his bed, looking haggard. His entire complexion was very poor, and in front of him were several men wearing strange clerical robes.
They were otherworld Inquisitors from Truva, who had specifically come to Navaja to take over the Sea Abyss Church case. However, they had not expected that as soon as they arrived in Navaja, the situation here would become more complicated than anticipated.
"Jode... According to you... last night, a huge Extraordinary creature in the form of a strange moth appeared here. It not only hypnotized everyone in the city but also prepared to devour the minds of those hypnotized."
Sitting on a chair in the Captain's cabin, the leading Inquisitor said to the haggard Jode on the bed with a look of astonishment. Jode also nodded and then spoke slowly.
"Yes... That should be a Dream World creature capable of affecting reality. I suspect there is a'Shadow' cult in this city that practices dream-seeing abilities. This creature might have been summoned by them..."
Jode said seriously to the Inquisitor. After hearing Jode's words, the Inquisitor's expression became serious for a moment, and then he continued to speak.
"We originally thought... coming here was just to handle the Sea Abyss Church matter, but we didn't expect things to become even more complicated... A cult that practices Dream World abilities, I've heard of one called the Black Dream Hunter Group before, I wonder if it's this one..."
"I'm not too sure either...'Shadow' cults are generally more secretive. We, who often drift at sea, have more contact with the likes of the Sea Abyss Church, and at most the Dark Gold Society. This time encountering an opponent mainly focused on dream abilities is indeed very tricky. We almost all went to meet the Lord..."
Jode said to the Inquisitor with a tone of relief, and the Inquisitor replied with a comforting tone.
"But no matter what, Captain Jode, you ultimately defeated that monster and protected Navaja. The Lord will not abandon the warriors who fight for protection."
"No… it wasn't us who defeated that monster… it was a Dragon?" Jode said seriously to the Inquisitors, who, after hearing Jode's words, were slightly startled, then spoke with an expression of disbelief.
"A Dragon? Are you sure?"
"Yes… I'm sure, it was a Dragon, a Dragon that only exists in legends, a Dragon said to have only existed before the Save the World descended…" Jode replied somewhat dazed, and the Inquisitors, listening to Jode's words, spoke with a solemn expression.
"Captain Jode, are you sure you really saw a creature like a Dragon? This wasn't an illusion? Or perhaps not a dream? You just said that monster had the ability to hypnotize and create dreams…"
"A dream? Perhaps… of course, I was attacked by that monster, so my mind became chaotic, and I was indeed confused about what was a dream and what was reality… I could only vaguely perceive some not-so-clear images… But what I want to say is that even if that Dragon was truly a being in a dream, it was definitely a Dragon of the Dream World that could move freely within it, not something I simply imagined, because besides me, Santos and the others also saw that Dragon. Something I merely imagined in my personal dream would not be seen by others…
"So that Dragon definitely exists, it's not someone's fantasy, it appeared at the most dangerous moment and saved us, defeating that monster. At that time, we even wondered if this was an Apostle of the Lord coming to save us…"
Jode said to the Inquisitors in a haggard manner. After listening to Jode's words, the Inquisitors immediately spoke seriously.
"Please be careful with your words, Captain Jode. The Sacred Text does not record any Dragon-shaped Apostles of the Three Saints… Your words just now were very dangerous."
The Inquisitors reminded Jode, and Jode immediately replied.
"Ah… you misunderstand, we naturally always remember the Sacred Text, we didn't mean to treat that Dragon as an Apostle of the Lord, this is just a sentiment after surviving a great calamity…"
Jode explained this to the Inquisitors, and after listening to his words, the wary look in the Inquisitors' eyes did not diminish much. He then continued to speak in a stern tone.
"Just a sentiment… Hmm… I understand. Thank you, Captain Jode, for your explanation. I have a general understanding of the situation last night. Regarding the Pseudo-Moth of dreams and the Dragon of dreams, I will report it immediately.
"The severity of this incident in Navaja is very high, we need to send more personnel for a more detailed investigation. For the next period of time, Captain Jode and the other three warriors who participated in the operation last night, please temporarily remain in Navaja for a while to cooperate with our investigation."
The Inquisitors said this to Jode, as if Jode's words just now had touched a sensitive nerve as an Inquisitors. In his eyes when looking at Jode, there was a hint of wariness, and Jode, after hearing his words, was slightly startled, then continued to speak.
"The four of us… stay here? No, Captain, we also have an escort mission. Devout believers need to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Mother's holy land, and our mission is to escort them. We are only here to wait for you all to take over the Ebergrass Church case and rest. The waiting time has been long enough now, according to the schedule, we cannot wait any longer."
Jode said this to the Inquisitors, indicating that the few of them had missions and could not stay to cooperate with their investigation. However, the Inquisitors were not bothered by Jode's explanation.
"I regret to say, this Extraordinary incident is very serious, and you are the core participants. Without you, the investigation will likely be very difficult to carry out… We need you to stay here…"
The Inquisitors said somewhat sternly to Jode. Listening to the Inquisitors' words, Jode's brows furrowed deeply for a moment.
"But, our mission…"
"Your mission can continue, we only need the four of you who participated in the battle to stay, the rest can still continue the pilgrimage. This fleet is so large, it can still sail with four people missing, right…"
The Inquisitors said to Jode, and Jode continued with some helplessness.
"That's true, the fleet can still set sail without us, but we are the only four White Ranks in the entire escort team. If none of us are here, the risk of the fleet sailing will increase significantly…"
"You don't actually need to worry too much about this. The distance from here to Iweig is not too far anymore, and the routes are very safe. Even ships without Extraordinary can sail safely, let alone a fleet.
"Furthermore, I see that the four of you have obvious after-effects after the battle with that monster, and your mental states are very poor. If you were to command in such a state, things might go wrong more easily, so staying here now to cooperate with our investigation and rest is the best choice. The fleet can appoint experienced officers to sail to Iweig… I will report to the higher-ups and explain your situation clearly. This is a special circumstance, you will not be held responsible."
The Inquisitors said seriously to Jode. After listening to his words, Jode thought carefully and realized that his current mental state was indeed not suitable for commanding. After sighing, he said to the Inquisitors.
"Alright, we will stay, the fleet will continue to sail."
…
In Navaja in the afternoon, in a room covered in dust and cobwebs, a dazed, thinly dressed, emaciated young man walked around the room, looking at the surroundings with a bewildered expression.
This young man was a reclusive painter. A year ago, he was sent to a mental hospital because he contracted sleeping sickness. This morning, he woke up to find himself lying on the street in Navaja.
Following vague memories, the young man returned to his home, which he hadn't been to for a year. Stepping on the creaking floorboards, he looked at the dilapidated furniture around him and the many dust-covered paintings.
Walking along, the young man came to a locked door. After finding the hidden key in a vase, he opened the rusty lock and entered. He walked up the stairs and went straight into a hidden attic.
When he entered the attic, what met his eyes were rows of hung paintings. What was painted on these paintings were grotesque moths of various forms.
These paintings were abstract, detailed, fine, and rough, but what was painted were all moths. These were the young man's works from his moth-worship period, creations he made after receiving enlightenment.
The young man slowly walked to the end of the attic. Here stood a large easel, and on the canvas board of the easel, there was an unfinished painting of a moth. After looking at this painting for a few moments, the young man seemed to want to continue painting to finish it, but he hesitated for a long time. After a brief pause, he reached out and tore down this painting, then replaced it with new paper.
Then, the young man began his creation. Since the paint on the side had long dried up, he directly picked up a pencil and quickly drew on the paper. As soon as he returned home, the young man's first task was to create a new painting.
Under the young man's control, lines constantly leaped and arranged on the large paper, sketching and forming shapes. Under the passion for creation, the emaciated young man seemed tireless. As time passed, an image gradually appeared on the paper.
And this time, the image on the paper was completely different from the grotesque moths filling the attic.
Sharp fangs and claws, spread giant wings, dense scales, spinal spikes and long horns, it was clearly a majestic Dragon spreading its wings, about to fly. Under the young man's exquisite skill, the Dragon's irresistible, powerful posture filled with strength was fully displayed. This was completely different from the bizarre and strange style of the moths. What was reflected on the paper was the purest power, ancient and majestic.
After finishing this painting, the young man let out a big sigh of relief, then dropped his pencil and slumped onto the chair behind him. Then, while panting, he stared at the paper in front of him, gazing at the Dragon he had drawn on it, lost in thought.