On the vast sea swept by the sea breeze, amidst the surging waves, a massive fleet was sailing forward. On the spacious deck of the flagship, a Sister dressed in white felt her unease increase after hearing the words of the priest before her. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke.
"Ah… a welcome banquet personally arranged by the Archbishop… and attended by many important people? This… isn't this a bit too grand? We are just here for a pilgrimage… I think, I think there's no need to make it so troublesome…"
"Why is there no need? Sister Vanya, you have just successfully enlightened over a hundred thousand ignorant people in the entire Natsuki, helping them recognize the true truth of this world and converting them under the glorious Light of the Holy Mother. With such a Credit, you naturally deserve a grand welcome banquet."
Looking at the nervous Sister before him, An De spoke in a comforting tone. However, upon hearing his words, Vanya's expression did not seem to ease much.
"Uh… I just did what I should have done. For the people of Natsuki, out of compassion and self-preservation, I wanted to help them a little, but I didn't expect to actually succeed in helping them grasp the true meaning of the Holy Mother. This outcome now is something I didn't expect… I, I really didn't expect I could make things like this…"
Vanya said this, looking like a child who had unintentionally caused an unexpected big commotion by doing something, appearing uneasy and at a loss. Listening to her words, An De paused slightly, then his expression became a little serious as he spoke.
"Sister Vanya, no matter what the facts are, no matter whether you thought about enlightening the ignorant people of Natsuki beforehand, now the Natsuki people have all declared their conversion, and you are the undeniable enlightener, the foremost contributor. This is beyond doubt, you don't need to doubt yourself.
"Now even newspapers have started reporting your achievements, so no matter in front of whom, you must remember your identity as the missionary of Natsuki, understood?"
Facing the Sister before him, An De spoke seriously and earnestly. Listening to his words, Vanya's body trembled slightly, then she nodded and spoke.
"I understand…"
"Heh, no need to be nervous, Sister Vanya. Go back to your cabin and rest well now. It's best to greet the welcome banquet in the most energetic state." Using a relaxed tone, An De smiled slightly, then continued to speak to Vanya. Vanya also responded respectfully after hearing his words.
"I understand, An De priest. I'll go back now."
Saying this, Vanya turned and left the deck, walking back into the cabin. After passing through a long corridor, she finally returned to her own passenger cabin. The moment she closed the cabin door, Vanya leaned against the door and let out a deep sigh.
'This is the first time I've received such attention, I'm so nervous. I didn't expect the impact this time to be so big… Not only did the Archbishop arrange a banquet, but it also made it into the newspapers…'
Covering her chest, Vanya thought anxiously in her heart. Although she had been reminded before, she still hadn't quite anticipated this big commotion.
Vanya thought that on the surface, she had only persuaded some marginal people to convert, just like how the Tivian Church used to organize people to go to extremely remote places to spread the Three Saints' teachings. She was just doing the same thing as them. Although it was a Credit, it shouldn't have caused such a big commotion, even alarming Archbishop Iweig.
Recalling the grandeur of the Church navy when they came to pick her up in Natsuki before, Vanya still felt a little flustered. As someone who grew up in the Church since childhood and was just an ordinary scripture reader half a year ago, she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by such focused care and treatment.
'According to what Miss Dorothea said before, after I return to the Church fleet, I should try to show surprise and nervousness about the Natsuki matter. At first, I was worried if I could act well… But looking at the current scale, I don't need to act, do I…'
While walking towards the bed in the passenger cabin, Vanya said this in her heart with emotion. In the current situation, her nervousness and anxiety were completely from the heart.
'I really don't know what will happen after I arrive in Adria, but I hope the impact of this matter passes quickly. The feeling of always attracting everyone's attention… is quite uncomfortable…'
Thinking this, Vanya sat down by her bed. After looking out at the sea view from the window for a few moments, she somewhat uneasily took out her personal Holy Scripture. After opening a page, she began to write words on it with a pen.
"Miss Dorothea, I'm very sorry to bother you again, but there are some new pieces of intelligence I need to report to you. I heard from the classroom on the ship that I will arrive in Adria tomorrow, and there will be a welcome banquet arranged by Archbishop Iweig. At that time, I may have to directly face someone of the Archbishop's level. Will I be okay…"
…
Meanwhile, on the other side of the sea, a regular passenger ship was sailing on the vast ocean. In one of the upper-class cabins of the passenger ship, Dorothy, wearing a white dress with the characteristics of a marine uniform, was sitting inside, gazing intently at the ""wen hai hang zhi"" before her, reading the latest news Vanya had written to her.
'The conversion of Natsuki, I didn't expect the Church's reaction to be so big. Not only did multiple newspapers in multiple countries report it simultaneously… even an Archbishop of a larger district was alarmed enough to arrange a banquet… It's somewhat unexpected…'
Looking at the familiar handwriting on the ""wen hai hang zhi"", Dorothy thought to herself. Then she looked at the headlines of a pile of newspapers from different publishers placed next to the ""wen hai hang zhi"". The news reported on them was all about the pilgrims in danger, the Holy Mother Sister preaching the gospel, and the conversion of marginal people who were touched.
These were all bought by Dorothy in various places in Truva before boarding the ship. To be honest, the intensity of the Church's propaganda regarding the Natsuki matter was much stronger than she had originally imagined.
Dorothy knew that the conversion of over a hundred thousand marginal people would have a significant impact on the Church, but she didn't expect the impact to be this great. Based on the information she currently has, the Church used media in multiple countries and multiple cities on the North Shore of Conquest to simultaneously report on the Natsuki matter. After omitting the confidential content, they promoted this matter as a successful story of a modern saint preaching the gospel.
The Church's large-scale propaganda of this incident seems to be directly portraying Vanya as a new saint, making the conversion of Natsuki a Holy Scripture story of the new era. Dorothy could see that many passengers on the ship couldn't help but discuss heatedly after reading these reports. Many devout passengers with deep religious feelings even began to feel excited about the content, directly calling Sister Vanya a new era Holy Mother saint.
'The Church's propaganda effort for the Natsuki matter is so great and they attach so much importance to it, it feels a bit strange. Not long ago, they were preparing to send a fleet to destroy the entire island, and just a few days after the conversion was announced, before things were completely clear, they started promoting the results so high-profilely. It feels a little off…
'By promoting this Vanya saint's preaching so eagerly and high-profilely, aren't they afraid that when they encounter stubborn marginal people like those in Natsuki in the future, they will be hesitant to decisively purify them due to the previous propaganda? Moreover, the danger faced by the pilgrims indirectly reflects the inadequacy of the Church Knights' escort. Such high-profile propaganda of this matter is actually not good for some other departments of the Church either…'
Sitting on the bed in the passenger cabin, Dorothy thought this as she looked at Vanya's response on the ""wen hai hang zhi"". Thinking from the Church's perspective, the Natsuki matter should not have been promoted so quickly and so high-profilely. Although the Church's influence has expanded and the religious concepts of the Three Saints… especially the concepts of the Holy Mother faction have been promoted, from another perspective, it also limits the legitimacy of the Church directly using force against heretical marginal people in the future, and it also exposes the dereliction of duty of some departments within the Church.
If Dorothy put herself in the position of the entire Church, she would indeed promote the conversion of Natsuki, but not so quickly and so high-profilely. The current situation should be very favorable for some people within the Church, but for others, they probably wouldn't like it as much.
In Dorothy's view, the Church's situation like this indicates the existence of some kind of divisive characteristic within it. They are so resolute when it comes to purification, and they are also so resolute when it comes to promoting gentle enlightenment. This situation is very likely the result of a power struggle within.
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'It seems that there is indeed a struggle between those with differing opinions within the Church. This time, Sister Vanya was conveniently used by someone with ulterior motives...' Dorothy thought this way. After all, it's impossible for a sufficiently large organization to not have some factional struggles. Natsuki's situation this time was very likely used by certain factions within the Church to make a point.
'But it's also good. The more Sister Vanya is 'used' by others, the more 'harmless' she appears in the hands of those in power. The lower the chance of her being suspected, the safer she is.'
Dorothy thought this again. Not only did she not worry about a certain force within the Church using Sister Vanya, but she was even happier, because someone who can be easily used will not be specifically guarded against by others.
Under Dorothy's previous maneuvering, the Church knew that Natsuki's real reason for converting was the discovery of Sea Abyss Church spies and the exposure of the fact that they were used by the Sea Abyss Church. Sister Vanya was just an excuse Natsuki used for a public conversion. Thus, in the eyes of the Church, Sister Vanya was used by Natsuki. Now, one of the forces within the Church is using Sister Vanya for propaganda to suppress other hostile factions. In the eyes of those hostile factions, Sister Vanya is being used again.
What is there to guard against in a little Sister who is repeatedly used and manipulated like this?
Therefore, Dorothy instructed Sister Vanya from the beginning to always act like a genuinely simple little Sister with no hidden agenda. The more easily she gets nervous, the better; the more innocent, the better; the more pious on the surface, the better. In short, she should try her best to create a naive and sweet persona for herself, making herself a decorative figure. The more deeply this persona is ingrained, the safer she will be within the Church, and the more she will be able to profit from her achievements and reputation.
Fortunately, Sister Vanya's true nature is not too far from this naive and sweet persona.
'Although this persona is easy for Sister Vanya to maintain, she still hides too many secrets that the Church cannot tolerate. Under the increasing scrutiny she's facing now, her long-term psychological pressure will continue to grow. In recent times, her prayers to Aka have become more frequent, and her contact with me has also increased, which is a sign...'
Dorothy continued to think. In recent times, Sister Vanya has significantly increased the number of times she initiates conversations with her due to growing psychological pressure. In the past, to avoid disturbing her work as an important member of the Rose Cross, she would only seek her out when necessary, so their communication frequency wasn't very high. However, this frequency is now rapidly increasing.
At first, Sister Vanya would actively seek out Dorothy to report on things that weren't very important, and chat a bit. Then, slowly, Sister Vanya would contact Dorothy about trivial matters, and chat a bit. Now, Sister Vanya is even gradually showing a tendency to actively contact Dorothy simply to chat.
After all, in Sister Vanya's eyes, besides the mysterious and unfathomable great Aka, Dorothy is the only person who knows everything about her. In the dangerous environment of the Church, Sister Vanya can only open up when communicating with Dorothy. And Dorothy is naturally happy to help her relieve pressure, so every time Sister Vanya contacts her under the guise of "reporting information," Dorothy patiently communicates with her. Dorothy understands that only if Sister Vanya can maintain her own state of mind can she establish herself safely within the Church.
For example, this contact was just like that. Looking at the familiar handwriting on the """wen hai hang zhi""" before her, Dorothy thought for a moment and then wrote on it.
"A welcome banquet arranged by the Archbishop? I understand. It's okay, even if the Archbishop arranged it, he might not attend himself. He might just send a representative to offer greetings. You don't need to worry too much..."
Dorothy wrote many comforting words on the page. After finishing, she turned her head to look at the churning sea outside the window, then pondered the journey in her mind.
"Looking at the current situation, we should probably arrive at the port around noon. Sister Vanya was delayed quite a bit because Natsuki was coordinating with the Church's follow-up work. It seems I can arrive in Adria ahead of schedule... If there's an opportunity later, I'll meet with her to ease her mind..."
...
Time flew by, and soon an entire morning had passed. After nearly two days of sailing, the passenger ship Dorothy was on finally reached its destination, the large coastal city of Iweig, Adria.
As Dorothy, wearing a white sailor-style dress, controlled the parent Corpse Puppet carrying luggage to disembark from the passenger ship, she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief after glancing at the bustling dock before her.
Next, Dorothy walked out of the dock with the parent Corpse Puppet carrying luggage and arrived at a busy intersection. Here, many horse-drawn carriages were waiting for passengers disembarking from the dock. What surprised Dorothy was that near the intersection, along the coast, many small boats were moored. On each boat was a boatman wearing a uniform similar to a carriage driver. Many travelers arriving here chose not to take a carriage but instead opted for a small boat, and there seemed to be even more people choosing the boat.
Seeing the large number of boatmen, Dorothy suddenly remembered that Adria is a city of a hundred islands, composed of hundreds of natural or artificial islands. Waterways are dense and crisscrossing throughout the city, making travel by boat seem more convenient. This is also one of the city's characteristics.
Arriving in a new city, Dorothy, who already had a bit of a tourist mindset, naturally chose a more characteristic way to travel. After a while, she controlled the parent Corpse Puppet to board a small boat. The boatman on the boat, after enthusiastically helping Dorothy place the luggage, spoke to the parent Corpse Puppet.
"This Mr., where do Captain need to go? Or would Captain like me to guide Captain on the most beautiful sightseeing route?"
"Hmm... my daughter and I have just arrived here. We want to find a place to stay and put our luggage down first." The parent Corpse Puppet, slightly plump and prosperous-looking, wearing a short hat and a small mustache, said with a smile to the boatman. The boatman nodded after listening and then continued to speak enthusiastically.
"Ah, I see. Then I'll recommend a few hotels for Captain. They're guaranteed to be comfortable and affordable, ensuring that both Captain and Captain's lovely daughter will be satisfied."
"Haha... You don't need to bother with introductions. We want to look around ourselves. By the way, do you know the Net Flow Church? I want to see that area..." The parent Corpse Puppet said with an amiable smile. The boatman, hearing the standard and fluent Iweig language from the parent Corpse Puppet, determined that these were not easily swindled foreign tourists, and so he spoke.
"Alright, then we'll go to the Net Flow Church. Please make yourselves comfortable."
Saying this, the boatman gripped the oars and began to row. Under his skilled handling, the small boat gradually moved away from the shore. After sailing a short distance, it entered a waterway leading into the city. Immediately, the buildings on both sides of Dorothy became structures slowly moving backward. Their small boat proceeded slowly within the waterway between the two rows of buildings.
Sitting on the small boat, Dorothy widened her crimson eyes and curiously observed the various buildings constantly receding on both sides of the waterway. While listening to the gurgling sound of the water, she admired the various stone carvings along the banks. The small boat often passed under bridge arches, and Dorothy could hear horse-drawn carriages passing overhead from time to time. Looking out at the surface of the waterway, small boats carrying passengers often passed by, and in some places, there were even lines of ducks swimming on the water.
In this way, the small boat Dorothy was on kept moving forward along the winding waterway. After a while, as they rounded a bend, the buildings on one side of the waterway suddenly disappeared, replaced by a wide square. Dorothy looked towards the end of the square and saw a magnificent grand Church standing in the distance.
On the spire of the Church, which seemed even larger than the Tivig Saint Chant Church, there was a dazzling flash of light that seemed to be formed by refracted sunlight, causing Dorothy to squint her eyes slightly.
"Look, guest! That's the Net Flow Grand Church over there! Do you see the Light on top of the Church? That is the most precious treasure of the Net Flow Church, the pride of our Adria, the Light from the diamond on the crown of emmanuel!"
"Diamond...?"
Listening to the boatman's words, looking at the distant glare, and feeling a sense of strangeness, Dorothy silently activated her Spirituality vision. Then, in her eyes, within the distant white Light that seemed to be reflected sunlight, traces of orange-yellow color were revealed. This was the Spirituality color of """Lamp""".
The crown diamond placed on top of the Net Flow Church seemed to be a powerful """Lamp""" Extraordinary Item with the properties of a Hui Jian Lamp.