North Africa, the border area between Tossep and Adus.
Under the twilight, on the desert arrow train parked next to the abyss, Dorothy sat in her carriage, focusing on the divination coin in her hand, looking at the front of the """Lamp""" coin which was imprinted with a sun emblem.
While Vanya and Gaspare Priest were talking, Dorothy had been linked to Vanya's senses, so the contents of Gaspare Priest's report were accurately transmitted to Dorothy's ears, and Dorothy learned of the special envoy's guard team's achievements for the day. When Dorothy heard that the Adus Revolutionary Army was the mastermind behind this attack, she was also somewhat surprised, so she immediately performed a divination herself to verify it. The result showed that Gaspare Priest's divination was indeed correct; the divination result indicated that the Adus Revolutionary Army was precisely the mastermind behind this incident.
'Was it the Adus Revolutionary Army that planned this ambush? That doesn't seem right... Do they have a reason to do this? According to Vanya, the Adus Revolutionary Army stated in their official letter to the Church that they did not wish to be enemies with the Church and hoped to resolve differences through negotiation. They also expressed welcome to the special envoy sent by the Church, showing a completely willing attitude for communication and consultation. Now they are going back on their word and trying to ambush the special envoy?
'More importantly... the Adus Revolutionary Army is an armed force that almost overthrew a country. As a rebel army capable of directly defeating the Adus state army and entering the capital Adis, how could their anti-divination defense be nonexistent? Every divination I do is accurate... This is too strange...'
With slightly furrowed brows, Dorothy thought to herself. Adus was not a small country in North Africa; it was a medium-sized country with over twenty million people. Although its national strength was not comparable to the powerful nations on the Main Continent, it was not much weaker. The overthrown Baruk Dynasty had ruled Adus for nearly two hundred years, and there must have been a complete official Extraordinary system operating within the dynasty. At the top of this official Extraordinary system, which was responsible for twenty million people, were Extraordinary individuals of the Scarlet level.
And for the Adus Revolutionary Army to be able to overthrow the Baruk Dynasty and destroy its rule, they must have also defeated Baruk's official Extraordinary individuals on the Extraordinary level and held Extraordinary ranks of the Scarlet level themselves. For such a Revolutionary Army to have zero defensive capability against divination, allowing results to be easily divined, seemed somewhat incredible to Dorothy.
'There's a problem... There's definitely a problem here. In this world, how could a Revolutionary Army capable of overthrowing a dynasty have completely zero defense against divination, allowing results to be divined instantly? This completely defies common sense... This is North Africa, where there are many ruins of the First Dynasty underground. More or less 'Qi' (Awakening/Enlightenment) can be extracted from each ruin. More than half of the 'Qi' (Awakening/Enlightenment) reserves currently circulating on the market come from North Wu. Now, suddenly to say that a Revolutionary Army in North Wu has no anti-divination defense? That's too abstract.'
Dorothy sat in her seat, lost in thought. Regarding this strange phenomenon, she had already contemplated some possibilities in her mind.
'Perhaps... it's possible that when the Revolutionary Army and the Baruk Dynasty clashed head-on, both sides completely depleted their 'Qi' (Awakening/Enlightenment) reserves during the divination war, and they haven't had time to replenish them yet? This is indeed a possibility... After all, the Baruk Dynasty was a dynasty that had accumulated resources for nearly two hundred years, and its anti-divination resources must have been considerable. If the Revolutionary Army and the Kingdom army engaged in a divination war, even if the Revolutionary Army won, their own situation wouldn't be much better.'
Dorothy mused inwardly. In the past, she would have merely considered such a possibility, but now it was different. After confirming that the other party had no divination defense, she could perform a few more divinations to gather more information.
Having made up her mind, Dorothy took out another """Lamp""" reserve coin from her pocket and placed it in her hand. These """Lamp""" reserve coins were ammunition for the sniper rifle's focused scorching flame. Originally, the people from the Eight-Pointed Nest had loaded five coins into it at once. She had only fired one low-power shot, using two coins, leaving three.
"Have the Adus Revolutionary Army's anti-divination resources been exhausted..."
Dorothy uttered the divination words, then threw the coin and slapped it onto the back of her hand. After removing her hand, the coin, which had lost its luster, lay quietly on the back of Dorothy's hand, showing its reverse side. This divination result directly negated Dorothy's divination words, meaning that the Adus Revolutionary Army currently had anti-divination resources. Seeing this divination result, Dorothy's expression immediately became thought-provoking.
'So they do have anti-divination resources... But the anti-divination didn't take effect at all. This is interesting. They have anti-divination but aren't using it. Is there something wrong with their anti-divination system? Or...'
Dorothy thought thusly. Then she took out another """Lamp""" coin and tossed it after uttering the divination words.
"Within the Adus Revolutionary Army, is there significant internal conflict..."
As the divination words sounded, the coin spinning in the air landed on the back of Dorothy's hand. After covering it, Dorothy slowly moved her hand away, and what was revealed underneath was the coin lying face up.
Looking at the divination result before her, Dorothy's eyes became playful.
...
Just as Dorothy was performing her divination to confirm the truth behind the ambush she had just experienced, Vanya, in the front carriage, was also facing a difficult decision.
After Gaspare Priest reported the investigation results regarding the ambush to Vanya, he immediately suggested that Vanya immediately stop the journey to Adis and turn back at the next station. He argued that the Adus Revolutionary Army had no sincerity, and continuing to Adis would only be walking into death. Gaspare Priest's suggestion greatly distressed Vanya for a moment, and she didn't know how to decide.
On one hand, the divination result showed the Revolutionary Army's hostility, and continuing to their base was truly very dangerous. There was no logic in knowing someone wanted to kill you and actively approaching them. On the other hand, before departing, Vanya had received instructions telling her to complete this journey as much as possible. Regardless of whether negotiations were successful, it was best to talk and get a result before returning, and she must not give up halfway. Although Vanya herself felt overwhelmed by the mission suddenly placed upon her, after reluctantly accepting it, she sincerely wanted to facilitate this peace negotiation and prevent Adus from suffering further devastation from war. Having grown up receiving education in the Holy Mother's teachings since childhood, her inner nature was essentially kind.
The danger ahead and her own mission, such contradictions intertwined within Vanya's heart, making her unable to make up her mind for a while, and the distress of hesitation was evident on her face. Standing before Vanya, Gaspare Priest silently waited for Vanya's response. He quietly watched the hesitation of the white-robed Sister before him, waiting for her decision.
Suddenly, a faint, familiar voice echoed within Vanya's heart. After hearing this voice, Vanya's expression suddenly froze, then slowly softened. Her eyes then became resolute, and she spoke to Gaspare Priest.
"Gasparre Priest, I think... we should still continue forward."
Listening to Vanya's words, Gaspare Priest paused slightly, a strange glint appearing in his eyes. Then he continued to speak in a serious tone.
"Sister Vanya, Captain must think carefully. Adis is now the Revolutionary Army's base camp. Everyone there might be against Captain, wanting Captain's life... The danger encountered there will be hundreds of times more perilous than today's ambush. If the entire Revolutionary Army intends to act against Captain, we cannot ensure Captain's safety."
In a tone of warning, Gaspare Priest spoke sternly to Vanya. His tone grew heavier as he spoke, even containing a hint of threat at the end. Although Vanya's expression was moved by his words, her attitude in response did not change at all.
"What Gasparre Priest said... I know. Indeed, after today's incident, the situation in Adis is much more severe and dangerous than we previously anticipated, but... I don't want to give up because of this."
"Divination shows that the Revolutionary Army is the mastermind... but there are still doubts. For such a large Revolutionary Army, why is there no anti-divination defense? With such a big doubt here, there is likely some kind of conspiracy involved. I believe that the divination result may not represent the will of the entire Revolutionary Army... Perhaps... only a portion of the Revolutionary Army harbors ill will towards us?"
Vanya spoke to Gaspare Priest with analysis. Gaspare Priest also responded after listening to Vanya's words.
"Sister Vanya, you are right, there are doubts about this divination, but it is indeed accurate. At the very least, it confirms that the Revolutionary Army is not as sincere as they claimed in their letter to the saint church. The saint church has now used up the divination resources it allocated to us, and we cannot use more divinations to determine if the other party is truly divided. Your statement is just a guess..."
"You guess they might be divided, while I am more inclined to believe they are all birds of a feather. Sister Vanya, your guess has no basis for support. Are you willing to risk your life for this possible guess of yours?"
Gaspare Priest said this, his meaning was simple. Vanya's guess that there might be a division within the Revolutionary Army and that only a portion of them were hostile to her was just a guess. His side's assertion that they were hostile was supported by the divination result and was certain. Now they had no more divination resources to judge Vanya's guess. Was Vanya willing to pay with her life for her guess?
Gaspare Priest's words were very intimidating, causing Vanya's expression to change slightly. However, Vanya's attitude in her subsequent response showed no change at all. She placed her hand on her chest and spoke softly.
"Of course I am willing... I believe that the Lord exists in everyone's heart. Even within the Adus Revolutionary Army, there are sincere people who are willing to negotiate. As long as such people exist, as long as there is a chance to prevent the land of Adus from being engulfed in war again, I am willing to go, no matter how slim that chance is."
"Not long ago, after I and other pilgrims were taken by the Natsuki people to their island, the situation was also very desperate. But at that time, I also firmly believed that the Lord exists in everyone's heart. As long as I could use words to make us perceive the Lord within our hearts, everything could change... As a result, I succeeded. The current situation is not yet as desperate as it was in Natsuki then, so naturally, it is not the time for me to give up."
Vanya said this to Gaspare Priest, her tone becoming more serious as she spoke, and the expression on her face became more resolute.
"My mind is made up, Gasparre Priest. Regardless of the dangers ahead, I will go. The peace of Adus rests upon me, and I will not give up easily here."
"Indeed, today's events have proven that the path ahead is extremely perilous, and normally one should not take this risk. Therefore, I will not make it difficult for anyone to accompany me on this risk. You... and everyone on this train, anyone who wishes to give up can turn back immediately. I will not hinder anyone. Even if I am alone, I will go to Adis..."
Vanya spoke to Gaspare Priest with a resolute tone. Listening to Vanya's words, Gaspare Priest felt a surge of surprise on his face. His eyes widened slightly as he looked at the white-robed Sister before him, who was small in stature but had a solemn and determined expression. He couldn't connect this image with her previous nervous and hesitant appearance, or her usual gentle and even somewhat weak demeanor. After being stunned for a while, Gaspare Priest finally replied with an equally resolute tone.
"Above the Saint Child, since Sister Vanya you have made your decision, there is naturally no reason for us to be timid and escape. Our mission is to protect Sister Vanya's safety, and even if we die, we must complete the mission with all our strength!"
...
After reaching an agreement with Vanya and deciding to continue to Adis, Gaspare Priest bid farewell to Vanya and left Vanya's compartment. After closing the door behind him, he walked to another carriage and looked out of the open window at the setting sun in the distance.
"As expected of Natsuki's evangelist... I underestimated you before."
"Although she was only placed in this position by chance, she doesn't seem to be a mere figurehead. It's a bit different from what I expected..."
Looking at the setting sun in the distance, Gaspare Priest said with such emotion. At this moment, he was thinking, what would have happened if Vanya had been bluffed by him just now, unable to withstand the pressure and chosen to retreat?
Natsuki's evangelist, the Holy Mother's gospel preacher, the Sister of peace... going to Adus to strive for peace, yet she was scared back by an attempted assassination before even reaching the place. What about the promised fearless self-sacrifice in preaching among the tens of thousands of uncivilized fringe people? Could this have been a complete fraud?
If Vanya had decided to go back just now, it would have been a devastating blow to Vanya's public image, even much greater than the blow of Vanya not reaching a peace agreement. Such a heavy blow would not only completely destroy Vanya's position within the Church but also transmit to Amanda behind her, causing Amanda's faction to face serious negative effects.
Is it escaping halfway? Or trying one's best but failing? These are two concepts, and the seriousness of the former is very bad.
"Then... let me see how far you can go, Sister Vanya..." Looking at the setting sun, Gaspare Priest continued to murmur.
...
Inland North Africa, Adus Kingdom, Adis.
The scorching flames hung high in the sky, mercilessly baking the war-torn city below. In the ravaged station, countless soldiers wearing headscarves and holding firearms were standing in formation on the platform, waiting for the visitors from the end of the distant railway. In front of them stood two figures.
One was a middle-aged military officer with slightly dark skin, wearing a high-ranking officer's uniform of the Main Continent army, with a saber at his waist. He looked intently at the end of the distant railway.
One was an old man completely covered in a robe embroidered with religious patterns and an abstract sun printed on the back, holding a thick scripture in his hands. He silently closed his eyes and waited quietly without looking anywhere.