Inside a restaurant in the Kankdar foreign residential area, Dorothy was discussing Vanya and the holy relic she kept with Naifnis. After finishing her thoughts about the Shining Light Church saint, Dorothy refocused her thoughts and spoke to Naifnis.
"Speaking of which, Senior Nefelnis, you've achieved your goal for coming to North Wu this time, right? Do you have any other plans? Do you want to return home now?"
Dorothy asked Naifnis this. Neff's main purpose in coming to North Wu was to find a suitable spiritual field for her advancement. Now that her goal had been achieved, she was already a Chalk-tier Soul Contracter, so Dorothy needed to discuss her next steps with Neff.
Listening to Dorothy's question, Neff, who had just finished a plate of noodles in front of her, held her fork, thought for a moment, and then replied.
"Hmm... I don't have any plans for now... The school's study tour will probably end in about a month, and the professor isn't here, so I don't have classes if I go back now. Therefore, I haven't planned to return yet. Right now, I probably still want to further enhance my Extraordinary powers, but I'm not quite sure how to do it, after all, Grandpa's notes only taught up to Chalk.
"Hiss... So, I think I'll continue to act with Miss Dorothy for the next period of time. Anyway, there's nothing to do if I go back now, so I might as well take the opportunity to explore outside. Although it's dangerous to be with Miss Dorothy, there's always a rich reward after the danger, and my Extraordinary abilities can also improve somewhat. It feels like it's not a loss at all."
Thinking as she spoke, Naifnis expressed her thoughts. Although she had encountered many dangers on this trip to North Wu, she had also gained quite a bit, including Extraordinary items, Extraordinary advancement, and a large sum of money. Therefore, in her opinion, although following Dorothy was dangerous, she would at least not suffer losses and could improve alongside Dorothy.
"Ha... You still want to follow me? Senior Nefelnis, your mindset has changed a bit. You weren't so keen on pursuing Extraordinary power before." Listening to Naifnis's words, Dorothy responded with a smile. Before, she was an ordinary university student who loved life and fashion. Although she was interested in the Extraordinary and the hidden, she wasn't obsessed with pursuing them. It seemed she was more willing to enjoy a normal, quiet life rather than painstakingly seeking the Extraordinary amidst numerous dangers. In the past, Neff needed Dorothy's urging just to read a few secret transmissions, but now her attitude was significantly more positive.
"This... there's nothing I can do about it. Who told our Boyle family to carry such a strong curse? From my Grandpa to me... my father and my uncle... even Nu Nuo Te is threatened by this curse. Although that Golden scepter is protecting us, who knows how long it can protect us? That ancient undead is always eyeing that scepter. If something unexpected happens one day and it gets its hands on it, the Boyle family will be completely finished, and I won't be able to escape either..."
"Therefore. For the sake of the Boyle family's future, I want to lift that curse while I'm alive so that our Boyle family members can return to a truly normal life in the future. Although I don't know how to lift such a powerful curse yet, I believe that as long as I become strong enough in the Extraordinary field, there will always be a way. Currently, among the Boyle family, only I have such a high Extraordinary rank, so this is something only I can do..."
"And for me, my Extraordinary ability improvement, besides Grandpa's notes, is all thanks to Aka's church... and Miss Dorothy's help. So, if I want to delve deeper into the Extraordinary path, besides continuing to follow Miss Dorothy, I temporarily can't think of any other way."
With a solemn expression, Naifnis put down her knife and fork and spoke to Dorothy with a serious look. It was clear that the two recent incidents suffered by the Boyle family, the curse overflowing due to the missing Golden scepter """enlightenment""", and the Boyle mansion being broken into and Nu Nuo Te being captured, had greatly affected her. She knew that with her background, living a normal, ordinary life was basically impossible. Continuing to delve into the Extraordinary and lifting the curse was the only way for the Boyle family to return to normal.
Looking at Naifnis like this before her, Dorothy said with a smile.
"Senior Nefelnis, your sense of responsibility towards your family makes me happy. However, I need to remind you that the ancient undead named Hafdal is quite terrifying. It probably has the Golden rank. It might be very difficult for you to improve to the point where you can contend with it. This isn't something that can be achieved in one or two years."
"That's okay. If one or two years aren't enough... then it'll be three or four years! Anyway, I'm still young, not even twenty yet. I know that advancing beyond Chalk will become very difficult, but I can accept becoming Scarlet before I'm twenty-five. Taking it slow will eventually allow me to rival Golden. I'm not in a hurry, I'll just take it slow."
Listening to Dorothy's reminder, Naifnis had a completely calm expression, as if there was no need to rush. This made Dorothy slightly stunned, and the juice she was about to drink stopped at her lips. She hadn't expected Neff to be so optimistic about her Extraordinary advancement.
'Good heavens... It's acceptable to become Scarlet before twenty-five, so are you planning to advance to Golden before forty? This optimistic attitude... what are ordinary Extraordinary to say...'
Dorothy muttered this in her heart. Since Neff's understanding of the hidden world was even more naive than her own, she seemed to consider her current advancement speed of jumping three ranks in less than a year as normal. She directly made a plan to become Scarlet before twenty-five. Looking at her expression, it was probably the result of her own perceived modest delay. Neff's true psychological expectation was probably a few years earlier.
'Perhaps one day I should let Neff meet those numerous fifty or sixty-year-old Black Earth Bureau Chiefs from the An Yin Bureau to correct her Extraordinary concepts. Constantly following me will only make her more misguided.'
Dorothy continued to mutter in her heart. Just then, Naifnis seemed to have thought of something and asked Dorothy in return.
"Oh, right, Miss Dorothy, if my motivation for exploring the Extraordinary is for my Boyle family, then what is yours? I see you constantly moving around to improve your Extraordinary abilities, always busy. Why are you so persistent in seeking the Extraordinary? Is it because of Aka's will? Or is it your personal desire?"
Naifnis asked Dorothy this. Listening to Neff's words, Dorothy, who had just finished her juice, was slightly stunned at first, then slowly replied after putting down her cup.
"Naturally, there is Aka's will in this... but more importantly, I want to reveal a secret."
"Reveal a secret... what secret?"
"Some secrets about myself. I want to know why I appeared in this world..."
"Why would a person appear in this world... This feels like a philosophical question..." Listening to Dorothy's answer, Naifnis couldn't help but say with some confusion, while Dorothy also continued to speak with a smile.
"If it were just a simple philosophical question, that would be great..."
Dorothy sighed with emotion. All along, what she wanted to unravel the most was the mystery surrounding herself. She had always believed that her sudden crossing over to this world was by no means accidental. The special identity of the body she crossed into, the system she possessed that had some subtle connection with the world itself, all of this indicated that the event of her arrival in this world was itself a huge secret.
Dorothy's greatest wish now was to unravel this secret belonging to herself. This would allow her to understand the meaning of her arrival in this world, and perhaps even find out if there was a way to return to her original world. Dorothy was not yet very clear on how to unravel this secret, but she firmly believed that if she persisted on this Extraordinary path, when she reached a high enough point, she should be able to find clues to unravel this secret.
"Hmm... Although I'm not quite sure what secret Miss Dorothy is referring to, what are your plans afterward, where are you going?"
At this moment, Naifnis continued to ask Dorothy, wanting to know her next course of action, while Dorothy began to think seriously after listening.
'Currently, my main goal is still to continue searching for the remaining Divine Artifacts. Now I have the Divine Artifacts of """Cup""" and Silence in my hands, the Light one can be taken when there's an opportunity, and there's already a way for the Stone one. Once Mazhar's assets are completely liquidated, most of the financial needs should be resolved, and for 'Qi' (Awakening/Enlightenment)... I need to spend extra time experimenting, trying to see if I can craft it myself like the Holy Emblem before. If I can't, then I'll think of other ways.
'Calculating this way, the only Divine Artifact that truly needs to be searched for everywhere is the """Shadow""" one. In this regard, I don't have any good clues at the moment, so I can only consult someone I'm familiar with. The people I feel I can consult right now are that elder sister from the An Yin Bureau and that Little Fox in the dream.
'However, that elder sister from the An Yin Bureau is only Chalk herself. If I ask her about this kind of problem, she probably won't know much. And behind the Little Fox is the residual faith of the Butterfly God, and there seems to be some important figure behind her. Consulting them is more likely to yield an answer.'
In an instant, Dorothy already had a rough plan of action in her mind. She planned to communicate with Grego as a Scholar and ask him to consult the Little Fox in the dream about the news of the """Shadow""" Divine Artifact. If she could find out, she would then determine the next course of action based on the consultation results.
Coincidentally, now that Vanya has officially become a Holy Relic Patrol Officer, she needs to carry out a Holy Relic Pilgrimage. As long as there are no arrangements from superiors, the route of this pilgrimage can be determined by herself. Currently, the arrangement Vanya has received is to wait until the situation in Adus is completely stable and the entire country officially gets back on track, then conduct a pilgrimage in Adus to appease the people. This is estimated to take some time; she won't return to Adus for at least one or two months. Therefore, Vanya's pilgrimage route before returning to Adus is decided by herself, and thus Vanya is also seeking Dorothy's opinion on where her first pilgrimage should be.
"Where to go next... I still need to consider this. I'll give you the result tomorrow or the day after. Let's just rest well in Kankdar for a day or two now."
Dorothy responded to Naifnis's question like this. Listening to Dorothy's response, Naifnis also nodded after saying 'oh' and began drinking the tea on the dining table.
And Dorothy was also thinking about what to say in her upcoming communication with Grego, whether it was through the """wen hai hang zhi""" communication as a Scholar or a regular telegram reporting safety as a sister.
...
In the early morning, somewhere unknown, in a sunny room, a large dining table was placed on the intricate and exquisite carpet. Above the dining table were various exquisite dishes. Roasted small fish and chicken legs emitted fragrance in the plates, and on the side of a plate was a Black Cat licking the milk in a saucer. After finishing the milk in the saucer, the Black Cat raised its head, licked off the milk drops on the fur around its mouth, then turned its head and looked around, speaking in a solemn tone.
"You mean... people from the Rose Cross consulted you for information again? This time they're asking about Divine Artifacts again?"
Opposite the Black Cat, a girl with a large bow tied on her head and chestnut curly hair nodded after hearing the Black Cat's words, then continued to speak.
"Yes, last night that Black Dog asked me if our people knew any clues about the """Shadow""" Divine Artifact. If so, please tell him. Now that Black Dog is almost an outer member of the Rose Cross, so he must have been authorized by the upper levels of the Rose Cross to ask this. I think they... should be looking for this item..."
Recalling the scene in the dream, Shaliya said to the Black Cat in front of her, while the Black Cat, after thinking with a furrowed brow, slowly spoke.
"They want the """Shadow""" Divine Artifact? What do they want to do? Do they need to perform some high-level """Shadow""" ritual? If I'm judging correctly, they shouldn't be a """Shadow""" society... What are they trying to do by performing this kind of ritual?"
The Black Cat pondered slowly on the dining table like this, while Shaliya blinked after seeing the Black Cat's appearance, then spoke.
"Grandpa... They said they want a Divine Artifact, and you're judging that they are preparing to perform some high-level ritual. Is there any basis for this?"
"Nonsense. If they say they want a Divine Artifact but don't specify which one, only which kind of Spirituality, then they are definitely not after the inherent special ability of a certain Divine Artifact. They can only be valuing its role in high-level rituals. Divine Artifacts are the core of many high-level rituals, so they must be looking for it to be the centerpiece of some """Shadow""" ritual. Currently, we just don't know what ritual they want to perform..."
The Black Cat explained to Shaliya, and Shaliya also understood after listening, then continued to speak.
"Then, Grandpa, do you know the whereabouts of any """Shadow""" Divine Artifact? They said if we already have one, they are willing to offer enough chips to borrow it for a period of time. If we don't have one, they are also willing to provide some reward just for providing clues."
"The """Shadow""" Divine Artifact... We originally had one, but unfortunately, it's gone now..." Listening to Shaliya's sigh, the Black Cat said with a sigh. Then, suddenly, as if he had thought of something, his eyes rolled, and he continued to speak.
"However... regarding clues about the Divine Artifact, I can provide them with some. According to my information, at the end of June, Bartholomew Levanah, who has just returned from the Eastern Lost Sea, will hold an auction in Moncarlo, publicly auctioning some of the results of his voyage this time. Many hidden societies will send representatives to attend."
"Levanah... that great explorer dedicated to exploring forbidden areas? Grandpa, do you mean he brought back the """Shadow""" Divine Artifact from this expedition and wants the Rose Cross people to buy it?" Scratching her head, Shaliya said to the Black Cat, while the Black Cat shook his head and continued to speak.
"No... my meaning is, a certain important figure from the Black Dream Hunter Group attaches great importance to this auction, and he will go there in person. And on him, there is a """Shadow""" Divine Artifact, which Black Dream snatched from our hands... the Bewildering Scale Incense Cage..."