Tivian, East District.
During the day, the bustling Silver Road in the East District of Tivian was as lively as ever, with people coming and going. Beside an inconspicuous alley off Silver Street, inside a department store that received few customers, a secret exchange was currently taking place.
Behind the storefront of the department store, in a hidden but well-decorated dim room, Grego, wearing formal attire and his own face, sat on a comfortable leather sofa, smoking a cigarette while looking at a document in his hand. After reading for a while, he couldn't help but say with a frown.
"This is... asking me to pay more attention to the Captains in the An Yin Bureau and see if any of them exhibit behavior similar to Misha Devonshire?"
"Yes, it's the kind of situation where, just like that Miss Devonshire, they stubbornly cling to the matter of the organization's nest, vowing to investigate thoroughly, even resisting superiors. Perhaps the situation might not be as serious as Miss Devonshire's, but as long as the signs are clear, you need to report it to the Eight-Pointed Nest." Standing beside Grego, the owner of the department store, Donald, Grego's contact in the Eight-Pointed Nest, a slightly stout man in a shirt, added. Grego, after hearing Donald's words, put down the document in his hand and began to ponder while smoking.
"The Eight-Pointed Nest wants me to investigate if there are other Black Dogs in the An Yin Bureau, like Misha, who are conducting independent investigations behind the An Yin Bureau's back, right?" After exhaling a puff of smoke, Grego slowly said to Donald, who also nodded in confirmation.
"That's right, it's to find out if there are others who are secretly working alone without listening to their superiors, especially those Captains." Donald said this, and Grego paused slightly before continuing to reply.
"Actually, ever since the An Yin Bureau was ordered to stop pursuing the Eight-Pointed Nest with full force and shift the focus of investigations, there have been many Black Dogs who are dissatisfied with this. Those resident Captains all have some degree of emotion about it; it's just that Misha was the most prominent among them. Now, within the Bureau, there is a lot of private discussion among the Black Dogs about their superiors, especially after Misha's death was defined as a simple accident. Many people are dissatisfied with their current superiors and believe that there are other hidden circumstances regarding Misha's death.
"If you're asking if there's anyone in the An Yin Bureau conducting independent investigations in private right now, I can say that there are probably very many suspicious candidates. If you want a list, it would likely be a long one."
Grego replied calmly. Hearing Grego's words, Donald paused slightly, then continued to speak.
"Then, investigate who in the An Yin Bureau had close interactions with Misha Devonshire and if there was any possibility of them exchanging information?"
"I can try to investigate that, but with what I can access in my current position, truly finding something, especially information about those resident Captains, isn't something I can easily see."
Responding to Donald's request, Grego continued. Hearing Grego's words, Donald immediately spoke.
"You don't need to worry about your identity. Mr. Yadlin, Misha's death is a great achievement for Captain. Now, the Eight-Pointed Nest has used its influence to help Captain get promoted. It is estimated that Captain will soon receive a promotion notice in the An Yin Bureau. At that time, you will also be a Chalk Captain, naturally capable of accessing more information. At that time, it would be best for you to contact the other resident Captains one by one as a colleague to find out if they all have their own hidden agendas.
"If necessary, Captain can even pretend to be dissatisfied with the superiors, and like Devonshire, prepare to conduct private investigations targeting us, in order to gain their trust."
Donald continued to speak seriously to Grego. Hearing Donald's words, Grego pondered for a moment while smoking. After exhaling smoke for a while, he nodded silently and said.
"Okay... I will try it later, but to ensure effectiveness, I must reach a higher position. Please tell the Eight-Pointed Nest to ensure my promotion in the near future."
"Of course." Donald said with a smile. Then, in this dim secret room, he and Grego continued to discuss other intelligence matters.
...
During the day, also somewhere in East Tivian, inside a seemingly ordinary building, in a well-lit living room, the elderly John. Machison was currently wearing pajamas and a coat, sitting on an armchair in the living room, looking through thick lenses at the familiar man standing on the sofa in front of him, the mysterious man who called himself a Detective and had once saved him.
"This is something we found in Ampere Devonshire's grave. You can interpret the text on it, right?" Ed, wearing a trench coat and a short-brimmed hat, stood in front of John, saying this while taking out a silver pendant from his clothes and handing it to John. John reached out to take it and glanced at it, then looked at Ed and said with emotion.
"You actually found Ampere's grave so quickly and even took something out of it. This speed is truly incredible..."
"We have some connections with the Devonshire family, so naturally, we have the corresponding channels. Don't ask too many specific questions, just look at the item."
Ed said directly to John. Hearing Ed's words, John nodded, then lowered his head and began to carefully examine the pendant in his hand. After first stroking the shield emblem on the front of the pendant, he slowly said.
"This is the Moon Guard Four Riders Emblem. It was made during the Wind King Rebellion by the Traditionalist faction based on what was found in the ruins of the Night Sky Empress's remains. Throughout the entire war, it was the unified symbol used by the Traditionalist side. In essence, it is an imitation of ancient objects. Perhaps they themselves didn't know exactly what this emblem symbolized... I didn't expect that Ampere, as the biggest traitor of the Traditionalist faction, would end up being buried with something like this..."
Looking at the shield emblem on the pendant in his hand, John murmured. Then, he didn't immediately continue to examine other parts of the pendant but cautiously used his hand to feel the other parts of the pendant, eventually feeling a strange texture around the edge behind the shield emblem.
"The inscription is on the back. Go prepare a set of Spirit Sight equipment, preferably of a higher standard, so I can spend less time."
Using the methods of an extraordinary archaeologist, John said while feeling the inscription on the back of the pendant. Facing John's words, Ed spoke calmly.
"You don't need the usual Spirit Sight defense equipment. I have a section of a sacred name here. You can directly recite the prayer, and then you can interpret it without fear of Spirit Sight."
"Sacred name?" Hearing Ed's words, John silently raised his head and looked at Ed with curious eyes. Then Ed continued to speak with a mysterious smile.
Afterward, Ed recounted the mysterious sacred name to John. After listening, John frowned and thought for a long time, but he couldn't figure anything out.
"Presider over all things... Akasha? Is this the divine being you worship? I've read many books on hidden history and have never heard this name. What domain does this divine being belong to?" With a puzzled expression, John asked Ed, who simply replied.
"You don't need to ask for specific details. Regarding the being this sacred name points to, just believe. I have no reason to harm you, Professor John."
Ed said this to John. After hearing Ed's words, John thought for a moment and realized that, given his current situation, the other party had no need to plot against him. So, he believed Ed's words and silently repeated the mysterious and unfamiliar sacred name.
After repeating it, John took a deep breath, covered most of the inscription on the back of the pendant with his hand, and then slowly flipped it over, letting the inscription appear before his eyes. Then John squinted his eyes and scanned the inscription in front of him. After confirming its content, his eyes widened slightly. He then touched his forehead, checked his condition, and turned his head to say strangely to Ed.
"It's truly amazing... Reading this kind of cryptic text really has no effect. Is your Aka truly protecting me? Is there a divine being watching me right now?"
John said this with a hint of fear in his tone, while Ed spoke directly to reassure him.
"No need to panic, Professor John. Praying to Aka and receiving Aka's protection does not mean that Aka is specifically watching you. Aka selflessly shares parts of His authority for His followers to use. You have simply had a little contact with this part of the authority that He shares with us. Besides giving you protection, there are no other effects. You should continue to focus on the interpretation."
"Shared... parts of authority? It's truly amazing. In the reverse side, is there actually such a divine being?" Hearing Ed's words, John murmured in disbelief. Then, after calming his emotions, he turned his gaze back to the pendant in front of him and continued the interpretation.
Having confirmed the existence of Spirit Sight protection, John began to read the full inscription on the back of the pendant more freely. After removing his covering hand, his gaze carefully examined the back of the pendant.
Finally, after examining it for a while, John spoke again.
"The language on this is ancient prite language, restored by some scholars during the Traditionalist movement that went against Shining Light Church's influence during the Wind King Rebellion. During the Wind King Rebellion, it was mainly used by some Traditionalist scholars and priests, and its circulation was not high."
"What does it say?" Ed continued to ask John, and John adjusted his glasses before speaking.
"It's a prayer."
"Prayer?"
"Yes... a short prayer..." John replied like this. Then, after a pause, he began to recite with emotion.
"The bright mirror of Glahomir, reflecting the divine realm of the night sky, that is also the door to the saint hall. Peering into the mirror from the silver summit, the doors open in sequence, holding the black key, crossing the mirror surface.
"The servants of the night cross the four doors in the mirror, preparing for the night ritual. The Patriarch crosses the Shadowless Door; the Priest crosses the Scythe Blade Door; the Knight crosses the Longbow Door; the Scholar crosses the Abundant Door; finally, the Jade Wheel Door will rise without a key, the saint hall will appear from within, outer and inner alternating, inside and outside shifting, any follower of the night will be able to cross the illusion and gather for the ritual."
Sitting in his seat, John silently read out the inscription on the back of the pendant. Hearing John's words, Ed's brows furrowed slightly, then he slowly said.
"These are... prayers? Why do they feel more like riddles?"
"You could say it's a riddle, or you could say it's a prayer. As I understand it, this is the process for a certain ritual performed by the Night Sky Empress's former Church. The entire process has been deliberately obscured into prayer-like sentences to highlight the solemn mystery of the ritual. This kind of situation is seen in many churches, including the Shining Light Church."
Continuing to examine the pendant in his hand, John said so, while Ed continued to inquire.
"Then... can you interpret anything from this prayer?"
"Most of it, no. I can only interpret a tiny bit... the very beginning.
"The Glahomir mentioned here... should refer to Glamorgan, the capital of Hand County. Its ancient name was Glahomir. And the saint hall mentioned within should refer to the temple of the Night Sky Empress that Ampere discovered. As for the titles like Patriarch, Priest, Scholar, etc., they refer to the ranks of clergy in the Night Sky Empress's former Church. According to my previous research, the Patriarch held a considerably high position in the Night Sky Empress's former Church, similar to the level of an Archbishop in the Shining Light Church.
"The above is all that I can interpret from this prayer. As for the rest, things like the night ritual, the doors in the mirror, Obsidian, and so on, I have never encountered them before."
John slowly told Ed everything he could interpret. Using Ed's senses, Dorothy in the distance couldn't help but fall into contemplation after hearing this content.
'Patriarch... Priest... Scholar... So the Mirror Moon Goddess's former Church used such clerical titles? It feels somewhat similar to the current Shining Light Church. Is there some connection between them?
'And this Hand County... If I remember correctly, it's in the southwest of the Prit main island, right next to my hometown, Igwin County. These two places are adjacent. Good heavens, if I go there this time, can I also stop by my hometown for a visit?'
As Dorothy thought this, recalling the childhood memories of this body, she couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia for Igwin County.
'However, if I really want to go back home for a visit, it will have to wait until after dealing with the temple matter. Although most of this riddle-like prayer isn't clear about what it specifically refers to, at least the part that has been interpreted points me in a direction. At least I can confirm that the Mirror Moon Goddess temple discovered by Ampere is in Glamorgan. Although the exact location is unknown, I can search slowly after getting there, just like the last time I went to Adis.
'The Eight-Pointed Nest has probably also obtained this prayer by now. There's no reason they wouldn't be clear about the history of the Wind King Rebellion. After interpreting the term Glamorgan, they must have also started heading there. I must also set off immediately.'
Dorothy thought this in her mind. Finally, she once again controlled Ed in the distance and made him say to John.
"Thank you for your help, Professor John. Your interpretation is a great help to us. Now, we should also go to where we need to go. Please rest and recuperate well here. If there is a need, we will come back to consult you with questions. After the haze covering Tivian dissipates, you will be able to return to a normal life again."
After speaking, Ed took back Ampere's pendant, finally bowed to John, walked to the door, opened it, and left the room. In this comfortable room, only John was left sitting in the armchair, contemplating what he had just seen and sighing.
"Is that divine being named Aka also coveting the moon Shadow in the night sky? I wonder what the final outcome will be..."