On a plain in the central part of Tivian Island.
Beneath the azure sky lay a vast, boundless field. White clouds hung high in the sky, birds flew in formation, and the wheat leaves in the fields were turning yellow and green. Long railway tracks cut through the wheat fields, extending all the way to the distant horizon.
On the tracks, a long train roared past. The steel locomotive spewed thick smoke as it pulled a dozen long carriages behind it, speeding from east to west towards the distance.
In one of the compartments in the first-class carriage at the front of the train, Miss Dorothy, wearing a white blouse and a red and black plaid skirt with her hair tied in twin ponytails, sat in her seat, looking at the magazines and newspapers in her hands. Opposite Miss Dorothy was Naifnis, dressed in a simple yellow dress and wearing a narrow-brimmed lady's cloth hat. At this moment, she was looking out the train window at the rapidly passing scenery of the fields outside, and couldn't help but speak out of boredom.
"It's a bit boring... I didn't expect to have to take such a long-distance train after returning to Prit. I've been tired of taking boats and cars for the past while... I didn't expect to still have to take one after returning to Prit." Neff murmured with a hint of complaint. Miss Dorothy continued to look at the book in her hands and spoke without raising her head.
"It is indeed a bit boring, but you can also think about the good side. Compared to looking at the desert in North Wu or the sea on a boat, the scenery outside the window when taking a train in Prit is at least a little more interesting, isn't it? At least it's not monotonous and dull."
"Hmm... Miss Dorothy is right. Taking a train in North Wu is not only boring outside, but it's also terribly hot inside. Prit is indeed much more comfortable. As expected, there's no place like home."
Naifnis agreed with Miss Dorothy's words while stretching broadly, and then continued to ask.
"By the way, Miss Dorothy, how long will we be going to Glamorgan this time? There's only about a month left until the start of school. It would be bad if we can't make it back in the end."
"It shouldn't be too long, but it's hard to say. We'll only know the specific situation there after we arrive, so it's not good to make a judgment now. However, if you're worried about the thesis assignment at the start of school, you can rest assured. Your Professor John won't be able to return for a while. With the most important supervising teacher gone, the school will probably have to reconsider how these theses should be written."
Putting down the newspaper in her hand, Miss Dorothy continued to speak to Neff in front of her. Hearing Miss Dorothy mention John's name, Neff's tone of response couldn't help but change.
"I didn't expect that Professor John was also an Extraordinary, and a researcher of secret history, and that he was targeted by those dangerous guys from the Eight Point Nest... I couldn't tell at all in normal times. I used to just think he was an ordinary university professor who studied mundane history..." Naifnis spoke with a serious expression, lost in thought, while Miss Dorothy on the other side continued to speak directly.
"What is called mundane history is just a layer of skin jointly modified by the Church and various governments on the real history, just like the current world is the skin of the reverse side. This layer of skin is not perfectly crafted. If scholars study it too much, they will naturally find flaws in it. Following these flaws, these scholars are either officially dealt with due to abnormalities in their Spirit Sight, or they grope their way into the secret world and continue their research in secret.
"I have checked the list of professors and students in the history and archaeology departments of Crown University. Professors who suddenly retired or transferred, and students who suddenly dropped out or transferred schools, happen every one or two years. The An Yin Bureau has also set up a long-term office in Crown University. Regarding the sudden disappearance of a professor, I estimate that the school won't have much of a reaction to John's disappearance in the end."
Waving her hand slightly, Miss Dorothy commented, and Neff, after hearing Miss Dorothy's words, couldn't help but sigh in response.
"Does this mean that many of my classmates and teachers in school, and even history scholars from other countries, have only been studying false history all along? Thinking about it this way, it feels really sad... If the results of a lifetime of research are false, then what is the meaning of our research? Does this world really need mundane history?
"Thinking carefully... I feel that what I learned before is meaningless. Perhaps... I've always cared a bit about my studies at Crown University, but now thinking about it, is learning these things really useful?"
Neff said this. As an archaeology student, when she learned that much of what she had learned in the past was false, it was difficult for her not to question the meaning of what she had learned, and even the meaning of the entire discipline. Looking at the somewhat confused Neff, Miss Dorothy responded directly.
"No, mundane history is crucial to the entire human society. On the one hand, secret history is not the entirety of history. Besides secret history, there is still a lot of ordinary history left for these scholars to excavate.
"On the other hand, just like the Church and the secret police of various countries, mundane history has made crucial contributions to isolating ordinary people from the harm of the secret world and the Extraordinary. The existence of this discipline lies in cognitive protection, allowing most people to fully recognize that they are in an ordinary world. It is precisely because of the existence of mundane history that the historical view and world view of ordinary people can be controlled, and the societies of all countries can thus operate smoothly.
"Those senior mundane historians are not ignorant of the existence of secret history. Many of them maintain contact with the authorities and simply do not delve too much into this part of the content. Scholars of mundane history are builders of the wall of knowledge, building a cognitive barrier for the vast majority of ordinary people in this world, protecting them from the harm of the secret world and Spirit Sight. If 'real history' were widely circulated, a huge amount of Spirit Sight knowledge would inevitably burst and spread in the mundane world, and the collapse of social order would be a very rapid thing. You wouldn't want a world full of neurotics and lunatics, would you?"
Miss Dorothy explained calmly to Naifnis. Hearing Miss Dorothy's words, Neff quickly shook her head and immediately spoke.
"No, absolutely not! It's fine as it is now. Most people can live normally, and those evil organizations should always be suppressed in the gutters."
"So, doesn't the meaning of mundane history become clear? It is a great discipline created to maintain the stability of the vast human society. The scholars engaged in this discipline are the builders of this cognitive wall. Like the Hunters from the An Yin Bureau, you are all working for the stable lives of the majority of people, so there is naturally no reason for it to be useless. So, you don't need to worry about this, Senior Neff."
Waving her hand slightly, Miss Dorothy said to Neff in a light tone. Neff thought for a moment after hearing this, and finally nodded in understanding. Finally, after letting out a sigh of relief, she said to Miss Dorothy.
"Phew... thank you, Miss Dorothy. Indeed, as you said... what I learned before was not useless. It is indeed very meaningful. Perhaps after I break the family curse in the future, I will still engage in such a job."
"Okay... Being a teacher or professor of mundane history is quite good."
Neff said this to Miss Dorothy, and hearing Neff's words, Miss Dorothy just smiled slightly in response, and then did not continue to communicate with Neff in this way, but turned her head to look out the train window. She also began to appreciate the scenery outside the window.
While looking at the scenery rapidly passing by outside the train window, Miss Dorothy began to think about some things concerning the Eight-Pointed Nest.
'After interpreting the information on Ample's relic, the Eight Point Nest will definitely rush to Glamorgan immediately. Although I'm setting off as soon as I get information about the temple, the Eight Point Nest has its own forces in other places in Prit outside of Tivian. If they use these forces, the Eight Point Nest's speed in reaching Glamorgan should be faster than mine.
'However, the location of the Mirror Moon Goddess's temple should not be so easy to find. Although the Eight Point Nest people will have the upper hand in getting there first, it will still take some time to find the specific location of the temple. As long as I arrive in Glamorgan and find the temple before the Eight Point Nest, and enter it to complete the ritual, then it will be fine. Although it's difficult, it's completely possible for me.
'Also, one point to note is that although Glamorgan is not small, it is not a major city like a national capital. There is no Church's Scarlet Archbishop stationed here, so there is no suppression based on rank. Therefore, the Eight Point Nest's Scarlet-level Extraordinaries can act without restraint. For a task like finding a temple-level ritual site, the probability of a Scarlet leading the team is very high. Therefore, I must be careful not to be detected by the Eight Point Nest's Scarlet during this operation, as it is difficult to rely on external help to fight against a Scarlet in a place like Glamorgan.'