Southeast of Prit Main Island, Glamorgan.
During the daytime, on the outskirts of Glamorgan, by the Dazzle Star Lake, on an open lakeside lawn, many figures were gathered at this moment.
In the gentle breeze, numerous citizens from all over Glamorgan were gathered by the scenic lake shore, forming several lines under the guidance of municipal guards, orderly viewing. Their object of viewing was a glass display case within the crowd. A Sister in white stood beside the display case, smiling as she explained the origin of the saint relics placed inside to the citizens who were queuing up, patiently answering various questions from the ordinary congregation.
Following the planned route, Vanya began her saint relic pilgrimage within Prit. In the past ten days, she had traveled through several cities and finally arrived in Glamorgan. After receiving a warm welcome here, she immediately began the exhibition tour in this city.
Due to the limited space of the local Church, the exhibition site was chosen on the lakeside lawn of Dazzle Star Lake, a symbol of Glamorgan. Under the beautiful scenery and refreshing breeze, Vanya skillfully preached to the citizens who came to observe, using the saint relics.
Although from a practical perspective, the process of preaching was the same whether or not the saint relics were present, the attention of the worshipers during this pilgrimage was still largely focused on Vanya herself. Most of Vanya's time was spent talking, shaking hands, and answering questions with the believers; there were very few instances of discussing the saint relics themselves. Although this situation was more tiring for Vanya, she had fortunately become accustomed to it after several months of pilgrimage, and now she could handle it with relative ease.
The exhibition and preaching by the lake shore lasted for several hours. As the sun in the sky gradually set and the other guards maintaining order began to feel tired, this preaching session was declared over. After Vanya made an announcement to the many citizens who were still gathered, a sound of disappointment arose from the crowd, and then they gradually dispersed and retreated. However, there were still many citizens who did not leave immediately; some chose to stroll by the lake, while others wanted to find a place to catch a few more distant glimpses of Vanya.
"Oh dear... Sister Vanya, you've truly worked hard. I didn't expect your pilgrimage could attract so many people. Even on New Year's Sunday, I rarely see so many people come to listen to sermons. You truly are someone favored by the Holy Mountain."
Not long after the exhibition ended, Vanya, who was sitting and resting by the lake, quickly noticed someone coming to greet her. It was a middle-aged man with a smiling face, wearing a clerical robe, who was the Bishop of the local Church in Glamorgan. Beside him were also the Mayor of Glamorgan and the local director of the An Yin Bureau.
"It's nothing, Bishop Hogg. I am merely basking in the glory of the saint relics. All the glory today comes from the martyred predecessors who created the saint relics..."
With her usual smile, Vanya responded politely to the local important figures. They then engaged in some simple exchanges, and Vanya politely responded to the numerous flattering remarks in an appropriate manner.
Finally, after dealing with all the important local officials, Vanya was finally able to get some proper rest. After seeing off the local elites one by one, she, feeling a bit more relaxed, quietly let out a sigh of relief. She then stood up from the chair and slowly walked to the lake shore, looking at the broad and tranquil lake surface before her, feeling involuntarily refreshed and relaxed.
"Sister Vanya."
Just then, Vanya heard a familiar voice calling her name. Turning her gaze, she saw Gaspare, the Captain of her guard team, wearing a semi-armored clerical robe, walking towards her. Upon seeing him, Vanya's expression relaxed, and she then spoke.
"Gasparre Priest, how is the preparation going?"
"It's almost ready. Everything that needed packing is done. We can set off directly tomorrow morning," Gaspare said as he walked up to Vanya. He then glanced at the crowd still lingering in the distance before continuing.
"You've worked hard, Sister Vanya. I originally thought that after arriving at a small town that wasn't the capital, there might be fewer people, but I didn't expect there to be so few fewer in the end. Sister Vanya, dealing with so many people every time is truly a bit too tiring. Perhaps you could make it simpler in the future, set up a stage, say a few words, and let them go see the saint relics themselves, instead of personally meeting them batch by batch."
Gaspare said this, and after hearing his words, she continued to reply.
"Doing that would seem a bit too aloof. I am merely a Sister of the Lord, not some lord or queen giving orders. Since people wish to have closer contact with me, I will do my best to be with them. As a cleric of the Lord, I have an obligation to be a link, connecting the vast congregation with the Lord."
With an incredibly devout tone, Vanya responded to Gaspare in this manner. Hearing her words, Gaspare's heart couldn't help but stir, and he couldn't help but lament the piety of the Sister before him.
"Sister Vanya's piety is truly a role model for us. The more we follow you, the more we feel the steadfastness and purity of your heart. Sometimes I often wonder if the rumors outside, saying you received an oracle from the Holy Mother and are guided by her, are true," Gaspare said, directing his words at Vanya, and Vanya immediately responded after hearing this.
"Don't say such things carelessly, Gasparre Priest. Within the saint church, the only one who can receive an oracle is the Holy See. I have not heard the voice of the Holy Mother. If the Holy Mother is truly guiding me, it is in the unseen, in silence. As for rumors about what I am... a favored one of the Holy Mother or something similar, please, Gasparre Priest, do not easily believe them."
Vanya said this to Gaspare, her tone slightly hurried. After hearing her, Gaspare then spoke.
"Haha... I was just making a slight joke. No need to be nervous, Sister Vanya. After all, you've encountered continuous events over the past half year, but in the end, you were not only safe and sound but also able to spread the grace of the Lord. It's normal for many people to have some thoughts because of this."
"Alright, it's getting late now. I should go and handle some other matters. The municipality here has prepared a dinner, we just need to go attend. After dinner, Sister Vanya, you should go back and get some good rest. There's a new journey tomorrow."
Gaspare said this to Vanya, and Vanya also nodded in response.
"Okay, I'll go over after resting for a bit. While I have the chance, I'll also admire the scenery of this city. To be honest, this lake feels quite nice."
Looking at the vast Dazzle Star Lake before her, Vanya said this. Hearing her words, Gaspare also turned his gaze towards the lake surface. Looking at the lake surface reflecting the sky and mountains, and being fanned by a comfortable breeze, Gaspare couldn't help but exclaim.
"Yes... this lake is indeed nice, big and clean, making one feel comfortable just by looking at it. I didn't expect such a good place in a relatively remote area like this. Coming here for a trip can also be considered a gain..."
Admiring the lake surface, Gaspare said this, while Vanya beside him did not respond to Gaspare's words. Instead, she also began to quietly gaze at a certain spot on the distant lake surface, towards the center, a subtle meaning appearing in her expression.
...
By the side of Dazzle Star Lake, on the summit of View Lake Mountain, at this moment, Dorothy was standing on the unmanned viewing platform at the mountain top, overlooking the vast lake surface below. After glancing at the sun in the sky, she slowly spoke.
"It's time..."
Murmuring, Dorothy slightly raised her right hand. On the finger of her right hand, a ring was emitting a gentle silver light.
At this moment, Dorothy was connecting to the immense secret hidden within Dazzle Star Lake through this ring inherited from her mother whom she had never met. Since entering the Mirror Moon Church within the hidden space, this ring had been activated to a certain extent. Using it as a medium, Dorothy could directly link and control the Mirror Moon Church within the hidden space from the vicinity of Dazzle Star Lake in the present world, performing all operations allowed under her current authority.
"Come, flip..."
Under Dorothy's murmur, the originally calm surface of Dazzle Star Lake suddenly stirred. The lake water, which had been rippling under the breeze, suddenly became perfectly still and calm under some strange power. Any ripples on the lake surface in that area were wiped away at this moment. The entire lake surface in that area completely transformed into a smooth, bright mirror at this moment, reflecting the scene of the sky without a single ripple.
Immediately after, changes began to occur within the surface of this bright mirror. With nothing above the lake surface, a disturbance of light and time occurred in the water. Under a series of illusory and blurred changes, a reflection slowly formed, shaping into the appearance of a giant building.
Slowly, the reflection of a giant Church appeared within the reflection on the lake water. This independently manifested reflection had no corresponding physical entity on the lake surface; it thus existed independently within the water reflection, defying common sense.
After this Church finished manifesting in the water reflection on the lake surface, the entire vast mirror surface began to flip. Under a distortion of radiant light described in murmurs, the vast lake surface, like an ordinary round mirror, was easily flipped over. The massive dome-like building, which originally only existed in the reflection on the lake water, silently flipped from the mirrored world onto the surface of Dazzle Star Lake in reality, and then simply floated almost motionlessly upon it.
In just a few silent seconds, a majestic and tall Church appeared on the broad surface of Dazzle Star Lake. The originally faded bricks and stones, after being illuminated by the sunlight of the present world once again, displayed various colors on their surface one by one: grey-yellow Stone pillars, colorful arched windows, deep dark domes... The originally distorted Church gained a sense of "reality" at this moment.
After who knows how many years, the Mirror Moon Church returned to the lake surface in the present world. However, the form of this massive Church was invisible to Dorothy, who was standing on the mountain's viewing platform at this moment, because around the Church, there was a layer of barrier protecting it that concealed it from ordinary people's sight. However, Dorothy did not need this layer of barrier; after a gentle wave of her hand, she dispelled it.
The barrier concealing the Church's existence disappeared, and this behemoth suddenly appeared without any warning in the eyes of everyone around Dazzle Star Lake who was looking at the lake surface. Many ordinary people strolling by the lake shore were stunned, looking at such a massive building suddenly appearing in the familiar lake, and they couldn't help but freeze in place one after another.
"Look! What is that!?"
Accompanied by cries of surprise, countless citizens who had originally come to participate in the exhibition tour and hadn't had time to leave yet, rushed towards the lake shore one after another, looking in astonishment at the giant building in the distance. Citizens who had lived locally for a long time encountered this situation for the first time, and they couldn't help but discuss it loudly. The entire lake shore of Dazzle Star Lake was filled with an atmosphere of astonishment.
"Sister Vanya! Did you see? That building over there... the Church on the lake surface, it suddenly appeared. That's not an illusion, is it!"
By the lake shore where the exhibition was held, Gaspare, who was originally looking towards the lake surface, spoke in surprise, and in his words, he couldn't help but rub his eyes, thinking he might have seen incorrectly. Meanwhile, on the edge of Vanya's pupils beside him, a circle of orange light was faintly glowing. Gazing at the distant building, she also said in surprise.
"This is probably not an illusion, Gasparre Priest. That is real... a real Church that suddenly appeared, without any signs. How could something like this happen?"
Vanya said this, and just as Gaspare was about to say something more, behind them, a series of rather hurried footsteps came. The two looked back and saw the local Bishop running towards them in a panic.
"Sister Vanya! Sister Vanya! That... that Church on the lake surface, what's going on? Is it something you did? Did you use some Extraordinary ability? A large number of people by the lake have seen it!"
"I was just about to ask you that question, Bishop Hogg... You are the local Bishop, don't you know if there are any secrets on this lake?" Looking at Hogg who had run over, Vanya asked seriously, while Hogg continued to answer in a panic.
"No... no! Although there have been some strange legends about this lake since ancient times, we and the people from the An Yin Bureau have investigated it several times, but we haven't found any hidden abnormalities. This thing... this thing on the lake, it's the first time we've seen it too. Not just us, no one in this city has ever seen this thing before!"
Hogg said this, his tone and demeanor indicating that he truly seemed unaware. Seeing this scene, Vanya's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and then after a moment of thought, she immediately spoke.
"Bishop Hogg, immediately contact the local An Yin Bureau and the municipality, and evacuate all the ordinary citizens by the lake back into the city. Do not let them approach the lake surface."
"Yes, I'll go right away." Hearing Vanya's words, Hogg immediately retreated. Vanya then shifted her gaze to Gaspare beside her and continued to speak.
"Gasparre Priest... please immediately organize everyone in the guard team. We will go onto the lake surface together to scout and confirm the situation."
"Sister Vanya, that Church has suddenly appeared now, it's too strange. Approaching rashly might be dangerous," Gaspare said with concern, hearing Vanya's words. Vanya, however, with a trace of firm expression, continued to respond.
"Precisely because this Church is very strange, we need to figure out its origin. We must quickly make a preliminary assessment of its danger and confirm whether it is harmful to ordinary people."
"We are the most experienced Extraordinary here. We must take responsibility and at least get a general understanding of the situation there, and then send a report to Tivian. As long as we proceed cautiously, there shouldn't be any problems."
Vanya said this to Gaspare in a stern tone. Hearing Vanya's words, Gaspare was slightly taken aback, then nodded decisively.
"I understand."