On the vast, scorching North Wu Desert, beside a large, lush green oasis, the ancient city of Bastis, weathered by the passage of time, stood firm. After a long and arduous journey, Vanya finally reached her destination for this trip to Buserite, but what awaited her here was far beyond her expectations.
"Minions of the Evil God of Blinding Light... stay away!"
"Get out! otherworld! Don't you dare come a step closer!"
"Don't even think about bringing pain back to this land!"
Before the towering city gates of Buserite, countless city commoners, dressed in various attires, gathered together, shouting furiously towards Vanya and her companions not far ahead. As they shouted, they also brandished the crude weapons in their hands, staging a demonstration of intimidation.
Watching the commoners, who were shouting about the Evil God of Blinding Light and constantly posturing and intimidating, Vanya's group of guards, led by Gaspare, couldn't help but frown, a clear hint of anger rising on their faces. Just as they were about to draw their weapons, Vanya stopped them with a gesture.
"Sister Vanya... these people are already very dangerous cultists..." Seeing Vanya's gesture, Gaspare couldn't help but say to Vanya in a serious whisper, and Vanya responded softly.
"It hasn't come to that yet... it's far from the time to resort to force."
Hearing Vanya's words, Gaspare paused slightly. Then, he exchanged glances with the other guards beside him and, obeying Vanya's words, sheathed the weapons they had only partially drawn. After seeing this scene, Vanya turned her gaze back towards the group of agitated Bastis residents in the distance and then spoke in a gentle tone.
"People of Bastis, although I do not know what deceptive words you have believed, misunderstanding the supreme and benevolent Lord, the Lord has never abandoned any of His people. All lambs have times when they go astray; the Lord foresaw your straying and thus guided me to this place.
"Please do not be afraid, do not panic. What I bring is guidance and grace. I will do my utmost to help you escape disaster and suffering. We have food, medicine, and blessings here... these are things that can deal with this disaster. Please let us enter the city to provide help to those who are suffering. Please do not believe the foul words of any petty person."
Vanya spoke to the crowd before her in a gentle tone, trying to ease the tension between the two sides. However, her words failed to resolve the hostility of the crowd. They still held their weapons, showing no intention of putting them down.
"Don't believe her words! People of Bastis, you have already witnessed what the Evil God of Blinding Light can do under this disaster! They can do nothing! They cannot stop this disaster; they brought this disaster! Think about it, both of you, in the past period, who saved this city, the Evil God of Blinding Light or the Immortal Lord? Who freed you from the sea of suffering!"
In front of the crowd in Bastis, the bald, bloated man holding a strange staff shouted provocatively again, and among the crowd behind him, many people also began to softly respond to him.
"The Immortal Lord... it was the Immortal Lord... it was the Immortal Lord who saved us... it was the Immortal Lord who freed us from pain... What the Evil God of Blinding Light couldn't do, the Immortal Lord did!"
The crowd gathered before the city gates kept murmuring. Compared to Vanya, everyone here seemed to believe his words more. None of them put down their weapons; instead, they gripped them tighter.
"See! The people here don't welcome you! Minions of the Evil God of Blinding Light, the Immortal Lord dislikes conflict, and unlike those nailed up there, you haven't committed evil in this city, so today I will be merciful and spare you, but don't even think about stepping foot into this city!" The man continued, waving his staff, and many in the crowd behind him also echoed his words.
"That's right! Get out!"
"Get out, otherworld, you're not welcome here!"
"Go away! There's no place for you here!"
Countless Bastis residents gathered before the city gates, shouting furiously, using words to drive Vanya away. Seeing this scene, the anger on Gaspare's face beside Vanya reappeared. He spoke to Vanya in a low voice.
"Sister Vanya, these people are beyond saving. Let's just act directly and let them witness the Lord's flames."
"Calm down... Gasparre Priest, we are here to save people, not kill them. The situation hasn't been clarified yet, so don't act rashly..." Vanya said seriously to Gaspare. After curbing the impulsiveness of her guards, Vanya looked at the group of commoners before her, whose malice was evident, and then spoke softly again.
"Even those deeply lost... the Lord will not abandon them. Every living being has a chance to be redeemed. I will wait here for that moment to arrive..."
Saying this, Vanya turned around with her people and left, moving away from the city gates that currently rejected them.
As she left, Vanya seemed to glance back inadvertently, looking towards the ancient city of Bastis behind her. After seeing the few figures lightly swaying, nailed to the city wall, she turned her head back again and left the scene.
...
After being refused entry by the people of Bastis, Vanya did not choose to engage in direct armed conflict with the other side. Instead, she led her people back to the contingent first. After that, she did not order the diplomatic contingent to leave immediately but ordered them to set up camp outside the city on the spot.
Under Vanya's command, the diplomatic camel contingent chose the other end of the oasis and established a camp across the large lake from Bastis city, relying on the oasis for immediate rest and recuperation. Within just a few hours, thanks to the diligent work of countless Church employees, tents of all sizes were erected on a wide grassy area by the lake, and a large-scale camp was thus established. The entire process of setting up was not disrupted by anyone; only a number of Bastis guards were watching vigilantly from the city wall in the distance.
At dusk, on the camp by the oasis lake shore, various tents were pitched everywhere, countless people walked around, groups of camels were led to the lake to drink, wisps of cooking smoke slowly rose from various parts of the camp, and the sounds of commotion from all around were incessant.
In the center of the camp, inside a large white tent, Vanya sat on the newly laid exquisite carpet, looking ahead. Standing before her at this moment were two figures; one was wearing the same white Sister habit as her, her assistant, medical Sister Phil, and the other was a more mature woman.
This woman, who appeared tall, had a full figure, slightly wavy black hair, and wore a modified black and gray Sister habit. This habit was more fitted and shorter than the standard style. She had a pair of brown eyes, and the expression within them was very peaceful.
"Sister Vanya, this is Sister Faith. She is a dispatched Sister belonging to the Bureau of Secrets and has been active in the Buserite region for a long time. Bastis is her main base of operations. She can tell us about the recent situation in Buserite."
Phil introduced the Sister beside her to Vanya. Vanya knew that the Bureau of Secrets was one of the major important organizations within the Church. Like the Court of Salvation where she belonged, it was directly managed by the Cardinal. It was the Church's intelligence agency, dispatching agents worldwide to collect all overt and covert information for the Church. These people primarily operated in peripheral areas where the Church's influence was low or even non-existent, which naturally included Buserite.
"Ah... so it's Sister Faith. Please have a seat... It must have been hard wandering in this desolate land all this time." Facing the Sister before her, Vanya said with a smile. This wasn't her first contact with the Bureau of Secrets. The first time she went to Adus, she had contact with the Bureau of Secrets members lurking there. It was they who informed Vanya about various intelligence within Adus, including Shadi's detailed rise to power.
"I've long heard that the recently popular Sister Vanya has a gentle nature and treats people kindly. It seems that's true... It's quite nostalgic." Hearing Vanya's words, Faith also smiled and sat down. Listening to Faith's words, Vanya tilted her head curiously and asked,
"Nostalgic? Does Sister Faith feel nostalgic seeing me?"
"Something like that... After living in remote areas for so many years, it's been a long time since I've seen someone from the proper saint church, especially someone who shares my belief in the Holy Mother... Those sent to execute missions in such dangerous places usually believe in the Saint Father or the Saint Child. Now I've finally met someone with whom I can discuss faith..." Sitting on the carpet, Faith continued speaking with a gentle smile, her words surprising Vanya slightly.
"So, Sister Faith is a Holy Mother believer? That's rare. Someone working in the Bureau of Secrets actually holds the path of the Holy Mother in their heart. Won't the Holy Mother's mercy affect your mission?"
"No... I just need to always remember that 'temporary sacrifice is for greater salvation, and minor cruelty is for grand benevolence.' This way, I won't be affected. My faith is the motivation for my work, not an obstacle." Waving her hand, Faith said this, and Vanya nodded with interest after hearing her words.
"'Minor cruelty is for grand benevolence,' huh... I understand. It's not easy to have persevered on this land until now, constantly contributing to the saint church. I offer you my respect..." Vanya said this, and after giving Faith a slight bow, she continued speaking.
"Our purpose in coming to Bastis this time is to provide widespread relief here. However, the situation here is a little different from what we understood before. The people here seem to have been misled by certain slanders. Do you know the specific situation, Sister Faith?"
Getting to the point, Vanya asked Faith, and Faith immediately began to answer.
"It's the Order of Rot. The Order of Rot from the south has made a move. This wave of 'Wasting Decay' spreading throughout Buserite was created and deliberately spread by the Order of Rot. This plague officially appeared about two months ago, then rapidly spread in Buserite, quickly reaching Bastis.
"Bastis was infected very quickly. The Savior Sect otherworld who were originally controlling and proselytizing here initially actively treated this plague, wanting to use it to further win people's hearts and spread their otherworld ideas. At first, they achieved good results.
"Because of the activity of those otherworld, the spread of the Bastis plague quickly slowed down. Due to having some Holy Mother's Path Extraordinary, they were very quick in handling these plague patients. The speed of infection couldn't keep up with their treatment speed. At first, there was a risk that the Bastis plague would be directly extinguished by this otherworld."
Faith explained to Vanya intently, and listening to Faith's words, Vanya's brows furrowed slightly. In her impression, this kind of plague shouldn't be that easy to treat.
"I originally thought those otherworld would handle the Bastis plague, but surprisingly, their speed in treating the plague became slower and slower. People who could be cured quickly originally required more time to deal with, and this time kept increasing, causing the plague that was about to be extinguished in Bastis to flare up again. The plague quickly infected and spread at an even fiercer rate than before. Not only did those who hadn't been infected before contract the plague, but even those who had been infected once and cured now fell ill again.
"At this stage, the number of patients in Bastis began to grow explosively, instantly exceeding the upper limit of that group's ability to handle. During that period, the entire Bastis suddenly lost all order and descended into complete chaos. Those otherworld thus lost control of Bastis.
"During that period of chaos, the people of the Order of Rot arrived. It was the bald man you saw before; his name is Jawadin. He is an underling of Amuyaba, one of the chiefs of the Order of Rot... or according to the more local term, the Order of Rot. He arrived with people during the most chaotic period in Bastis and began spreading their evil god faith under the guise of treating illness. The plague that those otherworld found difficult to resolve, Jawadin could easily alleviate the patients' suffering. Therefore, the influence of the Order of Rot rapidly expanded in Bastis and quickly surpassed the otherworld.
"And during this process, the conflict between Jawadin and those otherworld also continuously intensified, eventually erupting in military conflict. And the result... I think Sister Vanya, you've also seen it, right on the city gate of Bastis..."
...
Just as Vanya was listening to the intelligence brought by Faith in her tent, the sun in the sky completely set as time passed. After dusk ended, darkness enveloped this ancient oasis desert.
The cold evening wind of the desert howled. At this moment, within a grove in the oasis, a tall, thin man wearing a North Wu robe stood there. The Corpse Puppet Edrick stood among the deserted and quiet trees, his hands behind his back, looking around as if waiting for something.
Suddenly, the bushes on one side of Ed rustled. Ed turned his head and saw a figure walking towards him through the bushes. Looking closely, it was a cloaked figure, carrying another figure on his shoulder.
After arriving beside Ed, the cloaked figure placed the person on his shoulder on the ground and stood up, letting out a long breath. The voice was actually Naifnis's.
"Phew... Finally finished. Take a look."
Listening to Neff's words, Dorothy controlled Ed's body to carefully examine the figure lying on the ground. She was a young woman wearing a tattered Savior Sect robe, her face ashen and eyes tightly closed. It was indeed one of the Savior Sect members who had been nailed to the wall of Bastis city before.
"Hmm... Indeed. She's not dead yet. It seems the 'cup' gave her a breath, and she hasn't been tortured to death yet..." Looking at the woman before him, Ed said in a deep voice. Dorothy didn't rush to do more to the Savior Sect woman who still had a breath. Instead, she first drew the Living Puppet mark on her, turning her into a Living Puppet, and then checked the condition of her body.
'As expected... there are parasites. I can't take her back directly; I must get rid of the parasites first...' While examining the condition of the Savior Sect woman's body, Dorothy thought from within her tent far away.
Afterward, with the mobilization of Dorothy's Spirituality, from the fingertips of Ed's hand, a slender, materialized red Spirit thread extended out, circling and winding in the air like a snake before extending downwards, passing through clothing and skin, and entering the body of the Savior Sect woman who was in a deep coma.
Dorothy meticulously controlled her Spirit thread to move within the woman's body, quickly finding the various parasites residing within her. These parasites, of various shapes and sizes, were immediately Living Puppeted by Dorothy's Spirit thread upon contact. Dorothy directly ordered them all to commit suicide, not even sparing the developing insect eggs.
In a short while, Dorothy had already cleared all the detectable parasites from the woman's body.