The sphere of light above Krimms Cathedral grew increasingly brilliant, bathing the Caster City State in a light like day.
Almost everyone in the city state stopped what they were doing and looked toward the Cathedral.
Some were astonished, some annoyed, some cheered…
Countless believers of the Dawn Church lowered their heads, crossed their hands over their shoulders, and responded in low voices, "Praise the Dawn!"
For a time, the entire Caster City State echoed with the single word, "Dawn."
Just then, a golden pillar of light pierced the dim sky, projecting onto the sphere of light and coating the silvery-white orb in a layer of golden radiance.
Immediately after, a murmuring sound arose.
It was like someone whispering right in one's ear, yet it was imbued with a majesty one could "hear."
"Sope, Sineas, Deen Ael, Nisola Risi..."
Listening to this whisper, Wei'en couldn't help but furrow his brow. 'Is this the Gonzalez language?'
He tried to understand the meaning of the phrase. '"The Dawn, eternally bright... something descends, something carries what... death?"'
"What is all this nonsense?"
His 'Skilled' level proficiency in the Gonzalez language was somehow not enough to understand the meaning of these words.
'Unbelievable...'
「At that moment, night fell!」
A massive red moon slowly emerged in the night sky, casting down a dim, crimson moonlight.
In an instant, the low, sonorous murmuring ceased.
The golden pillar of light dissipated.
Under the red moon's glow, the silvery-white sphere of light retracted its brilliance, becoming less dazzling.
"Dawn!"
As that voice rang out, the sphere of light vanished, leaving only a slender figure lying horizontally in mid-air.
"Huh? How come she's wearing... Is that armor?"
Seeing this, Wei'en couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. 'Wasn't she naked before?'
Before long, the figure slowly drifted down, and the strange phenomenon above the Cathedral dissipated along with it.
'It seems that even the radiance of the Dawn must keep a low profile beneath the red moon.'
[You have listened to the Sound of Divinity from an unknown existence. Your Spirit has been baptized. Evaluation: To some, it is a baptism; but to certain "people," it is blasphemy. Reward: Survival Points +3, Spirit Level -1 (Temporary).]
The moment Wei'en saw this message, a sharp pain lanced through his head, making him clutch it and cry out.
"What the hell? Blasphemy to certain people... is it talking about me?"
'Wasn't it a baptism?'
'Why did it baptize my Spirit level away?'
After a long while, Wei'en finally recovered, angrily shutting the window while muttering curses.
"What kind of garbage Sound of Divinity is this? How is this piece of junk divine at all?"
It had knocked off one of his Spirit levels in an instant. The fact he wasn't cursing Its name was him being generous!
Wei'en shook his head, secretly resolving that he wouldn't spare another glance at any commotion related to the Dawn Church, even if it killed him.
But no matter what he thought, there was nothing he could do.
The Spirit level that had been baptized away wasn't coming back...
CLINK.
Just then, a familiar sound rang out as the blue and white box began to flash.
Wei'en opened the box, puzzled. Seeing a few coins lying inside, he took them out and counted. "3 shillings and 6 pence. This is..."
Only then did he remember that the letter from the School had mentioned a ten percent discount on all knowledge exchanges for him.
"A windfall. Nice." A smile returned to Wei'en's face.
It wasn't a lot of money, but a small surprise was still a surprise, and it lifted his spirits again.
'So what if it's one Spirit level? There will be plenty of chances to earn it back later.'
With that thought, he activated the "typewriter" and transmitted a detailed account of what he had just witnessed.
His intuition told him that what had happened at the Dawn Church today was anything but ordinary.
"August 9th, 1578, New Calendar. Weather: Clear."
"Today, a strange sight appeared at the Krimms Cathedral in the Caster City State. A beautiful, unclothed woman was enveloped in a silvery-white light and floated into the sky..."
In just five short minutes, he had completed an eloquently worded intelligence report easily exceeding a thousand words.
'This is big news, top-secret intelligence... they can't call me a slacker for this, right?'
Wei'en looked at the blue and white box with some anticipation. How much would the Ghost Soul School reward him for such a report?
If it was only 6 pence again, he would definitely quit—did they take him for a fool?
CLING-CLANG.
A clear, crisp sound came from within the blue and white box, and Wei'en's heart leaped with excitement.
He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he seemed to hear the sound of countless coins dancing inside the box.
CLICK.
The box opened.
"Huh? One gold... a gold pound?"
Wei'en stared in surprise at the gold pound and an envelope inside the box.
Although he had expected something good, he hadn't thought the Ghost Soul School would be so generous as to directly reward him with one gold pound.
This was the biggest reward he—including his predecessor's time—had ever received as an Intelligence Officer!
"Very good, Wei'en Loft. You have finally recovered your sensitivity to the value of intelligence. I am very satisfied with this report."
"At the same time, I have decided to modify the contents of the punitive mission previously assigned."
"An additional new task is being added—investigate the person who caused the 'Holy Favor Descends' phenomenon. This is to be completed along with the matter of the strange disappearances in the slums. You have three days."
"Upon completion of the mission, my department will not only forgive your past mistakes but will also give you an additional reward."
"On the path to seeking knowledge, death is not the end. —Olivia Tapia, Liaison Officer, Intelligence Department, Ghost Soul School, Shetland Kingdom."
'The School is defining the strange phenomenon at the Dawn Church as "Holy Favor Descends"?'
Wei'en frowned at the term in the letter. He seemed to have heard it from Kali before; it referred to receiving the favor of the Lord of Dawn.
'Could it be that the unknown existence from just now was the Lord of Dawn?'
'And the Sound of Divinity was what It said?'
'Damn it all, I finally know who screwed me out of a Spirit level.'
But not a single thought of revenge crossed his mind...
'That's a god. A single strand of its hair could crush me. Better to think about something more practical.'
Wei'en looked at the new mission at the end and frowned.
'Why is the Ghost Soul School so interested in that person from the Dawn Church?'
However, compared to investigating the strange disappearance case in the slums, gathering information on a single person seemed exceptionally simple.
He had many ways to investigate and get information on "that person."
The most direct method was to find someone from the Dawn Church or someone who had attended the event at the Cathedral and ask them. That should give him a general idea.
'But such a simple task has been given two extra days... Does the Liaison Officer consider this mission to be on the same level of difficulty as the slum case?'
Though puzzled, Wei'en didn't dwell on it.
This arrangement was actually a good thing for him, giving him more time to investigate the case in the slums.
He had already planned to use the Secret Investigation Department's resources tomorrow to look into the slum disappearances.
If there was no relevant intelligence within the Secret Investigation Department, he would go to the slums himself for a look.
But if even that didn't turn up any useful information...
Then he had one last resort—blame it all on that Sutle Dog that runs wild late at night!
Whether the people were eaten or made to disappear by some other entity, the end result was the same...
Sutle Dog: AWOOOOOOOO!
(Offense taken!)