Conquest Sea, Summer Tree Archipelago. Late morning, somewhere on the main island of the Summer Tree Archipelago, chaos reigned in front of a large wooden lodge. Shattered floorboards, broken trees, and groaning Summer Tree warriors littered the ground—signs that a battle had just taken place. The fighting had broken out between the guards stationed there and a man who was supposedly just sent to deliver a message. "Let go of me! Let go, Sukai! I’m here to deliver Priest Anman’s orders! How can you attack me?!" Kneeling on the splintered floor and restrained by several warriors, Obiye shouted furiously. Standing before him was Sukai, a Summer Tree warrior and the guard commander of the lodge, which held many Radiance pilgrims inside. "I know you’re here to deliver orders. The important part is—what order? Just so there’s no confusion, why don’t you repeat exactly what your command was?" Standing with bare arms and a short shirt, Sukai spoke seriously to the man before him. Obiye froze for a second, then quickly responded. "Priest Anman has received a response from Radiance! They’ve rejected our terms! Anman ordered me to relay this: kill all the hostages immediately as a response to Radiance’s rejection! I have his staff as proof!" Obiye shouted, glaring at the staff lying on the ground a short distance away. After hearing this, Sukai let out a breath and said calmly. "Whew… just as expected. Got him. Take him away and lock him up." With that casual response, Sukai waved to his men, and they began dragging Obiye away. Seeing this, Obiye began struggling violently, shouting. "Sukai, you can’t arrest me! I’m delivering an important order! Radiance doesn’t see us as human—we must make them pay—mmph!" His ranting was cut short. Annoyed by his noise, Sukai used his mystical ability to pull water from a nearby stream and splashed a mass of it onto Obiye’s head, enveloping it completely. Though Obiye was a Hydromancer and wouldn’t suffocate immediately, the water still prevented him from continuing to shout. After watching Obiye being dragged away, Sukai stepped forward and picked up Anman’s staff. As he looked around, he finally spotted Anman, the Bountiful Tree Priest, slowly approaching from behind a nearby tree. “Priest Anman, I did exactly as you instructed. The moment Obiye gave the order to kill the hostages, I had him arrested.” As he spoke, Sukai handed the staff back to Anman. Anman, his expression stern, nodded slightly as he accepted it, then said. "Thank you. Now go and release the Radiance pilgrims. Gather them all together and arrange a better place for them to rest." "Yes, I’ll do it after I’ve dealt with Obiye." Following Anman’s command, Sukai left the area with the remaining warriors. Soon, they were out of sight. As Sukai departed, the white-clad nun Vania stepped forward and quietly approached Anman’s side. Glancing down at the staff in his hand, Anman let out a soft sigh. "...To think we were being used from the start. What we believed to be a desperate gamble to defend our faith… was nothing more than a move orchestrated by someone else, using us as tools against Radiance. If not for you, Miss Vania… I dread to imagine what would’ve happened to Summer Tree. Likely destroyed by Radiance, and our remnants devoured by the minions of the Serpent." He spoke with heavy sorrow. After a moment, Vania responded gently. "I only did what I had to. As a fellow remnant of the Goddess’ faith… I couldn’t stand by and watch Summer Tree march to ruin." Anman fell silent at her words. Leaning on his staff, he slowly turned to face her and continued. "This time… we truly owe you, Miss Vania. But I must ask—how did you know Obiye was the problem? That this whole plan had someone from the Serpent cult meddling behind the scenes?" "That was actually quite simple," Vania replied. "When I asked how Summer Tree obtained the information about our fleet’s weak defenses, you told me it was brought back by Obiye after a recent trading voyage—he said it was hearsay picked up at sea. But from my perspective, that made no sense at all.” "I was on the pilgrim fleet the entire time. Our lack of escort was caused by a sudden and unexpected incident in the distant city of Navaha. At the time, Radiance had locked down the entire port. Without mystical abilities, there’s no way an ordinary trader could’ve known what happened inside that harbor." "Because of that, this incident most likely wasn’t something that had spread among ordinary maritime traders. Even if it had, the rumors would’ve only circulated among merchants near Navaha, and it would’ve taken at least several days to spread. But according to you, Priest Anman, Obiye returned to Summer Tree four days ago, which was roughly the same time the accident with our fleet occurred. That would mean he already knew everything about what happened to us as soon as he returned—highly implausible. There’s no way he got this information just by ’hearing it at sea’ as he claimed. Someone must have detected what happened in Navaha and relayed the intel to him via mystical means, which suggests he has close ties to some mystical force outside Summer Tree.” Vania spoke seriously, and after hearing her words, Anman stroked his beard and responded with a sigh. “So that’s how it is... Other than Obiye, we hardly have anyone who sails far from Summer Tree. As a seafarer, Obiye has always been our main channel to the outside world—we never once doubted the information he brought. I never imagined he would one day betray the Goddess and fall into the embrace of that foul Serpent... Perhaps it was all those years away from home that changed him…” “By the way, Miss Vania, how did you know Obiye was a follower of the Serpent?” Anman pressed curiously, and Vania answered with a calm smile. “To be honest, I didn’t know for sure which side he was on at first. So when I spoke with him earlier, I deliberately used ambiguous wording to bait him. You may have been too far away to hear clearly, Priest Anman, but I subtly hinted that I was an ally. He responded to that implication and carelessly revealed critical information, which is how I learned he was a follower of the Abyssal Serpent.” Vania finished, and Anman nodded thoughtfully. After a moment of reflection, he let out a sigh and squinted at Vania as he continued. “To think, Miss Vania, someone so young could be so sharp and cunning—what a revelation. Having someone like you as an ally is both comforting and… a little unsettling.” “You’re too kind, Priest Anman,” Vania replied evenly. “To remain faithful to the Goddess while living under Radiance, one must always be careful and meticulous. Overthinking things can only help.” “It’s only natural that you don’t know me well enough yet. I understand your concern, but rest assured: I am as faithful to the Goddess as you are. Everything I’ve done has only ever been to help Summer Tree—not harm it.” Anman was silent for a while before exhaling deeply. “I hope so… Summer Tree no longer has any other path left to take.” Then, after a pause, he looked up at the towering great tree in the distance and spoke again. “Well then, let’s return to discuss our plan for the false conversion. Once we finalize our decision later this morning, we’ll immediately send a message to the Church.” “Mm… I just hope this can end peacefully.” … “Whew… finally. We caught the biggest leak—the one most likely to cause trouble. That’s Summer Tree’s mess basically settled… What a pain…” In her luxury hotel suite in Telva, Dorothy slumped back on the couch with a long, exhausted sigh. A heap of handwritten notes covered the desk in front of her—her hard-earned results from pulling an all-nighter. Last night, she had spent countless hours drafting a tailored false conversion plan for Summer Tree. After cross-referencing a mountain of reference materials, Dorothy had finally arrived at a preliminary solution by morning. The cost? She now looked thoroughly worn out—hair messy, spirit drained, and limbs limp. “Ugh… I originally planned to slack off a bit and just whip up a simple, half-baked plan… but then that Summer Tree client dropped a reward so sweet, it fired me up. I got way too into it and ended up working the entire night. The final plan ended up being twice as detailed as I originally planned…” Lying on the couch with a hand over her forehead, Dorothy mentally grumbled. The 30 points of Chalice from the Summer Tree documents had been just too enticing. Without realizing it, she had thrown herself into the work with way more passion than intended. “The pilgrims are safe. Summer Tree’s disaster is averted. The traitor’s been caught. All things considered, things have wrapped up nicely for them. I just need to watch out for a few follow-up issues…” “My plan should be solid—as long as the people on Summer Tree actually study it. With effort, they should be able to fool the Church. After all, even if they declare conversion, Radiance’s re-education process is a slow one. There are tons of opportunities for sleight of hand during that transition…” Dorothy wasn’t too worried. Her plan was built on accumulated wisdom from generations of experience. Even if something went wrong, and the Church uncovered the ruse, it would be Summer Tree’s problem, not hers. The way she designed the narrative, most of Summer Tree viewed Vania as a tool they were using. So even if things unraveled, it would be hard for Radiance to blame her—at worst, they’d think she’d been manipulated. “Anyway… Summer Tree’s business is finally wrapped up. Now I can finally get back to my own plans. After a couple of days’ proper rest… I’ll head over to the local White Craftsmen’s Guild.” "The previously scarce ’Chalice’ and ’Stone’ spiritualities… ’Chalice’ is now plentiful. All I need now is to buy a few mystic texts for ’Stone’. Still got a lot of coin left over from this round..." While thinking, Dorothy yawned and got up from the sofa. After tidying her drafts, she walked to the washroom, did a quick wash-up, then threw herself onto the bed, wrapped herself in the blankets, and was soon fast asleep. … Ivengard, Purification Cathedral. Within the vast and majestic cathedral, a dozen figures stood silently at attention. They each held long, gleaming spears and wore a hybrid uniform of metal armor and black clerical robes, their faces hidden beneath heavy helms. These dozen Church knights stood like statues in the empty cathedral, their solemn aura filling the air before the towering altar of the Three Saints. In front of them, Archbishop Antonio stood with a stern expression, his gaze sweeping over these ready-for-battle warriors. “In twenty minutes, the Grey Hermit will arrive in the airspace above the Cathedral District. Once aboard, you’ll reach Summer Tree by dusk today. When you arrive, you must locate all the kidnapped pilgrims and rescue them in full. If anyone resists—no matter who—eliminate them. You are permitted to use any and all means necessary, regardless of the damage to Summer Tree.” “To ensure this operation’s absolute success, the Holy Mount has specially dispatched the Grey Hermit across vast distances to carry you out in a covert assault. You have no reason to fail. Understood? Retrieve the pilgrims at all costs!” “Once they’re rescued, retreat immediately. The Sacred Flame Fleet will arrive afterward—to carry out purification.” Antonio delivered his grim orders to the knights before him. With coordinated precision, they bowed and responded in unison. “By the will of the Lord, we shall not fail!” Hearing their oath, Antonio nodded, then slowly turned around to face the grand altar of the Three Saints behind him. His gaze settled on the altar of the Holy Mother. The severe expression on his face shifted into melancholy. “…So in the end… this outcome was still unavoidable.” “All these years in Ivengard… and it’s all come to nothing. In the end… you win, Justin.” Staring at the altar of the Holy Mother, Antonio sighed with sorrow. Since taking the post of Archbishop of Ivengard, he had never once executed a Purification Order. Yet given the current situation, it was now inevitable. With the Purification Order, everything he had worked for—the slow, cautious reforms he’d implemented in the Ivengard diocese for years—would go up in smoke. “You’ve crossed the line, Summer Tree…” He spoke with finality. Just as Antonio began to ponder resigning his position, a side door to the cathedral burst open. A panicked priest rushed inside. “Archbishop Antonio! Major news! We’ve just received a critical message from Summer Tree!” The priest ran up, shouting toward the altar where Antonio stood. The Archbishop frowned and responded. “What news? Has Summer Tree started executing the hostages?” “No, no, not that—it’s conversion! Conversion!” “Summer Tree’s Bountiful Tree Priest has declared that they will release all the pilgrims and convert in full!” Breathless, the priest arrived before Antonio and spoke loudly. Hearing this, Antonio froze. After a long pause, he finally responded in shock. “…What did you just say? Say it again.” “Yes, the Bountiful Tree Priest has announced that they will release all the pilgrims and lead the people of Summer Tree to abandon their old gods and customs, and convert on the spot to the faith of the Holy Mother!” The priest spoke with utmost seriousness and solemnity. Upon hearing his words, Antonio stood in stunned silence. Even the knights nearby began exchanging glances, disbelief evident in their postures. “Unbelievable… that stubborn old Anman… has actually declared conversion? What on earth happened? Why such a sudden reversal?” Antonio muttered in disbelief. He had never imagined that the Summer Tree folk—known throughout the Southern Isles of Knoss for being the most obstinate—would abruptly convert. In the blink of an eye, over a hundred thousand of them had become devout followers of the Holy Mother?! “Your Excellency, according to their statement, it seems they were moved and enlightened by one of the originally kidnapped pilgrims—a nun devoted to the Holy Mother. Apparently, through acts of healing and theological discussion, she convinced the priests and elders of Summer Tree to convert.” The priest explained carefully. Antonio was struck dumb again before finally speaking, astonished. “A nun of the Holy Mother…?” “Yes. Her name is Vania Chafferon, reportedly a nun from the Pritt Diocese who was on pilgrimage.” Hearing this, Antonio’s expression grew complicated. After a moment of silence, he slowly turned again to look at the altar of the Holy Mother and murmured. “A single nun… with nothing but healing and discourse, brought the entire Summer Tree to conversion? Could it be… that You yourself worked a miracle through her… O Holy Mother?”