In the dark of night in Moncarlo, inside a luxurious hotel suite, Dorothy sat on the sofa in her pajamas. Gazing out the window at the nightscape, she reflected on what she had just seen and heard within another’s dream, absentmindedly rubbing her chin. “I really didn’t expect it... The Abyssal Church’s purpose in coming to Moncarlo was to offer him life extension, trying to lure him back into their ranks in secret. And the token of his return... is actually to help corrupt Vania... “It seems… it was my decision to make Moncarlo the first stop on Vania’s pilgrimage that ended up prompting this move from the Abyssal Church. That messenger named Tonic arrived nearly a week ago, which lines up with the time Vania publicly announced her destination. She had already dealt the Abyssal Church a blow during the Summer Tree incident, and now they finally see a chance for revenge—while also reeling Edward back in by demanding his pledge of loyalty.” “Heh… what a well-crafted plan. I had anticipated that Vania’s visit to Moncarlo might shift the power balance around the Conquest Sea, but I never expected it would trigger a Crimson from the Abyssal Church to act. Things are getting more and more complicated here…” As she thought this, Dorothy picked up a glass of water from the coffee table and took a sip. Back during the Shimmering Pearl incident, she had already heard the name “Swordscale” from two Abyssal Church officials. Apparently, Swordscale was a Crimson-rank leader within the Church, residing on White Tears Island, and wielded considerable influence over Abyssal Church operations throughout the Conquest Sea. “Edward, the great pirate of Moncarlo… Swordscale, the temple leader of White Tears Island… and Withered Wing, a high-ranking figure of the Blackdream Hunting Pack… I didn’t expect there would be three Crimsons in Moncarlo at the same time, and they’re even going to attend the same auction… That’s definitely something I hadn’t accounted for…” 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢 Dorothy sighed inwardly. In truth, the Abyssal Church’s actions weren’t entirely unexpected. When Vania first announced her pilgrimage to Moncarlo, the upper echelon of the Redemption Faction had already issued her some warnings. At that time, Sister Ivy of the Redemption Faction had reached out to Vania via relay communicator, telling her that the current situation in Moncarlo was “a bit delicate,” and advising her to proceed cautiously. If anything seemed dangerous, she was to call Ivy through the relay. Ivy herself would patrol somewhere closer to Moncarlo during the visit, just in case. Though Ivy hadn’t spelled out everything clearly, Dorothy could already tell from her phrasing that the Redemption Faction was concerned about potential trouble. It seemed they wanted to intervene in Moncarlo’s affairs but were restricted by internal Church politics and the continental powers, leaving them no choice but to advise Vania to act with caution and show respect toward Edward’s authority. They may have even hoped Vania’s visit could serve as a friendly gesture from the Church to Moncarlo. “At the time, I didn’t fully understand Ivy’s warning… but now I get it. As things stand, Edward is as good as dead. But because of his long history of double-dealing and illegal dealings in the shadows, neither the Church nor the major powers of the continent particularly care for him. They’re content to watch him die. Any motion to help him extend his life would immediately be shot down. That’s why the Redemption Faction could only let Vania’s visit serve as a symbolic gesture—insurance, nothing more.” “They probably figured that since Vania lacked diplomatic experience, giving her too much intel might lead her to say the wrong thing when interacting with Moncarlo. That could cause Edward to misjudge the Church’s intentions. So they chose not to tell her anything sensitive.” Dorothy continued her analysis silently. From the Church’s perspective, since Vania wasn’t sent on a mission involving Edward directly, there was no need to burden her with unrelated intel. The less she knew, the better. That way, even if Edward asked whether the Church intended to save him, her answer—whether “yes” or “no”—couldn’t be misinterpreted, because she genuinely didn’t know. Ideally, Edward would interpret her visit as a sign that the Church hadn’t entirely given up on him. However, what the Church failed to foresee was just how swift and decisive the Abyssal Church would be. They sent a Crimson with the Waters of Youth—a divine artifact byproduct—to tempt and sway Edward. And as for Vania, they opted for covert corruption rather than direct confrontation. On this front, the Abyssal Church’s internal cohesion clearly outpaced the currently disorganized and politically constrained Church. They had seized the initiative in full. Now that she fully understood the tangled situation on the island, Dorothy leaned back against the sofa’s soft cushions, beginning to consider her next steps. Although the situation was dangerous and complex, to an outsider like her who held a clear information advantage, it also presented many opportunities. “Three Crimsons on the island… This situation’s beyond dangerous. But fortunately, I have some contingencies. If things really go south, I can still call in that Sister Ivy. With her as a trump card, even three Crimsons won’t leave me without options.” That thought reassured Dorothy. Ivy’s presence gave her the confidence to act even with Crimsons involved. But she wouldn’t play that card unless absolutely necessary—because while Ivy could suppress the situation, she’d also alert Withered Wing, who might escape. So unless it became a matter of life and death, Dorothy wouldn’t let Vania call Ivy. “Ideally… I’d resolve everything behind the scenes, just like before. But this time the difficulty is higher. More importantly, while we’ve gathered plenty of intel on Edward and the Abyssal Church… we’ve got next to nothing on Withered Wing. And he’s my primary target…” Dorothy’s thoughts continued to spiral. After some consideration, she decided that since there was no immediate lead on Withered Wing, it was best to dig deeper into the connection between Edward and the Abyssal Church. Perhaps she could pry something loose from them. With that in mind, Dorothy silently closed her eyes while seated on the sofa and began communicating with the little fox, Saria, who was still active in the dream realm. “Miss Fox, please ask Tonic again: does he know where Swordscale is? How does he contact him? Does he know what Swordscale looks like? Any distinctive features?” Elsewhere in Moncarlo, within the dream world, the white little fox sat atop the throne in the vast dream-audience chamber, flicking her tail in boredom as she waited for a response from the real world. Her ears perked slightly when she received Dorothy’s message. She looked down at Tonic standing on the red carpet and asked. “Hey—you. Do you know what that Swordscale guy looks like? Any distinctive traits? What kind of abilities does he have?” “Swordscale is the head priest of the temple on White Tears Island, one of the Abyssal Church’s major strongholds. He’s named after the divine sword he wields, which is said to be forged from a scale of the Abyssal Lord’s divine offspring. I’m not qualified to know the details of his abilities, but I have seen Lord Swordscale a few times. He looks like this.” As he spoke, an illusionary projection coalesced before Tonic. Once stabilized, the figure that appeared in the dream-audience hall was that of a man in his mid-to-late forties, with black hair and beard, dusky bronze-tinged skin, and medium stature. He wore a combination of ritual robe and armor, crowned with a bronze circlet shaped like a coiled serpent. His eyes were piercing. His facial features bore a strong resemblance to traditional islanders of the Conquest Sea—similar to those from Summer Tree Island. These people were known as the Sea Yi. (T/N: 海伊人 = Sea Yi people? Haiyi people? Haiyi folks? Idk) “So that’s what Swordscale looks like… In that case, could I just use this appearance to locate him somewhere on Moncarlo Island?” The little fox asked curiously as she stared at the memory projection before her. But Tonic promptly shook his head and replied. “No. When Lord Swordscale came to Moncarlo, he used a complete disguise. His current appearance looks nothing like that. I don’t know what he looks like now, what identity he’s using, or where he’s staying.” Tonic replied naturally, and the little fox continued to ask. “Then how do you contact Swordscale? Surely you’d need to report your progress with Edward back to him, right?” “I do it through an embedded Sensory Flesh Altar. It’s implanted in my arm—a rare parasitic-type altar that survives by feeding on my spirituality. It allows me to contact Lord Swordscale anytime and report the results of our negotiations. It’s highly secure and completely untraceable.” As he spoke, Tonic extended his arm. His sleeve vanished, revealing a human face embedded in his skin—eyes, nose, mouth, ears—all intact. Its eyelids were tightly shut, as if in a deep sleep. Googlᴇ search novel⚑fire.net “Ew…” Seeing the fully formed face growing from Tonic’s arm, the little fox instinctively recoiled a few steps, visibly creeped out. Then she pressed on. “So, have you already reported your success in negotiating with Edward?” “Yes, I reported it that very night. Now, all Lord Swordscale needs to do is confirm at the auction whether Sister Vania has been implanted with the seed of corruption. Once confirmed, he will discreetly deliver the Waters of Youth to Edward as promised.” Tonic answered smoothly. With Dorothy’s guidance, the little fox then asked. “So this ‘seed of corruption’—what exactly is it?” “It’s a small bottle of special Chalice-drug and a specially-made copy of the Radiance Holy Scripture. The drug’s effect is very subtle. For ordinary people, it causes no abnormalities and has no addictive properties. But it induces an unintentional curiosity toward certain stimuli. “The Holy Scripture is meant to be used in conjunction with the drug. It contains no spirituality and its content is identical to a regular Radiance Holy Scripture, with no visible mystical text. However, the decorative borders and patterns on the cover and page edges conceal profound and hidden Chalice-related meanings. Ordinary readers wouldn’t notice anything unusual—but someone who’s taken the drug would be more receptive, allowing them to interpret the hidden meanings and thus receive the mystical message. “The border designs on the Holy Scripture are arranged to align with nearby text, causing the drugged reader’s attention to unconsciously drift toward specific phrases. In doing so, they’ll combine unrelated words into new sentences—secret phrases embedded within the sacred text—letting the reader absorb mystical knowledge without realizing it.” Tonic explained to the little fox. In short, although the Holy Scripture appeared entirely mundane and spiritually clean, reading it while under the drug’s influence would let someone extract secret teachings of the Chalice Path—unaware they were being corrupted. “So they anticipated that anything given to Vania would be heavily scrutinized, and came up with this method of corruption instead? Impressive… Whoever designed this Holy Scripture must be a genius…” Dorothy thought to herself after hearing Tonic’s explanation. Then she had the little fox continue questioning. “And the drug and the Holy Scripture—Edward already has them?” “Yes. I gave him everything. The plan is that on the day before the auction, once the holy relic exhibition concludes, Edward will personally host a banquet for the nun. He’ll drug her during the meal and present the Holy Scripture in the name of Moncarlo’s ruler. One evening is all it takes to plant the seed.” Tonic nodded as he answered. The little fox followed up. “Then how exactly does Swordscale plan to confirm whether the seed of corruption was successfully planted? And how will he deliver the Waters of Youth to Edward once he confirms it?” “That I don’t know. That’s Lord Swordscale’s task—it’s out of my hands. All I know is that I’ve been ordered to remain in Edward’s private booth during the auction. If Lord Swordscale confirms the seed has taken root, he’ll inform me via the embedded Sensory Flesh Altar, and I’ll relay the method to retrieve the Waters of Youth to Edward.” That was all Tonic had to say. After hearing his answer, Dorothy remained silent in her seat for a moment. She had the little fox ask a few more follow-up questions, but nothing valuable came of them. Finally, she concluded the questioning. “All right, Miss Fox, I’ve asked everything I needed. You may rest now.” “Phew… finally over…” The little fox let out a long sigh of relief and began adjusting Tonic’s dream, erasing all memories of the intrusion and wiping away the traces of dream invasion, before exiting the dream. Meanwhile, Dorothy severed the consultation channel link with the little fox and sat quietly on the sofa, carefully reviewing the intelligence she had just gathered—particularly the information on Swordscale. “So… where exactly is this Swordscale on Moncarlo right now? And on the day of the auction… how is he going to confirm whether the seed of corruption was actually planted in Vania?” “The best way to check if someone has been affected by cognitive poison or drug-induced corruption is direct face-to-face interaction. But an auction isn’t a grand social gala—there won’t be much opportunity to mingle. Vania will be seated in a private booth, heavily guarded at all times. So how is Swordscale going to get close enough to examine her without revealing his identity?” As these thoughts spun in Dorothy’s mind, a sudden flash of insight struck her. “Right… the auction… the auction itself…”