"The Star Numerology Scriptorium..."
After hearing Aldrich’s words, Dorothy murmured to herself, her mind filled with many thoughts.
"The Star Numerology Scriptorium, a secret society that perished in the long river of history, and the only one that pursued the Revelation path. According to Aldrich, since the fall of this secret society, there have been no Beyonders who directly walked the Revelation path. I might very well be the only true Revelation Beyonder in this era.”
"Therefore, if I want to learn more about the advancement of Revelation Beyonders, I must search for the ruins left behind by the Star Numerology Scriptorium. The closest one is in Tivian...”
"It seems... I’ll need to find a way to travel far."
"Thank you for the information, Mr. Aldrich. I think you’ve pointed me in the right direction for the future," Dorothy said with gratitude, to which Aldrich smiled and replied.
"It’s nothing. You’ve helped me greatly today, so this information is only natural." Aldrich took a sip of tea, then raised an eyebrow, looking at Dorothy with a playful expression.
"However, I must say, I’m quite surprised. You really aren’t affected by cognitive poisoning. Is this a special trait of Revelation Beyonders? Or... is it that only someone with your unique qualities can become a Revelation Beyonder?"
Aldrich spoke calmly, and Dorothy smiled before responding quietly.
"Of course. Some details about the Gold-rank advancement of the Stone path, the existence of the Star Numerology Scriptorium—these are secrets that ordinary people shouldn’t know. How could they not carry cognitive poison? You’ve purchased mystical texts from me too frequently, so I’ve long suspected that you might have some highly effective means of resisting cognitive poisoning. After testing it today, heh... it’s indeed highly effective."
Aldrich chuckled, and Dorothy was well aware of his probing. During their conversation, her system had already given her relevant notifications, so she knew the content of their discussion was laced with cognitive poison. She could have pretended to be affected by the poison to deceive Aldrich, but there was no need. A seasoned fox like Aldrich would see through such an act at a glance. Moreover, after hearing these poisoned secrets, she could extract a wave of spirituality.
"The secrets of Revelation Beyonders are truly fascinating, Miss Mayschoss. If I can ever offer a bargaining chip that satisfies you, please be sure to trade it with me," Aldrich said with a smile, looking at Dorothy. Dorothy responded lightly.
"Perhaps we can talk about that when you have such a bargaining chip."
Just as Dorothy and Aldrich were conversing, Vania, lying on the long table not far away, began to stir. Her tightly closed eyes trembled slightly before finally opening.
"Ugh... what happened? Why did I suddenly pass out..."
Clutching her still-dazed head, Vania sat up on the table and tried to recall the details before she passed out.
"Hmm... I was confessing in front of the altar, and then suddenly there was a loud noise outside, so I looked over and saw... a monster! A monster made entirely of bones!"
Recalling the skeletal monster with a massive deer skull, Vania shuddered.
"What was that thing? Why was it here? That kind of thing... that terrifying evil... Could it be the true target of our mission? Was the will of Aka truly pointing to that monster, rather than the minor skirmish with those two Beyonders?"
Vania thought to herself. Earlier, Dorothy had sought her help under the pretext of Aka’s will, but after arriving, Vania had only helped Dorothy deal with two seemingly low-ranking Beyonders. Vania had been puzzled as to why Aka, a true god, would focus on such minor figures.
Now, it seemed those two were merely superficial. The true target of Aka’s will was that skeletal monster! The one that had made her faint just by looking at it, an utterly evil creature! The weapons used by those two Beyonders were made of bones, likely deeply connected to that monster. Perhaps they were its minions! Or maybe the monster itself had been summoned from the realm of an evil god by these wicked Beyonders!
Vania’s thoughts grew more intense, and the more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. She now believed that the Beyonders they had faced were cultists, possibly trying to summon some evil entity to cause a disaster. The will Aka had conveyed to Miss Dorothy was likely to stop that monster and prevent the catastrophe!
"So... this is the true will of Aka, hidden beneath the surface?"
Vania was stunned by this realization. Just as she was contemplating whether to immediately confess to Aka for doubting the divine, the sound of her waking up caught the attention of Dorothy and Aldrich.
"Ah, Sister Vania, you’re awake," Dorothy said upon seeing Vania stir. Hearing Dorothy’s voice, Vania was startled and quickly got off the table to respond.
"Miss Dorothy! Where are we? That monster! That evil bone monster! Where is it now?!" Vania asked anxiously, and Dorothy walked over, patting her shoulder with a smile.
"Don’t worry, the monster has already been destroyed. You passed out earlier due to the influence of some divine remnants, but you’re fine now."
"It’s been destroyed? That’s good... but, divine remnants?!"
Hearing Dorothy’s words, Vania was once again shocked, as it seemed to confirm her earlier suspicions.
"Divine remnants... So, that monster was summoned from the realm of an evil god? Could it be a servant of an evil god? Did I just participate in resisting an invasion of the mortal world by an evil god’s servant?”
"Is this the will of Aka?!"
Thinking this, Vania stood frozen in place. Meanwhile, Dorothy turned to Aldrich and said, "By the way, this sister also participated in the mission and helped me greatly. Shouldn’t you give her some reward too, Mr. Aldrich?"
Hearing Dorothy’s words, Aldrich smiled and replied, "Heh... Of course. Please wait a moment."
With that, Aldrich stood up and walked into his room. A short while later, he returned with two hardcover books.
"These two mystical texts were written by an old friend from the Radiance Church. She has a unique understanding of the Lantern path. I’ll give them to you now, little sister. I hope you’ll study them well."
"This is..." Vania took the mystical texts and examined them carefully, noticing the author’s name prominently written on the cover.
"Amanda... Saint Amanda? One of the seven living saints of Mount Sanctum, Saint Amanda?! These are works by Saint Amanda? This old gentleman is a friend of Saint Amanda? Just who is he...?"
Silently raising her head, Vania slowly asked, "Sir, may I ask who you are..."
"Just an old man, nothing special. Thank you for coming to help me deal with that guy today, little sister," Aldrich replied calmly. Vania began to interpret his words.
"Helping him deal with that guy... Does he mean that bone monster, which might have been a servant of an evil god? Was he the main force fighting that evil creature? If so, then isn’t he also, like Miss Dorothy, a follower guided by Aka?”
"A follower guided by Aka, and an old friend of Saint Amanda, one of the seven saints?! This..."
For a moment, Vania stood there with her mouth agape, unsure of what to say. She now deeply realized that the followers of Aka in the mortal world might have influence far beyond her imagination.
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Feels like such an imaginative character like Vania is a staple of mystery fantasy stories lol. Love them though, they made the story more vibrant and less tense.
Also, Akasha’s name being cut into just Aka isn’t a writing or translation mistake. There is an underlying reason for that and it is related to the variety of languages being part of the important aspect of this story. But because in reality a story can only be written in a single main language, it resulted in them being perceived as inconsistency (at least I did, and cluelessly ‘corrected’ Aka to Akasha until I found out in a later chapter it being written as Aka was intended.)