Igwint Upper City, Knight Street.
In the morning, Dorothy was strolling along the greenbelt near Knight Street with Anna. As Dorothy shared her recent plans, Anna looked up at her with wide, sparkling eyes and asked, "Miss Mayschoss, are you really leaving for Tivian soon?"
"Yes, the sea of learning is boundless. Perhaps it’s time to venture into a broader world." Walking beside Anna, Dorothy replied. A hint of sadness flickered in Anna’s eyes.
"I see... Will I ever get to see you again, Miss Mayschoss?"
"Of course. I’m just going away to study. If there’s a long holiday, I can always return to Igwint, and we’ll meet again. And... if you really miss me, you can always read a book."
As she spoke, Dorothy pulled out a brand-new, thick book from her bag and handed it to Anna. Anna took it and saw that it was a collection of fables.
"This is a tool used by followers of Aka to communicate. Turn to page 212. If you ever need to contact me, write your message on that page. Likewise, if I need to reach you, my words will appear there. Take good care of this book."
Leaning down, Dorothy whispered this to Anna, who nodded firmly after a moment of surprise.
After escorting Anna back to Knight Street No. 26, Dorothy bid her final farewell and left. She boarded a carriage at the end of the street, and as the carriage moved, Dorothy began to reflect on Anna’s situation.
With the covert assistance of the Serenity Bureau, Anna had successfully won all her legal battles, defeating all competitors for the inheritance and securing her position as the primary heir of the Field family. The inheritance procedures would soon be completed, and Anna would officially become the new Viscountess Field, the most prominent noble in Igwynt.
Of course, inheriting the title didn’t mean Anna would immediately gain control of all the Field family’s assets. Due to her young age and lack of legal capacity, most of the Viscount’s properties were temporarily managed by professional institutions, and Anna would only have access to a small portion.
Since Anna had, in a way, been saved by Dorothy in the name of Aka, Dorothy created a communication book for her using the Literary Sea Logbook. By writing on the Logbook and controlling the amount of Revelation infused, Dorothy could guide the "word fish" to swim to specific texts, establishing a connection between the Logbook and the chosen book.
Thus, by surrounding the Logbook with a circle of books and infusing a tiny amount of Revelation into the written characters, Dorothy could create a remote communication tool. The fable book she gave Anna was one such creation, and Dorothy had prepared several more for future use.
While crafting these communication books, Dorothy had a sudden idea. She infused a few " word fish" with a bit more Revelation, allowing them to swim to distant texts beyond her sight. She wondered if she could replicate the situation with Vania, finding a few destined individuals to trick into contributing mystical knowledge.
"I wonder... where those characters will end up?"
Dorothy murmured to herself as she sat in the carriage.
Time flew by, and soon, the semester came to an end. As summer arrived, Dorothy, who had attended less than a week of classes, achieved the highest overall score in her class. When the results were announced, many teachers and students were surprised to realize that such a mysterious girl had been in their class all along.
Seeing Dorothy’s name at the top of the rankings, many students and teachers wondered if they could get a chance to meet this enigmatic girl who had excelled without attending classes. However, they would never get that opportunity.
Igwynt Train Station, morning.
Under the broad steel canopy, the platform was bustling with activity. A long steam train stood quietly on the tracks, awaiting its departure. Maintenance workers were conducting final checks on the massive iron beast.
In the square outside the station, under the scorching July and August sun, people came and went. Dorothy stood there, dressed in a light summer dress with short sleeves, sandals, and a sun hat. Beside her was a large suitcase. After spending most of the summer in Igwynt, Dorothy was finally ready to depart.
"Listen, Dorothy, remember to lock the door of your compartment on the train. Stay in your compartment if you can, don’t wander around, and avoid the cheap, non-reserved carriages. Don’t engage with strangers, keep your belongings safe, and don’t wander around at night. When you arrive in Tivian, send me a telegram. Got it?"
Standing in front of Dorothy, Gregor spoke with utmost seriousness, and Dorothy nodded in response.
"Don’t worry, Gregor. I can take care of myself. You don’t need to fuss so much."
"Sigh... Alright then, be safe. Honestly, if it weren’t for all the handover work here and your need to start school, I could have gone to Tivian with you."
Crossing his arms and sighing, Gregor spoke. His promotion and Dorothy’s transfer to Tivian had been a double blessing that had kept him excited for over a month. Just when he thought he could accompany Dorothy to Tivian, complications arose.
Due to various handover tasks, Gregor couldn’t leave for Tivian immediately, while Dorothy needed to report to her new school before the semester began. Thus, she had to leave ahead of him.
"Alright then, goodbye, Gregor. I’ll be waiting for you in Tivian."
"Goodbye, and stay safe."
Waving goodbye to Gregor, Dorothy dragged her large, heavy suitcase toward the train station. Gregor watched as her figure disappeared into the crowd.
After entering the station and passing through the ticket gate, Dorothy climbed a long flight of stairs with her luggage. Just as she was about to collapse from exhaustion and consider using a Devouring Sigil, she spotted a porter in the crowd. After handing over a few copper coins, she had the porter carry her luggage to the platform.
"Sigh... Being a Cognizer without any physical enhancements is such a pain. But thankfully I have money... Otherwise, I’d have been exhausted to death today..."
Standing on the platform, Dorothy grumbled inwardly. Then she looked up at the steam train quietly waiting on the tracks and murmured, "Tivian, here I come..."
Pritt Kingdom, central-southern part of Pritt’s main island, near a densely forested mountainous region.
In a peaceful, remote town on the edge of the mountains, inside a secluded two-story wooden house, a middle-aged man sat at his desk, quickly writing something on a piece of paper with a pen.
"To the Central Bureau in Tivian, preliminary investigations into the rumors of abnormal cult worship in the Razor Mountains have yielded results. Details are as follows…”
"Relevant evidence has been sent to the Central Bureau via a special courier. He will take the train from Alster to Tivian and is expected to arrive on the morning of the 23rd. Please prepare for his reception."
After finishing the document, the man reviewed it, confirmed it was accurate, and placed it in an envelope. He then stood up to leave, intending to send the information via telegram.
But as he opened the door and stepped out of the room, he felt a chill in his chest. Looking down in shock, he saw a small knife protruding from his heart.
The man tried to cry out, but a large hand covered his mouth and nose from behind. His eyes widened as he collapsed lifelessly to the floor. The envelope he had been holding fell to the ground and was picked up by the same hand.