"May Truth live forever, sisters," Lady Aurelia greeted her fellow believers outside the café, having initiated this nocturnal discussion today as part of a small sect that spontaneously formed to worship the Lord of Night.
The Lord of Night was a deity from the Ancient Era, an antithesis to the Lord of Light. Back then, the Lord of Night had been a more malevolent god. However, when the Lord of Light fell in battle against the Evil God, this deity suddenly realized how childish its past actions... had been.
Therefore, she shifted her allegiance, transforming from a deity inclined towards chaos and evil, into one neutral but leaning towards order.
She worked hard to save some of the Lord of Light’s followers and strived to maintain their faith’s response and spell-casting abilities.
At that time, the God of Justice had not yet descended, and the Lord of Night, along with other deities, fought hard against Chaos. But when the Lord of Justice appeared, the Lord of Night turned to the shadows, and her followers began hunting down Chaotic Believers in the darkness.
Just like the ancestors of Lady Aurelia, her family had always been hunters of Chaotic Believers.
"Sister, I’ve heard about your ordeal, personally dealing with a family member must have caused you so much pain, may the goddess soothe your soul," a friend dismounted her carriage and embraced Lady Aurelia: "Has everyone arrived?"
"Lady Manli has not yet arrived, but she has taken leave. She is in the Central Administrative Province right now, indeed unable to make it."
"Then let’s get started, sisters, may Truth live forever."
"Yes, sisters, may Truth live forever."
The two entered the café and casually found a seat. A sister who had taken over the nocturnal discussion stood at the center, scanning the room: "Sister Manli has asked for leave, sisters, the nocturnal discussion begins. Now, according to the rules, let us invite the most recently joined sister to speak." Everyone looked towards a woman sitting in the corner, who, like them, wore a mask representing their identity, "Good evening, ladies, I am ’Desire.’ My information pertains to an apprentice organization within the Church of the Harvest Goddess."
"The Church of the Harvest Goddess, what kind of information could this church have?" someone asked her companion.
Another seemed to understand something and just smiled, while the newcomer continued: "These apprentices have formed an intelligence-gathering organization, highly efficient. If nothing is amiss, their leader is none other than Mr. Malin."
"Malin, then obviously, this organization is no secret to our King," someone said gravely.
"Of course, our King is certainly aware. Moreover, as I know it, the perpetrators of the recent bank carriage robbery and the illegal liquor case were reported to the police by this organization."
"If that’s the case, then my personal recommendation is to not let this information leak out," the nocturnal discussion moderator said: "If it invites retaliation against Malin... there’s always the possibility that it could lead back to us. We are the followers of the Lord of Night, let’s not cause trouble for our sect and bring shame upon the oath of secrecy our sisters have taken."
"Of course, my sister," the speaker bowed her head and then sat down.
"Next, Remembrance, my old friend, it’s your turn," the moderator looked towards another woman. Under her gaze, a lady wearing a butterfly mask stood up: "My information is also about Mr. Malin."
"It seems our little Mr. Malin has endless secrets, what now?" someone asked with a laugh.
"The Rift War, as many are aware. My intelligence is that, according to known information from various churches, the world on the other side of the Rift has already seen our city destroyed."
"While it is startling intelligence, if one thinks carefully, it indeed seems likely," the moderator frowned slightly, then immediately spoke: "I believe many now regret not investing in time."
"Of course, my sister, if my family had even half the audacity of the Sheringham family, we would not find ourselves in such an embarrassing position now," Lady Aurelia said, laughing somewhat helplessly.
"But after all, it was a massive gamble, and aside from our Lady Anna, who knew it inside out, any family would frown upon such a gamble," the moderator added with a smile: "The third speaker, Listener Lady, I was quite surprised when I heard you wanted to speak. What is it you want to say?"
"What I have to say is similar to Sister Remembrance, but now I just want to add that Shelton from the House of Brice, according to my intelligence, summoned a different kind from that world during his ascension ceremony—the Lillim from the Sheringham family. I can confirm the authenticity of this news."
Her statement surprised everyone, including the moderator, who glanced around: "My sisters, this means that Carterburg in that world wasn’t just destroyed—that’s an understatement."
"Indeed, my sisters, I was also very shocked when I received this news, but considering it is indeed a fact, I must speak it out this time. If possible, we need to understand the cause of this destruction... at the very least to understand the reasons, because we must know if this destruction was inevitable."
"...I agree," someone said.
"Perhaps we could ascertain this by observing the Church’s actions."
Swiftly, everyone present agreed.
"Very well, I believe there must be someone among the sisters who can help us unveil these mysteries. Then..." The speaker paused there and all the chatter in the coffee shop ceased abruptly.
They all heard the explosion from afar.
"It’s from the port area, I see the burning flames." Soon, someone spotted the problem, and everyone crowded to the window to see the red night sky in the distance and the columns of smoke.
"It seems we must end our night talk, sisters, let’s continue next week, same day," the host decided promptly to stop the night talk, and everyone began to leave the scene in an orderly fashion.
Lady Aurelia followed her friend out of the café, looking at her with some concern, "My sister, the news provided by our sisters is too shocking. It reminds me of the Church of the War God; indeed, there have been some issues. My children told me when they came home that the Church is accelerating the teaching pace, which is making it difficult for them to keep up."
"My children say the same, they are at the Church of Justice," her friend replied.
"My children too, at the Church of the Master of Wisdom. I thought it was because they were not smart enough, but now it seems the Churches must have known about this early. Why didn’t they tell us?"
"And then bring greater chaos? My sister, let’s not forget the words of the Lord of Night, our deity, sometimes ignorance is bliss."
The women’s conversation came to this, and some began to board carriages, some chose to open teleportation gates, while people like Lady Aurelia, chose to walk home—her home was nearby, so she didn’t need a carriage or a teleportation gate.
Because carriages could easily be tracked, teleportation gates could easily be located, but she, who was skilled in illusion techniques, could avoid any possible tracking and prying by walking.
"Sister, take care on your way," the host boarded an unmarked carriage, looking at Lady Aurelia standing by the roadside, she bowed her head and gave a chest touch salute, "May the Truth last forever."
"May the Truth last forever, my sister."
After watching the last sister leave, Lady Aurelia chose to walk home. As she walked along the streets, some vehicles from the fire brigade were already rushing by with sirens blazing, which made her squint; otherwise, the headlights would dazzle her eyes.
After the vehicles passed, Lady Aurelia crossed the street and slipped into an alley.
Today’s news was very important. She had already thought about how to bring it up with her husband. They had to get their family ready. Otherwise, any splash from the wave of an apocalyptic tide could turn a family’s millennia of effort into naught, the news should be true because the sisters had sworn that everything they said during the night talks was the truth, so no need to worry about its authenticity.
The question is... can her own family really be spared from this turmoil?
Even the Church was starting to mobilize... her family must also start to mobilize.
As Lady Aurelia thought this, she suddenly stopped in her tracks and looked up at the figure standing at the entrance of the alley.
"Who are you?" Lady Aurelia furrowed her brows.
The figure did not answer but stood motionless.
Lady Aurelia instinctively began to apply a blessing spell to herself, while also instinctively guessing who it could be—it couldn’t be Malin, she thought, and the old lady shook her head somewhat amusedly.
With that thought, she heard the sound of a gunshot—that was the last sound Lady Aurelia heard in this world.
The bullet went through her skull. Deprived of strength, she fell to the ground. The power of a mid-level Transcendent did not allow her to die instantly. In the last countdown of her life, she realized a fact—that figure was just a shadow, the fatal assassin was in the bell tower far away, the bullet had traveled at least three hundred yards to kill her.
With such thoughts, Lady Aurelia died completely.
After a while, the figure began to melt away, disappearing without a trace, as if it had never been there.
On the north side street of the Bell Tower, Mr. Mischael settled into his wheelchair. He snapped his fingers, and the two wheels of the wheelchair began to rotate automatically.
As he passed the street corner, he brushed past a team of police officers.
He was silent, and the police were silent, too.
Eventually, he and the police officers went their separate ways.