Chapter 550 : Strategy

Inside a restaurant in the foreign residential district of Kankdal, Dorothy was still discussing the topic of Vania and the relic she was safeguarding with Nephthys. After finishing her reflections on the saints of the Radiance Church, Dorothy reined in her thoughts and returned to the conversation, addressing Nephthys.

“By the way, Senior Neph, you’ve already fulfilled your purpose for coming to North Ufiga, haven’t you? Do you have any other plans next? Are you thinking of returning home now?”

Dorothy asked this because Nephthys had come to North Ufiga primarily to find a suitable spiritual site for her advancement. Now that she had achieved that—having become a White Ash-rank Soul Contractor—it was necessary to discuss her next move.

Hearing Dorothy’s question, Nephthys, who had just finished her plate of noodles, held her fork and thought for a moment before replying.

“Hmm… I don’t really have any plans right now… The study-abroad program from the university still has about a month left. Since the professor isn’t around, I wouldn’t have any classes even if I went back now, so I don’t plan on returning just yet. I think I still want to further enhance my mystical abilities. But how exactly to do that… I’m not too sure. After all, my grandfather’s notes only go up to the White Ash rank.

“So… I think I’ll continue tagging along with you for the time being, Miss Dorothy. There’s nothing waiting for me back home anyway, so I might as well take the opportunity to venture out a bit. Traveling with you is dangerous, yes, but there’s always a rich reward afterward, and my mystical abilities always improve somewhat. It never feels like a bad deal.”

As she thought aloud, Nephthys laid out her plan. Though she had encountered plenty of danger on this trip to North Ufiga, she had also gained mystical items, advanced in rank, and received a large sum of money. So to her, following Dorothy—even through danger—was worthwhile. She could keep growing alongside her.

“Hah… you still want to follow me? Senior Neph, your attitude has really changed. You weren’t this ambitious about mystical power before.”

Dorothy replied with a smile. Nephthys used to be just a regular university student with a passion for fashion and the good life—interested in the mysticism and the unknown, yes, but not so devoted to it. She used to need Dorothy’s constant prodding just to read a few mystical texts. But now her enthusiasm had clearly shifted.

“Well… there’s nothing I can do about that. Our family carries such a heavy curse, after all. From my grandfather, to my father, to my uncle… even Nust—this curse hangs over all of us. Even though we have that golden Revelation scepter to protect us, who knows how long it can last? That ancient undead has been eyeing the scepter greedily. If something were to happen and it fell into its hands, the Boyle family would be finished. And I wouldn’t escape either…

“So, for the future of the Boyle family, I want to break that curse while I’m still alive—so that our family can one day return to a normal life. Right now, I don’t know how to break such a powerful curse, but I believe that as long as I grow strong enough in the mystical domain, there’ll be a way. And as things stand, I’m the only one in the Boyle family with such a high Beyonder rank. So it’s up to me.

“And for me, aside from my grandfather’s notes, the only reason I’ve been able to grow at all is because of Aka’s cabal… and your help, Miss Dorothy. So if I want to go deeper down the Beyonder path, I don’t see any option besides continuing to follow you.”

With a serious look, Nephthys laid down her knife and fork and addressed Dorothy with determination. Clearly, the recent events impacting the Boyle family—the loss of the golden Revelation scepter and the unleashed curse, along with the break-in at the family mansion and Nust’s capture—had shaken her deeply. She now understood that, with her background, living a quiet and ordinary life was no longer possible. Only by diving deeper into mysticism and lifting the curse could she hope to return her family to normalcy.

Looking at the determined Nephthys before her, Dorothy smiled and responded.

“Senior Neph, your sense of responsibility toward your family is admirable. But I need to remind you—this ancient undead named Hafdar is quite terrifying. It may very well be at the Gold rank. To reach the level where you can go up against it… it won’t be easy. That’s not something you can accomplish in just a year or two.”

“That’s fine. If a year or two isn’t enough… then I’ll take three or four! I’m still young—I’m not even twenty yet. I know that advancing beyond White Ash gets much harder, but I’m totally fine with reaching Crimson before I’m twenty-five. If I take it slowly, I’ll eventually catch up to Gold. I’m not in a rush. I’ll just take my time.”

Hearing Dorothy’s warning, Nephthys responded with a calm, unhurried tone. Dorothy paused mid-sip of her juice, surprised by how optimistic Nephthys was about her mystical progression.

“Goodness… saying she’s fine with reaching Crimson by twenty-five? Is she planning to hit Gold before forty then? That’s so optimistic it makes regular Beyonders look bad…”

Dorothy couldn’t help but inwardly grumble. Nephthys was even more of a newcomer to the mystical world than Dorothy herself and clearly assumed that Dorothy’s triple-rank advancement in less than a year was “normal.” Her plan to hit Crimson by twenty-five was probably already her “humble” expectation—her real goal might be even earlier.

“Maybe someday I should introduce her to some of the Serenity Bureau’s middle-aged Black Earth-rank directors in their fifties and sixties. That might help correct her expectations. If she keeps following me, she’s only going to get more and more warped.”

Dorothy continued muttering to herself mentally, when suddenly Nephthys seemed to remember something and turned the question back on her.

“By the way, Miss Dorothy, my motivation to pursue mysticism is for my family—but what about you? I’ve seen you working nonstop to improve your mystical ability, always busy and on the move. Why are you so driven to pursue it? Is it Aka’s will? Or your own?”

Nephthys asked earnestly. Hearing this, Dorothy—just having finished her juice—paused for a moment, then slowly set her cup down and replied.

“Well… yes, part of it is Aka’s will. But more than that… I think I just want to uncover the truth.”

“Uncover the truth… What truth?”

“Some truths… about myself. I want to know why I even exist in this world…”

“Why a person exists in this world… That sounds like a philosophical question…”

Nephthys remarked, somewhat confused. But Dorothy only smiled as she answered.

“If only it really were just a philosophical question…”

Dorothy murmured with a sigh. What she had always wanted to solve was the mystery surrounding herself. She had never believed that her sudden arrival in this world was a mere coincidence. The peculiar nature of the body she transmigrated into, the system that seemed intricately connected to the very world itself… all of it pointed to one thing:

Her arrival in this world was, in itself, a great secret.

Dorothy’s greatest wish now was to uncover the secret that concerned her very self. Doing so would allow her to understand the meaning behind her arrival in this world—and possibly even discover a way to return to her original world. She still didn’t know exactly how to unravel this mystery, but she firmly believed that if she continued walking the mystical path, once she reached a high enough rank, she would find the clues she needed.

“Hmm… I’m not exactly sure what kind of secret you’re referring to, Miss Dorothy, but—what are your plans going forward? Where do you intend to go next?”

Nephthys asked, wanting to understand Dorothy’s next strategic move. Dorothy, upon hearing the question, began to think seriously.

“For now, my main goal is still to continue collecting the remaining divine artifacts. I already have the Chalice and Silence artifacts in hand, and the Lantern one is accessible whenever needed. For Stone, I already have a lead—as soon as Mazarr’s assets are fully liquidated, most of the financial burden will be resolved. As for Revelation… that will require more time and experimentation, to see if I can replicate it like the holy emblem I forged before. If not, I’ll have to find another method.

“So that leaves only the Shadow divine artifact as the one I need to actively seek out. I don’t currently have any solid leads on that front. I’ll need to consult people I trust. The most likely candidates are that big sister from the Serenity Bureau… and the little fox in my dreams.

“But that big sister from the Bureau is only White Ash-rank herself—she probably won’t know much. On the other hand, the little fox carries remnants of faith in the Butterfly Deity, and seems to have some powerful figure behind her. Consulting them might be more fruitful.”

Within moments, Dorothy had formed a rough outline of her next plan. She intended to contact Gregor as Scholar and ask him to inquire—through dreams—whether the little fox might know anything about the Shadow divine artifact. If that yielded anything, she could plan her next steps accordingly.

It just so happened that now, with Vania officially appointed as a Relic-Bearing Envoy, she needed to conduct a pilgrimage with her relic. Unless headquarters issued specific instructions, she was free to determine her pilgrimage route herself. Her current directive was to wait until Addus had completely stabilized and the nation was firmly on track before carrying out a domestic pilgrimage to reassure the populace. That wouldn’t be happening for at least a month or two.

Thus, until then, Vania had full control over where she would go. She was already seeking Dorothy’s opinion on where her first pilgrimage should be.

“As for where we’ll go next… I still need to think about it. I’ll give you an answer tomorrow or the day after. For now, let’s just take a good break here in Kankdal for a couple of days.”

Dorothy responded to Nephthys’s question. Hearing this, Nephthys nodded with an “oh” and began sipping the tea in front of her.

Meanwhile, Dorothy continued pondering how best to phrase her message to Gregor—whether as Scholar through the Literary Sea Logbook, or as a younger sister sending a routine telegram for reassurance.

…

Morning.

In an unknown location, inside a sunlit room, a large dining table was laid out over a richly patterned carpet. Various delicate breakfast dishes adorned the table. The scent of grilled fish and roasted chicken legs wafted from the platters. Nearby, a black cat was licking milk from a saucer. After finishing, the cat raised its head and licked the milk droplets off its whiskers before turning to the side and speaking solemnly.

“So… you’re saying someone from the Rose Cross Order came to you for information again? And this time they were asking about divine artifacts?”

Across the table, a young girl with chestnut curls and a giant bow on her head nodded after hearing the cat’s question, then replied.

“Yes. Last night, that black dog asked me if we had any information about the Shadow divine artifact. He said that if we did, we should let him know. That black dog is practically an outer-circle member of the Rose Cross Order now, so I’m guessing he was acting under orders from higher-ups. I think… they’re actively searching for that item.”

Recalling the dream, Saria spoke to the black cat before her. The black cat furrowed its brow, thinking deeply, then slowly spoke.

“They’re looking for the Shadow artifact? What for? Planning to conduct a high-tier Shadow ritual? If my judgment’s right, the Rose Cross isn’t even a Shadow-aligned society… So what are they planning with that kind of ceremony?”

The black cat continued pondering aloud from atop the dining table. Saria blinked at the sight and then asked.

“Grandpa… just because they want a divine artifact, you’re assuming it’s for a high-tier ritual? Isn’t that kind of a leap?”

“Obviously. If they didn’t ask for a specific relic but only specified a particular type of spirituality, then it clearly isn’t about some unique function of the item itself. It must be for its ritual role. Divine artifacts are at the heart of many advanced rituals. They must want to use it as the core of some Shadow-aligned ritual. What I don’t know yet is what kind of ritual it is…”

The black cat explained to Saria, who seemed to understand after hearing his reasoning. Then she asked.

“So… Grandpa, do you know the whereabouts of any Shadow divine artifacts? They said if we already had one, they’d be willing to offer a hefty reward to borrow it. And even if we don’t, they’ll still pay something for useful leads.”

“Shadow divine artifacts… We used to have one, but sadly it’s no longer with us.”

The black cat let out a sigh. Then, as if a thought suddenly occurred to him, his eyes gleamed and he continued.

“However… I can give them a lead. According to my information, at the end of June, Bartholomeo Revana—who just returned from the Eastern Bewildering Sea—will be holding an auction in Moncarlo. He’ll be selling off some of the spoils from his latest expedition. Many secret societies will send representatives.”

“Revana… that great explorer who specializes in forbidden zones? Are you saying he brought back a Shadow divine artifact and the Rose Cross Order should go buy it?”

Saria asked, scratching her head. But the black cat shook his head and clarified.

“No… what I mean is, a major figure from the Blackdream Hunting Pack will be attending that auction in person. And he has a Shadow divine artifact on him. It’s the one they stole from us… the Mist-Scale Incense Cage.”