Chapter 671 : Inquiry

In the southern outskirts of Flottes during the early morning hours, a graceful dance was coming to its end within the Temple of the Goddess of Beauty—a performance with almost no audience.

Upon the silent Ceremonial Plaza, on the triple-layered stage of shattered stone, light halo, and water curtain, the resplendently dressed Adèle danced alone across the puzzle-like stones, spinning amidst the veil of water, blooming under the morning sun. In the temple of a bygone dynasty, she re-enacted the dance of a once-proud monarch.

As the sun slowly rose over the eastern sky, the lotus-shaped halo from the Dome Hall's ceiling gradually unraveled. Adèle’s movements also slowed, and with one final spin, she extended her arms and gracefully sank into a crouch, bringing this silent performance to a close.

At the very moment Adèle’s form came to a full stop, crimson-tinted rays began to flow over her body, tracing across her exposed skin and finally converging above her head—forming three red petal-like marks, which soon faded as if merging back into her flesh.

“It worked after all... Just as I thought…”

In a distant location, Dorothy observed the scene through her miniature corpse marionettes standing guard. Seeing the strange markings on Adèle’s body after her dance, she felt assured in her hypothesis.

Among the riddles left behind by the Splendor King, only by dancing simultaneously upon all three hidden stages of the Temple could one become the "flower"—in other words, to truly uncover the legacy of the Splendor King, one had to perform atop the three overlapping stages concealed within the Temple of the Goddess of Beauty.

Of the three stages, only the second—the water curtain stage—was immovable. The essence of the shattered stage was not the floor of the Opera Hall itself, but the modular puzzle tiles that formed it. As for the halo stage, it shifted along a central axis throughout the days surrounding the audience banquet, as the rising and setting sun altered its projection points.

Therefore, one only needed to relocate the puzzle tiles of the shattered stage onto the water curtain stage, and then wait for the halo stage—moved by the morning sun—to align and overlap.

But to do that, the projection light could no longer come from the western sunset; instead, it had to be the morning light from the east. After meticulous observation and calculation, Dorothy concluded that the perfect overlap of the three stages was not achieved by the dimming sunset of the banquet day, but by the sunlight of the following dawn.

Although the two twilights were close, only the morning that followed was the true time of the ritual—the audience banquet was merely a prelude. Only in this dawn could the three stages fully converge.

The audience banquet, then, served dual purposes: first, to use the doubled stages to strengthen the loyalty of local lords; second, as misdirection—to make others believe the banquet was the true ceremony. This deception allowed the monarch to both reinforce authority and conceal the core of the ritual. The Afterbirth Cult had clearly fallen for the ruse, believing the Splendor King’s annual sunset dance in the Opera Hall to be the key ritual moment.

But in truth, the very name of the second stage—the Fountain of Dawn—was a clue. It indicated that this stage was meant to be used at dawn.

This was why Dorothy had asked Samson for permission to use the Temple of the Goddess of Beauty this morning. She wanted Adèle to complete her dance across all three stages, thereby fully triggering the legacy left behind by the Splendor King. And judging from the reaction seen on Adèle’s body, she had succeeded.

After finishing her choreography and as the strange signs faded, Adèle slowly opened her eyes and rose from the stage. She glanced around, taking in the full view of the temple, her eyes filled with a trace of wistful emotion.

“How do you feel, Adèle?”

At this moment, Dorothy initiated communication via the consulting channel. Hearing her, Adèle softly exhaled and replied internally:

“…It’s alright. I’ve felt so many things I’d never felt before—truly a mysterious experience… fleeting and profound, rousing and dreamy… This might just be the most unforgettable dance of my life.”

“From the sound of it, you’re in pretty good shape. I sensed the mystical change in your body. So, did you successfully advance to Crimson-rank?”

Dorothy asked curiously through the channel. Adèle smiled and answered.

“Heh, how could it be that easy… While my rank has risen above before, I’m still a White Ash body. To truly become Crimson, I still need to perform two more dances.”

“Two more? Then even though you haven’t fully advanced… you’ve already obtained the advancement ritual?”

Dorothy asked in surprise, and Adèle did not hide the truth.

“Yes. During the dance just now, I came into contact with the hidden information within the Temple’s mystical system. This place was once a major site of the Abundance faith in pre-Fourth Epoch Falano—a temple of one of the subordinate goddesses to the Goddess of Abundance: the Goddess of Love and Dance, Mistress of Flowers—Yastati. The Splendor King Charles discovered this long-buried temple while searching nationwide for remnants of Abundance, then restored and repurposed it into the Temple of the Goddess of Beauty.”

“Yastati… That’s the name of the goddess?”

Dorothy asked with evident curiosity—this was the first time she had heard the true name of a deity.

“Yes. According to the information within the temple, the Mistress of Flowers at the peak of the Desire Path was referred to by that name. I don’t know much about her; most of what I know comes from my teacher. According to her, Yastati may already have perished. However, at the moment of her fall, she used her final great power to continue guarding the entire branch path, forbidding any unrecognized inheritance from accessing it.

“For those outside the approved legacy, even knowing the ritual is useless—they cannot advance. The Afterbirth Cult’s three sects have tried for a millennium to break this protective seal. It seems that after such a long time, the goddess’s strength has slowly faded, and only recently has the Afterbirth Cult begun to make breakthroughs…”

Adèle slowly explained her understanding of the goddess to Dorothy, who nodded thoughtfully after hearing it.

“So… at the peak of each branch path, the presiding god has a corresponding influence over it… and the higher one climbs, the stronger that influence becomes. Just like that Crimson-rank Direwolf from the Wolfblood Society—clearly, the more it fought, the more it succumbed to primal instincts, likely affected by the Gluttonous Wolf. But Edward, the Abyssal traitor, didn’t seem affected by the Abyssal Serpent at all… Was it because he didn’t suffer much damage, so the influence didn’t manifest? Or is the Abyssal Serpent simply weaker than the Gluttonous Wolf? Then what about the Spider Queen? If Gregor advanced to Crimson, would he be influenced by her?”

These thoughts rapidly raced through Dorothy’s mind before she brought her focus back to the present and continued her questioning.

“I get the gist of the temple’s story. You mentioned earlier that you still need to perform two more dances to become Crimson. What’s that about? Didn’t you just complete the advancement ritual?”

“I did… but that was only a part of it. Just now, I obtained the complete Crimson-rank advancement method of the Desire Path from the Mistress of Flowers’ temple. It requires three dances.

“The first is the Dance for Others. The second is the Dance for Self. The third is the Dance for the Divine. And what I just completed was, in fact, the third one—the Dance for the Divine.”

“The third dance is a tribute to the deity, performed at a sacred moment in a proper temple. At its conclusion, the dancer must receive a spiritual blessing from the temple. The dance I just completed on the triple-layered stage was that very tribute. During its performance, I didn’t need any special permissions to gain true mastery over the temple, and all its spirituality became mine to wield.

“Without external acceleration, the Mistress of Flowers’ temple naturally accumulates spirituality once every sixty years. By dancing at the sacred moment upon the triple stage, I received the accumulated blessing in full. This is part of the advancement ritual. In theory, it can only be performed once every sixty years. Since no one has used this temple since the Splendor King, it was almost fully charged—enough to grant me a blessing. That was the guidance given to me by the lingering power of the Mistress of Flowers.”

After Adèle’s explanation, Dorothy nodded silently and then asked.

“Once every sixty years, huh? That’s quite the wait… So, what about the other two dances?”

“The second dance,” Adèle continued, “is a tribute to the world. I must hold a grand performance—large enough to actively influence at least fifty thousand people at once using my abilities, and then complete the dance while the entire audience is fully entranced.”

At this, Dorothy’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Fifty thousand... that's quite a number,” Dorothy remarked.

“Indeed. To simultaneously and actively influence fifty thousand audience members at once—this far exceeds the limit of a White Ash-rank Beyonder’s abilities. It's well beyond the upper boundary of what White Ash can manage. To achieve that effect, I’ll need to find a way to obtain massive external assistance, using rituals, sigils, potions, artifacts, and so on, to drastically boost my upper capacity in a short period of time and complete this dance,” Adèle explained.

Dorothy nodded thoughtfully.

“Rituals and external items... If one is determined, they can be found, though it'll take time. But more than the ritual components, the real difficulty lies in organizing a performance with fifty thousand people in attendance. That’s the hard part. Though, with your reputation, it shouldn’t be too difficult… So then, what’s the last dance?”

Adèle looked toward the back of her hand and replied with a solemn expression.

“The first dance is for myself. It is a solo performance—one meant to temper me. I need to find a place that is absolutely safe and silent, and there, I must perform a grueling, prolonged dance.

“This dance is performed alone. No audience is needed. From the moment it begins, it cannot be stopped until it is completed. And to complete this dance in full, in the proper rhythm and form, it must be danced without pause for seventy full days and nights—without aid of any external tools.”

“Dancing for seventy days straight? Can you endure that?”

Dorothy asked seriously.

“Yes… No food, no drink, no rest—for seventy uninterrupted days of dancing. Even for a White Ash-rank Beyonder under the Chalice domain, it’s a tremendous ordeal—one that tests both the body and the mind. I must continue dancing without error. The first twenty or thirty days might be manageable, but the further it goes, the more unbearable it becomes. The extreme monotony and fatigue will grind down the dancer’s body and spirit until the verge of collapse. Even if the body somehow holds out, the mind might slip into delirium, causing mistakes in the dance. And a single mistake means starting over from the very beginning.”

“A seventy-day dance, and a single mistake ruins it all… That’s brutal.”

Dorothy muttered in awe.

Adèle explained.

“Yes. That’s exactly how harsh it is. In fact, in the formal progression system of the old Abundance Church, this was always the first dance to be performed. While it is said to be a ‘dance for oneself,’ it is more accurately a test—an evaluation of whether one has the qualifications to ascend. Ordinary White Ash individuals could spend decades and still fail. Only those with both physical and mental excellence—those with patience, precision, strength, and a resolute will—can pass this test. Only such dancers are deemed worthy of the Abundance Church’s support to perform the other two dances.

“After all, among the three dances, this first one is the only one that can be completed with the dancer’s own ability alone, without relying on any outside resources. Only those who succeed in this have the qualifications to receive the resources needed to become Crimson.”

Adèle’s explanation made Dorothy reflect on the brutal difficulty of the Desire Path’s Crimson-rank advancement ritual. Still, she figured it made sense; any legitimate Crimson-rank advancement was bound to be difficult. Her own ritual—requiring six divine artifacts—was also outrageously demanding.

It was important to remember that these divine artifacts, once used in an advancement ritual, were marked within the Cognition Realm and spiritually linked to the one who advanced. Such marked relics could never be reused for a new candidate. In the First Dynasty, every Omni-Law Mentor had to collect six fresh artifacts for their promotion, and the investment of mystical resources for each one was immense—likely even more resource-consuming than the Desire Path’s Crimson ritual.

“Well then, once you return, do you plan to immediately begin preparations for your advancement?”

Dorothy asked after a moment of thought.

“Of course. I intend to begin with the first dance. While I undergo that ordeal, I’ll have others collect the necessary materials for the second. Once I finish the first dance and emerge, I’ll be able to immediately plan for the second—and final—dance. Then I can advance perfectly.”

Adèle replied without hesitation.

“You sound so casual about it. Seems like you’re pretty confident in completing the first dance. Aren’t you worried about constant failures dragging the process out for years?”

Dorothy asked, sensing Adèle’s tone was overly optimistic.

“How could I fail?” Adèle replied with a wave of her hand, grinning.

“You know this too, little detective—I’m the finest dancer, and the finest White Ash as well. I’m very confident I can finish the dance in a short time~”

Dorothy responded calmly.

“Alright. Since we’ve successfully dealt with everything at the Temple of the Goddess of Beauty, let’s head to the next location. We’ve got other tasks to handle today.”

“Yes, it’s time to take care of your side of things, little detective.”

With that, Adèle raised her head again, taking one last look around the temple’s stage before walking back through the water curtain and stepping down.

…

Late morning, within a luxury suite in a high-end hotel in Flottes City.

Adèle, now dressed in a simple plain-colored dress, sat calmly on a sofa in the living room of the suite, smiling faintly as she surveyed the space. At this moment, several figures stood inside the room.

Some were men and women standing alert beside her, dressed in various outfits, clearly acting as guards. In front of them stood several individuals in identical black suits and hats—five of them holding large black briefcases.

In the silent and solemn atmosphere, the five suited figures stepped forward and laid down their ten large cases on the coffee table before Adèle—some even on the floor when space ran out. They then simultaneously opened them. Inside were rows upon rows of ancient, meticulously catalogued volumes, marked with Falanoan writing, labeled with various classifications and serial numbers.

“These records were retrieved from the archives of the National Museum,” one of the suited men spoke solemnly.

“They list the artifacts acquired from North Ufiga over the past two centuries, from the end of the Bourbon Dynasty to the present day. These documents contain preliminary descriptions of the artifacts’ appearance, origin, date of acquisition, and methods of acquisition. While they haven’t been deeply researched, they should meet your needs.

“Per our lord’s instructions, these documents will remain in this suite for five days. We’ll return to retrieve them afterward. Please do not take them out of the hotel. If you don’t find what you’re looking for in this batch, inform us—we’ll prepare the next one.”

After placing the cases, the lead black-suited man addressed Adèle respectfully. She narrowed her eyes and replied softly.

“I see… I doubt I’ll need the full five days, but thank you. Send my regards to your lord.”

The man bowed slightly, then turned and exited the suite with the others. After the door closed behind them, Adèle returned her gaze to the stacks of old documents.

“These things… they’re just the registry lists? So many crates, and it’s still not even the full archive. Just how much stuff did Falano plunder from North Ufiga?”

She muttered in disbelief, and soon, Dorothy’s voice responded.

“Falano colonized North Ufiga for two centuries. The stolen treasures are countless. It’s not surprising that the registries alone would pile up like this. The First Dynasty had deep reserves—plenty for them to loot.”

“Well then, it’s time to get to work. Hopefully these bandits kept thorough records of their loot…”

Back in her own hotel room, far away, Dorothy sipped warm milk by the fireplace as she spoke in her mind to Adèle. At the same time, she began mobilizing her corpse marionettes to carefully extract the files from the cases, distributing them throughout the suite. Each marionette took a specific portion, quickly and efficiently combing through the documents.

As Adèle glanced at the busy marionettes, she herself pulled out a Falanoan fashion magazine and began leisurely flipping through it with interest.

For a time, the entire room was filled with the rustling sound of pages being flipped—like the atmosphere of a library.

Using several corpse marionettes, Dorothy rapidly flipped through the documents delivered by Samson's subordinates, carefully studying all the information recorded to understand just what valuable items Falano had obtained from North Ufiga over the years.

Truth be told, Dorothy was rather satisfied with the documentation work done on Falano’s relics. Each item registered in these archival volumes included detailed information about its place of origin, registration date, and method of acquisition. Moreover, each relic had a thorough physical description, complete with three-view sketches, giving Dorothy a very intuitive understanding of each object—which was extremely important.

The archival records varied greatly in age. Some were so old they could be considered relics themselves, requiring delicate handling when perused. Others were quite new and featured photographs instead of sketches for their illustrations. The contents were incredibly diverse, ranging from sacred ceremonial items to everyday objects, from small, exquisite handicrafts to massive statues—proof of the sheer breadth of Falano’s collections.

Dorothy’s marionettes worked in an orderly and methodical fashion, steadily progressing through the documents. Piles of fully reviewed volumes accumulated neatly. The rhythmic flipping of pages was almost like a lullaby, causing Adèle, lounging on the sofa with a fashion magazine, to yawn.

Finally, after about an hour of flipping through more than half the registry, Dorothy found something interesting.

It was a very old document volume—old enough to belong in a museum itself, probably over a hundred years old. Between the yellowing pages, Dorothy’s eyes were drawn to a particular artifact record.

“‘Grooved Crystal-Inset Golden Carved Triangular Prism.’ October 11, Year XX. Discovered by the 5th Regiment of the 2nd Division of the Southern Expeditionary Army in the palace of the local chieftain of Menkutuna after quelling a rebellion. Preliminary analysis: Artifact from the First Dynasty. No signs of mystical characteristics. Specific use unknown.”

This was the brief summary written on that page. But what truly caught Dorothy’s eye was not the summary, but the sketch of the artifact. It depicted a pyramid-shaped object, the main body made of gold, engraved with mysterious patterns. At the center of the pattern was an open eye—resembling the symbol of Revelation.

The four corners of the golden body weren’t made of gold, but of sharp crystals set into the corners. The sketch showed that these crystals could be detached, and there were additional illustrations of the gold body and each crystal separately when disassembled.

“The artifact is an equilateral three-sided pyramid, each edge measuring 30 cm. The four corner crystals are detachable. Though it possesses no mystical traits, the materials are exceptionally fine. While they match the golden body well, they may also serve other purposes.”

This was the supplemental note on the page. But Dorothy wasn’t focused on the description. Through the marionette’s eyes, she was staring intently at the sketch of the crystal.

It looked incredibly familiar to her. And then she realized—its shape and design were nearly identical to the crest she had previously acquired from the Corpse-Sand Society!

“The True-Sight Key? Could this really be a key that links to the Grand Library?”

Dorothy’s heart stirred with excitement. If it was truly another key, wouldn’t that mean she could once again search for information from the Grand Library?

“It looks... far too similar. These crystals are almost exactly the same as the True-Sight Key. And given that the key is a device authorized by the Grand Library, there should be more than one in existence. This could very well be another!

“But… here, there are four keys, all embedded into one object, along with a golden core structure. That’s different from the single key I previously acquired. What does that mean? Could the golden body be a container for the keys? Or do these four keys, combined with the core, form an even higher-level device? Fascinating distinction...

“Regardless, the priority is to obtain this item as soon as possible. When it was discovered, it showed no mystical properties and was classified as a mundane object. But if it really is a key and follows the same mechanism as the one I took from the Corpse-Sand Society, then it might’ve just been in a cooldown period when discovered—having been recently used. That would explain why no mystical traits were observed.

“Still, it’s been lying in Falano’s treasury for over a hundred years. Whatever cooldown period it had should have long ended. It should have regained its mystical traits by now… I wonder if any of the officials at Falano have noticed.”

With that thought, Dorothy, through the eyes of her marionettes, pondered deeply. After a long moment, she finally decided to ask directly and verify the artifact’s current state.

…

Another day quietly passed. After receiving contact from Adèle, Samson’s trusted subordinates—those same black-suited men—arrived again at the hotel the next morning. Entering Adèle’s suite, they saw that the cases had been reopened and neatly reorganized.

As Adèle sipped her morning tea on the sofa, the lead agent stepped forward and asked, with a hint of hesitation.

“Miss… You contacted us saying you’ve finished reviewing the documents already?”

Adèle silently picked up the top volume from the nearest case and smiled as she replied.

“Indeed~ Seems we had some good luck. Not long after you left, we found something useful. Looks like we won’t need anywhere near the full five days.”

With that, she gently placed the volume back and continued.

“Now, I’d like to inspect the actual artifact. Your lord mentioned I have the authority for that, yes? Then please, lead the way.”