Chapter 1 The Cathedral

Near the cathedral in the Upper District stood a high platform, once part of the city park. But with the steam core改造工程 (gaizao gongcheng, transformation project), the original park facilities were moved elsewhere, leaving only the lonely platform – like a forgotten knight, standing high above, watching over the factory district and the square below.

From the high platform, one could overlook the entire cathedral district and the central factory district.

Occasionally, in her leisure time, Vanna would come here to relax. When her thoughts were troubled, she would also come here to think quietly and sort out her feelings.

The afternoon sun was pleasant. Even with a slight breeze, it wasn't too cold on the platform. The gentle sea breeze, as it passed, would stir the hair around her ears, tickling slightly.

Vanna tossed her long white hair behind her and quietly gazed at the winding, mist-shrouded steam pipes in her view. After a long silence, she finally spoke, "I'll be leaving for a while."

"Leaving?" Heidi turned her head in surprise. "Where are you going?"

"I'm not sure. It might be a very far place. I might be gone for a long time," Vanna said, looking into Heidi's eyes. "I can't reveal the specific itinerary, but I should tell you before I leave."

Heidi blinked, looking somewhat puzzled. "But you're a city-state Inquisitor – can Inquisitors just go off on long trips?"

"I…" Vanna opened her mouth, trying to force a smile. "It's an arrangement by the church. A direct order from the Storm Cathedral."

"Ah… I see," Heidi nodded, as if enlightened. I don't really understand the inner workings of the Deep Sea Church, but when the name "Storm Cathedral" is invoked, many things don't need explaining. "So, it's a sacred mission? Are you being sent outside the diocese to fight heretics?"

After a while, she heard Vanna's voice again, "My break is almost over. I have two more patients scheduled for this afternoon."

The messenger is coming. Vanna felt a moment of dizziness, and then a moist, cold sea breeze blew against her face, and she heard the sound of rushing waves in her ears.

But there's not enough time. I don't have that much to spare.

“…No, it's a regular mission.”

Vanna hummed in acknowledgement, but before leaving the platform, she suddenly stopped. She turned her head, and in the afternoon sun and breeze, her face showed a hint of hesitation. "When I leave, can you see me off?"

Vanna took a deep breath. "Go ahead and get busy. I should prepare for my departure, too."

"Okay, then I'll wait for your letter," Vanna's face immediately lit up with a happy smile.

Then, she suddenly stepped forward, pulled out the crystal pendant from her collar, and waved it in the air. She pointed to Heidi's chest. "Matching amulet – you'll have good luck."

This is something that can be read in the dangerous Infinite Sea. Perhaps it can dispel the boredom of life on a ship.

"It's a work by the great director Sandoko, called *Frontier Horror*. It tells the story of a small border village that falls into heretical worship, sacrificing the women of the village to a 'cave spirit'. In the end, the powerful guardians annihilate the evil. It is said that this drama also uses a new technology called 'soundtrack', and synchronous sound is emitted from machines on both sides of the screen when the picture is played…"

She looked at Vanna. The white hair was stirred by the breeze, and in the chaos of the flying strands, there seemed to be a layer of fluttering curtain between herself and her friend.

According to the instructions on the job description, a messenger will come to pick you up in an hour. You should go to the atrium of the cathedral to wait before then. The entire handover process will not be disturbed by irrelevant personnel.

"...Good luck," she muttered softly, her expression becoming a little strange. "Hopefully, this antique shop owner's stuff can really bring some good luck."

I think there might be a problem with the transfer.

Vanna had huge questions in her mind, but she still started walking towards the cathedral.

What kind of messenger will it be? How will I be transported to the *Lost Country*, which is far away in the Infinite Sea?

A loud bell suddenly rang from the direction of the cathedral, interrupting Heidi's train of thought.

Vanna scratched her hair, trying to scavenge her mind. "Then let me recommend a book to you. It's been popular recently, called *Walking with Shadows*. It talks about…"

Vanna finally couldn't listen anymore, and interrupted her friend's rambling with an almost ashen face, "Thank you, but really, no need."

Heidi enthusiastically introduced "new elements of current fashion" to her friend, but found that Vanna's face was getting stranger and stranger. She hesitated and stopped in the middle of her speech. Then, she thought for a while and waved her hand. "Okay, you might hate that one, then there's another drama called *Night Watch*, about a powerful guardian who steps into a secret realm, but is accidentally trapped in a heretical nest. He has to rely on his wisdom and experience to survive in the nest, and try to stick to his original heart… you hate that one too?"

"It's not that. It's probably just that I'm a little nervous because I've suddenly been assigned a task that I've never encountered before," Vanna shook her head. "Don't worry about me."

Besides the greatsword she never left her side, there was only a packed suitcase - she didn't have many personal belongings. In addition to the necessary changes of clothes, the most important things in the suitcase were her prayer book and some blessed church readings.

She raised her head and looked in the direction of the bell, seeing the huge dial on the bell tower indicating the time, and the sun was gradually passing over the highest point in the sky, slowly moving towards the west side of the cathedral.

What kind of bizarre crew will be on this ship?

"...Then I'll just look forward to the upcoming 'crew life'," Vanna sighed. "I can't imagine what kind of life it will be."

Heidi waved her hand. Or maybe there's something wrong with my eyes.

She took out the parchment and looked at the text on the back - that was your "job description."

Because she saw… Maurice standing in front of her, smiling this way.

Only Heidi remained on the windy platform.

Vanna turned her head and looked at her friend with some confusion. "Why do I feel like you're acting strangely? You seem preoccupied. Are you a little uneasy because you're going on a long trip? It seems like you haven't left the city-state much."

Vanna looked at the things beside her.

Vanna hesitated for a moment. She took a deep breath and stepped through the rotating gate of fire. At this moment, thoughts churned in her mind.

Heidi opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something, but at that moment, a burst of crackling flames and the sound of flapping wings suddenly came from the sky, interrupting the conversation in the atrium.

"Of course not," Helena said with a smile. "Captain Duncan even promised that he could arrange an extra cabin as a great chapel."

"Will he write back?"

"Well, okay," Vanna took a breath, and then, as if suddenly remembering something, she suggested with a bit of excitement, "By the way, why don't we go to the cinema together? There's a new show recently, just to change your mood - you should get in touch with more popular things, that might expand your social circle…"

"It's time to set off." Pope Helena's voice came from the side, with a reminder and an urging. Heidi raised her head in surprise, but only had time to see a stream of green flames falling from the sky like a meteor. Huge bone wings suddenly opened in the flames. The next second, the flames "fell" on the path in the atrium, turning into a whirling, rising doorway.

She blinked and patted her forehead hard.

"Ah, okay, I didn't think that through," Vanna smiled a little awkwardly. "I forgot that you're a 'professional'."

"Mr. Maurice also went out?" Vanna muttered casually, but quickly shook her head, with a bit of self-deprecating expression on her face. "You should be going to see your friends in academia, or attend some event. Scholars like you are often invited by various city-state universities…

Anyway, it's not the same place I'm going."

I originally had many plans. Before leaving the city-state where I was born and raised, I wanted to visit the shops I was most familiar with, go to the theater, go to the port, and see a few more friends, and make a prayer at the sanctuary...

What kind of scene will be behind the door? What kind of life awaits me on this ship? Will I first see this terrible ghost captain? Or a… sailor on the *Lost Country*?

Heidi didn't pay any attention to what her friend was saying in the last two sentences, but raised her eyebrows curiously. "New show? What's it about?"

The flames roared up and then faded away. Crossing the gate only takes a moment.

"The messenger hasn't arrived yet," Valentine nodded to Vanna, who entered the atrium. "Are you ready?"

Then he seemed to realize that his attitude was a bit stiff, and couldn't help but sigh slightly, rubbing his forehead with his fingers and explaining in a low voice, "Thank you for your concern, but the task I'm going to perform requires a firm will and pure thinking. It's best not to get in touch with too many things that can easily disturb the mind before departure."

Her friend left.

"It's all here," Heidi nodded, then looked up at the Pope, who was silent next to her. "I can still pray on the ship, right?"

"...I don't know," Vanna said very softly. "But I will... try my best. Perhaps, it's not that strict here."

In the atrium of the cathedral, Pope Helena and Archbishop Valentine had been waiting for her for a long time.

The young Inquisitor lowered her head, looking at the small pendant on her chest.

Vanna didn't notice the subtle change in her friend's tone, but suddenly sighed. "Hey, my father has also gone out recently, without any warning. He suddenly told me that he was going out to do something, and my mother wouldn't let me ask too much - now you're leaving too. I feel like you're all so mysterious."

"Yes." Vanna nodded lightly, abandoning the last bit of hesitation in her heart at this moment, and stepped forward.

Heidi's expression seemed to stiffen for a moment: "In a sense, it does have something to do with heretics, but it's not a combat mission."