Chapter 1 Heidi's Wisdom

Heidi wisely chose not to press the matter further.

She knew that she and Vanna were different, even though she was nominally a "cleric" and even possessed a registered certification from the Academy of Truth. But compared to directly confronting those dangerous hidden forces, she was better at pure research and thought. She could indeed pry secrets from the minds of cultists and extract the shadows left by heretics from the whispers of collective hallucinations, but this was very different from the work of an Inquisitor.

She herself lacked sensitivity to certain threats.

But Vanna was someone who confronted heretics and hidden forces head-on all year round. She might have keenly sensed the existence of some kind of shadow. Today's trip to the lower city was probably an accidental trigger.

Almost home, Heidi asked a question: "...Was there something wrong with that antique shop?"

"...The antique shop seems normal," Vanna said, controlling the car to slow down, her expression thoughtful. "But there might be something abnormal in our city-state."

The sky had completely darkened. The bells of the day-night shift and the whistle from the central steam core rang out at the same time, piercing the clouds above the city-state in the sunset. In the upper city, the gas lamps on both sides of the street had been lit half an hour early. Heidi arrived at her doorstep, hearing the sound of the car behind her gradually fading away.

The city would be under curfew at night, but this ban was only for ordinary people who lacked the power to protect themselves. The church's Inquisitors were obviously not affected. Vanna would have to go to the museum to check the perimeter before returning to the cathedral and meet with the guardians responsible for the on-site lockdown. Her days off were often like this, never really resting.

Heidi inadvertently recalled her ruined day off and couldn't help but sigh, opening the door and returning home.

The spacious living room was lit, but no one was to be seen. The house was quiet everywhere. The daytime maid hired to do the cleaning and laundry had returned before sunset, making the huge house seem a bit deserted.

But Heidi was used to it. Her father was the kind of person who, once he got into the study, couldn't be easily called out. Her mother was in poor health and often rested in the bedroom. This house, a bit too spacious for a family of three, was quiet most of the time.

But this didn't mean that the big house lacked warmth. Heidi had a good relationship with her parents, always had.

She deftly took off her coat, put away her hat and medical kit, glanced at the brightly lit study, didn't disturb her father who might be engrossed in reading documents, and, as usual, came to her parents' bedroom and knocked on the door: "I'm back! Are you inside?"

Her mother's voice came from inside the door, with a hint of helplessness and feigned annoyance: "What time is it to be coming back!"

Heidi stuck out her tongue at the door, quickly composed herself, and then pushed the door open with a smile, muttering to herself: "I went out with Vanna, what do you have to worry about? She can beat everyone in the city with one hand..."

The light in the room was dim, because too much strong light would irritate her mother's eyes. Her mother had been injured by chemical fumes in a factory leak eleven years ago, and her eyes had never been good since.

Heidi adjusted to the dim light in the room before she saw her mother leaning against the headboard. She was a very kind old lady, wearing soft pajamas, weaving a unique Prand City-State rope knot craft with her hands. She looked up at Heidi in the shadows of the dim light, her tone somewhat helpless: "Just spend all day with Vanna, and you'll end up like her, unable to marry. I know, she actually secretly runs to the marriage assistance center every weekend, then picks someone to beat up. The church receives complaints every day..."

Heidi's expression suddenly became a little subtle: "That... don't say that... Vanna is already an Inquisitor..."

"What about an Inquisitor? She's been eating lunch at our house for several years." The old lady grumbled, her hands still moving quickly. "After her uncle became a magistrate, he was only concerned with the city-state. I'd say, the kid's problem is her uncle's education; her mind is particularly stubborn. She even had to make some vows at the baptism. Making them is fine, but she directly took all three major vows. Normal nuns only choose one, but she had to take all three to prove her piety, and as a result, she's stuck now and can't get married..."

Listening to her mother's rambling, Heidi could only smile awkwardly. Finally, waiting for the old lady to take a breath in the middle of her rambling, she took the opportunity to look at the craft in her mother's hands and change the subject: "Are you almost done weaving it?"

"Weave it and unravel it, unravel it and weave it. Now I'm finally a little satisfied." The mother smiled, showing Heidi in the dim light a silk tassel that resembled a brilliant ribbon. The fine silk rope was woven with special techniques, leaving intricate hollows and adorned with beautiful stones and colorful beads. This was a unique handicraft of the Prand City-State, complex in technique and time-consuming, and believed to have the effect of blessing and warding off evil. "I don't know if you can find a good young man by the time it's finished." Heidi looked at the almost finished rope knot tassel and cautiously suggested: "Then, why don't you unravel it one more time? Maybe there'll be enough time..."

"You're just trying to anger me!"

Heidi quickly smiled apologetically, turned around, and left the room.

Her mother's muttering came from behind. Heidi casually closed the door, then tiptoed toward the kitchen, but as she was about to leave, she saw her father standing in the hallway.

Maurice, with his refined temperament and sparse gray hair, looked at his sneaky daughter with some helplessness: "I heard you coming home a long time ago... Did you make your mother angry again?"

Heidi quickly waved her hand: "No, no, we're just chatting."

"Did you deliver the gift to Mr. Duncan?" Maurice asked again.

"Delivered it—Mr. Duncan was very happy," Heidi nodded, then couldn't help but look at her father a few more times. "But I really didn't expect that you'd be willing to part with your beloved collection..."

"That's just a collection—he saved your life," Maurice said lightly. "In fact, I even think it's not enough. I have to visit and thank him again in a few days."

Heidi suddenly thought of her "little mistake" during Nina's hypnotherapy session today, and her expression suddenly became a little awkward: "...Is... is it really necessary to be so formal?"

"It's not a matter of formality. Mr. Duncan saved your life, and I'm not only your father but also Nina's teacher. On the other hand, Mr. Duncan is also an antique dealer with a strong thirst for knowledge and a passion for learning. From a social point of view, this relationship is worth cultivating," Maurice explained casually. "I like a word that Mr. Duncan often says—it's a kind of fate..."

"Okay, okay, your idea makes sense, makes sense," Heidi said, feeling a bit of a headache when she heard that her father, who wasn't very good at socializing himself, was going to teach her social etiquette. "Then when you visit next time, just visit. Don't go buying things randomly, okay?"

"That depends on whether there are any collections that can attract me," Maurice said casually. Then he thought for a moment, as if inadvertently asking, "Did you go with Vanna today?"

"Oh, yes, she happened to be off today, so I rode in her car."

Maurice thought again, his expression a little hesitant: "It feels like... you and Vanna are very close."

"I've been very close to her all these years?" Heidi felt a little inexplicable. "We've known each other since we were little..."

"No, I just feel..." The old gentleman suddenly stuttered a bit. He didn't know why, but at this moment he suddenly thought of a sentence that Mr. Duncan had said to him during his previous visit to the antique shop:

"A girls' school is also an option..."

"Father?" Heidi looked at her father's abnormal behavior and couldn't help but speak out.

"Ah, it's nothing." Maurice woke up suddenly, feeling that his thoughts just now seemed a bit too outrageous. He quickly tried to rein them in and shift the topic to prevent his daughter from seeing through him. But in this moment of distraction, his gaze suddenly fell on Heidi's wrist.

On the bracelet representing the protection of the Wisdom God, Rahm, a red agate was missing.

The old man's expression changed suddenly, but he immediately noticed Heidi's completely normal expression, so he quickly forced himself to control his emotions, and while trying to calm down, he casually asked: "Did a bead fall off your bracelet? Did you accidentally knock it off?"

"Bracelet?" Heidi was stunned, raised her wrist, and glanced at it. She saw the missing section of rope, but her expression was quite matter-of-fact. "Isn't there supposed to be one missing here?"

Supposed to be one missing?

Maurice slowly controlled his breathing and heartbeat, while also controlling his emotions and thought flow, as if afraid that his overly intense "thoughts" would attract the attention of some danger. At the same time, he also began to recall, recalling the appearance of the bracelet on his daughter's wrist the last time he saw it.

After two seconds, he completed the control and protection of his thinking, and then slowed down his emotions, casually asking in a tone as usual:

"By the way, you only went to that antique shop today, right?"