Chapter 1 Inception

In Duncan's perception, something exuding a massive presence was gradually approaching the city-state of Pland.

His perception couldn't actually detach from Pland's physical form and extend outward, but as that thing exuding a massive presence drew closer, he could still indirectly perceive a certain... "illumination," like a heat source, something emitting a strong light, gradually becoming clearer on the boundless sea.

A mere ship of enormous size wouldn't bring such a feeling, nor would a group of powerful clerics.

Duncan squinted slightly, and in the "darkness" beyond the city-state of Pland, that thing exuding strong light and heat had gradually revealed a few outlines.

What it emitted... was this the so-called "divine power"?

A moment later, a green flame suddenly soared from a window on the second floor of the antique shop, and then a plump white dove flew out of the window, quickly crossing the sky.

A massive crowd had gathered inside and outside the port in the southeastern part of Pland.

The Storm Cathedral, which cruised the sea year-round and almost never docked, was about to stop at the city-state. For any follower of the Storm Goddess Gormona, this was a once-in-a-lifetime event. Whether to show their piety, or simply to admire the Storm Cathedral's majestic appearance, the citizens of Pland didn't want to miss today's grand occasion—as soon as the sun rose today, and the curfew ended, residents living near the port began to gather, and as noon approached, basically every available "viewing" spot near the port was occupied.

After that, the port area entered a state of traffic control. The city hall no longer allowed more spectators to approach the harbor, and cooperated with the church to disperse the crowd to various sanctuaries—when the Storm Cathedral docked, simultaneous Mass services would also be held in various churches. This ritual, of course, was to "welcome the glory of the goddess," but on the other hand, it was to alleviate the pressure on the port area and divert the believers.

Vanna nodded, breathed a sigh of relief, and then looked around.

Despite being a city-state inquisitor, this was the first time Vanna had seen this ark-like giant ship with her own eyes.

The seawater was churning, the sky was shaking, and the brilliance of the sunlight on the sea suddenly rippled open,

transforming into a layered, cloud-like curtain—an engineering marvel almost as large as the entire port area suddenly emerged on the sea, as if directly crossing dimensions, appearing in one's field of vision!

Cannons fired, followed by magnificent music, and cheers thundered inside and outside the port. Everywhere she turned, it was a scene of complete jubilation!

Her uncle and the old bishop were talking next to her, but Lu Fei's attention gradually shifted away from them. He gazed at the endless sea in the distance, waiting for the majestic cathedral to appear in his sight.

Alice, on the other hand, seemed a little dazed. She had never seen such a massive creature moving on the sea. When the steam pipes on the side of the cathedral ark suddenly depressurized and a loud whistle resounded through the clouds, she instinctively hugged her head.

It seemed that no one could see these shadows, not even the church clerics with high "spiritual vision."

On the roof of a tower near the dock area, Dante, who stepped out of the flaming door, quietly watched this serene and jubilant scene, and the incomprehensible, enormous cathedral ark that was beyond the concept of a "ship," wondering how it could even function.

He closed his eyes and then opened them again.

"The arrival of the Storm Cathedral can't actually solve many of their problems," Lu Fei's voice entered Duncan's ears. "Taking advantage of this grand event, the city-state's unstable atmosphere can be quickly calmed, and the news about the 'anomaly' can also be released more smoothly. To be honest... I'm really relieved."

Everywhere were loud prayers, everywhere was cheering, and even ignorant children were excitedly following the crowd. Adding in the cannon fire and music, the serene sound was deafening.

In an instant, feelings of excitement, elation, and admiration arose spontaneously.

After rushing, Duncan finally

arrived at the port in time.

The phantoms gently brushed over the heads of the crowd, and these cheering residents were obviously unaware of it.

At the same time, a grayish-white, misty phantom drifted over and slowly approached his palm.

"For believers, 'under the gaze of the gods' is more effective than anything," the Pland bishop responded. "With the goddess's protection and witness, they can demonstrate the maximum faith and perseverance, and can calmly accept all kinds of extreme situations, including 'the city-state transforming into an anomaly.'"

"The goddess will forgive," the Pland Archbishop's voice came from the side. The old man was now dressed in full finery, holding the long staff symbolizing the city-state bishop in his hand, with a faint smile on his face. "There's still a while before the scheduled time."

He saw these fluttering shadows drooping down, sweeping across the gathered crowd, and the bell-ringing towers.

He saw countless grayish-white phantoms spreading from the Storm Cathedral, like invisible tentacles, or like ribbons of floating smoke. Those fluttering shadows extended from every door, every window, and even every mechanical seam of the cathedral ark, vast and mighty, covering most of Valen in a cloud-like manner.

Could it be that the great astonishment and shock made them forget to make a sound for a moment?

Duncan looked at the sea outside the port, and saw that the strange scene of churning seawater and shaking light and shadows hadn't subsided yet. The majestic Storm Cathedral had removed all camouflage and was slowly approaching the coast of Valen.

Or rather... was it precisely because they were church clerics that they couldn't see these shadows?!

Nearly six-sevenths of the residents were baptized believers of the Deep Sea Church, and the remaining one-seventh, even if not baptized, would maintain a deep faith in the Storm Goddess Gormona under the influence of the city's atmosphere—this city-state was the largest gathering place for Deep Sea believers on the boundless sea, and the grand scene at this moment strongly demonstrated that point.

Nina and Sherry were beside her, extremely excited, chattering about the structure of the cathedral ark—the former starting from the mechanical knowledge she learned at school, and the latter giving full play to her fabricated imagination and unreasonable confidence.

"You were almost late," Vanna, the magistrate waiting to greet them at the port, glanced at her niece, who had rushed over in a flurry, with helplessness in her one eye. "On such an important day, you, as an inquisitor, are the last to arrive."

"Something unexpected happened," even an inquisitor could lack confidence in front of her uncle. Vanna had a slightly embarrassed expression. "I had planned my time very well, and would have arrived at least half an hour ahead of schedule..."

Dante's gaze moved rapidly between the crowd gathered on the dock and the cathedral ark's majestic triple spires.

The high-ranking clerics gathered near the trestle responded in unison: "Praise the name of the Storm!"

What were these shadows? What were these invisible tentacles spreading from the Storm Cathedral?

"The arrival of the Storm Cathedral may not be to help us through this difficult time," Vanna said. "It's just that His Holiness the Pope hasn't explicitly stated this."

"The Pope has the Pope's dignity—moreover, the information he conveys to the outside world must be guided by the gods..."

The area around the trestle was open and spacious, and guards and constables had cordoned off a fairly wide "ceremonial area," but after looking beyond this open space, one could see countless spectators, a sea of heads.

The high-ranking officials of the city hall were looking forward to it, and the Pland bishop and her uncle were staring intently at the distance.

I subconsciously held my breath, and then looked at my side. "Praise the name of the Storm!"

It hadn't fully appeared yet, and still had a faint, illusory texture, but the vast and mighty momentum rushed towards them, shaking their hearts.

Two seconds later, the bishop's eyes lit up. He raised the scepter in his hand high, and then dropped it forcefully. The sound of the scepter's tail hitting the ground resounded throughout the entire dock square like a thunderclap. The gathered crowd erupted in jubilation.

The appointed time was approaching, but there was no sign of this amazing giant ship on the raging sea.

Beyond this layered crowd, inside the port area, was the "ceremonial area" temporarily sealed off by church guards and city-state constables. The local church leaders of Valen and the senior officials of the city-state gathered here to prepare for the arrival of the Storm Cathedral.

A huge question gathered in his heart, and Dante's expression gradually became extremely serious. He subconsciously reached out towards the mid-air outside the platform, as if trying to catch one of the phantoms.

But in the next second, the corner of Duncan's eye suddenly caught the momentary distortion on the sea.

Afterward, this grayish-white "tentacle" slowly retracted, leaving only a cold, empty touch behind.

This smoke condensed slightly and wrapped around Duncan's fingers—the next second, he actually felt a slight coolness, feeling as if he had touched something tangible!