She and Dr. Fran were currently beneath the shadows, like fish swimming in water. The "water" enveloping them was a dim and lightless shadow, which completely blocked any observation from the layer above.
"Dr. Fran, the spirit within the shadows of the Oak-Shadow Nest gives me a strange feeling. It's like... familiarity."
"As if with just a certain opportunity, I could gain control over them."
Being enveloped by a deep, boundless darkness would only make an ordinary person feel an indescribable panic. But Haida inexplicably felt relaxation and ease, as if nestled in a broad, warm embrace.
Hearing Haida's description, Fran paused slightly, her thoughtful gaze shifting.
"Hmm..."
"If my assumption is correct, this should be the influence of the Ancient Banyan fruit, [Shadow of the Future]. According to some later research and speculation on Time-Aphids, Ancient Banyan fruits aren't one-time consumables, but rather a kind of 'key.'"
"Their spiritual essence accumulates over time, eventually reaching a degree where they can unlock the door to the future."
"Just like the first time you swallowed the fruit, when the spiritual essence is full and the opportunity is right, you can briefly summon a future version of yourself from a certain timeline again."
Haida closed her eyes upon hearing this, deep in thought.
"So, it's the influence left on me by my future self that makes me feel closeness to the shadows of the Oak-Shadow Nest?"
"That's correct."
Fran nodded lightly, confirming her guess.
In the "Future Norlington" destroyed by the Lytic Disease plague, Haida became the final Burial Primus and was an acknowledged wielder of the Decapitation Throne.
That relic sickle, only qualified for by successive Chief Hunters, besides its craving for decapitations... also possessed the authority to command shadows. Even the shadows summoned by the Raven-Feather disciples would devoutly bow before it.
And precisely because she had gained the future self's understanding and experience of shadows, Haida felt this familiarity with these shadows.
"Dr. Fran, I can feel... the shadows of the Oak-Shadow Nest are guiding me."
After pondering for a few moments, the sister said with some hesitation what she was currently feeling. It was like a certain call from the unseen, softly calling to her in her ear.
"Oh?"
Fran raised an eyebrow, a glimmer of interest appearing in her amber eyes.
Although the god-hunting god's upheld authority included the principle of "Enlightenment," individuals with psychic senses as keen as Haida's were still extremely rare. In fact, for the current era, she was "one of a kind."
"Don't worry about safety, Haida, trust your feeling. Sometimes, premonitions aren't completely impractical fantasies; they can also be subconscious 'revelations.'"
Following a sudden inspiration rashly wasn't consistent with Haida's usual caution. To reassure this sister a bit, Fran stepped forward smilingly and gently pinched her seemingly eternally serene cheek as encouragement.
"I'll do my best."
As she spoke, Haida changed direction, gradually advancing towards a certain direction guided by her feeling.
The interstice of the Oak-Shadow Nest was equivalent to a reflection world. It possessed the outlines and shapes of all external structures, but everything was composed of shadows. To avoid being confused by the disorienting visual sense of direction, she even closed her eyes.
This time, it was Fran's turn to follow behind.
She observed Haida with interest and, after a while, understood her navigation logic.
Judging by coordinates in reality, this sister was currently heading "East." While not perfectly straight, there was indeed no significant deviation.
East is the direction of dawn and moonrise.
It seemed the Six-Eyed Crows' riddle wasn't difficult to guess; it only required the solver to be sufficiently confident in their own judgment. In fact, that deity wasn't really opposed to sharing its treasures... as long as it wasn't the most precious part.
After a considerable period of walking, Haida arrived beneath the converging tree shadows at the easternmost end of the Oak-Shadow Nest.
"Dr. Fran, it's right here."
"Huff..."
Fran didn't respond directly. At the moment, she was propping up her waist with one hand, holding onto Haida with the other, head lowered as she breathed slightly heavily.
Haida actually walked for an hour with her eyes closed and was perfectly fine afterwards... Today's exercise quota was exceeded again.
"Dr. Fran, do you need to rest for a while?"
Although not understanding why, with this doctor's peculiar constitution, she would feel fatigued from such basic low-exertion movement... Haida still approached with concern to support her.
"No need, I feel fine."
Feeling the strong support of the sister's arm and the faint body warmth transmitted through the nun's robe, Fran waved her hand, indicating she was fine.
"Let me see what kind of setup the Six-Eyed Crows' treasure vault has."
As she spoke, she began observing the security measures of the vault above through the shadows.
"Hmm... 'Five-Eye Curse,' such an ancient thing with a real sense of age, and full of the Six-Eyed Crows' malicious humor. Second-category ritual [Sky-Burial Rite]. The flesh of anyone who touches it will rapidly decay and be pecked at by invisible entities."
"And some physical mechanisms."
"A room that fills with mercury, hidden doors that shoot out blades and arrows, and treasure chests that can swallow people whole... quite a variety."
Fran commented with interest, occasionally uttering a sigh or two.
Only after finishing her confirmation did she slowly turn to look at Haida beside her.
"Sister Haida, we'll be discovered as soon as we enter the Oak-Shadow Nest from the shadow interstice. Be ready to run, okay? Hmm... we can also simply conceal our distinctive features first."
As she spoke, Fran took out a small medical kit, had Haida put her power sword "Nirvana" inside, and then took out a black leather robe to drape over her.
After completing these measures, she carefully took a mask from her physician coat pocket and put it on.
"Alright."
Haida adjusted for a moment, reining in her own aura.
Since she had lent the mental interference relic, [Swaying Heart-Clock], to Vivian and couldn't use high-strength mental concealment to buy time right now... they would have to be quick.
Fran lightly raised her hand and placed it on the boundary between the reflection world and the secret realm.
As mist gradually swirled, a door manifested, and the two immediately stepped through.
...
In the center of the Oak-Shadow Nest courtyard, High Priest Remaining Eye, who had been introducing the spiritual material in his hand, suddenly frowned tightly. A hint of gravity rose in his eyes hidden beneath the crow-beak mask.
"The Oak-Shadow Nest has been breached. The one who left the letter at the Sands of Slumber Bell Tower... is here."
As he said this, his tone carried strong disbelief.
This was the sanctuary of the Six-Eyed Crow cult. Even though it had dimmed somewhat for certain reasons, it was still protected by layers of secret rites. Its security grade far surpassed that of the Stellar Abyss Society's Sands of Slumber Bell Tower... How on earth did that person manage to sneak in so silently?
Could it be that her mastery over the Oak-Shadow Nest surpassed his own?
Impossible. Not even a Raven-Feather Apostle could do that. The reason the Six-Eyed Crows' sanctuary hadn't completely faded yet was precisely because an apostle from a lost age had made themselves the core of the entire secret realm...
A sharp glint appeared in the aged eyes of the Stellar Abyss Society's President, Melvis, as he abruptly stood up from the square chair in the courtyard.
"I thought that 'Vivian' would act at the First Perch. I never expected her to directly target this place? What a reckless maniac..."
"It's been too long. Those arrogant apostles have probably forgotten the price of belittling mortals."
Without delay, High Priest Remaining Eye immediately channeled his spirituality to begin tracking the intruder's location.
Then he couldn't help but feel even more alarmed. That person had already entered the nest chamber of the treasure vault.
"Honored guests, please forgive my temporary absence. Now, I must go deal with some security issues of the sanctuary..."
After a brief apology, Remaining Eye immediately rushed towards the hidden treasure vault in the nest chamber, with Melvis following closely.
The overall environment of the Oak-Shadow Nest was akin to an isolated island, surrounded on all sides by the shadows cast by the entire Abyssal Sea. As long as the secret realm was sealed, there would be nowhere to hide here.
But could "Vivian," who had entered so silently, also leave silently? Regarding this, Remaining Eye did not know, nor did he wish to speculate. He could only pray that the curses and secret rites of the hidden treasure vault could temporarily block the other party, to recover and minimize the losses as much as possible.
Seeing the host and the Stellar Abyss Society leader leave, Moon-descendant Marquis Bernhard didn't move an inch. Instead, he leisurely took a sip of the blood in his cup.
"What's the matter, old vampire? Aren't you going to take a look? That's a living 'Apostle.' Don't you crave her blood?"
The scaled old man looked at him, uttering a low, teasing remark.
Hearing this, Bernhard merely curled his lip disdainfully.
"I'm a guest invited by the Six-Eyed Crows, not their enforcer. If that were a weakened apostle, I certainly wouldn't mind getting a share..."
"But if it's a monster like Ahern, then forget it. He's too young, too powerful, and too bizarre. The god-hunting deity clearly no longer elevates believers. Who knows how he managed to ascend to the Sixth Tier."
Nifel looked at these two, saying nothing.
In truth, he wasn't interested in the Six-Eyed Crows' predicament. The main reason he had accepted the invitation this time was to provide cover for Utus and the others who were investigating intelligence in the fallen city Morien.
Now it seemed, this was completely unnecessary.
After the theft, the Stellar Abyss Society had gone insane, concentrating all their strength on pursuing that thief, with no spare capacity to pay attention to other matters.
At this moment, Fran and Haida were selecting items from the Six-Eyed Crow cult's collection in the nest chamber's treasure vault.
This doctor seemed to harbor an innate fondness for collection rooms, to the extent that after entering, her whole state became akin to "sightseeing," strolling leisurely all the way, as if a tourist visiting a museum.
As for trap mechanisms and the like, their springs or trigger devices would be removed upon her contact... rendering them mere ornaments.
"Dr. Fran, the Six-Eyed Crow people are almost here."
Although knowing Fran had her own sense of proportion, Haida still offered a reminder.
"Keep calm, it'll be done soon. I'm looking for the target of this trip."
"Oh, found it."
Suddenly, Fran gently clapped her hands, a trace of undisguised joy appearing in her amber eyes.
Following her gaze, Haida saw a sealed box placed in the center of the treasure vault. The wooden box was entwined with crisscrossing green branches, revealing a plump mistletoe fruit within.
[Shadow of the Past]
[Quality: Flawless]
[Effect: After ingestion, gain the 'Key to Unlocking the Past,' allowing one to summon one's past self. This effect, once used, will reset the accumulated spiritual essence to zero, requiring it to fill again for reuse.]
[Note: "For some, the past self is a miserable existence too painful to recall, a foolishness that invites ridicule, an ignorance of worldly matters. But for a certain doctor... the past represents a terrifying 'completeness.'"]
Under Fran's direction, Haida took this sealed box containing the Ancient Banyan fruit, as well as a parchment scroll placed next to the box that seemed to be an inventory list of the collection.
Just as the two were preparing to sink back into the reflection interstice and leave the Oak-Shadow Nest... several raven-shaped dark shadows let out sharp shrieks, coalescing into human forms within the treasure chamber.
The high-ranking High Priest "Remaining Eye," who had touched the threshold of the Sixth Tier, had arrived.
"Lady of unknown name, I must admit your skill is superb and astonishing. But to think of leaving just like that, even for an 'Apostle,' is somewhat too dismissive of us."
"You are also a colleague who worships the Six-Eyed deity. I won't make things difficult for you. Leave behind what you have stolen and depart before that old thing from the Stellar Abyss Society gets here. You have five seconds to consider."
—
What does an Apostle signify?
A deity's favor and glory, destiny's grace and compassion, a long, enduring life, and forbidden secrets.
Those who become Apostles shed the frail old shell of mortals, becoming true witnesses to the world's hidden truths.
High Priest Remaining Eye had already glimpsed the high threshold of the Sixth Tier and received the promise of the Six-Eyed deity. As long as he didn't deviate from his original path and revelation, he would soon ascend to the ranks of Apostles.
Therefore, Remaining Eye understood far better than ordinary cult disciples what kind of existence an Apostle was.
If that "Vivian," who left her name at the bottom of the Sands of Slumber Bell Tower, was truly an Apostle, he would absolutely not want to confront her directly. Even with the protection of the Oak-Shadow Nest sanctuary, he didn't believe he could withstand her.
This was also why he issued the warning.
But with the Stellar Abyss Society President Melvis assisting nearby, if a dangerous confrontation couldn't be avoided and it came to a fight to the death... the outcome was still uncertain.
"Ms. Vivian, I do not wish to be your enemy. If you have a need for the cult's collection, you can also obtain them through trade. Melvis hasn't arrived yet... This is our last chance to seek 'harmony.'"
Remaining Eye said clearly and tersely.
In fact, after becoming part of the Six-Eyed Crow cult's decision-making echelon, it had been a long time since he used such a humble, low-posture tone to communicate with someone.
But considering the other party's skill in entering the Oak-Shadow Nest silently and invisibly, as well as her suspected Apostle identity... he instead worried whether he was being discourteous in terms of etiquette.
At this moment, Fran was enveloped in mist that resembled a skirt-like robe, her specific appearance unclear.
Since she had lent the moth-gauze robe, the Mimic Veil, and the brass pocket watch to Vivian, she could only use this relatively simple method to somewhat conceal her identity for now.
Facing High Priest Remaining Eye's words, Fran merely slowly spoke, uttering a number.
"Four."
A moment later, the next number rang out in the nest chamber.
+++
T/N: Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter and want to support my work, I have a Patreon!
[email protected]/PeakTL