"System, do you know what that Divine Art was just now?"
"It's just a Teleportation Divine Art that every Glorified One must possess; this is one of its uses."
"Transformation will not be detected by Divine Arts. Please rest assured, Host."
In other words, when transforming into other character cards, does the Golden Shield continue to maintain its Golden Shield state while remaining inside the original card?
It's a pity that character cards can't speak; otherwise, if the original body shouted Aishala's full name from inside, wouldn't Aishala be pulled directly into the card?
"Please focus on completing the task, Host, and don't always think about such fanciful things XD"
"Tch—" Syl seemed disappointed about not finding a bug, but she had no intention of stopping her search for them.
By now, the sky was gradually darkening, and the sun was nearly set. It was estimated that it would be about half an hour before it was completely dark.
"Knock, knock, knock—"
Just then, Syl's door was knocked upon again.
"Who is it?" Syl subconsciously raised her voice to ask.
After all, Sharon had gone to a meeting, Aishala could enter her room at any time, and Sigma was likely back at the Monastery by now.
Syl really couldn't think of anyone else who would come looking for her.
"My name is Annie Eugene, and I am a nun. Your Holiness, I am here to provide you with some additional details regarding your outing." A delicate female voice came from outside.
"Please come in."
After Syl gave her permission, the door was slowly pushed open, and a young woman wearing a monastic habit walked in.
Syl looked at the visitor, clenched her right hand into a fist, and lightly tapped it against her left palm: "You are... the pretty sister who helped me comb my hair this morning!"
"Ahem... Your Holiness, please just call me Annie..." Syl's attitude seemed to make Annie feel somewhat flattered.
"Okay, Sister Annie," Syl nodded and asked, "What are you here for?"
It was only then that Syl noticed Annie was carrying a basket, which seemed to contain something.
"These are the clothes and disguise items you will need for your outing, Your Holiness." Annie placed the items on the round table beside Syl and began to explain them to her.
"Archbishop Aishala just told me that you wanted to go out, so I am here to brief you on the essentials. The most important thing is not to trust anyone easily. If you encounter anything that feels off, immediately call out Archbishop Aishala's true name..."
It seemed Aishala knew she might spend half a day explaining all this, and Syl might not even understand it, so she simply found a nun to explain it for her.
Actually, the contents of the basket were nothing special—just a black robe, some currency, a wallet, and even a map and a pair of small, golden glasses?
Annie was mainly emphasizing not to trust anyone in the city, to ignore anyone trying to strike up a conversation, and to avoid certain city blocks.
She was treating Syl like a child entering the city for the first time, terrified that Syl might get kidnapped.
She also mentioned that, just in case, Syl must return by ten o'clock in the evening, or Archbishop Aishala would come over personally and bring her back.
In short, if she wasn't home by ten, Aishala would simply use the small Golden Shield to teleport over and drag Syl back.
Syl listened patiently as Annie spoke at length. Some of the information was indeed new to her, but there was a bigger question in Syl's heart that remained unresolved.
When Syl felt that Annie was nearly finished, she interjected at the right moment: "Sister Annie, may I ask a question?"
"Please, Your Holiness." Annie leaned forward slightly, indicating she was listening attentively.
"Isn't it dangerous outside... Why would the Archbishops let me just walk out whenever I want?" Syl blinked, as this was the part she found most baffling.
Given her previous impressions and the way Sharon and the other Archbishops treated her, she felt they wanted to protect her perfectly, without leaving any blind spots.
How could they be so casual about letting her go out alone now? Weren't they afraid that their Saint would get ganked the moment she stepped outside?
"Your Holiness, the digestion of the Holy Medicine can only be achieved by completing the Goddess's trials yourself. Any assistance from others hinders the digestion of the Holy Medicine, and the later stages may result in more severe backlash."
At this point, Annie's eyes suddenly shifted, turning into golden vertical pupils, and she continued: "Furthermore, Your Holiness, you have Archbishop Aishala's protection. No one can harm you without Archbishop Aishala discovering it."
Oh? That powerful?
The more Syl listened, the more she felt that the Divine Arts of the Church of the Goddess of Hope were genuinely formidable when it came to protection.
"Therefore, everything on the path to truth must depend on you alone; we can only provide you with some worldly assistance." As Annie said this, she pointed to the wallet stuffed with currency nearby.
"Then what about this..." Seeing that they were discussing personal effects, Syl reached out and pointed to the small, golden glasses.
"This is a Mercury-level Sealed Artifact from the Church. It can lower your sense of presence, but please remember to take it off and wipe the lenses every half an hour; otherwise, a part of your existence will be lost forever," Annie explained.
"Mercury-level?" Syl pondered this in her mind.
This was knowledge she had learned in the Monastery. Sealed Artifacts were various items collected by the Church that contained extraordinary power, or items or living beings that had been spiritually contaminated.
Based on their utility, the Church had created a detailed classification system. The danger levels, from low to high, were: [Dust], [Mercury], [Gold], and [Star Ladder].
The more powerful the item, the greater its side effects and spiritual contamination, which also placed a burden on the user.
Furthermore, the higher the rank of the item, the more stringent the conditions for its use. From the looks of it, the side effects of these small, golden glasses weren't actually that severe; she just needed to remember to wipe them frequently.
"May I try them on?" Syl asked, holding the glasses.
"Of course, Your Holiness..."
Before Annie could finish, Syl put the glasses on.
"Eh..." Annie stood stunned in place, looking around. "How did I... end up in Your Holiness's room?"
Annie frowned, raised her right hand to rub her temples, and prepared to leave.
But just as she was about to leave, Annie caught a glimpse of the basket from the corner of her eye, and she seemed to remember something instantly.
In an instant, Annie's eyes transformed into golden vertical pupils, and she looked behind her, only to see Syl standing there watching her, having never moved.
"That is roughly how it works, Your Holiness..."
Syl took off the glasses and nodded thoughtfully.
"As expected of Your Holiness, you understood how to use a Mercury-level Sealed Artifact right away." Annie looked at Syl with a hint of admiration in her eyes.
Little did she know, as Syl nodded, what she was actually thinking was:
This thing... perhaps I could wear it to the women's bathhouse...
Ahem... just kidding...