White Cup Cult, Norlington Central Academy, History Department Professor's Office.
The History Department's office was unusually spacious. Rather than a workplace, it resembled a large workshop for processing ancient relics and documents.
Around the desk piled high with parchment scrolls were displayed numerous relics awaiting further processing. Slim yet possessing extraordinary physical strength lost-era weaponry, dusty Sacred Spawn bones, and some nearly extinct spiritual-infused plants.
Things of immense value outside the department were placed in corners here as if worthless ornaments.
Terence, wearing a monocular loupe, was adjusting an exquisitely styled metal bracelet. Its inner lining was etched with complex, obscure patterns, unclear from a distance, only discernible up close...
The patterns carved were human faces, the esophagus, stomach, and intricately overlapping intestines.
This was a relic originating from the Red Cup.
The Red Cup holy emblem on the back of Terence's hand was left from wearing it in his youth. It was an indelible mark, also the Great Mother's acknowledgment of him, silently narrating the thousand-year intertwined origins between the two cults...
Just as he finished routine maintenance and prepared to seal the bracelet, Child opened the office door and walked in briskly.
"Professor Terence, sorry I'm late... but I'm still a minute before the actual time."
"Hmph."
Terence huffed and re-sealed the bracelet somewhat irritably but didn't scold his somewhat impulsive assistant. He nodded slightly, then inquired about the Mirror of Enlightenment Club situation.
"I heard a Lamp cult Priestess was attacked. Who from the Secrets-Hunters is handling the case?"
"It's Sister Haida."
"Haida... I thought after her promotion to supervisor, she'd go abroad on long-term hunting missions like other Burial Court hunters. That's quite unlike Ahern in that regard."
Terence recalled that since the end of the Great Plague, the Burial Court's Chief Hunter had begun his nearly fanatical hunting spree. Unless there were important matters, he rarely appeared in Norlington.
According to difficult-to-verify secret rumors, he even once killed an ancient Sacred Spawn with mythical creature traits in the northern country of Loredon. This news was highly reliable but vague in content, and the Secrets-Hunters remained tight-lipped about it.
"By the way, Dr. Fran was also present this time."
"Oh? That's significant news. Did she do anything particularly notable?"
Clearly, Terence paid exceptional attention to this doctor.
Child proceeded to recount what he witnessed.
"Miss Dawn, the receptionist at the Mirror of Enlightenment Club, suffered spirit-flesh separation during the attack. And because her bodily injuries were severe, temporarily preventing spirit-flesh reunification, her spirit unconsciously wandered for a long time."
"After Dr. Fran healed Miss Dawn's body, she stuffed her spirit back in."
"Stuffed?"
Hearing this very visual action word, Terence's expression momentarily became very peculiar.
What does "stuffed back in" mean?... That's a soul! The essence containing the secrets of thought and essence, existing between reality and illusion. Sounds like stuffing filling into dough.
"Yes." Child confirmed again.
"She didn't chant any prayers, merely using the touch of her hands to reunite Dawn's spirit and flesh."
Terence rubbed the space between his eyebrows, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, Child, upholding the fine spirit of asking when you don't know, inquired with his mentor.
"Professor, is spirit manipulation very difficult?"
"Of course it is! If aided by secret arts, relics, or rituals... then it's not particularly strange. But without relying on such things, spirit interaction becomes extremely difficult."
"Speaking of which, that perpetrator was also able to manipulate spirits. Just unclear about the specific method. Tricky..."
"Some mythical creatures inherently possess the ability to manipulate spirits. Or perhaps she's like that old madman Grantham, overlaying ritual prayers onto her own bones..."
Terence seemed to notice the topic had strayed and quickly corrected course.
"The Lamp cult Priestess, how were her injuries?"
"Ms. Dorothy had one eyeball removed, but... Dr. Fran gave her a new one."
Child remembered this vividly, answering extremely quickly without needing to recall.
Although the White Cup stood at the forefront of the technological revolution, in the medical field, they still struggled to match the Secrets-Hunter Cult. However, anyone with basic medical common sense knows how difficult an eye transplant is...
Because what's being transplanted isn't just an eyeball, but the complete optic nerve and visual center. Even completely ignoring the difficulty of anastomosis surgery and rejection reactions, the precision of current instruments completely cannot support surgery of this level.
Unless... that eyeball possessed the Cup Phase and was clever enough to connect the severed nerves itself.
Terence immediately thought of the eye that crawled out of Madam Solani's socket like a spider.
"Oh, it couldn't be..."
"Yes, that eyeball was from Ms. Solani."
Child confirmed his speculation.
Amidst his surprise, Terence also considered the deeper implications of this technique.
"Even if an organ possesses Cup-Phase spirit and can self-heal... rejection doesn't disappear; it might even intensify countless times over. In earlier years, there were clinical cases of ordinary people transplanting Acolyte flesh. They either mutated or had their spirits distorted."
"Being able to safely transplant an eyeball means that doctor can at least resolve the inherent 'antagonism' within the flesh. And this is also technology that transcends the era."
He slightly closed his eyes, leaving only a trace of profound insight.
Obviously, there existed a chasm-like generational gap between the White Cup Cult and that doctor in the medical field, both in philosophy and technology. Even just glimpsing it would evoke a sense of unreachable disorientation.
But simultaneously, an indescribable excitement ignited. Beautiful things, merely by existing, can make one feel refreshed and delighted.
Even if it requires dedicating a hundred or a thousand years, as long as one can touch that height... everything is worthwhile.
Just as ancient sky-gazers longed to touch the heavens, could they have imagined this long-cherished wish is now achievable?
"So beautiful..."
After uttering this heartfelt sigh, Terence fell silent for a brief moment.
Once his thoughts calmed, he asked Child another question.
"Were any leads on the perpetrator found?"
Child thought briefly, then answered Terence's question.
"Based on Sister Haida's preliminary conclusion, it was a professional repeat offender."
"He maintained high secrecy throughout, didn't reveal his true appearance, and even obscured the Phase of his spirit... almost flawless."
"The Burial Court has issued a long-term hunting order. His mission codename is 'Nightmare Guest.'"
Since a long-term hunting order was issued, it meant this was a troublesome guy, not easily caught anytime soon.
"'Nightmare Guest'? Heh... how does that relate to our side?"
Upon hearing this, Terence muttered a low, sarcastic remark, clearly having some issues with the Secrets-Hunters' naming style.
The White Cup studied the domain of dreams and thought, while the Secrets-Hunters studied spirit and secrecy. The guy who attacked the Mirror of Enlightenment Club only displayed spirit-manipulation abilities, which shouldn't be connected to the word "nightmare."
But thinking about it, the abilities he displayed did indeed resemble the Secrets-Hunters. Even his style of operation was quite similar... dressed in black, moving through the night.
Could it be a traitor from the Secrets-Hunters?
Terence stroked his finely trimmed beard, thinking somewhat uncertainly.
Although just a guess that suddenly flashed through his mind, it must be said, the possibility wasn't small... After all, the Secrets-Hunters' secret arts are related to spirit.
The Burial Court hunters slaughter Evil Spawn and taboo-tainted kindred all day. Even if their hearts are forged from steel, rust is inevitable. Fear, exhaustion, numbness—with age, they arrive one after another.
For those wanting to escape the entanglement of fragile humanity, the solution is also close at hand... abandoning everything that once made them human, plunging utterly into depravity.
These apostates originating from hunters are often more troublesome, but fortunately, they are extremely few. And once they appear, they face the highest-level pursuit from the Burial Court.
Sometimes traitors are more hateful than heretics.
Seeing the professor lost in thought, Child continued recounting the information he knew.
"Sister Haida obtained some characteristics of the perpetrator through spiritual awareness resonance with Ms. Dorothy. Although insufficient for a wanted poster sketch, if encountering him face to face... she should be able to identify that person."
Terence shook his head, clearly not holding much hope for this.
"If that guy really runs into Haida, he'd indeed be out of luck, but that's ultimately a small probability event. Since he's professional, he should understand that the best way to avoid the Secrets-Hunters is only one: leave Norlington."
"Hmm... What about the Veiled Assembly? A Priestess was attacked; did they send anyone to check the situation?"
He was somewhat curious about the Lamp cult's reaction to this.
Child thought back, shaking his head with slight puzzlement.
"The Veiled Assembly hasn't made any statement. At least, I didn't see anyone from the Lamp cult present when Sister Haida was investigating."
"Professor, are they... not concerned about the Mirror of Enlightenment Club?"
Generally, when a secret cult's subordinate institution suffers a major incident, the upper levels mostly immediately dispatch assistance to show concern. Not just to protect their territory, but also to symbolically establish authority.
Just like after the Sun-Forgers branch's large-scale runaway forging event, the main temple immediately dispatched the 'Sun-Corona Rider' Solm to Norlington. Not only to immediately contain the subsequent impact of the malignant event, but also to restore the faith and confidence of followers and disciples.
"Perhaps it's as you said. Who knows? Those from the Lamp cult are always odd..."
Child pursed his lips, clearly not fond of the Lamp cult's Mirror-Wipers.
Although the Mirror-Wipers, like the White Cup Cult, pursue enlightenment, their belief in pursuing truth is much more pure.
But pure reason and logic sometimes naturally lead to an absence of humanity... Sacrifice, profit, including faith can all become weights to be balanced on a scale. To the point where it ends up feeling rigid and mechanical.
The Mirror-Wipers also spy on fate, their words and actions all elusive and unpredictable, like long, tiresome riddles, making them even less likable...
When you ask an important question, and someone's response is "You guess"... having a good attitude towards them really requires high self-restraint.
"Never mind, that's not my concern. The hunting order has been issued; the hunters will figure out how to handle it."
Saying this, Terence raised his hand, took out an exquisite engraving pen from his chest pocket, and continued today's ancient relic maintenance.
"Child, help me get that relic from the cabinet. The second node of its prayer text plating has deep wear, needs re-etching... It's in the first-row cabinet."
"Yes."
Upon hearing this, Child quite familiarly took out an ingenious relic shaped like an earring from the cabinet and placed it on the desk.
Terence picked it up, slightly adjusted the monocular loupe over one eye, and began the etching process.
Although somewhat advanced in age, his hands showed not a single tremor, steady like precision machinery.
He even had the spare capacity to continue chatting.
"'Nightmare Guest' and the envoys of the Children of the Whiskered Tree appearing in Norlington at the same time, no peace this year... And the year just started."
"Child, I won't ask you to help with routine maintenance today. But you write the relic log."
"Great! Leave it to me, Professor."
Child was quite pleased about this. Although he didn't exactly dislike the complex, meticulous repair work on ancient relics, who would refuse reduced workload?
Keeping up with his writing, he raised his head and somewhat nervously inquired with Terence about the Children of the Whiskered Tree.
"Professor Terence... Do you know why the Children of the Whiskered Tree have come to Norlington?"
An absolutely neutral cult, hidden for nearly a millennium—why have they come to Norlington? So mysterious, just thinking about it makes one feel an unbearable itch of curiosity...
However, this didn't seem like something an assistant should know. So whether he got an answer depended on the professor's mood.
Terence gave him a look but didn't evade the question, starting to explain.
"The Children of the Whiskered Tree want to reopen the ancient library in the city outskirts ruins to retrieve a certain 'relic.' As for why precisely at this time... it's because the thing they worship is showing signs of awakening. According to them, it's 'the ancient banyan sprouting anew.'"
"Hmm... If I ever get fined by Grantham for violating confidentiality agreements, you owe me at least a month's salary."
Ignoring the professor's latter joke, Child's expression became somewhat more solemn.
Putting the words "deity" and "awakening" together instinctively evoked unease.
Those colossal entities suspended beyond the sky, even a mere ripple from their slumber... could potentially turn into apocalyptic-level tidal waves.
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T/N: Hey readers~! New Translator here! Before I say anything, I'd first like to thank the original author for creating this wonderful story. Without them, I wouldn't have the chance to share this adventure with you. I hope my translation does justice to their work, and that together, we can enjoy this story.
With that said, I'm happy to let you know I'll be uploading daily chapters. And for those who wish to support my work and gain early access, I've set up a Patreon where advanced chapters will be available.
[email protected]/PeakTL