There is a high platform near the cathedral in the upper town. It used to be part of the city park, but with the renovation of the steam core, the original park facilities were moved elsewhere, leaving only a lonely high platform - like a forgotten knight, standing high and watching over the factory and square below.
From the high platform, you can overlook the entire church area and the central factory area.
In her occasional free time, Fanna would come here to relax. When she felt uneasy, she would also come here to think quietly in order to sort out her mood.
The afternoon sun was shining brightly, and even though there was a slight breeze, it was not very cold on the platform. When the gentle sea breeze blew across the platform, it would lift up the hair around the ears, making it a little itchy.
Vanna threw her long white hair behind her head and stared at the winding and misty steam pipes in her field of vision. After a long while, she broke her silence and said, "I'm going to be out for a while."
"Going out?" Heidi turned her head in surprise. "Where are you going?"
"I'm not sure. It might be a very far place, and I might be away for a long time." Vanna looked into Heidi's eyes. "I can't reveal the specific itinerary, but I should tell you before I leave."
Heidi blinked, looking a little confused: "But you are the Inquisitor of the City-State. Can an Inquisitor travel far away at will?"
"I..." Vanna opened her mouth and tried to make her expression look like a smile, "It was arranged by the church. The order was directly issued by Storm Cathedral."
"Ah. So that's how it is," Heidi nodded in realization. I don't really understand the rules of the Deep Sea Church, but when the name "Storm Cathedral" was brought up, many things didn't need to be explained. "So it seems this is a sacred mission? Are you being sent outside the diocese to fight against heretics?"
After a while, she heard Vanna's voice again: "My break is almost over. I have two more patients scheduled this afternoon."
The messenger has arrived. Vanna felt herself in a trance for a moment, and then a damp and cold sea breeze blew towards her, and the sound of the waves came to her ears.
But time is not enough, I don’t have that much extra time.
"... No, this is a normal mission."
Vanna hummed, but suddenly stopped before leaving the platform. She turned her head, and in the afternoon sunshine and breeze, her expression was a little hesitant: "When I leave, can you see me off?"
Fanna exhaled softly: "You go and get busy. I should also prepare to leave."
"Okay, I'll wait for your letter then," Vanna said with a happy smile on her face.
Then she suddenly stepped forward, pulled out the crystal pendant from her collar, shook it in the air, and pointed at Heidi's chest, "The same amulet - you will have good luck."
This is something that can be read dangerously on the vast ocean, and perhaps it can relieve the boredom of life on the ship.
"The work of the great director Sandoko, called "Border Terror", tells the story of a small border village that fell into a heretical cult and sacrificed the women in the village to the "cave evil spirit". In the end, the powerful guardians wiped out the evil. It is said that this drama also uses a new technology called "sound track". When playing the picture, there is synchronized sound from the machines on both sides of the screen..."
She looked at Vanna, the breeze blowing her long white hair. In the tangle of flying hair, it seemed as if there was a fluttering curtain between her and her good friend.
According to the instructions on the job orientation, a messenger will come to pick you up in one hour. You should go to the atrium of the cathedral and wait before that. The entire handover process will not be disturbed by anyone.
"... Good luck," she muttered softly, her expression becoming a little strange, "I hope the things of this antique shop owner can really bring some good luck."
I think there might be something wrong with the transmission.
Vanna had huge doubts in her heart, but she still took a step forward and walked towards the cathedral.
What kind of messenger would this be? How would he be sent to the Lost Homeland, far away in the boundless ocean
A loud bell suddenly rang from the direction of the church, interrupting Heidi's thoughts.
thread.
Vanna scratched her hair and tried to search her mind: "Then let me recommend you a book. It's popular recently, called "Walking with Shadows", which talks about..."
Vanna finally couldn't listen any longer and interrupted her friend's chattering with an almost livid face: "Thank you, but it's really not necessary."
Heidi was excitedly introducing the "new popular elements" to her friend, but she found that Vanna's face was getting weirder and weirder. She hesitated and stopped talking halfway. Then she thought about it and waved her hand: "Okay, you may hate that. There is another drama called "Night Watch". It tells the story of a powerful guardian who enters a secret realm but is accidentally trapped in a heretic's nest. He has to rely on his own wisdom and experience to survive in the nest and find a way to stick to his original intention... ...You hate it too?"
"That's not the case. I'm probably just a little nervous because I was suddenly assigned a mission I've never been involved in before." Vanna shook her head, "Don't worry about me."
Apart from the greatsword that she always carried with her, she only had a packed suitcase - she did not have many personal belongings. In the suitcase, besides the necessary clothes to change into, the largest items were her prayer book and some blessed church reading materials.
She raised her head and looked in the direction where the bell rang. She saw that the huge dial on the bell tower was indicating the time, and the sun's light had gradually passed the highest point in the sky and was slowly moving towards the west side of the cathedral.
What kind of strange appearance would the crew on this ship have
"... Then I'll just look forward to my upcoming crew life," Vanna sighed, "I can't imagine what this life will be like."
Heidi waved her hand. Maybe there was something wrong with her eyes.
She took out the parchment and looked at the words on the back of it—that was your "Job Instructions".
Because she saw... Maurice was standing in front of her, smiling at her.
On the high platform in the wind, Heidi was the only one left.
Fanna turned her head and looked at her friend with some confusion: "Why do I feel that you are weird and look very worried? Are you a little uneasy about going on a long journey? It seems that you have hardly left the city-state."
Vanna looked at the things at hand.
Vanna hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath, and stepped through the rotating flaming gate. At this moment, her mind was boiling with thoughts.
Heidi opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but at this moment, the crackling sound of flames and flapping wings suddenly came from the sky, interrupting the communication in the atrium.
"Of course not," Helena smiled, "Captain Duncan even promised that he could turn an extra cabin into a cathedral."
“Will he write back?”
"Okay then," Vanna exhaled, and then seemed to suddenly remember something, and suggested with a little excitement, "By the way, how about we go to the theater together? There's a new drama coming out recently, let's change our mood - you should get in touch with more popular things, and maybe it can expand your social circle.
"It's time to go." Pope Helena's voice came from the side, reminding and urging. Heidi looked up in surprise, but only had time to see a green flame falling from the sky like a meteor. A huge bone wing suddenly opened in the flame, and the next second, the flame "fell" on the path in the atrium and turned into a rotating and rising door.
She blinked and slapped her forehead hard.
"Oh, well, that was my inconsiderateness," Vanna smiled awkwardly, "I forgot that you are a 'professional.'"
"Mr. Movis is out too?" Vanna muttered casually, but soon shook her head with a self-deprecating expression on her face, "You must be meeting your friends in the academic world, or participating in some activities. Scholars like you are often invited by various city-state universities...
It’s not the same place I want to go.”
I had many plans. Before leaving the city where I was born and raised, I wanted to visit the shops I was most familiar with and go to a
A trip to the theatre, a trip to the port, meeting some friends, a prayer in the church... ..
What would be behind the door? What kind of life was waiting for him on this ship? Would he see this scary ghost captain first? Or a sailor on the Lost Homeland
Heidi didn't pay any attention to what her friend said in the last two sentences. She just raised her eyebrows curiously: "New drama? What's it about?"
The flames rose up and then faded away, and it only took a moment to cross the door.
"The messenger hasn't arrived yet," Valentine nodded to Vanna who walked into the courtyard, "Are you ready?"
Then he seemed to realize that his attitude was a bit stiff, and he couldn't help but sigh slightly. He rubbed his forehead with his fingers and explained in a low voice: "Thank you for your concern, but the mission I am going to perform next requires a firm will and pure thinking. It is best not to come into contact with too many things that are easy to disturb the mind before leaving."
The friend left.
"It's all here," Heidi nodded, then looked up at the silent Pope next to her, "I can still pray on the boat, right?"
"... ...I don't know," Vanna said in a low voice, "but I will... try my best. Maybe it's not that strict here.
In the atrium of the cathedral, Pope Helena and Archbishop Valentine had not been waiting for him for long.
The young inquisitor lowered his head and looked at the small pendant on his chest.
Vanna didn't notice the subtle change in her friend's tone, she just sighed suddenly, "Hey, my father has been away recently, there was no sign, he just told me he was going out to do something, and my mother didn't let me ask any more questions - now you are leaving too, it feels like you are all being mysterious."
"Yeah." Vanna nodded slightly, put aside the last bit of hesitation in her heart and took a step forward.
Heidi's expression seemed to freeze for a moment: "In a sense, it does have something to do with heresy, but it's not a combat mission."