December 30. Wednesday.
Every month in the Fisher World consists of 30 days, so this day was the final day of the 400th year of the Age of Mist. Humanity was about to usher in a new century, sending the entire world into what seemed like a carnival.
Siles felt this atmosphere when he left home in the morning. The shops along the streets had hung up New Year decorations early, and some had even launched New Year sales. Young children set off small fireworks, playfully fighting and chasing each other.
The road conditions had also become much more congested. It seemed everyone was busy heading out to play or visit relatives and friends at this time. As a result, carriages were packed tightly together, and the sound of drivers jokingly cursing at one another was incessant.
Siles had left 6 Hayward Street just past seven o’clock, but it took him nearly an hour to finally arrive at the History Society.
He greeted Grenfield and said, “The traffic today isn’t great.”
“It’s New Year’s Eve,” Grenfield said. “You should have been mentally prepared when you left the house. There’s nothing to be done about it.” Saying this, he looked Siles up and down, then asked with some puzzlement, “Why are you dressed so… formally?”
Grenfield himself was an unkempt man. The first time Siles met him, he was wearing an old, worn suit; every time he saw Grenfield after that, his clothes were pretty much in the same style, if not even more disheveled. Siles knew this was because Teacher Grenfield simply didn’t care about such things, despite his substantial wealth.
Faced with Grenfield’s question, Siles explained, “The Church of the Past invited me to attend their New Year’s Eve celebration.”
Grenfield suddenly realized. Surprised, he remarked, “You really do have a good relationship with the Church of the Past.” He muttered, “I always feel that the folks at the church… appear gentle on the surface, but are actually very difficult to deal with.”
Siles paused, unable to help but ask, “Why do you feel that way?”
“…Believers,” Grenfield said. “Don’t you feel like… you might accidentally violate their taboos at any moment? Dealing with those kinds of people always makes me feel incredibly constrained.”
Siles actually agreed with this sentiment, though in practice—at least when dealing with the people from the Church of the Past—he had never felt this way. Perhaps it was because Antinam possessed some sort of uniqueness?
They didn’t delve deeply into this topic and quickly got down to business.
“I ran tests on that medicine you sent over.” Grenfield rubbed his chin and said, “There is indeed blood present, but it’s hard to say what kind of blood. It could be human blood, or it could be some kind of animal blood.”
Siles nodded slowly. He thought this wasn’t unexpected, but it also seemed even more concerning.
Because…
Grenfield said, troubled, “You said this is medicine, but what kind of medicine requires blood as an ingredient?”
Yes, that was exactly the problem, Siles thought.
There were no strictly rigorous medical disciplines in this era, and various diseases could be confused with one another. Yet even so, how could blood be needed to treat children’s illnesses? Of course, Siles knew that in some medical concepts, the blood of certain animals could be used as medicinal ingredients or food. However, the presence of blood in the medicine from Darwin Hospital inevitably aroused Siles’s suspicions. The core issue was Darwin Hospital; this hospital could not put Siles at ease.
He slowly sighed.
Afterward, Grenfield introduced several medicinal herbs he had analyzed from the potion, but they were all very common ingredients. Realizing he wouldn’t get any more information on this matter, Siles brought up other topics.
They discussed their respective projects and their plans for the new year. Siles also told Grenfield about his visiting scholar trip during the spring break.
This made Grenfield shake his head. He said, “Siles, you really are a busy man.”
Siles couldn’t help but smile helplessly.
Not long ago, he had written to the original owner’s mother, wishing her a Happy New Year and mentioning the visiting scholar trip, apologizing that he wouldn’t be able to return home to accompany her during the spring break. Naturally, his mother replied quickly, telling him not to worry about it and to just focus on his work. She also told him to stay safe on the road.
There seemed to be no issue with this letter, but of course, a trace of doubt faintly crossed Siles’s mind.
He meant… Lamifa City and Merlin Town were actually very close, weren’t they? Even if he didn’t have time to go home, why hadn’t his mother suggested coming over to see him? Siles always felt that parents would do such a thing. However, he had been in this world for half a year now, yet he still hadn’t managed to meet the original owner’s mother face-to-face. This was bizarre enough in itself.
Regardless, there was still over a month until the spring break. Even though the scholar visit was the focus of his next phase and he was indeed about to travel to an unfamiliar country, he still needed to finish his current affairs first.
Just past ten o’clock, Siles said his goodbyes to Grenfield, saying, “See you next week, Teacher. Happy New Year.”
“Happy New Year,” Grenfield replied.
After leaving the History Society, Siles went to a restaurant near Atherton Square. He had never eaten here before, but Chendo had said that since it was a New Year’s Eve date, they naturally had to pick a new place to try.
Siles had no objections to this.
When he arrived, Chendo was already there, scrutinizing the menu very pickily.
“The food here might suit your tastes,” Chendo greeted Siles, then added, “And it’s quite fresh.”
Curious, Siles looked into it and realized this was actually a rare seafood restaurant in Lamifa City. Of course, seafood was just one of its selling points; sometimes when supplies were short, they would also cook some common dishes of the Duchy of Konst.
Because Chendo arrived earlier and learned about the restaurant’s situation sooner, he enthusiastically introduced it to Siles.
Due to transportation difficulties, the dishes here were relatively expensive, so there weren’t many customers. Probably sensing Siles and Chendo’s curiosity about the establishment, the restaurant owner himself appeared at the front desk shortly after, walked over to their table, and began chatting with them.
The restaurant owner had a very stocky build and wore a chef’s uniform, looking incredibly enthusiastic. However, judging from his Konst accent, he clearly wasn’t a local.
“Good afternoon! Guests, you’ll love the seafood here,” he said. “If you don’t like it, or aren’t used to it, you can also look at other dishes.”
Siles asked with interest, “The Duchy of Konst is landlocked, so are all these ingredients shipped in from abroad?”
The restaurant owner nodded and said, “From a distant, northern country. That is my homeland. I have been here for nearly ten years. I opened this restaurant thinking I could let the people here feel the breath of the sea.”
A coastal country to the north?
Siles said, somewhat surprised, “Middleton?”
The restaurant owner looked at him in shock, then said, “You actually know my country! It seems I must gift you a plate of seafood. How about sweet shrimp? It’s the most easily accepted seafood for people!”
“Of course, thank you,” Siles said. “Could you tell us a bit about your homeland? Actually, I will be heading there in a month or two for work.”
The restaurant owner was quite surprised to learn this. He couldn’t help but say, “As expected, with the Grand Duke’s development plan, exchanges between countries have become closer. As for Middleton…”
“Sir, I must say, Middleton cannot be considered a very hospitable country. However, the scenery there is absolutely stunning, completely different from the continuous rainy weather of the Duchy of Konst.”
He snapped back to reality and glanced toward the counter, seemingly checking on the kitchen, or perhaps looking at something that occupied his thoughts.
After a moment, he said, “If you go to Middleton, you must go out to sea and take a look. The ocean is in the bones of every Middleton resident…”
He seemed to be weighing his words, or perhaps he wasn’t very familiar with the Konst language, instinctively wanting to use the language of Middleton. Finally, he murmured, “Dream.”
Siles observed the restaurant owner’s behavior and felt somewhat surprised, because this owner seemed more like a believer—a believer of Amois. Even though he had left Middleton, even though he had settled in a foreign land, that faith remained forever in his heart, never fading, never melting away, only hiding deeper.
Furthermore, what surprised Siles even more was that this faith seemed extremely stable and peaceful, unlike the madness of other Old God followers. If he really had to compare, he felt a better point of reference would be the believers of Antinam. However, Antinam still existed in this world, whereas Amois should have already fallen.
After saying this, the restaurant owner smiled apologetically, seemingly feeling he had talked a bit too much with his guests. He said, “Please order, you two. It’s the last day of the year; our shop has a discount.”
The prices at this shop were originally not cheap, but factoring in the dish the owner gifted them and the New Year discount, the two of them ultimately spent eight Duke coins, making for quite a good New Year’s feast.
While eating, Siles softly chatted with Chendo about his thoughts regarding the owner.
He asked with some perplexity, “It seems Middleton’s faith in Amois is very stable and firm; but how can they maintain this purity so many years after the deity has fallen?”
Chendo tilted his head and said, “Perhaps it’s just, in a sense… a custom?”
Siles had a flash of insight. He thought it was indeed possible; perhaps the deity had passed away, but the culture He left behind still left a profound mark on this world. He couldn’t say if this was good or bad. However, he also thought, since those believers of Amois in Middleton were more rational and peaceful, maybe Siles could find some even older materials and books from them?
These Old God followers, for various reasons, always possessed information that ordinary people did not understand. However, the vast majority of them had fallen into extreme madness and were difficult to communicate with. If he could communicate with rational Old God followers, then perhaps he could uncover some of the true faces of the world. Siles couldn’t help but think this way.
He finished eating with Chendo, then said his goodbyes to him. He had to go to the Church of the Past in the afternoon, and that could turn out to be a very lengthy conversation.
Chendo looked a bit reluctant to part, but he didn’t want to interfere with Siles’s business either. In public, he didn’t do anything too out of line, just giving Siles a restrained hug before saying, “See you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow,” Siles said. “Are we saving ‘Happy New Year’ for tomorrow too?”
Chendo muttered, “Of course.” He thought for a moment, then demanded self-righteously, “Your first ‘Happy New Year’ has to be for me. And I will be the first person to say ‘Happy New Year’ to you.”
Siles thought to himself that he had already said ‘Happy New Year’ to Teacher Grenfield back at the History Society.
…Forget it. There was no need for Chendo to know about this.
He simply smiled and said, “Alright, Chendo.”
They shared one last hug, and then Siles walked from Atherton Square to the Central Cathedral of the Church of the Past. He opened his pocket watch and checked the time, finding it was already past one in the afternoon.
“Good afternoon, Bishop.”
The nave of the cathedral seemed very quiet. People generally wouldn’t come here at this time, even if it was New Year’s Eve. Perhaps by evening, it would be packed with people coming to pray for the new year.
Grosvenor was still wiping the base of Antinam’s statue. Almost every time Siles saw him, he was doing this sort of thing, always handling it personally. Judging from his behavior, Grosvenor was indeed a very devout believer of Antinam.
But precisely because of this, Siles found his overly gentle and friendly attitude to be strange. Grosvenor himself seemed to have realized this issue as well.
He smiled warmly and said to Siles, “Good afternoon, Professor Noel. Please wait just a moment; I only have a tiny bit of work left.”
His attitude made Siles feel even more peculiar. However, the conversation was clearly about to take place, so Siles wasn’t in a hurry either. He nodded calmly and waited for Grosvenor.
During this gap, he looked up at the statue of Antinam.
During a previous conversation with his apprentices, Jules, who was researching literature related to Antinam, had mentioned that Antinam’s divine domains of “Past” and “History” seemed too broad, leaving people somewhat baffled. Of course, as an academic discipline, “History” was sufficiently valuable. This also caused the entire Fisher World, after the emergence of Antinam, to plunge into a sort of… academic ethos leaning toward the study of “History,” “Literature,” and so forth.
But even so, Antinam often gave people a feeling… that He always stayed out of worldly affairs, merely casting an ethereal glance from the distant past. He didn’t seem like the kind of deity who had ever been close to human empires or civilizations.
Although He did indeed protect the last glimmer of human civilization, He also seemed to have no intention of making all of humanity believe in Him because of it. People revered Him and were grateful to Him, but inexplicably, there weren’t actually that many people who truly believed in Him.
…It was as if, in this world, the past and history were things destined to be forgotten and left behind. Humanity was destined to march toward the future, never caring about any traces left by the past.
“…Professor, we can go now.”
Grosvenor’s gentle voice awakened Siles from his deep thoughts.
Siles snapped back to reality and followed Grosvenor’s footsteps.
The entire cathedral was very quiet, with hardly anyone around. Even the knights who usually practiced martial arts in the open space were absent, as if they had left for some matter.
Grosvenor explained, “There will be a New Year’s Eve celebration tonight, so they have all gone to prepare in advance.”
“The celebration is at Atherton Square, isn’t it?” Siles asked.
“Yes,” Grosvenor nodded. “We have always done it this way. Holding such a celebration at Atherton Square is also more convenient. Besides, the Duchy will also be participating in this activity with us, so choosing a neutral location is a more suitable choice.”
Siles nodded in understanding.
No matter which world it is, under such a backdrop, the conflict between royal power and religious power always seems to exist, Siles thought to himself.
They arrived at Grosvenor’s office, which could also be called his prayer room. This was clearly not where Grosvenor spent his daily life; it was filled with a desolate aura of a place rarely used.
Grosvenor smiled apologetically and said, “I am usually in the nave, so I don’t come here often. However, it is very clean here, so you need not worry.”
His explanation made Siles feel it was a bit superfluous. However, after they intended to speak openly and honestly, Grosvenor seemed increasingly reluctant to conceal this sentiment and inclination.
…His attitude could even be described as warm, or respectful. However, Siles didn’t think he possessed anything worthy of such a display from this archbishop.
There were no clues in the original owner’s memories either.
Could it be because of the discovery on the Revelators’ side? The Replicating the Self ritual? Siles pondered.
After they sat down, Grosvenor looked at Siles quietly for a moment, then said in a low voice, “Professor Noel, I imagine you must be very confused as to why I, and the entire Church of the Past, treat you with such a respectful and friendly attitude.”
Siles hesitated for a moment, then nodded very calmly. He said, “Yes. From Karakak’s Diary to [Akamara’s Eyeglass Frame], I believe I have received too much help from the Church of the Past.
“Even though I did help you find that apostate and recover the list they stole, I still believe the rewards I’ve received are disproportionate to my contributions. I feel overwhelmed by the favor.”
Grosvenor smiled helplessly and asked, “What do you think the reason might be?”
The atmosphere of their conversation was very relaxed; rather, it seemed Grosvenor was intentionally guiding Siles to think about the related possibilities himself.
The room was very quiet, but the lively cheers coming from outside could also be heard. It was a good day with good weather; the daylight illuminated the world, and it also illuminated this quiet room.
It was a good day for a conversation.
So Siles thought for a moment and said, “Because I discovered the Replicating the Self ritual?”
“That is indeed a very outstanding invention,” Grosvenor praised sincerely. “I learned the relevant ritual instructions from the History Society, and I also plan to promote it within the Church of the Past.
“Afterward, we will begin utilizing the channels of the Church of the Past to share the usage method of this ritual with Revelators all over the world. You know, it is a highly useful ritual.
“This is a good time to explain this to you. I know that when you invented this ritual, your purpose was to help those Revelators, so you didn’t intend to claim credit, believing that everyone should be able to use this ritual.
“However, we really shouldn’t do that. The glory should still belong to you. Therefore, when we promote it, we will call this ritual the ‘Noel Soul Stabilization Ritual’, hoping that everyone will remember the help you’ve provided them whenever they use this ritual.”
At this point, Grosvenor paused appropriately.
Siles then said, “I have no objections. You are the one truly responsible for promoting the ritual.”
Grosvenor couldn’t help but smile. “You are truly a noble person.” He then added, “Of course, the Church of the Past is also considering providing you with some compensation. A Time Trace, perhaps?”
Siles was slightly taken aback and was just about to speak when Grosvenor stopped him.
Grosvenor said, “I heard that the History Society will also be holding a commendation ceremony for you, so the Church of the Past should also naturally provide you with some assistance, to honor this significant discovery of yours.”
Since it was put that way, Siles naturally agreed to it.
However, he also realized that since Grosvenor put it this way, it meant that the help the Church of the Past had given Siles did not stem from his research and discoveries regarding spiritual pollution.
…Then exactly what was it for? Siles truly couldn’t think of anything.
Probably seeing Siles’s confusion, Grosvenor said, “Have you still not realized why we are so friendly to you, Professor Noel?”
Siles was slightly taken aback. He looked at the man sitting opposite him; his eyes were looking gently and calmly at Siles, seemingly acting mysterious, but also hinting at something.
…Noel?
Siles suddenly realized: “Because of… Noel?”
“Yes,” Grosvenor said. “Part of the reason is because you are a descendant of Noel.”
Siles finally understood—it was because of his family background.
This was truly something he realized too late.
The original owner’s father had died early, and his mother had raised him all by herself. This surname of his came from his father, yet that father had barely left many traces in the original owner’s memory.
And in the original owner’s memory, his parents were just ordinary town residents running an even more ordinary farm, never having any connection to Antinam.
Why would the Church of the Past be so friendly to him because of his surname?
Siles continued to look at Grosvenor.
Grosvenor’s gaze, however, looked out the window. After a moment, he said softly, “Merlin Town.”
This was the small town where Siles Noel was born and raised, located to the east of Lamifa City; it was a town so ordinary that it would be forgotten by the average resident of Lamifa City.
Grosvenor said, “That is the birthplace of our God.”
Siles widened his eyes in slight astonishment.
The reason he was so surprised was that if that was the place where Antinam was born, why was Merlin Town still obscure and unknown to this day?
People knew very little about the birth of Antinam. Even the widely circulated doctrines within the Church of the Past only recorded that Antinam was born on October 20, preserving the last ray of dawn for human civilization.
“He was born in autumn, about to welcome the winter. He protected us until the warmth of spring awakened the silently sleeping earth.”
Such words were recorded in certain prayers of the Church of the Past and were well-known to people.
However, it seemed no one had ever cared about exactly where Antinam was born—being born at a specific time and place was just like any other life crying out at birth.
Siles felt a slight strangeness in his heart. He continued to listen as Grosvenor went on.
Grosvenor said, “When our God was first born, He was unnoticed and unknown by anyone, and He was very weak at the time. A man with the surname ‘Noel’ helped Him. Therefore, the Church of the Past will also secretly help this man’s descendants.
“However, generally speaking, we only watch over them in secret, not making any overly obvious moves. But you are a bit different.”
Grosvenor hesitated for a moment, not knowing how to describe this “different.”
“…When you became a Revelator, I received a revelation from our God.” Speaking of this, Grosvenor suddenly became energized, as if incredibly excited; that gentle expression could completely no longer conceal this thrilled emotion.
A revelation from Antinam?
Siles’s expression remained unchanged, but a feeling of bewildered uncertainty yet expected realization violently surged in his heart.
…Antinam seemed to have been paying attention to him all along, Siles thought to himself.
Having this feeling confirmed, Siles actually felt a sense of relief, a feeling that the dust had settled and his guesses had come true.
Grosvenor remained excited for a while, as if secretly rejoicing over the revelation given by Antinam. He then coughed, slowly calmed down, and said, “Our God’s revelation was to have me help you with all my might.
“Of course, it would be best if you didn’t notice; but if you did catch on, then I would need to tell you the ins and outs of this matter, to save you from suspecting the Church of the Past of harboring ulterior motives.”
Siles thought to himself that even if they were being honest, he didn’t feel reassured at all—why did Antinam want the Church of the Past to help him?
Siles looked at Grosvenor and asked this question, yet received absolutely no answer. Grosvenor also had no idea why Antinam had given this revelation.
He was merely a devout believer who fully followed the deity’s instructions, methodically completing Antinam’s tasks.
This made Siles couldn’t help but frown.
He thought for a moment, then asked, “Aside from the revelation when I became a Revelator, were there any others? Did Antinam ask you to pass any message to me?”
“None at all,” Grosvenor shook his head.
Siles then picked up [Akamara’s Eyeglass Frame] on his chest and asked, “Not long after I obtained this eyeglass frame, I headed to the Ashless Lands. This Time Trace indeed gave me a tremendous amount of help.
“Was this chosen at random, or have you been keeping an eye on my situation the whole time?”
Grosvenor explained, “I personally chose this for you, because I believed it could bring you help and protect your safety. However, at the time, I didn’t know you would be going to the Ashless Lands; that was merely a coincidence.
“In fact, I just wanted to find an opportunity to fulfill our God’s instructions back then. Please rest assured, we will not interfere with your normal life, nor will we secretly spy on your thoughts.”
Siles nodded slowly, but still said, “I am indeed very grateful for your help; however, I would have preferred if you had explained this to me sooner.”
Grosvenor seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and his tone became even gentler: “I apologize, Professor Noel, I am merely acting according to our God’s instructions. As for what our God truly wants to do…”
He said with a peaceful gaze, “That is also something we cannot interfere with.”
Siles: “…”
He maintained his calm, but ultimately couldn’t help but frown slightly. He wondered, what exactly did Antinam want to do? Why secretly provide this kind of help, yet be unwilling to explain it candidly?
He thought for a while, then asked, “Is there any way…” he weighed his tone to avoid angering the devout believer in front of him, “…to have Antinam communicate with me directly?”
Faced with this question, Grosvenor turned slightly serious. He shook his head and said, “Deities are mysterious. Most of the time, we can only wait for Him to contact us on His own initiative.
“Moreover, for an ordinary human—even a powerful Revelator—taking the initiative to meet a deity is not a good choice. You understand, human strength cannot contend with a god.”
Siles couldn’t help but sigh. He said, “I understand, but… I’m sorry, Bishop, even though you have given a reason, it doesn’t reassure me in the slightest. The attention of a deity is truly too significant.”
Grosvenor instead comforted him, saying, “It’s really nothing. Professor Noel, please believe that our God is friendly; He has no intention of harming humanity, nor will He do anything to you.
“I think the reason He is doing this is probably because there is something special about you—you see, haven’t you already provided Revelators with a path to protect their souls? You are an outstanding scholar.
“In fact, if it weren’t for the fact that you hold no faith, I’m afraid I would have assumed you were our God’s proxy. You truly have a unique understanding of the power of a Revelator. Our God’s favoritism towards you also makes me quite envious.”
His last sentence was half-joking and half-serious, carrying a bit of enthusiasm as if treating Siles as one of his own.
Siles, however, felt a stir in his heart because of Grosvenor’s words.
Something special?
His truly special trait could only be his identity as a transmigrator.
He meant… is it possible that Antinam is also a transmigrator from Earth, so, based on the camaraderie between fellow townsmen, He secretly reminded the Church of the Past to help Siles?
The reason He doesn’t appear before Siles is because He is already a god, and Siles currently doesn’t have a high enough Will stat to look directly at a deity. Under these circumstances, if he were to meet the god, the most likely outcome is that he would directly become a believer of Antinam.
This couldn’t possibly be what Siles wants.
This guess sounded reasonable, but the only problem was—the theory that “Antinam is also a transmigrator” just felt far too unreliable.
He thought for a moment and temporarily put these thoughts aside.
Regardless, knowing that the goodwill of the Church of the Past essentially stemmed from Antinam’s attention, Siles breathed a slight sigh of relief and felt the situation had become clearer.
He had long been suspicious of Antinam, and now it seemed that this deity was indeed benevolent, at least on the surface, and the attitude of the Church of the Past reflected this as well.
Siles still wanted to know exactly where Antinam’s goodwill came from—it couldn’t simply be because he was a Revelator with the surname “Noel”.
And if he truly wanted to communicate directly with Antinam, then apart from waiting for the deity to proactively descend with a revelation, the better method was to work hard to increase his Will stat until he could face a god.
In addition, he also had to find a way to establish some sort of stable communication with the dice and try to get something out of it. He was very clear that the dice definitely held more information and knew a lot about his transmigration.
With his goals and future path gradually becoming clearer, Siles slowly calmed down.
Probably noticing that Siles’s mood had softened a bit, Grosvenor laughed: “I hope you won’t have too much of a psychological burden. The attention of a deity might also be a good thing.”
Siles thought to himself, Yeah, just like an invigilator standing right next to you during an exam staring at your paper.
…He suddenly sighed in his heart, feeling that this joke he made at his own expense actually made his heart heavy.
Grosvenor changed the subject: “If you have any needs in the future, please don’t hesitate to come to me. Since we have now spoken openly and honestly, I hope you understand that we sincerely want to help you.”
“Moreover, if you were to make a request, we would actually feel grateful—this way, we would be able to please our God. This is something that benefits both of us.”
Essentially, the Church of the Past’s friendliness was because of Antinam’s request, not because of Siles himself.
Of course, Siles was mature and rational enough not to care about this… “emotional value”. The Church of the Past had indeed provided him with help, and that was the most important thing.
Besides, their candor and goodwill could indeed bring tremendous benefits to Siles, whether it was for his exploration of the world’s secrets or certain academic research.
However… Siles noticed that the relationship between Antinam and the Church of the Past was very one-directional. Antinam wouldn’t unreservedly tell the Church of the Past certain information.
To some extent, everyone in this world lived in mist and shadow.
After a moment of silence, he finally said, “Bishop, there are indeed a few matters where I need your help.”
“Please speak,” Grosvenor said gently.
“Do you know the Praia family?”
Grosvenor paused slightly, then suddenly realized: “Oh, you mean… the Old God’s Scion?”
Siles realized that Grosvenor really did know about this, so he asked, “Yes. In that case, you should know Chendo?”
Grosvenor first nodded, then said, “We don’t need to keep using formal address with each other, Professor Noel. In short, yes, I do indeed know Chendo. I also know that he has been with you recently as your companion.”
“But I still must explain to you that I only know this because the Church of the Past also has relevant information sources here. We aren’t deliberately paying attention to or spying on your daily life.”
Siles nodded; he could understand this. After all, Chendo was the heir of the Praia family. Grosvenor knowing Chendo had arrived in Lamifa City was just like the merchants in the local Chamber of Commerce knowing it; this was an unavoidable spread of information.
Grosvenor then changed the subject again: “I didn’t expect you to have already learned about the Old God’s Scion…” He weighed his words. “I actually don’t know much about this either. As far as I understand, a deity can only pass down their power in some form under highly specific circumstances.”
“This is equivalent to severing a portion of the deity’s authority, which would weaken the deity themselves. However, such things do indeed exist. There are some very ancient records and accounts…”
Saying this, Grosvenor fell into deep thought.
After a moment, he added, “They are truly ancient, possibly records from the Age of Divine Birth or the era of faith. Back then, people weren’t so secretive about certain powers of the gods, so they recorded some information.”
“Since you need them, I will have someone look for them and then send them to you. It might take some time, but I’ll have them find it as quickly as possible.”
Siles thanked him, then asked about something that had always bothered him. He said, “You just mentioned a ‘revelation’. Previously, Chendo also told me that when an Old God’s Scion is born in the Praia family, Antinam gives them a ‘revelation’.”
“What exactly is this ‘revelation’?”
A perplexity he had hidden behind this question was: Did this “revelation” have any connection to the “revelation” of the Revelators? Or, did it have any connection to the “revelation” of the Dawn Revelation Society?
“…I didn’t expect you to take an interest in this phrasing,” Grosvenor said, marveling. “You are truly very sharp.”
Siles was slightly taken aback.
“‘Revelation’… this is a term we are accustomed to using,” Grosvenor said. “To explain it in layman’s terms, it is ‘the word of God’. Of course, deities rarely use human language to communicate with us.”
“Most of the time, we can only slowly comprehend the ‘revelations’ He gives us in the midst of our ordinary, unremarkable lives.”
Siles looked thoughtful, but in reality, it was very hard for him to grasp the true nature of a “revelation” from Grosvenor’s mystical rambling.
Struggling, he analogized this to something else—like making a “Spirituality” check?
…He seemed to suddenly understand.
Grosvenor continued, “It might just be a sudden spark of inspiration, it might just be… how should I describe it, an ‘epiphany’? In the Church of the Past, we believe this is the revelation our God gives us.”
“Perhaps out there, people have other ways to explain this phenomenon. Regardless, our God does indeed give us ‘revelations’ in this manner, telling us how to act.”
“Sometimes He also provides clearer information. For instance, in your case, it was when I was in a trance during a dream that I suddenly received the message transmitted by our God.”
Saying this, he showed a very indescribable expression. If Siles were to describe it, he would probably prefer to use the adjective “bliss”.
Grosvenor smiled and said, “That is why I am so grateful to you. From my personal standpoint, I am extremely grateful that you could provide me with such an opportunity to directly contact our God. So, of course I am happy to help you.”
Siles remained silent.
Grosvenor didn’t find this strange and instead said, “By the way, do you have any other materials you need to find? I imagine you must need to read a lot of books for your daily work? If there are any you can’t find, you can also come ask at the Church of the Past.”
Once everything was laid out in the open, Grosvenor appeared even more attentive and accommodating. To some extent, Siles felt as if he had actually become Antinam’s proxy—at least, he seemed to be treated as such.
However, honestly speaking, Siles did not like this essentially causeless attentiveness.
So he paused and slowly shook his head, but then he remembered something and said, “I don’t have any need for books at the moment. But, Bishop, does the Church of the Past have any records regarding the distribution of Stardust veins?”
“The distribution… locations of Stardust veins?” Grosvenor paused slightly. “You know about… Stardust…”
“Yes,” Siles said frankly. “I used [Akamara’s Eyeglass Frame] and saw the true nature of Stardust.”
Grosvenor then understood. He looked at the eyeglass frame with some surprise, seemingly not having expected it to possess such a powerful function.
He then said, “I understand. Do you want to know the locations where those Old Gods fell? Actually, we compiled statistics on this long ago, we just never announced it publicly.”
“If you need it, I will send you a copy later. I can just send it together with the other things. However, please do not disclose this information to outsiders—Chendo is fine, he…”
Grosvenor considered his wording: “He is special. The only Old God’s Scion in the present world. It’s just that he isn’t very willing to deal with us.”
Siles couldn’t help but smile slightly. He thought, Chendo isn’t willing to deal with anyone. He always gloomily and arrogantly isolated himself from others, until Siles arrived.
“Is there anything else you need us to do?” Grosvenor asked.
Siles thought of what he was currently doing and couldn’t help but ask, “I assume the Church of the Past will investigate the followers of the Old God in the city?”
Grosvenor looked at Siles in some surprise, seemingly not expecting him to bring this up at this time. He asked, “Did you discover something?”
“Yes.” Siles nodded, stating frankly, “I noticed that Darwin Hospital seems to be doing something in private, and I hope you can help investigate, especially the Darwin Hospital in the West District.”
“Darwin Hospital?” Grosvenor acted quite surprised. “A conspiracy involving a hospital… that sounds rather unbelievable.”
He shook his head and let out a heavy sigh. Then he said, “I understand, Professor Noel. I will have the investigators pay attention to this matter.”
“Thank you,” Siles said sincerely.
Grosvenor confirmed that Siles had no other immediate needs for assistance, and recorded these few matters down.
They chatted some more afterward, the atmosphere much more relaxed this time. They talked about the Duchy of Konst, the weather, logistics, and the Ashless Lands.
Grosvenor even enthusiastically discussed with Siles the card game that had recently become popular in the Ashless Lands and Lamifa City. When he mentioned the name “Noel Cards”, he suddenly looked at Siles as if having an epiphany and asked, “Is this related to you?”
Siles nodded and told Grosvenor the origins behind it. Grosvenor found it fascinating and seemed to want to play a round himself.
Siles found his attitude a bit strange and asked, “This gameplay requires using Fate Cards to attack Old God cards… will this kind of gameplay attract controversy?”
He hadn’t realized this at first, and later, seeing no one raise objections, he had forgotten about it. It wasn’t until this devout believer sitting across from him maintained a similarly interested, positive attitude that Siles suddenly felt it was odd.
This was a world where gods existed. Wouldn’t people feel resistance towards certain ways to play the game?
“The Old Gods have fallen, after all. Ordinary people won’t care much about it; it’s just a game,” Grosvenor said. Then, with an unusually cold attitude, he added, “As for those followers, they are already mad to begin with.”
“Just as you investigated, they even reached their claws into a hospital. If they had even a shred of sanity, they shouldn’t have done this, but they still did it.”
“Even without a card game like this, they are crazy enough. No one knows what insane things they might do.”
Siles couldn’t help but think: Too much debt to worry about the interest?
Because of this, he felt a profound chill and a sense of helplessness.
Approaching four o’clock, Grosvenor mentioned that the celebration was already being prepared and invited Siles to head over. From the afternoon through the evening and into the night, Siles stayed there, occasionally returning to the Church of the Past’s side to rest.
The celebration included performances, speeches, and so on; it was incredibly lengthy. Siles slowly began to feel a bit bored, preferring to spend this time with Chendo rather than waiting in the cold wind for the New Year’s arrival.
However, it was an invitation from the Church of the Past, and many important figures were present at the celebration, so it was inconvenient for Siles to leave. From a distance, according to the host’s introduction, he also spotted Jonathan Bryant.
From afar, he couldn’t clearly see the Minister of Finance’s appearance. But Jonathan indeed looked extremely emaciated, constantly hunching his back, looking as if his days were numbered.
Jonathan’s relationship with the Grand Duke seemed very stiff; they hardly spoke to each other throughout the entire celebration. Of course, the cheering audience below didn’t seem to notice this at all.
Time trickled by, and Siles gradually lost his patience to the slow passage of time.
At ten o’clock at night, when the fireworks burst into the sky, he even felt numb. Normally he would have already fallen fast asleep by this time, but today he was forced to stay up late.
The VIPs gradually began to exit around this time, and the entire Atherton Square became increasingly lively. The common folk came here to join in the carnival and celebration. They laughed, frolicked, set off fireworks, and danced.
The scene gradually became chaotic and disorderly, but no one insisted on maintaining order at this time; they were even happy to see it happen.
Standing in the crowd, beneath the sky illuminated by fireworks, Siles suddenly snapped back to reality. He pinched his nearly frozen earlobes, let out a breath, and then opened his pocket watch for a glance, which made him freeze in surprise.
It was 11:25 PM, thirty-five minutes before midnight.
Without realizing it, the time had already reached late night. He actually had no impression at all of what he had been doing for the past half-day. It seemed he had just been boringly waiting, listening, watching, spacing out, organizing the notes in his head, and conceptualizing his novel…
This was Professor Siles Noel’s New Year’s Eve, the last day of the 400th year of the Age of Mist. Even though he was standing amidst a crowd, it felt as if he was still entirely alone.
But this was Atherton Square; it was only a fifteen-minute carriage ride away from 32 Lowell Street. Perhaps the roads wouldn’t be great because people were celebrating on the streets for New Year’s Eve, but it should definitely be reachable within twenty minutes.
…So, he only needed to spend five minutes finding a rented carriage nearby willing to take him to 32 Lowell Street, and then he could wish his lover a perfectly timed “Happy New Year”.
This thought grew in Siles’s heart like a wild vine.
His soul was not young, and he seemed entirely isolated from romance; he was cold, strict, reserved, and introverted. But beneath these fireworks, he was missing his lover.
He even felt a belated sense of shock because of this thought. He thought: No one will stop me from leaving now—the VIPs have dispersed, and the ceremony has concluded. The New Year is approaching, and people are immersed in their own revelry.
He clearly could go find Chendo.
Why not?
Siles put his pocket watch into his pocket and, without hesitation, turned and headed toward the edge of the square. He luckily found a rented carriage nearby and paid extra for the driver to take him to Lowell Street as quickly as possible.
His fingers tapped the pocket watch in his coat; the ritual told him that six minutes had passed.
The road conditions were worse than Siles had imagined. People were cheering and playing with each other on the streets. Fireworks continued to explode continuously in the sky. Siles knew that at the stroke of midnight, there would be the largest barrage of fireworks.
That would be the most dazzling and beautiful moment, and he hoped he could watch it together with Chendo.
When he arrived at 32 Lowell Street, twenty-four minutes had passed, four minutes more than Siles had anticipated. Paying the driver, getting out of the carriage, and walking over took another two minutes.
Thus, when he stepped into the small garden of 32 Lowell Street, the time was already 11:57 PM.
Three minutes left, Siles thought.
He raised his hand and knocked on the door. He had the key to 32 Lowell Street, but without thinking much, he knocked directly. He wanted to give Chendo a surprise, but opening the door and walking straight in without telling him felt more like a scare.
For the first two minutes, he was so impatient, thinking Chendo would come open the door right away. However, there was no movement inside. He couldn’t help but think Chendo hadn’t heard, or had already fallen asleep.
Or perhaps Chendo wasn’t home at all?
This was also possible. After all, Siles coming here this time was just a sudden whim. Even he hadn’t expected to feel so urgent.
His mood gradually became low and calm. He thought, This is indeed an impulsive act, but I don’t regret it either. This is my Chendo, after all.
In the final minute, he was still knocking, but with a bit of hesitation. He felt that continuing to knock here might disturb the neighbors. It would be better to just take the key from his wallet and open the door, but he had already been knocking for so long.
Besides, if Chendo really heard it, he should be coming down the stairs by now.
He stopped, opened his pocket watch for a glance, and saw that there were only fifteen seconds left.
He was just about to reach out and knock again for a final effort, preparing to just take out his key and let himself in if there was still no reaction from Chendo. That could also be his first “Happy New Year,” just a bit abrupt, unlike Chendo unwrapping a gift box himself.
But suddenly, he froze because he seemed to hear the creaking sound of the wooden stairs.
10—
He instinctively glanced at the pocket watch, noticing the second hand was only ten small ticks away from the final mark. He felt his heartbeat becoming somewhat unbearable. Is it Chendo? Or am I hearing things? He thought hesitantly.
7—
Siles clearly heard the sound of footsteps stepping on the wooden floor, which made him instantly breathe a sigh of relief. By the light of the fireworks and streetlamps, his eyes fixated on the watch’s hands, listening to the sound of his lover approaching step by step.
5—
The footsteps grew closer and clearer. Siles felt the timing was perfect. He also started thinking about his movements and words for the upcoming moment. This brief preparation time even made him feel an unavoidable trace of nervousness.
3—
The footsteps stopped behind the door, and Chendo’s hand was placed on the lock. The lock began to turn. Chendo opened the door, a cold and annoyed expression—looking as if he had been woken from a deep sleep—turning into shock and a sudden burst of joy the moment he saw Siles.
0—
The New Year bell chimed, and a sudden eruption of fireworks lit up the sky at that very second. Siles saw the small, flourishing fireworks reflected in Chendo’s pupils. He thought perhaps it was the same in his own eyes.
Their gazes reflected each other and the fireworks.
Siles smiled slightly, feeling his heart beating rapidly. Gently, at the perfect moment, he said to his lover, “Chendo, Happy New Year.”
