Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 729: Are you ready?

"Has it been confirmed?"

"kindness."

Sister Livia's voice rang out in the room, accompanied by a deliberately suppressed breath. Although she knew that no one would secretly eavesdrop on her at this moment, she was still afraid that the following conversation would be heard by an invisible ghost, so she missed this golden opportunity: "I contacted Professor Knokwell of the Renweiting Geological University through the channels of the Secular Department. After a field survey, it can be confirmed that the unknown ruins located in the North Roald Underground Railway are indeed one of the twenty-six sanctuaries in the ancient city of Yaldes. Through the investigation of the architectural style and the statues of the spirit temple, it is inferred that it should be the Star Sanctuary that guards the ancient road of the stars."

"The Ancient Road of Stars, the first road opened up by saints in the exploration of the endless universe, symbolizes the exploration and pursuit of truth by human wisdom..." Brother Mufasa turned his back to the desk and Sister Livia, staring at the gray sky through the window, but his thoughts had actually flown to a place even farther away, muttering: "The city of Ancient Yaldes is not only the beginning of human civilization, but also the birthplace of animism. It is rumored that this ancient city-state was completely destroyed after the disaster of the natural disaster, and sank into the ground along with the splitting of the land. With the movement of continental plates and underground rock strata, it gradually drifted to the depths of the land of Lunwich, which is also the center of Lunkwell today. Everyone in the world thought that this was nonsense, the fantasy of novelists and explorers. Who would have thought that it was indeed hidden there, hidden under the streets that every Lunwitin hurriedly walked through at every moment, and was only a thin line away from the roaring subway."

"The words of the saints are passed down. Once the faith is no longer sincere, doubts can never be overcome. Therefore, the disbelievers left their hometowns and tried to create false gods to restore the former glory. However, they completely violated the teachings of the saints. In a sense, they are no different from the magicians of the Seeking Knowledge Society. Only the believers of our True Spirit Sect have strictly followed the motto and never crossed the line. Only then have we ushered in this moment of clearing clouds and shining moon."

Brother Mufasa's voice was calm and steady, as if he had never been moved by anything. Whether it was the discovery of the long-lost traces of the city of Ardes, the hometown of all spirits, or the achievement of something that those heretics had never done, it could not cause any emotional fluctuations in him. But sometimes, the most fanatical mood is not reflected in the loss of control of words, but hidden under the extremely calm appearance.

Sister Livia was silent for a while, then she slowly opened her mouth and recited a prayer from the Consecration Psalm: "...Only the pious can receive its grace, only the faithful can witness its enlightenment, and only the enlightened can see its honor."

The soft and solemn aria echoed softly in the closed room. The sound hit the wall and refracted back, overlapping and interweaving, causing the books, papers, ink bottles and other items on the desk and closet to tremble and resonate, as if proving that words do have the power to touch reality.

When the chanting sound was reflected many times and gradually faded away until it disappeared, Sister Livia spoke again: "It is said that Saint Tumi had a keen insight into the changes in the natural world and built the city of Ardes at the intersection of countless spiritual veins, making it a city of inexhaustible magic power. The twenty-six sanctuaries designed by him personally supported and maintained these spiritual vein hubs. In the great temple of each sanctuary, there is a secret passage that leads directly to the All Saints Gospel Monastery at the highest point of Ardes City. The original purpose of the secret passage is to allow the believers in the sanctuary to escape to the saint's residence in time to obtain protection when they encounter danger. Who would have thought that in the disaster that turned the world upside down, the first to be destroyed was the great monastery that we thought was the most indestructible?"

"These are all things of the past, Sister Livia. Reminiscing about the past can certainly help us gain the courage to face reality, but it cannot change the current situation." Brother Mufasa turned around and said, "Since the remains of the Sanctuary of the Stars were discovered in the North Roald Underground Railway, it is certain that the ancient ruins excavated by the United Churches and the Prehistoric Heritage Research Institute under the Roald District are the city of Ardes we have been looking for. We have no way of knowing what the United Churches want to get from the ruins of Ardes City. The only thing we can be sure of is that the saints' manuscripts and original doctrines left in the Great Monastery of All Saints and Gospels must not be obtained by them, otherwise, it will be a devastating blow to the current animism system."

Every devout animist could not tolerate the shame of the saint's manuscripts being taken away by the enemy, not to mention that those manuscripts contained "The Beginning of Spirituality", which was known as the "Beginning of Mysticism". It was said that it contained the inspiration and insights gained by the saint and thirteen saints after studying human spirituality together. The magic potion system was derived from it. The fire of human wisdom was ignited, and the extraordinary people were born, which opened the prelude to a magnificent era.

To this day, the manuscript still has extremely precious value. If the cult gets it and uses it to analyze the weaknesses of human spirituality and create a targeted magic device, the already difficult situation of the extraordinary people and magicians will no longer have a second chance to escape death. In this sense, what they have to do next is not only to recover the relics of the saint, but also to save the entire mysterious world from the threat of the monster.

"Notify the relevant personnel of the Secular Department and the Demon Sealing Department to prepare to gather manpower to excavate the remains of the Sanctuary of the Star. Make sure to dig through the secret passage leading to the ruins of the city of Ardes before the joint archaeological work of the cult is completed. During the excavation, temporarily block the North Rold underground railway and prohibit any non-church personnel from entering." Brother Mufasa gave orders in an orderly manner. Suddenly he paused and asked, "Can Professor Knoxville be trusted?"

"Yes."

Sister Livia bowed her head slightly, and answered as if she had already prepared the answer in advance: "As for his family background, his family has been devout believers in animism since the third generation. After the implementation of the Religious Decree, they publicly published articles opposing it, and their words were very fierce. As for his personality, he is upright and honest, respected by his students and colleagues, and has never been involved in any scandals. As for academics, he is a mortal enemy of Professor Heinrich Schliemann of the Institute of Prehistoric Heritage. The two sides have opposing and incompatible theories in the field of archaeology. In summary, I don't think there is any possibility of leaking the news."

"That's good."

Brother Mufasa nodded, and suddenly remembered that it was not only Sister Livia who discovered the remains of the Star Sanctuary, but also the guests. He hesitated and finally said nothing. He just instructed: "You should also prepare, Sister Livia. This time, we will need your strength."

The nun hummed softly and turned to leave. But when her hand was on the door handle, she did not push the door open and leave immediately. Instead, she asked without turning back, "Brother Mufasa, I would like to ask, what is Master Pancras' attitude towards this matter?"

The air in the room seemed to stagnate for a moment, so stiff that it was difficult to breathe. It was not until the red monk finally spoke that the air began to flow again: "He didn't come today."

These few short words were her reply. Sister Livia did not react at all after hearing them. She just gently turned the handle, opened the door, and left without looking back. A few seconds later, her footsteps gradually disappeared, just like the young man who came to visit her earlier.

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)