The night is gradually deepening, and the cold Wrath of the World is already hanging high in the night sky. Under the pale glow, the entire city-state has fallen into silence.

On the second floor of an antique shop in the downtown area, Duncan stood in front of the small window at the end of the corridor, quietly looking out at the quiet street outside the window, the roofs that rose and fell under the cold glow, and the pipes and valves that spanned the city on the roofs.

In another distant vision, he could see the Lost Homeland crossing the vast, choppy sea, sailing northward at night, following the direction of the Sea Mist.

And here, he was looking at the entire city-state, using his omnipresent "perception" to scan every corner of Plande.

He raised his eyes slightly and saw that the invisible "mist" was still floating above the city.

The "smoke" that was released by the Cathedral of Storms, which was like the "soul", stopped expanding after nightfall. Now its size can barely cover three-quarters of the city of Plande. Now it is like a layer of gauze slowly rising and falling in the night sky, just like...

Strolling in the night sky.

Duncan withdrew his gaze from the sky and focused his attention on the huge shadow at the edge of the city-state.

That's where the Cathedral of Storms is moored.

The huge pilgrimage ark was clinging to Plande's southeast port like a dark cloud. Duncan could clearly feel the outline of this huge entity, but he was unable to extend his prying eyes deep into the interior of the cathedral.

The interior of the cathedral seemed to him like an empty, dark black hole.

The ordinary ships docked in the port could not block his perception - nothing could escape his "touch" within a close enough range to Pland, but this cathedral was obviously an exception.

Is this due to the "protection" of the goddess Gemona? Or is it the special protective technology of the Deep Sea Church?

Duncan was a little curious about this, but he didn't take any drastic actions. Although he did consider whether using green fire to burn the Cathedral of Storms could break through its defenses, he only thought about it for a moment - after all, there was no grudge between them, so there was no need to set fire to someone's house just to satisfy his curiosity.

At this moment, Duncan suddenly had an idea and quickly withdrew his perception of the Storm Cathedral and looked up in the direction of the upper city.

He looked thoughtfully at the land that rose above the surrounding hills and at the Pland Church standing in the night.

※※※

High up in Plande Cathedral, in a lounge that was brightly lit, Pope Helena lit a ceremonial candle mixed with spices and placed the candlestick in front of a full-length mirror in the corner. She then turned her head slightly and looked at Vanna, who had been standing beside her for a long time.

"I heard that when you first saw 'him' in your dream, your first reaction was to sacrifice yourself and jump - what were you thinking at that time?"

There was a hint of embarrassment on Fanna's face: "At the time... I didn't think much about it."

"When you say 'not thinking much', you usually mean 'not thinking about anything'," Helena laughed. "That's actually good. Good warriors usually act faster than they think, which is very useful when fighting against heretics and evil spirits. After all, 'thinking' itself can easily become a loophole for us."

"...But I'm just glad that my reckless behavior at the time didn't lead to any consequences," Vanna sighed helplessly, "Looking back, he didn't seem to care about my 'offense' at all."

"He doesn't care. None of them care," Helena sighed softly. "The higher beings care about bigger and longer-term things... The good news is that our survival is more or less part of what they care about."

Fanna didn't respond for a while, so Helena looked at the "inquisitor" who was no longer an inquisitor with a half-smile: "Fanna, you must have a lot of questions to ask."

"I want to know...your arrangements for me," Vanna hesitated for a moment before speaking. "You secretly dismissed me from my position as judge and did not assign me a new guardian for the city-state. I am a little overwhelmed and don't know how to perform my duties next."

Helena listened calmly, without any surprise on her face. After Vanna finished speaking, the Pope, who seemed still very young, just smiled and turned to look out the window.

Through the window sashes inlaid with iron patterns, you can see the peaceful and tranquil streets of the city illuminated by a large number of gas lamps.

"It's a very quiet night, Vanna," the Pope said. "How many cases of supernatural pollution or evil invasion do you think the guards on patrol will report today?"

Fanna was stunned for a moment, and said hesitantly: "...I'm not sure. The city-state is indeed safer these days, and there are no incidents reported, but..."

"Zero," the Pope interrupted her. "Tonight's incident is zero, just as it was yesterday, the day before yesterday, and it will be the same tomorrow."

Vanna opened her mouth.

"You obviously noticed this, but you haven't dared to draw a conclusion yet, right?" Helena laughed. "A city that is no longer dangerous at night. Even in the temporary darkness after the gas lamps are turned off, there are no shadows. The most dazzling pearl on the vast sea is now worthy of its name."

Vanna finally reacted: "You mean..."

"Vision-Prande," Helena nodded gently, "Inside this large vision, it seems that there will be no extraordinary "pollution" phenomenon other than the 'Vision-Prande' itself."

“Is this your observation?”

"Do you think I came here just to receive the citizens' 'admiration' on the street and the greetings from the priests and officials in the cathedral?" Helena looked at Vanna with a smile, "I have my own way to observe and judge the changes in this city-state."

Vanna opened her mouth. She seemed to have countless things to say, but she suddenly didn't know where to start. Her head was filled with chaotic thoughts. She felt that what was happening was beyond her worldview again, so much so that she couldn't find a way to continue the topic using her previous logic. After an unknown amount of time, she finally said, "So... Plande doesn't need an inquisitor now?"

"I'm not sure," Helena's answer surprised Vanna. The Pope shook his head, obviously unsure, "Because this kind of thing has never happened before, but at least one thing is certain, as long as the nature of the vision-Prande remains unchanged, then you really don't need to work like before, and the duties of the city-state defenders will also change greatly."

At this point, Helena paused for a moment, and then added while thinking: "But even so, the city-state still needs the protection of the guardian. I can only be sure that there will be no 'supernatural pollution phenomenon in a natural state' inside the anomaly-Prande. But the threats we have to fight are not just natural phenomena. Heretics, ancient descendants, evil creations, and those fanatics who actively want to destroy the civilized order will not be obedient just because Plande turns into an anomaly.

"But one thing is clear: Plunder has become safer."

Helena paused, her eyes calmly staring into Vanna's eyes, and after a few seconds, she continued in a soft voice: "Vanna, we are walking on a very new path, no city-state, no church has ever faced such a situation.

"On the other hand, our world... seems to be undergoing some disturbing changes. Whether it is the 'malfunction' of Anomaly 001 or the activities of Lost Homeland, they are both breaking the fragile balance maintained by the city-states for thousands of years. In this situation, the goddess has only given us very limited revelations... I can only take action based on this limited revelation.

"Vanna, you have great talent, and this talent should be used in... more valuable places. Plande is in the safest state now, but I don't think you are a person who indulges in comfort, right?"

Hearing the Pope's words, Vanna subconsciously straightened up immediately: "I am always ready to sacrifice everything for faith and justice!"

"Sacrifice everything?"

"Of course, sacrifice everything!"

"Whatever you do, you won't hesitate to do it?"

"As long as it's the Goddess' will!"

"Including going to the Lost Homeland?"

"Including going to ..."

Vanna spoke loudly subconsciously, but she was stuck after she uttered a few words. She almost couldn't hold her breath. After two seconds, she stared at the Pope in front of her in amazement: "What did you just say?"

"As I said just now, our world is undergoing many disturbing changes, and among these changes, the Lost Homeland is the only one that shows the possibility of communication and goodwill," Helena said seriously, "We need to establish a stable communication channel with the owner of the Lost Homeland, and it would be best if it is official. You can consider yourself an envoy, or you can consider yourself a 'hostage' - of course, I personally suggest you adopt the first statement, but it's up to you how you think."

Vanna listened in amazement, and finally found a chance to speak after the Pope finished speaking: "But...but...but is this reasonable? Going to the Lost Hometown...is this the concept I understand? Is this possible?!"

Helena looked at the somewhat bewildered young "Judge" quietly. She had expected this reaction. After a long while, she smiled and said, "That's reasonable."