Chapter 663 The Arrest Begins
In the cathedral district in northern Trier lies the archbishopric of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery. Unlike the more than 20 steam churches of varying sizes in the city, it serves as the center of the entire diocese of Trier and even the surrounding areas.
"It feels even bigger than the main hall of the Thordrak Palace in Backlund that I saw, though I only saw it from a distance..."
Looking at the towering iron-black chimneys that replaced the usual church spires, Fors Wall murmured, adjusted her round felt hat, and followed the believers who kept entering and leaving the church into this huge building where whistles sounded regularly and the creaking sounds of machinery and gears meshing could be heard from within.
She had already completed all the things she had to do when she came to Trier. Not only had she negotiated the copyrights for several best-selling novels in the Kingdom of Loen, she had also bought many unique copies of the "Emperor Roselle's Diary". If she used them sparingly, they would be enough for her to make intermittent contributions to the Tarot Club for a month.
Fors planned to spend the remaining few days exploring Trier's various attractions, such as the Triumphal Square and the boulevard. She even secretly visited the Red Princess District and gazed at the Wall Street, which was as famous as Bayam's "Red Theater", from afar, to find some material for her next novel.
Of course, the largest church of the "God of Steam and Machinery" in the northern continent is also one of the destinations.
Every day at noon, the scene of hundreds of chimneys of this church spewing steam, turning levers, and ringing bells is a scene that countless believers look forward to.
As a self-proclaimed devout believer, Fors rarely visited Trier and certainly did not want to miss this scene.
She found a bench in the corner of the main prayer hall and sat down, gazing at the triangular holy emblem surrounded by stained glass in the distance. She was about to take out her notebook to write down the inspirations that kept flowing into her mind when she suddenly found a familiar figure walking by.
"Is that... Miss Irene Watson?"
With the familiar clothing, Fors quickly recognized the other person.
But isn't she a follower of the Goddess of Night? Why is she here?
Just as she was about to call out to this acquaintance, she discovered that Irene took advantage of the fact that no one was around and turned directly into the confessional on the side of the prayer hall.
A follower of the Goddess of Night comes to the Steam Church... to confess?
Several ideas instantly popped up in Fors's head, and she froze in place for a moment.
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Beneath the Steam Cathedral, complex pipes, gears, and connecting rods connected to various rooms deep within. Some of them kept important documents, some contained seals of various levels, and many more served as work and rest areas for the "Mechanical Hearts".
Archbishop Emmanuel, on duty this month, accepted a document bag delivered to his office by a Mechanical Heart. He opened it and examined it while listening to the other party's introduction:
"This is a report we received half an hour ago in the confessional in the main prayer hall. We conducted a preliminary inspection and found no contaminated items or other traps inside. There were only a few identity documents and a strange piece of mirror fragment."
Picking up the sharp, black, non-reflective mirror fragment, Emmanuel's gray left eye pupil continuously contracted and expanded, as if a man-made object were mechanically moving. The Mechanical Heart beside him seemed to have long been accustomed to the Archbishop's movements and remained unmoved. Instead, it continued:
"We used divination to track down the informant, but repeated attempts have failed. The informant is either proficient in counter-divination or possesses items with similar effects. Originally, this matter should have been investigated by the on-duty 'Mechanical Heart' team, but you said in the early morning that all the reports today..."
"Leave it all to me, yes."
The archbishop interrupted the other party, put down the black mirror fragments, and spread all the papers in the file bag on his desk.
"Archbishop Horamik Hayden of the Backlund Diocese sent a telegram early this morning stating that the Nighthawks had contacted him and proposed a joint operation in Trier. We would provide the personnel, and they would provide the intelligence... It seems these are the achievements of the Nighthawks."
He snorted coldly, looked at the Mechanical Heart standing beside him, and ordered:
"Gather the teams on duty today and notify the deacons in the observatory and museum areas to prepare for a covert operation. Also, call the Sacred Heart Monastery and ask if they have received any similar reports."
Glancing at the black mirror fragments on the table, Archbishop Emmanuel added:
"By the way, before we take action, have all members come to my place."
As he spoke, he picked up the mirror fragment again and pressed his fingertips tightly against its smooth surface, as if feeling the slightest vibration.
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As the hands of the wall clock pointed to twelve o'clock, Cheval Duma also finished his work on Monday morning.
He carefully collected the original documents handed over to the Secretariat by the Diplomatic Committee, locked them in a safe embedded in the wall, scrambled the cipher disk, stuffed the translated documents into his handbag, and took them with him.
"Dong, Dong—"
Outside the window came the noon bell of the nearby "God of Steam and Machinery" Church. At this time, all the steam churches in Trier would use huge mechanical clocks to tell the time, and the time was exactly the same, demonstrating their technological strength that was ahead of their time.
During practical classes at the Technical School in Trier, students were even asked to calculate the speed of sound in the air by using the ringing of two church bells at different distances.
Listening to the bell ringing that had been ringing for more than ten years, Cheval left his office with a smile and walked towards the restaurant in the Foreign Affairs Committee office building.
After living in this city full of vibrant colors, beautiful sounds, and vibrant life for over a decade, I've almost forgotten the loneliness, darkness, and coldness of the "mirror world"...
This thought suddenly popped up in his mind, and his fingers subconsciously touched the translucent button on the cuff of his windbreaker.
Just then, the regular chiming of the bell outside the window stopped.
That steam clock tower near the boulevard is broken? Oh, I was just praising them for their punctuality...
Sheval chuckled and glanced out the window in the corridor. He suddenly felt that the weather today was a little different from usual.
The sun is particularly strong...
He suddenly felt a burning sensation in his chest, and a small mirror hidden close to his body issued a sharp warning, as if a steel needle had been inserted into his chest, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.
No, the corridor is too quiet. It's after work now. Where are those colleagues in the Secretariat? Where is the noise from the boulevard outside the window?
What "Man in the Mirror" Sheval has been worried about since he got his current identity has finally happened.
He was visited by the official Beyonder!
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