Secrets: Priestess

Chapter 33 Messenger
The attack made Claire more aware of the danger.

This sense of reality did not make Claire shrink back. Instead, she thought about how to become stronger.

It is really not easy to digest the "pollution" like digesting a potion. Every time I open my mind to listen to the hidden sage's mumbling, it is an experience worse than death.

Even Claire could only listen slowly, and only dared to listen carefully for a short while each time.

Before dawn, Daly walked out of the underground and ran to Claire's place for some coffee.

"Claire, you should keep some wine in the room." Daly suggested to Claire while holding the coffee and blowing on the hot steam.

Claire rolled her eyes at the alcoholic in front of her and didn't respond.

Dai Li suddenly whispered, "Thank you."

Claire looked up in confusion, "What?"

Daly's tone was filled with relief, as if relieved of any pressure. "Dunne confirmed the 'acting' thing with me. Thank you for sharing this method with Dunne."

"Oh...that thing." Claire blinked and looked at Daly: "Does this mean that Sister Daly also understands 'digestion' and 'acting'?"

Dai Li nodded and said:
"The official name is 'acting method'."

"It's not just me; the church's higher-ups all know... I've always wanted to tell Dunn, but I only had a vague understanding back then. By the time I was sure, the higher-ups had already noticed I understood 'acting'... and then they..."

Daly's tone dropped.

Claire, who knew Daly's temperament well, just blinked at Daly's tone and didn't even respond.

After reading the letter left by Her Excellency Cecima, Claire did not think that "acting" was a disaster for the church.

Daly snorted in boredom. "They praised me as a genius and made me swear in front of the holy relics, in the name of the goddess, not to reveal the 'acting method' to anyone who didn't know about it."

This answer puzzled Claire:
"Why? With the 'role playing method', the church's grassroots strength can be greatly enhanced. Why would the church restrict it? Even the regional leaders like the captain are being kept in the dark?"

Daly said: "The higher-ups said that once I successfully advance to the rank of 'gatekeeper' and can become an archbishop or senior deacon, I will understand the reason."

"Gatekeeper?" This was a sequence name Claire had never heard of.

Daly explained, "It's Sequence 5 of the 'Corpse Collector' pathway."

Claire nodded and took a sip of coffee: "I remember Sister Daly was a 'psychic'?"

Daly laughed, "No, I just like being called a 'psychic.' I'm already a Sequence 6 'Necromancer.'"

Claire seemed to be under a spell of silence, silent as she lowered her head to drink her coffee. She now understood why Dunn had repeatedly mentioned Daley as a true genius.

Sister Dai Li is only 24 years old.

"My transfer order will be coming soon..." Dai Li said suddenly with some disappointment.

Claire asked in surprise, "Transfer order? Where to?"

Dai Li didn't look happy at all, on the contrary she looked a little disappointed, and replied stiffly:

"Backlund. A Backlund with saints and even legendary angels."

"Saints? Angels? Do these things really exist?" Claire had seen these words in scriptures and documents, but she had no idea who they specifically referred to.

Daly explained, "In the church, Sequence 4 and Sequence 3 are collectively referred to as Saints, while Sequence 2 and Sequence 1 are earthly angels."

Saint, angel, Claire chewed on these words. Sequence 1 is also called an angel.

Claire thought of the "blasphemous tablet" and the "Twenty-two Paths of God."

If the end of the path is the true God... then isn't Sequence 1 the end?
Claire suppressed these thoughts, which the church would label as delusional. It was rare to have a Sequence 6 senior around, especially one who was about to be transferred, so she decided to take the opportunity to ask for more information that she wouldn't normally have access to.

"Sister Dai Li, have you heard of the 'Twenty-two Paths of God'?"

Dai Li frowned and said seriously, "Which cultist did you hear this term from? 'God's Path'... Don't say such blasphemous words in front of others."

Claire could tell that Daly was being serious not out of devotion to God, but out of concern for her.

After giving the warning, Daly continued, "I've heard there are a total of twenty-two pathways in the potion sequence. I don't know all of them, though. The ones I'm most familiar with are the 'Corpse Collector' pathway and the 'Sleepless Man' pathway."

"You already know about 'Corpse Collector'. The Sequence 6 of 'Sleepless Man' is called 'Requiem Master', and the Sequence 5 is called 'Spiritual Shaman'."

As she spoke, Daly sighed, "It's rare to see these level Beyonders in a small city like Tingen."

Claire asked again, "I saw a Fallen One named Ince Zangwill on a wanted poster before. I heard he was an Archbishop. Sister Daly, you mentioned the Archbishop. What Sequence is an Archbishop usually?"

"From what I understand, Ince Zangwill is a 'gatekeeper.' Sequence 5 is the minimum requirement to become an Archbishop."

Listening to Daly discussing these higher-sequence matters, Claire began to understand why the Church had set up information barriers. As a Sequence 9, these matters seemed so distant to her that she felt it was better to focus on the present.

"I remember you once asked me if there was a convenient, secret method of communication between Beyonders. Indeed, there is. We can use spirits roaming the spirit world as 'messengers.'"

"This method of transmitting information is only slightly slower than the telegraph, but it is more convenient for us."

"Using ritual magic, you can summon creatures from the spirit world."

Daly explained in detail how to prepare the materials and arrange the ceremony. Finally, she spoke of her messenger: "A spirit wandering in the void, a creature from the upper realm driven by humans, a messenger belonging exclusively to Daly Simone."

"When summoning spirit beings, the first phrase is often fixed, 'Spirit wandering in the upper realms' or 'Spirit roaming in the upper realms'. This type of phrase is directed towards the spirit world."

"The restrictive word in the second sentence is to ensure that the summoned spirit creature is friendly. In many cases, the restrictive word 'weak' is even added to ensure safety."

"The third sentence determines the characteristics of the summoned creature."

Daly took out a notebook and handed it to Claire. "These are the summoning spells for spiritual creatures that I collected. They also include detailed descriptions of the corresponding spiritual creatures."

"Remember, don't change the description at will, as that will easily attract scary monsters."

After explaining, Daly summoned her messenger to demonstrate to Claire.

It was a face without eyebrows, eyes or nose, only a mouth.

I can only say that it is worthy of being a creature from the spiritual world.

Looks quite... chic.

Just as Claire was wondering how this little thing could deliver the letter, the mouth on the face opened wide, and a bright red tongue suddenly popped out like a scare ball.

There were five thin fingers on the tip of the tongue, making various gestures towards Claire.

Claire, who was observing intently, was slightly startled.

Claire curled her lips slightly and complained, "I can only say that this is very much in line with Sister Daly's bad taste."

(End of this chapter)