Miss Witch's Forbidden Book Secret

"The only place I can think of is the Great Icefield. You still have a connection with Silver Door, right? Last time, when you removed the curse from Eleanor, her curse was removed, but you discovered that you had a connection with Silver Door and with Him—is that right?"

This old pope was indeed insightful.

Tia nodded and said, "That's true."

Peter added, “Moreover, not only do you have a connection with Silver Door, but He probably also helped you a great deal in advancing to Sequence Three. Otherwise, you couldn’t have accumulated so much knowledge so quickly and reached the origin of knowledge.”

"Yes."

"Phew. That's right, that's right. Now you've probably hit a bottleneck and are stuck on the path of progress, so you need to go to the Great Ice Plains and use those spirits to advance the progress of one of your current projects."

Tia reiterated her affirmation.

Peter said, “This is dangerous. Extraordinary knowledge is inherently dangerous, and Tia, you are gazing into the abyss. I’m not just talking about Silver Door!”

Tia, however, showed no fear whatsoever, stating directly, "I am the abyss."

Annie couldn't help but burst out laughing.

This sounds like something a child who hasn't graduated from middle school—no, it might be something a child who hasn't graduated from elementary school would say.

Tia puffed out her cheeks and said unhappily, "Don't laugh! I'm serious!"

Annie, trembling slightly as she drank her milk tea, said in a soothing tone, "Okay, okay. Tia is... the Abyss..."

Peter, having seen the young couple flirting so often, remained unperturbed and coughed a few times to bring them back to their senses.

“Sulph, whether you are gazing into the abyss or you are the abyss, I am merely reminding you that Bernice is different from you. She is old, not just physically, but also mentally. She has lost the will to move forward and stands on the conservative side of the old era. Therefore, whatever she does will not cause much harm to this world.”

But you are different.

Peter's concern was simple. He worried that Tia might do something "excessive" in order to advance to Sequence Two.

While Tia possesses the affinity for the Holy Grail, she is first and foremost an alchemist. The alchemists of Mistmoon City, preparing for the upcoming great war, have already impressed Peter.

He didn't want Tia to cause another farce in Ansu.

Tia agreed, "That's right, in essence, I'm the same kind of person as Dongya Bahram of the Wisdom Palace."

"The only difference that leads to our conflict is that she is a person who lives in the past and pursues the future, dreaming the illusions of thousands of generations in the ancient palace of wisdom; while I am a person who lives in the future but stays in the past, standing on the building that is about to be completed but looking down frequently."

“We are all destined to push for the arrival of a new era, and we are all pitiful people in this new era. However, she is more proactive and more eager. As for me, I am quite lazy. I like the present. There is nothing wrong with being conservative. At least I would not have met Vera if I hadn’t been lazy.”

Anne frowned, not understanding what Tia meant. She didn't care about the mysterious new era of mysticism; the Son of the Hammer didn't believe in fate.

But Peter seemed thoughtful and said, "Being conservative isn't a mistake. The Palace of Wisdom has already made a huge mess. It's good that you have this idea."

Tia then added, “But there’s no doubt that a new era will always come. The only constant in this world is change itself—that’s why I have an element of ambition.”

Peter nodded helplessly and said, "Alas, I only hope that the future can continue the current prosperity. I hope the future will be a summer, not a harsh winter. We cannot allow another great plague to sweep across the world, causing the deaths and injuries of tens or even hundreds of millions. Nor can we allow farces like those in Mistmoon City to be staged frequently, as that would drag ordinary people into hell. Sulph, what is your opinion on the Wisdom Palace's avoidance of the new era? If your answer satisfies me, I can agree to let Vera go to the Great Ice Plains."

Whether Peter agreed or not was actually meaningless; he simply wanted to know Tia's attitude.

Tia wasn't shy about this at all, and said bluntly:

"...It might not be winter, but it's not summer either."

"How to say?"

"It should be a spring, or perhaps an autumn. A season of relative balance. The nations of the world will certainly still be at war, but there will be no catastrophic wars; a balance of deterrence has been achieved. The days of rapid development will also pass; people will not have as many opportunities as they do now, but they will not lose hope for progress. The whole world will move forward steadily amidst turbulence. I still remember the heading Charles wrote back then:"

"This is the age of wisdom, this is the age of foolishness."

"This is an age of faith, this is an age of doubt."

"It was a season of light, it was a season of darkness."

"Our future has everything, our future has nothing."

"We are heading towards heaven, and we are heading straight towards hell."

Tia simply shrugged and said, "It's not great, but this is the future I'm experiencing, and it's the future we're about to see. It's not great, but it's not bad either; it's the new era."

Chapter 488 Tia's Bright Future

Peter remained silent for a long time when faced with this question, and did not give an answer.

Anne, however, didn't care at all.

What's with all this talk about a new era? Does that mean we won't live in the next era? Besides, war, peace, faith, decadence, opportunity, and predicament—these are things we have now, and they will be in the future too.

In Anne's view, the new era has long since arrived—when she was a child, there were no telephones, no subways in New Orleans, and no extensive railway network in Silverburg; now things are changing rapidly.

This is the new era.

The sons of the hammer do not believe in vague prophecies or the ravings of madmen, but they are never stingy with their affirmation of what they see with their own eyes.

However, when Tia and Anne left St. Simon's Cathedral, intending to take Vera on a boat for a sweet three-person trip on a large ice field, the bishop on duty at the cathedral came and handed them a letter signed by Peter.

The gist of it is that Vera was given a long "special" leave, starting in April of this year and lasting until October, a full six months of vacation.

Moreover, this holiday is not only for this year, but will be available indefinitely as long as Vera remains the Pope of the Church of Wallonia in the Seven Seas.

As for other times?

I'm sorry, but even if you're a saint in the church, you still have to work. That's the church's motto: a monk's life consists of bread, milk, and work.

This is the part about "not doing one day, not eating one day".

Tia and Anne had just left the roundabout in front of St. Simon's Church after receiving the letter. Since Tia wanted to visit Professor Bernard to express her gratitude, she hailed a carriage and sent Anne back to 16 Crown Street first.

Professor Bernard was a personal friend of hers, so expressing her gratitude was naturally her own business.

But not long after leaving St. Simon's Church, Tia suddenly heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Officer Sulph! Is that Officer Tia Sulph?"

Tia turned around and realized it was indeed an acquaintance.

Charles, a reporter from Friday's Economic Daily, was standing under a streetlamp, wrapped in a scarf and wearing a khaki trench coat, carrying a briefcase. He rushed over, his forehead covered in sweat.

Behind him was a young girl, about sixteen or seventeen years old, with long black hair tied in two braids, wearing round-framed glasses, a large camera hanging around her neck, and gloves, following closely behind.

Daisy mustered her courage and asked, "Editor-in-chief! This is...?"

Charles said proudly, "Daisy, she's an old acquaintance of mine, the former chief of the Great Harbor District in Newland, and of course, a real talent in the Anti-Smuggling Bureau. That's why she was transferred to Silver Fortress, wasn't she? And Officer Sulph is a master of rhetoric; she even helped me before..."

“It was Dickens who helped you, not me.”

Tia quickly interrupted.

She had just been showing off by quoting literary masters in front of the Pope, so it would be a bit awkward if she said something like that next.

Charles wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "Ah! Yes, you're right, it was Dickens who helped me. Dickens was truly a master of language!"

Daisy was momentarily stunned.

She didn't recognize Tia, or rather, she didn't recognize Tia's true form.

This Miss Daisy is the reporter that Tia played when she played Fernina Bonaparte, and who rescued the reporter from the police station when she and Eleanor first arrived at Irisland.

She was also the sister of Pastor Carl, who accompanied Pastor Huck to the Iris Garden—though now she would probably be called Bishop Huck.

Charles asked politely, "Did you just finish Mass at St. Simon's Cathedral?"

"No, I came to the Papal Palace on some business."

"Oh dear! I had forgotten that you are a devout atheist."

"It's nothing. Are you here to report on the Cardinals' meeting?"

Tia noticed that Charles also had a notebook in his hand.

Charles quickly apologized a few times, but still couldn't hide his excitement. "You're right. I'm sorry, it's been so long since I've seen you, Officer. I'm a little excited. This era is really fast. It feels like the last time I saw you was just last month, last week, or even yesterday."

Tia agreed, "That's right. I came back from abroad a while ago, and in just a few months, there are steam cars on the streets."

"Just like that great inventor said, a new era has arrived! Oh dear, that great inventor even went to your office and served time in prison."

Charles became more animated as he spoke, talking about how Marne Cullen had tried to run away with the money from the bar.

"In short, you have helped me a lot before. Now I am the editor-in-chief of Friday's Economic Daily. But your help to me is not limited to this. This time, the Church of Our Lady invited us to cover the Cardinals' meeting because they heard that I had reported on your article."

"Oh, it's nothing."

"No, it means nothing to you. But it means a lot to Charles. Like you said, you said to always remember the kindness of relatives and friends, especially the first benefactor in your early years—"

Tia added, "To be ungrateful to one's first benefactor, the creator of good fortune, deserves retribution. What a beautiful sentence! You should write it in your book."

Charles joked, "Is the author named Charles Dickens, officer?"

"Of course!"

Tia then took off her beret and casually placed it on Daisy's head. The child shrank her neck slightly and looked at Tia with an inexplicable sense of closeness.

This immediately surprised Charles.

A horse-drawn carriage is parked on the side of the road.

Tia waved to get into the carriage, then waved to Charles and Daisy, saying, "I'm busy right now and can't chat much. We can chat at the newspaper office next time I'm back in New York. Of course, I also wish you both, Charles and Daisy, a successful shoot and a bright future."

..............

..............

Charles and Daisy estimated that they had a bright future ahead of them.

It's hard to say about Vera, who is far away in a foreign land.

She had just finished collecting her credentials from the Ministry of Religious Security, completely bewildered, and suddenly became the Pope. While she was still in a state of confusion and surprise, she soon realized something was wrong.

What does it mean that all religious appointment certificates must be reviewed and approved by the Ministry of Religious Affairs?

What does it mean that although you don't have to participate in regular activities, you must ask the Pope/Saint to arrive in the Land of the Seven Seas in advance every year from July to September to use rituals to quell the thunderstorms at sea?

What does it mean that the Pope is considered a citizen of the seven seas and that everyone must abide by the law?

and most importantly -

—How come I, the Pope, don't even have a church?!

Just as Vera was being politely and courteously escorted to the ship by the staff of Golden City, who told her that she could return to Ansu if she had nothing else to do, Vera's mind went completely blank as she boarded the ship home.

She also activated a communication ritual on the ship: told Tia to wash her bottom and wait for her to return, as she needed to figure out what was going on.

Chapter 489 Oyster Touching Oyster

On the azure surface of the Ansu Strait, two steam-powered ironclad warships with sails hung one after the other, their bows cleaving through the waves as their sails billowed and sailed with the wind.

Vera's entire voyage took a full five days. Including the journey from the Golden City to Saint Engard, and the replenishment of supplies at the Gem Coast of the Southern Continent, the total delays amounted to seven days.

Herland stood on the lookout tower, using a ritual to enhance his vision. After observing for a long time with a monocular telescope, he said to the sailors behind him, "Please go and tell Vera... uh, Pope Vera, we have arrived at Nuremberg. We can now prepare to disembark."

The sailor hurried downstairs to the cabin, knocked on the door of the lounge reserved for Vera, and shouted a few times.

There was no response from inside.

The sailor scratched his head, knocked on the door a few more times, and reminded him, "Your Holiness! We've arrived at Nuremberg. Captain Herland says you can prepare to disembark... Are you listening?"

"Uh, if you heard me, please pack your valuables as soon as possible. The last train to Silver Castle this morning is at ten o'clock, and it will be more than an hour before we land... You should be taking this train, right?"

There has been no response.

Vera was lying in bed, busy arguing with Tia.

The two did not communicate through the Deep Sea Temple like Tia and Eleanor did, but rather through the holy light that Tia left within her.

Of course, you can call it Holy Blood, Bone Blood, Holy Juice, Remnant, Echo, whatever you like. It's basically something left behind by light in the blood, representing the connection with Tia.

Therefore, calls have distance limitations. Before, in the Golden City, Vera called Tia, and seven out of ten times the signal was out of service. Now that they are almost in Newport, the signal has suddenly improved.

Vera was on the ship, her heart filled with bitterness, while the merciless complaints of the scheming woman Tia echoed in her ears.

"Who would have thought you were so healthy that you even managed to digest the power of Wallon?"

"How could I have thought of that! It was your bunch of spirits who threw the Silver Crown at me..."

"You don't have to answer, right?"

"When you shove the barrel of a gun into my mouth, how can I not raise my hand?"

Vera was quite unhappy to hear this.