When she passed through the familiar city gate guarded by church warriors in white robes, and once again stood on the street in Dawn City that she had walked through countless times, Elena couldn't help but let out a soft breath.
She has come back.
Compared with her initial trip to the north, the subsequent imperial war, and the short trip to the Forest of Farewell with her friends, she was away for a longer time this time, and too many unimagined stories happened. She thought several times that she
It is impossible to come back here, nor to see Teacher Karan, whom I have always missed, or the familiar people in the church.
But this is also the... fun of traveling? It seems that the Belon people said so. Of course, there is a similar description in the "Gospel of Light"——
"The plum tree bears fruit. People appreciate the fruit beside the tree and discuss its appearance, color, medicinal properties, and connotation. However, if you don't taste it with your own mouth, you have no way of knowing its sweetness and sourness."
The last time she returned to church, Teacher Karan asked her what she thought, and she repeated this passage. Now that she has a better understanding of this sentence, she has never regretted leaving her stable life and becoming a traveler.
The nun's decision.
That is her wish and her choice.
The girl walked slowly along the Guangming Avenue. People passed by on both sides of her, some with happy faces and some in a hurry. Many of them were travelers from other places, leaving their hometowns for various purposes and coming here.
Seek the blessing or protection of the "Lord of Light".
This is a journey that belongs to each of them. From this point of view, the existence value of the Holy Land, in addition to giving people spiritual comfort, also includes allowing them to embark on the journey and experience various things other than daily life, so as to obtain their own gains.
Woolen cloth?
Elena returned to the Great Cathedral with this idea. She walked through the side door and corridor with ease, and wrote a brief report to Brother Rohr, who was in charge of personnel management. However, when she asked about the current situation, the other party said:
Something she didn't expect.
"What did you say...Teacher Karan is gone?! Where has he gone?"
"How do I know?" The middle-aged monk with thinning hair shrugged, as if he didn't care about it. "The statement said that he was recuperating due to illness and probably returned to his hometown."
Green Lake City? But the problem is not here. Elena put down the report document in her hand, pressed her hand on the table, and stared at the middle-aged monk's face seriously.
"This is impossible. Teacher Karan is a white-robed bishop. How could he get sick easily? Wait a minute, who is the current lord here?"
"It's Master Shield." the middle-aged man replied.
The thief killer in Autumn Wind Port, the bandit nightmare in Sunset City? Elena has vaguely heard of the other party's deeds - even among the action-oriented Templars, Sheard is considered too radical, "Why him? Dawn City can
You’re not recruiting thieves, are you?”
"Then it's none of my business." The middle-aged man seemed a little impatient. He lowered his head, opened the drawer, rummaged through a few letters and handed them to her, "By the way, this is yours."
Elena took the letter with great expectations, but she turned to disappointment after seeing the wax seal. There was no sun emblem representing the church on it, but all the black background patterns of birch and skylark——
That is her hometown, Fallen Leaf Collar, the emblem of the Silver Birch family.
She had been away for half a year, and letters from home were normal, just a little more frequent. Elena silently told herself, walked aside and sat down, opening the letters one by one.
The first two letters contained routine concerns and greetings, as well as a tactful hope that she would come back for a visit when she had time. The latter letters, in addition to simple greetings, all asked her to return to her hometown as soon as possible. The reasons ranged from inheriting the family, to the current turmoil, and even raising
When my mother is seriously ill, I want to see her for the last time.
That didn't sound like the truth, but she couldn't ignore it. The signature on the letter didn't include the time, so Elena sighed and could only get up again to find the middle-aged monk.
"Excuse me, Roll. Do you remember when these letters were sent?"
"The first few letters are some time old, and the rest are from the past ten days." The monk thought for a while and told her, "They seem quite anxious?"
Elena nodded noncommittally, put away the letter, then said goodbye to the other party, and walked down the stairs on the east side of the cathedral. When she almost stepped out of the side door, someone called her name from behind.
"Ellie!"
Only one person would call her that - usually, her nickname was Lina or Linnie. The blue-haired nun stopped, turned around, and smiled at her good friend in the church.
"Long time no see, Sophie. How are you doing?"
"Not bad!" The young woman smiled and walked towards her quickly, "I got the certificate of traveling nun last month! Then I went to the Rubble Village - the aunt there is still chanting your name.
"
Her friend did not give up on this path, which was one of the most satisfying things for her. "Actually, Sister Yinyue did more, but she didn't let those people know."
"Your Excellency, 'Silver Witch'?" Sophie nodded, with a bit of envy in her eyes, "I probably can't do it. But Ellie, I think you will be as powerful as her one day..."
Someone in another world said something similar. This was indeed one of her dreams. She had imagined that if she became a white-robed bishop or a Templar, she would be able to mobilize many resources to actually help more people.
Many people.
After this trip, the dream seemed to fade a little, and seemed to be clearer. An relayed Sir Hector's words to her - the Templars are just titles, not positions, and the same goes for the white-robed bishop.
In other words, both Helencia and her teacher had achieved results worthy of their current status.
"Why do you say that?" She tilted her head, her heart beating slightly faster.
"Because you always have goals, and you never stop for a long time." The young nun looked at her seriously, with a happy smile, "But you have been away for so long, will you stay a little longer this time?"
Elena pursed her lips.
"I'm not sure." She thought for a moment and asked the same question, "Do you know where Teacher Karan went?"
Sophie's smile disappeared. She took a breath, hesitated for a moment, then walked towards Elena and lowered her voice.
"You really don't know, Ellie?"
This gave her a bad feeling, "What does it mean?"
"I heard..." the nun's voice was as thin as a mosquito, "Priest Karan was secretly taken away and locked up for contradicting His Majesty... His Majesty the Pope. Some people also say that His Majesty the Pope planned to execute him in private...
What about those who oppose him?"
"What are you against him for?" Elena subconsciously grabbed her friend's hand and asked in a hurried tone, "Who told you this?"
"Many people...many people are talking quietly. I don't know whether it is true or not." The nun seemed to see her expression and quickly added, "They said that His Majesty the Pope is preparing to attack the Oren Empire, and
Master, he...he wants to stop this."
The latter sounded like something her teacher would do, and the former she had to find a way to confirm. She suppressed the idea of running out of the church immediately and tried to keep her voice as steady as possible.
"When was the last time you saw Teacher Karan, Sophie?"
"It was nearly half a month ago... right?" Her friend looked apologetic, "The dean gave me the certificate of traveling nun, and then I went to the north... When I returned here more than ten days ago, the dean
He disappeared." The nun raised her other hand and covered Elena's hand, "You are so familiar with the dean, there must be a way to find him, right?"
She does know better. Hylanthia accidentally mentioned that Karan and Oswald were her students - just like the relationship between the teacher and her. And the emblem given to her by the 'Silver Witch'
, has gone through a long journey, and is still by her side at this time.
Elena put her hand into her arms and held the simple silver piece. There was a soft warmth from the badge, but she hesitated for a moment and let go of her hand.
It's not the time yet, she told herself. She was still far from being able to stand alone, but she couldn't always rely on her teachers and predecessors. This was also what she learned during her latest trip.
"I will find a way." She raised her head and patted her chest gently, "Just leave it to me."
"I believe you. Elena is the most powerful." Sophie let go and gave her a hug, "Remember to tell me if you find anything - but pay attention to safety. I don't want you to disappear too!"
Elena nodded in agreement, left the church, and headed all the way to the city through the side door. Karan's cabin was locked from the outside, and the interior was as clean and tidy as ever. There was no sign that it had been disturbed, damaged, or was not cleaned up in time.
At least there was no fighting here - based on her knowledge, even trying to subdue her teacher with violence and tearing down the entire house would not be enough. By the same token, if the 'arrest' happened elsewhere in the city, there would be rumors in the city
This is by no means just a current rumor.
This was half good news. Elena stared at the hut for a while, turned her back, and quickly returned to the Avenue of Light. She went to the Adventurer's Guild in the city, stayed for half an hour, and then came to
The Silver Palace behind the Great Cathedral.
Before she became a traveling nun, Elena had only been here a few times. Callan Orfield almost always lived in the hut in his residential area, not in this palace prepared for the Lord of Dawn City.
Except for the difference in space, the two are almost the same simplicity and warmth. Her teacher always sits by the window full of sunshine, with a book and a pot of tea, wearing a white robe, smiling, listening to any visitor
Confusions and questions, and then calmly give suggestions and answers.
Nowadays, the Silver Palace is still simple, but it is a little more solemn. The monk guarding the entrance heard her intention and pushed open half of the door without saying a word. Most of the doors on both sides of the corridor were closed, making the corridor slightly dim. Love
Lian Na walked through the deserted corridor based on her memory and knocked on the dark brown wooden door at the end of the first floor.
"Come in." A cold voice responded to her.
Elena pushed the door open and entered. The curtains in the room were almost tightly closed, with only a gap on each side allowing sunlight to pass through. The man was sitting behind the wooden table in the center of the room. In contrast to the light, his face looked even more gloomy.
A black spear hung on the left wall, replacing the wooden shelves originally filled with books. The coffee table and chairs in the room were missing, which seemed to mean that the new owner here was not very welcoming to guests. Elena took a slow breath
He walked up to the wooden table and greeted the other party with the courtesy of a nun.
Shields looked up and spoke before she could ask.
"Your teacher is fine." The man's eyes were like iron, as if they could pierce people's hearts. "Don't believe the rumors."
These words actually made her feel a little reassured, but she was not sure whether Shield was reliable. "In this case, where did he go, teacher?"
"He has his mission." The man replied calmly, "And what about your mission."
This answer did not satisfy her, so she ignored the second half of the sentence. Elena breathed out and stared closely into Shield's eyes - she had seen several Templars, so naturally she would not be afraid of the one in front of her, "Yes
Did His Majesty the Pope send you here?"
"It's a worthless question." The Templar's expression remained unwavering, "I said it, would you believe it?"
She didn't know. "That's my business. I just need your answer."
"The answer must be seen with your eyes, not your ears." The Templar shook his head, "Think carefully about who told you these things, and what is the purpose."
It was Sophie. In other words, the knight in front of her was questioning her friend. Elena was unwilling to accept the other party's speculation, but she could not completely deny the possibility - no matter which direction she explained, her friend's actions were reasonable.
"Actually, those don't matter." Elena sighed, giving up on getting an answer from the other party, "Master Shield, no matter why you came here, I hope to get your help - to confirm the whereabouts of Teacher Karan, and to confirm His Majesty
Things you’re doing.”
Shield sneered, "Reason?"
Elena put her hands on her chest and lowered her head slightly, "As a believer, my loyalty belongs to the Lord of Light, not His spokesperson."
The Templar stood up - the man was more than a head taller than her and weighed almost twice as much. "If I were Oswald's man, wouldn't you be afraid that you wouldn't be able to get out of this room?"
Elena straightened her body and shook her head slightly.
"I have sent a letter home. If I do not return home on time, it means that I have encountered an accident here." Her voice trembled a little, so she swallowed, put her hands into her arms, and spoke again.
Holding the emblem, "No matter what you and His Majesty the Pope are planning, you won't want to encounter obstacles from the Yinhua family, right?
The man pushed the chair away and approached her step by step. Elena took a deep breath, took out the emblem from her arms, and held it tightly with both hands. Shields saw her actions, but seemed not to mind.
He reached out and grabbed her collar.
She felt the tingling pain in her palms and prayed with all her strength. The emblem flicked off her fingers and floated in the air, instantly like a blazing sun——
However, a gray shadow flew from the spear on the wall, hitting the center of the emblem. The sun suddenly burst, and the light was quickly swallowed up by the shadows. Elena felt herself being picked up, slammed into the wall behind her, and then slid to the ground.
Shield bent down, picked up the broken emblem and walked to her in two or two steps.
"For you, the teacher's emblem is just a waste." The man said coldly, "A student of 'Pure White Night Shadow' is nothing more than this level."
Elena was a little dazed from the blow just now, and could hardly hear the other party's words clearly. She tried her best to raise her head, "What did you say...?"
"It seems that Karan has a lot of things that he hasn't told you." Shields lowered his head to look at her, "For example, the things he and I have done, and the relationship between him and me."
She was still a little confused, but at least she captured the meaning of the other party's expression, "You mean, you are on...the teacher's side?"
"Think carefully and then decide who you should believe." Sheard returned to the desk and sat down again. "In any case, that is none of your business."
Maybe what he said was right - even after going through a huge war, she was still far away from catching up with her teacher. Elena slowly got up, saluted the knight in the shadow, and walked out of the Silver Palace.
Open the door and return to the sunlit street.
Sophie wanted to know the whereabouts of Karan. She used to rarely care about these things, but maybe after she left, he might have been taken care of by the teacher. Elena replayed the conversation between the two in her mind, but she didn't
Can identify any clear doubts.
On the other hand, neither her answers nor her actions seemed like she was acting - besides, she was just an ordinary traveling nun, so there was no need to go to all the trouble to deceive her.
Anyway, she didn't get any useful information, and the day was only half over. Elena wandered aimlessly on the avenue for a while, then walked into a tavern that she had been to several times before, and ordered a cup of familiar citrus black tea.
She gently lay down on the table, resting her head on her arms, thinking again about what Shield had just said to her.
It is difficult to draw a conclusion. If you think about it from the good side, Shield is the companion of Sister Yinyue and the teacher, but he just doesn't want her to be involved in this incident; and if you think about it from the bad side, the other party has indeed replaced the teacher's position, and
No promises were given personally.
Templars rarely lie, but that doesn't mean they have to be honest. Halanthia taught her how to use words to achieve her own goals - in fact, some of the 'Lord of Light's magical powers can identify lies.
It is useless for concealing facts and misleading guidance.
She remembered her "leader". As Ada's daughter, Lily also had the power to see into people's hearts. But no matter what, she could not call him over just to see who was lying.
The conclusion is still inconclusive. The fatigue of the journey gradually came over, and Elena thought about it for a while, and fell asleep in a daze.
…
"Long time no see, little Elena."
When she woke up from the vague dream, the voice behind her made her stunned for a moment. Elena pinched her arm quickly to make sure she was not still dreaming, "Sister Yinyue? You...why are you here?"
"
"Someone broke the emblem I gave you. I happen to be not far from here, so I came over to check on the situation." The petite nun pulled up a chair and sat down opposite her. "Has anyone bullied you, little one?
Elena?"
"It doesn't really count."
Elena yawned, moved her somewhat stiff limbs, then sipped the cold black tea, and recounted her experiences from returning to the city to leaving the Silver Palace, "Sheard said...
...Teacher Karan was once his companion, is that right?”
"It's true."
The silver nun nodded, with a nostalgic smile in her eyes, "Everyone is young once. But, even among young people, your teacher is quite a bit out of line."
This successfully aroused her curiosity. "What have teachers... done?"
Hirancia chuckled.
"Together with Shield, he dressed up as a hero from a chivalry novel and wandered around the city every night, claiming to be punishing criminals and eradicating evil. Although they only caught a few thieves at first, it did improve public security a lot.
."
"Then...pure white night shadow, too...?"
"It's the nickname he gave himself." The silver nun smiled like a flower, "He said that angels walk in the daytime, and night shadows live outside them. Later, they gradually became famous, and this became his recognized nickname. Even if
Even now, some people still call him that occasionally."
Elena was stunned, "How long have they been doing this?"
"It took more than three years." Helencia recalled, "After that, your teacher was transferred to Green Lake City as a missionary, and Shield applied to join the Knights of Radiance. As for Karan becoming the lord of Dawn City, it was still
It would be almost ten years before Shield was canonized."
For some reason, hearing this did not diminish her respect for her teacher, but instead made her feel closer to him. But she was still not sure whether she could trust Shields, even if she was her teacher's former companion.
"Sister Yinyue, do you think I can believe what Shield says? And he is still... doubting my friend."
The nun thought for a moment and shook her head slightly.
"It's hard to say, people will change." She looked into Elena's eyes, "Everyone has their own way of understanding things, and they also have independent perceptions of other people." The silver nun showed a narrow smile.
, "Little Elena, if your teacher and I slander each other, which one of us will you believe?"
This was beyond her imagination. But after Elena thought for a moment, she understood what the nun wanted to say, "Sister Yinyue is still Sister Yinyue, and the teacher must still be the teacher. I will believe everything you say."
"What if there is an irreconcilable conflict in our version of events?"
Elena closed her eyes and was silent for a moment, trying to understand her heart.
"I will use my eyes to confirm the facts." She said firmly, "But I still believe you two, unless I can find clear evidence. For me," she took a breath, "to speculate on others with malicious intent,
It won’t bring any profit.”
Helenthia reached out her hand, instead of stroking the top of her head as usual, she lightly patted her shoulder.
"As expected of little Elena. Speaking of which, you can trust your teacher more. He is more powerful than you think, and he will never get into trouble easily."
Sure enough, Sister Yinyue's words were more reassuring, Elena thought. "Then do you know where the teacher went?"
Helencia shook her head.
"He didn't tell me. Do you want to bring him something to say, or do you want to ask him something?"
"Originally I wanted to tell him about my recent experience, but after hearing the rumors, I was a little worried about Teacher's safety." Elena pondered, "But now it seems that that is not necessary?"
"The latter is correct." The silver nun blinked, "I am planning to investigate what the Pope is planning to do. Do you want to come with me?"
This is undoubtedly an attractive proposal. Elena thought for a moment and convinced herself again.
"Thank you." She sighed softly, "But I should go home. And Shields is right - I am not old enough to participate in your affairs now."
"If I meet Karan, I will tell him that you are still safe and sound." Hiranthiya snapped her fingers, with an expression that reminded her of the Yit man. "After that, you won't plan to stay here forever."
At home, right?"
Only this time, Elena could give the answer without thinking too much.
"My companions from the last trip are still in the Oren Empire. My companions from the last trip have also gone there - as a member of the 'Lilinono Group', if there is anything else I must do, it must be