Haida let out a soft sigh, accepting her answer.
In such situations, this doctor was not stingy about displaying her cunning and sly sophistry. But strictly speaking, this was also the optimal solution to the current predicament.
Soon, under Fran's guidance, the two arrived before a pair of golden doors.
The patterns on the doors were magnificently beautiful. Numerous deities, veiled in ethereal star mist, bowed their heads and bent their bodies, serving the colossal molten-gold celestial body at the center of the sky-scroll painting.
"This is the place. We've arrived."
Fran extended her slender, suture-lined index finger, pointing at these elegant and dignified doors.
"Hmm... Dr. Fran, have you already been inside? And 'accidentally' at that?"
Vivian rubbed her slightly twitching temple, trying hard to suppress the urge to ask further questions.
"Of course. See, it just takes a few secret phrases to open it."
Fran patted her soft and ample chest as if proudly, then lightly knocked on the door, producing a clear, bell-like echo.
Immediately, a dignified, solemn, and highly sacred female voice came slowly... distinctly distant as if from the horizon, yet also seemingly close to the ear.
"Remelt, recast, reshape, reignite the First Furnace. Nurture creation, construct the dawn."
After listening carefully, she fluently recited the corresponding Sun-Forging prayer.
"Return to ash, burn to extinction, fall in life, summon the Primal Sunlight. Resplendent as a constant, scorching all spirits."
Thud!
The golden doors opened accordingly, and the deities on the patterns on both sides changed from bowing to kneeling.
Haida bit her lip slightly nervously.
If she counted her time in the Lands Between, it had been many years since she had felt an emotion like "nervousness." But now, trespassing into the secret forbidden zone of another orthodox cult... did make her feel guilty.
Haida surveyed this small, volume-limited secret room, her gaze sharpening slightly, her brow involuntarily furrowing.
Many of the metal structures inside the room had been completely melted and incinerated; almost all facilities and equipment had turned into solidified streams of liquid.
These intertwined metal flows formed numerous humanoid sculptures, recreating the grand scene of deities kneeling in submission from the door, but in grotesque and twisted postures.
"Sister Haida, notice anything missing?"
Fran walked with interest among those twisted, grotesque statues, striking a pose, pretending to be one of them.
"The sun. The sun is missing..."
Haida noticed the absence of the "subject" in the composition almost instantly.
"What was this room used for before it was burned like this? A dedicated ritual chamber?"
Vivian felt around the floor and surrounding walls but found no traces of ritual arrays. She suspected a Category One ritual might have been conducted here. And it probably summoned something formidable.
"Very close to the correct answer, but not quite. Activating a large-scale Category One ritual would cause extremely violent spiritual disturbances; such traces absolutely cannot be concealed."
Fran walked towards a male statue, tapped a few times at its pupil position with her fingertip, and deftly removed a dazzling crystalline shard.
"Molten quartz. Ordinary rituals and forgeries don't use this material. However... there is another mystical discipline accustomed to using quartz as vessels."
Even before Fran gave the answer, Haida already knew it and spoke first.
"—Alchemy."
"Correct." Fran applauded lightly as if in encouragement.
"Look, in the hollows of the metal streams, the crevices on the floor, the eyes of these statues... there are large amounts of re-solidified quartz. Oh, in this state, it should be called 'glass.'"
Vivian looked at the colorful, translucent glass all over the floor; the thread of the event gradually became clear in her mind.
"So, last night's disaster for the Sun-Forgers Cult likely originated from an alchemical accident?"
"The word 'accident' isn't quite accurate. It should be an intentional 'scheme.' Nearly everyone in the Sun-Forging Spire became the material for constructing this one artificial 'Sun.'"
Fran shook her index finger, her gaze turning towards the empty space meant for the sun amidst the group of statues.
"And, the person who initiated this scheme most likely has already taken the final fruit."
With her 21% Parsing Rate in [Forbidden Alchemy], Fran could easily recognize the traces of alchemy. However, the alchemical formula used here was of a high rank; she couldn't determine what creation this formula would ultimately yield.
Vivian felt the danger level of this incident skyrocket instantly, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of lingering fear. Suddenly, a new question surfaced in her mind.
"So, that means this incident has nothing to do with the three survivors in the library? They are simply victims?"
Fran gave an enigmatic smile, reaching up to adjust non-existent glasses.
"On the contrary, the true culprit is among them."
"Who is it?"
Haida inquired calmly, seemingly not surprised that Fran could identify the mastermind ahead of time.
After all, she had seen this person use the "Swaying Heart-Clock" to steal information from others' minds. Based on that same principle, Fran could probably perfectly match the prayer riddle on the golden doors.
In this situation, all reasoning and speculation were essentially this doctor's personal amusement. She might have known the answer from the start...
Vivian might not have known Fran for long, but Haida had spent years with her in the Lands Between. This allowed her to understand this doctor's habits and nature to some extent.
"The act of unveiling the truth should naturally be done together with confronting the culprit. It's a virtue to never spoil the ending early."
Fran walked out of the alchemy room, then turned her head, looking at the two with a somewhat sly glint in her eyes.
"But if you really want to know, I don't mind revealing it early."
--
Sigrid sat before her bedroom dressing table, silently combing her curtain-like, dazzling golden hair.
Her eyes were lowered, and the lights in the room were off, leaving her entire face hidden in hazy shadow.
The strict but gentle mentor, the passionate and powerful lady rider, the somewhat shy but always smiling clerical sister... In just one night, one dream, these colleagues, dearer than family, had turned into a handful of cold ash on the floor?
Even the slightest recollection of past times caused tears to fall continuously. Her mental state began to deteriorate uncontrollably again...
But under the suppression of Fran's medicine, those chaotic echoes of the past gradually thinned, and she found a gap to breathe amidst the intense despair.
"Hah... Sigrid, pull yourself together!"
She gently brushed aside the hair strands stuck together by tears near her face, then put on her close-fitting silk undergarments, followed by the artisan robes of the Sun-Forgers Cult.
In the mirror, she looked as bright and radiant as ever, only with a trace of weariness lurking between her brows that was difficult to conceal.
"Miss Sigrid, are you there? It's Fran. Sorry to disturb. But next, I need you to come with me somewhere."
Along with her greeting came a rhythmic knocking on the door.
"Dr. Fran?"
Sigrid confirmed her attire was not improper, then turned and opened the door. She looked puzzled, then thought of a possibility... and couldn't help but feel a flicker of hope.
"Have you already uncovered the truth? Or found the culprit?"
"Hmm... A bit of both."
Fran didn't evade or prevaricate, but gave her a clear and concise affirmative response.
"Who did it? How did he do it?... Why did he do it? An enemy, or one of my 'colleagues'?"
Sigrid grabbed Fran's shoulders with both hands, asking urgently.
Her previous sorrow and despondency seemed like firewood ignited by a single spark, instantly transforming into anger and hatred... and bursting forth with intense heat.
"Dear artisan lady, you have too many questions; you're about to confuse me."
Fran didn't mind Sigrid's loss of composure, only gently removed the other's hands from her shoulders before beginning to explain.
"We found some interesting clues and already have a general idea of the cause and sequence of events. Now we still need to hear some opinions from you."
"Hear our opinions?"
Sigrid pondered the meaning behind these words, then couldn't help but deeply furrow her brow.
"So... even if none of us is the true culprit, there must be someone among us who knows the inside story of last night's events?"
"Exactly." Fran nodded.
Although what she said was somewhat veiled, the other party clearly had some understanding of the Secrets-Hunters' investigation procedures. So she didn't need to waste more words on additional explanations.
"To think it's really among us..."
Sigrid found it hard to accept, yet it also seemed she had already expected it.
Unless a large-scale Category One ritual was activated, it would be absolutely impossible to silently turn all living beings inside the Sun-Forging Spire into ash. And a ritual of that scale would cause spiritual disturbances at the astral level, with no possibility of concealing the traces.
This meant they died by means other than a ritual. Judging by the manifestation, the entire Sun-Forging Spire's defense system was destroyed from the inside at some moment by blinding "light and heat"... and this was precisely the Sun-Forgers Cult's most familiar domain.
Secret arts, alchemy, or dangerous forbidden castings.
So much so that when Sigrid recalled the moment before the disaster, apart from shock and surprise, she also felt a trace of inexpressible familiarity.
Now, her premonition was corroborated by Fran: the person who caused the disaster was among these colleagues she spent day and night with.
"It might be hard to accept, but take it easy. There will be even harder things to accept after this..."
Fran extended her two index fingers, tapping their tips together somewhat guiltily.
"Don't worry, Dr. Fran, I'm not that fragile... Ahem, the earlier situation was purely an accident."
Sigrid had already mustered her spirits, seemingly regaining her past cheerfulness and passion. Even though the familiar sound of metal striking was no longer heard around her, and the silence made her feel cold from the depths of her heart...
As long as she could still hear the beating of the hot thing in her chest, she could always regain the courage to move forward.
"Those who forge the sun are not crushed by despair, nor overwhelmed by pain."
--
Inside the alchemy chamber containing the numerous golden statues.
"Who permitted you shadows who only know how to hide in darkness to set foot in the forbidden depths of the spire? The main temple asked for your assistance in the investigation, but they absolutely could not have given you the authority to enter this room. Transgression, such a vile transgression..."
As the corridor went deeper, Anderson's face grew darker and more suffocated.
Upon seeing the already-opened golden doors, his patience finally snapped.
"Stay calm, respected 'Falling Sun Rider.' Although our actions may be presumptuous, please examine the evidence before drawing conclusions."
Fran walked gracefully and leisurely from the other side of the corridor, with Sigrid closely following behind.
"...Doctor, this matter has nothing to do with you. I know you're just external personnel."
Anderson originally wanted to get angry, but seeing Fran approaching, he ultimately calmed down. After all, she was the one who treated the nearly broken Sigrid; due respect must be given.
"Mr. Anderson. Whether it's condemnation or investigation afterwards, we accept it. But before that... you'd better see what's inside."
Haida's voice was calm like an ancient well without ripples, her gaze equally serene. As if she completely disregarded the furious Anderson.
But upon seeing the smiling, enthusiastic, yet strained Sigrid, her breath hitched slightly, her expression turning complex.
Clearly, she had already accepted Fran's "early spoiler."
"If I witness something blasphemous against the Forging Sun because of this, I will take responsibility and commit ritual suicide. But before that, I will never let you transgressors leave this spire alive."
Anderson gritted his teeth, looking into the room. The next moment, his pupils suddenly contracted.
What met his eyes were the numerous deity statues, some bowing their heads in worship, others prostrating themselves.
They were forged from gold, their robes adorned with rose-hued carnelian, surrounded by flowers and leaves, stars and moons, wings and halos... But their expressions were full of fear and reverence, staring intently at a certain point beyond the heavens.
"Thud." Malz, who had been summoned along, directly fell to his knees.
"Gods..."
This elderly librarian's gaunt body trembled uncontrollably, like a pilgrim witnessing a divine miracle.
He murmured incessantly, as if already slipping into delirium. Fran couldn't help but sigh, feeling vexed by the sudden increase in workload.
"...This is another faith within the Sun-Forgers Cult, the 'Primal Sun.' They believe that before the Forging Sun covering the sky was born, there existed a colossal celestial body that never extinguished, never fell silent."
Sigrid walked forward somewhat dazedly, her gaze wandering towards the "vanishing point" of the entire statue composition—the position where the sun should have originally been.
Anderson also snapped out of his shock.
"There indeed are colleagues within the Sun-Forging Spire who believe in the Primal Sun, but what does that prove? This is just an altar, a few statues... How can you conclude this is related to yesterday's disaster?"
"Mr. Falling Sun Rider, what you say makes sense. But I don't think you could possibly fail to see that these are forbidden alchemical creations..."
+++
T/N: Hey readers~! New Translator here! Before I say anything, I'd first like to thank the original author for creating this wonderful story. Without them, I wouldn't have the chance to share this adventure with you. I hope my translation does justice to their work, and that together, we can enjoy this story.
With that said, I'm happy to let you know I'll be uploading daily chapters. And for those who wish to support my work and gain early access, I've set up a Patreon where advanced chapters will be available.
[email protected]/PeakTL