As she spoke, she handed the book to the girl wearing the academic robe.
The girl's eyes lit up slightly; she almost eagerly took the book and began flipping through its thick pages.
"Thank you!"
"Since you've read it too, Miss, what is your view on the parable in Chapter Twelve, 'Those who forge high crowns must feed on kin of their own blood'? Is it also Mr. Zoparos's Convergence Theory?"
The corner of Vivian's eye twitched almost imperceptibly.
Just as she was about to fob off this rather clueless girl, she suddenly realized the person before her looked somewhat familiar, causing a momentary jolt of apprehension.
Amber eyes, pale hair color, and the one on the neck...
Noticing the change in Vivian's expression, Fran nimbly blinked.
Then she lifted her lapel, revealing the black suture marks on her neck.
"Vivian, you noticed a bit too late, didn't you?"
---
The unexpected meeting left Vivian feeling somewhat flustered.
She should have realized it earlier—when concealing one's presence, one's sense of existence becomes very low, so ordinary people wouldn't think to strike up a conversation with her...
She wasn't exactly afraid of Fran.
Although this doctor was somewhat abnormal, she was indeed quite reasonable and adhered to her own unique set of principles.
As long as you didn't violate those, she wasn't difficult to get along with... As for her potential threat level, that was something for the General Affairs Division to consider.
But the problem was, Vivian was currently on a Confidential Division surveillance mission. This kind of conversation might attract the attention of the two Children of the Whiskered Tree. If the mission was affected because of this, she would inevitably get a scolding from Supervisor Silver Wing Locust...
Vivian closed one eye, switching to the perspective of the Calling Bird outside.
The small crow perched on a street sign pecked at the feathers on its belly, glancing inconspicuously into the bookstore.
Sure enough, Neville and Albert had already noticed them, though they remained impassive and were still observing.
To avoid arousing their suspicion, she would probably have to put on the appearance of an academic discussion. But she had almost entirely forgotten the content from her ciphertext classes back in the day... What exactly was Zoparos's Convergence Theory again?
Just as she was trying to recall her student-era memories, she suddenly saw the doctor in front of her subtly reveal an unfolded slip of paper in her palm.
Ciphertext wasn't a required course for Confidential Division agents, so even during her earliest clerical period, she had only a basic understanding. And The Monroe Epic was something only scholars tried to analyze... It was normal for her not to know its contents.
Therefore, Fran had considerately prepared some off-site assistance for her.
As if a ray of light had pierced through heavy, gloomy clouds, Vivian felt immensely relieved and immediately began speaking about the content.
"Mr. Zoparos's 'Convergence Theory' posits that the act of consuming kin, aside from satisfying the inherent thirst of blood descendants, has the essential purpose of concentrating the spirituality of the Cup-phase, ascending to higher steps on the mystical ladder."
"Personally, I lean more towards Mr. Carmion's 'Mimicry Theory.' He believed that cannibalism among blood descendants is essentially an imitation of ancient living sacrifices... The concentration of spirituality is merely a rationalized reverse deduction by later researchers."
Upon hearing this, Fran lightly adjusted the silver-rimmed round glasses on the bridge of her nose, her amber eyes regaining their clarity.
"That is indeed a reasonable interpretation..."
Hearing Vivian's point, Albert, who had been secretly observing, narrowed his eyes in surprise.
He hadn't expected such a small bookstore to harbor someone who knew about the various ciphertext academic views on The Monroe Epic. After the Lost Age, the previously unrestrained White Cup cult had placed controls on mystical knowledge, making it not so easy for ordinary people to access...
Oh... because of the Norlington Central Academy academic symposium today, many hidden disciples from other cults have gathered in the South District?
Quickly, Albert figured out the connections. But at the same time, something else bothered him greatly.
Why would anyone still support the Mimicry Theory now? Hadn't that demonic monk Carmion's views been disproven? What nonsense was this about "imitation is the essence, ascension is the appearance"—how upside-down that prioritization was!
Even Carmion himself died in the madness of spiritual disturbance...
He really wanted to walk over and explain right then and there, but after a moment's consideration, he held back.
It was just a minor dispute in a discussion; there was no need for him to complicate matters, no need...
Just then, Fran began flipping through the book, her expression quite serious.
"I also find the Mimicry Theory more acceptable."
"Rumor has it that many Cup-phase disciples in Attilan perform more or less meaningless sacrifices, calling it 'pleasing the Mother of All Things.' Explaining it solely as concentrating spirituality seems rather far-fetched..."
Albert felt the blood begin to pressurize in his head.
Although Neville tugged at him from behind, the young man ultimately couldn't swallow his irritation.
Shaking off his colleague's hand, he walked up to Fran and Vivian.
"My apologies for interrupting, ladies."
Barging into a conversation between two ladies might be somewhat presumptuous, but he simply couldn't bear this ciphertext discussion containing such obvious fallacies...
"But pardon my bluntness... the Mimicry Theory itself is nothing short of heresy."
"Besides its self-contradictory and incoherent viewpoints, his theory is highly misleading. Most cryptologists who firmly believe in his ideas either become fanatics or fall into spiritual disturbance."
Vivian maintained the usual expression management of a Confidential Division agent, her demeanor indifferent, with no intention of responding.
Of course, this was mainly because she truly knew very little about this text; even if she spoke, she wouldn't have much to say... But this also made her involuntarily ponder the doctor's actual purpose for being here.
To make contact with the Children of the Whiskered Tree? And this outfit of hers... Is she with the Stellar Abyss Society?
"Fanatics?"
Fran's amber eyes widened slightly, as if surprised by what he said.
"Yes."
Albert nodded, then began to explain in detail to the girl dressed as a scholar.
"Carmion himself was an atheist monk; the vast majority of his views were shocking ravings, like that book The Creation Theory. While they have some reference value, if one truly believed those preposterous notions..."
"Besides leading oneself astray, they serve no purpose."
Fran put down the book in her hands, looking at Albert curiously, then asked for his opinion.
"Sir, which viewpoint do you believe is correct?"
"Origination Theory!"
Albert's reply was resolute.
"Eating raw flesh, swallowing alive—such behavior is absolutely not mere mechanical imitation... but a tracing back to ancient history. While Cup-bearers concentrate the Cup-phase's spirit from human remains, they are also drawing power from the departed hidden history."
"Although the actions of those secret cult disciples are instinctual, they are also rituals containing principles. Defining them simply as 'imitation' is somewhat too biased."
Finishing this speech in one breath, his expression eased a bit.
Although he didn't know how much she would understand, at least he had stated the correct theory and done his best...
Simultaneously, Fran's attire caught Albert's attention.
Dark-patterned overcoat, white silk sleeves. Although it was student attire, its style was quite similar to that of the Abyssal Navigators... This was a rather classic Gormouth style.
A cult near the Abyss... "Ant-Scale Door," "Six-Eyed Crow," or "Stellar Abyss Society"?
The Ant-Scale Door cult had very few sane, uncrazed members left; disciples of the Six-Eyed Crow hadn't been seen for a long time; the Stellar Abyss Society still maintained a certain level of activity... though they were mostly star-gazing scholars unfamiliar with worldly affairs.
It must be said, the girl before him indeed fit this characteristic perfectly... like a student who had just left the ivory tower, full of longing for the world yet ignorant of its cruelty.
Or perhaps she only knew a few outdated classic cases from books but privately dismissed them... and this was the most dangerous mindset.
"So, 'Origination Theory' is called that because it believes sacrifices are to trace back to the origin..."
Fran nodded thoughtfully, a glimmer of realization appearing in her eyes, as if hearing this answer for the first time.
"Might I ask which text this argument comes from?"
"The Lost Age tome Carnivore's Hymn, authored by the Grand Magus Gloria."
Even with intentional concealment, a hint of smugness still showed between Albert's brows.
The Children of the Whiskered Tree cult possessed the highest-grade collection of ancient texts; even though some were lost in the library ruins, it was still much better than the nearly broken lineage of the White Cup cult.
Of course, if the previous exchange between Fran and Vivian hadn't been so unorthodox, he would have disdained correcting the other party through such an information advantage.
Hearing Albert's words, Fran subtly pursed her lips, concealing a hint of a smile.
"But didn't Grand Magus Gloria also go mad in the end? He didn't become a new god as he envisioned, but turned into a half-human, half-monster 'Sacred Spawn' before reaching the highest step."
"This..."
Albert frowned slightly.
He had only intended to correct the other party, but judging by the young lady's tone, she also seemed to know a thing or two about this hidden history...
Seeing Albert fall momentarily silent, Fran continued to present her view.
"If the endpoint is only madness, then how can we say Carmion's ravings are wrong? After all, he did obtain what he wanted according to his own theory... becoming a monster transcending the mundane."
"This is sophistry."
"But how to disprove it?"
Fran's new question followed immediately.
Albert didn't want to get drawn into meaningless debate. Simultaneously, he felt the girl before him didn't seem as harmless as she appeared.
When it came to academic issues, she was sharp, almost cutting...
"...Based on the extant literature in ciphertext academia, it indeed cannot be disproven."
The somewhat arrogant young man gritted his teeth lightly but ultimately admitted this.
However, he wasn't convinced, because the other party had merely found a loophole in his words, not truly defeated him in argument.
"But I must warn you, although that demonic monk Carmion's theory cannot be disproven, it absolutely cannot be said to be correct either! Attempting ascension using his theory leads to flesh mutation even before reaching the third step."
"The deity worshipped by the Stellar Abyss Society also follows the Cup's aspect. If you don't want to turn into something non-human at an early stage, you'd best not follow that guy's path..."
Fran, of course, knew this.
She had only brought up that viewpoint earlier to corner him a bit, not to personally try it...
"Thank you for the reminder."
She seemed about to say more, but after checking her pocket watch, her expression changed slightly, and she didn't delve deeper into the academic issue.
"My apologies, I have an academic symposium to attend later, so I must take my leave."
After a polite farewell, Fran pulled off her overcoat's hood and hurriedly left Will's bookstore.
Albert watched her back until it completely disappeared, then squinted his eyes, feeling an inexplicable mix of anger and frustration knotting in his chest.
Using a sophistry to trip him up and then leaving without looking back—this person was truly infuriating...
He turned to look at the other girl in the gray trench coat, but she had already vanished into the crowd at some point, completely out of sight.
"She left while you were arguing with that Stellar Abyss Society girl."
"Albert, although outside-world secret texts are often fragmented, don't underestimate any secret cult disciple."
Seeing Albert's sullen, unhappy expression, Neville stepped forward to offer comfort.
Given the age and status gap, the relationship between the two Children of the Whiskered Tree was less like partners and more like a butler and a young master...
"Hmph, I know that."
"It was my own inappropriate wording earlier; being refuted was only natural."
Although he admitted it decisively in words, Albert clearly had other thoughts.
She's also attending the White Cup's academic symposium; we'll talk then...
He raised his wrist and glanced at the watch engraved with an ancient banyan pattern.
There was still quite a bit of time before the council meeting started; going over even thirty minutes later would be perfectly fine. Why did that girl leave in such a hurry?
A somewhat hard-to-believe guess surfaced.
Could this girl be preparing for an academic lecture after the symposium? But that would require her secret knowledge to be at least at a professor level...
+++
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