Inside the Gem Theater, in a restroom outside the auditorium, Sister Vanya, who had run in panting, stared blankly at the smiling white-haired girl within.
"Com- companion? You, you are... that, that person's..." Looking at the girl before her, Vanya said with some disbelief. How could this girl, who looked two years younger than herself, be another believer of that existence? This couldn't be a joke!
"I think we are pursuing the same truth, aren't we? Sister..." Looking at the wide-eyed Sister, Dorothy continued to smile and speak. After receiving confirmation from the other party, Vanya breathed a sigh of relief and spoke again.
"Phew... I didn't expect there really was one, and even younger than me... The person who just prayed to... well, that existence, seeking help, was you?"
"Yes, I am currently investigating some matters, and I've encountered a situation. I currently need your help."
Dorothy continued to answer. Vanya paused for a moment before speaking again.
"Investigating some matters? What matters? The 'wolf cub' you mentioned in your prayer just now refers to..."
Just as Vanya was about to ask further questions, Dorothy placed her index finger on her lips, making a shushing gesture.
"Now is not the time for a detailed explanation. You only need to know that this charity event is under a bloody Shadow."
'Bloody Shadow... wolf cub... Does this perhaps mean...' Listening to Dorothy's words, Vanya couldn't help but ponder internally. As a Sister who studied scriptures and history, she had a certain understanding of the hidden world.
'If that's really the case, then things are serious.
"Then... how can I help you?" Vanya continued. Although Vanya was inwardly reluctant to take risks and get involved in matters of another faith, she also understood that since she had received the grace of an alien god, it was impossible to completely stay out of it.
Although Vanya was a Shining Light Church follower and an Extraordinary, her status was not very high. While she, like most people, had believed in the Shining Light saints since childhood, that was merely a result of the religious education she had consistently received. The Shining Light Church was vast, and true divine grace and miracles could not possibly fall upon her. Therefore, when the true divine enlightenment and grace from an alien god appeared, her inner faith had already begun to change almost imperceptibly.
"It's very simple. May I ask if you still have your invitation letter?" Dorothy continued. Hearing her words, Vanya was startled, then immediately replied.
"Invitation letter? Let me see... Found it, it's here." Hearing Dorothy's words, Vanya searched herself for a while and finally found her own invitation letter.
"Very good. Now I need this invitation letter of yours. Do you have a handkerchief or something to wrap it in?"
"A handkerchief?"
Hearing Dorothy's words, Vanya was somewhat confused, but she searched herself again and indeed found a handkerchief she used. After wrapping the invitation letter, she handed it to Dorothy.
"Is this invitation letter useful for something?"
"It's too troublesome to explain now. By the way... when did you enter? It should have been with other Shining Light Church members, right?" Dorothy took out a small pair of scissors from her bag, carefully used the tip to hold the invitation letter wrapped in the handkerchief, and continued to ask.
"Hmm, let me think. We entered very early, almost an hour before the show started. I did come with people from the local Church. Is there a problem?" After thinking for a while, Vanya replied, while Dorothy smiled and continued to speak.
"No problem. But remember, if someone comes to your box to collect the invitation letter later, just say you accidentally lost it when you entered.
"Alright, time is tight now, we can't stay here long. Let's go back immediately. If there are any other important matters, I will notify you."
"Uh... okay, alright..." Looking at the girl's calm and serious words, Vanya responded, while sighing inwardly.
'This little believer... feels so mature... completely unlike other girls her age. How does she seem more steady than me? Are all believers of that person like this?'
After the final farewell, Dorothy and Vanya left the restroom at different times. Dorothy, who left first, pushed open the door and entered the auditorium. After observing the progress of the staff collecting invitation letters and their general routes, she wandered around the corridor twice before returning to her seat. Soon after, she saw a staff member approach her.
"Miss, could you please show your invitation letter? Due to some internal issues, we need to take it back for verification. We apologize for any inconvenience."
Dorothy didn't say much. She opened the handkerchief and handed the invitation letter inside to the staff member. The other party took out the invitation letter from the handkerchief and thanked her.
"Thank you for your cooperation."
Then, the staff member continued to search downwards. When he turned his back to Dorothy, a small gecko also quietly crawled out of Dorothy's bag, lay on the ground, and silently followed him.
Soon, all the invitation letters in the entire auditorium were collected. The last few staff members took the organized invitation letters and left the auditorium with their companions.
In a staff-only room outside the auditorium, Bill was holding stacks of bound invitation letters and sniffing them before his nose, smelling a row of invitation letters at a time, which was very efficient.
After a while, Bill finished smelling all the bound invitation letters on the table, but he frowned.
"Is this all?"
Looking at the theater staff standing before him, Bill asked, and their supervisor replied.
"This is all of them. Except for the regular patron Mrs. Marian and a Sister from the Church whose invitation letters were lost, all the others are here, and there are no absentees."
'Mrs. Marian is a regular customer, I know her scent, it wouldn't be her. As for the Sister from the Church...'
Bill muttered to himself. He carefully recalled the situation when he smelled the scent in the corridor tonight. There were no Sisters among that group. The uniforms of clergy were very recognizable.
Moreover, Bill also knew that the local Shining Light Church people had arrived at the boxes long ago, so it couldn't be them either.
'Strange... Did I smell it wrong back then?'
Bill thought suspiciously, then he scanned the surrounding staff and said.
"You all go do your own things. There's nothing else now."
"Yes..."
Obeying Bill's words, the staff members all walked out of the room and dispersed. After everyone had left, Bill also went out by himself. He entered the auditorium, went up the stairs, walked along the audience seats to an upper box, and after gently knocking on the door, he went in.
And on the wall far behind him, a gecko was lying on the wall, sticking out its tongue, gazing at the location of that box.
In the audience, Dorothy, sitting in her seat, turned her head and looked towards a box in the distance. That box was Viscount Field's box.
"Is it really you, Captain Charity Viscount?"