Protector of the City

The deities possessing supreme power reside within the very foundation of this world, observing its workings with a gaze that transcends time and space. Devout believers who align their spiritual power with the divine can, to a certain extent, glimpse the future course of reality or the changes occurring in unknown corners of the world at this very moment through their secret connection to the gods.

This foresight is not bound by time and space, and it carries the risk of erosion by subspace. However, for those steadfast believers, this dangerous yet potent ability is their greatest reliance when protecting the fragile flame of civilization in this boundless ocean.

The devout Inquisitor had been seeing a similar vision for several consecutive days.

In a state between waking and sleeping, she saw the vast, boundless ocean stained with ink. Then, thunderous roars echoed from the depths of the sea, splitting the ocean in two and revealing a terrifying trench that reached the seabed. A colossal ship, engulfed in flames, rose from the seabed, ascending slowly into the air like an airship. Following behind this giant ship was an intangible giant clad in starlight, stepping closer and closer towards the Pland City-State.

In Inquisitor Vana's life thus far, "omens" of such terrifying magnitude had only appeared twice.

The first time was in her childhood. She awoke from a nightmare filled with blood, and subsequently lost her parents in an attack by cultists, leaving her with a scar on her face that would accompany her for life.

The second time was four years ago. In her dreams, she saw a dark Sun rise from beneath the city-state, which led to the eradication of the Sun God Cult's largest stronghold within the city-state. To this day, the lingering remnants of those cultists still hide throughout the vast, complex, and ancient tunnel systems beneath Pland, engaging in a futile struggle with the Church's guardians.

This is the third time. She saw a ship return from the deep sea, bringing an unspeakable giant to this world.

She had lied to the priest before her. The omen she saw was actually incredibly clear, so clear that it had kept her, an Inquisitor, awake for days.

The priest looked at the calm, grayish-white eyes of the woman before him. After a long hesitation, he finally spoke, "But when you prayed to the Goddess, you didn't seem to receive any negative feedback?"

"...The Goddess doesn't necessarily warn of all risks. Sometimes, hardship is precisely the test," Vana said calmly. "Let's not dwell on this. What news is there from the Explorer's Association?"

The priest immediately nodded. "The liaison from the Association just sent word. The holy relic left at the Association's headquarters has detected the ship's presence in the southwestern sea. However, the ship's telegraph device seems to be malfunctioning, and it's currently out of contact. We can only confirm that the ship is approaching the waters near Pland at a normal speed and heading."

"...It once disappeared from the holy relic's perception, then reappeared out of nowhere on the sea surface far from its intended route, is currently out of contact, and is sailing directly towards the city-state... and before it lost contact, it was on a mission to escort an anomaly," the Inquisitor's brows furrowed bit by bit. Her instincts, honed by years of dealing with the bizarre, were tingling, filling her with a sense of caution. "I recall that ship's name was the White Oak, correct?"

"Yes, the White Oak. Its captain is Lawrence Creed, a member of the Explorer's Association and an experienced captain. Due to the special nature of the cargo, the ship had reported to the Church before setting sail from Lensa City-State," the priest recalled. "Ah, and the accompanying priest on that ship is a registered divine official of the Deep Sea Church."

"A compatriot from the Church... I hope the situation isn't too dire," Vana said with a serious tone. "In any case, there's something not right about that ship. The entire route from Lensa to Pland is within the 'stable zone' controlled by the Explorer's Association, yet that ship vanished from the holy relic's perception... I suspect the White Oak may have briefly left the real world, or perhaps... gone somewhere it shouldn't have."

"Notify the port guardians. Once the White Oak docks, keep a close watch on that ship. Until all inspections are complete, no person or object is to leave the ship. Has there been any response from the security forces?"

"Please rest assured, your uncle... Consul, has ordered the security officers to control the port area and has raised the port's alert level. From now until the alert is lifted, all ships entering or leaving Pland will temporarily dock at the backup port on the west side."

"That's good. Uncle has always been a cautious person," Vana's tense expression finally relaxed a little. "As long as he doesn't let those ordinary people in the security forces get involved in this matter."

The priest looked into Vana's pale gray eyes and carefully chose his words before saying, "Do you believe... that the ship has been 'contaminated'?"

"It's too early to say for sure, but even ships that briefly leave the real world rarely return completely normal. It's possible that some items on the ship have unknowingly mutated into 'anomalies,' or perhaps it's a mental illness hidden deep within the crew's hearts, or even extra sailors and a replaced captain... It's always wise to maintain the highest vigilance towards any sea vessel that has exhibited anomalous phenomena."

"Alas... I hope that ship and its crew are well," the priest couldn't help but place his hand across his chest, reciting the name of the Goddess of Storms. "May the Goddess of Storms protect those who bravely challenge the sea."

"May they be well," Vana also lowered her eyelids and offered a quiet blessing, then seemed to remind the priest before her, "But if they unfortunately are not 'well,' we must also be prepared."

"Yes, I understand."

Vana nodded, but just as she was about to shift her attention back to the city outside the window, the sound of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the direction of the stairs.

The next moment, a guard wearing a uniform with a black base and silver trim, bearing the emblem of waves and daggers on his chest, quickly ran up from the stairwell.

"Inquisitor!" the young guard gasped for breath and immediately said urgently, "We found a cultist sacrificial site in the sewers and captured a group of believers!"

Vana's expression instantly became extremely serious. "Those cultists who worship the dark Sun? Wait, you said you found a sacrificial site... not a hideout? They dare to hold sacrificial rituals again?!"

"Yes, it's a place where sacrificial ceremonies were held. We found evidence of them," the guard said quickly. "And in a cave not far from the ritual site, we discovered a large number of victims—most of them had their hearts sacrificed. However... the situation at the ritual site is a bit unusual."

Vana saw a look of absurdity and confusion mixed on the guard's face. She picked up the heavy greatsword blessed by the Goddess of Storms from the side, slung it over her back, and quickly walked towards the stairs. "Lead the way, I'll go to the scene myself."

"Yes!"

The blessed greatsword and metal pauldrons made a crisp clanging sound. Hurried footsteps echoed through the long stairs of the Great Bell Tower. Vana arrived at the small plaza in front of the Great Bell Tower and saw several guard team members gathered there, awaiting orders. Two steam walkers were parked at the edge of the plaza, their spider-like mechanical bodies emitting a constant clicking sound.

Vana didn't stop, merely gestured for the guards to move out before heading directly towards one of the walkers. This massive machine, as large as two horse-drawn carriages, resembled a mechanical spider lying on the ground. Its steel limbs were equipped with wheels for gliding on flat surfaces and grappling hooks for navigating special environments. On the upper carapace, on both sides, were firing cockpits fitted with revolving cannons.

Purely technological creations rarely had enough impact on "anomalies" or "aberrations," but overwhelming firepower could eliminate heretical cultists manipulating anomalies from behind the scenes. Of course, this thing wouldn't be very effective in sewers, but it was quite useful for blocking doors.

The holy 8mm bullets would be unleashed, sending a large group of heretics attempting to flee to their main deity in subspace in the blink of an eye.

The gray-haired, gray-eyed Inquisitor directly leaped onto the walker's carapace, her greatsword firmly on her back, standing steadily in the night. Two other guards skillfully climbed into the firing cockpits on the sides of the carapace. Then, with a series of hisses from the pressurizing and depressurizing of cylinders and compressed pipes, white steam spewed from the joints of the walker's limbs. The massive mechanical spider then rose, leaped to the nearest main road, and sped towards the closest sewer entrance in glide mode.

(It's time for book recommendations again. The title is "Walking into the Unscientific," a black technology novel by a top student. It's been revived several times and is now at 1.4 million characters with nearly 10,000 subscribers. Those interested can check it out.)