You Can Call Me Visas (End of Volume)

"The Holy Sound Church has come to pay a visit."

Beneath the Sword of Order, the leading old man smiled as he presented a Jet-Black Document.

"We would like to request an audience with Bishop Ao Li Wei."

You Li accepted the document from the old man.

The Jet-Black Document bore Holy Sound's iconic seven notes in gilded lettering. When You Li's fingers brushed over them, the corresponding melody echoed in his mind, as if someone were chanting within his heart.

This was indeed Holy Sound.

In this world, no one could impersonate them.

You Li looked up at the old man. "Bishop Ao Li Wei is no longer here."

"Is that so?" the old man said. "Then any other Bishop will do."

"All the Bishops are gone." You Li shook his head. "As you can see, we have just suffered a disaster. The Bishops all gave their lives because of it."

The old man immediately revealed a surprised expression, which quickly turned to sorrow.

"I never expected such a thing to happen," he said. "How regrettable. In my memory, Lyra was still that prosperous and advanced city of order."

His tone made it sound as though he had only just learned of this disaster.

Although everyone present knew that was a lie—after all, Holy Sound had not visited Lyra in over ten years—yet they had chosen this moment to arrive, and in such a manner.

You Li turned his gaze toward the delegation behind the old man.

More than ten years ago, before You Li had joined the Devil Squad, he had served as a representative on a visit to Holy Sound, so he knew something about them.

If he remembered correctly, what the old man had brought was no ordinary delegation, but a Player Orchestra.

In terms of combat strength alone, it was absolutely no weaker than a fully equipped Devil Squad unit at full strength.

But the problem was, fully equipped Devil Squad units dealt with deadly contaminants.

So who were they sending such a Player Orchestra to deal with?

You Li wanted to question the old man directly, but he held back at the last moment. Exposing things outright would serve no purpose besides freezing the situation.

After all, the divine disaster Lyra had suffered could be called the first in a thousand years. The last time gods had fought one another dated back to the Era of Divine War. Once the structure of the Eight Great Churches had been established, nothing like it had appeared again.

Therefore, the other churches would certainly find every possible way to come here and investigate the situation.

Present-day Lyra was like something bleeding in the deep sea, drawing countless sharks with the scent of blood.

And Holy Sound was merely the closest one, so it was the first to arrive.

Besides...

You Li subconsciously glanced at the Sword of Order behind him.

They had not been entirely unprepared for Holy Sound's arrival.

The old man naturally caught You Li's glance. Smiling, he asked, "Then who is in charge of Lyra now?"

"If you mean someone in charge at the Bishop level, then we have none for the time being." You Li handed the document back, answering politely. "At most, there are people like me, responsible for part of the work. As for us, we act by listening to the Lord's voice."

"The Lord's voice?" The old man's expression changed slightly. "You mean, the Lyra God..."

"Is safe and sound," You Li replied flatly.

Hearing that, the old man revealed the same hearty smile.

"That is truly wonderful."

While the old man spoke with You Li, the girl named He Wei Ni Ya among the Holy Sound Player Orchestra was also observing everything around her. She looked cautious, yet intensely interested.

"Everyone says Lyra is the most advanced place in the world." A male voice sounded beside He Wei Ni Ya's ear. "Now that I see it, it is rather disappointing. It feels no better than our Seed Zone. What do you think, Junior Sister?"

He Wei Ni Ya turned her head and looked at the man standing beside her.

He looked three to five years older than her. He wore a jet-black mage robe and held a wand resembling a conductor's baton.

The tip of the wand and the inside of his robe were both engraved with "mi," the Three-Note Melody.

Lines of notes joined together like some ancient instrument, or perhaps twisted silver pythons.

He Wei Ni Ya blinked. "Senior Brother Doss, you said this place is about the same as the Seed Zone... but have you actually been to the Seed Zone?"

"Uh." Doss had only wanted to make a comparison. He had not expected He Wei Ni Ya to take it so seriously, so he smiled awkwardly. "Fine, I have not. Have you?"

"I actually have," He Wei Ni Ya said. "Before I enrolled."

"Ah, you actually went to a place like that... Oh, I think I heard about it." Doss said, "You got seriously ill after coming back and had to delay enrollment by a month."

"Ah, don't mention it." He Wei Ni Ya sighed. "Then the entire academy found out about it. People laughed at me for ages."

"Haha." Doss laughed too. "So what exactly is the Seed Zone like? How does it compare to this place?"

"At the very least, it is much dirtier than here," He Wei Ni Ya said gloomily. "Senior Brother, imagine that the ground beneath your feet is not mud, but excrement."

"...Cow dung?"

"Human."

Doss's expression immediately changed. "Now I understand why you got so sick after coming back. That really is terrifying."

"Ah." He Wei Ni Ya sighed again, then kept shaking her head. "Too horrible to recall. Too horrible to recall."

As she shook her head, the mage hat atop her head naturally swayed along with her.

This let Doss see the fair, slender back of her neck, as well as the faintly golden "si" glowing there.

The Seventh Note.

Doss's mouth suddenly went dry, and he felt an urge to step forward and bite it hard.

But he quickly suppressed that desire, replacing it with the concern and humor expected of a Senior Brother. "Then remember to bring me along next time you go there."

"Bring you?"

"Yes. At least if you come across a path you cannot get around, I can take off my clothes." Doss pointed at his robe and raised his brows. "I can lay them down for you to step on."

"I see. Then Senior Brother will need to prepare many outfits." He Wei Ni Ya spread her hands. "Otherwise, how could you possibly cover it all?"

"Haha, Junior Sister, you are too amusing."

"Not as amusing as you." He Wei Ni Ya waved a hand again.

Hearing He Wei Ni Ya's words, a trace of smugness flashed through Doss's heart.

It seemed he had been right to do everything he could to come along this time.

Whether Lyra was impressive or not did not matter.

The important thing was getting closer to He Wei Ni Ya. Or rather, nothing mattered more than that.

When He Wei Ni Ya turned back toward the old man and You Li ahead, Doss was able to see the back of her neck again.

More specifically, that string of symbols.

His gaze grew heated once more.

After all,

That was the golden Seventh Note.

After a while, the old man finally finished speaking with You Li and returned to the group with a smile.

"Mentor."

"Mentor Lai Ang Na."

He Wei Ni Ya and Doss bowed respectfully to the old man.

Lai Ang Na gave a slight nod, then returned to the carriage. He Wei Ni Ya and Doss followed him inside.

After a neigh, the unicorn began to walk, and the wheels started rolling.

"Mentor." Doss asked, "What is the situation in Lyra now?"

"The Lyra God is still alive." Lai Ang Na did not hide it, replying calmly, "Its true body is even within that Sword of Order. I can sense that divine intent."

"Ah?"

He Wei Ni Ya and Doss turned at the same time, looking at the Sword of Azure Sky that seemed to have cleaved down from the heavens.

"The Lyra God's true body... is inside that sword?!" Doss was utterly shocked.

"Yes," Lai Ang Na said. "Lyra City itself was built upon the Lyra God's divine body. This is not a secret. The Lyra God's terrible condition is no secret either. Ten years ago, we sensed that the Lyra God's condition was steadily worsening and that something could happen at any time. That was why we ended our trade and cooperation with Lyra City, intending to wait until everything was over, but..."

Lai Ang Na frowned slightly.

"According to our calculations, Lyra should have been the one to lose. It had no reason to defeat another god. Yet it not only won, but won so... decisively. I cannot find the slightest trace of the other one anywhere in this city, as if it had been erased completely."

Doss and He Wei Ni Ya exchanged looks.

To be honest, they did not really understand the parts concerning gods, but that did not stop them from being stunned.

"We need to find a way to understand this matter," Lai Ang Na said. "After all, the passing of a god is a major event in this era."

"But the Lyra God is still alive." Doss glanced warily at the Sword of Order behind them. At the thought that it was the incarnation of a god, he could not help lowering his voice. "Will it simply watch us?"

"It cannot do much more," Lai Ang Na said calmly. "Though it is still alive, there is little difference between it and death. Its divine power has weakened to the point that it cannot even cover the believers in this city. The Three-Note Melody we played when entering the city is the best proof. Beneath the god's feet, they could not resist our power."

As though to prove his words, Lai Ang Na raised a hand and knocked on the carriage.

The orchestra outside received the signal.

The leading player then drew out his conductor-baton-like wand and began to wave it gently.

Among the accompanying orchestra, musicians bearing the notes "one," "four," and "five" began to glow with faint lights of different colors.

Then a melodious tune rose, like Holy Sound playing from the heavens.

Under that melody, the Lyra People on both sides of the street fell to their knees one after another.

Those closer by could not even stop themselves from kissing the ground beneath their feet, trembling as they begged for forgiveness.

"Just as expected!" Doss said with a smile upon seeing this. "They have lost the god's protection. Unlike us, who have Divine Grace carved upon our bodies."

Lai Ang Na gave an "Mm," then noticed that He Wei Ni Ya was also staring outside the carriage, looking somewhat absent-minded.

"He Wei Ni Ya," Lai Ang Na called her name.

"Ah, Mentor." He Wei Ni Ya immediately came back to her senses.

"I know what you are worried about," Lai Ang Na said mildly. "You are the disciple I chose. You will eventually become the finest... Seventh Note."

"Yes... Mentor."

He Wei Ni Ya nodded slightly. Reflected in her azure pupils, the people of Lyra fell like wheat.

"I will not disappoint you."

She answered obediently.

Half an hour later, He Wei Ni Ya entered a room.

This was the lodging Lyra had prepared for them. There was even a small female symbol on the door, indicating that this room was exclusively for women.

Logically speaking, considering how hostile they had arrived—and that they were even playing Holy Sound on Lyra's land—Lyra should not have received them.

But according to Lai Ang Na, Lyra had no choice.

Lyra needed their help as well. After all, they were still one of the orthodox churches. If one of the Four Great Churches from the other side had come instead, then it would not simply be a matter of playing Holy Sound and making a few unequal deals.

So Lyra could only compromise and offer them the highest standard of hospitality possible.

Like the room He Wei Ni Ya was currently in. It was so neat and clean that it hardly seemed possible for a city that had just suffered such a catastrophe.

Looking at the series of mechanical devices with distinct Lyra characteristics, He Wei Ni Ya could not help comparing them to the Seed Zone in her memories.

They were not remotely on the same level.

The moment she thought of the Seed Zone, the mountains of excrement and the vacant-eyed people filled He Wei Ni Ya with unpleasant memories. It was as if she could already smell that stench in her nose.

She shook her head, tossing those thoughts aside, then resumed examining the things in the room with great interest.

Even after suffering such a great disaster, Lyra was still completely different from Holy Sound.

He Wei Ni Ya first admired the wall clock. When the hour arrived, a mechanical bird popped out of it, startling her into hopping backward. Her loose hat wobbled about, making her look like a startled rabbit.

Interesting.

She could not help smiling.

Then she looked at a mechanical crocodile on the table, its mouth wide open and lined with rows of teeth that practically invited someone to press them.

So she cautiously pressed two.

Then, with a snap.

The crocodile shut its mouth.

Fortunately, she had reacted quickly enough and pulled her hand back.

Even so, she found it interesting, her eyes sparkling.

Lyra really had quite a lot of interesting things.

Thinking this, she began rummaging through the room again like a child who had never seen the world.

After playing with several things in succession, she turned her gaze toward the corner and suddenly froze.

There was a doll in the corner.

It was tucked away too far out of sight, so He Wei Ni Ya had only noticed it now.

But why was there a doll?

For some reason, the moment she saw it, He Wei Ni Ya's previously cheerful mood suddenly stalled.

Still, she did not think too much about it. She merely assumed it was another strange Lyra device.

Perhaps some kind of mechanical person? The kind that could be activated?

He Wei Ni Ya walked over, wanting to inspect the doll more closely.

However, she had only just reached out her hand.

Snap.

The hand she had extended was caught.

He Wei Ni Ya's eyes widened.

That body temperature... it was a living person!

Amid her shock, she immediately pulled back, trying to wrench her hand free.

But it was held tightly.

At the same time, she heard a low murmur. "I have been waiting for you for a long time."

Then she saw the doll slowly raise its head.

She met an eye like a star.

At that moment, she felt as if her breathing had stopped. Powerful fear surged into her heart, making her want to kneel.

"W-w-w-w-who are you?!" He Wei Ni Ya was nearly crying. "Were you hiding here specifically to scare me?!"

Then, like a rabbit caught in a trap, she desperately struggled and shook her body, babbling incoherently at the same time.

"You—you—this is really too much!"

"Do you know who I am?!"

"My name is He Wei Ni Ya! I'm a second-year student at Holy Sound Third Academy, and Professor Lai Anna is my mentor. If you don't let go right now, I'll..."

"He Wei Ni Ya? I know." He chuckled. "The first-year girl from the Three Academies who was killed by you in the stables two years ago."

He Wei Ni Ya's trembling body suddenly froze.

As if it had expected this all along, the puppet slowly released her hand and shifted back, as though choosing a more comfortable sitting position. Yet its gaze never left He Wei Ni Ya.

"Did you really forget, or..." he asked with a smile, "have you gotten too deep into the role?"

Freed from her restraints, He Wei Ni Ya did not run. After a brief silence, she raised a hand and removed the large hat that made her look as harmless as a little rabbit.

Her rope-like curls spilled down like a waterfall.

The fear and innocence from before had vanished from her delicate face. Her azure pupils were like ice capable of slicing through flesh.

"So..." He Wei Ni Ya looked at the puppet before her. "What exactly are you?"

The puppet slowly raised a hand and propped up its head, speaking with a soft chuckle.

"You may call me."

"Visas."