It looked like a meaningless passage, perhaps some kind of code.
But why had Mog given her such a letter? If he wanted her help with something, why was he playing riddles with her?
Or perhaps he was certain she would understand it...
In other words, this was related to Dark Dawn. But Li Wen did not know much about Dark Dawn herself; during the Candle Sun Campaign, she had not yet joined the Strategy Group.
With that in mind, Li Wen examined the gold coin again.
It was a type of currency she had never seen before, considerably heavier than the gold pounds issued by the Kingdom of Arthur. One side bore a conspicuous crown, while the other depicted two crescent-shaped symbols separated by a line.
Li Wen pondered it. The letter mentioned "Twin Moons," and the coin also bore a Twin Moons design. What did that mean?
The setting of World Tree: Origins had only one moon. Twin Moons sounded more like a term.
Just as ancient alchemists had used the sun to refer to gold and the moon to refer to silver.
Some members of the Umbral Lineage worshipped the moon. They believed the moon was the most exalted form of night, and the Night Path was one of the most widespread paths within the Umbral Lineage. Even oddballs like Dark Dawn, who believed Light and Dark Originate Together, had some connection to it.
That suggested there should be a connection between the Moon Worshippers and Dark Dawn—or rather, there naturally ought to be one, since the moon was often interpreted as the sun's shadow.
Among moon-worshipping sects and societies, Twin Moons was a symbol of special significance, representing the lunar deities' Day of Ritual Return. The upper and lower moons represented the twin gods of lunar phases: Urielna, the White Moon of the Mortal World, and Naleka, the Black Moon of the Shadow Realm.
Li Wen vaguely remembered that the so-called Day of Ritual Return did not refer to a specific day, but to a unique calendar system. She had once consulted a native well versed in astronomy over certain matters and learned how this calendar was calculated from him.
According to the calculation, there were thirty-four Days of Ritual Return in the game world that year, and one of them happened to be today. More precisely, it would be at 11:11 tonight.
Now she had the time. If "the time has come" on the letter referred to an event, then "Black Wind Fang" might represent an address.
That address might be some landmark, perhaps highly conspicuous or well known. Maybe most natives in Ake Town knew it, since Li Wen was supposedly visiting Ake Town for the first time.
Thinking alone was useless. Li Wen got up and pushed open the door. Practice was the best way to verify things; she only needed to ask a local resident.
*
Ake Town's Candle Sun Church really was not large. Li Wen spotted the nun after wandering around for only a little while.
"What are you doing?"
Hearing the voice, the young nun looked up. When she saw Li Wen, obvious confusion appeared on her face.
"Ah, Miss Mephit."
"It's Mephisto," Li Wen corrected.
The nun who had mispronounced her name became awkward for a moment, then hurriedly changed the subject. "My name is Luna, one of the church's only two nuns. I seem to have forgotten to introduce myself earlier! I'm terribly sorry!"
"I see." Li Wen nodded dismissively, making it clear that she did not care. "What are you doing now?"
"Farming." The young nun happily pointed with her mud-covered hand at the vegetable patch. "Look, these are the potatoes I planted, and these are..."
"I'm not interested in that." Li Wen quickly cut off her urge to continue. It was not as if she had never been a farmer. How could she fail to recognize such things? The first job she had taken after transmigrating had been tending someone else's fields.
"Do you know Black Wind Fang?"
Perhaps the change in topic was too abrupt. The not particularly bright young nun froze for a moment, only responding several seconds later. "Ah, it sounds like the name of a beast, but I don't know much about animals..."
"Animals?"
"Yes. There are many animals in the forests outside, and they often attack nearby villages and towns. Traveling merchants buy the fur and teeth of those animals, so some idle outsiders take the risk of hunting those beasts and selling them to merchants. They even call themselves Mercenaries and use the names of beasts to refer to themselves..."
Mercenaries?
Li Wen had a new line of thought.
"You know quite a lot. You don't seem like a nun."
"Not really. I used to work in the countryside, so I heard a lot, and Pastor Mog tells me things too." Luna's face reddened slightly, a little shy. "Pastor Mog is a very good person. He often teaches us things. He taught us how to farm too... Huh? Miss Mephisto?"
Li Wen had turned around while speaking and was already walking toward the church entrance.
The sun had disappeared by then. Only a trace of deep crimson hung at the horizon, while a rich blue-black ruled the sky.
Yet players still lingered outside the church, clinging to their hopes. When they saw Li Wen, some even wanted to approach and speak with her. It was not really their fault. The game did not display player names, so the only way to tell natives and players apart was through their behavior and speech.
As long as ordinary players immersed themselves too deeply in the game world, others would have a hard time identifying them. This was even more true for someone like Li Wen, who had experienced transmigration.
But Li Wen had no intention of wasting time on them. Rather than working hard, these players only wanted to try their luck. They did not even have a few coins on them; when hungry, they simply let their health drain until they died. There was really nothing worth squeezing out of them.
She swiftly avoided them and plunged into the crowd around the merchant caravans, disappearing from sight.
What Nun Luna had said gave her an idea. Black Wind Fang might be the codename of some organization or person, and anyone using such a name as a codename was certainly no law-abiding citizen... Uncle Regan had said that if she wanted to find someone, she could go to the Hop Tavern in the West District. It probably had the most drunks and criminals.
But Li Wen obviously could not just head over like that. She needed equipment before entering a dungeon. If someone latched onto her while she had nothing, getting away would be difficult.
Li Wen planned to acquire a weapon first. Ideally, she could buy one directly. Ake Town's smelting and forging industries were fairly developed, because the Black Dragon Territory had many mines, and plenty of villages and towns made their living through mining.
At this point, there was one crucial issue: money. Li Wen had only started the game today, and her pockets were empty. Even her city entry tax had been paid by Mr. and Mrs. Regan.
But Li Wen was not worried at all. She might not have money, but other people did.
By the time she emerged from the crowd around the merchant caravans, several shining silver coins had appeared between her fingers. The traits Nimble Hands and Professional Pickpocket were enough to turn Li Wen into one of the finest thieves among mortals, allowing her to effortlessly take what she needed from other people's pockets—for example, money.
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The contract was signed. I'll add extra chapters depending on the situation from now on.
Before you continue