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Iver handed over the intelligence he had obtained to Cardinal Matilda.

"Red Wine Mister... I don't quite remember him."

Cardinal Matilda pondered for a moment before replying, "At the very least, he shouldn't be someone who is frequently stationed in the Theocracy. Of course, it's also possible that he doesn't use this name when he's active in the Theocracy."

"Is there any way to find out? After all, this matter may be related to Bear Angel."

Iver pressed on.

Cardinal Matilda laughed and said, "There is definitely a way. Even if His Pope Your Majesty falls into a deep sleep, we cannot simply lose control of the Theocracy."

"However, I definitely can't help you investigate. The Thirteenth Ring is mainly responsible for guarding and protecting these amber-encased biological sculptures, as well as protecting the cultural specimens here. Actually, it was already a violation of the rules for me to accompany you on that trip before. It wouldn't be a big problem if it was just for a short while, but it's definitely impossible for me to investigate this kind of thing with you."

As she spoke, she stretched out her finger and drew a window on the wall next to her.

Then, she peeled off a piece of bark from it. Afterward, she gently stroked the wall, and the wall was healed and restored once again.

Matilda stretched out her finger and drew on the bark. Deep Blue light flowed across it, coalescing into lines of elven script.

"Alright."

She smiled and handed the bark scroll to Iver: "I wrote you a letter of introduction."

"Letter of introduction?"

"Hmm. If you're looking for someone, it'd be better to go to the Eleventh Ring."

Matilda said, "That's where the Central Observatory is located. From there, you can see the entire First Ring to the Twenty-First Ring. I wrote a letter of introduction to Cardinal Loki, who is in charge there."

"... Cardinal Loki?"

Iver heard a somewhat familiar name.

Matilda nodded. "It's the one I mentioned to you before... the leader of the Controlled Fire."

"Is it okay to contact him?"

Iver frowned slightly, somewhat worried. "He and Her Saintess..."

... That seems contradictory? No, to say it's just "contradictory" is too simplistic—he's clearly Grey's rival.

Although the number of people currently under Controlled Fire is not overwhelming, if the matter of Grey were to leak out, Cardinal Loki, who advocates for "Professionalization Reform," would likely immediately become a strong contender for the Pope.

"It should be fine."

Matilda pondered for a moment, then shook her head hesitantly. "Although the Controlled Fire is causing quite a stir these days... Cardinal Loki is still a Cardinal Bishop after all."

—They are all extraordinary beings at the Fifth Level of the Dedication Path, and they also have a sufficiently pure Heart of Dedication.

This matter also involved the curse on the archbishop, as well as human trafficking and transnational kidnapping. Even the immediate family members of the person involved came forward, and given the elves' nature, this was something they couldn't ignore.

Elves have this kind of contradictory personality. They try to avoid trouble as much as possible, but at the same time, they are not afraid of trouble.

Normally, people avoid asking for favors if possible. But if someone earnestly and sincerely asks for help, they will most likely be willing to help to the end.

After all, elves have long lifespans, a weak sense of time, and nothing urgent to do. Some elves will even pursue a single matter for twenty or thirty years.

"Moreover, he is now Professionals himself. The Professionals system has reached the Fifth Level, which has a great impact on the mind. Even if Cardinal Loki was not reliable before, he will be reliable enough now."

"... Was he unreliable before?"

Iver keenly discerned the information in Matilda's words. "What does that mean?"

He was quite interested in the Cardinal Bishop whose name evoked a sense of foreboding—this feeling only intensified when he learned that the Controlled Fire was the main enemy of this version.

Upon hearing this, Matilda immediately shook her head seriously. "You don't need to worry about this."

"Is it because of insufficient permissions?" Iver guessed why Matilda was acting this way.

"That's right. If you had the chance to become Cardinal Bishop, you would know about this."

Matilda's lips curled into a slight smile as she said this, "But you have to learn Advanced Divine Arts first. That's the threshold for Cardinal Bishop... If you don't know Advanced Divine Arts, even if you're at the Fifth Level, you can't become Cardinal."

"I will try my best."

Iver nodded modestly.

Learning Advanced Divine Arts wouldn't be too difficult for Iver.

Iver had accumulated all this Free Experience in order to quickly learn Advanced Divine Arts.

After leaving this place, he did not immediately go to the Eleventh Ring, but returned to the Fifth Ring and went back to his residence.

The trolls who delivered the goods have already left... They're very busy; once they finish one delivery, they have to immediately go to the next. There's no time to waste, and their goblin masters won't allow them to linger.

Although corporal punishment with whips is forbidden in the Theocracy, the Goblins have long since outgrown such clumsy and primitive taming techniques. There are countless more effective management methods than whips.

The first thing Iver did after returning home was to tidy up the altar in the room.

He placed the two books he had bought for Isabel on the altar. Then he put on his papal crown and lit the candles.

Iver raised the Corona Scepter high and solemnly proclaimed. "I call upon you, Fire Thief! God of the Sacred Number Three, God of Thorns Binding the Body, God of Burning Body Chasing Darkness — the Candle Holder's Buck!"

As a golden-red light shone in Iver's pupils, a scorching halo suddenly appeared above his head.

Crimson flames swirled into a crown of thorns, omitting a word of the subsequent prayer.

It is not disrespectful, but rather because lighting the Holy Fire and raising the crown of sin is itself a praise of the candle keeper.

"I beseech you to descend upon the candlelight! Winged Flame, come before me and carry my thoughts and gifts to distant lands; I offer my blood and swear it is shed for the benefit of others. Apostle of the candlelight, answer me—"

As Iver chanted, he suddenly felt dizzy. The feeling of being watched by something terrifying sent chills down Iver's spine.

His left palm suddenly split open, and blood floated in mid-air like jewels.

The next moment, Iver saw completely different scenes with his left and right eyes—

His left eye saw that the candlelight on the altar suddenly began to move on its own without wind, turning into a fiercely trembling pure white flame; while his right eye saw that the flame condensed into a vertical, pitch-black ring.

Strange creations flew out from it.

It looks like a small animal, but it's hard to say exactly what kind of animal it is.

It has slender legs and looks somewhat like a pure white Little Deer or pony, but it is two-headed. Its head has a small, transparent, glowing horn, while its body is pure white as stone and as pure as jade. A pair of bright, jewel-like red eyes stare at Iver —the whites of their eyes are completely invisible, like the eyes of a teddy bear.

It has a pair of flame-like wings on its back, which make it float in the air.

Despite its cute appearance, it is the messenger of the candle keeper—it is known as the Winged Flame.

Iver's left eye saw a flame split off from the candlelight, extending backward in a "V" shape. It landed on the altar, absorbing the blood droplets in the air, and the two books burst into flames.

Soon, the two books were burned to ashes. Not even a trace remained.

In Iver's other vision, however, he saw "Winged Flame" land on the altar, its hooves pounding the ground. The blood that had been Iver in the air was transformed into a crimson glow. The two books were enveloped in the glow, becoming ethereal and transparent, before falling into the Dream Realm.

Iver was not worried at all, and simply nodded respectfully to Him: "Please send it to the Candle Holder Cathedral on the Glass Island of Avalon... Just give it to Bishop Mathers."

Then, the pure white flame became thin and long—the little beast jumped onto the candle.

It was a very peculiar posture: only one of its four hooves stood on the flames, while the other three were suspended in mid-air. It seemed to be saying something, but Iver still couldn't hear its voice; he could only see it raising its head towards him, as if urging him to do something.

Normally, this would involve destroying items used in the ritual. But this is a prayer of offering, and no items are required.

So Iver handed over his left hand, which had a hole in it.

The little beast extended its tongue and gently licked Iver's wound. The wound on Iver's palm healed instantly, and a warm current flowed through Iver's body. As Iver gently rotated his left hand, the little beast's tongue licked from Iver's palm to his fingers and then to the back of his hand, as if it were washing Iver's hands.

From Iver's normal perspective, all he could see was the candlelight washing the wounds on his hands.

Iver gently tapped his heart, mouth, and forehead with his left hand in that order.

"Thank you for coming, Winged Flame."

Iver solemnly said to the little beast before him, "I will be like a candle flame, shining forever."

A happy smile appeared on the little beast's face, and it tilted its head back, letting out a cry that Iver couldn't hear. At the same time, the flames flickered three times.

The next moment, it stretched and disappeared like a bubble—

Immediately, the firelight returned to its original color and shape. Iver's fragmented vision also returned to unity.

"... So, the vision sacrificed can see the apostles projected from the Dream Realm?"

Iver touched his eyes and muttered to himself.

This was the first time he had seen the true form of "Winged Flame." In the prayer class, the summoned Winged Flame should have been a "V"-shaped trailing flame.

He quickly calmed down and prepared to get some wine.

He'll go to Morgan's Funhouse in a bit to tell Isabel about the things he sent her—and remind her to go to the Candle Holder Cathedral tomorrow morning to "pick up the package."