Dream

"You can contact me when you need to upgrade to Sequence 3." Franca stood at the crossroads, took the "Mystery’s Face" out of the "Traveler’s Bag," and showed it to me.

Melissa smiled and nodded, waved goodbye to the kind older Older Sister, and walked towards the research institute under the Church of the "God of Steam and Machinery".

After chatting for over an hour in the Café, Franca escorted her here.

Once Melissa's figure disappeared from the building's entrance, Franca turned around and strolled leisurely in the shade of the Intis Plane Trees, blending herself into the bustling street.

Along the way, she saw the citizens of Trier, who, as always, loved to be unconventional, as well as Daoist priests and monks traveling in the Northern Continent, and many young people from the Western Continent studying here. Some of them maintained their original style of clothing, while others adapted to local customs.

Franca also saw several newly built Church, belonging to the Church of the Fool, the Church Eternal Darkness, and the Church of the Ruler of Calamity, which are the three major faiths in the world today.

Among them, the "Eternal Darkness" Church was developed from the original "Goddess of Evernight" Church, which merged with the "God of Combat" Church and the "Death God" Church, while the "Ruler of Calamity" Church originated from the "Disease Church" and the Witch Sect.

Of the remaining Orthodox God Church, only the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery maintained its original influence. The Church the Eternal Blazing Sun, the Church the Lord of Storms, the Church of the Earth Mother, and the Church the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, although still existing, became secondary options with limited influence. Many citizens of Trier even pursued new trends, practicing Daoism or Zen.

As her thoughts raced, Franca turned her gaze to the "Eternal Blazing Sun" Church diagonally in front of her.

Even across a sizable Square, the Stained Glass of the Church still conveyed its interior view to Franca's eyes:

At the Altar stands a gold-inlaid Cross, and in front of it, Daoist kneels with his body bowed, praying silently.

The figure, with long silver hair and dressed in a simple Flax Robe, was none other than Ouroboros, the "Angel of Destiny."

He has returned from the Western Continent and merged the "Aurora Order" with the "Eternal Blazing Sun Church," making the "Aurora Order" the shadow under the Sun's rays, responsible for doing various things that Clergy cannot do, and acting as their Punishment representative.

Franca sighed, her emotions a mix of emotions, and looked away.

She naturally thought of Will Aucetin, another Angel King in the Domain of Fate, who had also returned to Backlund.

"Even if I might become a Buddha or an ancestor in the future, I still have to listen to my mother now, study hard, and improve every day..." Franca muttered, then made a special detour to the Observatory District, where she saw Jenna's brother Julian and Lady. Bella, who originally belonged to the "Moses Ascetic Order," at the entrance of an Apartment. The former was confident and ambitious, while the latter looked calm and no longer worried.

They have already married and chosen to settle in Susie. This trip back to Trier was specifically for their wedding, Jenna was there to congratulate and witness it.

After confirming that Julian and Bella had boarded the Hired Carriage to the Steam Train Station, Franca breathed a sigh of relief and continued her leisurely stroll, sometimes on the street, sometimes in the mirror.

After a while, she returned to the Market District and saw the Messy Street and the Golden Rooster Inn.

Franca walked in with a smile, skillfully made her way to the Basement Bar, and ordered a glass of Absinthe.

Wearing Flat Cap, she took a sip and shook her head in disgust.

This wine has never tasted good!

"The Golden Rooster Inn has a new Landlord again?" she asked the Bar Boss Pavar Nissen.

Pavar Nissen, with his ponytail tied back, said without looking up, "Yeah, I heard a rich guy bought all the properties on the street, but he promised not to change the Golden Rooster Inn, maybe just do some upgrades and renovations."

"What's your name?" Franca asked curiously, without having performed Divination.

Pavar Nissen recalled for a moment and said, "Called, called Danitz, I think."

Danitz? The Divine Emissary of "The Fool"? He's already Sequence 4 "Iron-Blooded Knight," and he's still thinking about buying property? And he just happened to buy a building that the High-Level Being in the "Red Priest" Pathway once lived in... Isn't this a kind of Convergence Law of Beyonder Characteristics...? Franca's spiritual intuition quickly confirmed it, and she found it a little funny.

Suddenly, a commotion arose behind her.

She turned to look over there and saw a young man in a white shirt and an open Black Waistcoat, holding a beer, jump onto the small round table and excitedly announce to the crowd, "Lady and gentlemen, I'm back!"

"Although staying in Susie would mean another promotion and a raise, making me a true member of the middle class and a truly civilized Civilization, while returning to Trier would only mean one rank higher, I still came back!"

Don't you want to know why?

"Because this is Trier, Trier that is both hated and loved!"

"Cheers!"

In the afternoon, Franca returned to the Villa where she lived.

It's time for the monthly "Tarot Club" Conference Before the Divine again.

Before long, her figure appeared above the gray mist, sitting next to Sharon, the "Temperance" lady.

She was holding the "Empress" card.

Lady Justice, Mr. The Hanged Man, Lady Magician, Mr. Sun, Lady Judgement, Mr. Stars, Lady Hermit, and Mr. Moon have also arrived.

"Lord of Mysteries" Klein sat at the very top, shrouded in Gray Fog. From the mist behind him, several slippery tentacles seemed to flash by.

"Justice" Lady up and bowed first, saying, "Good afternoon, Mr. The Fool."

The official members of the "Tarot Club" are still more used to calling it that.

After exchanging greetings, "Magician" Fors sat down again, looking somewhat embarrassed at the head of the Bronze Long Table, and said, "' The Fool,' there's not much to discuss this month; we've mainly been doing interstellar travel."

"Lord of Mysteries" Klein leaned back in his chair, chuckled softly, and said in a calm tone, "Then tell me about your travel experiences."

Then he added:

"Please elaborate."

"The Magician" Fors considered for a moment before saying, "This time, we went to Lobav Star, where we also met the ' God of Steam and Machinery,' who was very interested in the knowledge and technology there..."

At this point, "Magician" Fors glanced at "The Fool" and, seeing that he was listening very attentively, felt relieved and explained in more detail.

With additions from "The Hanged Man," "Empress" Franca, and others, this travel experience is presented in a vivid form, making "Justice" Audrey and "Stars" Leonard, who regretfully missed it, feel as if they were there, and regret it even more.

Klein listened quietly with a faint smile, without interrupting.

After the Tarot gathering ended and she returned to reality, Franca walked towards the Full-Length Mirror in the Master Bedroom.

She relaxed as she stepped across the mirror, arriving on a desolate, lifeless planet amidst a strange, rapid descent.

Then, a thin mist appeared in front of her.

She went inside.

What came into her view was an Old One city:

There were skyscrapers, speeding cars, airplanes soaring through the clouds, and pedestrians holding cell phones.

Suddenly, two beams of high beam shone on them, nearly blinding Franca.

A Ride-Hailing Car stopped in front of her.

Franca opened the car door, sat in the back seat, and complained to the driver, who wore Monocle in his right eye, "Couldn't you just turn off the high beams?"

The driver pointed to the Golden Sun ornament on the center console and said with a smile, "Once you steal it, you can't turn it off."

Franca didn't say anything more, following the car through the streets and admiring the Old One city's streetscape, which included many buildings from Trier.

After watching for a while, her spiritual intuition led her to look away and turn her gaze to the screen inside the car.

The news was playing, and a beautiful yet innocent-looking Lady stood behind the podium, excitedly announcing, "Fellow citizens, I am your Mayor Cheek. My next task is to remove traffic lights and zebra crossings..."

As soon as He finished speaking, the screen displayed violently fluctuating stripes and emitted a buzzing sound.

Once the image was fully restored, Mayor Cheek was now serious:

"Haha, I was just joking. Let's get down to business now."

Franca clicked her tongue and turned her gaze back to the window.

There stood a Church in the style of Trier, bustling with people.

Through the window and the Mirror, Franca saw a man standing before the Altar of the Church. He had long Blood-Colored- red hair, wore a blood-stained Black Robe, and had a handsome face and a masculine, but not sharp, demeanor. It was Alista Tudor.

He is the priest of this Church.

The vehicle continued forward and soon arrived at a huge Square.

A peculiar Statues stands in the Square; it resembles Whirlpool, its color indescribable, as if encompassing all situations.

The vehicle drove all the way to the edge of the city before stopping.

Here is a village, with green meadows and a flowing stream.

Franca got out of the car and waved to the girl herding geese by the river and the young man beside her, as a greeting.

She entered the village along the country road as if she were returning home, and saw a mud and stone Stone Pillars tens of meters high in the distance. At the top of the Stone Pillars sat a figure with three heads and six arms, enduring the wind and rain.

Franca headed straight for the Old Tavern and, unsurprisingly, found Lumian, dressed in a white shirt and Black Waistcoat, sitting at the bar with a glass of "Green Fairy" beside him, while Jenna, in a light Long Dress, was singing lively songs to the farmers in the middle of the tavern.

A smile appeared on Franca's face as she watched Jenna's performance and walked to the bar, sitting down next to Lumian.

"A glass of Red Wine." She snapped her fingers at the Bartender, then asked Lumian, "Where's Aurora?"

Lumian, with his blood-red hair, smiled and said, "I'm writing travelogues at home."

Franca said "Oh," and happily asked Lumian, "I'll be going back to the Western Continent for a while soon. Aurora has agreed to come along. Do you want to go?"

"Sure," Lumian said, turning to the side and smiling as she pointed to the middle of the tavern. "Whether Jenna wants to go or not, you can ask her yourself."

Franca looked over and saw Jenna singing the last few lines, extending an inviting hand to her and Lumian with a bright smile.

The cheerful singing echoed throughout the tavern:

"As long as Trier remains,

May joy endure forever!