Chapter 131 Doubts

　　A believer's faith tends to waver twice. The first time is when they begin to doubt their own beliefs, and the second time is when they doubt their own beliefs, yet the gods still bestow blessings.

　　A noise, finely layered, sometimes near, sometimes far, an indistinct yet definitely present noise, began to ring in Vanna's mind, like tinnitus. She recalled the goddess projection she had seen in the illusion, and the incomprehensible words the goddess had spoken to her. She no longer accepted everything without question as she once had, but began to think seriously, to consider the meaning of those words, and even to try to fathom Gormona's... intentions.

　　And the more she thought, the more pronounced the subtle noise in her mind became, making it difficult for her to concentrate.

　　But suddenly, all the noise disappeared. She shook her head in a daze, only to meet the somewhat concerned gaze of Bishop Valentine.

　　"Are you alright?" the old man asked worriedly.

　　"I... I'm fine," Vanna tapped her forehead lightly, then looked at the elder with a strange expression. "You too..."

　　"I wavered when the last chime rang... There's no hiding it. I ultimately didn't possess the perfect will of those saints enshrined in the temple," Valentine shook his head, frankly admitting to Vanna. "I wondered why the corruption and infiltration of the End Transmitters could reach this extent, why the cathedral's protection still couldn't stop the sacrifices of those solar heretics—why the crisis has been brewing for more than a decade, yet the goddess has never warned us..."

　　He paused, turned around, and quietly gazed at Gormona's statue. The cold stone statue also looked down at him, silent as always.

　　"When I woke up again, I was filled with shame. I knew I had made the greatest mistake in the *Storm Codex*, taking the gods' protection as a panacea, thus shaking my own will. But even so, these doubts have taken root, and remain to this day."

　　"...The enemy infiltrated and breached the walls from within. They've been planning for many years. It was a difficult surprise attack to resist," Vanna said calmly after a moment of silence. "Heretics will always take advantage of weaknesses. This doesn't mean the goddess's authority can be easily overturned."

　　"I understand that," Valentine smiled. "That's why I said, even with a little wavering, I remain sincere, because the goddess truly protects our world, and this love is real. It's just... I had some unnecessary thoughts."

　　"Thinking breeds heresy, Bishop Valentine," Vanna said with a serious face, but then sighed, as if talking to herself. "The same goes for me."

　　"Then consider it a test," Valentine said softly. "For both of us."

　　Vanna said nothing more, but went to the goddess statue, lowered her head slightly, and silently prayed as usual.

　　Before long, a burst of footsteps suddenly broke the silence in the Grand Cathedral.

　　Vanna was startled awake from her prayer. She looked up in the direction of the sound and saw a middle-aged cleric in a clerical robe walking quickly towards them. The cleric first saluted the statue, then handed a document to Valentine. "Archbishop, this is the report you requested."

　　Valentine nodded his thanks, took the document, and after quickly flipping through a few pages, the expression on his face visibly became strange.

　　"What is it?" Vanna asked curiously upon seeing this. "What does it say?"

　　"...It's a preliminary investigation of the city-state's current situation after the disaster... Sent by City Hall," Valentine frowned, seeming a little hesitant, but finally handed the document directly to Vanna. "See for yourself."

　　Vanna took the document with suspicion. She knew what it was as soon as she saw the beginning—a preliminary damage report, something she was very familiar with, including whether there were any damages or changes in various parts of the city-state after the disaster, whether there were any missing or "increased" personnel, and whether there were any areas with residual extraordinary power... The preceding content was nothing much, basically stating that all parts of the city-state had been reset to the state before the disaster, but the content that followed instantly made her understand what Bishop Valentine's strange expression was all about.

　　"...Merchants in the dock area reported a large number of fries mysteriously disappearing,

　　The loss report also includes ketchup..." The young inquisitor looked up with a wooden expression, looking at Valentine, who had the same wooden expression opposite her. "...Seriously?"

　　"Why don't you lead a team over there and ask them yourself?" Valentine's mouth twitched. "Theoretically, no one would dare to fake this kind of report."

　　Vanna held the report in her hand, speechless for a long time.

　　After holding it in for a long time, she finally blurted out: "Why is this kind of content appearing in such a serious report..."

　　Valentine was expressionless. "An entire squadron of Guardians has been monitoring the fries at the dock—why do you think?"

　　Vanna: "..."

　　"...In short, the 'thing' mentioned in the report is the only known loss in the city-state so far," Valentine sighed, then seemed to hesitate for a moment before looking into Vanna's eyes. "Why don't you just ask next time you meet."

　　Vanna was stunned. "Ask? Ask who?"

　　"...Who do you think?"

　　Vanna: "..."

　　After a moment, the young inquisitor finally couldn't help rubbing her forehead. "I feel like my thoughts are a bit disconnected. Let me confirm, we should be discussing some very serious matters here, right?"

　　"I can't connect either," Valentine said blankly.

　　Vanna was speechless, but suddenly a strange thought popped into her head—if this was also the "influence" of that ghost captain, then he... was indeed quite terrifying in a way.

　　Just then, another burst of footsteps suddenly came from the door, interrupting Vanna and Valentine's thoughts again—a cleric quickly came to the statue.

　　"Archbishop, Inquisitor, news from the port district..."

　　The cleric saluted and spoke quickly, but Vanna couldn't help but interrupt him as soon as she heard the words "port district." "Stop, we already know about the fries, you don't need to report it twice!"

　　"...Fries?" The cleric looked bewildered, looking at the inquisitor, who was usually very calm and respectable, with a puzzled expression. "What fries?"

　　"Ah... you weren't going to report about the fries?" Vanna realized the situation and was immediately embarrassed. She quickly coughed twice to cover it up. "I thought it was another report... Never mind, continue, what happened in the port district?"

　　As she spoke, she couldn't help but sigh in her heart: it's good that it's not about the fries—at least she doesn't have to deal with that terrifying ghost captain again.

　　The cleric who came to report nodded, looking serious. "News from the port district, the Sea Fog is requesting to enter the port—Tireeon Abnormal hopes to contact the cathedral as soon as possible. He has brought news about the Lost Ship."

　　Vanna suddenly burst into a thunderous cough.

　　The cleric was startled by the commotion. "...Inquisitor?"

　　"I'm fine," Vanna finally managed to stop coughing after a great effort. She felt that since the Lost Ship had brazenly made a circle in the city-state, this place seemed to be a little different everywhere. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it seemed that many things around her were changing—she even wanted to attribute the sun, which was fifteen minutes late this morning, to that ghost ship. "The Sea Fog? I know we did send a letter to its owner, but we haven't been able to wait for it..."

　　"The Sea Fog has indeed arrived, and it seems that it arrived near the coast of Pland before that 'disaster,'" the cleric nodded immediately. "But according to the message sent by that ship, it unexpectedly encountered the Lost Ship in the eastern sea and a fierce battle broke out. Due to damaged power, it had to be repaired, and it only recovered its sailing ability last night."

　　"A battle broke out with the Lost Ship?!" Vanna finally became serious and realized the importance of the matter. She turned to look at Valentine. "I have to go there myself."

　　"Alright," Valentine nodded immediately. "The Sea Fog is a special ship. Although it belongs to 'our people,' the members on that ship are likely to cause tension and panic among the ordinary people on the dock—you should personally lead the team to welcome them, which should appease the emotions of ordinary people.

　　Vanna agreed and quickly left the Grand Cathedral.

　　The Sea Fog is here—although it arrived later than expected, the huge warship shrouded in the legendary aura and frightening curse legends still arrived at the city-state of Pland, which had sent out a distress signal, as agreed. Now this formidable iron warship is slowly approaching the trestle bridge dedicated to large ships under the guidance of the dock guide, and some people who have received the news are gathering near the dock, nervously and curiously looking at the appearance of the iron behemoth.

　　Soon, the people near the dock realized that this majestic iron warship had arrived in the port after experiencing a fierce battle.

　　It was scarred. Three of the six main guns were missing, and there were terrible gaps left on the ship's side where something had been directly "dug" out. One-third of the bridge was also destroyed, and the frightening scars stretched from the side of the bridge to the main armor belt, and even near the waterline on the side of the hull, several terrible holes could be seen.

　　If these damages were placed on an ordinary warship, it would be enough to sink several times,

　　But the Sea Fog still stubbornly floated on the sea. The cavities in its abdomen seemed to have life. The soft, metallic-glowing substance had tightly blocked the leaks, and the seawater that had seeped into the bottom cabin was constantly being discharged from the ship—the Sea Fog's water pump had been shut down, so the seawater actually seeped out directly from the side of the hull, just like... a person sweating.

　　This is an advanced iron warship, and also an abnormal cursed ship—everyone standing near the dock clearly saw the "living" characteristics shown by the ship, so the curiosity of the onlookers was mixed with a sense of horror, and there were whispers everywhere.

　　Until several majestic steam walkers appeared on the dock, Vanna's tall figure made many people quiet down.