"How much longer do I have to remain undercover then?" Olivia asked, her voice tinged with frustration.
She didn't actually like being a mole, especially since her personal circumstances were unique, which gave her a certain level of resistance toward her undercover identity.
Ivy offered some comfort. "I know that being undercover is no easy feat; it truly requires a great deal of sacrifice from you.
"However, this is a necessary task that must be completed, and I believe you are more than capable of handling it."
"Olivia, you need to have enough patience to treat this undercover work as a very long-term mission."
"This task might span several years, perhaps even a decade or two."
"All of these are possibilities."
How long?
Did she just say a decade or two?
Olivia's expression shifted immediately. Such a long duration was clearly unacceptable to her; she couldn't possibly stay in this undercover position for that long.
She couldn't help but protest, "Isn't that a bit too long? Currently, if I want to successfully maintain my cover, I cannot do without the forbidden artifact, the Recognition Mask."
"But Lady Ivy, you also mentioned that the Recognition Mask is a forbidden artifact many people have a need for, and there are many applicants.
"That means there's no way this forbidden artifact can be left with me for an extended period, right?
"Without the Recognition Mask, I will be facing certain risks."
Ivy, however, was not worried. "You won't be seeing Thales every day, so you don't need to hold the Recognition Mask for long periods. You can just apply for it whenever the need arises."
Olivia was left speechless.
The church didn't know her true situation, and the people in the Rose Legion who knew her real identity weren't just Thales.
If she wasn't careful, she might bump into someone else, which would naturally lead to a lot of trouble.
But such things were difficult to explain to the church.
Olivia thought it over and decided that if she wanted to change the situation, she had to take matters into her own hands.
As long as she could find evidence of collusion between the royal family and the Rose Legion ahead of time, then wouldn't this undercover mission be over?
While someone else might have no way to accomplish this, she was different.
Olivia thought of the magic mirror.
Within its range of control, the magic mirror could be considered omniscient. As long as she utilized its effects properly, many problems would naturally cease to be problems.
Currently, the magic mirror's range was still too small, but it had once told her that as long as she became a transcender, its range of control could cover the entire Imperial Capital of Kaliron!
If the entirety of Kaliron held no secrets from her eyes, then discovering whether the Rose Legion and the royal family were in league would certainly not be a difficult task.
With that thought, Olivia's mind was put at ease.
All she had to do next was step into the transcender class rank.
The advancement ritual for an ascetic to become a transcender, as well as the relevant spiritual materials, were things she had prepared long ago; she was just waiting for an opportunity to arise.
Ivy had no idea how many thoughts had raced through Olivia's mind in that short time and continued to offer comfort.
She told Olivia to be patient, not to fear hardships, and gave her a thorough speech of encouragement.
Under normal circumstances, when did she ever need to encourage other clergy members? It was only because the other person was Olivia that she felt the need to speak these words of encouragement.
After all, Olivia truly was a very special individual.
"I understand. I will exercise sufficient patience."
Olivia no longer dwelled on the matter.
Without chatting much more with Ivy, Olivia walked out of the Daylight Cathedral and began to stroll unhurriedly through the streets of the South District.
The timing for when one could perform an advancement ritual to complete their advancement had always been a mysterious matter; one could only say that when the feeling arrived, the advancement would happen naturally.
During this process, the most important thing was to relax.
When a person was relaxed, they were in their best state, making it easiest to reach that state of wanting to comprehend everything.
As Olivia was wandering the streets, she suddenly encountered a familiar nun walking toward her.
The woman's striking appearance allowed Olivia to recognize her at a single glance, and she immediately went up to greet her.
"It's been a long time, Ms. Melanie," Olivia called out.
The lady before her had long purple hair, jade-green eyes, and wore a well-fitting nun's habit—she was Olivia's old acquaintance.
Olivia's entry into the transcendent path of the ascetic was entirely due to Melanie's recommendation.
"Oh, it's Olivia!"
Seeing Olivia, Melanie's eyes also lit up, and she immediately approached with a graceful smile.
"I haven't been in Kaliron recently, so I haven't kept up with your situation. How is it? How are you doing on the path of the ascetic?"
"It's going quite well."
"Since you say it's well, then it must be very good. What step have you reached? Have you mastered Wrathful Slash?"
"I've mastered it."
"Have you mastered Stigmata Armor?"
"I've mastered it."
"So fast? You haven't mastered Spark of Fire as well, have you?"
"I've mastered it."
"..."
Melanie, who had been asking with a smile, could no longer maintain it.
She did some quick calculations in her head, trying to figure out how much time had passed since Olivia became a sensate.
The result of her calculation showed that hardly any time had passed since Olivia reached that rank.
In such a short period, Olivia had actually mastered all the abilities a sensate should possess?
Seeing that Melanie had brought up matters regarding class ranks, Olivia took the opportunity to ask for advice.
"Ms. Melanie, I have already prepared the advancement ritual for a transcender. I just lack that tiny bit of inspiration before I can proceed with the advancement.
"However, that bit of inspiration has yet to arrive, leaving me unsure of how much longer I must wait.
"Ms. Melanie, did you do any special preparations before you advanced to a transcender back then? I'd like to use it as a reference."
Hearing Olivia ask this, Melanie couldn't help but give a bitter smile.
She said helplessly, "I didn't realize you had already reached this step unknowingly. It's truly unexpected; I really find it hard to connect the current you with the person I first met."
"Although I had already become a domainist before we last parted, I have a feeling that being surpassed by you is only a matter of time.
"Olivia, I have to admit, you truly are a miracle.
"As for the question you asked, it's hard for me to give you a concrete answer because even I am not quite sure how it happened.
"I can only say that one day, I had a very comfortable sleep, and when I woke up, I felt that everything was ready.
"Perhaps keeping yourself relaxed is the key to feeling that inspiration.
"Of course, you don't have to be like me and relax through sleeping; just do whatever makes you feel the most relaxed."
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