Daylight Cathedral

With just a quick glance, Olivia crumpled the note into a ball and tossed it into the trash along with the rest of the rubbish.

The content of the note was incredibly simple.

'Maintain a good relationship.'

This was the Rose Legion's request, so simple that it caught Olivia somewhat by surprise.

She didn't know what the Rose Legion's goal was in targeting Mirabelle, and for now, they only required her to stay on good terms with the girl. If that was all, she was already doing quite well on this mission.

Regardless, the fact that the Rose Legion had no further demands was good news for Olivia.

Her greatest fear was that the Rose Legion would make unreasonable demands. Whether or not she could fulfill them would be a problem, and it was bound to cause her anxiety.

'I can't just hope that the Rose Legion will never make unreasonable demands. I need to increase my strength faster. Only with enough power can I deal with various problems calmly,' Olivia thought to herself.

...

Daylight Cathedral was located on Triumphant Street in the South District. Directly in front of it was a massive plaza called Triumphant Square. The fountain there erupted constantly, its scattered droplets falling like pitter-pattering pearls under the sunlight.

At every moment, believers moved through Triumphant Square or from both sides of Triumphant Street to reach Daylight Cathedral to pray. Some came for simple prayer, while others paid a small fee to receive a blessing—which meant obtaining a talisman from the church.

Standing at the main entrance of Daylight Cathedral, Olivia couldn't help but wonder: had she been called here specifically to make talismans for the believers?

As soon as the thought arose, she shook her head inwardly. Lady Mona had told her that by assisting Deacon Ronan this time, she could earn merit. Simply making talismans for believers didn't seem like it would yield much credit.

Deciding there was no point in overthinking, she composed herself and entered the cathedral. She found a priest responsible for reception, stated her purpose, and was subsequently led into a clerical office.

The office was well-lit, decorated with green plants, and filled with the scent of essential oils, giving anyone inside a noticeable sense of tranquility.

Though the desks and chairs were the color of raw wood, they were polished to a smooth, non-reflective finish and held many books with various covers.

A man with deep brown hair, sunken eyes, dark brown pupils, and gaunt cheeks sat behind the desk. He wore a moon-white deacon's robe, which differed from the attire of ordinary acolytes and priests. It featured more intricate patterns and had three pentagrams on the chest, signifying his status as a deacon.

He seemed to be processing some documents, quickly signing his name on one before putting down his pen and looking up.

"Olivia Melianne?"

"Yes, Lady Mona recommended me to come here," Olivia replied.

The man stood up and said politely, "I am Ronan Fleck. Since Mona recommended you, I assume you can meet my needs. Do you know how to make Refresher Talismans?"

"I believe that won't be a problem," Olivia gave a firm answer.

In the days at the monastery following the orphanage incident, she had not only meditated diligently but also gained a deeper understanding of Sylvan Runes. She hadn't neglected her study of talismans either, mastering the production methods for many of them.

The Refresher Talisman was one of them. Its function was evident from its name; it could sharpen one's spirit. Even someone on the verge of falling asleep would immediately be revitalized by the talisman.

Ronan nodded with satisfaction. "That's good. I need you to make some Refresher Talismans... not right now, of course. You can make a batch toward evening. I will provide the spiritual materials. Until then, you are free to do as you wish."

Olivia was a bit speechless.

Since her assistance was only needed after nightfall, why had he asked her to come as soon as possible? Was he worried about some sudden emergency?

"May I ask what this batch of Refresher Talismans is for? As you know, there can be differences between one Refresher Talisman and another. Different applications of Sylvan Runes yield different results," Olivia asked.

If it was just to keep sleepy people working, the effect didn't need to be too strong, and some Sylvan Runes could be omitted.

If the refreshing effect was meant to counter transcendent powers, then more complex Sylvan Runes would be required, perhaps even adding some sharper words, and the quality of the spiritual materials would need to be higher.

"A very professional question." Ronan felt even more at ease with Olivia. "It's like this: recently, over on Aus Street, believers have been frequently having nightmares. The dreams repeat constantly, leaving them so unsettled that they can't work normally the next day. After they sought our help, we determined there is a certain transcendent factor behind this, though it isn't considered dangerous—we just aren't sure of the specifics yet. We need to continue investigating, and during this process, Refresher Talismans are indispensable."

Olivia understood.

These were Refresher Talismans meant to counter the transcendent; they had to be crafted with care.

After confirming the crafting time with Ronan, Olivia left the office and borrowed a meditation room in the cathedral, where she began to meditate seriously.

By the time evening arrived, she felt the magic in her body becoming more abundant. She felt as though the rank of Pilgrim was drawing closer and closer.

"Phew!"

She opened the door of the meditation room and returned to Ronan's office. There, she collected the spiritual materials he provided: a pen and a stack of spiritual paper.

There were differences between types of spiritual paper as well. Ordinary spiritual paper was considered third-grade; books like 'The Goddess's Revelations' used third-grade spiritual paper. What Ronan provided her was second-grade spiritual paper, which was necessary to create Refresher Talismans capable of countering transcendent forces.

Afterward, she returned to the meditation room, intending to craft the talismans there.

The meditation room was an empty space, devoid of furniture or tools. Research showed that such an environment was more conducive to entering a meditative state.

'Magic mirror, magic mirror, provide me with all the Sylvan Runes needed for a Refresher Talisman. Remember to include annotations in... no, in Chinese.'

【No problem. The relevant Sylvan Rune content is as follows...】

The magic mirror immediately presented the content Olivia wanted in her mind.

Olivia's ability to produce excellent talismans was primarily due to the assistance provided by the magic mirror.

When other nuns made talismans, they inevitably had to flip through books to find the corresponding Sylvan Runes. She, however, only needed the magic mirror to display them. She even had annotations, making it much easier to understand those twisted and strange Sylvan Runes.

When the starry night descended, Ronan knocked on the door of the meditation room.

When Olivia opened the door, she found Ronan's expression looking extremely subtle. There was even a hint of awkwardness in his eyes, as if he had something to say but didn't know how to say it.

"Deacon Ronan, did something happen?" Olivia asked, puzzled.

"An accident did indeed occur." Ronan gave a wry smile. "And this turn of events actually involves you, Sister Olivia. This complication is truly something I didn't anticipate at the start."