Ronan pondered for a moment before speaking. "This matter is no longer just my responsibility. Many people have begun monitoring the sleep conditions of residents across Kaliron to see if more dreams have been stolen. You understand—some people are so ill they refuse to go to the hospital, let alone report an issue with their dreams. It might not seem important to everyone, but we need to investigate every instance. And we have a task specific to our current five-person team."
"What is the mission?"
"Olivia, do you remember what you saw yesterday in that playground—or rather, the Paradise?"
"Of course."
Olivia nodded.
At the same time, she noticed that Ronan’s way of referring to the playground seemed to be shifting toward 'Paradise.' Was this a conclusion reached collectively within the church after deliberation? Did they feel 'Paradise' was a more suitable designation?
It made sense. After all, the portly man they had seen in the Paradise yesterday had used that name to refer to the pocket dimension.
Ronan spoke at a measured pace. "The middle-aged man we saw yesterday was clearly a visitor to the Paradise, and he is our primary target for investigation... Unfortunately, the others were too far away at the time, and I didn't get a clear look at their faces."
Ronan sounded somewhat regretful as he spoke.
The main issue was that shortly after the visitors appeared yesterday, the Paradise had expelled them, preventing any further contact.
"Before I went to sleep today, I asked some acolytes to find the corresponding person based on the portrait I drew. Fortunately, by the time I woke up, the relevant intelligence was already prepared."
Ronan proceeded to explain the middle-aged man's identity.
He was a merchant living on Baker Street in the South District named Rand Calvin. Not only did he own several shops, but he also held a management position in a massive merchant guild.
"The organization is called the Nigan Chamber of Commerce. It's one of the larger guilds in the South District with interests in many industries. For now, we won't contact anyone else in the Nigan Chamber of Commerce; we'll only approach Rand Calvin and decide our next move based on how that interaction goes."
Ronan’s logic was very clear. He had already arranged the plan of action, and the operation was set for tonight.
Olivia nodded thoughtfully.
In the Paradise yesterday, the visitors had all appeared at the same time. This suggested a high probability that the Paradise had specific opening hours, likely late at night. That was why Ronan had scheduled the operation for this evening.
"In any case, get ready. We'll set out after dinner. I'll notify Raymond and the others. Oh, and remember to change into plain clothes. We should all be in civilian attire."
"I understand."
...
After walking out of the office, Olivia tilted her head in thought. She felt the name 'Baker Street' sounded familiar.
She racked her brain and finally realized where the familiarity came from. During the day, while waiting for the Silman Library to open, she had read the newspaper on a public bench to learn about supernatural events. One of the incidents had occurred on Baker Street; it was said that strange noises occurred every midnight in the Soltu Statue Gallery, but the church had already stepped in to investigate.
'Someone is already responsible for that matter, so it has nothing to do with us. It just happens to be on the same street...'
Olivia didn't pay it much mind.
She returned to the meditation room to practice. She asked the magic mirror about the Paradise incident and received information even more detailed than what Ronan had provided, though the general direction was much the same.
Then, she asked another question.
'Magic mirror, as an Ascetic, how should I master the pain spell?'
【This requires you, Master, to truly experience pain once, regardless of the method.】
What did 'truly experience pain' mean? It didn't sound very pleasant, and Olivia felt a slight resistance in her heart.
But she quickly thought of Melanie and the sealed-grade forbidden artifact she possessed—the Dream Pendant. She could use that artifact to experience pain without leaving any lasting aftereffects.
'Magic mirror, magic mirror, where is Melanie?'
【Melanie left the Daylight Cathedral before dark to handle a conflict between transcendents.】
Seeing the information in her mind, Olivia could only helplessly abandon the idea of experiencing pain immediately. She would have to wait for Melanie to return.
She spent her time in the meditation room unhurriedly practicing her fighting, letting the passive ability Combat Expert take full effect.
During this process, the passive abilities physical enhancement and endurance enhancement also played their parts.
The former made her internal energy more enduring, making it harder for her to tire. The latter increased her tolerance, whether for negative emotions or bleeding wounds.
...
Two hours later.
A carriage arrived at Baker Street in the darkness.
This was a street with a heavy commercial atmosphere. However, no matter how lively a street was, it became exceptionally silent at night. Only a few houses still showed lights, so it wasn't quite as pitch black as Aus Street.
Olivia and the others, dressed in everyday clothes, stepped down from the carriage. Olivia was still wearing yesterday's dress because she didn't have any other civilian clothes; fortunately, she hadn't had time to wash it after taking it off yesterday.
The others had also changed into daily attire. The three men wore white shirts and black vests paired with black trousers, appearing somewhat monotonous.
'The three of them are dressed exactly the same. They couldn't have bought their clothes together today at the same shop, could they? It’s highly likely. They usually wear clerical robes, so perhaps like me, they lack everyday clothing.'
As Olivia's thoughts wandered, she looked at Vanessa. Vanessa was wearing a pale green gown and a small knitted hat, looking very simple.
'The four of them are dressed so plainly that I stand out a bit. Do they realize that walking with me like this makes them look like one maid and three manservants... No, no, thinking that is too rude.'
Olivia quickly shook her head to toss the impolite thought away... though the resemblance was striking.
The group walked for a short while before arriving at a relatively affluent residential area. The houses here had yards enclosed by fences, and light occasionally spilled out from the interiors.
"This is it."
Ronan stopped in front of a house.
The building before them was completely shrouded in darkness, as if the owner had fallen into a deep sleep early. This was the residence of Rand Calvin.
Ronan whispered Rand's personal details. "According to the records, besides Rand himself, a manservant and two maids live here. These three servants handle different tasks... Although there are three servants, Rand has a reputation for being quite frugal. Normally, someone with his wealth would have more than ten servants, even if they only served him... It's worth noting that Rand is nearly forty but has never married, which is why he lives alone."
"It's normal for some wealthy people not to marry even as they get older. These people might look like gentlemen on the surface, but they're actually quite licentious," Raymond immediately associated Rand with a playboy lifestyle.
"I... I've also... h-heard... of that," Vanessa nodded in affirmation.
Ronan waved his hand. "That's the strange part. No one has heard of Rand having any intimate connections with any ladies or young misses, nor have there been rumors about him and his maids. It's as if he puts all his focus into his career."
Olivia mused, "Normally, it's hard for a person to be devoid of emotion, especially a wealthy bachelor. After all, emotions provide happiness... oh, and perhaps pain. But in Rand's case, I'm more inclined to believe he has another way of obtaining happiness. For example... the Paradise!"
In the Legends of the South District, the Paradise existed to bring visitors a happiness that didn't exist in reality.
As they spoke, the group had already silently scaled the house's fence. These sharp-topped railings were enough to stop an ordinary thief, but to the agile Ascetics and Arbiters, they were as good as non-existent.
As for the Priest, Vanessa, Olivia helped carry her over the fence into the yard. Priests were physically fragile; it couldn't be helped.
After landing, Vanessa let out a breath. "Th-thank... thank... you... Olivia."
"I can feel your sincerity, especially since you managed to say my name so fluently," Olivia joked lightly.
Vanessa looked a bit embarrassed. "I..."
"Stop talking," Ronan was forced to interrupt Vanessa, deciding it was time for business.
Vanessa quickly shut her mouth, possessing an instinctive fear of this gaunt-faced deacon—a fear similar to an employee facing a superior.
Olivia said no more, following the others as they crept toward the house, standing beneath an exterior wall that looked somewhat mottled from a lack of renovation.
There, Ronan produced a pen.
The pen was black, resembling a fountain pen but not quite. It was a forbidden artifact that Ronan had specifically applied to withdraw for this mission.
Olivia glanced at the pen. On the carriage ride over, Ronan had already shared the details of this forbidden artifact.
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