The Investigation

Not long after, Olivia and the others left Nora’s place.

Regardless of whether Nora would follow their instructions and stop entering Paradise, they had to move on to the next person. As they contacted more people, a significant portion would eventually stop going.

No one knew what changes this would bring to Paradise, but at the very least, they couldn't allow its development to proceed smoothly.

"In addition to the people on the files, Nora Turner provided us with a few more names. If we continue this way, the number of people we need to investigate will only grow. This is quite a heavy workload."

Arriving at the carriage, Ronan paused and spoke.

He scanned the group and said, "So, I believe we should split up. This will help us complete our tasks more efficiently. What do you all think?"

No one had any objections. This operation was merely about finding ordinary people for questioning and reminding them not to enter Paradise; it didn't involve the transcendent, so there was no real danger.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Ronan flipped open the files and began assigning contacts to each person. The process was orderly and quickly completed.

Once the assignments were finished, Olivia held her portion of the files and said with a smile, "So, when shall we meet up again? Or should we just return to the cathedral on our own after finishing the investigation?"

Ronan thought for a moment and said, "That is indeed a problem. The people we need to contact are in different locations, and we’ll only get further apart... It seems we’ll have to return to the cathedral individually. Just remember to find a public carriage before they stop running for the day."

As the Imperial Capital, the public carriage industry in Kaliron was quite popular. Every day, many public carriages traveled along fixed routes through the streets of the city.

Besides these fixed-route carriages, there were also private carriages that could take a passenger to a specific destination, though they were much more expensive.

A public carriage generally cost no more than 10 Belu depending on the distance—of course, that was limited to the current district and did not cover all of Kaliron.

A private carriage would cost at least 10 Belu, even for a very short distance.

"Also, you’ll have to handle lunch and even dinner yourselves," Ronan added, as if remembering something. "Don't worry about the cost; the money spent on public carriages and meals can be reimbursed by the church."

...

After parting ways with the others, Olivia unhurriedly headed toward her next target. The person was also on Huys Street, so she chose to walk.

Before long, she arrived outside a simple single-story cottage. Stepping over the weeds growing from the ground, she knocked on the door.

At the same time, the target's information surfaced in her mind.

Jessica Finley.

A poor young girl who had lost her parents early. She had stayed in an orphanage until last year, but because she turned twelve this year, she had to leave.

Fortunately, her parents had left her a house. Though it was simple and dilapidated, it at least provided shelter from the wind and rain, allowing her to survive on Huys Street.

Her daily work involved obtaining linen from a merchant on the same street, weaving it into cloth at home, and returning it to the merchant in exchange for a meager amount of Belu.

A very clear example of someone from the bottom of society.

Even though the Imperial Capital was the most prosperous city in the Holy Kelidos Empire, it did not lack for the struggling lower class. They always seemed out of place amidst the capital's prosperity, yet they were inextricably linked to it.

As Olivia’s thoughts turned, the door opened, revealing a young girl who was clearly malnourished, with a sallow complexion and dry, brittle hair.

Judging by her appearance alone, it was hard to believe she was twelve years old.

"You are..." Jessica was about to ask something when she noticed Olivia’s nun habit. She quickly pulled the door wider and devoutly drew a pentagram over her chest. "Praise the Goddess."

Seeing this, Olivia also drew a pentagram and asked, "As you can see, I am a full nun of the church. I would like to ask you a few questions. Do you have time to answer them now?"

"Of course, please... please come in." Jessica quickly stepped aside to clear the way.

Olivia entered the house and scanned the surroundings, unable to help but sigh inwardly.

There was very little furniture, and what was there looked extremely old and worn. For instance, one leg of a chair was a different color from the rest, clearly having been repaired, and a bowl on the table had a chipped corner...

The bowl on the table was what Jessica used for drinking water; her family circumstances did not allow her to have a dedicated cup.

"Excuse me, is something the matter?" Jessica asked, looking up nervously.

Olivia sat down and said, "Don't be nervous. I just want to ask a few questions. Do you know about Paradise?"

"I do! I go to Paradise to play every night. It’s so much fun there." At the mention of Paradise, Jessica’s eyes lit up.

"You seem to be a devout believer. Why didn't you report the matter regarding Paradise before?"

"Report it? Is that something that needs to be reported?"

Jessica seemed somewhat confused.

Olivia frowned slightly. Logically, when encountering something so clearly involving the transcendent, it should be reported to the church. When she was at the orphanage, had the nuns responsible for social services not reminded her? Or had she forgotten? But a devout believer shouldn't forget such a thing.

After the thought flashed through her mind, Olivia continued to ask various questions, and Jessica gave honest answers to all of them.

Her understanding of Paradise was similar to Nora Turner’s; she couldn't provide any additional information.

However, from Jessica, Olivia learned the identities of more visitors who had entered Paradise, who would be her future interviewees.

If everyone blurted out more names, then today's workload... Hiss, I won't be able to finish today, will I?

Regardless, after finishing the necessary questions, Olivia instructed, "Jessica, that place called Paradise is dangerous. Don't go there anymore."

"I... I didn't know before. If I had known Paradise was a place the church didn't approve of, I definitely wouldn't have gone," Jessica said hurriedly.

"You certainly trust the church enough," Olivia said with a smile. She didn't see any lies in Jessica.

"What the church does must be right, and what the church says must be the truth. I’m actually very grateful to the church. After my parents died in an accident, the church helped bury them, arranged for me to go to the orphanage, and nuns always came to provide education..."

Jessica’s eyes were bright, and her words were full of longing.

In this regard, she seemed to have an endless amount to say, clearly expressing her yearning for the church.

Olivia didn't interrupt her, sitting quietly and waiting for her to finish.

After a good while, when Jessica stopped, Olivia said with a gentle smile, "Alright, I only came to ask about these things. I should be going now. Jessica, live well. I hope you have a better life."

Jessica immediately stopped talking and nodded obediently.

Olivia stood up and went to the door, waving goodbye to Jessica. This would be just one insignificant person among the countless people she would investigate today; she felt she probably wouldn't see this lonely little girl again.

"Goodbye, Sister Nun."

Jessica came to the doorway and watched Olivia leave, her eyes filled with a touch of longing.

If... if only I could become a nun too, how wonderful that would be.

But now, it was time to continue weaving cloth.

She closed the door and returned to her seat, but as her gaze shifted, she saw a 100-Belu note sitting on the chair where Olivia had been.

Did she leave this for me?

Stunned, Jessica quickly grabbed the note and ran back outside to look around, but the blonde nun was already nowhere to be seen.