The negotiators had already entered the assembly hall, meaning the folks outside could temporarily take some time off.
The entourage of the Church of Samsara began heading back to their hotel. They still marched in neat formation; perhaps only in this manner could they project an attitude that demanded not to be looked down upon.
Yet the more they acted like that, the more the entourage of the Church of Order deliberately made a show of being lax and undisciplined.
Respect lost on the battlefield could never be regained through other means.
Respect for the defeated was built on the premise that the defeated actually deserved respect; for an opponent whose surrender documents arrived even earlier than their edict declaring war, it was truly hard to drum up any respect.
During this time, several deliberate provocations occurred as Order's side mocked Samsara's with taunting words and gestures, but the other side did not respond.
The Samsara people knew full well that responding would lead to clashes, and the consequence of a clash was that whoever took a beating would suffer it in vain. With the battlefield situation still unresolved, how could the big shots up above care about a petty brawl outside the venue?
Neo clapped his hands at his squad members and said, "All right, dismissed. Remember, everyone must assemble here before dusk. No one is to be late."
"Yes, Captain."
"Yes, Captain."
After dismissing the squad, Neo walked to the hotel entrance and hailed a carriage. When he arrived at a destination, Neo stepped down, vanished for a moment, and when he emerged again, he had changed into local Dark Moon Island attire.
The clothes had been swiped from a nearby residence, and Neo had left behind a gold coin.
Then Neo stood there for a moment, and his figure vanished once more.
He had just returned to that residence to swap the gold coin for three silver coins.
Next, Neo began searching for marks on the street.
These marks were mostly presented in the form of ornaments and small murals, completely blended into the local culture of Dark Moon Island so they wouldn't stand out.
Neo knew that "he" inside his soul had once intended to settle and grow on Dark Moon Island with the believers following him. For that reason, he had made a deliberate effort to blend the culture of Light with the native culture of Dark Moon Island—that was his greatest sincerity.
Having found the first mark, Neo proceeded to the next step according to the hints. The whole process was somewhat complicated and involved contacting people.
For instance, Neo went up to a cigarette stall and bought eighteen cigarettes.
Cigarettes could be sold individually, as buying a whole pack outright was rather costly. Loose cigarettes were common not just on Dark Moon Island, but even in the slums of Wien.
Yet a pack contained twenty cigarettes; buying eighteen wasn't much different from buying a whole pack, and price-wise, a full pack was actually more economical.
The stallkeeper gave Neo a pouch containing the cigarettes, then offered him a local blessing:
"Dark Moon above, may good fortune and happiness be yours."
*Up above?*
Neo walked up the stairs behind the stall to a terrace. On the terrace was an eatery, its featured dish of the day written on a blackboard outside alongside an illustration.
In fact, neither the cigarette vendor nor the restaurant owner knew what these ciphers and signs really meant; they were merely following instructions, and of course receiving extra compensation every month.
Perhaps they had harbored suspicions, but once it became a habit, fear kept them from reporting it.
After looking at the drawing beneath the blackboard menu, Neo turned and walked down, crossed two streets, and arrived before a small mermaid parlor.
This shop was practically a hole-in-the-wall workshop, completely incomparable to the Mermaid Theater.
Stepping inside, one found only row upon row of water tanks stuffed with male and female mermaids. Whichever one you picked, you paid cash and headed to the adjacent row of cubicles to finish the business.
A place like the Mermaid Theater was a playground for the rich, after all; admission was expensive. A little parlor like this, on the other hand, was an important channel for locals to experience and study mermaid culture.
The proprietor was a woman with gruesome scars on her face. When Neo entered, she was sitting behind the counter clipping her toenails.
Neo came to a halt. The proprietor glanced up at him, about to quote a price, but Neo spoke first:
"Do you have any mermaids that came ashore half a year ago?"
The proprietor set down her nail clippers and responded, "That'd practically be dried fish by now."
"Then that saves on salt."
The proprietor stood up, washed her hands first, and then gestured for Neo to follow her into a side room.
"You should have come wearing a mask."
"First time here," Neo told the truth.
"From the outside?" the proprietor asked.
"Yeah."
"Then you need to take a test first."
Aside from the missionary office of Order, no other church organization was permitted to exist openly on Dark Moon Island today. However, Dark Moon Island's prosperity depended on maritime trade, and the more developed maritime trade was, the more diverse the population became.
Though Bernard had trapped and slaughtered that group of Light priests back then, their ideology had long since spread and propagated. Even under the authorities' persistent policy of severe crackdowns, they tenaciously maintained a secret existence.
Through more than a century of growth, this presence had even spread beyond Dark Moon Island. On several nearby islands, many islanders indeed believed in the Church of Samsara, as Samsara's sacred ground lay in these waters, but virtually every island had believers who secretly worshipped Light.
Including maritime merchants, sailors, and even pirates—there were believers of Light among them.
Many other orthodox churches were unwilling to offend Dark Moon Island, so they didn't proselytize openly. As for secret missionary work, the costs and risks were high while the return was low, leaving them with little appetite for it; most of it was spontaneous on the part of believers.
The Light remnants, however, were different. They had lived in the shadows for a hundred years.
Though they were Light, they could now only dwell in darkness.
Had the primary faith of Dark Moon Island not been the Dark Moon, the island might have long been blanketed in Light. Even so, it had become the missionary base for Light in these seas.
In Neo's mind, the mass grave of a thousand people on Snake Island resurfaced unbidden. The spark they had left behind over a century ago had not gone out; it had been passed down.
Was this perhaps the meaning of Light?
Darkness was the finest soil for Light to thrive.
*Hiss...*
*What on earth am I thinking?*
Neo reached up and patted his forehead.
"What's wrong with you?" the proprietor asked.
"A bit of a headache."
"Need me to get you some medicine?"
"No need. An old ailment."
"All right. Who is your sponsor?"
"Dead."
"He taught you to recognize the marks?"
"Yes."
"Any other information you can share?"
"None."
"Then we need to test you now. Please don't take offense." The proprietor produced a palm-sized crystal ball and set it before Neo.
Neo reached out and grasped the crystal ball, releasing the power of Light into it. The crystal ball began to glow, soft and pure.
The proprietor was somewhat surprised. She gave Neo a serious look, then bent down, retrieved a mask, and handed it to him.
"Please put this on."
"Okay." Neo put on the mask; it bore the face of a snake, and it was hideous.
"In two hours, head to the café at the end of the street. The countersign is: 'It's getting hot.'"
"Understood."
Neo turned and walked out of the little mermaid parlor.
It was truly easy for him to blend in, not only because he knew the marks, but because at root he genuinely was a remnant of Light—and of exceedingly high rank at that.
Even Bertha, a divine envoy, had to address him directly as Elder when she met him.
Nothing could prove his identity better than that gentle radiance. This sometimes amused Neo himself; while in his heart he held only Order, destiny had turned him into Light.
In the past, he had felt somewhat lonely—until he discovered Karen.
Although Karen was somewhat different from him—Karen's Light seemed to have been acquired later on, and somehow the two powers coexisted harmoniously, whereas Neo himself was pure Light—even this single similarity was destined to foster another layer of trust between them beyond that of captain and subordinate.
Neo took off the mask and walked into a nearby eatery. He ordered a few dishes, skipping seafood entirely, because he was wearing local clothing and locals didn't order seafood in restaurants.
Eating while watching passersby out the window, time slipped by quickly.
Neo stood up, settled the bill, exited the restaurant, and walked toward the end of the street.
The café wasn't large, and patrons were few. From time to time, figures wearing masks or veils went inside. Neo slipped on the snake-faced mask.
He truly found the mask hideous, but having one custom-made right now was out of the question.
Entering the café, a waiter approached, scrutinized each person's mask, and after confirming, guided them toward the back.
Behind the café lay a basement. Going down, there was a fairly large underground chamber; its flaw was being rather long rather than square, also dictated by secrecy needs.
Neo found a seat and sat down. In front was a small raised platform with a single chair resting on it.
Those in the know recognized this as a secret gathering of Light remnants; those who didn't might have mistaken it for a stand-up comedy stage.
Just then, a man sat down beside Neo.
As if sharing some mutual perception, the two exchanged a glance.
The last time Neo had felt this kind of resonance was when he saw the masked Karen.
Yet Neo knew Karen was still observing the negotiations inside the assembly hall at this moment, impossible to be here.
Mm, this fellow's hands were quite pale too—that was somewhat like Karen.
Neo felt that since he'd rarely encountered someone who triggered such a reaction, he ought to initiate a conversation, so he broke the ice:
"Have you eaten?"
Some ways of greeting were universal across eras and cultural backgrounds; eating was something everyone had to do every day, after all.
"Mm, I have. And you?"
The other person also replied with awkward small talk.
"I ate. At the seafood eatery down the street, though I didn't order seafood."
"Indeed. The seafood here isn't great. You can buy it at the market and cook it yourself. I don't care for heavy seasoning; I feel it masks the natural flavor of the seafood."
"A friend of mine shares your taste. He says food should be eaten for its natural flavor, as that is nature's finest gift to us."
"Is your friend a follower of the Berry religion?"
"Heh, no. He just likes to use nature as a metaphor for things. He's also a follower of Light, and curses the God of Order every day."
"Mm, I see. Is your friend on the island as well?"
"He is."
"He didn't come?"
"Between him and me, one of us coming is enough."
"How long ago did you arrive on the island?"
"Just arrived, came with a merchant ship."
"Then you'd better be careful. The Dark Moon authorities have been hunting for us lately. The search hasn't yielded much, but we still can't let our guard down."
"What's the reason?"
"Apparently, one of ours broke into General Tafman's villa attempting an assassination, failed, and brought down General Tafman's retaliation."
"Oh, how could that fellow do such a thing!"
"Indeed. Acting like that is just screwing over the rest of us."
"Yes, he truly deserves to die!"
Neo cursed himself.
"You can't put it entirely that way. I believe his intentions were good."
"Do you know the theme of this gathering?" Neo asked.
"I heard it's related to the big event happening on the island recently. The conference should be underway by now—the negotiations between the Church of Order and the Church of Samsara."
"Yes, I know about that. Could it be they're assembling us to strike against the two great churches and sabotage the negotiations?"
"I'm not sure, but I doubt that's the aim. The war has already been fought, and our influence over peace talks is very limited. Nothing we do during this window could force the two orthodox churches to alter their strategic layout or bottom line."
"Then the purpose of this gathering is..."
"Look, the host is here. Mr. Sebas, head of the organization on Dark Moon Island."
A short fellow who looked to be an old man stepped onto the stage. He wore a ram mask; the mask was too large and his stature too small, making for an awkward mismatch.
By now, about seventy or eighty people were seated below. Everyone fell silent, looking toward the stage.
"Everyone, our time is limited, so I will keep this meeting as brief as possible.
"As you all know, Dark Moon Island is hosting the negotiation conference between the Church of Order and the Church of Samsara. This is the grandest event Dark Moon Island has seen in decades, far surpassing even the Centenary Samsara Festival honoring the Dark Moon.
"The Dark Moon traitors who betrayed Light all those years ago yearn to squeeze into church circles through this means and expand their influence. This was also the dying wish of that traitor, Bernard."
That Snake Island had always remained a secret; the people of Dark Moon Island were largely unaware of it.
Yet the believers of Light, through generations of word-of-mouth as an interested party, saw the truth clearly. After all, that was where their allegiance lay.
Although Philias and that group of nearly a thousand Light believers vanished overnight, Bernard's subsequent order to purge the Light believers and missionary offices on Dark Moon Island practically spelled out what had happened.
Betrayal, betrayal, betrayal!
The resurgence of Light had met with betrayal once again!
Mr. Sebas continued, "Therefore, most of Dark Moon Island's forces have now been deployed to the Bernard Hotel for security. The Dark Moon clan wouldn't dare let any mishap befall the people from the two orthodox churches; they're licking those churches' toes with utmost zeal.
"We've verified that half the guard force at Guze Pool was reassigned because of this event.
"On top of that, two days ago, someone infiltrated General Tafman's villa attempting an assassination and failed—oh, perhaps that person is sitting right among us."
Neo immediately turned his head to look at the man sitting beside him.
The man replied, "Not me."
Neo replied, "I don't believe you."
"Because of that assassination attempt, Dark Moon Island had to divert even more combatants for the manhunt, pulling four more squads away from Guze Pool. Now, only four squads remain to guard it.
"This is our best chance in a century.
"We all know that over a hundred years ago, our guide, Mr. Philias, arrived at Dark Moon Island leading a band of Light believers atop the sea turtle Dorons.
"Later, believing our guide would take root and flourish on Dark Moon Island and that it would not be needed for the time being, Dorons chose to enter self-induced slumber, sealed in Guze Pool by our guide, Mr. Philias.
"That is a guardian divine beast of Light! Its body is as massive as a mountain, its mouth can spew terrifying molten lava, and it was reformed by Mr. Philias, submitting to the Light!
"This is also why, after Bernard betrayed us, neither he nor his descendants dared relax their guard over Guze Pool.
"Right now is our chance! While Dark Moon Island is shorthanded, we will assemble a force to raid Guze Pool and awaken Lord Dorons, the divine beast that has slumbered for a century!
"Our goal is to let Lord Dorons bring punishment upon the descendants of those traitors!!!
"Naturally, after punishing the traitors' descendants, we hope Lord Dorons will return to the sea to safeguard our island missionary offices and rekindle the light of our church's revival! Praise the Light!"
"Praise the Light!"
"Praise the Light!"
*Dorons?*
Something seemed to stir in Neo's mind, and following that spark of thought, Neo recalled something.
"Now, I will lay out the specific operational plan. We need volunteers, and we can only rely on volunteers. Those unwilling to participate may leave shortly, but please maintain secrecy.
"Those willing to join, come register with my assistant now.
"Trust me, if all goes well, within the next two days you will hear the furious roar of Lord Dorons echoing from Guze Pool, shaking all of Dark Moon Island!"
The middle-aged man beside Neo stood up, preparing to register.
Immediately after, Neo stood up as well. He didn't step forward to sign up, but leaped right onto the stage.
"What are you doing?" Taken aback by Neo's sudden, impassioned leap onto the stage, Sebas asked in astonishment.
Neo shouted:
"You idiots! Even if you successfully break into Guze Pool, you won't be able to awaken Dorons! Awakening Dorons requires sounding the covenant conch, and that conch is currently inside Bernard's tomb as one of his burial goods!
"As long as you get that conch and blow it within thirty kilometers, Dorons will sense it and awaken!"
Immediately after, Neo threw his arms high into the air and roared:
"What we must attack is Bernard's tomb!"
Chapter 263