"Bell Clemente practically praised you to the skies in his telegram."
As soon as Angel sat down, Dunn said, waving the telegram paper in his hand.
"Oh, how did he praise me?"
Quite curious about others' evaluation of herself, Angel asked with interest.
"Ahem," clearing his throat, Dunn picked up the telegram and read: "He said that in the battle attacking the port district warehouse, you helped teammates escape from an imminent loss of control state, and in the battle against the Sequence 6 'Rose Bishop' made outstanding contributions, successfully defeating this 'Mr. C' from the Aurora Order, nearly killing the opponent. Then under the sneak attack of another 'Mechanical Heart' traitor carrying mystical items, you successfully counterattacked and... hmm, why is it 'nearly killed' again?"
"Because both of them ran away in the end..."
Angel was also quite embarrassed. She was certain she had stabbed the 'Mechanical Heart' traitor Tomacz through the heart, but in the blink of an eye the other party's body disappeared from the cellar, making her combat testimony seem somewhat unconvincing.
As for that tenacious 'Mr. C,' given his various strange blood and flesh magic, his near-death escape was not so surprising.
Concealing some information about the mystical items she possessed, "Thirst for Blood," Angel told Dunn Smith about the process of gathering Nighthawks from various teams at Enmat Port and launching the operation before the Backlund team arrived. The latter listened carefully while occasionally writing something in his notebook, seemingly his effort to combat memory decline.
"2-031 'Hand of Declaration'... I've seen this sealed artifact. It was produced by combining an extraordinary item that appeared after the death of a mid-sequence Beyonder from the 'Arbiter' pathway with a leather glove. As long as you understand the opponent's abilities and use this sealed artifact properly, its power is second only to the 'Saint's Relic' guarding the Chanis Gate."
Since she needed to conceal the fact that she carried mystical items, Angel attributed much of the damage and restrictions imposed on Mr. C during battle to the sealed artifact "2-031." She had thought Dunn might be suspicious, but unexpectedly he also joined in marveling at the power of the "Hand of Declaration."
"Saint's Relic... is that also a sealed artifact?"
"It doesn't refer to a specific sealed artifact, but rather the protective measures that every Church of the Night cathedral possesses behind all 'Chanis Gates' to suppress other sealed artifacts. Tingen City's cathedral is called 'Saint Selena Cathedral,' named after a saint from the early days of the Church of the Night Goddess. After this saint, who was active in the Third Epoch, died, her ashes were buried behind the 'Chanis Gate' beneath the cathedral."
"Similarly, beneath Saint George Cathedral in Enmat Port, part of Saint George's remains are also buried. They are all called 'Saint's Relics.'"
Saints... According to church records, only Sequence 4 or Sequence 3 Beyonders would be called "Saints," and further up would be "Angels on Earth"... Could it be that when high-sequence Beyonders die, besides precipitating extraordinary characteristics, even parts of their remains become powerful mystical items?
"So what powers do these 'Saint's Relics' possess, for example, Saint Selena's ashes?"
She ultimately couldn't resist asking this question.
Dunn smiled slightly, making the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes more pronounced, though this Nighthawk was barely over thirty.
"They have no power. They only represent the glory of saints who made great contributions to the Goddess and the church."
I don't believe that...
Angel guessed Dunn might be using such an obvious lie to brush things off for secrecy reasons, but for the same reason, she couldn't continue pressing, so she could only silently remember this information and let it go.
"Oh, besides Clemente's telegram, the 'Mechanical Heart' at Enmat Port also sent a thank-you note." Dunn patted his forehead, seeming to just remember this. He found another telegram from his drawer and handed it to Angel.
She took the telegram and read it carefully.
"...Thank you to Nighthawk Miss Angel Granger for timely assistance when Miss Carvi was attacked, and for severely injuring the traitor Tomacz in the subsequent battle. If there is any follow-up intelligence about Tomacz, please report it promptly... hmm, I don't see much gratitude, it seems like they're blaming us for not telling them other information in time?"
"That's always been their style. The 'Punishers' are actually even worse - some of their thank-you notes read like manifestos. Of course, don't misunderstand, they are genuinely thanking you."
After criticizing the official Beyonders of the Storm Lord Church and Steam and Machinery God Church, the two finally brought the topic back on track.
"When you became an official member of the Nighthawks last week, I had said that you needed to complete a commission independently as a 'trial' for joining the Nighthawks, to gain recognition from other members."
"Yes, I still remember."
Angel nodded in response, unclear why Dunn was bringing this up now.
"Your performance in this Enmat Port mission was perfect. You rescued over a hundred citizens who had been lured and kidnapped, repelled a Sequence 6 Beyonder, survived to the end yourself, didn't lose any body parts, and have no hidden contamination or loss of control risks..."
Dunn paused here.
Angel also thought about how in the cellar, due to putting on the "Hand of Declaration" prematurely, she had rashly opened her spiritual vision and directly looked at the True Creator statue of Rupert Norman.
Fortunately, he didn't leave any aftereffects in the end...
"...In any case, I believe your performance in this mission no longer requires proving yourself through other commissions."
"So?"
Angel had already guessed what Dunn was about to say, but still cooperatively asked.
"So you should also join tonight's dinner."
"There's a dinner tonight?"
"You didn't know?" This time it was Dunn who was stunned. He rubbed his temples, "Klein didn't tell you? Yesterday morning he independently resolved a commission, helping Lord Deville get rid of the resentment of dead workers. He completed his 'trial' before you did. Tonight's dinner is to celebrate for him."
Hmm, just now due to the negative effects of the "Magic Pocket Watch," it was quite chaotic, maybe Klein forgot to mention it?
"Anyway, 6 PM tonight, Old Will Restaurant, don't miss the good food."
Dunn said with a smile, then as if thinking of something else, his expression suddenly darkened.
"It's a pity Daly can't come to participate. Originally when she heard about this, she was planning to come from Enmat Port to congratulate you and Klein. But she received temporary notice and was transferred to the Backlund diocese."
Captain, are you sure Miss Daly came to Tingen because of me and Klein?
But...
"Transferred to Backlund? I just returned from Enmat Port and didn't hear about this."
Angel began doubting her memory again. Could the "Nightmare's" memory decline symptoms be contagious to surrounding people, or had the missing day's memory not completely returned to her mind?
"I only learned about it from the telegram too. When Clemente reported Saturday night's battle to the Holy Temple, Daly again submitted a special application. She seems to have discovered in battle that she had completely mastered the 'Medium' potion and plans to advance to Sequence 6 in the near future."
Sequence 6... The first person Angel thought of was Lady Sharon, who dared to infiltrate the Nighthawk station alone, then the 'Rose Bishop' Mr. C who could escape alive even after being burned to a pile of flesh.
Daly Simone, this Beyonder who was just over 20 years old, was about to step into the same realm as these people?
"You should know that the internal regulations of the Nighthawks require waiting three years after taking each stage's potion, then undergoing strict examination to ensure no loss of control before applying for the next stage's potion."
"For someone with ordinary talent like me, three years is often not enough. I took three years to go from 'Sleepless' to 'Midnight Poet,' and spent a full nine years advancing to 'Nightmare.' Now three more years have passed, and I don't know how many more years it will take to master this sequence's potion and attempt advancement."
Speaking of this, Dunn's expression became somewhat bitter. He rubbed his fingers, leaned back, changed his leg position, and continued.
"Daly is different from me, or rather from the vast majority of Beyonders - she seems to have a unique talent for mastering and exploring potions. After becoming a 'Corpse Collector,' she submitted a special application after just one year, passed strict examination, and took the next stage's potion early, becoming a Sequence 8 'Gravedigger.'"
"And from Sequence 8 to Sequence 7 'Medium,' she also only took one year. She's only 24 this year, exactly five years since becoming a Beyonder. The Holy Temple must have judged she still has sufficient opportunity, which is why they transferred her to the most important diocese."
Two years to advance from Sequence 9 to Sequence 7 - this was very similar to Cole Granger. Could Daly have also discovered the acting method for rapid potion digestion?
Thinking of Daly, the "Medium" who applied eye shadow and dressed mysteriously, Angel somewhat understood her secret to rapid advancement.
"Since Daly has the knack for rapidly mastering potions, why don't you ask her?"
"I naturally inquired. She told me to become a 'Nightmare,' a true 'Nightmare'..."
Dunn's eyes under his light brown bangs carried some bewilderment. He had obviously been puzzled by this answer for a long time, unable to find the real interpretation.
Become a "Nightmare"...
Hearing this tip, Angel understood. Daly must have mastered the "acting method" or similar experience summary, but very likely, like Carvi who swore not to reveal the law of indestructibility of extraordinary characteristics, she also needed to follow similar oaths, so she could only hint indirectly, trying to give some guidance to Dunn, who had been stuck at Sequence 7 for a full nine years.
But why would the churches block this knowledge? The Nighthawks were like this, and so were the Mechanical Hearts. They made every Beyonder who knew hidden knowledge swear not to reveal secrets (although Carvi proved such oaths weren't absolutely effective), even though this would reduce the success rate of Beyonders' safe and rapid advancement.
If the law of indestructibility of extraordinary characteristics might cause internal strife among official Beyonders, and concealing it from lower levels was understandable, then why would the "acting method," which had been proven effective, be...
Wait, I learned about the "acting method" from Cole's memories and Lady Sharon's teachings before joining the Nighthawks, and I'm not bound by church constraints...
A light seemed to brighten before Angel's eyes.
"Nightmares must become true 'Nightmares,' mediums must treat themselves as true 'Mediums,' fortune-tellers must actively engage in 'divination' in their spare time... Could it be that becoming the character represented by the potion name is the key to mastering the potion?"
She pretended to talk to herself, speaking these words softly.
Dunn Smith's gray eyes froze like a frozen lake.
"...Nightmare, become a 'Nightmare'..."
He lowered his head in deep thought, no longer speaking.
Seeing her purpose achieved, Angel didn't disturb Dunn but quietly moved her chair aside, opened the door and walked out.
Just as the office door closed, Angel seemed to hear Dunn say something in a low voice.