The first banquet of the newly ascended adventurer noble was coming to an end.

On the surface, this banquet was merely a ceremonial occasion marking the noble's first public appearance after being ennobled.

Although it seemed significant, many new nobles often ended up embarrassing themselves due to their lack of heritage and eagerness to show off their strength, leaving guests dissatisfied and the host shamed.

Thus, after many iterations, an unspoken agreement formed in social circles: the first public banquet should follow a small and refined approach. Skipping complex procedures, it should be a simple meet-and-greet like a casual greeting.

Even though this was the Plain Ancient City, the rules here were no different from other places in the Kingdom.

The Female Shield Knight invited many guests, but most only casually met her and exchanged a few words. Some adventurers who didn't care about etiquette didn't even greet her, merely observing the newly ascended noble from the corners of the venue before turning away.

As the banquet drew to a close, guests began to take their leave. The Mute Girl and the Catcher exchanged a glance and left the venue with the crowd but instead of exiting the mansion, they quietly turned into a side corridor.

There were many like them; guests naturally dispersed, some leaving through side doors, while the backs of others disappeared into the depths of corridors, their destinations unknown.

Despite only being a Military Merit Duke, due to the unique nature of adventurer nobles, the Female Shield Knight's mansion was large, and with its intricate interior design, the passages were as maze-like as a dungeon.

However, under the Catcher's guidance, their steps did not falter for a moment. After a series of twists and turns, they soon arrived at a deserted quiet hallway.

The Catcher was about to continue leading the way when a door beside them suddenly opened, and a maid in a long dress stepped out, slightly startled at the sight of the two.

She first greeted them respectfully, then asked:

"Are you two heading to the restroom? If so, it's this way..."

She pointed in a direction completely opposite to where the Catcher was about to proceed.

But the Catcher glanced at her and instead of replying, silently stepped back to stand beside the Mute Girl.

The Mute Girl looked at the maid with a faint smile, raising her hand slightly.

Magic Power flowed from her ivory-white fingertips, lacking the holy aura of a cleric, instead exuding an ancient and profound quality as if originating from a lightless depth below, seemingly out of place with the surface world. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Feeling the pure aura from the dungeon, the maid's expression tensed, then she bowed lower and stepped aside respectfully.

The Mute Girl lifted her chin and leisurely proceeded forward, making several more turns before finally seeing the towering door at the end of the path.

'You mentioned you had a way, but I didn't expect your aura to be so rich with dungeon essence...'

Once out of the maid's sight, the Catcher couldn't help but click his tongue, unable to hide his surprise.

'Big Sister, are you a spy sent by the Church to infiltrate the Divine Basin Sect?'

'Don't talk nonsense.' The Mute Girl huffed coldly.

In the Plain Ancient City, secret sects worshiping dungeons were plentiful, with the Divine Basin Sect holding a relatively dominant position among them.

Although these esoteric sects were mostly insignificant compared to the Church Court, collectively they might not even match the current Holy Snake Sect.

However, that the Divine Basin Sect could repeatedly escape the Church Court's notice and stand out among many esoteric sects demonstrated their unique strengths.

Firstly, it was due to their special member structure.

Although the Divine Basin Sect's teachings were relatively mild and not keen on offering live sacrifices to the dungeon, this was no reason for the Church to turn a blind eye.

To evade the Heresy Court's pursuit, they emulated the Kingdom's infamous cult—the "True Saint Disciples," or the Black Gate, adopting a decentralized organizational network.

The believers often did not know each other, nor was there a specific hierarch or leader. The higher-ups convened secretly to decide the sect's next move, but subsequent actions were up to individual discretion, with members often not informing one another.

Even their symbol of faith, the Holy Artifact, was merely an inconspicuous boulder.

As an esoteric sect, their secrecy was quite sufficient, as often members did not even recognize one another.

So, how do Divine Basin believers identify and communicate with each other?

This is actually not complicated.

As worshippers of dungeons, the Divine Basin Sect's "Sanctuary" is not on the surface but deep within the dungeon.

It's well known that the magic power environment in the dungeon is vastly different from the surface, with deeper layers even inducing an otherworldly oppressive feeling.

For an ordinary Adventurer, while the pressure may not be strong in the superficial layers, the longer they stay in the dungeon, the more their inner magic interacts with the external environment.

While adapting to the dungeon environment, they also experience an adjustment period upon returning to the surface, with more extended stays leading to more severe reactions.

Among Adventurers, this is known as deep diving symptoms.

The longer one stays in the dungeon, the more one's magic aura aligns with it, allowing seasoned adventurers to immediately recognize veteran peers.

However, having an aura aligned with the dungeon is not an advantage and can instead cause symptoms similar to magic intoxication, even attracting more Magic Creatures—Adventurers say this means the dungeon has begun to swallow you.

Therefore, seasoned Adventurers promptly retreat from the dungeon if they notice this sign.

On returning to the surface, they naturally aim to rid themselves of this aura as quickly as possible.

But for Divine Basin believers, this aura is not something to shed but more akin to divine favor and blessing.

Based on the Catcher's investigation, the Divine Basin Sect has hidden sanctuaries in various dungeon levels, and in them, they offer "Holy Stone" as their symbol.

Their initiation ceremony involves guiding a new member to a sanctuary to touch the Holy Stone while enveloping that deep dungeon aura in their magic power, then maintaining it as long as possible upon returning to the surface without letting it easily dissipate.

This way, revealing the Holy Stone aura in their magic can confirm each other's identities.

The deeper the aura, the deeper the level reached, and naturally, the higher their status in the sect.

The Catcher estimated that the aura released by the Mute Girl just now, even if not from a deep level, was not far off.

It's hard to imagine someone who claims never to have entered a dungeon could release such an aura.

Supposedly, the Divine Basin Sect has an original first sanctuary deep in the dungeon housing fragments from the Land of Starlessness end, where only a select few Divine Envoys can touch the Holy Stone.

Though a structure with such an organization poses numerous inconveniences for conducting activities, for them, survival is the primary priority over convenience, so this mode works well.

Even if one sanctuary is destroyed, others remain; if someone wants to trace them through these features, they only need to dissipate their dungeon aura.

Although these are mere poor imitations of the Black Gate, considering how the Black Gate once survived steadfastly under the Shouting World Saintess's pursuit, it's only natural that the Divine Basin Sect manages to evade the Ancient City Church's investigations for so long.

However, the Black Gate could not ultimately escape the Radiance's punishment from the Empress Saintess either.

Thus, when the Saintess descends upon the Plain Ancient City, the impact on the Divine Basin Sect is self-evident.

→☆→☆→☆→✧←★←★←★←

[Actions of the Mute Girl]

1.5. Strategize

2.6. Watch and wait

3.7. Retaliate

4.8. Invitation from the Shield Woman

9. Judgement Court! Hands up, everyone!

10. Great Success/Extreme Failure

D10=9

♛: Judgement Court! Hands up, everyone!