The night of July 10, in the underground of the Capital — Heaven’s Haven.
The tumor that once occupied the Capital’s underground had now become the heart of the Revolution.
This criminal den, once filthy and filled with vice and despair, had undergone a earth-shattering transformation in just over ten days.
The thick grime had been scraped from the cold, damp stone walls, and the dim oil lamps were replaced by bright gaslights, one after another.
The air no longer smelled of the sour stench of low-quality alcohol mixed with sweat, but rather a scent unique to builders—a mix of lime, machine oil, and the aroma of food.
This was no longer the dark labyrinth beneath the Forgotten Madonna; it was Heaven’s Haven, a revolutionary fortress in the making.
One thousand years ago, the ancestors who survived the apocalypse relied on the Black Technology of the Lost Civilization controlled by the Church to build this massive Underground Shelter.
1,000 years later, as the shadow of a new apocalypse loomed once more, it seemed destined to resume its mission of saving humanity.
The four core departments of Dawn’s Children had completely replaced the criminal territory of the old Thieves’ Guild.
The former Bank Vault now bore the sign of the Ministry of Finance, presided over by Mr. Robert DuPont, an old business partner of the Laval House, acting on behalf of the Child of the Dawn.
The Dovecote had transformed into the Intelligence Division, nominally under the direct command of the Torchbearer, Marianne, but actually led by Nightingale Eleanor.
As for the Land of Tenderness and the Torture Chamber, they had long since been razed to the ground.
Built upon their ruins were the Security Department, led by Guardian Luca, and the Political Department, led by Preacher Finn.
Every department was severely understaffed, but under the heavy workload where each person in charge did the work of ten, this makeshift team of Dawn’s Children had finally been assembled and begun to operate efficiently.
In addition to the facilities of Dawn’s Children, three new areas had been partitioned off: the new headquarters and garrison of the Inquisition, a living and working area for the labor reform of hundreds of prisoners, and a general area for everyone’s use, including a Dining Hall, infirmary, school, and dormitories.
Mr. François was in the general area’s school, continuing his role as the cultural teacher for the core members of Dawn’s Children.
As one of the first intellectuals to be enlightened by Allen, he was now a member of Dawn’s Children.
The Morning Star Night School that Allen had planned for him was not yet finished, so the Headmaster had to familiarize himself with his work in this underground school ahead of time.
The good news was that he no longer had to teach every subject alone. The Inquisitors and Sisters who had moved in took it upon themselves to handle some of the teaching tasks.
As the group with the highest level of education in this era, the heritage of the Lost Civilization they inherited allowed them to explain basic science and engineering knowledge in greater depth.
Naturally, the bad news followed.
Almost all the members of the Inquisition in Heaven’s Haven knew of Allen’s identity as God’s Messenger.
Even though Allen had repeatedly instructed that the Inquisition and Dawn’s Children were in a partnership and that his image must not be divinized in a secular revolutionary Organization—warning against personal cults and religious fanaticism—it was impossible to stop these fanatics from sneaking in their own agendas during class.
Under their subtle influence, the members of Dawn’s Children increasingly felt that their Leader, Allen, was no ordinary mortal.
François felt somewhat ashamed of this; he felt he had failed the heavy burden of Enlightenment entrusted to him by Allen.
‘We were supposed to liberate their minds, so why are we moving backward instead?’
Unfortunately, François truly did not understand those complex scientific principles.
To supervise at all times and prevent those fanatics from speaking nonsense in class, he would often finish his own history and literature lessons only to sit right back down in a student’s seat, listening alongside his “classmates” as an Inquisitor explained geometry or mechanical principles.
However, François was an excellent Headmaster.
He was, after all, an outstanding former employee of the City Hall, and his administrative abilities were second to none.
Even young leaders like Finn and Marianne often needed to consult him.
In Allen’s view, as a vanguard, it was inevitable for Dawn’s Children to develop bureaucratic tendencies, but as long as efficiency remained high and formalism was avoided, an efficient bureaucratic system would do more good than harm for the Revolution.
On the other side, the results of the labor reform exceeded Allen’s expectations.
He originally held no hope for these criminals and had even privately told Finn that if these sinful wretches caused trouble, it would be fine to deal with them directly.
However, the reality was that once the prisoners learned they were being watched by both Dawn’s Children and the infamously brutal Inquisition, every one of them became exceptionally well-behaved, working hard and accepting their reform.
These scumbag captives from the old Thieves’ Guild had expected a life of dark, endless slavery, only to find that they were not only provided with food and shelter but could even help out in the Dining Hall and eat the same food as everyone else if they performed well.
Allen’s philosophy was simple: work for your own food, the more you work, the more you get, and even prisoners were no exception.
Some who performed exceptionally well, such as the former boss of the Balas Gang, were even permitted to attend classes with the core members of Dawn’s Children.
These people, whom Finn once viewed as beyond redemption and tumors of the Old World, were actually changing bit by bit through labor and study.
While supervising their reform, Finn also accumulated valuable experience and organized a large amount of insight.
These insights would play a massive role in reforming the Old World in the future.
As the Preacher of Allen’s ideology, Finn’s admiration for Allen was not a bit less than that of the Inquisition members.
He even proposed a slogan based on the Two Whatevers: “Whichever decisions the Leader makes, we shall resolutely uphold; whichever instructions the Leader gives, we shall unswervingly follow.”
When word of this reached Allen’s ears, Finn received a harsh scolding.
However, Finn privately felt he wasn’t wrong.
The deeper their contact grew, the more he could appreciate Allen’s dual nature: he was both a holy Apostle and a secular revolutionary.
He simply chose to play the former before the Church and the latter before Dawn’s Children, which was in itself a manifestation of his trust in Humanity.
Finn was certain that no one in this world could be more correct than Allen.
He had also finally figured out why Allen was like a different person compared to the wicked young master of the past.
To God’s Messenger, “Allen de Laval” was merely an identity he used to walk the world.
As for who he was in the past or who he would be in the future, mortals had no way of knowing.
Since he was still by their side, the only thing Finn could do was offer his total loyalty.
Being able to follow such a being was a Divine Grace that mortals could not earn in several lifetimes.
Finn had not been able to witness today’s Duel personally, but the event had already caused a stir throughout the city.
The machines at the printing house were still roaring even now, rushing to print special editions.
Whether it was the Duel itself or the terrifying monster that had descended from the sky, both were enough to ignite conversation across the entire Capital.
Learning of the battle’s details from comrades who had returned, Finn and the other members of Dawn’s Children couldn’t help but sigh in regret, lamenting that they had missed the Leader’s heroic figure as he became famous in a single battle.
However, in the afternoon, Allen’s new instructions had already been delivered.
Everyone immediately braced themselves, and an emergency meeting had been ongoing until now.
The new instructions involved joint operations between the Inquisition and Dawn’s Children, so Inquisition personnel, such as Judge Victor, were present at the meeting.
Grand Inquisitor Guillaume was dealing with the aftermath of the Madwhisper Beast incident, coordinating with Archbishop Luthien to calm the panicked public and treat the civilians affected by the Madness Aura.
The effects of the Duel were still fermenting, but that was a story for another time.
Since the Torchbearer, Marianne, was currently accompanying Allen to look after the unconscious Livia, tonight’s meeting was co-hosted by Finn and Judge Victor.
The gaslights illuminated the meeting room brightly. A massive map of the Capital hung on the wall, covered in various markings made with red and blue pencils.
Finn stood before the map, cleared his throat, and looked around at all the core members present.
“…The above is our work arrangement for what comes next. If any of you have doubts, feel free to raise them.”
In the meeting room, Finn explained Allen’s prediction regarding the Eldritch Plague to everyone, as well as the next steps for the Mutual Aid Association and the Workers’ Patrol.
The Capital would very likely suffer an unprecedented supernatural plague, and they had to be fully prepared before everything broke out.
At the same time, the rapid expansion of the Mutual Aid Association had already drawn the hostility of the traditional guilds, and they had to be wary of the frantic retaliation from those with vested interests.
The captains of the Capital’s Workers’ Patrol were all present. Most of them were old employees of the Lily Guard, and they sat upright now with tense expressions.
During this period, they had already integrated their respective forces and were just waiting for a real battle to test the results of their reorganization.
“Master Allen has great foresight; we have no objections to his judgment.”
Mathieu, the captain of the Sludge Lane Workers’ Picket, stood up, his face as an old soldier showing a hint of worry.
“But… Plague Walkers… monsters like that… I don’t think the members we just brought in from the gangs will have the courage to face them with real steel.”
“Do not worry,” Finn offered a suggestion that sounded somewhat absurd. “Have them read the Analects more. The firmer their faith in the Leader, the stronger their will to fight will be.”
Victor cleared his throat. As an Inquisitor, he immediately added, “Comrade Finn is correct. Comrade Allen is God’s Messenger. Believing in him is believing in the Lord. The Lord will protect His people from the encroachment of evil. As long as we maintain both physical and spiritual protection, the power of the Evil God cannot harm us. Additionally, we in the Inquisition will fight alongside you. If you discover any problems, inform us immediately.”
“Understood!” Hearing that the Inquisition would provide support, Mathieu visibly relaxed, nodded heavily, and sat back down.
The meeting soon ended, and various tasks were quickly assigned.
The newborn revolutionary machine of Dawn’s Children began to operate at high speed with staggering efficiency.
After the crowd dispersed, several core members remained behind. In this rare moment of leisure, they chatted about the day’s events.
“I really didn’t expect that Miss Livia would actually faint.” Eleanor held a cup of hot tea, her tone carrying a hint of schadenfreude.
“Isn’t she the world’s most peerless Crestbearer? How could she still be backlashed by her own Engraved Mark?”
“The toll on her was too great,” Finn explained. “First she fought a Duel with the Master, then she faced that monster alone. No one could have endured that.”
“Speaking of which,” Ella asked curiously, “between Master Allen and Miss Livia, who actually won the Duel?”
At that question, everyone’s ears perked up.
Finn gave a wry smile and shook his head. “It was interrupted by that monster; no winner was decided. However… I heard from the comrades who came back that the Master seemed to have the upper hand the entire time.”
“Of course he did!” Eleanor puffed out her chest proudly. “The Master my Lady Marianne trained herself… how could he possibly lose to a woman like that!”
Finn’s lips twitched, but he decided not to argue with her over the lethal question of “who exactly trained whom.”
After chatting for a while, Finn noticed that Guardian Luca had been staring at the two flags hanging on the wall: the Banner of the Dawn Ring representing Dawn’s Children, and the Skull Banner of the Inquisition.
“Luca, what are you looking at?” Finn asked curiously.
“Not… right… strange… thing… watching.”
The Inquisition had no way to repair the half-tongue that had been torn from Luca’s mouth yet, but he didn’t seem to care.
This usually silent Guardian now appeared exceptionally agitated, trying his best to convey something.
The others initially thought he was just being overly sensitive due to his duties, but Victor didn’t think so.
As an Inquisitor, he immediately stood up and first pulled aside his own Skull Banner to check; the wall behind it was as clean as new.
After obtaining everyone’s consent, he walked to the other side and pulled back the Banner of the Dawn Ring.
The sight behind the flag caused everyone to gasp instantly.
On the wall, someone had used blue paint to draw a bizarre symbol—
It looked like an eye that was constantly watching everyone, yet also like a cluster of distorted, flickering flames filled with change and conspiracy.
Johann was the first to recognize it, his face turning pale. “It’s the symbol of the Crimson Oath!”
As an Inquisitor, Victor sank into deep thought, while Eleanor, who was responsible for intelligence, was consumed by rage, the teacup in her hand shattering with a loud pop.
“There is a traitor among us!”
Only the most core members of the Organization could freely enter and exit this newly built meeting room.
The appearance of this cult symbol was undoubtedly a blatant provocation and a declaration—
In the eyes of the Dark Gods, the struggles of Dawn’s Children were nothing more than another piece on the chessboard.
However, Luca and Finn glanced at each other. There was no panic in their reactions, only a type of resolve they had long anticipated.
Luca’s mangled tongue moved in his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but it eventually turned into nothing but wordless determination.
The storm was coming, and only those with steadfast wills would remain standing.