Free Web NovelChapter 32: Chapter 32: Dawn
"Hahaha~~ The weather’s so nice and clear today~~ God is a girl~~ wherever you are~~"
Humming a song that was a mix of Chinese and English, Su Su returned home, her heart practically bursting with joy.
It was almost eight o’clock at night, and it seemed the carefree girl had once again forgotten about dinner.
But the thought, which occurred to her right at the front door, didn’t bother Su Su in the slightest. She went straight inside, planning to make do with her private stash of food.
To be honest, she had been through a lot today. Each event was more thrilling than the last, and she was tired both mentally and physically. She didn’t feel like going out again.
Once inside, she kicked off her shoes without a care for her image, hurried barefoot into her bedroom, shed her jacket, and threw herself onto the soft bed.
She lay on the bed for a moment, but her excitement soon overcame her exhaustion.
’He added me on WeChat! When is he going to contact me?’
’Should I contact him first?’
’Did I pass the test? No, wait, it’s not like he ever said he was testing me...’
’Maybe I should ask if there are any requirements to join them. Ugh, but that would seem so forward...’
Su Su rolled back and forth on her bed, clutching her phone.
She kept tapping on a certain profile picture in WeChat, opening and closing the chat window, unable to summon the courage to send the first message.
Any other girl would probably be complaining by now, "Why hasn’t he made a move and contacted me?" freewebnøvel.coɱ
But Su Su was only filled with a sense of anxiety and insecurity; she couldn’t bring herself to complain.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Being her usual straightforward self, she wasn’t about to throw a petty fit over something like this.
’If I’m the one to reach out, will he think I’m too impatient? After all, it’s only been a little while...’
’People with mysterious powers must have this incredibly cool and aloof aura, and they’re definitely very patient.’
’And judging from what Doudou said and Qin Xiaoxia’s hair, time must be a much more plentiful resource for them than for normal people, right?’
’Su Su! You can’t be rash, you can’t be rash. You have to change your ways. Who knows, maybe you’ll be a great Witch someday!!’
"SNAP."
In a single motion, Su Su leaped off the bed.
She had suddenly remembered something.
It was the brand she had seen earlier on the palm of Qin Xiaoxia’s hand.
She went to the kitchen and grabbed jam, peanut butter, and toast, along with a can of soda and some vacuum-packed braised chicken legs.
Carrying these "provisions," Su Su returned to her bedroom and sat at her computer desk.
One of her most remarkable traits was her photographic memory. Even though she had only caught a few glimpses of it, the pattern was as clear in her mind as if it had been etched there.
’It’s a little abstract, but I should have no problem drawing it.’
She grabbed a notebook and a pencil and, relying on her memory, began to sketch it out.
His palm hadn’t been completely flat at the time, so there was bound to be a difference between the actual symbol and what she had seen.
She drew the circles and lines, then added the decorative elements, but no matter what she did, it just didn’t feel right.
It looked too delicate.
After erasing, redrawing, and making adjustments over and over, she finally changed the lines to be double-lined, and it started to look somewhat right.
She gazed at the drawing on the paper.
No matter how she looked at it, it definitely resembled a sun.
In the past, simply having this drawing would have been as good as having no clue at all.
She would have had to either rely on time and luck or sift through the endless ocean of books at a library, with no guarantee of ever finding what she was looking for.
But now, advances in technology and online data could save Su Su a lot of trouble.
"Reverse image search is truly a great invention."
Su Su remarked in admiration as she took a picture of her drawing with her phone and uploaded it for a reverse image search.
After just a few seconds, a list of web pages popped up.
Only the first three results seemed to contain genuinely relevant information; the rest were mostly unrelated ads and other similar images.
The first result showed two old paintings, clearly photographs of some ancient artwork.
The first painting depicted the very symbol that Su Su was so curious about.
’It worked! I really found it!’
The symbol in the painting was far more intricate than her drawing.
It was a sun wreathed in flames, with rays of light radiating from its center. Just looking at the image evoked a sense of light and heat.
The second painting depicted a scene.
It depicted two figures, completely shrouded in black robes, having an audience with a nobleman.
Judging by the art style and the scenery, the setting was likely an ancient castle in Europe.
One of the black-robed figures was gesturing with an outstretched hand, as if explaining something. A small symbol was visible on their open palm.
The artist was clearly very skilled, or perhaps even a renowned master, as the symbol was depicted in meticulous detail.
Su Su zoomed in on the image and could see with relative clarity that it was the exact same symbol from the first painting.
Below the second painting, there was a passage of text.
Su Su subconsciously read it aloud.
"In the year 877 A.D., Count Thomas was tormented in his home by the spirit of his late wife. An association by the name of ’Dawn’ approached him of their own accord. This group, who called themselves Wizards, offered to exorcise or eliminate the spirit for the honorable Count."
Reading this, Su Su immediately grew excited.
The ninth century! They’ve been around for that long!
"After demonstrating some of their abilities to gain the Count’s trust, the two parties began to discuss a course of action. Ultimately, the Count, who still loved his late wife, requested that they neither harm nor banish her spirit, but instead find a way to help it find peace."
Su Su took a huge bite of bread slathered with peanut butter, reveling in the magical feeling of uncovering history—especially a history that now felt so deeply connected to her.
"Due to the difficult nature of the Count’s request, the Wizards asked for a larger fee, to which the Count readily agreed. The ritual was scheduled for midnight that very day..."
Below this, there was even a small illustration, accompanied by a caption in Latin.
It depicted everyone in the castle—including the Count and the castle guards—being instructed by the Wizards to temporarily vacate the premises.
"After the next day, the late wife’s disturbances never appeared in the castle again!"
"Haha, that’s amazing!"
Su Su couldn’t help but clap her hands together.
But there was another paragraph below.
"However, according to a record in the Count’s memoir, it was discovered three days later by the castle’s Guard Captain that the ’haunting by the late wife’ was actually the work of a bribed servant, and that those Wizards had essentially scammed a considerable sum of Gold Coins from the Count for nothing.
Count Thomas considered this incident the greatest shame of his life and never spoke of it to anyone... not until the twentieth century, when his memoir was discovered by his descendants in the Thomas Clan..."
Su Su stared, dumbfounded.
What was this?
Scammers?
Bribing servants?
Scamming Gold Coins?
Her brain briefly short-circuited.
’No! That’s impossible!’
Her conviction came from the abilities Qin Xiaoxia and Doudou had displayed during the day, as well as her own divination.
Following that, Su Su tirelessly continued her search on Count Thomas.
’Just as I thought! That scoundrel!’
Count Thomas’s memoir, she found, was filled with nothing but complaints. It hardly contained a single good word about anyone. From royalty and nobility down to the common people, there was no one he didn’t scold or criticize.
Next, Su Su clicked on the second web link.
It was a reposted blog entry, originally written by a descendant of French nobility.
It had very few views.
The post mentioned that there seemed to have once been a mysterious organization called ’Dawn,’ which was fairly active during the Middle Ages and then gradually faded away during the Renaissance.
Historical records on it were scarce, and the few existing private accounts offered mixed reviews.
Some described the organization as a torch in the darkness, while others claimed it was simply a well-organized league of con artists who branded their members on the palm to ensure loyalty.
Ultimately, few had ever truly met them, and those who had mostly kept silent on the matter, which only deepened the mystique surrounding ’Dawn’.
After reading this, Su Su already knew which side she believed.
She clicked open the third link, only to find it was a low-effort spam post with a stolen picture. It was impossible to tell where the image came from, and it had no actual connection to ’Dawn’.
Even for today’s advanced internet—and factoring in the country’s own firewall—this was a pathetically small amount of information. It was clear that if she wanted to learn more, a simple image or web search wouldn’t be enough.
Undeniably, this was an incredibly mysterious organization. They never explained themselves to the outside world.
Su Su thought back to the day’s events, her fists clenching.
But they were protectors, hidden in the shadows. Just as their name implied, they were the—Dawn!—in the darkness.
From the distant past to this very day, these people still exist, and they are still protecting us!
’Dawn! Sooner or later, I will join you!’
Su Su had worked herself into a state of pure, passionate excitement!
...
A young Qin Xiaoxia: "Grandpa, I can understand why people who were fooled from the start wouldn’t say anything, but why do so many of the ones who were scammed also keep quiet?"
"Heh, child. People can be complicated, but sometimes they’re very simple. When it’s easier to get Gold Coins than it is to save face, the choice becomes quite clear."
The old man chuckled, his smile profound and mysterious.
PS: Thank you to book friend "Ten Books a Month" for the 500-coin donation. Thank you to book friends Ye Xuchen, Zui Xing, and Great Demon Hero for the 100-coin donations. And thank you to book friend ’With the Tide of Flowering and Withering’ for starting a donation thread. I don’t know the amount, but it’s the first one for this book, so I’m really happy~ Thanks for all your support!~
And a big thank you to my editor for all their care and support for this book!
