"Huh? Where am I? I thought I fell asleep on the office couch?"
Alistair clearly remembered falling asleep, yet he felt quite awake and clear-headed. He was no longer in the office but at a crossroad. Although the sky was dim, it wasn't completely dark.
The roads stretched endlessly on both sides of the intersection, seemingly without end. Both sides of the roads were bordered by walls. There were houses, but oddly, no gates, which was very strange.
Is this a dream?
About two hundred meters directly ahead of Alistair on the road, there was a fairly ornate large iron gate. The gate was wide enough for two cars to pass side-by-side when open. On the pillars flanking the gate, there were soft, yellow-glowing lamps. On the left side, there was a smaller, single-leaf door.
Alistair couldn't see further inside. Since he was far away, everything looked small, and the inner buildings were obscured. So, Alistair could only continue walking forward. At least for now, Alistair didn't perceive any danger. Moreover, if it were a dream, he would wake up immediately if he was startled.
As he approached the large iron gate step by step, Alistair felt his head growing more confused. However, the intensity wasn't severe enough to prevent him from continuing to approach.
Strangely, Alistair wanted to stop when he first felt a little dizzy, but his body seemed to have a massive delay in connection with his brain. It wasn't until he was about fifty meters from the large iron gate that his body finally halted, and by then, Alistair no longer had any thoughts like 'this feels weird.'
Alistair now seemed very 'clear-headed,' as if he knew this place intimately, even though he had never been here before. He had a strange sense of familiarity.
"So this is the headquarters of the Church, huh? Well, even though it feels familiar, I haven't been inside to see the actual environment. Let's go in and take a look."
Alistair walked up to the gate, looking suddenly enlightened, and muttered to himself. However, his eyes flickered, showing signs of struggle.
Creak—
A sound echoed. 'Alistair,' looking unsurprised, turned and walked straight towards the small side door. The previously closed small door was now completely open, as if it had been waiting specifically for 'Alistair.'
After stepping through the small door, the interior was dominated by a large, classical building that resembled a Shinto shrine. . There were some other, smaller structures around it. These buildings were not very tall—the tallest only two stories—but one thing was clear: they must have been very expensive. This religion must be very wealthy, or its followers must be very wealthy.
This thought briefly flashed through 'Alistair's' mind but didn't affect his actions.
'Alistair' headed directly towards the tall classical building resembling a shrine. It was called 'tall' because it clearly stood a head taller than the surrounding buildings. It wasn't that it had a second story, but the ground floor was thicker, so being a head taller than the other structures was normal.
Is this due to the 'sanctity' of the shrine within the religion?
'Alistair' climbed the steps and used both hands to pull open the sliding door at the entrance.
Alistair had a vague memory of the interior, so even though it differed somewhat from his impression of a shrine's interior, he 'accepted' the difference under 'Alistair's' guidance.
Upon opening the door, there was a very spacious room, estimated to be large enough to accommodate a hundred people. Further in, there was a design resembling a curtain: a large sheet of fabric completely concealing the area behind it. However, it wasn't opaque; if someone was behind it, their silhouette would likely be clearly visible, but nothing more could be ascertained.
This is the place where church activities are held.
'Alistair's' mind provided the corresponding explanation. He didn't know the source, but 'Alistair' had no intention of pursuing it.
'Alistair' was unsure of the specifics of the church activities. He wouldn't investigate until Shima Itsuki told him.
Shima Itsuki... who is that? This question suddenly popped into Alistair's mind, but the moment it appeared, it rapidly faded and vanished.
She seems to be the Shrine Maiden of the Church, the guide second only to the Grand Patriarch, responsible for all the complex daily affairs of the Church. The Grand Patriarch is responsible for guiding the devout followers, resolving their ideological issues, and bringing them infinite joy and pleasure.
However, an inexplicable sense of irritation arose in Alistair's heart, causing him a strange resistance to everything here.
"Ugh..."
A feeling of familiarity and confidence, as if he had performed this activity many times, surged within Alistair. This familiarity was different from the previous vague memories and sensations; it was utterly genuine, slowly dissolving Alistair's irritation and replacing it with calm.
At the same time, the impression of this place in his mind became clearer and more definite. He remembered the appearance of every spot, as if he had lived here for a very long time.
Activities will resume in one to two months.
Alistair suddenly had this feeling. He didn't know where it came from, but he was strangely certain that this feeling was true.
Wait, that symbol, isn't it... uh... right, Shima Itsuki told me. The name of our religion is... Consort Goddess Cult!
Faint pink and deep purple light flickered alternately in Alistair's eyes. After dozens of flashes, they subsided into calm.
The pendant, which had somehow reappeared on Alistair's neck, slowly took on color, transitioning from colorless and translucent to deep purple. In the center of the pendant, an identical engraving to the one Alistair saw on a scroll on the wall slowly appeared.
...
Bang!
"Ha~ Ha~ Ha~ Ha~ Ha~"
Alistair suddenly opened his eyes, sat up, and breathed rapidly. A strange sense of palpitations lingered in his heart, making him feel panicked.
"I think... I had a nightmare?"
Alistair clutched his head, trying hard to recall, but his mind was blank. This wasn't strange; dreams are rarely clearly remembered after waking up, but he usually had some sense of the general type of dream.
Alistair closed his eyes, lay back down on the couch, and decided not to think about it anymore.
He had absorbed the [Pocket Watch] last night, and the 'Mystery' in his body had been replenished slightly. However, Alistair currently didn't plan to pursue 'progress' anymore; otherwise, he would truly be 'pig-farmed.' He was heading back to his hometown soon, where his grandfather should contact him. He would ask his grandfather for help then.