Chapter 187: Fish Dan’er

In order to prove that she was indeed well-versed in both martial and literary arts, the Priestess finally decided to first check out the registration area for the “Literary Tournament” to see if there were any interesting events before making a decision.

Anyway, she was definitely going to participate in the “Martial Tournament,” so with that as insurance, there was no need to worry about picking something too flashy; getting eliminated was no big deal.

Miss Xiao Kong and Murong Yun went ahead to queue for the “Martial Tournament,” while the remaining Vilyric and Miss Hen naturally branched off to the “Literary” area, casually heading towards the registration point chosen by Princess Ling while curiously glancing around.

“By the way, Hen, with your status, do you really need to participate in this grand tournament? You could just wait for the Fairy Island to open and get in without any hassle, right? Your identity is like a thorn in some people’s sides; it’s quite risky to casually show your face.”

Hearing the black-haired girl chat seemingly aimlessly as they walked, the silver-haired girl paused for a moment, then nodded slightly.

“Indeed, if I formally applied under the title of Spirit Maiden of the Era, I could certainly gain entry to the island, but that would have nothing to do with me personally… I wish to reach Fairy Island on my own merits, alongside you, rather than exist indefinitely as just an observer.”

Curiously tilting her head, the Priestess met the silver-haired girl’s subtly complex gaze.

“Can I take this as you being willful? It’s quite surprising that you would do something so irrational ~”

“People always change. Do you think it’s wrong, Vilyric?”

“Haha, of course not! You are a living, breathing person, not some mechanical toy or puppet that only follows programming. So what if you occasionally indulge a little and act willfully?”

“… Is that so.”

The swirling complex colors in her silver eyes flickered, and the girl identified as the Spirit Maiden of the Era didn’t delve deeper into the topic but fell silent again.

Sensing that her companion was troubled, Vilyric swiftly changed the subject.

“Hey, look! There are a lot of people gathered over there; my entertainment radar is already on! Let’s go check it out!”

Before the silver-haired girl could protest, Vilyric pulled her along, and they soon arrived at an area not far from a registration point, where many curious onlookers had created quite a crowd. The Priestess tiptoed and squeezed in, finally getting a glimpse of the situation inside.

It turned out a registrant was loudly arguing with the staff at the registration point, seemingly involved in some kind of conflict.

“How can you say I’m wrong? My answer is clearly correct; you’re just trying to pick a fight!”

The speaker appeared to be around twenty, exuding the distinct qualities of a Qiguo native. She wore an expensive silk dress, adorned with a golden hairpin, giving off an aura of a genuine noble lady, yet her personality seemed a bit fiery.

Her ruckus disrupted the normal registration order, and the staff in charge of assisting her looked helpless, attempting to explain patiently.

“But miss… your answers for the questions were indeed far from the standard responses; it’s basically complete nonsense. By the rules, you don’t meet the criteria. Please don’t make this difficult for me.”

“Nonsense! You’re the one who’s giving random answers! Do you even understand this subject? Let me go… fine, but return my registration fee!”

“Miss… registration fees aren’t refunded on failure; that’s a rule set by the Holy Sect. I can’t change that…”

“What do you mean, are you trying to leverage the Eastern Yuan Holy Sect against me?!”

Watching the noticeably well-off young lady arguing with the staff, Vilyric raised her head and noticed the sign overhead labeled “Earth Element Spiritual Veins,” arching an eyebrow.

Oh wow, I happened to stumble upon my destination while watching the commotion; that’s quite the coincidence! How about I just sign up for this and have some fun?

That said, signing up for the “Four Saints Selection Tournament” certainly wasn’t without its requirements.

These requirements didn’t pertain to status but rather to personal financial strength and capability.

Holding such a grand event indeed required substantial funds and resources; although Fairy Island allowed anyone from the Ancient Spirit Realm or beyond to participate, a fixed registration fee needed to be submitted, and one had to pass the initial screening.

Vilyric wasn’t too aware of the situation over at the Martial Tournament, but for the Literary Tournament here, it essentially involved answering some entry-level questions to see if one was just filling in for appearance’s sake. As long as the contestant could answer a certain percentage of the questions correctly, they’d be successfully registered—the threshold wasn’t that high.

Of course, money wasn’t a strict requirement; considering some talented scholars struggled financially, if someone excelled and achieved exceptional scores in registration, that portion of the fee could reportedly be waived.

However, conversely, if one answered too many questions incorrectly, no amount of money would help, and the registration fee would be forfeited since they couldn’t waste the staff’s time without just cause.

Clearly, this girl was in the latter category.

“Miss, again, I must emphasize that the rules are what they are; I’m just doing my job. If you continue to make a fuss like this, I’ll have to call the Eastern Yuan Guard to maintain order…”

“Hah? Are you trying to scare me? Go ahead, I don’t believe there’s no place for reason today!”

Just as the onlookers started pointing and murmuring, and the staff prepared to call for the guards to expel the troublemaker, a figure in white suddenly stepped forward, inserting herself into the situation.

“Could you show me what kind of answers she wrote?”

The staff behind the desk exchanged glances, and the leader couldn’t help but look surprised as he glanced at the suddenly appearing white-robed girl.

“Miss, which deity do you serve…? If you want to register, please queue up first; rules apply to everyone regardless of who you are.”

This person… is way too rigid! No wonder she got into an argument with that girl; why did the Eastern Yuan Holy Sect assign someone with such a personality to handle registrations…

Not wanting to elaborate further, in fact, Vilyric couldn’t think of any good bluffing reason herself. She just intensified her tone and put on a serious face.

“I said, show it to me.”

“Uh… Okay, fine.”

The staff here were mostly ordinary folks and naturally couldn’t withstand the innate pressure from a Divine race member. Although it was merely superficial, they were all pale with fright, almost subconsciously nodding their heads.

The young man in work clothes hurriedly searched the top of the desk and found a piece of paper, awkwardly lifting it with both hands to present.

“This… this is her answer sheet; please have a look…”

Vilyric nodded, seizing the paper before the staff could react, and glanced over it.

As expected, it contained a dozen standard questions about Earth Element Spiritual Veins, covering basic knowledge of spiritual veins, seasonal changes, and some shallow observations, management, and disaster prevention methods; it could definitely only be called introductory level.

After a brief search, the Priestess’ gaze landed on the topmost registration details written by the girl.

“Fish Dan’er, 19 years old, from Yide County in Dongyuanzhi Kingdom…”

Yide County…

If Vilyric remembered correctly, that place should be in the relatively far east of Qiguo. Though it wasn’t adjacent to the sea, it was still considered a remote area, with extremely limited contact with the outside world, almost isolated from civilization.

There were even rumors saying that the ancestors there once took advantage of the terrain to miraculously escape the massacre during the Evil Demon Chaos, preserving a batch of legacies from the previous civilization.

But in reality, that was just gossip; there was no evidence to support it. Many who had previously traveled there ended up empty-handed, and some even died from injuries in the treacherous terrain, thereafter no one mentioned it again.

Therefore, most people viewed Yide County merely as an exceptionally remote ordinary county.

“…”

Contemplating this, Vilyric shifted her gaze to the answers penned by Fish Dan’er.

Before long, she turned her gaze, surprised to see the similarly frowning girl in fine clothing assessing her.

“Where did you learn this knowledge?”

“Who are you to act so high and mighty… If I answer your question, can you help me get through the registration?”

Though the other girl’s attitude was not particularly friendly, the Priestess smiled.

“You’ll definitely pass the registration; although these temporary workers can’t accurately judge the results, as long as this answer sheet lands in the hands of anyone who’s done in-depth research on spiritual veins, the Eastern Yuan Holy Sect will immediately send someone to find you.”

“A seemingly ordinary girl can write such answers; perhaps those tales about Yide County are actually true ~”

   

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