Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Path of Growth

After that, out of excessive confidence in the potion, and without even bothering to check on Miss Little Dragon Daughter’s condition, those hurried individuals stuffed her into the deepest part of the barn, covered her up hastily, and drove off.

After leaving the Coastal City of Leila, the convoy traveled day and night, hardly stopping for anything other than sleep and food. Though Xiao Guang was hiding in the carriage and couldn’t figure out the direction, she could roughly estimate that they had probably traveled six or seven hundred kilometers over the past few days and still showed no signs of stopping.

For Miss Vilyric, this distance wasn’t that far, but the other party had not appeared yet, which clearly indicated they understood her intentions and were willing to provide support. Since that was the case, Little Dragon Daughter could boldly act according to her wishes.

After another five days of travel, the convoy finally stopped at a location and began to get her and the young ones hidden in the wine barrels out of the barn, checking their conditions one by one. Little Dragon Daughter, who had been feeling a bit restless and was on the verge of bursting with the urge to fight, finally got the chance to observe her new surroundings closely.

She had never lived anywhere outside of ships and islands before, but based on her book’s description, this place should be a large building known as a “farm,” located near some relatively remote forests. It was far from the bustle of Leila or Parut Island, giving off an eerie vibe.

Yes, eerie.

If she wasn’t mistaken, this farm should be empty. Apart from the ten or so people from the convoy and over a hundred stolen young ones, Little Dragon Daughter couldn’t detect any large life forms in the area.

The so-called health check was merely a sniff to confirm that the young ones, left without food or water for nearly ten days, were still alive, while others began to arrange the surroundings.

Taking advantage of the lull, the golden-haired little girl, who was resting against one of the wine barrels, opened one eye and looked around.

They were currently in a clearing in front of the estate, where those masked individuals in priest robes were scattered about, working together to draw a large magical array of some unclear purpose, encompassing all the barrels containing the young ones, resembling some kind of evil sacrificial ritual.

They brought her all the way from the Coastal City of Leila just to do this? Didn’t they say they would go to the headquarters?

Xiao Guang wasn’t quite sure, but there was definitely some hidden secret she hadn’t noticed yet, probably related to the magical array they were drawing.

Recalling some basic magical knowledge she had seen in books, Little Dragon Daughter soon realized that although she didn’t recognize this magical array, overall it wasn’t all that complex; it was simply a vast area of expansion.

In other words, this was just a low-tier magical array of a special system of powers, lacking any particularly strong force. It resembled a node for guidance rather than having practical effects, and considering they had traveled thousands of kilometers to reach this place, the conclusion was easy to deduce.

There was something unusual about this estate itself.

After a simple check of all the young ones in the barrels, the few oddly-robed figures whispered something to the other attendants and stood together at the front of the magical array, collectively chanting a seemingly prayer-like spell.

Unlike the previous murmuring, this time they sang loudly, with clear and precise wording, as if to ensure that something would hear it, so even at a distance, Little Dragon Daughter could hear them clearly.

“Boundary of the boundless azure sea, reflection beneath the mirror, you illuminate the truths of all things, revealing the reality of the stars and sun!”

“You are the measure of laws, the yardstick of norms, you are the ruler who divides reality from illusion. With your fingers, you rotate the heavens, crafting the future of infinite miracles!”

“Great Lord, God of Truth, please open the gates of paradise for your cultists and guide us to the realms of the divine!!!”

“With this as the foundation, I shall call upon your name and praise you in unison!!!”

As soon as the last word fell, the masked figures stepped forward simultaneously, entering the enormous magical array that was responding to the incantation and glowing with strange light, causing the golden-haired little girl, who had intended to take action upon sensing something was off, to freeze momentarily.

Wait, how did they get in? Isn’t this a sacrificial ritual?

Then, a strange sensation accompanied by a specific wave surged into Little Dragon Daughter’s heart amidst the crowd, causing her slightly opened golden eyes to involuntarily shrink for a moment!

That seemed to be something she had encountered before, something that would be of great benefit to her, stirring up an instinctual, overwhelming desire in this body—managing to surpass even the cravings for sleep and food by several times!

This slight hesitation caused her to miss the best opportunity to stop the initiation of the ritual. A peculiar humming surged forth like mountains collapsing and tsunamis rising from the heavens, overwhelming the fervent praises of the cultists and seemingly merging into one, condensing into a bizarre, extraordinary power!

“Buzz!!!!!!!”

At that moment, the sun and moon and the stars turned upside down, and in the astonished gaze of Little Dragon Daughter, who was almost exposed, everything before her transformed into an absurd scene.

…

Three hundred kilometers south of Leila City, on the official road, a group of about seven or eight individuals temporarily halted their movement.

They were all dressed as adventurers, burdened with large packages of outdoor living equipment and supplies, weapons in tow, led by a young man with green braided hair who appeared calm, serious, and kind-hearted.

His unique hair color and a pair of long, pointed ears confirmed he was not human, but that was merely an ordinary sight within the Ost Empire.

The Youth of the Treant Tribe finished checking the map and the actual direction, looking somewhat grave at the black-haired girl beside him.

“This direction… leads directly to the Eternal Night Forest. Miss Vilyric, are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?”

“Of course not! She just passed through here a while ago; I can see it!”

The girl confidently stated while staring down at what seemed to be nonexistent traces on the ground without raising her head.

In fact, although Xiao Guang’s current body, which had condensed from the Divine Spark, did not have a direct contract bond with her and was essentially an independent entity unable to summon or connect like her main body, there still existed a vague sense of awareness.

The Priestess was continuously working hard to investigate information regarding her pet’s condition, just like how she discovered she could see the faint golden aura left in the land Xiao Guang had previously passed through using her Yin-Yang Eye.

This was clearly a tracking mark intentionally left by that girl, one that only Vilyric could see.

She was really becoming more mature and clever now; if this had been at the very beginning, those people would have probably been pulverized the moment they tried to act against her.

Currently, Xiao Guang, especially in this specific body, could be said to have completely broken free from the various categories and restrictions of the game system, becoming a truly independent life. While still somewhat influenced by the contract’s effect, her thoughts and actions were no longer interpretable simply through the word “pet.”

This was a good thing, but amidst the reassurance, it occasionally left Vilyric feeling somewhat anxious.

If Little Dragon Daughter was no longer a pet and had genuine goals and ideals, would they still be as close as before? Would Xiao Guang see the contract as a form of entrapment? If she wished to gain true freedom, how should she respond?

She had always hoped that child would grow up and not cling to her too strongly like a pesky shadow, but now that the change had truly arrived, it was impossible not to feel a sense of unease.

Every time she considered these things, Vilyric couldn’t help but secretly grin bitterly.

Such a contradictory mindset was probably a concern every parent and guardian holds regarding their own children.

   

---