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Chapter 109: Memories of the Past

As Miss Vilyric had guessed, the so-called third layer of the prison was merely a literal expression.

In reality, beneath the prison, there were only the first level monitored by prison guards and the second level of the “Guardian of Sins,” making up just these two levels.

The so-called third layer could actually be seen as an extension of the second layer.

Stepping onto that particularly radiant teleportation node before the royal ancestors and Guardian Edith, Vilyric found herself in another world in an instant.

A grand, vast hall.

A bustling crowd, body to body.

Countless people wielding weapons and staffs, dressed in various ways, were standing in long queues before hundreds of counters, either chatting or waiting quietly.

“This place is…”

The third layer of the prison absolutely could not accommodate so many people, and…

Vilyric shifted her gaze and suddenly felt the scenery seemed a bit familiar.

That’s right.

This was the Adventurer’s Guild hall in the City of Courage, and it was the peak bustling time of day.

She turned around, only to find that the Little Dragon Daughter who had come in with her had already disappeared without a trace.

Yet through their contract, Vilyric could still sense Xiao Guang’s presence, and she was not far away.

This familiar and intense sense of déjà vu…

“Is it another person’s memory?”

Neither Liliya nor Guardian Edith had provided Vilyric with detailed descriptions of the third layer of the prison. It seemed this was a special space best understood through personal experience rather than mere words.

In the third layer of the prison, the number of prisoners definitely wouldn’t be high.

Moreover, Vilyric didn’t believe that every person entering had to be forcibly made to watch everyone else’s memories; that would be utterly foolish.

So, that meant this was a special circumstance.

Well, anyway, it was merely a moment in reality, so there was no harm in taking a look.

As expected, the scenes before her began to rotate naturally, and judging by the height of the view, the owner of this memory was definitely no taller than one meter thirty.

Furthermore, she was wearing a cute little dress, obviously a girl.

She stood quietly inside a counter, watching the flowing crowd in the Adventurer’s Guild hall for a long time without speaking, until a tall, burly middle-aged man carrying a giant axe walked through the front door, laughing boisterously with his companions.

“Daddy!”

She rushed over.

The girl wasn’t particularly fast, but all the adventurers around seemed to recognize her and actively cleared a path.

The man with the giant axe softened his expression instantly, crouched down, and opened his arms as if welcoming the girl.

“Oh, my Liliya! Did you miss your daddy?”

Vilyric felt a jolt!

Liliya! ?

No wonder she always felt this man looked a bit familiar; upon closer inspection, it was just the younger appearance of President Herbert, the legendary adventurer known as the “Berserker,” ten years back!

In other words, from the primary direction of sight, this little girl was the young Liliya, and this memory also belonged to her.

Liliya was right here.

A perfectly ordinary, at most slightly good-memory adventurer guild hostess could show up here in the heavily guarded depths of the prison?

Thinking of the documents obtained from Her Highness the Princess regarding Herbert’s daughter and their chance encounter at the guild, Vilyric seemed to understand something.

The memory continued.

“Daddy, why did you take so long to come back? You were gone for a whole week! Liliya missed you so much.”

Little Liliya pouted in young Herbert’s arms, innocently acting spoiled while the legendary warrior known as the “Berserker” could only smile helplessly.

“I couldn’t help it; the guild is short on hands! Right now in the entire City of Courage, I’m the only legendary adventurer. Even though some young ones have decent talent, they haven’t matured yet — it’s a time of transition… I’m sorry, my dear daughter, once I get this busy period over, I’ll definitely spend more time at home with you, okay?”

“Waaaa… I don’t want that! Liliya wants to play with Daddy now! I don’t have a mommy, so if Daddy doesn’t want me either…”

The seven or eight-year-old girl continued to cry stubbornly, prompting the team members around President Herbert to quickly tug at his sleeve, whispering softly to keep this clumsy man from talking further.

“Herbert… don’t say these things to a child; she can’t understand! At a time like this, you should follow her wishes and try to comfort Liliya as much as possible, understand?”

Another young female Holy Knight, around fifteen or sixteen years old, donned in white armor and holding a pristine sword and shield, also advised nearby.

“Yes, Elder Herbert, I think you’ve been too hard on yourself lately. While the guild leader’s responsibilities are important, neglecting family isn’t an option either. To little Liliya, you might be her only support; you should consider more about her.”

“Even Natalie thinks so…”

President Herbert scratched his head awkwardly, glancing at his small, cute daughter who was in his arms.

“Alright, I’ll try to spend more time with this little girl; as for the guild matters, I’ll rely on everyone.”

“Haha, what nonsense are you talking about? This is our guild, how can there be ‘relying’ on each other?”

“Exactly, President! Hahaha!”

Laughter erupted as young Natalie came over, gently stroking the little girl’s small head.

“That’s great, little Liliya; from now on, you won’t be so lonely. Sister Natalie will come often to play with you!”

…

Zizizi… zizi…

Miss Pure White Lion’s sun-like gentle smile gradually faded in the world shattering like snowflakes, and Vilyric knew this was the end of a memory fragment.

Perhaps something had gone wrong with Liliya herself, or perhaps the connection here with her wasn’t very stable; what could appear before Vilyric could only be those deeply impressed memories.

Those… memories that changed Liliya’s life.

The world began to reconstruct.

This time, Vilyric’s perspective appeared in a dim prison.

Still Liliya’s memory, but the height of the view had risen quite a bit; it seemed several years had passed since then.

The owner of this body felt very weak.

Not in the conventional sense of lacking nutrition or being weakened by injuries; the Priestess’ girl—fully pulled into Liliya’s perspective—sensed this familiarity clearly.

Soul plundering.

This was the experimental ground of the “Throne of Immortality.”

“Why… doesn’t Daddy come save me?”

The sudden mournful voice echoing in the silent space startled Vilyric; in the next moment, she realized this was Liliya herself speaking, having grown up.

By her voice, she must be around thirteen or fourteen…

…exactly the prime age for participating in the spirit fusion experiment.