Chapter 86: Spirit Room, Spirit Shrine

Although she could understand its meaning, Vilyric, who had been paying attention to these distinctions, noticed that Gugasah had spoken a phrase, “O ruler of the sky, please pave the way for me,” in a clear different language.

Indeed, it was neither the language of the United Kingdom, nor the Language of the Sky, nor the one used by the Brown Bird Tribe.

The Translation Tool merely allowed both users to understand the meaning of the words without barriers; it sounded like a clear mother tongue, but the sound waves themselves hadn’t changed—it was a feeling hard to describe with words.

Though it was only a brief sentence, Vilyric, with her careful discernment, still sensed the ancient culture and temporal sediment within those words, along with a vague sense of familiarity that was hard to articulate.

But she was certain this was her first time hearing a language like that.

Without revealing her confusion or asking questions, the Priestess silently followed the others into the path revealed by the parting waters.

This was a downward path, and without a doubt, the destination was once again inside the floating island, just like the previous Fragrant Auction.

There were no sources of light on either side, but the surrounding stone walls began to emit a faint white glow as they went deeper, likely a special material similar to luminous stones.

Luminous stones themselves were not particularly expensive; the extracted luminous pearls were a type of first-level magic crystal, and it was said that before magical lamps became widespread, some wealthy merchants used them as night lighting for their residences.

However, constructing such a long passage purely from luminous stones was already quite an extravagant feat.

The path wasn’t wide; even two people walking side by side felt a bit cramped, especially for beings like Gugasah and Sigrid, who had large wings behind them.

So they chose to move in a long line, with the Brown Bird Tribe leader leading the way, followed by Sigrid, Vilyric, Xiao Guang, Philena, Leila, Renée, and lastly, Edwina.

The reason for having the Holy Knight at the back was simple—no matter how she carried it, her large cross shield blocked the view of the people behind her entirely.

In simpler terms, it was just a hindrance.

Of course, our lovely Miss Edwina was quite self-aware; realizing this, she willingly took her place without anyone needing to tell her, proving that following a certain priestess had made her a bit wittier.

This was probably the significance of experience, huh… maybe?

This long road, built by someone unknown, led them closer to the center of Omoland, and if Vilyric didn’t miscalculate, they were nearing their destination.

A stone chamber, also constructed from luminous stones.

The walls, floor, and ceiling emanated a bright but not blinding soft white light, and the chamber was rather small; standing inside with so many people felt a bit crowded.

There were also very few items here; the only entrance and exit connected to the outside, and the lone central stone platform held a wooden spirit shrine, engraved with letters.

The Brown Bird Tribe leader, Gugasah, turned around, her long beak slightly moving.

“This is the spirit room passed down in my tribe to this day, said to seal fragments of a great demon’s body. The strength of this great demon is terrifying; even sealed, it continues to emit a special energy, which is one of the key reasons the density of Omoland’s stone mines is so high.”

“My tribe, the Brown Birds, follows the ancestral teachings, guarding this seal for generations. Only the tribe leader, with the unique key, can open the path to this spirit room.”

The so-called key likely referred to the small stone Gugasah had previously taken out.

Sigrid was still translating over there, while the Priestess, able to understand her language, frowned.

“So, you mean to say that this ‘only those with the key can enter’ secret room has been so boldly barged into by outsiders?”

This point was too obvious.

Because the shrine’s lid was currently lifted, and it was empty inside.

Gugasah’s breath hitched, and her tone turned a bit heavier.

“…Yes, Miss Vilyric, weren’t you asking if there were powerful beings on the island? Frankly speaking, there probably are.”

“This morning, I sensed through the key that someone forcibly opened the path, so I hurriedly led my people to investigate. But at that moment, the monster you call the Abyss Worm suddenly appeared, rampaging across the island, slaughtering, devouring, and creating numerous Abyss Beasts. I had no choice but to coordinate forces to resist and light the signal fires.”

“But for some reason, no reinforcements have arrived from the several nearby islands for a long time. Everyone suffered heavy losses, and several leaders had to fight and retreat, regrouping defenses towards the center of the island.”

Gugasah raised her left wing, which bore significant signs of having been broken from a collision.

“So, I have not seen the appearance of the one who intruded into the spirit room, nor can I determine their strength.”

“…”

It seemed that the target of that mysterious existence was primarily the contents sealed within this shrine, and the Abyss Worm attacking Omoland, along with the rampant Abyss Beasts, were simply a cover for it—success or failure was utterly irrelevant.

But if that fellow had such power, why go to such lengths? Wouldn’t it just be easier to wipe out Gugasah and the others with a wave of their hand and swagger away?

“Can I take a closer look at this shrine?”

Although it should be empty inside, this was, after all, a sacred heritage of theirs; the fact that they were willing to let them in was already quite generous, so the Priestess made her inquiry in a tentative tone.

Clearly, Gugasah had already checked in advance and was well aware of the situation; she didn’t refuse such a not unreasonable request from Vilyric.

“Fine, but please be careful not to damage anything on the stone platform. Those are precious relics handed down through generations. Losing fragments of the great demon is a failure I can hardly wash away in my lifetime, so I can’t let it add up any further.”

“Thanks, I’ll be careful.”

After receiving permission, Vilyric left the others, who were still trying to listen to Sigrid’s translations, and gave a signal for Little Dragon Daughter to stay put before stepping forward.

Without touching with her hands, Vilyric observed quietly with her eyes.

The shrine on the stone platform was indeed wooden, made of a special material Vilyric had never seen before.

Based on Gugasah’s “passed down for generations” statement and the fact that magical beasts typically have lifespans much longer than humans, this item had probably been preserved here for hundreds or nearly a thousand years. It was truly remarkable that wood could remain completely undeteriorated for so long.

The shrine was indeed empty, just as she saw outside. Vilyric used SP to scan but found nothing strange left behind; it looked like it had been cleaned out.

So, the girl bent down to look at the large inscriptions seemingly carved into the stone platform’s front with some sharp instrument.

This was also a language different from the United Kingdom language and the Language of the Sky, one Vilyric had never seen before.

But in an instant, the Priestess froze.

The contents above, she could actually understand.

   

---