Chapter 98: Heart-to-Heart in the Hut

Time flowed through my fingertips like grains of sand, and soon the truth laid itself bare before Vilyric.

“So that’s how it is… almost in line with my expectations.”

The black-haired girl nodded slightly and gently patted Tilysha’s turquoise little head.

“Are you feeling wronged here? Don’t be afraid, you can tell me openly. This matter involves me too, and if Sigrid and the others go too far, I’ll stand up for you.”

As the Priestess’s slender, warm fingers brushed through her hair, Tilysha felt immensely comfortable, her eyes squinting in pleasure. Though she didn’t voice it, she sensed a heartfelt affection and closeness emanating from Vilyric.

Especially in such close proximity, Tilysha felt her heart uplifted, like being immersed in warm water or a child secured in their mother’s embrace—an indescribable relaxation and satisfaction washed over her.

This was also one of the important reasons she was willing to go all out to help Vilyric, her unexpected savior.

Thus, when she heard the girl’s voice drift past her ears like a gentle breeze, Tilysha instinctively opened her heart.

“Actually, aside from being a bit scary at first and taking the seed you gave me, which made me a little mad, Sigrid and the others didn’t really do anything too excessive later on.”

“They put me in a metal cage held by a big bird, covered it with cloth, and after a long time when everything brightened up again, I found myself in this house.”

“At first, every day, white-feathered winged sisters would come to ask me questions, looking quite fierce. But later for some reason, they seldom appeared, and when they did come, their attitude improved a lot. Sigrid hadn’t shown up in ages; she seemed to have been busy working. Then last night she came to find me and mentioned that a distinguished guest would arrive today, but I never expected it would be you…”

Tilysha smiled helplessly.

“Honestly, when I first saw Miss Vilyric, I was really startled, thinking they’d found you, and I was panicking. Thankfully… after being asked too many times, I learned to hide my expression, or else I’d have slipped up.”

Hmm, sounds legit.

As she stroked Tilysha’s head, Vilyric was also using [Information Detection] to assess her physical condition.

On one hand, it was to further verify the “special” bloodline referred to by Xi Fu Lin, and on the other, to check if she had been treated roughly or harmed.

It seemed neither Sigrid nor Tilysha were lying to her; this little village girl was quite healthy.

Previously, when Vilyric saw Tilysha, that unmasked melancholy was probably her worrying about her parents back in the village within the Nobos Ironblood Empire. It was also why she had initially turned down the Priestess’s invitation.

Placing the gently comforting little village girl back down on the bed, Vilyric glanced outside through the metal-barred window.

“That seed, is it no longer with you?”

“Yeah, Sigrid took it when we first met, and I don’t know where it is now… I’m sorry, Miss Vilyric…”

The black-haired girl shook her head helplessly.

“No need to apologize. Once I gave it to you, it became yours; you don’t owe me anything.”

Hearing Vilyric say she bore no grudge, Tilysha’s guilt gradually faded, replaced by heavy curiosity.

“Miss Vilyric, what exactly was that seed? Why does everyone value it so much? Also, why did you give it to me? Sigrid mentioned it has to do with the Abyss, the monster that once slaughtered our village, yet I can’t imagine a noble like you would be involved with such a thing.”

Once the floodgates opened, the question barrage couldn’t be stopped; it seemed she’d been troubled by these questions for a long time.

Regrettably, even Vilyric wasn’t clear on what exactly that seed represented. Xi Fu Lin had asked her to pass it on, claiming it was a blessed seed, but now Xi Fu Lin was stuck in an accidental sleep.

While it might sound harsh, “no evidence remains” perfectly described the current situation.

Perhaps it was a bit unnecessary, but Vilyric decided to ask nonetheless.

“Tilysha, do you trust me?”

“Absolutely!”

No hesitation at all…

Vilyric still couldn’t understand why this little girl had such trust and closeness towards her, much like a galgame character starting off with max affinity.

The report from [Information Detection] didn’t indicate an answer to that.

However, since she was being so forthright, it was only right to reciprocate some trust back to this understanding little village girl.

“Alright, what I’m about to say cannot be shared with anyone else unless I permit it, understood?”

Perhaps sensing they were about to hear something quite significant, the blue-haired girl straightened up, placing her hands on her knees like a good student waiting for a lesson, her gaze steady and committed.

“Rest assured, I won’t breathe a word!”

“If you die, then…”

Vilyric pulled out the gray-black statue housing Xi Fu Lin’s consciousness and placed it between them.

“So here’s the thing…”

Next, the Priestess spent some time explaining to Tilysha how she had accidentally received this artifact from “a certain friend” and had coincidentally awakened the consciousness within it, alongside what she had learned about the immense history between the Earth Mother Goddess Xi Fu and the God of Sky Minerva.

Of course, this included Xi Fu Lin, the fragment of Xi Fu’s will, her request to have Tilysha receive the seed, and even the concept of the seed as described back then.

Until Vilyric finished her entire recount, Tilysha hadn’t interrupted her explanation, and by the end, she had fallen into a state of dumbfoundedness.

“What’s wrong? Did I say something you didn’t understand?”

Vilyric smiled and indicated for her to pick up the statue and take a look; after all, it was quite solid. Unless someone of a stronger caliber like her or Little Dragon Daughter came along, ordinary means couldn’t shatter it, so there was no fear of Tilysha accidentally breaking it.

“No… I just feel a little… how do I put it, goddess, ancient, something so far removed from an ordinary person like me. I never imagined there would come a day I would be involved with something so incredible…”

“The Earth Mother Goddess… Miss Vilyric, could it be the one my mother told me about, the deity the tree spirits… the Earth Priest used to serve, who for some reason went missing?”

The black-haired girl nodded.

“I’d say there’s a solid chance of that.”

“Oh my goodness…”

   

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