Chapter 166: Goodbye Tira

“So, why are we at the Temple of Sky?”

Standing beneath the spire, which looked somewhat desolate due to last night’s turmoil and was now under military lockdown, the Priestess glanced helplessly at the blue-haired Life Goddess beside her.

To avoid any trouble, she hadn’t greeted anyone from the embassy yet, nor had she woken the still-sleeping Little Dragon Daughter. She had quietly slipped out with Xi Fu Lin.

By the way, Losa, who had been left at the embassy entrance last night, was also missing, which was certain. Anyone who saw such a large Half-Dragon lying on the ground would probably run to report it, and most likely, it would reach Philena’s ears.

This was also Vilyric subtly telling the Envoy Group Leader that she was back, after all, as long as the latter brought this guy to the Wing Emperor, they’d surely figure it out together.

Philena was smart and knew exactly when to do what. This was evident as no one came for the routine inspection of the Priestess’s room this morning.

“There are some things that definitely need to be explained to these descendants; after all, this is their territory. By the way, Vilyric, how is that little village girl with tree spirit blood?”

“You mean Tilysha? She’s doing well. She’s probably at the embassy now. So what’s so special about her?”

“That makes things easier… I’ll explain later. Look, someone’s coming out.”

Sure enough, no one would believe that someone wouldn’t notice them. Two strikingly beautiful girls standing by the door, one of whom was dragging a stone sculpture behind her. If Vilyric were a guard, they would definitely rush to report it.

After all that happened last night, everyone was on edge.

From the Temple of Sky came one of the White Feather Priests who had been maintaining the “devices” that Vilyric had seen last night, and she had a bit of a recollection.

The priest immediately recognized the Priestess, her excitement driving her to approach and say something, but when she suddenly saw the Life Goddess beside the black-haired girl, her face turned the same color as her wings in fear.

Then, this rather lovely girl darted back into the temple as if fleeing for her life, leaving behind two puzzled individuals and a bunch of confused guards.

“Hey, Xi Fu Lin, your face really has a strong killing effect.”

Vilyric almost forgot that Xi Fu Lin looked exactly like the Withering Goddess, who nearly destroyed a city last night. Besides the Wing Emperor Aistini, those priests in the temple had all seen her before; even if the eye colors were very different, how many people would notice such details at first glance…

Somewhat gloating, the Priestess conveyed her recent thoughts to the blue-haired girl, who looked equally helpless.

“So what now, should we just head back today?”

“Well, not really. After all, these matters will need clarification sooner or later. Let’s wait a bit; I’m sure someone of higher rank will come out soon.”

Sure enough, just a few minutes later, a large group of people poured out from the spire, including fully armed temple guards, priests, and even Aistila, the Wing Emperor’s sister, who had a previous encounter with Vilyric.

Aistila spotted Vilyric and her companion standing not far from the door. While her expression changed slightly upon seeing Xi Fu Lin’s appearance, the presence of the black-haired girl beside her kept the priestess from overreacting.

As a participant in last night’s events, Aistila wasn’t sure what exactly had happened after Vilyric and that wicked goddess ascended, but the subsequent fantastical phenomena proved that the battle had been intense.

Since the Sky City was now safe and sound, it meant that Vilyric had surely defeated or at least chased away that terrifying deity or reached some sort of agreement with them.

Thus, she waved her hand for her subordinates to calm down and took a deep breath as she approached the two girls.

“小Vilyric? It’s great to see you safe. And this lady… could you explain what’s happening?”

Perhaps because she had battled the Withering Goddess for a while, Aistila seemed to notice subtle differences upon approaching. After her expression flickered several times, she finally spoke.

“Why do you keep adding ‘little’ before my name? Why are you so stubborn… Actually, we wanted to discuss something with the higher-ups of the Kingdom of Azure. Is this a convenient time?”

“Discuss? You… well, considering there’s a crowd outside, how about we speak inside the temple?”

After glancing at the blue-haired girl, who was smiling, and then at the dissatisfied Priestess, Aistila eventually agreed smoothly.

Thus, the three of them dismissed the guards and priests and stepped into the teleportation array, returning to the real Temple of Sky floating above the spire.

Compared to the destruction after last night’s battle, this place had at least been temporarily repaired; the big holes in the walls had been patched, and the crystal shards scattered on the central platform were cleared away.

However, it was rather empty at that moment, looking a bit lonely and shabby.

“Okay, this should be quiet enough to talk. So, 小Vilyric, and this lady… um, may I ask how to address you?”

Aistila snapped her fingers, and wooden chairs and a table naturally grew from the ground. Once they were seated, the priestess gazed curiously at the two girls before her, especially at Xi Fu Lin, who looked exactly like the “Wicked Goddess”.

In contrast to her casual demeanor around Vilyric, her attitude towards Aistila was noticeably more subdued. If one had to describe it, it would be a certain distance and air of mystery.

“Very impressive natural magic. No wonder the Divine Spark fragment chose you to be its vessel. Little girl, would you be interested in continuing to serve as my priestess? Though I can’t help you regain the strength you had when the Divine Spark attached to you all at once, if you work hard enough, it’s not entirely impossible to reach that realm again.”

“Eh?”

The Priestess stared in shock, probably not expecting such a direct question from the gentle and mysterious-looking blue-haired girl standing before her.

In fact, both Vilyric and Xi Fu Lin could sense Aistila’s current condition; while they couldn’t claim it was bad, it was a complete mess.

The truth behind the “Divine Protection” was simply the partial power to mobilize the Earth Mother Goddess’s Divine Spark fragment that came from becoming a living seal.

What Sigrid had once referred to as “Gods Choosing Priests” was essentially the process of selecting the most compatible individuals from those with excellent qualifications to match the Divine Spark’s authority.

The Winged People were a race born from the combination of angels and direct descendants of the Earth Mother Goddess—children who inherited part of their mother’s abilities, just like Hilda, who excelled in plant magic, and Aistila, who evidently did the same.

   

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