Chapter 47: The Beginning of Collaboration

After leaving behind the noisy Miss Butterfly and returning to the real world through the special passage created by the Void Trace, what appeared before Miss Vilyric was a pitch-black abyss.

Of course, it wasn’t that someone had turned off the lights; rather, a rockslide had buried everything in the cave, and Vilyric was now situated as if she had materialized inside a mountain, forcibly displacing the surrounding stones.

Only she could manage such a feat; if it were anyone else, unless they had transcended the limitations of physical existence, they would likely be crushed into a meat pancake by the weight of the peak.

Tiyelu must have realized this too, which is why she agreed to exchange information and asked Vilyric to clear the path; otherwise, she would have to exert considerable effort to save those magical children and grandchildren.

“Ugh, it’s a bit stuffy. Did they bury this too thoroughly…?”

The Feathered Garaya naturally formed a protective barrier under pressure, creating an invisible film that clung to the surface of the young girl’s skin, blocking out pressure and dirt. However, the sensation of rocks squeezing in from all sides was still quite uncomfortable for Vilyric.

Attempting to stretch her limbs, those ordinary stones were like tofu to the Priestess; she could easily smash them with a little effort. But no matter how many she cleared, more stones would keep pressing down from above, making Vilyric think of a certain monkey trapped beneath a mountain for five hundred years.

“Bah, you’re the monkey… Radiant Protection!”

With a loud rumbling and crashing sounds, a golden curtain expanded instantaneously around the Priestess, despite the pressure on Radiant Protection surging rapidly with the growing area, the rate of extension showed no signs of slowing.

It might sound absurd to resist the weight of an entire mountain with just personal strength, but for Vilyric, it was actually nothing to worry about. She might not be able to punch a mountain away with sheer physical power, but when magic was added, it painted a different picture entirely.

The shield of Radiant Protection expanded to cover about a third of the original cave size before gradually ceasing. After all, it was just an area for a dozen or so individuals to move around; there was no need to make it too large, just a token effort would suffice.

Once that was sorted out, she used a contract to notify the Little Dragon Daughter left in the Sacred Space. Just as Vilyric had anticipated, the small space split off from the Demon God’s kingdom could not block their mental connection.

As for why the pet contract she had with Xiao Guang had such an incredible priority—able to ignore most barriers and space cloaking—Vilyric initially did not understand. However, as her understanding of power deepened, she formed a tentative hypothesis.

This seemingly intangible connection of a contract might essentially be a form of spiritual points. Because both Vilyric and the Little Dragon Daughter had high levels, especially the strength of Vilyric’s spiritual points, it allowed this connection not to be obstructed by various lower-level barriers.

Of course, this was still just a hypothesis.

At the very least, the Priestess did not currently comprehend the essence of the pet contract; her understanding of the world’s contract system was limited to what she had read in books. Just like she didn’t understand why Snow Wing had formed a pet contract with her as soon as it was born, defying the game’s rule of only one pet per player.

Vilyric didn’t have to wait long. After mentally notifying the Little Dragon Daughter, less than ten seconds later, the previously disappeared group of demons suddenly reappeared through swirling white mist. The members led by Nan Dao cautiously emerged, with the Giant Dragon nearby maintaining a careful distance before coming back into view.

“Master.”

“Mm, seems everything went smoothly.”

As soon as they emerged, the Little Dragon Daughter dashed back to Vilyric’s side without hesitation. Vilyric nodded in response and looked around for a moment, puzzled.

“Where’s Tiyelu? Didn’t she come out with you?”

“Huh?”

Hearing this, Xiao Guang tilted her head and instinctively turned her gaze toward the group of demons, who were chattering about which tier of magic the golden curtain that opened the collapsed cave belonged to, then innocently looked back.

“Sorry, Master. I was just standing with these guys and got transported by that butterfly. I have no idea if she came out with us. What kind of trick is she playing?”

“That shouldn’t be the case. She’s the one who commissioned me for help…”

Just as Vilyric was about to say more, she noticed the tall figure of Nan Dao, wielding a unique sword, stepping away from the demon group and walking towards them.

“Is there something you need?”

Nan Dao stopped three meters away, bowed respectfully to the two girls, and spoke in a somewhat reverent tone.

“Walter of the Ghost Warrior Tribe, greeting the two seniors. Tiyelu has briefed me on the general situation. Thank you very much for your assistance. The subsequent actions will be coordinated through me as a representative, continuing discussions with the two seniors.”

“Seniors?”

The petite black-haired girl looked up at Walter, who towered over her, her mouth twitching.

“Don’t call me senior; that just sounds strange… You can just call me Vilyric.”

“Ah? Alright, then, Lady Vilyric?”

“Fine, fine, that’s better than ‘senior’…”

The Ghost Warrior Tribe was known for their admiration of martial arts and a penchant for forging and collecting various divine weapons. It was normal for them to respond this way, showing respect towards those they recognized as strong.

As long as they didn’t keep calling her ‘senior,’ Vilyric could accept it.

“Okay, Lady Vilyric. Tiyelu has instructed me to inform you that her avatar cannot casually appear in the real world, but she will constantly monitor the developments here. If necessary, she will lend a hand, so there’s no need for you to miss her too much.”

“Huh? Why would I suddenly miss her… Forget it, prepare yourselves, and let’s get out of here quickly. There might be some ambushes outside, but don’t worry. Since I promised Tiyelu, I will take care of everything.”

“Alright, we’ll stay alert and ready for battle over here.”

With everything settled, Vilyric led Walter and the other demons toward the outside world.

The collapse situation here was severe; it seemed that the previous explosion had destroyed the entire balance of the mountain. Not only was the largest cave buried, but the outer passages and other small caves—including those that once held Xiao Lan and the group of magical beasts with teleportation arrays—were now entirely covered by fallen rocks.

Thankfully, Walter had had them escape in advance; otherwise, they would have all been buried under the rubble by now.

This batch of magical beasts clearly served as bait, likely aimed at convincing Walter and the other demons that this was indeed an important base for the Ghost Thieves, leading them without suspicion into the depths filled with restless magic crystals.

One had to admit that the Ghost Thieves were ruthless; if Tiyelu hadn’t acted in time and Vilyric hadn’t made a sudden strike, Walter’s team would have likely faced severe losses. Even if the legendary three demon generals barely made it out alive, the rest of the demons would likely have perished.

While managing Radiant Protection to forcefully push aside the obstructing stones and move forward, Vilyric also felt for the location of the Light Element Crystal she had left for Xiao Lan.

It had stopped moving and wasn’t too far from where Vilyric and others were, likely in an open area outside this mountain.

However, that didn’t necessarily mean they had made it to safety.

If that were the case, it was time to utilize the reserved means, after all, ensuring the safety of these magical beast girls was one of the pre-agreed conditions between the Priestess and Tiyelu.

   

---