Chapter 116: The Meaning of Travel

After a moment of hesitation, Miss Vilyric gently pulled aside the only tie on her bathrobe under everyone’s expectant gazes.

Then, like a fish slipping into the water, as her bathrobe slid off, and before anyone could get a good look, she *plop* dove into the milky spiritual spring below, submerging her body in the misty atmosphere and springs.

Her landing spot perfectly coincided with that of a certain Little Dragon Daughter, whose golden hair was made to float like ribbons above the water’s surface, warmed by the mist and spring liquid.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Guang merely opened her eyes slightly and revealed a rare, satisfied smile, while the other girls gasped and exclaimed in various ways.

“Ah! Miss Vilyric is so sneaky; I didn’t get to see anything!”

“Indeed, Miss Vilyric becomes shy so easily; there’s really nothing to hide.”

“I’m so envious of Xiao Guang…”

“Ugh, too bad! We were so close to seeing…”

“Hey, hey! Can you all keep it down a bit?”

The Priestess, who had popped her little head out from below the water, quickly cut off everyone’s endless complaints with a serious face. Once the scene quieted down, she leaned back against the smooth stone wall and began to quietly feel the warm magic of the Puppeteer Clan’s specially crafted spiritual spring.

The temperature of the spring water was just right; it might be a bit hot at first, but adjusting to it in the chilly autumn phase was indeed an excellent way to drive away the cold and warm the body.

Even though Miss Vilyric’s divine body was unbothered by heat or cold, it didn’t mean she could not sense temperature. In fact, the Priestess rather enjoyed activities like soaking in baths and massages; otherwise, she wouldn’t have spent all day lounging in Liliya’s royal bathhouse before.

Outside, one could rarely enjoy such a private hot spring.

This place wasn’t located in an area of active crustal activity, so the spring water probably wasn’t heated by geothermal energy; there might be some special device buried beneath.

While it was somewhat concerning, being overly meticulous about everything would make life exhausting. Sometimes, one must relax and take a break.

Although it looked like a white, unknown liquid, once Miss Vilyric entered, she realized the water quality wasn’t actually murky. It leaned more towards light white, but when scooped up with her hands, it was still clear and translucent, merely appearing colored due to the abundant magical elements amidst the radiant reflections above.

Like a curious little girl, Miss Vilyric once again scooped some spring water, watched it flow down through her fingers, and casually rested her head against the smooth, warm shoulder of the Little Dragon Daughter beside her. She quietly savored the slight fragrance from the contact with skin, closed her eyes comfortably, and a gentle smile tugged at her lips.

Enjoying delicious food, soaking in hot springs, and petting her dragon—now that’s what real travel is about~

“It seems like the master is in a good mood.”

In her ears, she heard a soft whisper with a smile, and without opening her eyes, Miss Vilyric leaned against the other person and asked back with a smile, “Yeah, and Xiao Guang, are you feeling the joy of life?”

“It doesn’t matter; as long as I’m with the master, that’s enough.”

“…”

After a little while, the Little Dragon Daughter lowered her voice again, seeming somewhat shy.

“But… this is nice too, right?”

“Is it?”

After a long time, feeling those strange gazes lingering around her body finally drift away, Miss Vilyric slowly opened her eyes, seizing the perfect opportunity with warmth filling her body and everyone relaxed, planning to find a topic to chat about.

In fact, during this period, everyone had been talking about family stories, sharing various experiences or trivial matters, so speaking up wouldn’t feel out of place.

Seemingly casually, Miss Vilyric directed her gaze across to two Puppeteer girls opposite, who were also enjoying the temperature and magic of the spiritual spring, their faces showing great comfort. She softly began, “Speaking of which, Miss Iriush, your Puppeteer Clan seems to excel in creating exquisite crafts; could there be a connection?”

“Hmm?”

Drawn into this casual conversation, Iriush and Iwen simultaneously opened their eyes, and after exchanging surprised glances, the former slowly nodded.

“It’s somewhat related; if I really must say, it connects to the creator of our Puppeteer Clan, ‘Father.’

Oh wow, seems like I succeeded?

Seeing the thoughtful and reminiscent look on the Puppeteer girl’s face, Miss Vilyric secretly nodded. She could sense that Iriush and the others were somewhat evasive about the topic of “Father.” Not only had the Priestess subtly probed during dinner, asking the serving Puppeteer girls similar questions, but they had skillfully deflected it.

Though curiosity brimming, if she directly inquired about this sensitive topic, it would undoubtedly disrupt the current harmonious atmosphere, potentially even turning Iriush and the others against her. Thus, Miss Vilyric had chosen to guide them subtly, letting them bring it up themselves.

Of course, the trust established from her earlier efforts to help bring Iriush back played a significant role as well.

“I’d love to hear more.”

Miss Vilyric nodded but didn’t rush them. Seeing the other girls also drawn in with curious gazes, Iriush thought for a moment and then continued.

“Our ‘Father’ is a very skilled craftsman, and the things he creates are far beyond just our Puppeteer Clan. From small, finger-sized crafts to massive statues or palaces, even iron birds that can fly through the skies, I’ve seen designs and even finished products from ‘Father’ in his workshop; it’s incredible beyond what you can imagine…”

“Unfortunately, when we Puppeteers were born, ‘Father’ had already ceased doing such splendid artistic creations. The death of ‘Mother’ plunged him into despair and obsession, making him infatuated with the elusive field of soul studies, pouring all his astonishing talent into resurrecting and creating life.”

“I think ‘Father’ has never seen us as ‘daughters.’ Our existence as Puppeteers was perhaps merely one part of his plan to resurrect ‘Mother’ or an early experiment.”

“I’m not clear on his plans, but it’s unfortunate that although we Puppeteers possess self-awareness and flexible thinking, it doesn’t mean we have souls. Our self originates from the mental core created by ‘Father.’ This is indeed an immensely great creation, but compared to a real soul, there is a fundamental difference.”

“Realizing this, ‘Father’ grew disappointed with us. He originally seemed to intend for us to become assistants for further experiments and the first wave of participants, hence endowing the Puppeteers with the extraordinary creativity he inherited. But when we truly came to life, ‘Father’ realized his experiment was misaligned; puppets could never possess souls, and the mental cores could not carry souls, let alone resurrect someone.”

“Feeling hopeless, ‘Father’ initially planned to destroy us, but due to… some matters, he ultimately chose to leave us behind and disappeared without a trace.”

“After ‘Father’ vanished, the most decisive Iwen sister led everyone wandering among the mountains in search of a new home, ultimately arriving at this tranquil forest, where we settled and called ourselves the Puppeteer Clan.”

“Once we established a stable life, the Iwen sister left the forest alone. Although she pretended to be traveling, I suspect she was actually searching for ‘Father’s’ whereabouts, wanting some explanations for certain matters.”

“Hehe, but everyone has already moved on; it’s okay. Look at us, our lives are pretty good now, right? The Puppeteer Clan doesn’t need to rely on anyone and can live steadily without needing any father or mother!”

Pausing for a moment, sensing the somewhat silent atmosphere, Iriush smiled apologetically.

“Sorry, I suddenly brought up something so heavy.”

“No, this topic was brought up by me; I should apologize…”

Miss Vilyric genuinely felt some regret; had she known it would be such serious content, she would have chosen a more suitable time and setting to bring it up.

In the silence, a short-haired Puppeteer girl nearby, soaking beside Iriush, suddenly clapped her hands with a bang, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Right! Why talk about those old issues? Instead of this time, let’s discuss where to start with my ‘Artificial Flying Wing No. 1786’… Wah! Why did you suddenly hit my head, Old Two!!”

“You’re the Old Two! Your whole family’s Old Two! If you keep talking about your failed experiments that have been a disaster over a thousand times, filling a warehouse with junk, I’ll throw you out of the spiritual pool!!!”

   

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