Chapter 125: Reunited with the Spirit Spring

After a long while, it seemed like Eenee had finally made some sort of decision. She took a deep breath, a bitter and helpless expression appearing on her exquisitely delicate face, reminiscent of a real person.

“Alright, I’ll tell you… some things are about time to face. Perhaps your arrival is indeed the opportunity for change. If Big Sister Iwen were here, she would definitely make the same decision.”

As she said this, the clan leader added a hint of self-mockery to her expression.

“No, she made her decision and acted on it long ago; it’s just me who can’t let go.”

“?”

As Eenee spoke as if in riddles, Miss Vilyric and the others could only exchange confused glances, while Iriush, who clearly knew a thing or two, only stuck out her tongue without offering any explanations.

“Come with me, you can all come.”

With that remark, the clan leader turned and walked away.

Since the clan leader had spoken, there was no reason for them to be polite, so everyone, including Miss Vilyric and Little Dragon Daughter, set off in a lively group of nearly ten people, leaving behind a few Puppeteer Clan members who remained behind, as they entered the deep forest under the guidance of two spirits.

Walking down the now lively shaded path in the morning, soon they reached a somewhat familiar place.

“This is… the Spirit Spring?”

Before they could even reach the front, the guides stopped, and the Priestess grimaced, her expression strange.

“Wait, you guys didn’t dig a tunnel underground and bury something down there, did you? Hey, hey… can’t you be a bit more original? Are you all moles or something?”

“But Miss Vilyric, generally speaking, if important things aren’t buried underground, where else could they be hidden? Surely not in the sky?”

“Wow, Tilysha, you actually pointed out my loophole! But somehow it makes sense…”

“What are you all whispering about…”

Miss Eenee turned around with an exasperated expression, pointing to the Spirit Pool’s surface, which still emitted misty vapors even in daylight.

“We’re going down here.”

“Uh, why does it feel like this water route has been used before…”

“Enough chatter, hurry up and follow!”

After giving a glare to one Holy Knight who was still busy catching bugs, Eenee and Iriush exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. The latter seemed to pull something out, and then both of them dove straight into the water!

“Splish, splash!”

With two crisp sounds of them hitting the water, large splashes erupted, and the figures of the two spirits disappeared beneath the milky surface of the Spirit Spring, leaving no trace.

“Hmm?”

Seeing this, Miss Vilyric momentarily stopped her playful demeanor, stepping forward in surprise as she stared at the swirling waves on the pool’s surface for a moment.

They disappeared just like that?

For the record, this Spirit Spring was where they had all soaked just last night; it wasn’t some fish pond at home. It’s only about a meter deep, and even someone as tall as Miss Vilyric could keep her head and neck above water at the bottom. How could they…

Moreover, she hadn’t felt any spatial magic fluctuations just now. They just dove down and vanished as if they passed through the stone wall at the pool’s bottom to somewhere else.

Little Dragon Daughter approached the black-haired girl, her usually calm face also displaying a hint of surprise and wonder.

Clearly, even she couldn’t tell what trick Eenee and the others had used to vanish so suddenly.

But…

“Master, the presence hasn’t been interrupted; there might be a path underwater.”

“Is that so…”

Regardless, she would know after trying it for herself.

Since Eenee had demonstrated so explicitly, and having no clue about the principle, just following their lead shouldn’t be a problem.

Turning back to the hesitating crowd, especially Tilysha, Miss Vilyric smiled.

“It’s alright; if you’re too scared to jump, you can stay up here and wait for us to come back.”

“Eh? No, no, no! I’m not scared at all…”

“Oh, is that so? Good, then let’s go; I’ll lead the way.”

Before the blue-haired girl could say more, another splash rang out as the Priestess, eager to figure out what was going on, jumped down into the water after the two spirits.

Little Dragon Daughter naturally followed suit, but before she turned, it seemed she caught a glimpse of the stiff-faced Tilysha and the corner of her mouth curled into a barely discernible, mischievous smile.

Unfortunately, no one saw it.

“Ah…”

Watching the expanding ripples in the Spirit Spring, Tilysha’s unspoken “But…” got stuck in her throat.

Leila helplessly patted her shoulder.

“Alright, it’s not like Miss Vilyric would care about this; she’s seen everything already. We’re all girls; what’s the big deal? Come on, let’s not keep that lady waiting.”

…

Beneath the Spirit Spring, they encountered the expected hard stone wall, nothing strange in sight, but Miss Vilyric still hadn’t found any trace of Eenee and Iriush in the water.

The warm liquid naturally flowed away from her skin. With the protection of the Feather Garb, as long as Miss Vilyric wished, the pool water couldn’t penetrate her body.

Following the rush, she quickly approached the pool’s bottom, and just as she instinctively touched the bottom with her extended fingertip…

“Whoosh!”

Her hand passed through from behind the stone?!

The downward momentum wouldn’t vanish with Miss Vilyric’s shift in mood; starting from her arm, her entire body swiftly passed through what seemed like a solid yet ethereal pool bottom.

After a moment of weightlessness, she surfaced with a soft splash in the pleasantly warm clear water.

“Yo, you came down so quickly, pretty brave, huh~”

Not far away, already back on the shore, the ever casual Iriush, who had stripped down and was wringing out her wet clothes, flashed a bright smile at the dazed Priestess and gave a thumbs up.

“Ha? Wait, hey! Cover yourself a bit! You’re exposed, idiot! Didn’t your core teach you anything about modesty?!”

Not bothering to check her surroundings, Miss Vilyric quickly turned her head away, her face turning slightly warm from the sudden shock.

“Exposed…? Pfft… Hahahaha ~ You’re so naïve, Miss Vilyric! Is that all it takes to fluster you? I’m a doll; my body is all made of synthetic materials, not an actual flesh body! And we all count as feminine, right? Didn’t we soak in the Spirit Spring together just yesterday? Why are you acting so shy? Hahahaha!”

Like a child discovering something amusing, Iriush laughed heartily, carefree about covering herself.

“Don’t laugh, you jerk! Dolls are still dolls, right?! And yesterday we were all in the water, mostly wearing towels, so not much was seen… In any case, hurry and wrap yourself up, everyone else is coming down soon!”

“Hahahahaha ~ So cute! Miss Vilyric, you’re so adorable! Hahaha, oh no, what are you doing, second buddy?!”

As the troublemaker laughed at Miss Vilyric’s reaction, the second buddy, who had already come in and dried her clothes and body at lightning speed, appeared from around the corner and delivered a righteous smack to the back of her head.

   

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