Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Two: Sudden Downpour

Two days later, with a certain doll Miss forcefully squeezed into the group, Miss Vilyric and her entourage finally reached the outskirts of the Moonshadow Clan territory.

According to their planned schedule, they were supposed to arrive much earlier, but on the first day of their journey, the priestess and her companions encountered a massive downpour that induced a large-scale mountain flood, blocking the road and temporarily delaying their progress.

After all, in such treacherous conditions, even mountain wolves, known for their climbing prowess, would become somewhat endangered if they maintained their original speed, especially while carrying passengers.

Weather changes like rain and snow couldn’t threaten Vilyric, but she was no longer the solitary figure from her arrival in this world, accompanied only by Little Dragon Daughter. She had to also consider her comparatively weaker companions.

So, they quickly found a cave to camp, avoiding the rain while figuring out a new route to bypass the disaster area, resting there for the night until the downpour lessened before setting off again.

However, fate was unkind. Just as the priestess and her party reached the outskirts of Moonshadow Clan territory, the sky, already overcast, erupted with thunder and lightning, and torrential rain poured down.

“Wah, what’s up with this weather… Is it never-ending?”

Quickly using Radiant Protection to raise a shield against the sudden gust of wind and heavy rain, Vilyric looked up at the sky while perched on the mountain wolf, feeling somewhat speechless.

The dense curtain of rain came crashing down, battering against the golden barrier with a rapid pattering sound. While it couldn’t shake Radiant Protection in the slightest, it reduced visibility considerably outside, making it hard to discern the road.

This… made proper progress impossible. The priestess felt confused; was the weather in the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons always this abrupt and violent?

“Miss Vilyric, speaking of using such powerful magic to block the rain… isn’t it a bit wasteful?”

Aiste, who had just transformed back into human form, approached while holding onto the nearly inseparable Noviya. She glanced at the huge protective shield covering all of them, which measured over a hundred square meters, and seemed somewhat helpless.

In response, Vilyric turned around, smiling nonchalantly. “That’s not important. By the way, how far are we from the core base of the Moonshadow Clan?”

The Moonshadow Clan territory and the core base were two entirely different concepts. The priestess’s group had already entered the former’s range, which encompassed the living radius of all Moonshadow communities, while the core base was the home of the strongest tribe and the entire race’s leader.

If forced to compare, it was like the border of a small country to its capital; though not thousands of miles apart, it wasn’t as straightforward as just crossing a few mountains to reach it.

“Well… under normal circumstances, considering the mountain wolves’ speed, it should take two to three hours to arrive, but with the current weather, it’s hard to say.”

“Hard to say…”

In other words, it meant they wouldn’t reach it anytime soon.

Mountains were different from cities. Once it started to rain, not only did the ground become muddy and difficult to traverse, but the significantly decreased visibility was truly problematic, which was why they had postponed their journey for safety earlier.

“Is the climate always like this around here? Although we’ve traveled through many places, to be honest, I’ve never seen downpours like this before.”

Aiste seemed somewhat puzzled by Vilyric’s question.

“Of course not. While misty rains are common in the mountains, usually, the scale isn’t overly large. This level of rain can even trigger mountain flooding; I’ve lived in the mountains for over a hundred years and have hardly seen it happen.”

She smiled helplessly. “Perhaps you were just unlucky, Miss Vilyric, to encounter such a rare event.”

“Is that so… then we are quite unfortunate indeed.”

The priestess smiled without saying much more. Seeing that the conversation seemed to have reached a temporary pause, Leila, who had been sitting by Vilyric on the mountain wolf, took the initiative to ask for everyone’s opinion.

“Then, Miss Vilyric, should we continue forward? Or take shelter from the rain like yesterday?”

“Of course, we’ll press on. If this rain keeps pouring, do we just stand around? It’s just a natural phenomenon; if we really want to fix it, there are ways to solve it…”

Before Vilyric could finish, a doll Miss, who had originally been sharing a mountain wolf with Tilysha and had been blending in the corner, suddenly sprang out with a burst of energy, jumping to the front and snatching the conversation.

“Exactly! As long as you use my brilliant invention, Iriush’s Multi-Functional Travel Assistant No. 71, all our problems can be effortlessly resolved!”

“?”

Everyone had giant question marks pop up above their heads at the same time.

“Get out of the way! Let the adults talk, you little brat.”

The priestess, with a face full of disdain, pushed her aside, intending to continue the discussion, but Iriush immediately raised her voice in protest.

“Hey! Who’s a little brat? I’m over two hundred years old, okay? And at a time like this, shouldn’t you ask me what features the Multi-Functional Travel Assistant No. 71 has and how to use it? What kind of attitude is that, ridiculous!”

“Ha? Who would use your oddly named gadget? It’s just a little rain! Don’t make things more complicated, you weirdo!”

“I can’t accept such slander! Just because it sounds unreliable doesn’t mean it is! My Multi-Functional Travel Assistant No. 71 has undergone numerous theoretical and practical tests, proving its excellent performance in various environments. How could it complicate matters?!”

“Not a bit obvious? It’s just a flying wing. Someone failed over a thousand times. This thing is still below a hundred in numbers; it’s hard to believe it’s not a half-finished product still in testing…”

“Do you even know what you’re talking about? It’s not the same! I can’t explain it! In any case, my Multi-Functional Travel Assistant No. 71 is absolutely flawless in performance; if you don’t believe me, just try it!”

“Tsk.”

Although it felt troublesome, seeing Iriush so adamantly convinced and knowing it was her first time using those “inventions” aloft, following the philosophy of “knowledge comes from practice,” Miss Vilyric ultimately decided to temporarily set aside her prejudices against her and give her a chance.

“Alright, let’s give it a try, but make it clear: If anything goes wrong, you’re on your own. I won’t help clean up.”

“Hehe, don’t worry! It’s absolutely safe!”

Having finally received the priestess’s nod, the doll girl instantly switched from her previously irate demeanor to one of glee, rummaging through her pile of bags until she finally pulled out a somewhat shabby black metal tablet, about the size of a laptop.

“Ta-da! This is it! One of my proud inventions, the Multi-Functional Travel Assistant No. 71! Perfect for travel, home use, hit-and-run incidents, and even murder and arson!”

“Is this thing even serious…?”

   

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