Chapter 139: The Test Among Travelers

That said, the Gatekeeper, or rather the young man who calls himself Min Chen, didn’t seem angry at all; instead, he chuckled with some amusement.

“Interesting! You really are as intriguing as Tiyelu said, it’s worth me temporarily sealing the gate and coming all this way, Vilyric. Is it okay if I call you that directly?”

“Of course! Then I’ll just call you Min Chen; ‘Gatekeeper’ feels a bit strange.”

Instantly, a broader smile appeared on Min Chen’s face.

“Ha! No problem, it’s just a title after all. Before I start addressing your questions, may I ask one first?”

“Sure?”

With that, there was a hint of curiosity on Min Chen’s otherwise calm face. He seemed to tap the table meaningfully, a glimmer of light flashing in his eyes.

“Vilyric, I’ve never heard that name before. Tiyelu said you’re peculiar and possess the power to ignore the Holy Land’s restrictions. That’s something only related to that level can achieve, and as far as I know, such beings have hardly appeared in the past three hundred years… So, may I ask where you’re from and what brings you to this land of ten thousand demons?”

Hmm…

I guess it’s true that the older the ginger, the spicier it gets. Though he feels a bit showy, when it gets serious, he immediately asks the most crucial question.

Also, the hardest question to answer.

Most people I encountered before, even if they were curious about Vilyric’s background, would mostly just ask vague questions like “Who are you?” or “What do you want?” In such cases, the Priestess could dodge with a noncommittal answer, “Just a traveler wandering around.”

But Min Chen’s questions were “Where do you come from?” and “What are you doing here?”—very pointed questions, and I couldn’t just casually brush them off.

I could choose to dodge the question or say something like “I come from the United Kingdom of Humans,” but doing so would make me seem guilty and awkward, raising suspicions and complicating future discussions.

After all, trust is always mutual.

In this situation, I certainly couldn’t just say, “I’m a player from a game world,” but coming up with a reasonable, suggestive answer without revealing too much secret would definitely require some finesse.

Right, let me test something I’m slightly curious about.

“Not willing to say? That’s fine; I was being abrupt anyway. Let’s continue…”

Seeing the black-haired girl hesitating to reply for a while, appearing to have some difficulty expressing herself, Min Chen let out a light sigh. Just when he was about to say something to ease the atmosphere, she suddenly spoke up.

“There’s really nothing to hide. Actually, I came from another place and don’t belong to this world.”

“?!”

After saying that intentionally, Vilyric closely observed the expressions of the other three as they heard her statements. Vanessa and Barta from the Tree Spirit Race frowned slightly, but only Min Chen’s expression changed dramatically, revealing a stark contrast to his earlier calm demeanor filled with shock.

Though fleeting, it was clearly captured by the Priestess.

Sure enough, there’s something fishy here.

Feigning ignorance, Vilyric continued.

“Due to some bizarre accident, I came to this place from my original world and can’t return for now. The reason I’m traveling with my companions is to learn as much as possible about this world and gather information related to ‘crossing over.'”

Calmly sipping her medicinal wine, the Priestess supported her chin with one hand, tilting her head to look at the three sitting before her, especially at the Gatekeeper, Min Chen.

“So? Are you satisfied with this answer?”

“This…”

Vanessa and Barta exchanged glances, looking somewhat surprised but at a loss for words. However, Vilyric considered their response to be completely normal.

While crossing worlds is indeed astonishing, through her series of experiences after coming here, Vilyric realized one crucial thing: this world, once known as the Dreamland Continent, is not entirely closed off.

It’s still unclear what form this world truly exists in, but undoubtedly, many other worlds actually have a tenuous connection to it. A typical example would be the Abyss that the Priestess just recently visited.

Though Vilyric hadn’t encountered it yet, the demons that were often reported to invade here seem to also be beings from other worlds, indicating that interaction between different worlds is indeed possible.

Quite rare, but not something to make too much fuss about.

However, as the speaker remains oblivious, the listener holds a keen interest, especially when Vilyric deliberately uses such ambiguous statements to provoke thoughts that can lead certain individuals to deeper considerations.

Unlike the astonishment and silence of the other two, Min Chen abruptly spoke up, uttering a phrase that sounded particularly strange and difficult to interpret.

*Cough… Strange change, odd remains?*

“?”

The words he used were not in the common tongue of magical beasts, but rather in the most widely used language of the United Kingdom—or the human tongue. His speech was exceedingly rapid, so Vanessa and Barta couldn’t catch it at first. Only Vilyric, equipped with the Translation Tool, immediately reacted.

Tilting her head in surprise.

“What did you just say?”

“Ah? No… it’s nothing, just a slip of the tongue… Uh, Vilyric, since you said you came from another world, how do you refer to your homeland?”

It was clear that Min Chen’s attitude suddenly became a bit more reserved and tense. Though the other two might not pick up on the reason, and perhaps didn’t even notice it, the Priestess instantly understood.

This guy is definitely a traveler!

No mistake about it, *”Strange change, odd remains, watch the quadrants”*—this term, which was greatly derided on Blue Star, is dubbed the “Traveler’s Secret Code.” The beings in this world could never know it, as while technology may be similar, the summarized experiences and mnemonics would never be identical.

Min Chen is a traveler, or rather, he’s likely a player from Blue Star, which explains why he possesses such semi-divine power.

In fact, at level 80, that can’t be considered high among players; after all, in *Illusion World*, the later you upgrade, the more absurd the difficulty and time required becomes, and that level could only be considered mediocre.

The reason Vilyric didn’t respond immediately was primarily that she truly didn’t expect him to suddenly throw such a curveball; she was a bit stunned. Additionally, it was clear that Min Chen didn’t want to publicly expose his player identity; otherwise, he wouldn’t have tried to probe in such an obscure way.

Moreover, what made Vilyric even more concerned and hesitant was:

Why doesn’t Min Chen recognize her?

It’s not just self-promotion; she’s actually quite well-known among the player community in *Illusion World*. After all, across the entire server, it’s pretty hard to find many priests stronger than her.

As for the name “Vilyric,” it has appeared consistently in various large dungeon clear lists. Even if players haven’t interacted with her directly, they must have heard of her; announcements across the world cycle through repeatedly.

In previous games, there were even exclusive interviews with various high-level players, and the image of the Priestess, much like today, has appeared multiple times in promotional announcements and such.

But since Min Chen is a traveler, why does he show no recognition towards this name or image?

   

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