Chapter 167: Tracing Back the Roots

“Of course, all of the above just makes me feel that this Spirit Butterfly of yours is a bit strange, but it hasn’t reached the level of suspicion, nor have I directly connected you with Tiyelu.”

“After all, at that time, I had no idea what the situation of a certain Holy Ancestor was, and I had a very limited understanding of your methods, plus we soon parted ways afterward.”

“If we never met again, I definitely wouldn’t have continued to link things together, let alone uncovering identities, but clearly, you don’t seem to plan on… just letting me, your useful henchman and tool, off so easily~”

Pretending to sigh dramatically, the Priestess seemed a bit amused.

“Did you know, while Walter and the others were grabbing food and drinks at my place in Demon Town, they happened to mention some things during casual chit-chat? For instance – that certain Holy Ancestor really is quite extraordinary, even though they reportedly had gone off to handle things alone, and didn’t know the specific actions of that group of magical generals, they just happened to swoop in and save Walter and the others right before the cave was about to collapse. You can’t say that’s not impressive.”

“So, at that time, I became a bit curious, considering Tiyelu is not an all-knowing God, how did she know everything and manage to do such a thing? Perhaps those magical beasts would feel it’s only natural to glorify you too much, but to me, it just doesn’t add up.”

“My first thought was that you might have left something like an eye on Walter and the others to monitor their every move. But after quietly checking all the magical generals, I found no such thing, which is quite odd, don’t you think?”

“I pondered over this matter, yet could never find a reasonable answer. Later, for some unknown reason, you retracted your avatars and cut off contact with the outside world, leaving me unable to verify anything, so I had to temporarily give up, until — Xiao Lan and you, Lulu, arrived at Moonshadow Valley.”

Having spoken at length, Vilyric paused momentarily, and Miss Slime, who had gradually calmed down, thoughtfully asked.

“Are you saying that Lulu deliberately came with me to see you? It wasn’t that she truly couldn’t return to the mountain?”

Glancing at Miss Slime’s expression, which carried a hint of urgency, the Black-haired Girl smiled, leaving it ambiguous.

“Lulu might indeed be temporarily unable to return to the mountain due to the activation of the magic circle, but Tiyelu, as the Holy Ancestor of the Spirit Butterfly Clan, is the true creator of these defenses; there’s no way she could be blocked by her own protective array. So saying she deliberately came to find me isn’t unreasonable.”

Quickly, Vilyric shifted her gaze back to the silent Lulu.

“Honestly, when I first saw you and Xiao Lan together, I didn’t think much of it; I just thought you were close and wouldn’t want to separate easily. But not long after meeting, Lulu eagerly piqued my curiosity, explaining the situation at Spirit Butterfly Peak and subtly hinting at its possible connection to the Holy Land, trying to further engage my attention.”

“It was as if you intentionally traveled a long distance just to tell me about this, wasn’t it?”

“Of course, I have to admit you successfully aroused my curiosity, but this somewhat abrupt and deliberate behavior also made me suspicious of you for the first time, making me feel this little girl might be hiding something from everyone.”

“To verify and ensure, I specifically sought out Miss Vanessa, the leader of the Moonshadow Clan, and gathered some information about Spirit Butterfly Peak before setting off with you.”

At this point, the Priestess finally revealed a satisfied smile, as if a plan had come to fruition.

“Do you know why I was unwilling to act for a long time and let Xiao Lan protect you instead? Perhaps you thought I was being cautious against the invading enemies, not wanting to raise alarm, which indeed is one reason. But more importantly, I was testing you — Lulu, I wanted to see if everyone could break through the mist and reach the mountain without my interference.”

“As you can see, you managed to pass through smoothly. Although it might be a bit rude to say regarding Xiao Lan, this magic formation was personally designed by Tiyelu, containing a level of power even touching upon the soul. How could a mere slime just starting out, falling short of being transcendent, utilize a defense magic less than fifth or sixth tier so casually?”

“The answer becomes clear then; someone was intentionally letting it slide. To enable us to ascend without wasting time lingering below, she secretly suppressed the array’s effects on us, allowing Xiao Lan to block out the mist with only powers she was using for the first time.”

“All the way, I kept testing you, deliberately posing many tricky yet important questions, such as what would happen if one flew straight into the mountain from the sky, details about the three nodes, and where the mysteriously vanishing Lotus went, etc. — you answered them all. How could a Spirit Butterfly that’s barely been born know such things?”

“But you know my spirited nature, so to prevent me from doing the unexpected, you had no choice but to report back to me. From that moment on, I concluded that you, this so-called Lulu, are definitely not an ordinary member of the Spirit Butterfly Clan. Combined with some past intel and your behavior during the journey, the answer to who you are — became quite apparent, didn’t it?”

“…..”

Having finished her long deduction, Vilyric simply smiled at Lulu, while Xiao Lan looked at her with a serious expression. Inside that light barrier, silence descended momentarily.

After a while, Miss Spirit Butterfly raised her head with a hint of resignation.

“At the end of the day, this is all just speculation, right? You don’t have any evidence to prove I’m Tiyelu.”

Hearing this, the Priestess nodded emphatically.

“Yes, I indeed have no evidence, but I don’t need that sort of thing. Do you think this is some murder mystery novel where the main character must obtain proof before condemning the culprit? Wrong, wrong, that’s not important; the point is, I believe you are Tiyelu, and in reality, you can only be Tiyelu — and that is sufficient.”

“Or, I could just turn around and leave right now, and you wouldn’t be able to force me to stay, would you?”

“Ha… truly a presumptuous yet terrifyingly perceptive woman, I admit defeat.”

Lulu shook her head helplessly and sighed. It was as if by some illusion, her aura subtly shifted in that moment, becoming… both familiar and strange.

Then, she spoke.

“Yes, you’re right; I am Lulu, and I can also be considered Tiyelu.”

“Although I felt something was off when you were asking me those questions, I didn’t expect to be seen through so quickly. You truly are a mysterious character who keeps surprising even me.”

“Hehe, likewise~”

For Lulu — or rather, Tiyelu’s jab at her lacking praises, Vilyric merely smiled, unbothered.

“So… are you really that Holy Ancestor of the Spirit Butterfly Clan? Was everything before this, including our friendship, those conversations, and those promises… all orchestrated on purpose?”

Looking at Xiao Lan’s dejected and sorrowful expression, the just-unveiled Tiyelu seemed to have anticipated it, irritably scratching her wings.

“Ahh… what a hassle! I just knew something like this would happen, which is why I stubbornly refused to admit it. It’s not entirely like what you imagine… How should I explain this…”

   

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