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Chapter 4: Longing Across Distances

“Wow, this is really quite spectacular…”

As she secured the door behind her, the Priestess instinctively let out a light sigh of surprise.

In front of her, a girl with long skirts, green hair, and green eyes was seated cross-legged on the bed with her eyes closed. A vibrant emerald light and an overwhelming life force were continuously radiating outward from her body, causing the walls and ceiling of the stone room to be completely overgrown with various lively vines.

Bright sunlight streamed in through the window, casting a glow upon Tilysha’s long, gently swaying hair, reflecting a breathtaking scene. For a moment, Vilyric even felt as if the one sitting there was, in fact, the Life Goddess herself.

Ever since receiving Xi Fu Lin’s blessing and becoming the Life Goddess’s emissary — the one who bestows blessings — Tilysha’s originally unremarkable village girl aura seemed to have gradually transformed as time passed. Especially now, resonating with the Life Goddess’s power, that feeling had become strikingly evident.

Not to say she looked extraordinary, but she certainly exuded a freshness and purity, like a forest sprite born from the woods, every gesture radiating an enchanting, nature-filled beauty that was delightfully refreshing.

However, our little forest sprite seemed to be encountering a bit of trouble at the moment.

After observing Tilysha, who was furrowing her brow and sweating profusely, for a while, Vilyric reflected briefly before slowly approaching and sitting beside the girl, gently taking her right hand which lay upon her knee.

“Don’t worry, it’s me.”

The green-haired girl’s eyelids fluttered upon the touch, and she almost immediately woke up, but Vilyric leaned in close to whisper softly against her neck. The familiar voice quickly helped Tilysha relax again, even easing the tension in her furrowed brow a little.

Having reassured the girl’s spirit, the Priestess immediately used 【Information Detection】 to check her current condition.

Hmm… it was pretty much as expected.

Although Tilysha was radiant and the room around her looked magically overflowing with plants, in reality, that only indicated that her body simply could not handle the divine energy being transmitted from afar. The overload had caused the excess to spill out, resulting in the current situation.

In fact, if it weren’t for Vilyric having set up a barrier in her room a few days prior to ensure her safety and seclusion, blocking most of the energy that should have leaked out, the Moonshadow Magical Wolves guarding outside would have felt much more than just “occasional energy fluctuations.”

Good thing she was still a bit anxious and came to check; otherwise, things could have gone sideways.

“You can hear me, right? Don’t panic. First, set aside the thought of gathering seeds, and slowly guide the life force that’s accumulated within you. Remember, the power of the laws is different from magic; don’t operate it in your usual way of thinking. Try to understand.”

“One thought connects ten thousand laws; wanting speed leads to stagnation. Remember, don’t be anxious.”

The golden light emanating slightly from their clasped hands as the Priestess continued to heal Tilysha’s body, which was on the verge of collapse from the prolonged high load, while gently guiding her with her own experiences.

“Tilysha, you have a high affinity with the laws themselves. Xi Fu Lin chose you because of that, so you can definitely do it. Think about what true life is.”

To be honest, Vilyric didn’t understand the life laws very well, but she had studied its predecessor, the power from the Earth Mother Goddess’s 【Life and Decay】. This force, in a sense, complemented her proficiency in Holy Light magic.

Back in the Sky City, the Priestess had assisted Xi Fu Lin in planting the first Divine Tree. According to later discussions with the Life Goddess, Vilyric’s help had saved at least half the divine power expended.

Tilysha’s ability wasn’t the issue; she was just too eager to prove her worth, or rather, she wanted to help Vilyric hurry and do something, resulting in her current situation. A little guidance at this critical point should lead to noticeable change.

The golden light gradually merged into the green-haired girl. Her tightly furrowed brow finally started to relax, and the vibrant life force no longer spilled out wildly. Through the connection of 【Information Detection】, Vilyric felt a cluster of tangible energy beginning to gently develop in her lower abdomen.

This should be the embryonic form of the Divine Tree seed.

“Thank goodness…”

Although the plants that had grown in the room couldn’t be erased immediately, the toughest stage had ultimately been passed.

From here on, they just needed to wait a bit longer until Tilysha, through her connection with Xi Fu Lin, successfully gathered divine power and condensed a relatively weak version of the Divine Tree seed to officially set plans in motion.

Overall, it was going quite smoothly.

Feeling satisfied, the Priestess quietly released Tilysha’s hand, stood up, reinforced the protective barrier around her, then pushed the door open and slipped out of the room.

As she stepped outside and casually closed the door behind her, Vilyric seemed to sense something and turned her head, catching sight of a blonde girl standing next to Leila and Renée, quietly waiting, causing a small smile of understanding to appear on her face.

“Xiao Guang is back. Did you get her delivered?”

“Yes, my lady. I only turned back after watching her enter the Holy Empire’s borders.”

Still in her usual competent outfit, unchanging with the seasons but looking a bit travel-worn, the little dragon girl nodded, stepping forward to greet Vilyric with a friendly hug, thus exchanging greetings.

“Alright, alright ~ you little clingy one, no issues on the way back, right?”

As if savoring the faint scent emanating from the black-haired girl, the little dragon daughter reluctantly broke away from Vilyric before shaking her head.

“No, we flew over; there aren’t many who would dare to provoke us. The Holy Empire also sent someone to meet her, but when I saw Edwina leave, she seemed rather anxious. It might have something to do with what those humans told her.”

“Ah… it seems things are really getting messy over there. Just right, let’s resolve the situation at the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons first, then let’s check it out together. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Not a problem, my lady. Do you have any further orders?”

Vilyric shook her head with a smile.

“Not really, but later, I plan to head to the Portal Lands to handle some follow-up matters. Since we’ll be idle anyway, everyone can join. If all goes well, we should be on the move again soon.”

…

In the capital of the United Kingdom, the City of Courage, inside the royal palace.

“Is that so… that girl is still meddling on her own, huh… sigh, this time it’s probably thanks to her help that the northern part of the kingdom hasn’t fallen into disaster. Looks like I owe her another big favor.”

Leaning back on a soft and luxurious sofa, the current queen of the United Kingdom, Queen Liliya Meikailande, let out a helpless sigh, relaxed a bit, lifted the crystal cup filled with a light red liquid before her, took a sip, and then tilted her head slightly toward the hidden attendant kneeling before her, shrouded in black clothes.

“Have you found any news from the Holy Empire?”

The clearly feminine hidden attendant quickly replied in a young but steady voice.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but we haven’t received any valuable clues yet. The high ranks of the Holy Nation are keeping things tightly under wraps, and the Three Saintesses are their core, so our insider…”

The queen lazily raised a hand, stopping the attendant’s further report, her long legs partially hidden beneath the elegant light blue dress slightly crossed and shifting to a different direction, appearing somewhat uninterested.

“Understood, have the lower ranks investigate further. This matter isn’t urgent; we should prioritize caution. There’s no need to confront the Holy Nation directly. The focus should be on preventing the Church of the Goddess’s influence from deepening in our country.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“What about that 【Worship Light】 that’s been rising recently? Have you investigated whether it’s a splinter group put in place by the Church of the Goddess?”

The hidden attendant pondered for a moment before answering.

“We’ve clarified that it’s a very public organization. Currently, it doesn’t seem to have a direct link to the temple, and its objects of worship aren’t the Light Goddess Aurora but appear to be… 【Light and Redemption】 itself. There’s not even a base; it seems to be spreading through word of mouth.”

“Similar activities have also surfaced in the South, and due to the Abyssal Calamity and several so-called miracles, it has developed especially rapidly.”

“Your Highness, should we classify it as a cult and suppress it within the country?”

“…”

The queen remained silent for a long time. Not daring to interrupt her, the hidden attendant waited quietly. Finally, she simply said indifferently.

“Since it doesn’t seem to be the temple’s influence, let them be. Perhaps as they grow, they might serve to counterbalance the Church of the Goddess’s expansion.”

“Understood.”

The young girl casually waved her hand, causing the hidden attendant to fade obediently into shadows, gradually disappearing into the air.

After a while, Liliya suddenly spoke up toward the empty hall.

“Go check on what’s wrong with the Judging Saintess. What other nonsense is the Holy Nation up to? You go personally and don’t get discovered.”

“Another long journey, huh… fine, fine, I’ll go, okay…”

A low, slightly lecherous voice flashed through the hall, and as if she hadn’t heard the complaint, the noble and youthful blue-haired queen simply set the crystal goblet back on the table, lightly tapping the soft armrest of the sofa beside her with a thoughtful expression.

In the now truly deserted chamber, a barely audible voice echoed sadly, but only the person involved could hear it.

“Seriously… after everything is done, that ungrateful one doesn’t even think to come see me…”