Chapter 34: Moving Towards Transcendence

【Hmm, I have my own judgment on this matter. Death is final; Holy Knight Bowen, move on to the afterlife.】

Upon hearing this, the golden specter emanated a faint sorrow and a pure, devout sentiment.

“Yes… Although I’m a bit worried about my family, to receive your summons in my final moments, I suppose my life was not in vain. Princess Goddess, where do us mortals go after death?”

【…Follow the guidance and go.】

The soul in the void paused slightly, as if having understood something, a smile of relief emerging on its face.

“I see now… so this is the true essence and destination of faith. Praise you, Great Light Goddess, embodiment of all hope and dawn in the world, the original holy light, please guide me…”

Bowen’s devout praises gradually faded away, the golden specter slowly dissipating into a puff of smoke in the alley.

At this moment, the black-haired girl, who had been trying to maintain the so-called “goddess demeanor,” finally relaxed helplessly.

【Even if you ask that, how could I know where people go when they die? I’m not the real Light Goddess…】

Furthermore, it was just as expected; due to the high compatibility with light attributes, it had even manifested in aura. In this country that venerates light, showing a bit of incredible ability easily led to being mistaken for the actual Light Goddess.

While there were indeed divine sparks and divine realms, Violet had never intended to become a deity in some holy kingdom.

I hope that the true Princess Goddess… won’t mind her impersonation, but then again, Someone never officially claimed to be the Light Goddess or Aurora to begin with.

【Sigh, pretending to be a deity is exhausting…】

Quietly complaining, the figure of the girl in white slowly faded as well, leaving only a piece of charred darkness in the alley.

…

The next day, the girls set off on their new journey according to the planned itinerary.

Violet didn’t expose Kleisius’ actions or make further contact with him. Even Ming Lan from the Lingyin Merchant Association, although the Priestess was keen to have more discussions, he had already hurriedly left Holy Star City, heading who knows where.

And Holy Star City, though it seemed puzzling, Violet could tell that it was merely the tip of a vast iceberg of real complexity—Church of the Goddess, apostates, demons, the Lingyin tribe, and perhaps certain figures who hadn’t shown up yet…

The Holy Empire is a melting pot, and under the banner of “freedom,” the distribution of power was exceedingly intricate, far exceeding the primarily single-race compositions of the United Kingdom or the Kingdom of Azure.

Thus, the situation here would be much more unpredictable and changeable than any other country Violet had traversed before. Entering too early would be of no benefit; it would be better to remain a bystander for now.

Violet had a premonition that in their next stop, Mingguang City, they would surely encounter something even more intriguing and closely related to Holy Star City.

So, as per routine, the girls spent a little money to catch a merchant caravan headed for Mingguang City; according to the plan, if they took the main road, they should arrive in about half a month.

One of the meanings of the journey lies in the unpredictable unknown scenery along the way, thus even though Violet and the others had faster means to reach Mingguang City, they didn’t intend to use them right away.

As for what to do when feeling bored along the way…

Of course, it involved continuing certain traditional practices.

“Umm…”

Holding a black, smooth semi-circular stone in her hand, the blue-haired girl pondered for a long time before finally making a move, while the little dragon daughter sitting across from her snorted disdainfully and soon placed her pre-held white piece with a “thud” in the designated position, seemingly having already predicted her opponent’s path.

“Ugh…”

Miss Tilysha let out a helpless whimper as if pushed to a dead end.

Well, the chess strategy was still as ruthless as ever…

Gently closing the book she had read halfway, the girl wearing a white fox mask and dressed in red and white miko attire glanced at the two girls engaged in their game, just a sweep of the board was enough for the battle-hardened expert to understand.

Indeed, Tilysha and Xiao Guang were playing Go.

Ever since encountering the mysterious boy in white named Wenkong in the Valley of Magical Forces, Violet had picked up this game that had once obsessed her back on Blue Star but had gradually been forgotten amid the colorful new life in this world. When free, she occasionally taught her companions how to play.

The way of Go is profound and mysterious, hiding many secrets. Violet initially thought that the little dragon daughter and others, who couldn’t even grasp poker, would find it extremely hard to master, but as she taught them, the Priestess was surprised to find their learning speed was quite rapid; in just a few days, they had made initial progress and soon begun exploring their own strategies.

By now, they were able to venture beyond Violet’s tutelage and engage in semblance of contests on their own.

The reason for switching from poker to Go is that on one hand, the Priestess didn’t want them to indulge too much in gambling-type games, and on the other…

The fox-eared girl turned her head to look at the two white-feathered girls, who bore a striking resemblance to each other.

Wide wings folded and tucked behind them, the sister with shorter hair and a more mature visage sat cross-legged in the carriage, a faint white aura constantly emanating from her body, flowing with strange patterns, floating like a saint.

Yes, Leila was pushing against the threshold of transcendence.

Because it was a critical matter, the usually lazy Renée also became quite serious, sitting beside her and diligently observing the progression of this advancement. After all, as fellow mythic beings of white feathers, while reaching transcendence was only a matter of time, this important phase of breaking through the biological level was still very crucial.

The former, through long efforts and perseverance, arrived at this juncture ahead of her sister, but that didn’t mean she had succeeded; as her name suggests, the divide to transcendence was like a chasm for most beings in this world, and even mythic clans were not without the possibility of failure.

So Renée had to watch carefully and learn from the experience, to prepare for her own forthcoming moment.

Exchanging glances with the long-haired white-feathered girl, Violet contemplated briefly, packed the book into her backpack, and began to focus on watching.

It had been hours since Leila began meditating; her breath was visibly expanding, and calculating the time, it seemed to be nearly time. The scene of pushing against transcendence was likewise a rare experience for the Priestess; she needed to observe closely and prevent any potential mishaps.

Casually setting up a barrier inside the carriage to avoid any breath leakage or sudden intrusions disturbing Leila, Violet tapped on the soft seat beside her, making a light sound. The little dragon daughter and Tilysha, who were continuously playing “clack clack,” quickly responded and nodded, temporarily stopping their match to maintain silence.

Xiao Guang cast a questioning glance at her master, and upon receiving a nod from Violet, her figure flickered and abruptly vanished from the carriage.

Now came the critical moment.

“Buzz ~”

As a light sound echoed, faint golden lines began to stop flickering, gradually fixing onto the exposed skin of the white-feathered girl’s clothing, a thicker white radiance gradually bursting outward, while the second pair of small white wings, usually hidden, automatically revealed themselves, showcasing the true appearance unique to the angelic bloodline.

The final advancement had begun.

   

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