Chapter 61: The First Encounter with the Saintess of Bright Light

Yuna Summerfield.

This name would certainly not be unfamiliar to Miss Vilyric, who had been walking in the Holy Kingdom for some time.

In the Holy Empire, with billions of citizens, perhaps many might not have heard of Pope Augustus Lambert, but if someone didn’t know Yuna Summerfield, that truly would be a laughingstock.

As the current head of the Summerfield family, a divine lineage, and the top of the three saintesses, Yuna Summerfield is practically the grandest figure in the entire Holy Empire for nearly a hundred years.

Decades ago, when she inherited the artifact, the “Crown of Uncrowned,” from the previous generation and ascended to the position of saintess at the age of twenty-four, she had already reached an astonishing level at the pinnacle of legend. Three years later, with the power of the artifact, she achieved a breakthrough, becoming the only one among the three saintesses who truly surpassed the limits of her kind with her physical form.

Now, having reigned as the Saintess of Bright Light for over fifty years, Yuna Summerfield’s appearance remains just as it was at the beginning, without a hint of change, almost embodying a living legend.

After all, although divine lineages enjoy divine blessings and have more opportunities for breakthroughs, in the end, it’s merely a matter of turning a 0.0001% chance into 1%. It doesn’t mean they can easily draw powers from their bloodline to transcend limits like true mythical beings.

Looking back through history, even throughout the Holy Empire’s millennium, the number of divine lineages that have reached transcendent levels is scarce, let alone someone like Yuna Summerfield, who made a breakthrough before the age of thirty.

Thus, one can see the astonishing talent of the Saintess of Bright Light. It’s said that her affinity for light is an unprecedented miracle among all the three saintesses. During her early star river trials, nearly ten flying stars manifested to meet her on the water.

Such scale could only be comparable to the legendary first saintess.

Upon becoming a transcendent, regardless of race, one’s lifespan extends to thousands of years. So, although Yuna Summerfield is nearly a hundred years old, even surpassing the white-haired oracle by Miss Vilyric’s side, she is like an immortal being, no longer easily measured by the mundane concepts of age.

Perhaps it will take another hundred years, after outstanding successors arise, before this legendary saintess will abdicate and hand over her power to the next generation.

Of course, these are confidential matters within the church. To most outsiders, the Saintess of Bright Light appears powerful simply because she has mastered the secret of youthful appearance and possesses the blessing of an artifact, not because she has actually reached a transcendent level. Miss Vilyric learned this information through a friend who is also of divine lineage.

Though somewhat abrupt, since they had met, Miss Vilyric would not miss such a good opportunity. She extended her hand, and beneath the white little fox, a girl greeted with humility and confidence.

“Hello, I’m Xī, a traveler wandering around. Today, I just happened to pass through Mingguang City in the Holy Kingdom, and I didn’t expect to meet the renowned Saintess of Bright Light tonight. It truly is a great honor.”

“Miss Xī is too kind. It’s merely blessings from my ancestors, resulting in some empty fame,” Yuna replied.

Seeing Miss Vilyric proactively greet her, the oracle didn’t embellish her status or mention her identity related to the “Spiritual Fox Priestess” in front of Yuna, which secretly surprised Miss White Fox a bit.

She couldn’t tell what kind of trick this sly old fellow was up to.

Could it be that the title “Spiritual Fox Priestess” conceals some other implications in his eyes, requiring concealment?

After a brief exchange of greetings, the three resumed their seats. Whether to avoid appearing distant or simply because of curiosity about the mysterious masked Miss Fox, Yuna comfortably sat on the other side of Miss Vilyric’s soft chair, flanking the oracle on either side. Without any hesitation, she crossed her hands on her lap and began to observe the auction happening below with earnest focus.

Before long, the oracle took the initiative to ask, “The auction has been running for about a third of the way; it seems Miss Yuna arrived a bit late tonight. Did you encounter any unexpected situations?”

Not avoiding Miss Vilyric, the Saintess of Bright Light chuckled and shook her head lightly.

“It’s nothing unexpected, just that a new batch of goods arrived today but encountered some issues on the way, causing a slight delay in processing. As for you, Mr. Oracle… your sudden changes surprised me a bit. Shall we proceed according to the original plan?”

“Ha ha, of course… Regardless of what follows, this first step will certainly remain unchanged!”

An inexplicable encrypted communication soon came to an end, and both parties skillfully chose to stay silent to maintain peace, watching the auction scene below.

After a while, feeling unbearable in this “Looks like I don’t know anything” awkward atmosphere, Miss White Fox could only attempt to speak up.

“May I ask what plan you are discussing? Is something happening tonight?”

The oracle merely stroked his beard and smiled.

“This matter is lengthy, but please rest assured, Miss Xī, everything is under control, and there shouldn’t be any surprises. You will understand once we get to the later part.”

“…?”

Having long realized that this old coot was a professional at riddles, Miss Vilyric silently rolled her eyes. She cast a glance at the Saintess of Bright Light, who merely smiled and nodded in response, seemingly signaling her to remain calm, yet clearly unwilling to elaborate further.

With that, Miss Vilyric had no choice but to maintain silence in an atmosphere that seemed to be waiting for something.

Even so, through the oracle’s earlier small talk, she could roughly guess that tonight’s key likely revolves around the mysterious treasure to be auctioned off as the grand finale.

Otherwise, the oracle wouldn’t have specifically excluded this grand finale item when stating that she could choose any three items from the auction.

I’m a bit curious.

As time passed, one treasure after another was sold at high prices, the items displayed were sent backstage again, and new products were brought forth.

At this moment, the Saintess of Bright Light, who had only been casually chatting, suddenly turned her head and smiled, raising a topic that deeply interested Miss Vilyric.

“By the way, did you two hear about the spectacle on the star river a few days ago?”

“…?”

The oracle immediately nodded in response.

“What Her Highness Yuna refers to should be the rumor from about a month ago, when hundreds of flying star fish leaped out of the water simultaneously, circling a certain ferry on the river as if on pilgrimage for a long time. Such an incredible occurrence, naturally, my Lingyin Merchant Association has also heard of it.”

“It is said that the ancestor of the flying stars, Abyss Star, was one of the sacred beasts under the Light Goddess. While this is merely an ethereal myth, the flying star fish’s extreme yearning for pure light and sensitivity about it are facts with reliable evidence. Her Highness Yuna also participated in the flying star trials during her early years. I wonder what concept the emergence of these hundred flying stars represents?”

Seemingly having anticipated the old man’s reaction, the Saintess of Bright Light slightly closed her eyes, placed her hands on the bounteous pastry before her, and jokingly smiled in the manner of prayer.

“Praise the Light Goddess.”

“…???”

   

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