Chapter 62: I mean, is there a possibility…

“Does Your Highness Yuna mean… a miracle?”

“One could think of it that way.”

“Oh… this is really…”

Listening to the back-and-forth chatter of someone and the heated discussion about the reasons and meanings behind the appearance of a “miracle,” as well as the supposed signs from the goddess to her followers, Miss White Fox felt a chaotic mix of emotions—sort of like a confusion salad that was hard to digest.

What “incomprehensible deep prophecies” and “omens and revelations brought by falling stars” are we talking about here?!

This is all because someone had never seen a fish called a falling star before and didn’t anticipate that this bunch of buffoons would get all hyped up just because they encountered a being with a high affinity for light attributes. They ran out to explore like they were on steroids; had she known, she would have worn the Mask of the God Fox to hide her presence before entering the Holy Nation!

Though she wanted to say something to show she was part of the conversation, Miss Vilyric struggled to think of various topics, but was drowned out by the suddenly energetic Saintess, who spoke at breakneck speed like a “rat-a-tat-tat” machine gun.

With no options left, she eventually chose to remain silent and play dead; after all, her expression couldn’t be seen due to the mask. The previous discussions had mainly been led by the Oracle and Yuna, while Miss White Fox had only chimed in occasionally. Surely… she wouldn’t be caught feeling guilty, right?

Then, the Saintess delivered another jab to the anxious Miss Vilyric.

“By the way, I brought this up specifically to leverage the intelligence capabilities of your Merchant Association. I’d like to ask the Oracle for help finding someone.”

The old man stroked his beard and nodded.

“That’s not difficult. May I ask if there are any specific features or illustrations?”

A certain ominous feeling suddenly struck the silent Miss Vilyric.

“Of course, there is. Please take a look at this illustration.”

Yuna took out a tube from the hexagonal holy emblem on her chest, unsealed it, and unfurled the rolled-up drawing on the magical crystal board in front of her. Since a certain fox lady was in the way, she directly handed it to Miss Vilyric without a second thought, and the latter… naturally had to take it, grit her teeth, and accept it.

On it was a picture of a girl.

Dressed in a pristine white robe, with jet-black hair cascading down like a waterfall, her silver-blue eyes sparkled with a mischievous yet saintly glint, making Miss Vilyric, who was holding the paper, almost toss it away in disbelief.

What the… This is too outrageous! She had just changed her identity not long after entering the Holy Nation, where on earth did the Saintess get these details from?!

Suddenly, Yuna’s elegant and pure explanation rang in her ears.

“Upon receiving news from the Star River, the upper echelons of the Holy Church were taken aback. After urgent discussions, they decided that I, currently in Mingguang City and closest to the incident’s location, should investigate. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the Temple Knights, we finally pinpointed our target.”

“According to the old boatman, besides himself, there were five other young and lovely girls on board. However, he said the only one likely to attract such a multitude of falling stars would be the girl in the drawing.”

“He recalled that the noble aura emanating from her was something he had never seen in his life. Moreover, just as she left suddenly, he vaguely saw extravagant pure white wings growing from her back, which were completely different from those of the Winged People.”

“Based on the old man’s description, the Temple has redrawn her likeness. It may have some discrepancies, but it’s definitely worth considering.”

“Well…”

Receiving the image through the silent Miss White Fox, the Oracle studied it carefully and then suddenly said.

“Speaking of which, I wonder how Miss Xī views this matter?”

“…Huh?”

The Saintess on the other side also nodded in agreement.

“Yes, yes, I’m a bit curious too. Since earlier, Miss Xī has been completely silent; surely she must have a vastly different perspective?”

“To be honest, this matter is still under heated discussion within the Church. We haven’t reached a clear consensus about the identity of this white-robed woman. Though we’re not familiar since it’s our first meeting, since the Oracle is treating Miss Xī with such courtesy, it indicates that you are exceptional. This is a major issue, and I’d like to gather as many differing opinions as possible, even just for reference.”

The pure and noble Saintess smiled slightly, sincerely asking a question.

“Then may I ask, Miss Xī, who do you think this girl in the drawing is, and what does her sudden disappearance amid such a stir signify?”

“Uh, well…”

Feigning nonchalance, Miss Vilyric cleared her throat a couple of times, pondering for a moment before tentatively suggesting.

“I mean, is there a possibility that she just happened to pass by and, not being familiar with this place, inadvertently caused that kind of uproar? Uh… and the reason you can’t find that mysterious woman is that she’s perhaps too awkward… I mean, she didn’t want to trouble the Holy Nation anymore, so she left on her own?”

“…?”

“Uh… hehehe~”

Upon hearing this, Yuna tilted her head in confusion, and the Oracle merely stroked his beard, smiling without saying a word.

In the end, the Saintess had to wear an awkward yet polite smile and shook her head helplessly.

“I see, that is indeed a very unique viewpoint, Miss Xī’s thinking is genuinely unlike that of others…”

“I must admit, the situation you described does have its own logic, but I still believe that the existence capable of causing such unprecedented, strong resonance from the falling stars would never make such a basic mistake. She must have a reason for not being able to show herself, and I believe she intended to remind us or warn us about something.”

“Mm, I also share the same view. Although the oracle did not indicate the arrival of such an entity, this precisely suggests an extraordinary origin. Such a strong individual would never act meaninglessly, which is no wonder Yuna has recently expedited the planning process…”

After smoothly glossing over someone’s blunder with a more diplomatic approach, the Oracle put away the image given by Yuna and, as if intrigued, asked.

“By the way, since there were five people on the boat at that time, why doesn’t the Temple sketch each of their appearances for further search? That should make it easier to target, no? Is there some taboo I’m unaware of?”

Pfft!

Hey, hey, old man, stop giving others advice, you jerk!

While internally cursing the ancient president, Miss White Fox still had to maintain an air of indifference and lightness, nodding to show agreement.

“Mm, well…”

The Saintess nodded slightly.

“The knights initially intended to do that, but the boatman was just an ordinary human and had aged significantly. With so many tourists crossing the Star River each day, he couldn’t remember all the unusual looking creatures. Also, the incident had greatly frightened him, so when asked, he could only describe the most impressionable appearance of this woman and vague details like ‘wings as white as an angel’.”

“I see… that does make sense, considering it was only a fleeting encounter.”

“Indeed, it’s a bit unfortunate.”

Although she said this, Miss White Fox was secretly thrilled enough to want to applaud.

Thank goodness, that wise old man was spot on back then!

If they really followed the breadcrumbs and found her, and worse, if it came out in public that “Miss Vilyric really didn’t plan anything; she just stood there on the boat, causing a whole bunch of fish to swarm around and gawk,” that would be utterly humiliating…

Whoa, that hard-earned image of being clever would be totally shattered!

   

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