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Chapter 21: The Girl’s Home and the Blood in the Bottle

Zizia ~

A plain wooden door was pushed open from the outside, and the Priestess girl walked in, seemingly unconcerned. After a simple observation back and forth, a thoughtful expression appeared in her gem-like silver-blue eyes.

After a while, Xiao Guang also entered from the doorway.

“Master, I have checked. There are no living creatures in the town; even the pigpen and doghouse are empty.”

The golden-haired Little Dragon Daughter reported the situation before continuing.

“Just as you expected, nothing has been disturbed. Some black bread, butter, and milk are still on the table, along with watery porridge. Judging by the oxidation level, the disappearance likely happened around 7-8 AM, and it’s already been several hours since then.”

“Is that so?”

Vilyric lowered her head and dusted off the thin layer of dust on the table. Behind the door leaned an old iron hoe with a wooden handle, and a scythe, used for cutting grass, hung from the wall, looking like it hadn’t been used in a long time.

Inside, simple bedding was neatly folded by the bed, and at the bottom lay two pairs of indoor cotton shoes that seemed to belong to a woman. Another pair of muddy long boots was positioned by the outer door, leaning against that iron hoe.

The water jug on the table had only a third of its content left, beside it an empty ceramic bowl, and in the nearby cabinet were tightly sealed small bottles, unknown as to what they contained.

“Xiao Guang, do you see anything unusual about this room?”

“Huh?”

The Little Dragon Daughter tilted her head cutely, tentatively summarizing, “It’s poorer and older? Plus there’s a dusty feeling? Master, you know I’m not good at this…”

Well, that’s true; after all, Little Dragon Daughters follow the principle of using their claws rather than their brains. If all else fails, using their “mouth” is also an option.

Vilyric couldn’t help but smile and lament, “You really should think more. Otherwise, if I’m gone, you’ll help someone count their money while she’s selling you.”

Previously, Xiao Guang was just a pet NPC in the game, and the Priestess had never considered matters like this. Now that the Little Dragon Daughter had become a truly living being, it seemed she indeed needed some enlightenment and education. At least she should learn to recognize the letters of the United Kingdom…

Xiao Guang didn’t mind, “As long as Master is here, I’ll do whatever you say. How tiring it must be to think about this and that all day long. Xiao Guang just needs to be with Master forever ~ um!”

“Alright, alright, I know you’re being cute…”

After finally pushing away the golden-haired Little Dragon Daughter, who was playfully nudging her like a Shiba Inu and licking her cheek with her wet little tongue, Vilyric knocked on the table, signaling the playful antics to stop.

Then, she briefly shared her findings.

“First, this is a girl’s room, and she doesn’t care about the economic life in Bawo Town; her living is very simple.”

Vilyric pointed to the white cotton shoes under the bed and opened the wardrobe in the inner room, which had a few patched plain dresses hanging haphazardly.

“Furthermore, this room is different from other places in the town; its owner has vanished a long time ago. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a thin layer of dust on the table and floor.”

“Hmm… Seems like it, but what does that imply?”

The Little Dragon Daughter looked as if she kind of understood but wasn’t quite sure. Her clear golden vertical pupils blinked, and this innocent demeanor only appeared when she was alone with Vilyric.

“You see the surroundings it’s obvious that the other townspeople have just disappeared.”

“But why did this room have an incident ahead of the entire town? And why didn’t the other residents notice anything unusual about the room’s owner all this time? Is that reasonable?”

“Indeed, why is that?”

The somewhat dull-witted Little Dragon Daughter finally grasped Vilyric’s point.

This time, she didn’t continue to answer her pet’s questions.

“Look, what is this?”

Vilyric walked to the cabinet in the outer room, took out a sealed small bottle, and opened it, revealing a somewhat solid dark red liquid inside.

Xiao Guang leaned in to sniff it.

“…Blood?”

“Correct. All the bottles contain this stuff. Why is there a large quantity of blood in a human’s house?”

The Priestess didn’t continue onward.

“Let’s go outside for now.”

The duo stepped out of the house. The once lively town now lay silent, with only the whispers of the wind stirring the dust and fallen leaves, echoing like a ghostly domain.

If it had been an ordinary girl facing this horror-game-like scene, she would have probably cried out in fear by now.

But Vilyric, who had once been a man and now possessed unimaginable power and mental fortitude, naturally wouldn’t be too shaken by such a small scene.

What interested the Priestess more was what had exactly happened here.

The reason she needed to find a merchant caravan to travel was partly due to Xavier’s invitation, but also because Vilyric truly wanted to find a quiet place to plan her route anew.

She had come across a very interesting book.

After leaving Flame Dragon City, Vilyric passed through several places with intriguing legends, but unfortunately, most were mere rumors meant to entice tourists.

For example, the so-called Mystery of the Undying Phoenix was actually just a magical beast resembling a bird with crimson feathers.

The local government had secretly introduced it from overseas and raised it in a secret facility, releasing it every so often to be seen by the public. These magically raised pets would circle back to their old spot, waiting for the next “show.”

When Vilyric was there, she happened to catch the new round of “Phoenix Appearing.”

But this thing… how should she put it? It might fool ordinary people, but the Priestess could fly!

Being interested, Vilyric immediately chased after the fiery red bird in the sky with her pet to see what this world’s phoenix really was.

Consequently, that pitiful magical beast, only at the third tier, was frightened into unconsciousness by Xiao Guang’s pressure and plummeted from the sky, leading to quite the accident.

Such creatures could certainly not be the legendary undying phoenix; after a bit of investigation, Vilyric learned the promoted truth and left disappointed.

Other places were similarly lackluster, and ultimately, only Flame Dragon City truly held the ruins of a giant dragon.

But the Forgotten Land was recorded in that book titled “The World’s Top 100 Mysteries,” as a place where certain mysterious artifacts really existed.

Surely, they had indeed encountered something strange.

During the ride in the carriage, Vilyric and Xiao Guang felt an odd force pulling at their bodies and even souls, trying to take them to another unknown place.

Not understanding the situation, the two instinctively resisted this not-so-strong pull, and while they were puzzled, they suddenly heard the exclamations of Mr. Xavier and the shouts from the Captain of the Guards outside.

Vilyric wasn’t quite sure why they hadn’t vanished like the others in the caravan, but it was likely related to either height or geographical location.

As they drew closer to Bawo Town, or what lay deeper within, she sensed a gathering of magical energy.

This fluctuation was definitely what that thing was releasing.

Upon seeing the scene of Bawo Town, Vilyric couldn’t help but recall the legend of the Forgotten Land that was only a dozen kilometers away.

In that book “The World’s Top 100 Mysteries,” Vilyric found the specific description of this mysterious city, which most historical records in the market barely mentioned.

The Forgotten Land had existed for three hundred years, and before the unknown curse fell upon it, this place had also been a flourishing, rich city. Though it wasn’t as grand as the City of Courage today, it had a population of a million.

Back then, Forgotten Land was still called the Glorious City.

Yet, one fateful night, an incredible force erupted over the Glorious City, as if the dark sky transformed into an invisible, massive vortex, resembling the mouth of some terrifying creature, sending shockwaves that terrified even the strong from another city miles away.

When daylight returned, as outsiders re-entered the city, it had already become a lifeless dead zone.

A million citizens and the guardians, all troops, and all living beings vanished without a trace.

It was identical to the current Bawo Town.