---

Chapter 280: The Sword Without a Master

However, the quality is not much different from the initial speculation; the current attributes of the Arbiter’s Holy Sword are already quite exceptional among holy artifacts.

Perhaps in terms of power, it is close to or even exceeds some mediocre half-artifacts, like the “Mountain River Seal,” which has some unclear purposes aside from its primary function…

But even so, the classification of equipment quality is quite strict; a holy artifact is a holy artifact, and as long as certain conditions are not met, it will forever be limited to the threshold.

The biggest difference between holy artifacts and spirit artifacts in “Phantom World” is that the former need to bind to a user, occupying the only “equipment slot.” As a corresponding price for such a harsh requirement, their power will undergo a qualitative leap compared to spirit artifacts.

Furthermore, as holy artifacts ascend to the level of half-artifacts, another special effect will emerge.

This is the so-called “inherent property.”

As the name suggests, this is a unique property that cannot be replaced or stacked.

In most cases, equipment above the level of half-artifacts are unique items that cannot be replicated; if obtained through dungeons, events, or quests, it usually won’t produce equipment with the same “inherent property,” at most having similar main attributes.

Moreover, half-artifacts forged using precious materials and artisans’ skills will be endowed with semi-random special “inherent properties” based on the manufacturing process and the creator’s intent. For instance, Hen’s “Void Trace Blade” can capture spatial fluctuations, and the “Heaven and Earth Mountain River Map” has different time flow rates internally compared to the outside world.

This is also one of the key reasons why “Phantom World” dares to claim, “There will never be completely identical players.”

As for even higher-level artifacts…

The “Feather Robe of Gralyria” and the “Eternal Staff of the Heart of the World” held by Miss Vilyric also have “inherent properties,” but they are typically more numerous and stronger, capable of accommodating multiple effects simultaneously in one piece of equipment.

Of course, the uniqueness of artifacts does not end there, but that has little relevance to the current topic.

Since this “Arbiter’s Holy Sword” can be called a third of a primordial artifact, it should also possess an “inherent property”; it’s just been sealed for some reason.

The prior explanation didn’t specify who sealed the “Arbiter’s Holy Sword,” but Miss Vilyric could reasonably infer that it’s likely a form of benign sealing.

Law artifacts are divine weapons born from the essence of gods—the Divine Spark, whereas true primordial artifacts, in some sense, may even surpass the former, being nearly the most powerful weapons in the world.

Miss Vilyric isn’t quite sure which tier these two types of equipment fall into in the game, but there’s no doubt that regardless of which one comes before or after, they are certainly divine artifacts beyond the reach of mere mortals.

If the original “Arbiter’s Holy Sword” were placed before the people of the Holy Kingdom, not even the so-called divine descendents could use it, hence the necessity of applying a seal to reduce power while also lowering the usage threshold.

All of this is fairly easy to guess.

And yet… what exactly are the two pieces of information blocked in the intel detection system?

Although their character lengths are similar, it seems they should actually be two different things.

…Forget it.

Relying on this broken skill to clarify all problems in one go isn’t the first time it’s let me down; that’s a bit difficult.

After pondering for a moment, the White Fox Girl placed her palm on either side of the sword’s hilt embedded with countless stunning gems and gripped it tightly.

“Fleidetrika, step back a bit.”

Probably realizing that persuasion would be futile, the Saintess didn’t intend to stop her and simply nodded, stepping back several meters while focusing on Miss Vilyric.

“Ha…”

The girl took a deep breath.

Now, let’s test the power of this national-level holy artifact.

“Click.”

With slight force, the joint between the sword’s sheath and the holy sword emitted a sound like rusted iron being forcibly pulled.

That was resistance, and Miss Vilyric could feel it.

This sword did not want to be drawn.

In other words, the “Arbiter’s Holy Sword” does not recognize “Xī” as its user.

But the White Fox Girl had no intention of giving up.

She infused her arm with spirit, unleashing over ten thousand points of “Strength” attributes and the body enhancement from the “Mask of the God Fox,” forcibly pulling at the slim body constricted within the sheath.

“Click… click click click click click…”

Accompanied by the piercing noise of a long-rusted broken iron sword, along with the long tug-of-war between Miss Vilyric and the Arbiter’s Holy Sword, the body of the holy sword finally revealed a hint of sharpness.

“Buzz!!!!!!!”

With just a slight pull, a fierce sword intent soared into the sky!

“Boom boom boom boom boom!!!!!!!!!”

On the river surface before the girl, countless towering waves erupted, reaching over ten meters high, the downpour of rain almost akin to numerous deep-sea bombs detonating simultaneously. The thunderous roar almost drowned out the Saintess’s shout, “Miss Xī! Don’t force it!”

That was the spirit of the holy sword in fury; its retaliatory intent exploded due to forced and terrifying external pressures, almost cleaving heaven and earth apart, and it instantaneously recoiled toward the White Fox Girl who had forcibly drawn the sword!

But just then, a magnificent will, far surpassing that of the holy sword, descended—a power named divine intent that intimidated the spirit trapped in the seal, and that fierce sword intent shifted direction under the great power.

“Zheng!”

The next moment, the sky-high waves and rain, as if sliced by a knife, hadn’t yet fallen, now lay horizontally aligned in the air, like a long line cutting through the night, tearing open the darkness.

As that curtain of water fell weakly down, the White Fox Girl dressed in a red-and-white shrine maiden’s robe gripped an unsheathed blade in her palm, the sword’s tip slanting toward the sky.

“Miss Xī!”

Fleidetrika rushed forward, only to discover that the other side appeared unharmed; though she had successfully drawn the sword, there were no signs of injury from the holy sword’s recoil, not even her splendid dance dress or the white fox mask she wore showed any signs of damage.

“Guh… did you overpower the Arbiter’s Holy Sword with your own strength?! But how is that possible? That’s… that’s an artifact…”

Hearing the girl behind her express disbelief—more of a sound akin to a mournful cry of witnessing some ungraspable grandeur—Miss Xī turned her head back, nodding in earnest.

“It is indeed an artifact. To be honest, the true power carried by this sword is even higher than the expected limit; even if I were to use it, it would still be quite a formidable weapon.”

“But ultimately, this is merely a third and not a true ‘primordial artifact’; it is still limited within the realm of ‘tools’; without a compatible master, it’s difficult to unleash its true brilliance.”

“Primordial artifact? Compatible… master?”

Fleidetrika couldn’t help but be astonished.

She had wanted to instinctively argue, “Aren’t we the Judging Saintess, the acknowledged masters of the Arbiter’s Holy Sword?” But after witnessing the White Fox Girl overpowering and forcefully drawing the artifact with sheer human might, utterly unscathed…

For a moment, she could only remain silent, secretly doubting whether she truly had the qualification to wield this holy sword.

“Swish.”

In stark contrast to the grand scene when she drew the sword, the White Fox Girl easily returned the smooth, slender, and terrifyingly sharp blade into its sheath, handing it back to Fleidetrika. Then, using the advantage of being on the staircase, she patted Fleidetrika’s shoulder, indicating that they were not operating on the same level.

“Alright, no need to belittle yourself, and don’t compare me with you; honestly, that’s a meaningless action.”

“You should see that I am not human; our starting points are different, and forced comparisons are just childish exceptions. At least I haven’t gained the sword’s recognition while you have, haven’t you?”

“Ugh, Miss Xī…”

Watching as the Saintess was visibly struck but quickly became inspired, the White Fox Girl tried to maintain her high-and-mighty demeanor, but inwardly couldn’t help but scoff.

This girl… although she appears to be mature and reliable on the surface, she’s just as easy to deceive once you know her well; you could say she’s truly Edwina’s sister…

Chapter 281: Return to the Holy Capital

After telling Fleidetrika some things, Miss Vilyric set out overnight, using the “Invisible Space Portal” previously set in the City of Angels to cross the battlefield back to the long-lost Holy Capital.

Of course, she was all alone.

Although a certain Little Dragon Daughter had strongly insisted on accompanying Miss Vilyric to the scene when hearing that there was an enemy capable of killing the Light Element Spirit, and requested numerous times to protect the Priestess’s safety, in the end, she was persuaded by the latter’s reason, “The situation here is equally important, and I can summon you through the contract at any time.”

This wasn’t an excuse. While Ella and she were exploring important matters, the “Arbiter’s Holy Sword” and related issues about demons also required sufficiently strong combat power as a safeguard.

Time was running short.

With the grand climax of the Holy War approaching its finale, all conspiracies, plans, and various hidden agendas would gradually surface, as long as they wished to achieve their aims.

Before the outcome of the holy battle was decided, the final gambit was likely about to commence in these two provinces, formally known for their surface commitments but seething with hidden machinations.

“This still reminds me of the peaceful scenery from memory, the ‘City of Eternal Night’….”

“But the brighter the light, the deeper the shadows it casts… um, was that how the saying goes?”

Standing on the rooftop of a high-end villa personally purchased and renovated by a certain Holy Knight, the newly arrived White Fox Girl gazed at the brightly lit bustling city in the distance, shaking her head hopelessly.

Having made this round trip, she certainly learned a lot more about the underlying truths—what she knew and saw were naturally vastly different.

“Well… under these circumstances, it’s probably better to find her and learn the situation first, as for the Cecelia Family…”

Muttering to herself, the girl lightly leaped down from the rooftop like a bird, soon vanishing from sight.

…

Cecelia Merchant Association.

This was a world-renowned top-tier giant merchant association, and there were only two other associations globally that could be compared to it.

Even Lingyin, which exclusively sold rare treasures, with influence more hidden in the shadows, couldn’t reach the same scale.

Unlike Lingyin, the headquarters of this association is located in the City of Angels.

As everyone knows, there are three most famous locations within the Holy Capital.

The most magnificent temple in the world, a pilgrimage site for millions of believers—the Grand Shrine.

The ocean of academic and cultural exchange, the sacred ground in the minds of scholars, especially those from the Holy Empire, the cradle of countless talents—the Holy Academy.

And the Cecelia Merchant Association, reputedly as a place where “as long as it isn’t prohibited, anything can be bought here.”

If we set aside political factors and purely discuss which of these three places is more famous, it’s truly hard to determine a clear higher ground.

After all, while the Grand Shrine is the absolute core of the Church of the Goddess, it only has a little over 300 years of history; the Holy Academy and Cecelia Merchant Association were born shortly after the establishment of the Holy Empire, maintaining a nearly thousand-year-long legacy.

So… naturally, many people come here.

“Wow… this might be over the top.”

Pulling off her recently removed hooded robe, the White Fox Girl slipped in through the side door into the hall, unable to help but voice her mixed feelings of wonder and amazement.

Although Miss Vilyric didn’t feel the need to hide, the identity of “Xī” has become increasingly well-known as of late, and she was currently seen roaming the eastern battlefield; suddenly appearing in the Holy Capital would surely draw a lot of attention.

Thus, she initially intended to stay low-key, cleverly concealing her appearance.

However, the White Fox Girl quickly discovered that her precautions seemed a bit excessive.

In this city, there were numerous “Xī” replicas.

Well, to be precise, there were many girls resembling her, wearing white fox masks and red-and-white shrine maiden robes, even sporting white fox ears on their heads that were hard to discern differences without careful observation.

Of course, those were cheap imitations.

Using a term from Blue Star, this might be closer to cosplay?

Just seeing them, Miss Vilyric quickly understood the general situation.

This was the so-called celebrity effect.

In this world, there was no awareness of copyright; once the identity and appearance of “Xī” became widely recognized, admirers naturally sought to imitate her style.

The fox tribe already exists in this world, and many various mixed-bloods also have similar beast ears. As for hair color, a little dye treatment with magic potions could solve that issue.

In fact, while moving here, Miss Vilyric had seen various roadside stalls selling diverse “Xī”-themed merchandise, such as replicas of shrine maiden outfits, fox masks, little dolls, and even outrageous titles like “The White Fox Saintess vs. the Masked Demon” and “Tales of the White Fox Saintess.”

And such stores were also present within the headquarters of the Cecelia Merchant Association, right before Miss Vilyric.

“Hello, are you looking to purchase something related to the White Fox Saintess?”

“…Related?”

Glancing at the blonde girl dressed in a similarly styled shrine maiden robe standing at the entrance, who seemed to be a receptionist, and hearing that particularly familiar phrase from her lips, Miss Vilyric felt even more odd.

This shop appearing here could mean two things.

The Cecelia Merchant Association is exceedingly vast, made up of two main components: the direct subordinates of the Cecelia family and collaborators who develop under the platform and connections of the Cecelia Merchant Association while sharing profits.

Take that Xavier fellow—his Xavier Merchant Association could be considered a half-similar entity; however, they don’t fully rely on the Cecelia family’s business and have other partners within the United Kingdom, allowing for a bit more freedom.

Of course, their support from the Cecelia Merchant Association would also be relatively reduced.

On the other hand, the tight-knit ally of the Cecelia family, the Ulysses family, has its merchant faction entirely intertwined with the Cecelia Merchant Association, forming a powerful force within this grand alliance and sharing its fortunes and misfortunes.

This operational model, akin to a convergence of all streams, wasn’t established from the beginning; it was reformed by the sixteenth Judging Saintess and current head of the Cecelia family three hundred years ago, who pushed forward despite strong opposition.

Though initially looked down upon, even questioned whether it would result in the demise of the merchant association, in fact, the Cecelia Merchant Association took flight thereafter, evolving from a first-rate merchant group to today’s top-tier level in just three hundred years, also spurring transformational changes in the Cecelia family itself.

While the world has since been in awe of that far-seeing sixteenth Saintess, Miss Vilyric, after learning many inside details, couldn’t help but feel…

Perhaps behind all this lies inspiration extracted from a past Saintess from the crossing-overs…