Chapter 8: The Good Outcome

Miss Vilyric accepted the favor from Zeng’s Village and gained quite a bit of valuable information along with the “Lingyin Fairy Record.” As a return gift, she also lent a hand in saving someone. Regardless of what others might think, at least the Priestess herself felt no guilt.

However, there was indeed something odd about this situation. Having encountered the entity known as [Evil Demon] for the first time, Miss Vilyric’s interest was piqued. With nothing pressing to do, and no urgency to leave, she found a suitable place to observe.

Just as Vilyric mentioned before, she didn’t believe that events like this happening at such a time were purely coincidental. If luck smiled down, perhaps she might even stumble upon something intriguing here.

Speaking of that Princess Ling, if given the chance, Vilyric would like to try approaching her.

Although she still wasn’t entirely clear on what “Ling” actually meant, it likely resembled the three Saintesses of the Sacred Kingdom.

Such a figure might possess deeper insights regarding [Lingyin Fairy Island].

“It’s been a long time since I’ve truly ventured out alone like this…”

The black-haired girl gazed wistfully at the sky.

Truth be told, Vilyric still didn’t fully understand why, if the Ancient Spirit Realm was just a continent facing the other side across the sea, she suddenly lost contact with her summoned beings after coming here.

Or to put it more specifically, what kind of spatial barrier enveloped this place, and who built it, and why?

Hmm? Speaking of which…

While munching on melon seeds and drifting into daydreams, the Priestess suddenly recalled something.

She reached into the Void and fished around for a bit before quickly producing an ancient bronze seal.

It was a large stamp with a smooth surface, gleaming like it had been meticulously polished from top to bottom, only interrupted by the grooves for grasping, requiring both her relatively petite hands to hold it.

Vilyric turned the bronze seal over and glanced at the words “Heaven and Earth, Rivers and Mountains” inscribed in ancient god script at the bottom. She then probed her thoughts into it.

Immediately, she frowned slightly.

“How could this happen…?”

This semi-artifact level [Rivers and Mountains Seal] had previously been used by Vilyric during the war between the Sacred Kingdom and the demons to contain and isolate those infected with [Impure] plague. When the Redeeming Saintess Philomina’s army arrived, over a hundred thousand soldiers and civilians from Sacheno City, protected by Min Chen, were also transported here. In total, it must have easily approached two hundred thousand.

But now, Vilyric couldn’t find those people anymore.

Of course, the pocket dimension created by the [Rivers and Mountains Seal] wasn’t inside the artifact itself; it directly existed at the location where it was originally deployed. It was just that this semi-artifact had the ability to open and close its entrances and exits.

To put it simply, even the connection between the [Rivers and Mountains Seal] and the pocket dimension it created had been severed by the suspected barrier power between the two continents, which truly seemed unbelievable.

This was equipment made by Hen…

With the link to the semi-artifact lost, that space might gradually collapse within a month, leading any beings inside to reappear in the world. However, the Sacred Kingdom now had a special cure for the [Impure], so it shouldn’t cause any unmanageable disasters.

After putting away the seal, the black-haired girl looked up again at the sky, which was transitioning from dusky yellow to the dark blue of night, her curiosity growing even more.

The Ancient Spirit Realm that Hen brought her to seemed to hide many secrets.

As she pondered, night fell.

The Priestess put away her melon seeds, patted her backside, and stood up.

“Alright, I can study those complex things later! For now, let’s go join the festivities~”

According to Zeng Zhuang, tonight, on the last day of the Year of the Four Saints, in addition to their village, perhaps all the people of the Ancient Spirit Realm’s four countries would hold grand celebrations to welcome the arrival of the new era.

And during the nighttime, when yin dominates yang, it was likely a period when certain things were most active and prone to causing disturbances.

Donning the long-unused [Chameleon Cloak], Vilyric leapt down the cliff and soon arrived outside the village, which was illuminated like a sea of stars.

At the village entrance, there were still no guards in sight. Zeng’s Village, being a small hamlet of only about a hundred households, had exceedingly simple conditions. Not only did they lack a Village Guard or militia, even the administrative layer was merely represented by Zeng Zhuang as the sole village head.

Perhaps because the Ling Kingdom was thriving and the hills and fields were generally free from bandits, if any defensive measures existed, it was likely just the talismans stuck on everyone’s doors to ward off evil.

In fact, even if she weren’t in stealth mode, the Priestess suspected that no one would notice if an outsider boldly barged in, especially with everyone gathering at the village center.

The vigilance was lax enough, even considering the recent events.

Walking slowly along the village road she had traversed in the daytime, the bustling sounds of people and the glow of firelight gradually amplified in Vilyric’s senses.

From far away, she could already hear Zeng Zhuang’s loud voice.

“Hey, I really met a fairy lady! Why don’t you all believe me?! Though she looked a bit young and wasn’t exactly my type, her aura and looks are just undeniable! The fairy lady came floating down from the sky!”

“Dage, you also ran into the fairy lady today — tell them I’m not just boasting!”

“Uh… I can’t quite remember, sorry, Uncle Zeng…”

Followed by a wave of hearty laughter.

“Haha! Zeng the Fool, you can’t be bewitched too, right? In this remote hill, how could a fairy lower herself to come meet you? Don’t tell me it’s just a little imp transformed from a wildcat or fox!”

“Exactly! Hahahaha!”

Hey now… what do you mean she looked a bit young? Comparing her to a wildcat or fox is taking it too far, don’t you think?

Listening to their voices, Miss Vilyric, already a bit speechless, turned the corner on the village path and happened to see a large open space in the center of the village, already filled with a few hundred scattered villagers, while Zeng Zhuang, who had once guided her, was heatedly debating with a few peers about the day’s earlier events, his face red.

“What little imp? You’re being disrespectful to the fairy lady! That’s gonna get you struck by lightning! I’m telling you, that kind of aura… hmmm, so noble and radiant, besides the celestial beings in the fairy palace, I can’t think of any other possibility!”

What a rustic description… that’s enough already…

While feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation, a hint of surprise rose in Vilyric’s heart.

When she came to the village with Zeng Zhuang earlier, she hadn’t shunned the passersby on the way, particularly when saving that Zeng Er Gou; several villagers who rushed to subdue him, including Village Head Zeng Xian Zhi, had spent a good amount of time in close contact with Vilyric, witnessing the so-called “fairy lady’s” existence.

This Zeng Er Gou, being possessed by a Dog Demon and in a daze, could be excused, but why hadn’t any of the other villagers who had seen her come forward to support him?

Hmm…?

Now that I think about it, it seems I haven’t seen Zeng Xian Zhi or those few people. Where could they have gone at a time like this?

   

---