Chapter 9: The Beginning of Brewing

Without alarming the villagers, the Priestess tiptoed to a higher step, surveying her surroundings.

This was the only relatively open space within Zeng Family Village, akin to a square. Now that night had fallen, a massive bonfire had been lit in the center, flames shooting skyward, illuminating the surroundings with a gentle warmth rather than a burning heat.

This fire seemed different from the usual flames, perhaps due to the type of wood used as fuel, specifically meant to enhance the atmosphere and provide light for such festive ceremonies.

After gazing at the towering bonfire for a moment, Miss Vilyric silently turned her gaze away.

In the glow of the village firelight, people were singing and dancing, or, like those at the Zeng residence, chatting loudly with friends.

Many dishes, like roasted meat, fruits, and wild vegetables gathered from the mountains, simple yet abundant, were laid out everywhere for the villagers to help themselves.

Next to the giant bonfire, there was even a large wooden barrel filled with what seemed to be brewed ale, with villagers occasionally arriving to scoop a ladle, sharing wooden cups and laughing as they walked together.

It seemed this was the celebration.

“So I told you, that fairy lady is really beautiful…”

Not far away, someone from the Zeng household was still arguing about the existence and beauty of a certain “fairy lady,” blending into the lively clamor that surged towards the dark night sky.

Following the tips of the flames from the bonfire, the black-haired girl looked upwards.

Hmm?

She noticed something interesting that she hadn’t paid attention to before.

Here, on this continent, which should merely gaze across the sea at another continent, there was actually…

No moon?

Not to mention March; in the vast, boundless night sky, aside from the scattered stars that barely illuminated the earth, there wasn’t even a trace of the moon.

And Vilyric could confirm that this wasn’t due to clouds blocking its outline; it was indeed some… bizarre phenomenon.

But during the day, she clearly saw the sun hanging in the sky, similar to that of the other continent. Why did things change so drastically at night?

This puzzlement didn’t seem directly related to the current situation of the Priestess, yet for some reason, Vilyric couldn’t help but care and connect it with her thoughts.

Based on her experiences from the other continent and the information provided by Xi Fu Lin, this world should be a space close to being flat, with many worlds overlapping at their edges, forming a sort of three-dimensional shape.

Originally, Vilyric thought the world’s edges would lead to pure void, like the unfathomable Abyss, marking the boundary with another world. However, through her travels in the Holy Empire, she learned about this continent, named Ancient Spirit Realm, isolated by the vast East Sea on the other side.

If this Ancient Spirit Realm fundamentally belongs to the same world as that one, then the East Sea cannot be regarded as the world’s boundary. Following this, the infinite desert in the west and the endless ice fields to the north might also harbor other distant civilizations.

But that’s impossible.

Otherwise, Xi Fu Lin, who once lived for thousands of years as the Earth Mother Goddess in this world, would undoubtedly know.

Conversely, if the Endless Sea in the east and the other three directions are similarly the world’s edges and restrictions set by the Gods, then only through crossing the distant East Sea could one reach here—the Ancient Spirit Realm.

It can only be… a truly different world.

Perhaps this moonless night sky was the strongest evidence.

The Priestess redirected her thoughts.

If the essence of the Ancient Spirit Realm is another world, and the world that Xiao Guang and the others currently inhabit is already sealed off by spatial barriers, then the reason why they couldn’t contact that side through conventional means might be explained.

But still, something feels off…

Lingyin Fairy Island and Lingyin Merchant Association clearly have exchanges. That Ming Lan guy once utilized similar methods for spatial transfer. If Hen’s cross-dimensional distance Portal is something Vilyric felt she couldn’t replicate, but those rascals could manage it, then the Priestess surely shouldn’t be unable to tackle it.

And what about Snow Wing?

Forget it, being new here doesn’t necessitate thinking that far ahead.

In the meantime, Zeng Zhuang, who the Priestess had curiously wondered about and where he had gone, finally arrived late, standing before the enormous bonfire, loudly reciting what seemed to be a prayer, part of a certain tradition here.

The villagers responded enthusiastically, their laughter seemingly unaffected by the minor incident from earlier in the day, the atmosphere stirring an intense excitement that dispelled the night’s darkness under the flickering firelight.

But, observing this scene, the Priestess gradually frowned, her focus shifting from Zeng residence to scan the entire area.

Something felt off; this celebration… there were too many strange things.

Moreover, several individuals were missing.

While Vilyric wasn’t familiar with the other villagers and couldn’t tell who was absent, she was certain that the few who collaborated to subdue the possessed Zeng Er Gou earlier weren’t present.

Initially, she thought they might be blending into the crowd unnoticed, but after observing for a while, especially since Zeng Zhuang began chanting the prayer, the villagers had all stopped to watch, Vilyric could confirm that those few had not come to this celebration at all.

Otherwise, the Zeng household would definitely have brought them along to validate the so-called “fairy lady.”

Combining this with the earlier situation when Zeng Zhuang arrived late, a peculiar suspicion surfaced in the girl’s mind.

Could it be…

Beneath the invisibility granted by the Cloak of Chameleon, Vilyric decisively left the celebration venue, heading towards where Zeng Zhuang had come from.

The noise faded behind her gradually, and beneath the unusually quiet night, she stood outside the Zeng magistrate’s home, which she had just visited during the day, raising an eyebrow slightly.

The talisman meant to ward off evil on the door was gone.

“Hmph… creepy tricks.”

She removed the cloak and pushed the door open.

It was still arranged as she had seen during the day, with candles lit deliberately to maintain the celebratory atmosphere, casting faint light across the room. The black-haired girl scanned the wooden house and quickly found her target.

Those few villagers, who had been noted by Vilyric for not attending the celebration, were bound side by side in the corner of the room.

They appeared to have lost consciousness, and judging by the lack of visible wounds or bruises, it seemed they were in a temporary stupor due to some sort of drug.

But what truly concerned Vilyric wasn’t these.

A faint, sinister aura was swirling around them.

No, to be precise, it was emanating from within them outward.

Ordinary people might only feel a chill when getting close, making a judgment like “they seem a bit off,” but the Priestess scanned them with spiritual points and instantly obtained a clearer result.

These people had been “possessed.”

   

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