Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 201

[Vol. 5] Chapter 201: Seal of Mountains and Rivers

“The key issue you all seem to be struggling with now is how to manage these refugees, who may or may not be carrying the plague, correct?”

“You can’t let them into the city, and even if you wanted to treat them, the army is on the move and could engage with demons at any time. Other than letting the situation spiral out of control, your only option would be to deal with them all directly.”

As she said this, Violet reached into her “inventory”, searching for something.

“Fortunately, I have something that can temporarily serve as a ‘shelter’.”

She pulled out an ancient-looking seal from the darkness.

It was a sizable bronze seal. Given Violet’s relatively petite stature and hand size, she had to hold it with both hands to keep it stable.

The surface of the bronze seal was smooth and bore no engravings or patterns, except for a groove on the handle that made it easier to grip. The rest of it appeared polished, giving it a sleek finish. Only on the stamp’s base, which was about the size of two adult human palms combined, were the characters ?Heaven, Earth, Mountains, and Rivers? naturally inscribed.

Of course, this was from Violet’ perspective. In reality, neither Yuna nor Edwina should have been able to understand the meaning of those four characters.

This was an item from the ?Illusory World?, but the inscription was written in what was known as ?Ancient Niel language?, or “Ancient Divine Language”.

In the past, Violet and some of her friends had specifically researched this script, which occasionally appeared in certain special places or on high-level items in the game. However, despite their efforts, they couldn’t decipher it.

It was clear that this script didn’t belong to any known language on Earth.

Among the forum and gaming community, the prevailing theory was that the ?Illusory World? developers had blended some ancient writing systems and created their own symbols. While there seemed to be some internal logic to it, it couldn’t be considered a fully developed language system.

It’s the feeling of “speaking utter nonsense with a straight face.”

The four symbols on the ?Seal of Mountains and Rivers? are exactly one of those examples.

It wasn’t until crossing over into this world, when everything from the game became reality, that Violet had a sudden realization after seeing the script inscribed in the spiritual chamber of the bird tribe on the Omo Island in the Azure Sky Kingdom. She thought to take this item out, and to her surprise… she could now understand what the inscription said.

As she gently stroked the smooth surface of the bronze seal, a hint of nostalgia flickered in the silver-blue eyes of the white fox girl.

This Semi-Divine artifact…

Was a gift from Violet’s close friend in the game, the true owner of the ?Blade of Hollow Mark?, a player named Hen.

The ?Seal of Mountains and Rivers? and Hen’s ?Heaven, Earth, Mountain, River Map? were a set of matching equipment. Their relationship was akin to that of a lock and key.

Other than Hen, the owner of the ?Heaven, Earth, Mountain, River Map?, anyone else who wanted to access the space within this artifact could only do so through the ?Seal of Mountains and Rivers? held by Violet.

It symbolized their friendship and represented the trust Hen had in Violet. For that reason, even though it was not particularly useful without the ?Heaven, Earth, Mountain, River Map?, the priestess cherished it deeply and had always carried it with her.

Of course, as a Semi-Divine artifact, the ?Seal of Mountains and Rivers? is certainly more than just a “key.” What Violet needed right now was its additional ability as a spatial-type item.

Seeing the puzzled expressions of both the Saintess and Miss Holy Knight, the white fox girl patted the smooth, ancient bronze seal in her arms and softly explained.

“As high-ranking figures and scholars of the Holy Empire, I assume I don’t need to explain to you what a spatial rift is, right? This item can create a special, stable rift space somewhere. While the environment inside may not be particularly comfortable, it should be enough for ordinary people to survive for a while.”

Violet gestured with her eyes toward the group of citizens, who had been re-organized and might be carrying the plague. Thanks to Edwina’s firm stance and the Saintess’s tacit approval, the digging work had temporarily stopped.

“You’re worried about these people running around and spreading the plague, right? Why not let them take refuge in the rift space created by this artifact for the time being? You can set up a temporary camp inside, have people monitor them, and once things calm down, you can begin studying and treating the patients.”

“Oh, by the way, just a quick question. What’s the usual incubation period for this plague according to historical records?”

After a moment of silence, Yuna responded.

“…If we don’t encounter cases like the ?Defiler? we just saw, the incubation period usually lasts two months to half a year. Such a long latent transmission period is one of the most terrifying aspects of the ?Defilement?.”

“Hmm, then that settles it, doesn’t it? I can adjust the flow of time slightly within the rift space of this item. While I can’t slow it down by several times or dozens of times, the six months outside would only feel like 2-3 months inside. That should give you enough buffer time, right?”

“…?”

The two divine descendants exchanged glances. This time, it was Edwina, who had a stronger ability to accept new things and was more familiar with the endless methods of the white fox girl, who took the initiative to ask.

“Miss Dawn, just how large is the space within this treasure? How many people can it accommodate? After all, the number of citizens infected by the plague is already quite considerable. I had originally planned to dedicate an entire city for them…”

“Well~”

The white fox girl tilted her head thoughtfully.

“It mainly depends on how much magic the user pours into the rift space when it’s created. If I’m the one using it, I should be able to create a space about the size of a natio…ahem an Angel City.”

“Of course, let me clarify. How the citizens are settled inside is up to you. I’m just providing the space, that’s all.”

The Saintess smiled slightly and nodded in agreement.

“Miss Dawn has already helped tremendously that even the ?Fate? has been altered just like now. If we truly have such a miraculous spatial treasure, then Edwina’s proposal may not be impossible after all.”

“?Fate?… huh?”

Miss White Fox muttered softly, her words barely audible, as if meant only for her own ears. Yuna, however, remained focused, her voice steady as she continued speaking.

“If we can safely and effectively prevent the further spread of the plague while studying the ?Defilement? virus, we won’t be as helpless the next time we face it. Even if we can’t cure it, by concentrating and isolating the patients, when the final moment comes…”

Saying this, she seemed to think of something and continued after a moment of contemplation.

“However, if it’s a rift space, then its entrance and exit…”

Miss White Fox smiled and gave a thumbs-up.

“That’s right! Yuna, you really understand~”

The rift space is a special environment that exists attached to the real world, where the entrance and exit are not unified, and the concepts of distance and time inside do not align with reality.

Perhaps you only moved a few hundred meters or even just a few dozen steps within the rift space, but once you leave, you could have crossed thousands of miles in the outside world.

Back in the Azure Sky Kingdom, the Winged People had once used this principle to create a giant portal connecting two floating islands. While ?Seal of Mountains and Rivers? is certainly at a higher rank in terms of its dimensional properties, the essential characteristics of this space would remain unchanged.

?Seal of Mountains and Rivers? itself is undoubtedly the entrance to the rift space, but its exit will be determined by the location chosen by the user when creating the space. She can let people enter it, but she cannot move them around once they’re inside.

In other words, regardless of where Violet is, any beings or objects that leave the space will always appear at a fixed exit location.

This is the space of ?Seal of Mountains and Rivers?. Compared to ?Heaven, Earth, Mountain, River Map?, it has its differences. While it may be effective from a strategic perspective, its practical applications are far less extensive than those of the latter.

After hearing the white fox girl explain the characteristics and shortcomings of this method, the three quickly decided to temporarily set the rift space of ?Seal of Mountains and Rivers? on the outskirts of this official road.

This location is about two hundred kilometers from the front lines of the battlefield near the Holy Capital. As long as the battle proceeds smoothly, it will be difficult to be affected by the flames of war.

Additionally, it is relatively close to several major cities in the Fulan province, with convenient transportation, making it suitable for further resettlement efforts after treating the infected individuals.

Of course… the premise is that Edwina can indeed break the curse of the ?Defilement? toxin and even develop treatment methods that can be widely promoted.

However, regarding this matter, Violet’s ability to help is quite limited.

She may indeed be able to eliminate the ?Defilement? power from these refugees, but that would likely require using the power of her true self ?Violet?, since ?Dawn?’s abilities probably only excel in dealing with the dead.

If she openly displays her holy light power, all the effort put into establishing her current identity would go to waste.

At the same time, there’s another, more important reason…

It’s complicated.

Come on, just think about it!

Even if she cures the few hundred people in front of her, how many new refugees will the army encounter as it continues to advance?

What about those who have already spread out in other directions? Is the priestess really expected to save each and every one of them herself?

Whether she can do it is debatable, just imagining running around like that gives her a headache!

So, this matter can only be initiated by Edwina or Yuna, representatives of the Holy Empire’s high officials, using the nation’s resources, while the white fox girl assists from the sidelines, which is already more than enough kindness on her part.