Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 312

[Vol. 5] Chapter 312: Traces Left by an Old Acquaintance

This marked the clear and intuitive distinction Violet had observed between the two types of puppets she had encountered.

The source of this difference likely had much to do with what [Vast Dream] experienced during that period and how his mindset evolved as a result.

Violet had no intention of wasting time.

“Take me directly to [Divine Network Final Form Unit 0]. That person must have already authorized you for this.”

“Uploading an access request to the [Divine Network]… Request approved. Please follow me, esteemed guests.”

After a brief pause, as though communicating remotely with some unseen entity, the guide puppet “smiled” and nodded before leading the way.

Minchen and Loknisa were clearly no strangers to this place. They didn’t even need the guide puppet’s assistance, walking alongside her as they headed toward the center of the city, bringing Violet along with them.

Though countless puppets and mechanical constructs bustled about, it was evident that they had already been instructed in advance. None of them reacted to the presence of the three visitors.

Instead, they continued with their tasks, patrolling, transporting goods, maintaining or operating various facilities along the way. All working in perfect harmony to sustain the operations of this underground city.

As Violet walked, observing the intriguing sights around her, a thought suddenly came to mind. Something she had heard from someone before but never had the chance to ask about.

“By the way, Minchen, what were you doing in Sacchino City before? I heard you ran into the Redemption Saintess there and ended up showing off in front of that little girl?”

“…What do you mean by ‘showing off’? I was there on official business, thank you very much.”

After some time to recover, the Minchen seemed to have regained some of his composure. Hearing the playful tone in the priestess’s voice, he couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth, responding with a helpless tone.

“Do you remember that person, Nicholas, Miss Violet?”

“Nicholas, huh…”

As for whether she remembered or not… given Violet’s excellent memory as a deity, there was no way she could have forgotten someone with whom she had interacted a fair bit.

Previously, in Sacchino City, when Violet had helped the Redemption Saintess, Philomena, resettle the 100,000 citizens originally belonging to that city, she had heard Philomena mention the names and characteristics of a mysterious duo who had delivered a one-time space storage gem.

There was no need to elaborate on Minchen. As for Nicholas, Violet quickly recalled their past interactions after thinking about it.

The “Vicious Wolf gang” in the Oaken Grand Canyon, the legend of the ‘wishing spirit’, and how this disciple of the Sword Saint Bevis Bernard was currently working with the Kingdom’s Royal Palace as the head of security for a certain princess, she remembered all of it clearly.

But now that Nicholas had appeared here in the Holy Empire, together with Minchen…

“Hmm, so what’s your relationship with him? Another one of your illegitimate children, Mr. Main Character? By the way, don’t tell me you took advantage of your little bit of power and went straight to the Royal Palace of the Human United Kingdom to steal someone? Let me tell you, Lilya is under my protection, so if you dare bully her, it won’t just be a simple beating.”

“Hey, hey, what do you think of me? That sounded terrible in every possible way…”

Instinctively stepping back, Minchen quickly corrected himself.

“About taking Nicholas on a journey, I approached him privately first, then formally met with Her Majesty Lilya Melchior and got her permission. As for my relationship with that kid… Please don’t misunderstand, there is no blood relation or familial connection between us.”

“But… he’s the descendant of Xiao Shuai.”

“……Xiao Shuai?”

As the priestess mumbled the name, which sounded a bit tacky but was actually not the first time she had heard it, Loknisa turned around as well.

“Here’s the story, Miss Violet. When Minchen and the others crossed over to this world, there were five of us in total, including him. Apart from the ones you’re already familiar with, Vast Dream and Cheese Mochi, there was one man and one woman. And [Flame God Xiao Shuai] was the only human among us, acting as the archer who provided support from the rear.”

The young man in plain clothes nodded and spoke in a deep voice.

“Xiao Shuai died in the battle in the Illusionary Realm, killed by the son of the Great Fiery Lord, the Fiery Elemental Lord. I watched with my own eyes as he, who was most skilled in using flames, was burned to ashes, leaving no remains.”

“Although we fought with everything we had to avenge him, even extracting the core of the Fiery Elemental Lord as revenge, his fall could not be undone.”

“After leaving the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains a few days ago, I went to the Human United Kingdom, as per your instructions, and taught that girl named Lan Tulls who got my sword techniques. Afterward, I traveled south and arrived at the capital of the Human United Kingdom. There, I met a legendary adventurer named Scarlet Flame Flora.”

“What surprised me was that the archery technique Scarlet Flame Flora used was exactly the same as Xiao Shuai’s, but Xiao Shuai should never have taken on any disciples…”

“Later, I remembered that when we were traveling the world many years ago, we had once encountered a ruined temple that seemed to be dedicated to the [Flame God]. At that time, Xiao Shuai joked that his name also included ‘Flame God,’ and since the temple had been abandoned for a long time, with nothing inside, he decided to place his bow technique, the essence of what he had summarized, on the altar, as a gift from the [Flame God] to future generations.”

“I think this Scarlet Flame Flora, or her ancestors, must have found that temple and Xiao Shuai’s notes, learning the abilities within. If that’s the case, she could be considered a half-disciple of Xiao Shuai, the only inheritor. I’ve decided to stay a while longer and observe, to see if I can offer some guidance.”

“But what surprised me even more was that, over time, following Miss Scarlet Flame Flora’s social connections, I found out that she occasionally interacted with, none other than Nicholas, the head of the palace guards, and he actually looked very similar to Xiao Shuai. Moreover, there was a faint, somewhat familiar scent about him…”

“After carefully recalling, I remembered something.”

“When we were traveling the world and becoming stronger, we gradually encountered the new and unique [laws] of this world and tried to simulate and master that power, which was almost close to the concept of a force.”

“Back then, Vast Dream was already exploring the essence of [Faith Power], and we, in our youthful ambition, even tried to use something like simulated laws to create a ‘machine that could respond to wishes’, the so-called wish machine.”

“Using Vast Dream’s AI technology, along with many precious materials we had gathered, we eventually made a prototype.”

“However, due to certain technical challenges that we could never overcome, and the true laws being far more complex than we had imagined, we eventually abandoned the plan. We left the half-finished product in the deep part of the Oaken Grand Canyon, as a trace of our journey through there.”

“This machine was supposed to be accessible only to the five of us, but perhaps because so much time had passed, the identity recognition system malfunctioned and mistook Nicholas, whose temperament and bloodline were similar, for Xiao Shuai. It not only reset the environment simulation and restarted the machine… but also granted him a [wish].”

“Afterward, the device likely ran out of energy and fell back into a dormant state, but the aura of the [simulated law] we had collectively created still lingered on Nicholas, and I eventually noticed it.”

“I then secretly checked with some special methods and confirmed that Nicholas was truly Xiao Shuai’s descendant.”

“That’s why I decided to keep him close, teach him some deeper techniques. It’s also… a small compensation for not protecting Xiao Shuai well back then.”

“Hey, don’t look at me like that with suspicion. I really didn’t do anything out of line in Courage City. The queen even took one of my magic items as a ‘fee’ for the permit…”