Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 6] Chapter 9

[Vol. 6] Chapter 9: The Brewing Begins

Without disturbing the villagers, the priestess arrived at a higher set of steps, rising slightly on her toes to survey the surroundings.

This was the only relatively open area within the Zeng Family Village, resembling a plaza. At this late hour, a massive bonfire had been erected in the center of the plaza. Its flames soared into the sky, illuminating the surroundings without emitting overwhelming heat, instead radiating a gentle warmth.

This fire seemed distinct from ordinary flames, possibly due to the type of wood used as fuel, wood specifically meant to enhance the atmosphere and provide light during such ceremonial celebrations.

Gazing at the several-meter-tall bonfire for a moment, Violet silently shifted her eyes elsewhere.

Under the firelight that illuminated the village, people were singing and dancing, or, like Zeng Zhuang, laughing loudly in conversation with friends.

All around were simple yet plentiful delicacies, roasted meat, fruits, wild vegetables, gathered from the nearby mountains by the villagers and freely available for everyone to enjoy.

Near the massive bonfire stood a large wooden barrel, seemingly filled with brewed beverages like ale. From time to time, villagers would ladle out a cup, walk arm in arm with friends, drinking and chatting as they went. A harmonious, lively scene.

It appeared this was the festival.

“So I’m telling you, that fairy lady is really, really beautiful…”

Not far away, Zeng Zhuang was still arguing with someone about the existence and beauty of a so-called “fairy lady.” His words blended into the clamor of the crowd, rising together toward the dark night sky.

Following the tip of the bonfire’s flames, the black-haired girl looked upward.

Huh?

She noticed something she hadn’t paid attention to before. A curious and intriguing discovery.

This land, this continent, meant to simply stand across the sea from another continent in the same world, yet…

No moon?

Not even a crescent. The vast, boundless night sky, save for scattered stars offering faint glimmers of light to the earth, showed not the slightest trace of the moon’s presence.

And Violet was certain this wasn’t due to clouds or similar obstructions hiding the moon’s outline. It was simply absent. Nothing resembling it existed among the stars. The notion was truly bizarre.

Yet during the day, she had clearly seen a sun hanging in the sky, much like the one over the other continent. Why, then, did the night differ so drastically?

This puzzlement didn’t seem to have much to do with the current situation the young priestess found herself in. Yet, for reasons she couldn’t explain, Violet couldn’t help but dwell on it and make connections in her mind.

According to her experiences on the other continent and the information provided by Sethlin, this world was supposed to be a near-flat space. The edges of many worlds overlapped, forming a composite structure with some semblance of three-dimensionality.

Violet had initially assumed that the world’s edges were pure void, like the indescribable abyss of the southern of the world, marking the boundary between worlds. However, during her travels in the Holy Empire, she had learned of this distant continent across the vast Eastern Sea. A place called the [Ancient Spirit Realm].

If the [Ancient Spirit Realm] belonged fundamentally to the same world as the other continent, then the Eastern Sea could not be considered the boundary of the world. This would imply the existence of other distant civilizations beyond the infinite western deserts and the endless northern ice fields.

But that was impossible.

Otherwise, Sethlin, who was once the Goddess of Earth who had lived in this world for tens of thousands of years, would surely have known.

Conversely, if the endless Eastern Sea was indeed a boundary of the world, like the other three directions, a divine prohibition set by the gods, then crossing the far reaches of the Eastern Sea to reach this place, the [Ancient Spirit Realm], made a peculiar sort of sense.

It could only mean… this truly is another world.

Perhaps this moonless night sky is the strongest proof.

The young priestess pulled her thoughts back into focus.

If the [Ancient Spirit Realm] is essentially another world, and the world where Xiao Guang and the others are now is sealed by spatial barriers and world boundaries, then the inability to communicate with them through conventional means might be explained.

But something still doesn’t add up…

The Spirit Veil Immortal Island and the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild clearly maintain contact. That person, Minglan, had previously used a similar method for spatial teleportation. Violet admitted she couldn’t replicate the [Interdimensional Long-Distance Spatial Portal], but accomplishing what those people managed shouldn’t be beyond her abilities.

And what about Snow Wing?

Never mind. Being new to this place, there’s no need to overthink such distant matters.

In the meantime, Zeng Xianzhi, the village elder whom Violet had been curious about earlier, finally made his belated appearance. He was now presiding over the celebration in front of the massive bonfire, chanting something akin to prayers. It seemed to be one of their traditional customs.

The villagers responded loudly, their laughter and cheers unaffected by the minor disturbances of the day. The atmosphere grew increasingly lively, with waves of excitement surging as the flickering bonfire seemed to drive away the darkness of the night entirely.

Yet, as Violet watched the scene, her brows slowly furrowed. Her gaze, which had been fixed on Zeng Zhuang, swept steadily across the entire gathering.

Something’s not right. This celebration… there are too many strange things about it.

And, there are several people missing.

Violet wasn’t familiar enough with the villagers to identify everyone who wasn’t present. However, the group of villagers who had joined forces earlier to suppress Zeng Ergouzi, who had been possessed by the [Dog Demon], were conspicuously absent. Not a single one of them was here.

At first, she thought they might simply be mingling in the crowd and had escaped her notice. But after observing for a while, especially now that Zeng Xianzhi had started chanting prayers and the villagers had paused to watch, Violet was certain: those individuals had not come to the celebration at all.

Otherwise, Zeng Zhuang would have dragged them along to corroborate his claims about the so-called “fairy lady.”

Considering Zeng Xianzhi’s belated appearance earlier, a peculiar suspicion arose in the young girl’s mind.

Could it be…

Under the invisibility granted by the [Chameleon Cloak], Violet decisively left the celebration and followed the direction from which Zeng Xianzhi had come.

The noise of the celebration gradually faded behind her. Under the unusually quiet night sky, she found herself standing outside the village elder’s home, the very place she had visited earlier that day. Raising her brow slightly, she noticed something odd.

The talismans meant to ward off evil spirits that had been affixed to the door earlier were now gone.

“Hmph… playing tricks.”

Removing her cloak, she pushed the door open and entered.

The interior was just as it had been during the day. The room was illuminated by intentionally lit candles, likely to maintain the festive atmosphere, casting a faint light over the space. The black-haired girl glanced around the wooden house and quickly identified her target.

The villagers she had noticed missing from the celebration, those who had worked together earlier to subdue Zeng Ergouzi, were now bound side by side in a corner of the room.

They appeared unconscious. Judging from the lack of visible wounds or signs of struggle, their condition was likely caused by some sort of drug, rendering them temporarily comatose.

But that wasn’t what truly caught Violet’s attention.

A faint, sinister aura lingered around them, twisting unnaturally.

No, more precisely, it was emanating from within their bodies.

Ordinary people might feel only a slight chill when approaching them, enough to form a vague sense that “something seems off.” But the priestess only needed a quick SP scan to discern a much clearer conclusion.

These people were… *possessed*.