After restraining the disgusting spherical object once again, Violet didn’t immediately cut off all the vines it extended like she did before. Instead, she tried to choose a relatively thin one and let Leila cut it off individually.
Splurt.
The vine broke and fell downward.
However, this time, there was no gray mist flowing out.
“?”
Violet was momentarily puzzled, then she realized and a slight smile curved her lips.
“How interesting...”
After the vine where it resided was cut off, this thing actively moved to other branches. Its intelligence was probably higher than expected.
This was undoubtedly some kind of intelligent unknown magical creature.
In the following time, the priestess studied this peculiar mist-like creature through the two unfortunate individuals who were parasitized.
This thing’s aggressiveness was truly powerful, almost like an instinctual action imprinted in its nature, or rather, it seemed to be the consciousness seeking a host.
It should be unable to survive in the air for an extended period. As soon as it detaches from the spherical shell, it immediately seeks the next host for parasitism. Moreover, it is quite cunning, understanding how to gain advantages and avoid harm, ambushing its target. This alone is already quite extraordinary.
It’s important to note that it’s just an invisible mist.
However, facing Violet, an even more unreasonable entity, no matter how bizarre this thing is, it can’t stir up much trouble. After completing the research, the priestess casually eradicated it.
In the process, she also healed the two volunteer gentlemen who had been of great help.
Meanwhile, the priestesss, seemingly brought by Edgar, completed the purification of the [Calamity] in the air.
Although all the attention was stolen by Violet, they seemed to have come specifically to join in, as if they were just bystanders. However, it appeared that these temple disciples had no grievances. Instead, their eyes, as they looked at the black-haired girl, were filled with admiration.
After all, the pure holy light displayed by Violet was probably a sight they had rarely seen in their lives. They might be treating the priestess as some kind of expert from the temple who had arrived here on a cloud. Violet didn’t bother explaining, she had long grown accustomed to such situations.
As the situation neared its end, Edwina, who had been assisting the victims outside, finally calmed the chaos and came to join them, satisfied with her efforts. With her current strength, she wouldn’t be harmed in such a small scene.
Violet stood up, tapped the specially crafted crystal bottle containing a strand of gray mist in her hand. This was a small sample she had deliberately preserved.
These gray mist creatures were interesting. Even though most of them had been purified, leaving only a small amount, they still retained the instinct of parasitism and some level of intelligence. This made Violet curious – how did they differentiate the concept of “individual” among themselves?
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freewebnσvel.cøm.
Or, could it be that there was some unified consciousness among them?
Ignoring the various gazes cast by adventurers and priests, the priestess stretched lazily.
“Well, although things deviated a bit from the planned schedule, we still obtained some good leads. It’s getting late, so let’s find an inn in the city and stay there tonight. We can continue tomorrow...”
“Please wait.”
Edgar, the half-beastman guildmaster of the Anilo City Adventurer’s Guild, suddenly spoke up. With eyes that seemed to carry a special meaning, he met the silver-blue gaze that turned towards him after hearing his voice.
“Miss Violet, and the others who helped so much today, may I have the honor of hosting a dinner as a token of gratitude? Would you all join me?”
This was a superficial excuse.
Violet could see through it at a glance.
Not knowing whether he had witnessed the strength of Violet and the others with his own eyes, the attitude of this mixed-race tiger-man, or rather his demeanor, underwent some inexplicable changes.
This also confirmed Violet’s initial speculation.
He indeed knew some inside information.
“Sure, that works. It’s getting late anyway, but our tastes are quite high～”
Edgar was slightly stunned, then revealed a wry smile.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure we can meet everyone’s needs.”
The half-beastman beckoned the somewhat bewildered catgirl.
“Mira, instruct them to prepare a dinner immediately, using the highest quality ingredients.”
“Uh? Okay! Brother Edgar, I’ll go handle it right away!”
Although she couldn’t understand the encrypted conversation between the two, Mira knew what to do in such situations and hurriedly ran out.
After quickly dealing with guild matters and arranging for the priests who came to support to start healing those affected by the “disaster,” Edgar dismissed the onlookers and led Violet and the others towards the private room upstairs.
Opening the door, they entered one after another.
“It’s a small place with not many amenities, so please don’t mind. The food should be up shortly, so please take a seat for now.”
Although Edgar said this, this private room was probably the best in the entire guild.
Covering an area of over a hundred square meters, it was elegantly decorated, well-equipped, and someone had even pre-ordered subtle incense and brewed hot tea.
Several girls each took their seats, and Edgar also sat down in the position directly across from Violet.
There were no servants in the private room, and besides Violet and the others, only Edgar himself was present. When the guildmaster came in, he also casually closed the door.
Clearly, he was about to discuss something confidential.
“So... let me confirm again. The purpose of everyone coming here is to subjugate the 【Southern Calamity Illusionary Cloud】, right?”
Edgar didn’t waste any pleasantries and went straight to the point.
“Well, I should have mentioned this before. There’s no need to emphasize it repeatedly, right?”
Although Violet’s tone wasn’t very polite, and could even be considered somewhat blunt, it was Edgar who had initially scoffed at her. So, she had the right to give him a taste of his own medicine.
The man nodded understandingly.
“If we can truly eliminate the ‘Southern Calamity,’ it would be a great thing for the entire Far South, and even for the world. I don’t care where you all come from or why you’re undertaking this bold venture... but let me ask one more question, how much do you know about the 【Illusionary Cloud】? Do you have the means to deal with its three major characteristics?”
“Three major characteristics?”
The priestess tilted her head, and the dragon girl and others also looked puzzled. It was the first time they heard someone mention this concept.
“You have... no idea at all?”
The mixed-race beastman’s expression, tinged with hidden anticipation, suddenly lost a bit of its luster.
Sensing the other’s emotions, Violet decided to be straightforward.
“We indeed haven’t heard of these three major characteristics. Is that strange? If I’m not mistaken, Mr. Edgar, you only learned about these secrets after your battle with the 【Illusionary Cloud】, right?”
“How did you...!?”
Almost instinctively, the man’s face showed obvious turmoil and astonishment. Clearly, Violet’s words had directly hit the deepest secret in his heart.
Seeing Edgar’s reaction, the priestess, who was actually just teasing him, confirmed the guess made by intuition and some clues.
This guy had indeed crossed paths with the 【Illusionary Cloud】 before.
In fact, when Violet first saw Edgar in the guild hall, she noticed it.
This mixed-race beastman had injuries, hidden injuries.
Or rather, there was something inside him, constantly conflicting with Edgar, absorbing his power. This resulted in Edgar, who should have had legendary-level strength, only displaying abilities at the level of an average skilled individual.
Perhaps ordinary people couldn’t see this, but it was impossible to conceal it from Violet, who was probing with intent.
Legendary level, even in a world power like the Human United Kingdoms, was a rare existence, let alone in a small country like Criv.
This Edgar’s identity was undoubtedly extraordinary. Combined with his enigmatic attitude towards the 【Southern Calamity Illusionary Cloud】, Violet immediately came up with a certain speculation.
Did the general from the Criv Kingdom mention that in this inhospitable southern region, there was once a legendary figure who led a crusade against the ‘Illusionary Cloud,’ only to be completely defeated, and he himself disappeared without a trace?
Was it possible that he didn’t actually die?