Early in the morning, Sigrid found Violet, who was having breakfast with several girls at the embassy.
According to the plan discussed last night, after informing the three, Edwina who were staying behind, they went to the place where the village girl Theresa was being held, or rather guarded.
The little girl was not locked in a prison cell, firstly because Theresa had not committed any crimes, and secondly, as a citizen of the Norbos Iron-Blood Empire, the Azure Sky Kingdom had its rules and couldn’t interfere with her as they pleased.
Although rules like these are just jokes in the face of absolute national power disparities, it seems that the winged people have made sure to protect Theresa’s basic human rights, temporarily bringing her here under the pretext of assisting in the investigation.
It was said that while investigating her background, they informed her parents in White City 27 Village and compensated them with a considerable amount of financial aid.
In fact, the place where Theresa currently resides is also within the “Hospitality Zone,” although it is somewhat secluded, it is not far from the embassy, and one could reach it in about half an hour on foot.
As an actual suspect, the winged people could not provide her with any particularly luxurious accommodation.
It’s just an ordinary little house, about a few dozen square meters, single-story, with only one entrance and exit besides the windows sealed with railings, guarded tightly by winged warriors.
But to be fair, apart from the restricted freedom, these conditions are already much better than what Violet saw in that village at Theresa’s hometown.
There aren’t many winged guards here, probably a dozen or so altogether, but all of them have white feathers.
Clearly, they were all specially sent by the “Wings of Freedom.”
As a weak village girl who hasn’t even surpassed the level of an ordinary person, being watched by at least level 30 experts all day must be quite a mental burden.
Sigrid obviously had made prior arrangements. When she and the two arrived, the white-feathered guards seemed unfazed, nodded in acknowledgment, and then directly cleared the way.
Entering the courtyard of the small house, Sigrid did not rush to enter with Violet and the others. Instead, she glanced at the two white-feathered warriors guarding the inner door and pulled the priestess aside.
“Violet, before you go in, let me brief you on the situation, that is, the reason for bringing Theresa here.”
“Also, although this matter is not considered a high-level secret within our organization, not many people are aware of it. After hearing it, please don’t spread it casually.”
“Alright, alright, go ahead.”
Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.
Violet was actually quite curious.
The book without words that tricked her and Sethlin before was obtained from the Fragrant Auction House with the background of the ‘Wings of Freedom.’
Sethlin mentioned that someone took away the fragments from the book and tampered with it. Although it’s highly unlikely that the winged people were involved, it’s not entirely impossible.
So the priestess had to find out how much the high-level authorities of the Azure Sky Kingdom really knew about the Goddess of Earth.
Seeing Violet readily agreeing without hesitation, Sigrid didn’t waste any time.
“Speaking of this matter, we first need to mention the deity worshipped in our country, the Goddess of Sky and Freedom, Lady Minerva. Since Violet’s goal is to meet with Her, I guess there’s no need for me to give much introduction, right?”
“Yeah, probably not.”
Actually, if possible, the priestess did want to gather more specific information about the God of Sky from someone who had close contact with a deity, like the mentioned God’s Sacrifice.
After all, what she currently knows is mostly hearsay myths.
But considering that Sigrid is just a substitute and openly admitted to never having seen the God of Sky, asking her might be futile.
“What do you mean by ‘probably’...”
The white-haired girl shook her head in silence, and her short ponytail behind her head playfully swayed along.
“In summary, according to the ancient records, when the God of Sky left the mortal world, He left behind a few final prophecies for the White Feather Winged Tribe, which is us, His closest followers.”
“For example, guiding our tribe to establish cities on the floating islands, teaching us to treat others with warmth, and promoting harmonious coexistence with other tribes... These prophecies are still the core beliefs of the Kingdom of Azure Sky today, bringing prosperity and stability to our winged lives.”
Sigrid raised one finger.
“And among them, there is a hidden prophecy that foretells the arrival of a disaster.”
“My children, if one day, the sealed city is shattered by blood, and the calamitous beasts of the earth surge from the abyss, then, errors will persist, and disaster will come unexpectedly. Go in search of the seed of calamity, find it, find it before the enemy does. It is the root of everything, only by finding it can redemption be brought.”
Closing her eyes, and in a tone imbued with a strange emotion, Sigrid recited the commandment from the deity. After completing it, she returned to her usual laid-back demeanor, spreading her hands.
“In short, that’s the situation. Since the disaster a few years ago, the predicted abyssal creatures have started to appear, and the ‘Wings of Freedom’ have mobilized to suppress the abyssal disturbances. At the same time, everyone has been working hard to find the ‘Seed of Calamity,’ but so far, we have had no success.”
“To be honest, strange occurrences have been frequent domestically lately, similar to what happened on the Omo Island, and we all have a somewhat ominous feeling but are unable to pinpoint it.”
“Like the abyssal creature you encountered earlier, it escaped after a special accident. Moreover, in recent years, a significant portion of our country’s military power has been used to block several abyssal exits, yet the enemies seem to be endless, and we are feeling a bit overwhelmed.”
“Therefore, Her Majesty, in the name of her birthday celebration, has invited guests from all over to jointly resist the impending disaster. At the very least, we need to remind them to be prepared.”
The priestess pondered and found a point of doubt.
“Wait a minute, you mentioned earlier that if the sealed city is shattered by blood, disaster will come. But the current situation, although a bit troublesome, doesn’t seem to warrant the term ‘disaster,’ right? Did I miss something?”
“Who knows? Perhaps in the eyes of the deity, a few years might be just a fleeting moment. It would be best if the disaster could be delayed, but prophecies never go wrong; it’s just a matter of time.”
No, something is definitely wrong.
Leaving aside the authenticity of this prophecy, certain crucial aspects of it were undoubtedly distorted by the winged people, or Sigrid wasn’t telling the whole truth.
What does the term ‘Sealed City’ refer to?
Perhaps this city still exists, and the real disaster is yet to reveal itself.
As for the ‘Seed of Calamity’...
“Do you mean you found that seed on Theresa? How did you confirm it?”
Sigrid immediately answered with a natural expression.
“There was a visual representation in the prophecy. I saw it with my own eyes, there’s no mistake.”
“............”
The sense of unease grew even stronger.
Seeing Violet silent and pondering, Sigrid thought the topic might be too heavy, and the other party needed time to process. She didn’t immediately urge her to speak.
However, the retired former captain of the guard didn’t know that someone knew more than she imagined. While secrets of this degree might be useful, they weren’t challenging to comprehend.
Besides the content of the prophecy itself, the priestess was contemplating one thing—the most disconcerting aspect for her.
Clearly, the God’s Sacrifice still communicates with the God of Freedom through the Sky Temple...
Why, then, did She specifically leave a prophecy before departing?