It took Violet over thirty kilometers to fly north, finally finding Xiao Guang, who had already followed ahead, in a forest that belonged to the range of Ten Thousand Demons Mountains.
This was also the last location where she sensed the prying gaze and left her breath.
Miss Priestess also acted swiftly. Although she was delayed for a moment due to arranging things, she arrived just half a minute after Xiao Guang.
When she arrived, the dragon lady was standing on the inside of a mountain wall, clearly inside a cave dug out manually, staring at the scattered metal debris on the ground with a frown.
“How’s it going? Did you catch any suspicious individuals?”
Xiao Guang turned around and shook her head.
“There’s no sign of any biological activity around. Master, there are still some traces of magic remaining on this thing. It should have been some kind of magical equipment, but it was already broken when I arrived. It seems the other party deliberately severed the connection.”
“They’re good at escaping. Not much skill, but they can run pretty fast...”
It seemed that the opponent’s main body was not here, but they were using some kind of special magical item for remote surveillance. This wasn’t uncommon, but since there were still some traces of magic remaining, it was worth investigating.
Violet squatted down and activated “Information Detection” on the pile of metal debris on the ground.
A few fragmented pieces of information quickly appeared before her eyes.
【Mirror of Nothingness, a mirror forged by the summoning alchemist Silvester Bullwer. It was damaged by a powerful external force and has lost its effectiveness.】
“Hmm...”
Although there was much less information compared to last time, the fact that there was anything left at all in this tattered state was already quite good. This was enough to confirm Violet’s judgment.
Silvester... it was him again, huh? It seemed that this summoning alchemist was likely responsible for tampering with those monsters, causing them to go berserk. Eight or nine times out of ten, it’s probably him. She wondered what he and Eileen were planning, repeatedly provoking the relationship between the Human United Kingdom and the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains.
“What should we do now, Master?”
After a moment of thought, the priestess clapped her hands and stood up.
“Let it go. There’s no need to tangle with a few sneaky mice. We’ve already thwarted their plans. Let’s go back for now, Menna and the others are more important.”
“Okay.”
After a brief search of the crude mountain cave to ensure nothing was overlooked, Violet and Xiao Guang spread their wings once again and returned to the outskirts of Clovis Town where Leila and Rene were.
Their round trip was short, mainly spent searching the cave and inspecting the pile of ashes. When they returned to the airspace above the still-bound group of monsters with the Light Chains, the sisters were in conversation with several neatly dressed women in black.
It seems that the Shadow Guards responsible for defense noticed the anomaly and sent out personnel to investigate. Their response was quite prompt.
“Lady Violet, you’re back? Did you catch the enemy?”
Seeing two young girls descending from the sky, folding their wings, Rene hurried forward. While her sister, Leila, who was busy exchanging information with the Shadow Guards, couldn’t divert her attention, she immediately cast a concerned gaze.
“It can’t be considered resolved, but at least for the time being, the other side shouldn’t dare to show their face. Let’s talk about this later. Were they sent by Menna?”
Rene, relatively introverted compared to her sister, was also very clever. Hearing Violet’s question, she immediately understood her intention.
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“Please rest assured, Lady Violet. Negotiations with Princess Menna have not been interrupted. It’s said that there was some disturbance, but it was all suppressed by Princess Menna herself. It’s thanks to you for intervening and stopping the rampaging group of monsters. Otherwise, it would’ve been really difficult.”
“Is that so... That’s good.”
Although Menna was young, her abilities and courage were quite remarkable. Since she had stabilized the situation, there shouldn’t be any major problems afterward.
As long as the situation didn’t descend into chaos, after both sides inspected the condition of these monsters and understood where they came from, the situation would naturally become clear.
The rest could be left to the humans and the creatures to handle themselves. Violet had done her utmost.
................................................
The central core area of the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains was a small region of only a few thousand square kilometers, independent of the jurisdiction of the three major pillars: Moon Shadow, Steel Claw, and Blazing Feather.
The groups controlled by the three pillars surrounded this core area like a protective arch in three different directions. The entire core mountain range was protected by some invisible barrier, preventing even birds or insects from entering. Outsiders were also unable to observe what was inside, only seeing a hazy mist.
It was called the 【Sanctuary】.
The 【Sanctuary】 is the holy place bestowed with blessings by Its Majesty the ancient Demon God, guarded by immensely powerful overseers. It is absolutely impossible to force one’s way into the 【Sanctuary】, it would only bring disaster upon oneself. However, if one follows the rules, it is not entirely impossible to pay respects.
There are four gateways to the 【Sanctuary】.
They each exist within the eastern, southern, western, and northern regions of the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains, within four special mountain ranges. If one can find the gateway and defeat its guardian to prove their own strength, they will be permitted to enter.
But entering the gateway does not mean entering the 【Sanctuary】. Visitors must also pass the second test, a more difficult trial bestowed by the entity known as the “Gatekeeper.”
At this moment, deep within the southern region of the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains, beyond the door shrouded in fantastical magical fluctuations, a young man dressed in simple clothes, with empty hands, stepped out.
Standing before the door was the guardian of the southern peak, or rather... the acting guardian, Berta Linwood—a high-ranking member of the Tree Spirit Tribe, possessing beautiful bright green long hair. A tall girl dressed in a peculiar bodysuit resembling intertwined green leaves placed two uniquely curved blades crossed at her feet and respectfully knelt down.
“Disciple Berta pays respects to Master, welcoming Master’s descent from the mountain!”
The man glanced at her and casually nodded.
“So, it’s little Berta. No need for formalities~ I’ve said it before, I just happened to teach you for a year by chance, I can’t really be considered a teacher. You don’t have to kneel and bow every time you see me.”
“No, even though it’s only been a year, the profound skills that Master has imparted to me have greatly benefited Berta. If even someone as unfathomable as you cannot be called Master, then who else in this world is worthy of being my teacher?”
The man addressed as “Master” smiled without any airs, didn’t argue, and casually brushed aside the gray bangs hanging down on his forehead, looking around curiously.
“By the way, the disciple guarding the southern region should be that kid Walter, right? I remember him as quite diligent and straightforward. Why did he go out fishing, leaving you to take over?”
“Huh?”
The tree spirit lady was stunned, her slender pointed ears twitched subconsciously, and she asked in surprise.
“Didn’t you know that Senior Brother Walter and the troops organized by the Moon Shadow Clan have already gone to the Human United Kingdom to participate in the rescue operation for the Little Highness? Didn’t Lord Tiyelu tell you?”