“Huh? Is that so? Maybe he forgot to mention it, after all... it’s not a big deal.”
The young man shook his head helplessly, then counted on his fingers for a while, before chuckling with some sentimentality.
“It’s been almost decades since I’ve seen that arrogant butterfly in person. She’s inside the gate, I’m outside. Though it’s just a wall apart, it’s like two different worlds. The gates of the 【Illusionary Realm】 aren’t that easy to open. Chatting with her always reminds me of those unbearable pasts, those old friends I can’t see anymore. It’s quite uncomfortable, and gradually, I just lose interest.”
“I see...”
Berta nodded as if understanding some secret, still maintaining the respectful posture of kneeling on one knee.
“Master, you haven’t left the gates of the 【Sanctuary】 for over a hundred years. Is today’s sudden appearance because there’s going to be a significant change for the generation, requiring your personal intervention?”
“Haha, little Berta, don’t always be so serious and suspicious, it won’t do you any good.”
After teasing his charming and cute disciple for a few moments, the man laughed again, though a hint of melancholy and helplessness flashed through his seemingly clear eyes.
“I’ve been squatting in one place for almost three hundred years. It’s time for these old bones to move around a bit and get some fresh air. I’ve heard there have been quite a few interesting things happening recently, especially hearing about some intriguing individuals from Tiyelu. So, I just wanted to come and take a look.”
The man in plain clothes took a few casual steps forward. Though it seemed like just a few steps, he instantly passed the kneeling tree spirit lady, walking hundreds of meters away to the edge of the mountain platform, gazing into the distant misty mountains.
“How time flies. In the blink of an eye, three hundred years have passed. A mistake, a promise, a secret. Though the heavens and earth are vast, they’re not my home. Ah, sigh, sigh...”
....................................
The day after the negotiations ended.
The sudden agitation of the monsters, handled properly by both sides, did not affect the final outcome. The negotiations between the Human United Kingdom and the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains lasted for three hours of extensive discussions and exchanges, successfully reaching a consensus.
Representatives from both sides drafted an authoritative formal agreement on the spot, which included hundreds of clauses regarding the future development and cooperation between the Human United Kingdom and the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains.
For example, the Human United Kingdom agreed to unconditionally return tens of thousands of abducted creatures rescued from the poacher’s stronghold, including Novia Moon Shadow.
In return, the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains would fully assist in their resettlement and relocation, and provide temporary shelter for other non-Ten Thousand Demons Mountains victims until their families could take them away.
This was particularly important because the Human United Kingdom would later vigorously conduct nationwide efforts to combat and rescue victims of human trafficking, a group that would likely be ten or even a hundred times larger than the current one. The Ten Thousand Demons Mountains, as a land of racial integration, undoubtedly provided a more suitable place for these non-native creatures.
Of course, there were many other agreements, all of which were generally beneficial and not overly one-sided, constituting win-win agreements for both parties. Violet, finding it bothersome, didn’t bother to read the specifics.
As a result, the intense conflicts and contradictions along the border that had persisted for months were essentially resolved.
If future developments went well, perhaps even the opportunity would arise for the Human United Kingdom and the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains to establish their first diplomatic relations in history.
Surely, after hearing the news, Her Majesty the Queen, far away in the Courage City, could finally get a good night’s sleep.
In the morning, in front of the North Gate of the Demon Suppression City.
“Miss Violet, are you really leaving so soon? You’re in such a hurry to leave the Demon Suppression City. Is there something important you need to attend to?”
The princess, dressed in casual attire, held the priestess’s delicate and tender hand, not much older than her, with some reluctance, desperately trying to persuade her.
Ahead of them, a large convoy protected by the military and carrying creatures stolen by poachers was constantly driving outwards from the city gate.
This was the first batch of creatures being returned to the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains according to the agreement. The human army would escort them to the border, where they would be handed over to the demon side for processing.
Including the part of the important girls from the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains, who were initially treated by Miss Priestess under the alias “Dawn”, as well as the most crucial Novia Moon Shadow, will all be returned together this time.
And Violet, taking advantage of the opportunity, chose to bring along several other companions to make a detour to the interior of the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains.
With Walter and the others helping out, there would naturally be no problems. It’s not so much that, as back when Violet made the agreement with Tiyelu, as a reward for helping her find Novia, the Elder promised to allow Miss Priestess and her party to come and go freely throughout the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains in the future.
“I won’t stay, I won’t stay. Anyway, the Demon Suppression City has been turning around for some time now, it’s time to see some new places. Little Menna, don’t worry either, I’m not going to disappear forever as soon as I leave. At least, the tree planting thing I mentioned before definitely needs to be taken care of when I come back.”
Planting the sacred tree of the Goddess of Life is no small matter, nor is it something that can be done casually with a sprinkle of seeds, fertilizer, and water.
It requires a considerable amount of time for observation and cultivation afterwards, and Violet currently doesn’t have the leisure to stay in the city and slowly handle such matters.
Moreover, Theresa has no experience in planting divine trees. It’s her first attempt, and after considering it carefully, Miss Priestess decided it would be better to proceed as calmly as possible.
Once the secrets of the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains are understood, especially the information related to those travelers, she can come back to the Demon Suppression City to deal with this matter in time.
In addition...
Violet turned her gaze to the proxy lord standing beside the young girl with blue hair, scratching her face somewhat embarrassedly.
“Um, refining swordsmanship is not something that can be achieved overnight. I have something I’m currently very interested in investigating, so for the time being...”
“Ahem! Don’t worry! I’ll definitely fulfill my promise to you! I won’t take back ‘Clear Sky’. As compensation for delaying the agreement, from today onwards, it belongs to you. When you come back from the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains, I’ll make sure to give you an explanation.”
Miss Lan, who was ruthlessly stood up by someone, smiled helplessly, gently stroking the handle of the long knife in her hand, but she didn’t seem particularly angry.
“It’s okay. When we decided to cooperate initially, we didn’t set a specific time, and I never expected to easily grasp the mysteries in that book. With such a precious blade as compensation, I actually made a big profit.”
“Violet, you don’t have to feel guilty. Just do what you want to do. Besides, in the short term, I’m afraid I won’t have time to leisurely practice martial arts.”
“Haha, it’s great that you can think like that...”
In fact, Miss Priestess did have the means to immediately teach Lan those swordsmanship techniques. If she really wanted to, she just needed to turn “Martial Arts” into a “Skill”, just like Lilya did initially.
But when it came to things in the game, unless absolutely necessary, Violet still hoped to avoid exposing them. Moreover, her journey to the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains to find information about the travelers was partly driven by the desire to fulfill this agreement.
After all, from “True Explanation of Famous Swords” to the diary found in the basement of Eileen’s house, and the various clues that had emerged recently, all pointed to an increasingly obvious fact.
The author of “True Explanation of Famous Swords” also came from the “Illusory World” game, and it’s very likely that one of the members of the expedition team mentioned in the diary is one of them.
In the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains, there must be more clues left by them, and perhaps even... traces of the person themselves.
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