Even so, the Gatekeeper, or rather the young man who called himself Minchen, didn’t appear particularly angry. Instead, he smiled pleasantly.
“Interesting, you are indeed as intriguing as Tiyelu described. It’s not in vain that I temporarily sealed the gate and made the long journey here. Violet, can I call you that directly?”
“Of course, then I’ll just call you Minchen directly. The title Gatekeeper feels a bit strange.”
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Suddenly, Minchen’s smile grew even wider.
“Haha, no problem, it’s just a title after all. Before I start answering your questions, may I ask one myself?”
“Sure?”
At this point, Minchen’s face also showed a hint of curiosity. He lightly tapped the table, and a glint flashed in his eyes.
“Violet, I’ve never heard of this name before. Tiyelu said you’re quite unusual, possessing the power to ignore the restrictions of the sacred grounds. This is something that can only be achieved at that level. However, as far as I know, similar beings have rarely appeared in the past three hundred years... So, may I ask where you come from and what brings you to this land of myriad demons?”
Hmm...
Is it true that old habits die hard? Although it feels a bit pretentious, when it comes down to business, he went straight to the heart of the matter. It’s also the most difficult question to answer.
Actually, most of the people she had encountered before, even if curious about Violet’s background, mostly only asked vague questions like “Who are you?” or “What do you want to do?” In this way, Miss Priestess could also respond with an ambiguous answer like “a traveler wandering around”. But what Minchen asked was “where do you come from” and “what brings you here”, which were quite pointed questions. It’s probably impossible to brush them off casually.
Avoiding the question altogether is an option, or saying something like “I come from the Human United Kingdom” could also work, but doing so would undoubtedly appear suspicious and strange, arousing people’s guard and making future negotiations much more difficult. After all, trust is mutual.
In this situation, she definitely couldn’t directly say “I’m a player from a game world,” but to come up with a reasonable and suggestive answer without revealing too many secrets would indeed require some finesse.
“Since you’re unwilling to say... well, I apologize for being abrupt. Let’s continue...”
Seeing the black-haired girl hesitate for a while without replying, seemingly having some difficulty expressing herself, Minchen sighed lightly, intending to say something to ease the atmosphere. However, the former suddenly spoke up.
“There’s nothing to hide. Actually, I came here from somewhere else and don’t belong to this world.”
“?!”
After deliberately saying this, Violet carefully observed the expressions of the other three people upon hearing this statement. While Vanessa and Berta of the Tree Spirit Tribe merely furrowed their brows slightly, only Minchen’s expression changed slightly, showing a shocked attitude different from his previously calm demeanor.
Though fleeting, Miss Priestess still clearly captured it.
There must be something fishy going on.
Pretending to be oblivious to all of this, Violet continued.
“Due to some inexplicable accidents, I ended up here from my original world, and I can’t go back for the time being. The reason I travel around with my companions is also to learn as much as possible about this world and search for information related to ‘transdimensional travel’.”
Sipping her herbal wine from the goblet, the Priestess rested her chin on her hand, looking at the three people seated in front of her, especially Minchen, the “Gatekeeper.”
“Well? Are you satisfied with this answer?”
“Well...”
Vanessa, the tribal chief, and Berta exchanged glances, appearing somewhat surprised but unsure of what to say. However, Violet saw this as a normal reaction.
While traveling through worlds was unimaginable, Violet had come to understand something through her experiences after arriving here: the world, once known as the Dream Continent, was not entirely closed off. The exact nature of this world’s existence was unclear, but undoubtedly, many other worlds had connections, albeit tenuous ones, to this one. The most typical example was Aibus, which the Priestess had just visited.
Events like the rumored demon invasions that frequently occurred here, though Violet had not encountered any herself, seemed to involve creatures from other worlds as well. This suggested that interworld travel was entirely possible.
It was rare but not worth making a fuss over.
However, what is said unintentionally may be interpreted differently, especially when Violet deliberately used this seemingly ambiguous wording to induce further speculation.
Unlike the surprise and silence from the other two, Minchen suddenly spoke in a manner that sounded particularly strange, making it difficult to understand its meaning.
“Cough... Odd changes or no changes?”
“Huh?”
The few words he uttered were not in the common language used among demons but rather in the most widely used language between continents, known as the Human United Kingdom or human language. Moreover, he spoke very quickly, so Vanessa and Berta couldn’t understand him at first, only Violet, equipped with translation tools, immediately caught on.
Then, she tilted her head in surprise.
“What did you just say?”
“Huh?... Nothing, just a slip of the tongue... Well, Miss Violet, since you say you’re from another world, how should I address your hometown?”
It was evident that Minchen’s attitude had suddenly become tense and nervous compared to before. Perhaps the other two didn’t understand the reason, or even noticed this change, but the Priestess instantly understood.
This guy is really a traveler!
There was no mistake. The term “Odd changes or no changes, look at the symbols in the quadrants” is widely mocked on Earth, referred to as the “special code for travelers,” a term that creatures in this world simply couldn’t know. After all, while technology might be similar, mnemonic rules formulated from experiences couldn’t possibly be exactly the same.
Minchen is a traveler, or perhaps, likely a game player from Earth. In that case, it wouldn’t be surprising for him to possess a pseudo-god level of strength. In reality, level 80 isn’t considered high among players.
After all, as one progresses in the “Illusory World” game, the difficulty and time required become increasingly absurd, so this level can at most be considered average.
The reason Violet didn’t immediately catch on is, first of all, because she hadn’t anticipated such a sudden turn of events and was caught off guard. Additionally, Minchen clearly didn’t want to openly reveal his identity as a player, otherwise, he wouldn’t have used such an obscure way to probe.
What also concerns and puzzles Violet is why Minchen doesn’t recognize her. It’s not that she’s boasting, but she’s actually very famous among the “Illusory World” player community. After all, there were no priests stronger than her across the entire server.
As for the name “Violet,” it frequently appeared on the first-clear lists of various major instances, and even if players hadn’t personally encountered her, they should have heard of her. World announcements are forcefully circulated, after all.
In the past, there were even exclusive interviews with various high-level players in the game. The image of Priestess Violet, which is identical to her current appearance, has appeared directly in promotional announcements multiple times.
But since Minchen is a traveler, why did he show no reaction to her name and appearance?