Although Violet immediately recognized the various details derived from the sketch due to her familiarity with it, she pretended to scrutinize it for a while before handing it back to Minchen, who was sitting opposite her, and shaking her head.
“I’m sorry, but the details are too vague to make an accurate judgment. To be honest, I’ve seen many warriors clad in armor in this world as well, so this doesn’t really prove anything.”
This was true enough. Just like Lucas was also a Celestial Guardian, but his armor, weapons, and even his appearance were completely different from other guardians.
Even if Lucas stood right in front of Minchen, he probably wouldn’t guess it was summoned by the same skill.
Nodding somewhat regretfully, Minchen put the sketch and pen back into the ring-shaped storage tool.
“You’re right. It’s been so long that my memory is a bit fuzzy. I can still draw my friends accurately, but a summoned creature I’ve only seen a few times is hard to recall. If only I could see it in person, but unfortunately, after that, Mochi...”
Seeing Minchen’s expression, Violet knew it wasn’t the right time to ask what had happened to “Mochi.” She intentionally shifted the topic.
“Speaking of which, I’m also a priestess and have some companions from that other world. How autonomous were Mochi’s summoned creatures?”
“Autonomous?”
Upon hearing this, Minchen laughed.
“Miss Violet, what do you think summoning magic is? Unless it’s a real creature with a pre-established contract, normally summoned creatures are just magical constructs. It’s already impressive if they can understand and execute their master’s commands correctly. Autonomy is out of the question.”
“Is that so, then...”
Violet barely managed to swallow the word “pet” that almost slipped out and suppressed the urge to say it. Continuing down that path would seem a bit too intentional.
To be honest, although she had basically confirmed that Minchen was a traveler and a player, the feeling he gave Violet was vastly different from what she had initially imagined.
He didn’t use the player’s space backpack but instead wore storage tools like the native creatures of this world.
He didn’t recognize the divine artifact 【Feather Robe Graria】 and had no reaction to the name “Violet.”
Most importantly, from what he said, Minchen and his companions’ summoned creatures didn’t seem to have gained true life like the little dragon girl and Lucas had in this world.
Even the seventh-tier Holy Light Elemental Spirits that Violet summoned, which were merely used as scouts and cannon fodder in the game, had gained a considerable degree of intelligence after coming to this world. They could communicate to a certain extent and carry out complex commands, like the one sent to protect Theresa earlier. But Minchen said...
Something was off... something had definitely gone wrong.
“Then... let’s talk about ‘Illusionary Realm’ and the issues related to the source of magic.”
Yes, some matters were more urgent than others. While information about other travelers was important, it wasn’t immediately pressing.
Considering the many peculiarities Minchen had displayed, Violet decided it was better to spend some time observing and interacting before delving further into other matters.
Given this, it was best to focus on the problems concerning the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains, which was one of the main reasons Violet had come here in the first place.
Upon hearing this, the Gatekeeper Minchen exchanged glances with the Moon Shadow clan leader Vanessa, and they nodded slightly. Minchen then nodded to Berta Linwood, the Great Demon General of the Tree Spirit Tribe, who was sitting on the other side. Berta acknowledged with a “Yes,” stood up, and walked out the door.
Judging by her footsteps, she positioned herself at the entrance to take on a guard duty role. It seemed that what was about to be discussed here was a secret of significant importance to the Moon Shadow clan and even the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains.
After arranging for his disciple, Minchen took another item from his ring and placed it on the table. Invisible magic emanated from it, forming something akin to a barrier.
“?”
Violet glanced curiously at the small female statue, which appeared neither metallic nor jade-like, standing with closed eyes and arms crossed over her chest. Though surprised, she kept her thoughts to herself.
She recognized this item. It was a classic piece of equipment from “Illusory World,” identical in both appearance and effect to the one in her memory. In fact, Violet had an identical item in her backpack right now.
The spirit artifact—【Silent Madonna】.
As its name suggested, this piece of equipment could automatically block the transmission of various types of information, including sound, within a certain range, and it also resisted most detection skills quite effectively. Although it was of a lower quality, it was prized for its accessibility and versatility, making it a staple for many players.
Given that Minchen was currently at level 80, it made sense for him to use spirit and holy artifacts, as semi-divine artifacts would be beyond his capability until he reached at least level 81.
Thinking about it... Was Minchen deliberately staying at this level? Could it be that players were also subject to this world’s rules...? No, that didn’t make sense, since Violet herself had retained her level 110 stats from the game.
...What was really going on?
Of course, her inner turmoil didn’t show on the surface. After making these preparations, Minchen smiled and began to explain to her.
“Sorry for the wait. Because the content we’re about to discuss is quite confidential, and I’ve heard that things have been unstable recently with some troublemakers lurking in the shadows, we’ve taken extra precautions. So, let’s get started.”
“I’m not sure how much Tiyelu told you, so I’ll start from the beginning. First, about the relationship between Novia Moon Shadow and the ‘Source of Magic.’ Before explaining this, I need to clarify what the ‘Source of Magic’ is...”
.................................
Their secret discussion lasted a long time, and by the time Violet came out, night had completely fallen.
After that, Vanessa, concerned about Novia’s condition, decided to check on her personally and temporarily bid farewell to Violet.
As for the Gatekeeper Minchen, he, along with his disciple Berta, accompanied Violet to the banquet hall to find her other companions who had separated earlier.
“Hmm? It’s going to rain again...”
Walking out the door and standing on the high slope overlooking the square and the temple, the black-haired girl gazed into the night sky.
She noticed that the clouds, which had only recently been dispersed, were once again piling up layer upon layer. The air felt oppressive and heavy, and though the rain hadn’t started yet, it seemed only a matter of time.
“Yes, the weather is quite strange.”
New novel 𝓬hapters are published on ƒreewebɳovel.com.
The handsome young man in simple clothes came to Violet’s side, his clear yet world-weary black eyes also gazing at the covered sky. His short gray hair fluttered slightly in the murky wind, and he smiled.
“The Ten Thousand Demons Mountains is a place where magic converges. The weather here is often influenced by the flow of magic in the earth veins and the air. Such abnormal, persistent storms that cannot be driven away...”
“It seems something interesting is about to happen.”