[Vol. 6] Chapter 246: The God-Forged Relic Without a Master
"Now that I think about it, Miss Violet, you also came from the [Origin Realm], right? Have you ever heard of the legend of [Abyss Star]?"
"Huh?"
The moment Ming Lianxin brought it up, a rather bizarre memory flashed through Violet's mind. One involving a river in the Holy Empire, a swarm of flying fish leaping out of the water, circling her boat like a gang of troublemakers…
"Ahahaha… I-I've heard a little about it, I guess. So Abyss Star was actually referring to the Spirit Veil Immortal Island all along…?"
It felt like she had just uncovered a ridiculously shocking truth. The way misinformation spread over time was terrifying…
But then again, considering how even the Goddess Aurora, the deity worshiped by the “Goddess Church”, turned out to be completely fabricated, it wasn’t surprising that many myths about divine beings, like this so-called Abyss Star, supposedly one of the sacred beasts under the goddess, were also full of inaccuracies. Violet had already suspected this back during the Holy Empire incident. She just hadn’t known the exact details until now.
Ming Lianxin nodded with a smile.
"That’s right. The Immortal Island is usually hidden using special methods while it moves, since its sheer size would easily cause panic in the lower world if it were seen… But let’s get back to the original question. What exactly is Spirit Veil Immortal Island?"
"In order to explain that, I need to first mention the most revered figure of our Spirit Veil Tribe, the [Spirit Fox Shrine Maiden], as well as the divine being who protects our island, the [Supreme Sacred Fox God]."
"The Spirit Veil Immortal Island was created tens of thousands of years ago as a mount by the Young Lady. I mean, the Spirit Fox Shrine Maiden and Lord Fox God together. Its full name is [World-Class Floating Shuttle Model 017], the final and most complete version of its kind."
"The original concept behind this floating skiff was to create a special airborne vessel with combat capabilities rivaling those of a god. A new home for them. While I don’t know the exact details of its construction or the cost involved, there's no doubt that those two masters succeeded to a remarkable degree."
"After the [World-Class Floating Shuttle Model 017], now known as Spirit Veil Immortal Island, was completed, it quickly demonstrated its outstanding combat abilities and overall performance. However, the Young Lady soon discovered a problem. An unexpected flaw."
"Although Spirit Veil Immortal Island was conceptually considered a living entity, its enormous size meant that it lacked true autonomy. Every action required external assistance and adjustments. Unfortunately, when designing it, the Young Lady and Lord Fox God hadn’t anticipated this issue, so they had only granted control over the island to themselves."
"In other words, without the Spirit Fox Shrine Maiden and Lord Fox God, the [World-Class Floating Shuttle Model 017] would be nothing more than a giant, immobile junk. That was not the outcome they had envisioned."
"And so, this home needed more caretakers."
Noticing Violet raising an eyebrow in realization, Ming Lianxin smiled softly.
"It seems you've figured it out. That’s right, this is the reason why the Spirit Veil Tribe was created. We exist to bring Spirit Veil Immortal Island to life, to make this godlike construct truly function. We are the retainers personally crafted by the Young Lady herself."
"Because [World-Class Floating Shuttle Model 017] was fundamentally designed to obey only the Spirit Fox Shrine Maiden and Lord Fox God, ordinary lifeforms could never take their place in controlling the island."
"To overcome this limitation, the Young Lady used her own divine authority and bloodline to create thousands of lesser copies of herself. However, we, these copies, do not possess the overwhelming divine power of the Young Lady or Lord Fox God. Instead, we must each fulfill specialized roles and work together. For the most part, our duty is merely to assist those two in managing the island."
"Especially when both the Young Lady and Lord Fox God are absent, it takes the combined efforts of our entire clan just to keep this miraculous vessel partially operational. We can barely spare any personnel for other tasks."
Although Ming Lianxin’s words were somewhat reserved, Violet immediately grasped the deeper meaning behind them.
"Oh... So the reason you can’t send many of your people to the lower realm to intervene isn't really about the passage being blocked, like Ming Lianyun said, but simply because you're short on manpower?"
The fox-eared girl scratched her head and chuckled.
"Well... Actually, my sister wasn’t wrong either. The operation of the Immortal Island is incredibly complex. And because of that great war in the past, the island itself has been locked by certain malicious forces of fate. We can't unleash its full power, so we had no choice but to seal it away."
"This situation only changes every few decades, when the natural cycles of the Ancient Spirit Realm shift into a relatively safer phase. During those times, our clan usually takes the opportunity to offer as much assistance to the lower realm as we can."
Violet gave a slight nod.
"But this time, your people appeared openly in the skies above the Ancient Spirit Realm without holding back. You even actively joined the war against the demonic beings. Did you receive outside help? Or have you simply decided to stop avoiding those so-called malicious forces of fate?"
Hearing the white-robed priestess's relentless stream of questions, the fox-eared girl could only smile wryly.
"Miss Violet, I’m just an ordinary member of the Spirit Veil Tribe. I don’t know as many secrets as you might think. Instead of giving you vague half-truths from my limited perspective, wouldn’t it be better to let someone more informed explain the full story?"
She suddenly came to a halt, her gaze shifting forward.
"We’ve arrived."
At the end of the quiet, elegant courtyard path stood a small temple with the dignified air of a traditional dojo. Its doors were closed, yet they weren’t locked, and there was no sign of guards stationed outside.
Ming Lianxin stopped moving and gave the priestess a slight bow.
"Miss Violet, I wish you luck in finding the answers you seek. My status is humble, so this is as far as I can accompany you."
With those words, the fox-eared girl turned and walked away, soon disappearing around a distant corner of the courtyard.
"Answers, huh..."
Violet murmured softly. Without any further hesitation, she gently pushed open the unlocked temple doors and stepped inside.
The inner chamber wasn’t particularly large. Just a single room, spanning roughly a thousand square meters. Compared to the vast and imposing temples that were often a hundred times this size, this place felt rather small and delicate.
That said, the interior was exquisitely crafted. Though it lacked extravagant decorations, the intricate mural carved directly into the front wall stood out, its craftsmanship masterful and lifelike.
The mural depicted a giant Fox God.
The fox had nine enormous, fluffy tails that spread out elegantly, their sheer size and length exceeding the entire front half of its body. Its head was lowered, gazing down at a long-haired girl on the ground below, who was reaching out towards it with both hands. However, the girl’s face was oddly blurred, making it difficult to make out her features.
Violet shifted her gaze to the sides.
Despite being called a temple, there were no statues or sculptures inside. Instead, rows of lantern-like fixtures lined the chamber, emitting a soft, gentle white glow. The light came from [Dawn Stones], special gems embedded at the top of each fixture.
It was by this faint glow that Violet immediately spotted a familiar figure.
She had silver, cat-like ears, her short black hair barely reaching her shoulders. Her outfit was simple. Just a soft, fur-like top and shorts, leaving much of her smooth skin exposed. However, her hands and feet were covered with clawed mitts, resembling cat paws, yet she lacked the most defining feature of a feline, a tail.
It almost looked like a half-hearted cosplay.
Before Violet could even speak, the cat-eared girl, who had been staring absentmindedly at the mural, suddenly turned to face her.
A subtle yet familiar smile appeared on her lips, carrying a hint of something deeper, almost unfamiliar.
"Finally, you're here... I've been waiting for you for a long time."