[Vol. 8] Chapter 296: The Offering
It seemed only at this moment that Nitila finally recovered from the lingering, indescribable feelings just now. Only then did she slowly look down at her lower body. She tried lifting her leg, swayed a little in surprise, then looked up again with an expression full of disbelief. Overcome with emotion, she suddenly grabbed the black-haired girl’s hand.
“There’s no problem at all! It even feels more flexible and stronger than before. This is amazing, Miss Violet, your ability is comparable to those of the gods in legends!”
“Haha~ it’s not that great. After all, I’m just a priest. I only have some skill when it comes to healing and saving people, that’s all.”
Miss Priestess modestly brushed it off. But seeing that the princess was still immersed in the joy of her recovery, swaying her two smooth, fair legs back and forth with curves that were almost too captivating, she had to cough lightly and remind her.
“Um… Nitila, I know you’re very excited right now, and I understand how you feel. But as a young lady, you still need to protect your privacy, okay? Go take a bath first, and then share the good news with your sister and the others.”
“Eh? Ahh!”
The princess froze for a moment, then instinctively looked down again, only to realize it just now. Her face instantly turned bright red.
Because she was in her own bedroom, Nitila had only been wearing a loose and thin nightdress. And since her mermaid tail had been paralyzed before and couldn’t transform, she hadn’t been able to wear even the most basic clothing for her lower body. Now that she had suddenly changed back, even though the most private area was still covered by scales, still…
“S-sorry! Please excuse me for a moment!”
……………………………………
A little later, Miss Priestess pushed open the door by herself, her face carrying a faint smile. Outside, the other mermaid princess was still waiting.
“Miss Violet, you’re out? You were inside for half an hour. If I didn’t know about your relationship with my little sister, I would have already knocked to ask what was going on. So? How is she?”
“Hey now, why do you make it sound like our relationship is something unusual…”
Although Violet complained lightly, her heart stirred when she looked at Princess Valda, who was forcing herself to look calm but still couldn’t hide her worry.
No wonder the first time they met, this princess had impatiently invited her over without doubting her intentions, as if afraid she would leave. It turned out she had been so desperate about her sister’s illness that she was ready to grasp at any hope.
From this, it was clear the bond between these sisters was truly deep, unlike the usual rivalry and scheming common in royal families.
“Don’t worry. I’ve already treated the girl. She should be able to come out on her own soon.”
“Oh, that’s great, that’s grea—huh?!”
Valda replied halfway, then suddenly froze, raising her hand in shock to cover her mouth. But Miss Violet, already used to hearing similar praise, didn’t bother boasting. She simply shook her head calmly.
“Alright, don’t make a fuss. Nitila just recovered, she still needs a little time. Let’s walk around the courtyard for now. If you want to know something, ask her directly later. Once you’ve finished talking, just send someone to find me.”
With that, she waved her hand casually and left in a relaxed manner, leaving behind only the silhouette of someone saying, “Don’t worship me.”
Hmm… it seems that only when doing this kind of thing does the Priestess show a similarity with a certain senior transmigrator~
The courtyard used as a base by the Sea Tribe Alliance was very large. On the surface, it looked ordinary, but inside it was cleverly designed, divided into many separate areas with different environments. It was clear that these were specially modified to suit the needs of different races.
As Violet walked alone through the courtyard, she saw quite a few mermaids dressed as maids or guards moving about. The aura they gave off was impressive, many of them had strength equal to or above the level of humans at the Obsidian Steel or Earth level. In the past, only high-level adventurers could reach this level.
It seemed that although Nitila had gone through many hardships over the past year, she had also built up a strong group of followers. With the [Book of Truth] as her backing, and with the world’s overall energy level steadily rising, it was not surprising she could achieve this.
For example, that Kaniel who used to work as a shop assistant in the grocery store was clearly one of them.
The merfolk were a widespread race. They didn’t only live in the ocean. They could also be found in lakes, rivers, and other water sources on land. If all this power could be gathered under one banner, just this single race alone might already rival the strength of the three great tribes of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains.
Miss Priestess did not bother to hide her presence. She walked around openly, so of course the merfolk noticed her. But maybe because Valda had already informed them in advance, although many of them looked at her curiously, no one came over to cause trouble or disturb Violet.
As she walked, the girl thought about the many things that had happened today. The reason she knew that grocery store was actually a base of the Sea Tribe Alliance was quite simple. The intelligence network of the Human United Kingdom was the strongest among the Five Great Nations. Even in the imperial capital of the Austre Empire, there existed the Shadow Guard organization. Because of the capital’s special location, this branch was much stronger than those in other regions, and even had legendary-level experts guarding it.
Other people might not be able to track the movements of the Shadow Guards, but for Violet, this organization was basically no different from her own family’s. Before she returned to the royal capital, Miss Shadow had already given her a map showing the distribution of Shadow Guards’ bases across the world, and personally taught her how to recognize and locate traces of Shadow Guards in each city.
Using these methods, Miss Priestess easily found the Shadow Guard headquarters in the Frederick City. There, she obtained a lot of valuable information, which allowed her to catch the trail of the Sea Tribe Alliance’s activities in this place.
Her reason for seeking out the Sea Tribe Alliance was also simple. First, the sight of the imprisoned merfolk on the street earlier had caught her attention. She wanted to confirm whether this so-called Daughter of Truth was the same girl she knew. Second, she had a faint feeling that the World Sustainers were about to make a big move here, and it was very likely tied to the former.
And now, it seemed her intuition was correct. Nitila, or rather, the [Book of Truth] she held, was definitely one of the key parts of the enemy’s plan. The World Sustainers had raised her like one would raise a poisonous insect, forcing her growth, then lured her into the imperial capital in such an open and deliberate way. It was very likely all for this very purpose.