[Vol. 9] Chapter 63: The Source of Fire
Listening to Veranica’s clear and well-organized explanation, Violet’s silver-blue eyes quietly glanced at the flame tattoo on Veranica’s right wrist, but she didn’t say anything more. Instead, she simply nodded in agreement.
“It does sound quite reasonable~”
Actually, the priestess rather admired this woman. During their previous negotiation, it had been her first time using her new divine skill, one she gained after her control over the Radiance divinity surpassed fifty percent, to bluff someone.
Simply put, that skill allowed her to release the same kind of intimidating pressure as when entering [Destruction Mode], but without actually transforming. In fact, it even felt stronger than the real thing, and could also be seen as a kind of mental attack.
At first, Violet had worried she might go too far and scare her opponent so badly that they’d lose confidence, or even end up traumatized.
But to her surprise, not long after she withdrew the pressure, that woman bounced right back, looking completely fine, as if nothing had happened. Her attitude toward Violet was even the same as before.
Although this was indeed the best result the priestess could hope for, whenever she thought about it, she couldn’t help but question herself a little.
Was it that this woman was strange… or that the Radiance divinity’s new skill was just that weak?
Still… it’s true, ordinary people can’t just make an artifact acknowledge them as its master right away.
Moraya, of course, had no idea what was going through Violet’s mind. Listening to the two women talk, she frowned slightly and said in a puzzled tone,
“I know the snowfield environment very well. Because fire elements are naturally thin here, fire-type mages are extremely rare, almost none, especially near the Frozen Sea. It’s an abnormal situation there, not to mention creatures born with fire attributes.”
The priestess nodded lightly.
“You’re right. So the cause of this must have come from outside, and whoever it is probably arrived here before we did.”
In fact, Violet had already noticed something unusual the moment she set foot on this island. The other places she had visited around the Frozen Sea were just as Moraya described. Intense cold, endless snow, and weak fire elements. But on Icefang Island, the fire element was surprisingly strong, so strong that it even seemed to overpower all the other elemental forces. That clearly wasn’t normal.
Later, she gradually realized something even stranger: the concentration of fire elements on the island was still increasing over time. That meant it wasn’t a natural phenomenon of the island, but something caused by an external factor. Perhaps a powerful fire-type creature lingering nearby, or a fire-related treasure or secret realm being activated.
It was like Flame Dragon City in the Human United Kingdom, where a powerful creature’s influence could change the entire region’s climate and landscape. But back then, the priestess didn’t know the situation here, nor could she sense the exact location of such a strong fire-type presence. So she decided to stir up some trouble to test things out.
As for why she targeted Veranica and her [Scavenger Gang], it was honestly just coincidence. Only Veranica would take such risks to fish near the coast for food. Since they entered the island from the shoreline and moved inland, Violet naturally encountered their group first and followed the lead to meet their commander.
She hadn’t expected, though, that Veranica would be hiding such a little secret, and that by pure accident, they would end up inside the Temple of the Fire God, Faal, which eventually led to the current situation.
But even so, one thing was certain: the reason for the rising concentration of fire elements on Icefang Island definitely wasn’t that temple. The barrier left behind by the temple’s guardian, Sinong, sealed the area tightly. The only bit of energy that leaked through the ley lines gathered underground and formed a small hot spring. It was far too little to affect the entire peninsula this much.
Otherwise, if the Fire God’s divine power had really leaked out and gone out of control, even just a small part of what remained after his fall, Icefang Island would have already turned into a literal hell on earth. There’s no way it could still be this calm and peaceful now.
And when we connect that with what happened before, how after Veranica obtained the Fire God’s artifact of law, a sudden burst of energy from outside struck the temple’s barrier, she can roughly guess the situation.
The intruder didn’t arrive long ago, and their goal is most likely related to whatever the Fire God left behind here. The sudden rise in temperature all over the island now is probably the result of its anger, released because someone else got to that power first.
Violet briefly explained her guess to the other two women. Though they had already expected something like this, Veranica’s expression still gradually darkened. Not only because of the thought of such a strong and mysterious enemy secretly watching them, but also because…
“Hmph! Still not coming out? How long do you plan to hide like cowards?!”
Suddenly, the ice demon girl shouted, her voice booming like the roar of an ice bear. The heavy pressure in her tone instantly made the whole rocky valley so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard. Seeing this, the priestess merely sighed helplessly and spread her hands, while Moraya frowned slightly, though neither of them seemed particularly surprised.
Their senses were no weaker than the group leader’s, so they had noticed the hidden, oppressive malice around them long before. They had simply been too lazy to bother reacting, wanting to see what their enemies were planning first.
Sure enough, once Veranica’s shout broke the silence of the valley, several dark shapes finally stopped hiding. One after another, figures stepped out from behind boulders and caves.
Each held a weapon, their appearances varied, but all gave off a fierce and violent aura. In moments, they surrounded the three women completely, sealing off all paths of escape.
The crowd was so dense that it was hard to see the end of it. Even a quick estimate showed there were at least several hundred, perhaps close to a thousand people.
As the leader of the [Scavenger Gang], Veranica naturally recognized who they were. When she got a clear look at them, her icy eyes narrowed slightly for a moment, before she sneered and said with disdain,
“[Black Dogs] and [Blood Claws], huh? A pack of loyal hounds teaming up with mad dogs, now that’s rare. Why didn’t you bring the [Bone Gang] too, just to make it a full set? What’s the matter, bringing so many people out together, taking a group stroll?”
Even when surrounded by hundreds of enemies, the ice demon girl showed no trace of fear. Maybe it was just her personality, but her tone wasn’t mocking or sarcastic, it was surprisingly serious. Somehow, that made her words even more irritating, and several people twitched in anger, unable to stay quiet.
Sure enough, a thin, monkey-like middle-aged man with a rough cloth band wrapped around his head stepped forward from the crowd. He had only his left arm; his right arm had been replaced at the shoulder by a long, sharp weapon shaped like a spike.
Forcing a fake smile that fooled no one, he spoke up:
“Veranica, pretending not to understand when you clearly do isn’t very nice. We’re all just trying to survive on Icefang Island, and you know exactly how important food is here. Your [Scavenger Gang] has been hoarding such a vital resource and keeping it hidden. If it weren’t for a friend from outside telling us, were you planning to keep it all for yourselves forever?”