[Vol. 9] Chapter 94: Bad Woman!
Satisfied, the priestess nodded slightly and caught the falling staff in her hand. Her mind spread outward naturally, forming an invisible barrier that covered the entire carriage. Then she continued calmly,
“First of all, he really was an envoy of the Twilight Council. You can tell from the snake tattoo on his body and the abilities he used. We’ve seen similar council envoys before, all with unstable power and hollow levels of strength. It’s exactly the same case.”
“Judging from his aura, the council member behind him was most likely the Goddess of the Undead, Inmorei. The power in this staff also fits that goddess’s divine authority perfectly. But… there’s something very strange about all this.”
The Dragon God’s golden eyes flickered slightly.
“You mean those Calamity Beasts?”
“Mm… based on what you said, those huge bone monsters that attacked the Ost Navy Fleet don’t seem to belong to any known species. The Calamity Beasts are remnants of the Northern Catastrophe. Regardless of their origin, why would creatures like that be so easily controlled by a tool made by an outer god?”
“Unless, this staff didn’t come only from Inmorei. There might be something else hidden within it that we still don’t know.”
“But Master, what does this have to do with Moraya?”
“Well… this is just my guess for now.”
Violet paused for a moment, as if organizing her thoughts, then continued explaining.
“Do you still remember? During the battle at Nofenburg, Moraya went deep into the Calamity Beast swarm alone. She used herself as bait to draw their attention, and in the end destroyed all those ice mountains. At first glance, it sounds like an incredibly brave deed. But if you think carefully, doesn’t it seem a little strange?”
“Those Calamity Beasts were living creatures. They couldn’t speak, but they clearly had some level of intelligence, at least enough to use basic tactics. At that time, they were attacking Nofenburg’s city wall. Even if Moraya ran in alone, how could she possibly draw all of their attention?”
“She’s so small compared to those massive ice mountains. If all of them crowded together to chase just one person, they’d only get in each other’s way and slow themselves down. Even if the beasts themselves didn’t understand that simple logic, the one secretly controlling them definitely should have. There was no reason to let them act so foolishly.”
“But you saw what happened. The entire swarm of ice mountains was tricked by that little girl, spinning in circles like sheep waiting for slaughter, all bunched up in one spot, and then wiped out completely by the ritual magic. If the Calamity Beasts were truly that stupid, then during any siege in this snow region, people could just send flying species in the opposite direction and lure all the enemies away to protect the main city. In that case, Snowfeather Fortress wouldn’t have been destroyed.”
Violet’s analysis was clear and logical. Even Xiao Guang, who usually stayed calm, was drawn in. The blue dragon girl, who had just finished tidying up the carriage, pouted curiously and leaned over a bit to listen more closely.
But neither of the two paid attention to the gossip-loving little dragon. The Dragon God was already the first to understand.
“I see now, Master. It wasn’t that the Calamity Beasts were stupid, it’s that Moraya herself had something special about her. Her existence attracted those creatures, making them chase after her uncontrollably, even overpowering the control of this staff. That’s why that strange event happened, right?”
The priestess smiled, clearly pleased.
“Exactly. And I suspect the [Eternal Winter Temple], or at least some of its high-ranking members, knew about her special trait. Otherwise, there’s no way to explain why Moraya was chosen as the only Candidate Holy Maiden, nor why her disappearance caused such a huge commotion.”
“This must be a huge secret.”
Miss Priestess nodded slightly, looking calm as she continued.
“But if we want to find out what exactly inside Moraya, or in that staff, is causing such a strong attraction to the Calamity Beasts, then first we need to understand the nature of the beasts themselves and the disaster behind them, the Northern Calamity. The reason I didn’t travel with Moraya, and let her return to the Divine Temple headquarters with the convoy, is actually part of the preparation for this.”
Hearing that, the blue dragon girl opened her mouth in surprise. It took her a few seconds to voice the thought that suddenly popped into her mind.
“You’re going fishing again?”
This time, however, the priestess just smiled mysteriously.
“I wouldn’t call it fishing. I just want to reduce uncertainties, and maybe give the situation a little push. After all, if that child stayed with us all the time, do you think those people would still dare to make a move~?”
“Whoa… so this is what people mean by a bad woman, huh?”
“?” × 2
After that remark, the poor blue dragon lady had to clean the carriage shed for an entire week.
…………………
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, more than half a month had gone by.
Violet did not travel with the Hongyan or Minchen. She also politely refused Moraya’s invitation to visit the Divine Temple headquarters. After saying goodbye, she headed north, crossing the snowfield nations on the outer borders and moving straight toward the Snow Empire’s heartland.
As for the several-hundred-person convoy she was now with, it was actually made up of some former members of the Scavenger Gang, led by Veranica.
After the great chaos on Icefang Island, even though the chosen hero Hongyan appeared in time to repel the calamity, the entire peninsula had already been transformed by the terrifying black flames, no longer fit for any living creatures to survive.
Thanks to the mediation of the candidate Holy Maiden Moraya Sinong, and negotiations between both sides, the Preston Kingdom opened the Great Gore Fortress and allowed the remaining prisoners from Icefang Island, those not yet consumed by the black fire, to migrate and seek shelter. But the condition was that they must sign a contract with the kingdom, serve in the military under strict control, and only be freed after their service period was completed.
After the rampage of the Blaze, out of nearly ten thousand members of Icefang Island’s various groups, only about twenty or thirty percent survived. Even the best-preserved group, the Scavenger Gang, had only a few hundred left.
Naturally, they had no power to bargain with the Preston Kingdom. If not for a certain priestess stepping in to help, taking them away under the name of hired workers, Veranica and the others might never have escaped that invisible shackle for decades.
“Speaking of that, Lady Violet, how exactly did you convince those arrogant kingdom officials? They were so full of themselves at first, they didn’t even care about that little hero’s name. But after you went to talk to them, they suddenly agreed to everything and even acted all polite!”
She continued, “Wait a sec… don’t tell me you beat them up? Why didn’t you bring me along then? I’ve been dying to punch those jerks!”
Inside the carriage, Miss Priestess gently closed the ancient book in her hands. She looked at the bored blue dragon girl who was now swinging her tiny fists in the air while gossiping, and sighed helplessly. Then she raised her hand and threw something at her.
“Don’t assume violence can solve everything. Fighting is the last resort, it’s better not to use it if you don’t have to. When traveling, having one more friend is always better than one more enemy. Now listen, big sister is going to teach you the most useful trick in the human world.”
“Eh…?”
Miss Alexia caught the small object and looked down. It was a square jade token, about the size of her palm. On the front, two elegant Snow Empire words were carved ‘Spirit Veil’ and on the back was an engraving of a lively little fox.
The jade felt smooth and round in her hand, clearly of high quality. Dragons have always loved collecting treasures and rare items, so her eyes immediately lit up. Still, she couldn’t help but ask curiously.
“What kind of trick?”
“Idiot… money makes even ghosts work for you.”