Within Tii’s consciousness world, Su Ling wandered the streets of Valivadan.
Since this was a world of memories, Su Ling could not interact with anyone other than Tii. She was like a transparent ghost, sometimes even passing right through the bodies of others.
“This is my memory of the day I returned to Valivadan,” said Tii, who was walking beside her.
“After Black Feather sent several of my colleagues to escort me back to the country, I headed toward the Silver Temple, carrying the information and important items I obtained in Ansels.”
“The Silver Temple?”
“Yes. Black Feather isn’t an independent organization; it’s controlled by the central authority. The Silver Temple is both a place for worship and the administrative hall. I was ordered by the High Priest to go undercover in Ansels, and after completing the mission, I had to return to the temple to report.”
Tii explained solemnly, then suddenly seemed to remember something as she tilted her head.
“Oh, I haven’t officially introduced my country to Su Ling yet, have I? How about it? Do you want to hear more?”
“Sure, go ahead, Tii.”
“Hehe—Su Ling is so cute. Then I’ll continue! Valivadan is a country where priests are the highest rulers. Here, everyone learns witchcraft and runes from birth, so outsiders call us the Wu People. However, not every Wu Person has the ability to use witchcraft. Most people only know the basics and just pretend to be mystical on the streets—look, just like him.”
As she spoke, Tii pointed to a young man on the street dressed in vibrantly colored clothes.
The young man was crouching alone in a corner of the wall. In one hand, he held a mechanical compass, while a green python was coiled around his other hand. He was muttering something under his breath, looking a bit mentally unstable.
“There are many people like him around here just idling their lives away,” Tii said, shaking her head.
“Only children from the Noble Faction can learn true witchcraft and enter the core of this country. The hierarchy of the Wu People is generally divided into five levels: the High Priest of Divine Knowledge, the Moon-Worshiping Priest, the Astrological Priest, the Divine Servant, and the ordinary Wu Person. This isn’t determined by ability, but by one’s status in the temple. For example, although my witchcraft is top-tier here, I can only be considered an ordinary Wu Person and must serve the priests above me. Of course, since the leader of Black Feather is a Moon-Worshiping Priest, those of us directly under Black Feather are still highly respected by other Wu People!”
She continued to talk about Valivadan’s culture and systems for a while before suddenly looking into the distance.
“We’ve reached the temple.”
Su Ling finally looked up, and at the end of the street, a magnificent temple came into view.
The temple stood there with an imposing aura, as if its sheer size was meant to swallow all authority. Its spires at the top rose in a stepped fashion, covered in layers of emerald-green glazed tiles.
Exquisitely carved divine statues stood upon the eaves of every level, and the silver-white stone walls were covered in colorful reliefs and stone-carved runes. At the entrance was a massive stone door, painted with complex geometric patterns.
‘How magnificent!’
Just standing in front of it could make one feel a sense of solemn respect. Even the largest church in Ansels was not this luxurious.
However, Su Ling soon thought that in a world with such low productivity, building a temple like this must have cost a staggering amount of human and material resources. This country had certainly spent a fortune to construct its citizens’ religious beliefs.
“Oh, he’s here.” Tii’s eyes lit up.
In the center of the grand entrance, Su Ling saw a man wearing a thin turban, walking hurriedly toward them. He was looking at Tii, but he seemed unable to see Su Ling.
“That man is a Divine Servant sent by the temple to receive me,” Tii explained. “Since we are currently replaying past events, you’ll be able to hear our conversation in a moment.”
“Right, I understand…”
“Lady Tii, you’ve finally arrived. The High Priest has been waiting for you for a long time.”
Before Su Ling could finish, the man spoke to Tii. He had a fawning, subservient manner that indeed matched the “Divine Servant” title Tii had just mentioned.
“It couldn’t be helped. There were some accidents on the way. Take me to see him.”
In that brief instant, Tii’s demeanor shifted to match the other people in this consciousness world. She nodded solemnly to the man and followed him up the steps in front of the temple.
Su Ling followed them.
The interior of the temple was a grand altar that was no less magnificent than its exterior. However, the two did not stop there, instead heading toward a small door at the back.
The corridor behind was winding and long. Along the way, Su Ling could see divine statues of various sizes placed in every corner, and there was a lingering, cold scent of incense in the air.
How should she put it… Before seeing Valivadan, Su Ling had assumed a kingdom ruled by the Human Race would be more civilized and rational than Ansels. But seeing this slightly oppressive religious atmosphere and the half-crazed look of the Wu People on the streets…
Well, perhaps it was because they were from the same era? It didn’t feel much better at all.
She stuck her tongue out secretly.
Since crossing over, Su Ling’s heart had never felt a sense of belonging to any power in this world; she just drifted with the flow.
A large part of that was her equal discomfort with all the factions of this world. To someone who grew up in her original world, whether it was humanity, the Blood Clan, or the Former People, they were all primitive civilizations.
Tii was still walking ahead. She hadn’t tied her hair back today, and her long red hair flowed down to her waist, swaying with her steps.
Following the red-haired girl into the temple, Su Ling deeply felt another side of Tii.
That cold, decisive, and emotionless will, along with the steadiness developed from years of walking through blades and seas of fire—it was definitely not an aura an ordinary girl should have.
The current Tii seemed like a completely different person from the girl she spent every day with at Hailuosen Castle.
“I offer the blessing of the stars to the High Priest of Divine Knowledge.”
Reaching a spacious side hall in the back, Tii and the Divine Servant entered a side room. Inside was a withered old man in green clothes with white hair and a dry face. He was hunched over, sitting behind a long, square wooden table.
This person’s appearance was very peculiar.
He was aged, with a protruding bridge of his nose and only one eye. He didn’t wear many accessories, but Su Ling could tell that the fabrics the old man wore from head to toe were extremely expensive.
Judging by the attitudes of the other two, the old man before them was the High Priest of Divine Knowledge, the highest ruler of the Human Kingdom. His position in Valivadan was equivalent to the King in Ansels.
“May God bless you as well,” the High Priest said, standing up.
For some reason, looking at that old face that was as rigid as a stone slab, Su Ling felt that this man was definitely no saint.