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Chapter Two Hundred: Seal of the Mountains and Rivers

“Regarding this issue, it seems the most pressing challenge you face now is how to manage these refugees who might be carrying the plague, right?”

“They cannot be allowed into the city. Even if we want to treat them, the army is on the move and could engage in battle with demons at any time. Other than letting things spiral out of control, the only option is to dispose of them all directly.”

Saying this, Miss Vilyric reached into the pitch-black Void and fumbled around for a moment.

“Perfect timing, I have something that can temporarily serve as a ‘Shelter.'”

She pulled out an ancient seal from the blackness.

It was a substantial bronze metal seal that, considering the relative smallness of the White Fox Girl, required both hands just to hold it steadily.

The surface of the copper seal was devoid of any carvings or patterns, appearing exceedingly smooth, as if polished, except for the grooves on the handle for easier grip. Only on the seal’s face, which was at least the combined size of two adult human palms, were the four grand characters saying “Mountains and Rivers” displayed naturally.

Of course, this was from Vilyric’s perspective; in reality, neither Yuna nor Edwina would likely understand the meaning of these four characters.

This was an item from the “Fantasy World,” but the text imprinted on it was in an ancient language known as “Elderlore.”

In the past, Vilyric and some friends had specifically studied these characters that occasionally appeared on certain special locations or high-tier items, but they had ultimately yielded no results.

There’s no doubt this didn’t belong to any known language on the Blue Star.

In the mainstream opinion among forum and game players, this was likely just a concoction of some ancient scripts merged and created by the “Fantasy World” production team, although there was some logic to it, but it couldn’t be deemed a complete writing system.

It had that vibe of “sincerely nonsensical discourse.”

The four symbols on this “Seal of the Mountains and Rivers” were among such creations.

After crossing into this world, where everything from the game turned real, it took a while after witnessing the text inscribed by an unknown deity in the Brown Bird Tribe’s spirit chamber on Omoland for Vilyric to think of taking this item out and to her surprise… she found she could actually understand its contents.

Gently stroking the smooth surface of the copper seal, a hint of nostalgia appeared in the silver-blue eyes of the White Fox Girl.

This semi-artifact…

Was a gift from her close friend in the game, the true owner of the “Void Trace Blade,” named Hen.

The “Seal of the Mountains and Rivers” and Hen’s “Map of Heaven and Earth” were a pair of matching items, their relationship akin to a lock and key. Outside of Hen himself, the holder of the “Map of Heaven and Earth,” others would need this “Seal of the Mountains and Rivers” in Vilyric’s possession to access the space within the item.

This symbolized their friendship and represented Hen’s trust in Vilyric. Thus, even though it was an item with minimal use outside the “Map of Heaven and Earth,” the Priestess cherished it and always carried it with her.

Of course, as a semi-artifact, the “Seal of the Mountains and Rivers” certainly did not merely serve as a “key,” and what Vilyric needed now was its additional ability as a space-related artifact.

Facing the puzzled expressions of the Saintess and the Holy Knight, the White Fox Girl patted the side of the smooth bronze seal in her arms and explained softly.

“As important figures of the Holy Kingdom, high achievers, you should understand the concept of spatial folds without me needing to elaborate, right? This item can create a special stable interstice space somewhere. The environment inside might not be particularly comfortable, but it should allow ordinary people to survive temporarily.”

Vilyric gestured with her eyes toward those re-organized members of the public, possibly carrying the plague. Thanks to Edwina’s strong stance and the Saintess’s tacit approval, the excavating work had temporarily halted.

“Aren’t you worried these people will run around carrying the plague? So, why not let them temporarily take shelter in this equipment-created interstice space, set up a temporary camp inside, and have someone supervise them? Once things calm down, we can start researching and treating these patients.”

“By the way, allow me to ask, what’s the usual incubation period for this plague in historical records?”

After a moment of silence, Yuna responded.

“…If no ‘Corruptor’ like just now appears, it typically lasts from two months to half a year. This lengthy incubation period is one of the most terrifying aspects of the ‘Unclean.'”

“Well, that solves the problem, doesn’t it? I can make certain adjustments to the flow of time within the space of this item. Although I can’t slow it down by multiples or tens of times, outside’s half a year would equate to merely 2-3 months inside. You should then have ample time for a buffer, right?”

“……?”

The two divine ladies exchanged glances, and this time, Edwina, who was more receptive to new ideas and had some understanding of the various techniques of a certain White Fox Girl, took the initiative to ask.

“Miss Xī, just how big is the space of this treasure? How many beings can it hold? After all, the number of civilians currently infected by the plague is probably quite significant. I initially planned to use an entire city to…”

“Well, that depends ~”

The White Fox Girl tilted her head in thought.

“It mostly relies on how much magical power the user infuses to support the interstice space when it’s created. If I were the one to use it, making a space the size of the Province of Fran… or the City of Angels shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Of course, let me state upfront: how to arrange the civilians inside is your responsibility. I’m only providing the place.”

The Saintess smiled slightly and nodded in understanding.

“You’ve been a great help. If such a marvelous spatial treasure truly exists, then Edwina’s proposal might actually be feasible.”

“If we can deeply study the ‘Unclean’ plague while ensuring safety and containment, when we face it again in the future, we won’t be as helpless as we are now. Even if that’s unachievable, gathering and isolating the patients will help when the final moments come…”

As she spoke, she seemed to think of something and continued in contemplation.

“However, if it’s an interstice space, then what about its entrance and exit…?”

The White Fox Girl grinned and gave a thumbs-up.

“That’s right, Yuna, you’re quite perceptive ~”

An interstice space exists in tandem with the real world, having non-unified exits and entrances; the notion of distance and time within it also does not conform to reality.

You might only have moved a few hundred meters, or even just a few steps inside the interstice, but once you leave, you could have crossed tens of thousands of miles in the outside world.

Back on Omoland, the Winged People had utilized this principle to create enormous portals connecting two floating islands. Although the “Seal of the Mountains and Rivers” ranked higher solely in terms of designation, the fundamental attributes of this space would not differ in essence.

The “Seal of the Mountains and Rivers” itself was undoubtedly the entrance to the interstice space, but the exit would materialize according to the user’s chosen location when creating the space. They could put people in, but not take them anywhere.

In simpler terms, regardless of Vilyric’s location, any creatures or objects inside that leave would always appear in a fixed exit location.

This was the auxiliary space of the “Seal of the Mountains and Rivers,” and while it differed from the “Map of Heaven and Earth” in some strategic context, its practical application was far less than the latter.

After listening to the White Fox Girl’s general explanation of the characteristics and shortcomings of this method, and after a brief discussion, the three immediately decided to temporarily set the auxiliary space of the “Seal of the Mountains and Rivers” just outside this official road.

This place was about two hundred kilometers away from the front line of the Holy City’s battlefield. As long as the battle proceeded smoothly, it would be hard to be affected by the flames of war. Additionally, it was close to several major cities in the Province of Fran, facilitating convenient transport, making it ideal for further placement work after treating the plague bearers.

Of course… the prerequisite was that Edwina truly could, as she claimed, decipher and tackle the “Unclean” plague, or even develop a widely applicable treatment method.

In regard to this matter, Vilyric could actually offer quite limited assistance.

She might indeed be able to neutralize the “Unclean” power on these refugees, but that would likely need to draw upon the essence of Vilyric; after all, Xī’s ability probably only excelled in dealing with the dead.

If she openly demonstrated Xī’s Holy Light powers, the carefully crafted persona she had built would be completely in vain.

Simultaneously, there was one other even more important reason…

It would be quite a hassle.

Hey, think about it!

Even if she cured these hundreds of people before her, the army would continue to advance, and how many new refugees would there be? And what about those already spread out in other directions? Did the Priestess plan to personally save each and every one?

Whether she could do it was a different matter altogether; just the thought of running around everywhere made her scalp tingle!

So this task had to be initiated by Edwina or Yuna, who represented the upper echelons of the Holy Kingdom, mobilizing national resources to get it done, while the White Fox Girl assisted from the sidelines; that was already a considerable effort!

 

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