June 19th, 8:37 AM
Pidor was slumped over the table, daydreaming.
Lady Wei Yang and Na Fu had gone out, leaving her alone again to kill time.
“According to Princess Na Fu, they’re planning to leave Huyin Town. That’s such exciting good news.”
It turned out just as Lady Wei Yang had said—the two princesses were essentially sensible kids at heart. She had judged them too quickly. Thinking about it carefully, they weren’t really that bad, were they?
By the window, the bouquet of flowers Pidor bought yesterday was still in the vase, already beginning to wilt.
Knock knock.
“Is anyone there?”
Hearing the knocking and the call, Pidor slowly stood up. She was very familiar with this voice—it was Sister Ah Li, not Wei Yang.
‘Ever since Lady Wei Yang arrived, this place has become so much livelier.’
She opened the door, and sure enough, it was Ah Li.
“Pidor, is Wei Yang here?”
Just as she thought, she was also here for Lady Wei Yang.
“She just went out with Princess Namei. If it’s not urgent, we can wait together.”
“What a shame, my darling was snatched away first. Well then, I’ll intrude, Pidor.”
After Ah Li entered and sat down, Pidor poured her a cup of hot tea and handed it to her.
“Are the sisters still troubled by the Luo Demon issue?”
“Mhm… However, the Luo Demon hasn’t appeared since yesterday. Wei Yang probably did something about it. But even so, the investigation must continue.”
Ah Li carefully took a sip of tea, then stuck out her tongue from the heat.
“I see… May I ask what you’ve been busy with lately?”
“Recently, there’s been an owl-type micro-monster lingering around me. I don’t know who sent it, and it’s been appearing for two days straight now.”
Pidor’s tone carried a hint of unease.
“To be honest, I’m a bit worried about it.”
“Is that so… I’ve also been investigating the micro-monster issue these past two days.” Ah Li looked at her thoughtfully. “I finally spotted another one today.”
“Who on earth would do such a thing, daring to target you like this…” Pidor frowned.
“Though I suspect it’s Anna, I have no direct evidence. I’ve been keeping an eye on her too, but nothing unusual so far. You still need to be extra careful.”
Ah Li shrugged, seeming not too concerned.
“Let’s not talk about that for now. I have some good news.”
Pidor rarely saw Ah Li wear such a cheerful expression. This matter must be related to Wei Yang.
“I’d love to hear it.”
“I contacted many alchemists and finally found out what that thing is!”
“…What kind of good news is that?”
“Don’t be so hasty~ I’ll explain slowly.” Ah Li smiled and waved her hand. “Wei Yang fished out a pure white cube covered in eyes from Moon Shadow Lake yesterday. At first, I thought it was just some anomalous magical device, so I couldn’t find any information. Later, I changed direction and looked into ‘Divine Artifacts,’ and finally found relevant information.”
“Divine Artifact?”
“That’s right! The good news lies in its effect!” Ah Li’s eyes lit up. “It can help the princesses solve the plague in Erzhou! That way, they’ll definitely give up on Zhuji!”
Pidor didn’t tell Ah Li that the two princesses had already decided to leave. Seeing her so excited, it was better to let her finish first.
Then, Ah Li began to explain the information about the Divine Artifact in detail.
“Divine Artifact—’Chaos and Harmony.’ Legend says it was formed from the body of the divine messenger ‘Pure White End,’ who fell ten years ago. Its ability is very special. To put it in the simplest terms—it grants wishes.”
“Grants wishes?”
“Yes, but it requires a price.” Ah Li raised a finger. “You must provide magical power equivalent to the wish.”
“It follows the principle of equivalent exchange, and magical power is its only ‘currency.'”
“For example, if I wanted that bouquet of flowers to bloom again,” she pointed to the wilted flowers by the window, “I’d only need to inject a small amount of magical power, and it would restore to full bloom.”
Pidor nodded, gradually understanding.
“So, you’re saying the princesses can use it to cure the plague in Erzhou?”
“Exactly, theoretically.”
“…Theoretically?”
Ah Li let out a soft sigh.
“Because to realize a wish on that scale, the amount of magical power required would be as deep and immeasurable as the sea.”
“I remember your ability can absorb magical power from the air. If you accumulate it slowly—”
“No, there isn’t that much time.” Ah Li shook her head. “Even for me, it would take several years to reach that level. However, it’s not completely impossible.”
She held up two fingers.
“I’ve thought of two plans.”
“First, find the ‘Source of the Demon Land.'”
“Ten years ago, the world’s magical power level was originally very low. But due to a large-scale demon-hunting operation triggered by a certain disaster, human fear and monster resentment and other negative emotions reached their peak. Magical power subsequently surged explosively, entering a golden age of magic in an extremely short time.”
“Under those circumstances, the Demon Land—the purest collection of magical power—was born. As long as magical power still exists, this world will never truly lose the Demon Land.”
“I was puzzled as to why the Demon Land, which should have recovered in a few years, has shown no signs of activity in recent years. Later, I concluded: now is an era of magical power decline. The magical power level is insufficient to support the Demon Land’s recovery.”
“But this also means that the ‘Source of the Demon Land,’ which hasn’t recovered, is likely hidden somewhere.”
“As long as we find it, the magical power accumulated over ten years would be enough to support the wish of ‘curing the Erzhou plague.'”
She paused, then continued.
“Second, borrow the divine power of a messenger.”
“Divine power and magical power are essentially interconnected. ‘Chaos and Harmony’ can also use divine power.”
“And the advantage of divine power is that it theoretically has no upper limit. The amount of divine power within a messenger depends on the number of believers their worshipped deity has. More believers mean stronger divine power.”
“As long as there is sufficient divine power, it can also meet the artifact’s requirements.”
Pidor didn’t fully understand, but she grasped the general idea.
In summary—either find the Source of the Demon Land, or rely on a messenger’s power. Both methods could solve the disaster in Erzhou.
And right now, the second method was clearly more realistic. After all, Lady Wei Yang was a messenger.
Just then, a flustered voice suddenly came from outside the door.
Pidor hurriedly opened the door. A panicked-looking sister said urgently:
“Something’s happened—!”
***
June 12th, 8:51 AM
Princess Lulu of Erzhou, having lost too much blood, was found on the brink of death.