Chapter 1170: A Presence To Be Reckoned With (2)

Chapter 1170: A Presence To Be Reckoned With (2)



She wasn't going to answer until she was certain that all of her questions were addressed. Still, she couldn't help but shiver under the Priestess's scrutinizing gaze, feeling as though her body was being seen through.

This only made Aurora's suspicions rise, and she strengthened her defences.

Orion followed suit, sitting down with his gaze fixed intently on the Priestess, a mix of curiosity and caution in his expression.

Seeing that the two before her were unwilling to speak, the Priestess's expression softened into a light smile.

"Allow me to pour some tea for you before we begin," she said, leaning forward, putting away the used teacup, and taking two new ones from the tray to place before them. Then, she took the teapot and gracefully poured its contents, filling the teacups.

Orion glanced at the tea, which was a sky-green colour with a purple petal floating on the surface, before refocusing on the Priestess.

"Since you're both eager to start. Let's begin, allow me to introduce myself, I am Priestess Zera, serving under the goddess of Twilight Chorus, and Fortune," Zera introduced herself, crossing her legs. "Can I know what your identities are?"

Priestess of the goddess of Twilight Chorus and Fortune! Orion and Aurora took in the words.

After a brief hesitation, Orion introduced himself. "I am Orion," he said, remembering Rimehelm's advice and choosing not to mention 'Paradise.'

Zera nodded, raising an eyebrow with a slight smile, clearly expecting more. However, she chose not to press further and shifted her attention to Aurora.

"I am Goddess Aurora, daughter of the Goddess of the Hunting Moon," Aurora introduced, her gaze sharp, carefully gauging Zera's reaction.

As expected, the moment Aurora revealed her identity, Zera's expression froze before twisting into shock and realization. Her eyes widened, and her mouth gaped open once again. She scrutinized Aurora from head to toe before swallowing audibly.

"Forgive my manners; I didn't expect I would be meeting a genuine goddess. I would have prepared better if I had known," Zera uncrossed her legs, stood to her feet, and bowed respectfully toward Aurora, before crossing them again, her expression returning to normal.

However, unlike before, it now carried a hint of reverence and curiosity.

Unexpectedly, Aurora's brows twitched in irritation.

"Honestly, I had been expecting more guests than just the two of you. However, considering you are a goddess, it makes sense. All of the Harbingers must have died by your hands, and you were able to break my goddess's powerful restrictions on this realm to use your energy," she added, her gaze flickering toward Orion.

After all, anyone capable of accompanying a goddess of this calibre must also be someone extraordinary.

Zera looked at Aurora and Orion with genuine remorse. "I'm sorry if this has caused you any difficulty."

After hearing Zera's words, they remained silent, pondering over them. Even though they still had doubts about Zera's identity, they knew that they would have to provide evidence at this point to prove she wasn't lying.

"Does the restriction also apply to you, as her Priestess?" Orion asked.

Zera shook her head with a wry smile. "No. I am perfectly capable of utilizing my energies," she replied.

Orion nodded in understanding. "How do you know all of this?" he asked. "From the looks of it, you knew we were coming and sent someone to retrieve us."

"I know this because the goddess informed me of your presence and what's transpiring within the Harbinger's domain," Zera responded.

"Can we know the original purpose of defeating the Harbingers and entering the realm, given that we didn't enter through conventional means?" Orion asked.

While most people entered the Mirror Realm at the brink of losing their bodies and sanity to the death plague, Orion and Aurora entered through the water vortex. Orion figured their presence here must serve another purpose, regardless of the goddess's death.

"The Harbingers were said to be people who fought alongside the goddess against the divine mysteries and received her inheritance. However, after the goddess's death, they fled to the outside world, waiting for her rebirth, as they didn't believe that such a powerful goddess could truly be dead. But they were wrong."

"When I last sought information from the goddess, she informed me that she had blocked their memories, erasing the incident that had transpired. Now, they serve to protect the factions of the outside world by gathering the tainted in one place, making it easier for the inhabitants to hunt and kill them."

"However, because of their loyalty, the goddess gave them a way to return to the Mirror Realm whenever they wished. However, due to the guilt of being unable to protect her, they remained in their domain, waiting for a powerful figure to arise from one of the factions and kill them. They believed that anyone powerful enough to defeat them would be capable of going against the divine mysteries."

"Even though it was almost impossible to find someone like that, some held on to hope, while others went as far as sharing small portions of their inheritance with particular factions to hasten their growth. It became their purpose."

"As time passed, the factions began to die off, one by one, without a single person able to meet the requirements they had set. Some Harbingers gave up hope and ended their lives unable to hold back themselves from succumbing to the death plague and transforming into tainted beings. If they had chosen to return to the Mirror Realm, they could have lived, but they were too ashamed to reside in the peaceful world created by the goddess they had failed

to protect."

Zera's expression transformed into a smile as she looked at Orion and Aurora. "Fortunately, it seems that their hard work has paid off. They have found two special individuals to obtain the goddess's inheritance. It doesn't matter if you are not inhabitants of the outside world, as long as you can utilize Vylkr energy, that's all that matters," she said.

Orion sank into his thoughts, absorbing her words. He knew that the purpose of the Harbingers in the outside world would be complex, but he never expected them to be so

pitiful.

Now Orion understood why Rimehelm didn't want them to read his memories, the last things he said before being killed, and why they were told only their death could activate the pathway that would let them enter the Mirror Realm. They were on a suicide mission.