Chapter 384 Selection? <TOC> Chapter 386 Living Soul Garden
Translator: SumTLMan
Upon seeing the High Priest emerge from the temple, the priests seemed to have found their backbone and hurriedly passed through the guards, kneeling before the High Priest.
At this point, the guards no longer stopped them, as they, like the other priests, devoutly knelt down.
The Kulakuka tribe did not have a centralized monarchy or any obvious class distinctions; for them, everyone was equal. However, even in such an egalitarian society, exceptions existed.
This exception was the High Priest, who, for all the tribespeople, was a wise man who embodied the wisdom of the entire tribe, acting as a beacon in the dark mist, illuminating the path forward.
It was precisely because of the High Priest’s unique status that both priests and guards would perform the most revered kneeling ritual upon seeing him.
“Rise.” the High Priest said indifferently: “Shouldn’t you be preparing the venue for the selection? What are you doing here at the temple?”
“Your Excellency, it’s not that we wanted to come here, but we have important matters to report.”
“Yes, Your Excellency, we just visited Lady Fiona to ask for her opinion on the selection of the Sky Choir, but she said…”
The High Priest’s expression remained calm: “What did she say?”
The priests lowered their heads: “She said to change the selection venue to the Centennial Hall. Moreover…”
The High Priest lowered his eyes, seemingly contemplating something.
“Moreover, Lady Fiona said she was very tired and wanted some peace. We estimate that Lady Fiona does not seem to want this selection to be open to the tribespeople.”
“Your Excellency, we have prepared the stage for the selection, what should we do now?”
“We can’t just change a thousand-year-old rule! The tribespeople are all waiting.”
When facing “Fiona”, they dared not say a word. However, in front of the embodiment of the entire tribe’s wisdom, the priests began to express their opinions.
Everyone chattered for a while.
The High Priest slammed his staff on the ground, and a soul-shaking force silenced everyone: “It’s just a minor matter, why the fuss?”
“Your Excellency, this is not a trivial matter; the tribespeople outside have already…”
“Silence! Have you forgotten our identity? Have you forgotten the ‘Fairy Epic’?!” The High Priest shouted: “Our tribe’s prosperity and success all rely on the grace of the Holy Castle. Since the Holy Castle’s emissary wishes to change the rules, we shall change them.”
“But, this location was also proposed by our benefactor, Lady Isabelle, a thousand years ago.” a priest murmured.
Upon hearing the name Isabelle, a barely perceptible glimmer flickered in the depths of the High Priest’s eyes: “There are no objections; everything we have is granted by the Holy Castle. Therefore, we must adhere to the Holy Castle’s will.”
“Change it, as Lady Fiona said!”
Since the High Priest said so, the priests could only nod in agreement.
“Go prepare, and do as Lady Fiona said.” After dismissing everyone, the High Priest fell silent, seemingly contemplating something.
After a while, the High Priest said to the guards: “Prepare a hummingbird, I will personally visit Lady Fiona at the Centennial Hall.”
As the guards followed his orders, the High Priest returned to the temple.
Looking at the strange pulsating grayish-blue aura in the center of the temple, the High Priest murmured softly: “Has the gap really opened? Perhaps. If it can bring about change, maybe we can be liberated from the abyss.”
The High Priest reached out his hand and slowly plunged it into the grayish-blue aura.
His already dull and seemingly blind eyes became even darker as his hands entered the aura, and his face aged even more.
In the time it took for a cup of tea, the High Priest, with his hunched and frail body, walked out of the temple, trembling with every step. The guards were taken aback to see him even older than before.
It was rumored that the High Priest could foresee the direction of the Kulakuka tribe’s future, and each foresight would cause physical exhaustion.
So, while they were preparing the hummingbird, did the High Priest foresee the future of the Kulakuka tribe again?
“Your Excellency, High Priest!” All the guards knelt down, their eyes filled with tears.
The High Priest walked past them with no expression, but with a bitter feeling deep inside.
Heh, foreseeing the future and causing physical exhaustion? Such a lofty statement, sometimes he even believed it himself. In reality, he was not the wise man leading the tribe forward but an accomplice in their sins…
After mounting the hummingbird, a knight specialized in guiding the way cleared a path for the High Priest.
Although the hummingbird was small, it flapped its wings at an extremely high frequency. It took only a short quarter of an hour to travel from the mountaintop temple to the Centennial Hall.
When the High Priest arrived, Angel was preparing to go to the Sacred Mountain temple to investigate.
So when he heard footsteps at the door, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
“Lady Fiona, Baya requests an audience.” The slow and aged voice reached Angel’s ears.
The voice outside the door was somewhat familiar, but who was Baya? Angel extended his mental reach and saw someone both expected and unexpected – the High Priest of the Kulakuka tribe.
Even with a door between them, the High Priest respectfully bowed his head, completely different from the casual attitude of the priests who had visited earlier.
He had planned to visit the temple and meet this mysterious High Priest, but to his surprise, the High Priest took the initiative to visit him first. Moreover, he came alone, without any guards or priests around.
Angel thought for a moment, and instead of using an illusion to block the High Priest’s ability to identify sounds, he directly used his original voice: “Come in.”
The High Priest heard the clear male voice coming from inside, and his expression showed no surprise. As the door opened, he slowly walked in.
The hummingbird brought the High Priest to the table, and Angel casually crafted a small stool for him. After all, the High Priest was old and could barely stand; Angel still possessed some basic sense of decency.
The High Priest bowed to Angel before slowly taking his seat.
After taking his seat, the High Priest remained silent. Angel did not speak either, but carefully observed the elderly man before him.
Previously, the High Priest had always stood on the temple atop the mountain. Although Angel had seen him, the distance was too great, and the fluctuations of the Source of Laws were intense, making it difficult for him to see the High Priest clearly. It was only now that he saw the full appearance of the High Priest for the first time.
Bald, age spots, and a white beard long enough to be used as a mop. In addition to that, the High Priest’s aged appearance and his dull gray eyes caught Angel’s attention for a few seconds.
However, what Angel cared about the most was not the appearance, but the rhythmic energy emanating from the High Priest. Although the perceived energy was not much, the rhythm of this energy was completely consistent with the rhythm near the Sacred Mountain.
“Aren’t you surprised to see me instead of Fiona?” Angel took the initiative to speak.
“I already knew the outcome. The person I came here to see is you.” The High Priest replied calmly.
“Oh? You came specifically to find me?” Angel smiled: “Does the High Priest have any business with me?”
The High Priest shook his head: “I have no business with you, but I think you should have something to discuss with me. The temple is not a place for conversation, so I came here.”
The temple is not a place for conversation? Angel noticed that when the High Priest said this, he slightly lowered his tone, as if implying something.
Was he saying that the temple had been under surveillance all along?
Angel carefully considered this and found it plausible. After all, the Source of Laws was incredibly precious; it was impossible for Black Castle to leave just a mortal to guard it. There must be other monitoring measures in place.
“From what you’re saying, the High Priest seems to be somewhat dissatisfied with Black Castle.”
“No, our tribe has managed to survive until now without being wiped out, and the Holy Castle deserves the most credit. I dare not have any dissatisfaction.” The High Priest said.
“In that case, do you know about the magic energy formation beneath Ciporak?” A glint appeared in Angel’s eyes, and the topic shifted directly to the critical point.
If the High Priest didn’t know about the magic energy formation, then the purpose of his visit today would be somewhat strange. But if he knew about the magic energy formation, everything would have a seemingly reasonable explanation.
The High Priest’s face twitched slightly, not expecting the other party to bring up the deep scar in his heart right away.
With his eyes closed, the High Priest paused for a long time before finally saying slowly: “I… know.”
“Did you know that, in this case, do you still have no complaints about Black Castle?”
The High Priest was silent for a moment, and then shook his head: “No complaints.”
“I am not from Black Castle, did you know?”
After a while, the High Priest nodded: “I knew that on the day you all came to Ciporak.”
“The day we set foot on Ciporak? How did you detect us?” Angel asked curiously.
“Soul Source. There is a Soul Source in the temple, and with it, I can monitor the movements in the entire Ciporak.”
The Soul Source mentioned by the High Priest was likely the Source of Law. Although Angel was curious about the Soul Source, he did not intend to reveal his purpose before understanding the purpose of the High Priest’s visit.
“Since you know I am not from Black Castle, you don’t have to worry about being overheard by them. So, let me ask you again, do you still have no complaints about Black Castle?”
The High Priest still shook his head firmly: “No complaints.”
Angel nodded, not expressing any opinions on the High Priest’s insistence. Since others had no complaints, why should he, an outsider, worry?
“You said you have no complaints about Black Castle, so why did you keep silent when you discovered us long ago?”
The High Priest raised his head, his gray eyes carrying an inexplicable meaning: “I hope that one day, a gap can be opened, allowing the silent torrent to surge out again.”
“A gap? Torrent?” Angel didn’t understand what the High Priest was referring to.
“Immersed in the illusion of peace for nearly a thousand years, the Kulakuka tribe only hopes for an opportunity to pry open the door of change.” the High Priest said bluntly.
The High Priest spoke clearly, but he did not say why he wanted to do so.
Angel temporarily put this topic aside and returned to the original answer: “You said the temple is not a place for conversation, and you came to me for no reason, but I will come to you if I have something. So, what do you think I will come to you for?”
The High Priest pondered for a moment and gently put forth two words: “Soul Source.”