The story of the black silk female knight

It was just dawn, with the sun only half-hidden above the horizon, but the nuns were already up and working, sweeping the ground in front of the cathedral.

The girl who attempted to stab the scumbag professor was among them. She looked much more energetic and seemed to have adapted to the nun's ascetic life. When she saw Valensa, she greeted her with great enthusiasm and expressed her gratitude to Valensa for persuading her to turn back from her wrong path.

Valensa smiled and let it go, without disturbing the high priest who was still asleep. Instead, she did what a devout paladin should do—she prayed earnestly to the statue of the sun goddess until it was fully light.

Tia, who was also a believer in the sun goddess, joined in the prayer.

After praying, Valensa had breakfast at the church restaurant before finding the high priest, introducing Serbi's situation, and vouching for her to join the Church of the Sun as a nun.

This kind of thing is actually quite common.

For many victims who have been harmed by cults but are not completely destroyed, joining the Church of the Sun as a clergyman and dedicating their lives to spiritual practice is the best option.

After all, these victims were more or less corrupted by evil gods, and leaving them unattended could easily lead to another disaster, while eliminating them directly would be too cruel.

However, it is very rare for elves to join the Church of the Sun, because the elves worship nature and have the common problem of long-lived species—extremely stubborn and inflexible.

Many priests and paladins have tried to preach to the discovered elven tribes, but all of them failed, and some even resorted to armed conflict.

Now Valensa has brought in an elf who has voluntarily joined the Church of the Sun, and even if this elf is only seeking self-preservation after being slightly corrupted by an evil god, it is still very meaningful.

The High Priest of Chuyun City made the decision without hesitation to personally guide Serbi's cultivation... If Serbi could be trained into an excellent Sun Sister, it would be a great achievement and honor for her.

Of course, the High Priest of Chuyun City was very generous in expressing his gratitude to Valensa for bringing him this opportunity, saying that he would unconditionally support any actions Valensa took within the Four Islands Alliance that did not violate the doctrine.

After arranging everything for Serbi, it was already morning. Valensa and Tia rushed to the luxurious hotel owned by the Ditang family to find Ditang Bu.

When he saw Valensa enter the inn through the shikigami, Teido Ayumu, who was drinking tea and practicing health preservation in his office, spat out a mouthful of water all over the table.

After working so hard for over half a month to take care of this jinx and send her away, why is she back again? Can't a person even get a break?

Despite my inner complaints, I still had to entertain our distinguished guest.

Immediately, Daidoubu had the fox spirits serve Valensa and Valensa good tea and pastries, while he himself took a bath, changed clothes, and tidied himself up before greeting the guests.

"Cloud Hidden Ridge?"

Upon learning the purpose of Valensa's visit, Di Tangbu's expression turned strange for a moment before he asked in return:

"May I ask the Duchess why she is looking for Cloud Hidden Ridge? Although it is now completely abandoned and unclaimed, it was once quite important to the Tsuchimikado family... My grandmother has many memories of that place."

"Actually, it's nothing... it's still for the sake of the acorn."

Valensa didn't hide anything, but she didn't tell the whole story either.

She simply said that she had accidentally stumbled upon a cult on Sword Island and obtained information that the cult leader had hidden a group of people's acorns in Cloud Hidden Ridge, and wanted to go there to try her luck.

Di Tangbu had no doubt whatsoever.

In his view, it would be strange if Valensa had gone to Sword Island unscathed these past few days; it would have been perfectly normal for her to have stumbled upon a cult.

Valensa's reasons for going to Cloud Hidden Ridge were perfectly reasonable, and Imperial Ambition naturally wouldn't refuse. He quickly had a shikigami deliver a map of Ruler Island, personally marking the location of Cloud Hidden Ridge on the map and giving a brief introduction to its past:

"Cloud Hidden Ridge was once a training ground artificially created by the Tsuchimikado family..."

Chapter 70 The Suspicious Nun

With Di Tangbu's introduction, Valensa and Tia quickly learned about the general situation of Cloud Hidden Ridge.

It's somewhat like the spirit-gathering array that immortal sects in the world of fantasy novels love to use. Yunyin Ridge is a high-concentration magical environment artificially created by the Tsuchimikado family using magical barriers. It's roughly equivalent to the Witch's Forest and is a secret training ground for the family's genius members and powerful shikigami.

However, all that glory is gone. After the Tsuchimikado family's research on the Mist Demon went awry and they were wiped out, the Cloud Hidden Ridge Secret Realm was completely abandoned, all valuable resources were taken away, and the artificial high-concentration magic environment was restored to normal levels.

Moreover, Cloud Hidden Ridge was later visited by many adventurers who found a way to enter, and was thoroughly searched, turning it into a desolate mountain ruin.

The reason why Cloud Hidden Ridge is not marked on the official map of the Four Islands Alliance's Ruler Island is not to hide any secrets, but because there is nothing there anymore, so it has no value in being marked.

Moreover, the name Cloud Hidden Ridge is rarely used anymore; adventurers who frequently operate on Ruler Island prefer to call it the Tsuchimikado Secret Realm Ruins.

This was somewhat unexpected for Valensa.

She thought Cloud Hidden Ridge was a very secluded place, which was why Ziye hid the Human Acorn and the crystal bead of the second-in-command of the Sailian Clan there.

As it turned out, Cloud Hidden Ridge was just a ruin, and it had been looted by adventurers countless times. It was a place that anyone could enter at will.

If that's the case, then Ziye shouldn't have hidden the acorn and crystal in Yunyin Ridge, but rather met with someone there to make a deal.

Or perhaps Ziye has already used up those things in Yunyin Ridge?

Two guesses instantly popped into Valensa's mind, but they were just guesses... Ziye's shattering of her soul had resulted in too many missing memories and insufficient information.

We can only go to Yunyinling to see if there are any other clues.

After thanking and bidding farewell to Emperor Tangbu, Valensa and Tia went to the port of Chuyun City to look for a ship to Chizhi Island.

When the Tsuchimikado family was still around, the situation on Chinojima was similar to that on Kenjima today, with a powerful family running it under military control, making it quite mysterious to ordinary people.

However, with the demise of the Tsuchimikado family, the island of Chikunojima was completely opened up, losing its mysterious veil and becoming a courtesan whom anyone could date.

The island's abundant natural resources, in particular, make Chizhi Island a favorite among adventurers.

Among the cultivators of the Four Islands Alliance, those with even a little skill like to try their luck on Ruler Island. Many have become rich overnight by obtaining certain rare materials, making it even more popular.

The trade fair that the Teido family holds once a month has more than half of its regular attendees being adventurers who are frequently active on Ruler Island.

At the Chuyun City dock on Mirror Island, ships depart for Ruler Island every day, carrying numerous adventurers and their dreams on their journey.

A boat ticket costs 20 gold coins, which is quite expensive for ordinary people; it's roughly equivalent to a family of three's monthly living expenses.

However, as long as they can successfully bring back the spoils of their adventures from Ruler Island, the rewards can easily exceed 10 times. Therefore, even though they know that the monsters on Ruler Island are dangerous and they could die at any time, the number of adventurers only increases.

After spending nearly a day and a night at sea, Valensa and Tia landed on Ruler Island.

This is the largest island in the Four Islands Alliance, with an area of ​​over 55,000 square kilometers. At the center of the island is a towering mountain with an altitude of over 4000 meters. The summit is covered with snow all year round, like a hat, and from a distance, it has a feeling similar to Mount Fuji in winter.

There are currently no large human settlements on the entire island of Chizhi, only a dozen or so small villages with a permanent population of less than 500.

No one in these small towns is engaged in planting or animal husbandry. They all work as assistants to adventurers, running inns, restaurants, bars, equipment shops, and alchemy item shops. Some people also make a living by acting as guides for adventurers or collecting wild plant materials.

If Valensa were to summarize, this island is very much like an old RPG game map, with monsters and monsters everywhere in the wild, and each village and town has few buildings, but is quite functional.

Ignoring the few people who looked like easy targets and kept trying to recruit customers, Valensa and Tia left the port town and headed towards the snow-capped mountain in the center of Ruler Island.

Yunyin Ridge is located at the foot of that mountain.

Following the location circled on the map by Emperor Tangbu, Valensa and Tia quickly found Cloud Hidden Ridge.

They did encounter quite a few monsters along the way, but Valensa, who was in a hurry, took direct action and turned all those monsters into spare ingredients in her storage space.

They also encountered several groups of humans who were difficult to distinguish as either adventurers or bandits, but none of them seemed inclined to communicate. They retreated as soon as they saw Valensa in high-level paladin armor, making no attempt to conceal her aura as a powerful Radiant-rank expert.

Just as Di Tangbu said, Yunyin Ridge is now very dilapidated... The only special thing about it is that its natural location is relatively hidden, and it is really hard to find without someone to point it out.

It can be seen that there used to be many buildings here, and they were quite large and luxurious.

But now all that's left are ruins. It's hard to even find any intact timber or stone. The building has been almost completely emptied, with debris and garbage scattered everywhere.

At first glance, it is utterly worthless.

The only thing still usable in the entire ruins was a well. The well water hadn't dried up, and even the tools used to draw water from it were quite new, suggesting someone had recently made them from scrap wood. Traces of camping could also be seen near the well.

"...They should all be adventurers."

Valensa examined the traces and quickly came to a conclusion:

"There are no ponds or streams nearby, so this well is likely the only water source. In addition, this area is relatively secluded, making it a good place for adventurers to spend the night in the wild."

But that's what's strange... It means that adventurers often come to Cloud Hidden Ridge, and there's no secrecy or security at all. Why would Ziye send the Human Acorn and the Sailian Clan Crystal Bead here?

Confused but determined, Valensa meticulously searched Cloud Hidden Ridge, unleashing all her sensory abilities and displaying the spirit of a gamer exploring a map to find treasure chests.

Unfortunately, no clues meant no clues. Valensa couldn't find either the human acorn or the crystal bead belonging to the second-in-command of the Siren Clan.

However, Tia made some gains thanks to her extremely sensitive constitution to magic... She was certain that some kind of powerful water elemental force had lingered in Cloud Hidden Ridge.

Perhaps it's a powerful expert specializing in water magic, or perhaps it's some top-tier water-attribute material and alchemical tool... The crystal bead of the second-in-command of the Sailian Clan fits the bill.

It's a somewhat useful clue, but not much... After all, this is an island nation with many powerful people skilled in water-based abilities and top-tier water-attribute materials, so it might not necessarily be the Seren Clan Crystal Bead.

With no other option, Valensa and Tia had to leave Cloud Hidden Ridge and continue their investigation using brute force.

They visited several small towns around the foot of Snow Peak in the center of Chizhi Island, spending lavishly in the town's bars and restaurants to buy intelligence.

As expected, the adventurers in the vicinity all knew about Cloud Hidden Ridge... They were not familiar with the rather ancient name Cloud Hidden Ridge, but they knew that it was one of the ruins of the Tsuchimikado family, with excellent water sources and relatively secluded terrain, making it a good place to camp overnight. Every night, several adventurer teams would camp there overnight and also trade some spoils.

It's impossible for a place frequented by so many adventurers to have any hidden treasure vaults.

Therefore, the most likely reason why Ziye brought the Human Acorn and the Sailian Clan Crystal Bead to Cloud Hidden Ridge was to trade with people there... There are already many adventurers there who exchange their harvested materials, so choosing to trade there is indeed relatively safe.

Valensa and Tia continued to spend money, but this time they weren't inquiring about Cloud Hidden Ridge. Instead, based on the time of the killing of the second-in-command of the Seren clan, they asked adventurer teams that had been to Cloud Hidden Ridge after that time if they had seen Ziye.

Ziye's appearance wasn't exactly stunning, but her figure and temperament were quite charming. A woman like that should attract a lot of attention when she was alone.

Tia even used projection magic to show the appearance of Ziye, allowing the adventurers who wanted to collect the reward money to identify her carefully.

Unfortunately, many days had passed, and many of the adventurer teams that had gone to Cloud Hidden Ridge had returned to Mirror Island to sell their loot for money, or gone elsewhere to try their luck... Valensa and Tia asked more than a dozen teams but got nothing.

"I...I think I've seen her before."

Just as Valensa and Tia were taking a short break in a small-town bar, feeling rather down, a bartender cleaning up stared intently at the purple leaf projection that Tia had just shown to a few adventurers. After a moment's hesitation, he waited until the adventurers left before tentatively approaching them.

"But I didn't find him in those ruins you mentioned, I met him on the path behind our bar... Can I still get a tip for that?"

"of course can!"

Valensa's disappointed eyes lit up instantly, and without hesitation, she pulled out two gold coins and stuffed them into the waiter's hand:

"Tell me the details... If you tell me well, there's more."

"Thank you, sir!"

The waiter was overjoyed; those two gold coins represented several days' earnings for him… He quickly and carefully put the coins away, then thought back for a moment before recounting his story:

"I really can't remember the exact date... It was about a month ago. I was working at the store at the time, and I had just cleaned out a big bag of trash, which I was about to take to the back door to throw away."

As soon as I pushed open the door, I came across a small path leading to the back door where two people seemed to be talking. One of them was the woman you're looking for… She was incredibly fierce. She glared at me fiercely, like she was looking at a dead man. I thought I'd stumbled upon some secret and was going to die… That's why I remember her so vividly.”

"She was indeed a vicious cultist who could kill without blinking an eye... but don't worry, I've already taken her down, she won't have a chance to take revenge on you."

Valensa first reassured the still somewhat frightened waiter before continuing to inquire about the situation:

"Given what she's done, it's quite normal for her to choose to silence witnesses... Why did she let you go back then? And who was she with?"

"It's a nun."

The waiter answered without hesitation:

"The woman standing on the path talking to that woman was the nun. It was the nun who stopped her from showing any murderous intent towards me... After that, I quickly put down the trash and ran back to the shop. I don't know what they said there or how long they talked."

"Nun?"

Valensa is very particular about this title.

Ziye is a member of an evil god's clan, so why would she be involved with a nun?

"What kind of nun is she? Is she a nun from our Sun Church? Does she often visit your town? Does everyone else know her?" Valensa asked again.

"This……"

The waiter looked blankly for a few seconds, then glanced at the Sun Church emblem on Valensa's armor, and said somewhat uncertainly:

"She must be a nun from the Church of the Sun, right? I grew up on Ruler Island and have never been to the cathedral in Chuyun City on Mirror Island, nor have I ever seen a real nun from the Church of the Sun... But the insignia on the nun's clothes is very similar to the insignia on your clothes, and she has also used healing magic."

The existence of healing magic alone doesn't prove anything. Holy light isn't the only magic with healing abilities; some evil god magic can also do the same.

Therefore, the symbol of God is even more important.

Valensa quickly puffed out her chest and pointed to the golden emblem on the armor, asking:

"Look closely! Is the insignia on that nun's body just similar to mine, or is it exactly the same?"

"...I'm sorry, sir, I'm really not sure."

The waiter stared at the insignia on Valensa's clothes for a few more seconds, then shook his head and gave a wry smile.

"The nun's insignia isn't actually on her clothes, but rather a pendant that hangs down her chest... I wouldn't dare stare at a lady like that for no reason. I can only confirm that the shape is the same, but I really can't remember the details."

"...Tsk, never mind."

Valensa realized that this was indeed a bit unreasonable, so she changed the question:

"Then let's continue talking about this nun... She often appears here?"