Reborn After Betrayal: The Frail True Princess Decides to Give Up

Chapter 255 : Ruin Exploration

"Shh... you can't bite people!"Seeing Annie about to be provoked into a frenzy by Ariel, Celitia quickly patted her head gently.

She smoothed the rabbit's soft, fluffy long fur, successfully calming Annie down.

"The abnormalities have indeed been eliminated, but purification ritual traces are everywhere, which somewhat affects judgment." Celitia pondered.

Ariel said: "No need to rush—let's look around first."

This was originally just a spontaneous adventure, and Ariel didn't expect them to investigate anything significant.

This was the site of a former prosperous village, not some wild mountain forest. If there really were hidden treasures, they should have been dug up long ago.

"Then I'll go check the place where I found the golden cup before—I think it was over there!"

Shanie shouldered her shovel and ran off toward the depths of the ruins like a wisp of smoke.

"Slow down!" Benita shouted after her.

Shanie didn't hear at all, her figure disappearing instantly.

"You go with Shanie so you can look out for each other," Celitia said to Benita. "Ariel and I will go look elsewhere."

"Okay." Benita agreed.

Temporarily parting from the two, Celitia and Ariel slowly walked in another direction.

She chose the abandoned church where she had first encountered Ariel during her initial visit to the old village site.

At the church entrance, Celitia cautiously stopped.

"This place gives me the feeling that it's where the power is most chaotic."

"Your feeling is correct," Ariel nodded. "We thought so too, which is why we set up the largest purification ritual here."

Celitia smiled: "When the dreamscape hadn't dissipated, this is where I met you. Lady Saintess really knows how to pick locations."

"Can you please stop mentioning that dream?" Ariel's face immediately flushed bright red.

Please, just forget all of it, okay?

Otherwise, it would really become a lifelong stain!

Ariel was in despair.

"Oh? You dare to dream but don't dare let people talk about it?"

Celitia curved her lips, drawing out her tone. "Besides, I remember Lady Saintess still owes me a favor!"

"I'm not planning to welch on it," Ariel broke down. "Whatever you want, just say it directly!"

"Oh..." Celitia was a bit disappointed.

She couldn't even welch properly—this Lady Saintess was too honest, no fun to tease at all.

On second thought, Celitia became gleeful again, her eyes dancing with little devil's light.

"Alright, then I'll think about it carefully!"

She'd definitely make Ariel spin in circles!

Thinking about being able to toy with her former rival, Celitia's mood became excellent.

Seeing Celitia's expression, Ariel again felt an ominous premonition.

This was bad—she wouldn't write an even more bizarre script and make her act it out, would she?!

Fortunately, Celitia let her off for now:

"Alright, let's go inside and take a look first."

Navigating around the underground rubble pile and entering the abandoned church, Celitia and Ariel split up to explore the various rooms.

Taking advantage of Ariel's absence, Celitia quietly asked Annie on her shoulder:

"You've been here longer than us. Do you have any thoughts about this place?"

Annie puzzledly scratched her head: "What thoughts?"

"For instance," Celitia thought for a moment, "why do the inner and surface sides overlap here, and where exactly is that overlapping point?"

"Haven't thought about it," Annie answered quickly. "Usually I just eat and sleep!"

Celitia sighed.

Indeed, she shouldn't have expectations for this foolish dream demon.

"Ah, wait, let me think..."

Hearing Celitia's sigh, Annie immediately panicked.

Feeling she was being too lazy and failing in her role as a subordinate, with risk of abandonment, Annie had to rack her brains.

"Boss is right—this abandoned church is indeed where the dark matter energy is strongest. If there's an overlapping point, it must be nearby.

Speaking of which, is Boss carrying some treasure? I vaguely sense something that seems to be resonating with what Boss has."

"Hmm... you mean this?"

Celitia took out the golden cup from her cloth bag.

Shanie believed Celitia had the most extensive knowledge, so before departing for the old village site, she had entrusted the cup to Celitia to search for related clues.

"Yes, that's it!"

Seeing the golden cup, Annie's saliva nearly dripped down. She couldn't help but extend her front paws, entranced as she touched the golden patterns on the cup.

"Strange, it's so attractive to me... I really want to roll around hugging it..."

Annie hugged the cup with her paws, opened her mouth, and was about to take a bite.

With a "thunk," Annie's head was solidly knocked by Celitia.

"Don't mess around—this thing isn't edible."

Forcibly separating Annie from the cup, Celitia lifted the rabbit back onto her shoulder.

"Which place do you think is resonating with it? Guide the way quickly."

"Oh..." Rubbing her round little head, Annie responded pitifully.

Following Annie's guidance, Celitia left the doorway, circled around the church's perimeter, and walked along the path to an underground entrance.

The entrance's covering had already collapsed, scattered all over the ground and piled at the entrance, revealing only a dark corner.

"A basement?" Celitia confirmed with Annie. "Are you sure it's here?"

Annie replied: "That's how I feel, but I don't know if it's right."

Studying that deep entrance thoughtfully, Celitia also vaguely felt some strange sensation.

Something inside seemed to be attracting her.

It was somewhat similar to her first visit to the old village site.

"Lily? What are you doing?"

Ariel happened to come out and walk this way, seeing Celitia staring at the basement entrance in a daze.

Her shout brought Celitia back to her senses.

She had always trusted her intuition—there must be something noteworthy in the basement.

"Call Shanie and Benita over," Celitia said to Ariel. "Let's go look in the basement."

"The basement?"

Ariel was a bit puzzled, not knowing why Celitia had taken interest in the basement.

However, since they were here to explore anyway, Ariel didn't object.

Shanie and Benita were nearby digging soil. When Ariel called, they immediately came over.

"There's actually a basement here!" Shanie was very surprised. "When I played around here before, I never discovered it!"

Benita complained: "If we'd known, why did we bother digging soil? We could have just gone down directly."