Chapter 179: Chapter 177: Entering the Star Spirit Forbidden Land

"Lord Rose, are we setting off today?"

It is the third day now, and Hilia is ready to embark on an adventure in the forbidden area beneath the Star Spirit Tree.

The day before yesterday, Vanessa had repeatedly refused, but Hilia managed to persuade her, finally getting Vanessa to accept 100 gold coins.

Vanessa said she would use part of the gold coins to repair the Divine Hall and leave the rest with Hilia, in case she ever goes bankrupt and needs them.

Over the following days, Hilia wanted to help with some tasks, but Vanessa kept stopping her.

She could only go back to her room to pack her things, taking out blank scrolls and preparing some as spares.

On the second day, Hilia’s excitement from returning gradually faded; the Divine Hall, unchanged for decades, became increasingly boring besides helping welcome believers who came to pray in the morning.

There, close to the Star Spirit Tree, the Star Spirit Network was good, but not developed enough for entertaining through bracelets, nor for watching videos or playing games on them.

In the small town outside, each time Hilia went out, she had to deal with people—some familiar, some strangers—greeting her, which quickly overwhelmed her, leading her to escape back to the Divine Hall and buried herself in crafting scrolls.

On the third day, she gave up.

Following Lord Rose on an adventure was much more interesting!

After informing Vanessa, Hilia prepared to sneak out and tackle the Star Spirit Forbidden Land.

Seeing this, the female Assistant Priest who was aiding the believers asked, "Hilia, where are you going? Take me with you?"

Hilia replied, "I’m going to the Star Spirit Forbidden Land; do you want to come?"

"Ah? The Star Spirit Forbidden Land? No way, you go by yourself. I don’t dare to go."

The two Assistant Priests at the Star Dust Divine Hall didn’t have much magic talent, merely capable of basic Healing Skills and Prayer Skills, good for treating bruises but unable to handle deeper wounds.

As for attacking and defense magic, they knew nothing, and compared to ordinary people, they were just slightly stronger, but no match for those muscular guys from the gym.

Near the Star Spirit Tree, they knew well of the terror the Star Spirit Forbidden Land held.

The Female Assistant Priest, concerned, said, "Hilia, I’ve heard the Star Spirit Forbidden Land is dangerous; even Vanessa, the High Priest, wouldn’t venture in easily, are you really going?"

"Of course, returning and not visiting the Star Spirit Forbidden Land to see what’s inside would be a wasted return!"

Hilia waved goodbye to her with a smile and left the Divine Hall.

The Divine Hall was right at the edge of Star Ash Town, sparing her from greeting the numerous neighbors who knew her but she didn’t know, directly boarding the Flying Broom and taking off, flying toward the edge of the Star Spirit Forbidden Land.

By now, an hour had already passed.

Hilia skipped her 40-kilometer-per-hour tortoise speed as Rose accelerated her to a limit where she wouldn’t usually throw up, about 180 kilometers per hour.

Though Star Ash Town was very close to the Star Spirit Tree, it still was approximately 200 kilometers from the Star Spirit Forbidden Land created by the Star Spirit Tree.

Even when looking toward the Star Spirit Tree from the Forbidden Land’s perimeter, it felt still far, likely spanning another two to three hundred kilometers.

"Is the Star Spirit Forbidden Land this vast?" Hilia was shocked.

Rose looked at it and said, "Approximately two to three hundred thousand square kilometers."

In his mind, he added: probably about three times the size of Chongqing.

Upon approaching, the covertly intense demonic qi pollution inside the Forbidden Land could indeed be felt.

At the delineated edge here, the pollution concentration was relatively weak, paling even against Lost Lighthouse’s intensity.

But considering the scope, the pollution near the Star Spirit Tree was likely solidified, transforming into mountains and rivers.

Rose’s gaze was deep; rather than looking at the Star Spirit Tree, he was looking off to one side.

After a while, retrieving his gaze, he said, "Let’s go, in this direction."

"Okay."

Hilia nodded, trusting Rose’s directions.

Approaching the Forbidden Land boundary, a thin, transparent barrier appeared before her, she paused briefly, then directly went through.

"So the Forbidden Land boundary has a magical barrier preventing ordinary people from entering; if I had been curious earlier on, I probably couldn’t have gotten in." Hilia muttered.

"Did the High Priest not teach you magic while at the Divine Hall?"

Hilia shook her head, "Since I was eight, able to lay a foundation for magic, Vanessa Mom always had me build a foundation without recklessly absorbing magic power to become a Mage. It remained that way until I entered the Divine Magic Academy; I learned no magic and didn’t condense any magic power."

Rose nodded, "Your mom seems really good to you; she spent over 100 gold coins on you in just a year."

Hilia was perplexed, "That much? Why didn’t I notice?"

Rose said, "At that time, you wouldn’t have had any concept of it; moreover, she wouldn’t have told you, so not noticing is normal. The residual foundational drugs on your body were among the costly sorts, matching the standard for nobles preparing their children’s base."

Hilia’s expression became complex.

Rose continued, "Innate talent for a Mage is crucial, but foundation matters equally. Without a foundation and directly meditating and practicing magic, not only would your cultivation speed be slower than others, but you could not enter the Deep Divine Realm upon advancement to gain higher advancement foundation, unless repeatedly refining your body over the years before each advancement to bear massive magic power influx."

"Is the Divine Hall poor because all the money was spent on me?" Hilia seemed to have an epiphany.

"I wouldn’t know." Rose smiled slightly, "But given Vanessa’s character, perhaps it wasn’t from the Divine Hall, but her personal savings or secretly earned money."

Hilia nodded, "I understand!"

The topic didn’t continue as, upon entering the Forbidden Land’s range, a lurking demon suddenly attacked from the shadows.

Interrupting her speech, Hilia raised her hand with a Water of Stagnation followed by Frost Condensation, freezing the demon.

She examined it briefly and said, "This demon hardly seems polluted."

Rose nodded, "Although pollution pervades here, the demons inside are peculiar; most remain untainted by pollution, with minor residual contamination inside, isn’t that interesting?"

"Why, residing long-term in such pollution, aren’t they affected?" Hilia asked curiously.

Rose looked ahead, "The beasts dwelling under the Star Spirit Tree are inherently protected by the Star Spirit Tree, capable of immunity from certain demonic qi pollution.

"However, this context is only part of the explanation; another reason relates to the place we’re heading to."

"What place?"

Hilia followed Rose’s gaze but saw nothing in the dense forest ahead.

She ceased flying to avoid unexpected accidents.

Flying in such pollution-heavy areas meant courting death.

"A refuge of an ’old friend,’ you’ll understand upon arrival."

Rose smiled slightly, not elaborating.

In his view, a faint thread was fiercely entwined and pulled by his spiritual power, directing deep into the Star Spirit Forbidden Land.