Chapter 551: 475 ’The Pilgrimage Bell
The Great Cathedral of Ash, at the very top.
Here, at the highest level, there was a bell tower.
In the middle of the hall, where the walls on all four sides were open to allow a clear view of the scenery outside, there stood a massive golden bell, which appeared to be just an ordinary bell, with nothing particularly special about it.
However, this golden bell was an exceptionally important Pilgrimage Bell in the Fairy Country of Britannia.
It was situated in a hall unguarded by anyone, quietly radiating an aura of ancient history, like a piece of art long forgotten yet profoundly significant.
"Swoosh!"
At that moment, the air in the bell tower trembled, allowing two figures to suddenly appear there.
The visitors were Reiger and Altoria.
"See, we got in, right?"
Reiger released Altoria whom he had been holding, speaking with an air of nonchalance as if what he did was nothing out of the ordinary.
"...Yes, we really did get in."
Altoria, having given up struggling, sighed helplessly and looked up, her eyes on the massive golden bell before her.
"This is the Pilgrimage Bell, right?"
Reiger asked Altoria indifferently.
"Yes, this is the Pilgrimage Bell." Altoria nodded, gazing fixedly at the golden bell before her, her tone uncertain whether it was complicated or solemn, "Although I don’t know what’s going on, I can vaguely sense something, so this must not be a fake."
Though she said that, Altoria still felt it somewhat unreal.
No wonder, ever since she could remember, the people around her had always been compelling her to ring the Pilgrimage Bell, and now, it just appeared so easily before her; not only for Altoria, anyone in her place would feel it unreal too.
To think, she had left her village and grown to the age of 16, and it had only been a matter of days.
In just a few days, she had already come before one of the mere six Pilgrage Bells, such rapid developments truly left Altoria trailing a bit, to the extent that she kept staring at the Pilgrimage Bell, unable to react for a long time.
On the other hand, Reiger glanced at the Pilgrimage Bell before him, then seemed to lose interest in it, his gaze shifting around the room and even towards the entrance to the bell tower.
"There should be someone standing guard over there."
A faint glimmer of transparency appeared in Reiger’s eyes as he detected a few life signs.
"They haven’t noticed anything unusual here yet, but if we stay long enough, our presence will surely be discovered, right?"
The Wind Clan’s senses were incredibly sharp; even the slightest disturbance could potentially alert them.
For this reason, after teleporting into the bell tower, Reiger had activated the magics "Silence" and "Hidden Life."
"Silence," a supportive stealth magic that indiscriminately eliminates all sounds within its effect range.
"Hidden Life," a magic that conceals life signs, evading detection by life-sensing abilities.
With the effects of these two magics, Reiger and Altoria’s intrusion had not yet been detected by the Fairies of the Wind Clan, but given enough time, those innately mystical Fairies would surely notice something.
So...
"If you want to ring the Pilgrimage Bell, you’d better hurry," Reiger slowly said to Altoria, "provided you’re prepared for the prophecy child to announce their presence here to all of Britannia."
Altoria immediately fell silent.
Once the Pilgrimage Bell was rung, its sound would echo throughout the entire Fairy Country of Britannia.
No matter how hidden a corner, no matter how remote a location, as long as it was on the island of Britannia, all Fairies would hear the sound of the Pilgrimage Bell being rung.
At that time, all the Fairies would know of the event, aware that the prophecy child had been born.
Including the Queen residing deep within Camelot.
What this entailed, others might not know, but Reiger was very clear.
"If you don’t ring the Pilgrimage Bell, that queen might not yet see you as an enemy."
"But once you ring the Pilgrimage Bell, no matter what, that queen will take action against you."
"So, think carefully before deciding, okay?"
Reiger’s words made Altoria glare at him.
"It was you who brought me here forcefully, and now you’re saying such things—it’s irresponsible."
Altoria complained uncontrollably.
"I just wanted to see what you would choose." Reiger smirked and said, "Besides, even if you don’t ring the Pilgrimage Bell and forego the chance to gain power, I don’t think you can be in a much safer situation in this country."
"Even if Morgan doesn’t see you as a threat, many Fairies might just treat you as an amusement, but there will definitely be no shortage of Fairies who will be hostile towards you."
Like Woodworth, who even took his execution squad to Tintagel; can we really expect him to treat the inconvenient prophecy child humanely?
Furthermore, the inevitable "Calamity" that was bound to erupt this year in the Fairy Country of Britain would exacerbate the situation significantly.
Adding to that, this world is far from as simple as it appears now; there will be a true war erupting later which will not only involve all the Fairies and humans of the Fairy Country but also draw external forces to this island, thus revealing its most astonishing secrets. By then, no matter if Altoria wanted to flee, it would likely be impossible for her to do so.