For people from another world learning skills from 【Illusory World】, there were many uncertainties involved. Violet was trying this for the first time, and to ensure nothing went wrong, it had to be done in a relatively quiet environment.

Although Flora seemed a bit uneasy, at Princess Lilya’s strong insistence, she reluctantly stepped out and said she would stand guard at the door.

Once everything was prepared, under the eager and nervous gaze of Princess Lilya, Violet waved her hand to release a transparent barrier that had functions of blocking surveillance, silencing, and protection, and then she began the final confirmation.

“So, have you thought about which path you’d like to choose, Lilya?”

“Well, I’ve read through all the contents and descriptions in the book, and I’ve thought it over. I want to choose ‘Aeromancy’ magic!”

“Aeromancy magic, huh… That’s leaning towards being a mobile mage with offensive capabilities. But I thought you wanted to focus on self-defense. Why not consider a defensive type?”

The princess remained silent for a while and gently touched the small iron box called the 【Casket of Ascension】 that Violet had given her, hanging around her neck, as if she were talking to herself.

“Initially, I believed that a true king should be virtuous, kind to others, like my older brother. If you’re excellent enough, people will naturally respect you… But that’s not the reality.”

“The Royal Guards dared to rebel because they thought they could kill me. The Beastmen could invade and pillage because they believed they were stronger than humans… After witnessing all of this, I suddenly understood.”

“Pure benevolence doesn’t exist. Without strength, it’s just weakness and retreat. To deal with those crazy, ruthless individuals, you have to be even more ruthless, stronger, and take the initiative to truly make them fear.”

“I used to be too timid and naive. I didn’t dare do this, didn’t want to do that, kept retreating, and that’s how I ended up in the current situation.”

The young girl gripped the small iron box on her chest, her fingers appearing slightly pale due to the force she exerted, her teeth clenched.

“I want to fight! I want to take the initiative! Crush them into dust before they can harm me and the people I care about, just like this surprise attack. Offense is the best defense, right?”

“Is that so… It seems you’ve thought it through. If that’s the case, there’s no need for me to say much. Let’s begin.”

Violet smiled with satisfaction and didn’t reach into the void, as she usually did to retrieve items. Instead, she held her hands close to her heart and closed her eyes.

“Calm your mind, focus.”

A vast and mysterious aura, hard to comprehend, manifested from the girl’s palm and rapidly spread in all directions but was intercepted by the barrier enveloping the tent.

Princess Lilya widened her beautiful eyes, watching in amazement as a slender seedling emerged from the air, sprouted at a visible speed, grew, and developed into a lush miniature heavenly tree, branching out in countless directions.

“This… this is…”

The princess felt a sudden stinging sensation in her eyes, and tears involuntarily flowed. She began to feel dizzy and disoriented, as if gazing directly at the entity was a tremendous act of disrespect. She quickly averted her gaze, feeling better only after doing so.

Luckily, the 【Casket of Ascension】 that Violet had given her had been stabilizing and significantly enhancing Lilya’s physical attributes these past few days, or that single moment might have caused her to faint.

Lilya now understood why Violet had set up the intricate-looking barrier earlier.

The significance of this tree could not be described as precious. Looking at it, Princess Lilya felt as if she were facing an entire world.

“【Simulated Kabbalah Tree of Life】. Do not look directly at it, do not touch its true form, and do not utter its name. Although it’s a replica, it’s still an existence that ordinary people can’t comprehend.”

As she spoke, Violet slowly opened her eyes and saw Lilya voluntarily averting her gaze. She couldn’t help but admire Lilya’s quick thinking.

This was her first time summoning this item in this world. Fortunately, Violet had anticipated that there might be considerable commotion and had taken precautions in advance. Otherwise, it might have caused as much of a sensation as when she had treated Leyton earlier. They were still in stealth mode, after all.

The artifact 【Simulated Kabbalah Tree of Life】 was an item, but it didn’t fit into any equipment slots, nor could it be stored in her backpack. It existed in a manner similar to a companion by her side.

According to the official information in 【Illusory World】 the 【Simulated Kabbalah Tree of Life】 was formed from the tiny new bud at the very top of the actual ‘Kabbalah Tree of Life’. Its only function was simulation.

It could simulate any item or object, as long as it existed in the game world. Except for true artifacts and living creatures, this item could replicate anything it came into contact with, even abstract things like skill trees that only existed within the game’s system. 

Violet had obtained it as a final reward in a massive hidden chain quest, a process that took her a whole month, during which she had been killed numerous times by various inexplicable plot twists. It was worth its status as an artifact.

Violet’s skill tree was naturally inaccessible to Lilya, and, in fact, she couldn’t even see it. However, with the 【Simulated Kabbalah Tree of Life】, this modifier-like bug item, the princess could still attempt to learn skills from 【Illusory World】.

“Let me take a look… Combat skills… Airflow element… Hmm, this should be it! Transform for me!”

With a flash of colored light, Lilya felt her vision blur momentarily. The verdant miniaturized ancient tree had transformed into a long row of skill branches composed of patterns and text, floating silently in front of the princess’s eyes.

“Ah…”

This scene, which transcended her understanding, left the blue-haired girl at a loss for words for a while.

However, Miss Lilya had been around the eccentric Violet for about half a month, and she had developed some resistance to unusual things. Dropping her futile attempts at rationality, she nodded and decisively focused her attention on the skill tree.

“It seems like she really is trying to learn…”

As she watched Lilya’s hands poke at the floating skill tree, Violet, who was trying this kind of thing for the first time, was quite curious about what would happen. However, she didn’t want to disturb the princess at the moment, so she remained quiet and waited patiently.

After a while, the princess raised her head, a strong contemplative expression passing between her eyebrows. She took the initiative to explain.

“Just like what Violet and the book said, learning skills requires something called ‘Skill Points.’ I have very few of those right now, and my ‘Level’ is not high enough, so I could only learn three.”

“The first one is called ‘Flowing Wind.’ It seems to allow the manipulation of air for movement. The second one is ‘Wind Slash.’ It probably condenses the air into a blade-like form for attacks. The last one is ‘Wind Infusion,’ based on the description; it should use wind to enhance one’s speed. They are all simple and practical abilities.”

“What about higher-level skills? Are there additional learning conditions?” Violet asked the most concerning question.

“Yes, but many of them I don’t quite understand. For example, there are ‘Achievements,’ and some materials and creatures I’ve never heard of. Since reading too much about them makes my head spin, I didn’t dare to study them in detail.”

Lilya lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly.

“It really is like that…”