On both sides of this underground corridor, many narrow cells have been built, imprisoning at least several hundred people, including adults and children, as well as individuals dressed as adventurers.

 

When Violet saw them, most of them had already been tortured to the brink of death, with no strength left to stand up or move. Even when they saw two young girls passing by from the outside, there was hardly any significant reaction.

 

Since she was already here, Violet decided to cast a few low-level healing spells, intending to give a boost to those who seemed the least spirited, those who seemed like they could die at any moment.

 

But when the skills took effect and their condition didn’t change much, the priestess began to feel that something was amiss.

 

There was something peculiar about these people.

 

While their physical condition may indeed be very poor, the real reason for their miserable state did not come from the body but from something deeper.

 

“Not the body, the spirit… or should I say, the soul?”

 

Realizing this, a serious expression appeared on the delicate face of the young girl for the first time. However, soon after, it transformed into an excited expression of joy.

 

“Hey, now this is getting interesting!”

 

To be honest, the priestess had almost no understanding of anything related to the soul. In 【Illusory World】, there were rarely any discussions about such matters, at least not in the form of a systematic skill tree. At most, there were some approximate spiritual magic.

 

But this should be different.

 

The last contact with the soul was when resurrecting Kunnir and the rat-folk Prakaka. However, that was also an automatic execution of the resurrection skill’s program, and Violet still knew nothing about its essence.

 

In the real world, one couldn’t explain everything using the theories from a game.

 

So, let’s try to heal them!

 

The first step in healing is to understand the reasons for their current condition.

 

What exactly happened to their souls?

 

After much contemplation, Violet finally found the maid she had once met in Princess Menna’s palace. The maid was now confined in one of the cells here and seemed to be in a rather dispirited state.

 

Since they were both women, it would be more convenient for Violet to treat and interact with her. Moreover, she had been captured not long ago, so at least she hadn’t become too malodorous.

 

As for the key… of course, there was none. Perhaps the guys who were knocked out by someone could have it, but the priestess had a simpler way to open the door.

 

“Xiao Guang, come up!”

 

“Understood!”

 

With a signal to her own pet, the dragon girl immediately approached and grasped one of the metal bars of the cell with each hand.

 

Sizzle, crackle, creak, sizzle, crackle, creak…

 

With strength attributes several times higher than Violet’s, the dragon girl easily deformed the metal bars, which were made of an unknown material and had a diameter of about half a centimeter, into a strange shape, creating a door that adults could easily enter and exit.

 

Wow, having high strength is really enjoyable…

 

Violet’s strength is approximately around 15,000 points, which in the world of 【Illusory World】, is roughly the common attribute range for a level 60 to 70 warrior. Although she can kick away a several-ton heavy iron door with a single kick, it’s still a bit challenging to crush steel with her bare hands like Xiao Guang, relying solely on her physical strength.

 

Don’t forget, Miss Dragon has pure diamond crystal dragon bloodline, a terrifying race capable of tearing through space with just their physical bodies.

 

Following the passage opened by the little dragon girl, Violet arrived beside the maid who had been terrified by the recent horrifying scene, her face pale and trembling. Regardless of the other party’s consent, she placed her hand on the girl’s shoulder.

 

“Information detection.”

 

The priestess furrowed her brows slightly.

 

Unbeknownst to her, this maid seemed to have a special one-sided link on her body?

 

According to the information returned by the skill, this peculiar mental link, much like a true parasite, continuously absorbed the soul power of the girl in front of her and transmitted it elsewhere.

 

Absorbing souls to nourish something, this sensation was somewhat similar to the 【Blasphemous Cocoon】 formed by Ulysses Fred in the Forgotten Lands.

 

Could it be that the 【Eternal Throne】 also intended to use these people to nurture something?

 

Nurture… nurture…?

 

Suddenly, a flash of insight crossed her mind.

 

“Hiss, could it be…?”

 

Could it be that the notes she had accidentally found before contained methods of using human souls to nourish vengeful spirits or something similar?

 

Although there were no vengeful spirits seen along the way, the intense resentment in the experimental field was so thick that it left a deep impression on Violet, making her scalp tingle.

 

While the notes mentioned that the pure souls of children were the most effective for nourishment, it didn’t necessarily mean that adults were entirely unusable, right?

 

Moreover, Violet remembered that in the case of the only successful fusion with vengeful spirits, though the crucial information had been lost, the early content also mentioned its manufacturing method.

 

Considering the instability of fusing with vengeful spirits, a hypothesis is proposed. If a small amount of vengeful spirits is transformed into a purely unconscious collective of resentment, and then pure souls are extracted for nourishment to support its growth, and finally fused with a single controllable soul, could we obtain a stable spiritual entity that is both powerful and obedient?

 

 

——Leopold, Year 1369 of the New Calendar

 

Got it.

 

So, this entire Iris Orphanage turns out to be a massive soul production facility.

 

The primary goal of the 【Eternal Throne】 in seizing this place is probably to conduct experiments on manufacturing vengeful spirits.

 

No wonder it feels like most of the people captured in this prison are children.

 

However, based on the contents of the notes and the scenes seen in the experimental field earlier, it can be inferred that the experiment is likely still in the early nurturing stage, without the involvement of souls possessing independent consciousness.

 

Perhaps this Leopold intends to use this opportunity, sacrificing someone, to complete the manufacturing process and attempt to harness the power of fused vengeful spirits, taking advantage of the chaos to break free.

 

However, he was swiftly killed and didn’t have a chance to do anything.

 

So, it shouldn’t be…

 

“Ugh!”

 

Before Violet could confirm her speculation, the seemingly fine maid in front of her, though trembling in fear, suddenly collapsed.

 

Her pure and cute face twisted with pain, and the aura emanating from her rapidly plummeted like a cliff.

 

“Huh?!”

 

As Violet’s information detection had not been withdrawn yet, she immediately understood what was happening to the maid.

 

Something was actively and rapidly absorbing the soul power of the maid!

 

Why is this happening?! The vengeful spirits haven’t even been manufactured yet!

 

“Ahhhhh!!!!”

 

“Ugh!”

 

“It hurts so much, my head hurts!!”

 

Meanwhile, in other cells, those who were in a dazed state due to soul deficiency began to scream in horror one after another. Only a few individuals seemed unaffected, likely used for other experiments.

 

“…………”

 

The priestess slowly stood up.

 

Angry symbols seemed to pop up on her forehead.

 

“Even though I don’t know what’s going on, you bastard, aren’t you underestimating me too much?”

 

A golden light flashed, and the red 【Radiant Fire】 in the priestess’s hand transformed into her true exclusive weapon.

 

She was a bit angry.

 

Violet raised the 【Eternal Scepter of the World’s Heart】, and the tip of the holy staff began to emit an unprecedented dazzling radiance.

 

Even in the world of 【Illusory World】, there were not many players who dared to claim they could kill the target Violet selected during her healing process!

 

Who do you think you are!?

 

“Hear my call, descend, Celestial Harmony!!”