“The price of knowing heavenly secrets? What does that mean? And you still haven’t answered my question directly. Tell me where Minglan has gone.”

The old man, known as the 【Diviner】, smiled faintly. Despite his age, he exuded an air of calmness and elegance. Somehow, Violet faintly sensed a resemblance to the white-clad young man who called himself Wenqu in the Demon God’s domain.

But before she could think further, the old man continued.

“Miss Dawn, you are quite impatient… Mr. Lan has temporarily returned to Spirit Veil Island with some of his kin to handle certain matters. Before he left, he informed me of your situation and entrusted me to look after you… Haha, of course, with your abilities, I doubt you need much from an old man like me.”

“As for what it means to know heavenly secrets, it’s not something that can be explained in a few words. But before that, may I ask what brings you to the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild today, Miss Dawn?”

“He left so quickly? Well, actually… it’s nothing urgent.”

She murmured softly, a bit puzzled. Although it felt strange, since Minglan had already left, Violet couldn’t possibly go to the distant Spirit Veil Island to drag him back now.

After all, the priestess hadn’t come to the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild headquarters with the sole intention of finding Minglan. Ultimately, she mainly wanted to engage with this mysterious and profound organization to see if she could discover anything interesting.

“Diviner, right? Well, let me ask you this: how old are you, sir?”

Upon hearing this question, the corners of the old man’s mouth seemed to twitch slightly, revealing a faint smile that quickly reverted to his usual calm demeanor.

“Rest assured, Miss Dawn, I do not possess the immortality of Spirit Veil. I am just an ordinary human, sixty-two years old this year. In front of the long-lived races, I am hardly worth mentioning.”

“Why do I feel like you’re hinting at something… Never mind. Since I’m here, I have some questions to ask. Are you available now?”

As if he had already predicted the fox lady’s request, Mr. Diviner chuckled and shook his head.

“Miss Dawn, your timing is impeccable. As you can see, our Spirit Veil Merchant Guild is preparing for our quarterly rare item sale, and the store is temporarily closed. As the president, I am quite occupied at the moment. How about you join me in viewing the event, and we can talk as we go?”

“Hmm…?”

She had a strange feeling, as if there was a trap waiting for her to step into. But after staring at Mr. Diviner’s calm and gentle face for a long time, Violet couldn’t discern anything suspicious. After all, his eyes were covered by the black cloth.

“A rare item sale, huh? Alright, it shouldn’t be boring. I’ll join. By the way, who usually comes to buy things?”

With a smile, Mr. Diviner turned and began to walk away.

“Guests from all corners of the world gather here. Our Spirit Veil Merchant Guild can manage such an arrangement. Miss Dawn, please follow me, the reception room is ready.”

……………………………….

Just as the two guards mentioned earlier, the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild’s auction started promptly over an hour later. The elderly man who called himself the Diviner arrived early in the waiting room where the white fox lady was resting and escorted her to another location.

While walking through the inner hall of the chamber, Violet, who had organized her thoughts, casually asked the 【Diviner】 a question. Naturally, she wouldn’t directly ask something like, “Who was your founding president?” as such probing questions would be inappropriate. Patience was necessary.

“By the way, why didn’t those two guards recognize this item? If you hadn’t been here today, it might have been difficult for me to enter the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild. Is Minglan messing with me?”

The old man, holding an abacus of unknown purpose, with an appearance that exuded an immortal aura, glanced at the little fox pendant in Violet’s hand and smiled. He then retrieved an item from his wide sleeve and handed it to the girl walking beside him.

Violet took it and found it to be a brand-new, seemingly freshly made, black card with gold embossing. The front bore a string of meaningless numbers, while the back was intricately engraved with a small fox design that looked familiar yet slightly different.

Judging by its texture, it appeared to be made of high-quality magic crystal, serving as an identity card with special recognition features. Even holding it in her hand, she could clearly feel the faint magical energy emanating from it, indicating its high value.

Before Violet could inquire further, the Diviner’s gentle explanation reached her ears.

“This card is your key to accessing all the resources and privileges within the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild. The guards might not recognize every symbol of authority, but this card will ensure you are never turned away again. Minglan wasn’t playing a joke on you, he just didn’t provide the latest means of identification. Now, with this card, you have our utmost recognition and respect.”

“Minglan gave you this item, which is an important token within the Spirit Veil tribe. Even within the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild, only a few high-ranking individuals recognize it. The two guards earlier were just hired… well, from out of town employees, so it’s normal that they didn’t recognize it.”

“Miss Dawn, while Minglan gave you this token with good intentions, he probably didn’t have the time to explain the situation clearly. This 【Divine Fox】 Pendant holds significant meaning within the Spirit Veil tribe, and in the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild, it symbolizes at least a vice president’s status. It allows the bearer to freely mobilize billions in assets across any branch. Displaying it so casually might attract undue attention and trouble from those who recognize it.”

“Of course, Miss Dawn, as the 【Fox Spirit Shrine Maiden】, endowed with great powers by the 【Divine Fox】 deity, ordinary enemies wouldn’t concern you. However, to avoid unnecessary trouble, using this card to prove your identity should suffice in most situations.”

“I see…”

Nodding in understanding and not delving further into the topic, Violet simply placed the newly issued identity card into her backpack and continued walking.

As she did not deliberately conceal her actions, the black spatial rift that opened when she accessed her backpack was naturally “seen” by the 【Diviner】. Although his eyes were wrapped in black cloth and his expression was unreadable, he thoughtfully stroked his beard.

“I see, this must be one of the powers granted by the 【Divine Fox】 deity. Truly as incredible as described. Miss Dawn, if I may ask, how vast is the space contained within your bag? Is it really as boundless as the legends say?”

“Hmm?”

What does that mean? Judging by Mr. Diviner’s words, did the real 【Fox Spirit Shrine Maiden】 “Bright Dawn” also possess a similar space-bag ability? This… seems a bit too far-fetched, doesn’t it?

Countless thoughts passed through her mind, but the white fox girl kept her composure and casually replied, “Of course, there’s a limit. Just think of it as a slightly larger storage tool. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“I see~”

Hearing Violet dodge the topic and deliberately avoid the main point, Mr. Diviner understood that she didn’t want to discuss it further. Smiling knowingly, he raised his hand to gesture forward.

“We’ve arrived, Miss Dawn. Through this door lies the venue for tonight’s Spirit Veil Merchant Guild auction. Minglan mentioned that your memory seems to have some gaps, but upon seeing this scene, do you find it somewhat familiar?”

“Hmm? This is…!”

Following Mr. Diviner’s guidance, as the scene slowly unfolded before her eyes, the girl’s voice indeed carried a hint of surprise, just as the old man had anticipated. However, their reasons might differ.

Violet did recognize this item.

On the circular array plate, the intricately crafted door floating in midair, emitting a silver glow and transmitting a familiar and incredible spatial fluctuation, was just like the scenes she had seen many times before.

This was the 【Invisible Spatial Portal】 she often used from the game 【Illusory World】—a convenient spatial tool.