“In the Holy Empire, I remember they are usually referred to as the 【Cursed Children】, and they are quite rejected. But why bring up this group all of a sudden?”

The old man with his eyes covered by a black cloth stroked his beard and, while quietly “watching” the auction below, answered in a roundabout way.

“It is naturally related. Miss Dawn, do you know where the 【God’s Favored】 come from and why they are so shunned in the Holy Empire?”

For a question she truly didn’t know the answer to, Violet could only honestly shake her head.

The Diviner, not expecting her to know, immediately explained.

“Firstly, in the teachings of the Goddess Church, the Goddess of Light is considered the supreme deity of the world, above all other gods, absolute, and omnipotent. So if the abilities of the 【God’s Favored】 were indeed granted by a deity, they could only come from the Goddess of Light.”

“But the doctrine also holds that the Goddess of Light is a god who advocates equality. She would not favor certain individuals by giving them abilities that others cannot obtain and can only envy. The power of faith-based magic, which anyone can master and use, is the true blessing from the Goddess.”

“So, these divine favors are not truly favors, but curses—evil powers bestowed by demons upon those who have forsaken the teachings of the Goddess. This is the origin of the term 【Cursed Children】.”

“Uh…?”

After listening to the Diviner’s explanation, the white fox lady was silent for a long time before finally blurting out a comment.

“That’s just ridiculous, isn’t it? Basically, they’re jealous of those with talent? Who says divine favor must come from the Goddess of Light?”

“Heh heh…”

Not wanting to dwell too much on the topic, the diviner shifted his focus after providing an overview of the ‘God’s Favored’ situation in the Holy Empire and posed another question.

“Indeed, as Miss Dawn said, if the power of the ‘God’s Favored’ doesn’t come from the Goddess of Light, and the notion of a demonic curse is nonsense, then where does it come from?”

“Oh, oh…”

Hearing something of interest, the fox lady held her breath, eagerly awaiting the diviner’s next words. But to her surprise, the old man just smiled mischievously and said matter-of-factly,

“You see, that’s the mystery of destiny. Destiny cannot be revealed, so I don’t know either~”

“…?”

Hey! Are you kidding me? After all this, it turns out you’re just joking!?

For some reason, Violet suddenly felt an urge to jump up and punch the old man’s seemingly wise and serene face.

Luckily, she restrained herself.

Indeed, it was a mistake to expect anything substantial from this cryptic old man. It’s really frustrating…

Feeling somewhat speechless, the young lady turned her gaze back to the ongoing treasure auction below. Even while chatting with the diviner, she hadn’t completely given up on monitoring the situation.

Although there hadn’t been another astonishingly high bid like hers, the overall quality of the items sold by the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild was quite impressive, especially compared to the previous auction at the Azure Sky Kingdom.

It made sense, considering that the latter was just a casual sale of items that the Feathered Emperor’s subordinates couldn’t use or understand. They wouldn’t have any truly rare treasures. In contrast, the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild specialized in this, so the quality of their goods was naturally much higher.

While she hadn’t seen any genuine spiritual artifacts yet, there were already one or two pieces of equipment very close to that level. In fact, buying such items was far more worthwhile than the 【Ten Thousand Mile River and Mountain Painting】. The competition below was indeed fierce.

After watching for a while, Violet turned her attention back to the diviner.

“By the way, you mentioned a collaborator earlier. Why haven’t they arrived yet? We’re almost halfway through the auction.”

Hearing this, the diviner lightly tapped his ancient wooden abacus a few times and pondered for a moment.

“Hmm, it should be about time. Oh… isn’t that them arriving now?”

As the old man spoke, Violet also seemed to sense something. She raised an eyebrow and turned her head towards the entrance of their seating area. After a few seconds, a slender figure draped in a white gown finally appeared at the entrance to the second-floor VIP seats.

It was a young lady with long, almost translucent golden hair, reminiscent of Edwina, but she wore a round, luxurious crown adorned with countless colorful gemstones, composed of a material that was nearly transparent.

The gown, with its flowing and ruffled neckline, revealed a six-winged golden holy emblem that shimmered with a strange light under the magical lamps.

The girl appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen years old, the prime age of youthful vitality. Yet, despite her age, the golden-haired woman who gently pushed open the door had none of the typical youthful naivety or inexperience. Instead, she exuded a calm and composed demeanor, marked by grace and elegance.

The most striking aspect was her aura.

She gave the impression of radiance. To describe it with a somewhat cliché lyric, her entrance felt like a beam of light shining upon the earth. However, unlike some characters like Miss Whitebird who radiate light constantly, this was more of a feeling or perhaps an illusion.

A pure, transparent, and flawless light that could warm the heart.

However, Violet, accustomed to grand spectacles, was not easily intimidated by such displays. The old man, the head of the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild, clearly knew the young lady. Despite his apparent blindness, he immediately and accurately located her and smiled, nodding in her direction.

“Your Highness Yuna, we have been expecting you. Please, take a seat.”

The young lady’s gentle, spring-like blue eyes, as clear as gemstones, briefly registered surprise as she glanced at the masked white fox and the old man. She then gracefully and lightly approached them. As a gesture of politeness, Violet and the old man stood up, with the latter taking the initiative to introduce her.

“Miss Dawn, this is the esteemed guest I mentioned earlier, our largest partner in the Holy Empire. With your discerning eye and wisdom, I’m sure you’ve already guessed her identity.”

Before Violet could respond, the saintly young woman with flowing, crystal-like golden hair, which naturally fell in waves, gave a wry smile and interrupted the old man.

“Mr. Diviner, making guests guess at our first meeting seems a bit impolite, doesn’t it? Praise the Goddess, I am Yuna Summerfield, the head of the Summerfield family. At the invitation of the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild, we are co-hosting this auction event.”

With a playful yet dignified smile, Yuna added,

“Of course, when we say ‘co-hosting,’ it only means providing the venue for the event. It’s a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I look forward to working with you, Miss Dawn.”