Adventure Saintess Vierria

If Li Aoz were present, he would be surprised to recognize her background.

Vierria, the main NPC on White Candle Star and the protagonist of the quest "Hero of Pharassia," is known as the "Adventure Saintess."

"I—" Ya Wen had just begun to speak when Vierria interrupted her, "I know you, Yawen·Hesksin. I've been observing you for quite some time now."

Ya Wen did not shake hands.

She stared at him coldly, saying nothing.

"How interesting, a member of the [Hidden Society] has actually appeared on this planet."

Vierria wasn't annoyed. She casually placed her outstretched hand on her shoulder, and a miniature spider slowly crawled across her snowy shoulder. She raised her hand and gently guided it towards the spider with the back of her hand. Vierria didn't look at Ya Wen, but instead spoke to the spider:

"Don't worry, I'm not a citizen of the Hidden Society. My two mothers are an Adventurer and a Saintess who serve on the jury in the Secret Council. But—I'm a true native of Star Abyss."

She spoke with a chuckle, her tone flippant and unlike that of a woman, yet her charm and beauty far surpassed that of Ya Wen. In her opinion, Vierria's beauty was second only to Li Aoz.

"What are you trying to say?" Ya Wen didn't know the other party's purpose. "You said you've been monitoring me for a long time, and that you have a direct blood relationship with the citizens of the [Hidden Society]—forgive my bluntness, but please speak like a human being."

"The wise do not fall in love, while the foolish willingly degenerate."

Vierria picked up the spider from the back of her hand and said, "Miss Ya Wen, if you touch the Memory Crystal from the [Echo], you will be destroyed by the spacetime energy inside—this is Star Abyss's countermeasure mechanism against its Social Citizen."

ha.

Ya Wen shook her head, put her hands on her hips, and looked extremely impatient.

"I won't touch it, you can leave now," Ya Wen said. "Please don't disturb my work and life."

"I've hinted at it to you many times, Ya Wen. You really have no artistic talent whatsoever. And you call yourself a 'tailor,' don't you understand romance at all?"

Vierria, holding the spider with regret, glanced at Ya Wen and said flippantly, "I'm advising you not to become obsessed with men. You've mistaken your dependence for love. If you continue like this, you'll eventually fall into the abyss and be reduced to ashes—"

Ya Wen interrupted coldly, "Who I have feelings for is none of your business. If you continue, I will ask you to leave."

"Don't rush." Vierria smiled faintly. "Miss Ya Wen, I'm not targeting you. I'm targeting your lover—well, or rather, your unrequited love?"

Ya Wen made a grabbing motion in the air, and the hall of the ruins was instantly covered with a pale Spider Silk Network. Each spider web, as tough and delicate as a nanofiber, flowed with spiritual light, making Vierria's skin even whiter than snow and her gentle and charming appearance even more so.

"You can leave now."

Ya Wen said coldly.

"My love is humble, but even so, I am already satisfied with it for a sinful person like me."

The spider on the back of her hand was scared away, and Vierria turned her head regretfully to look at Ya Wen.

"With your upbringing, you should have been able to become a princess, a queen."

Vierria waved her hand gently. "However, following Mr. Li Aoz, you'll probably only become an unknown messenger."

"I never thought of doing that. My father dedicated everything to the country. He would not choose a stupid and weak girl like me as his successor as president."

Ya Wen raised her hand and pressed it against her chest, her eyes filled with complex emotions. "I ate my own sister. I committed an unforgivable crime. With my sins, I don't deserve to live in this world. It's because Li Aoz needs me that I continue to live."

Vierria looked at her with pity:

"Poor kid, that was just acting."

"No, Li Aoz needs me—"

"Look at what you're saying. Don't capitalists also need workers? Are you trying to teach workers to love capitalists?"

Ya Wen was taken aback and said, "That's not what I meant..."

"I think you need to understand one thing, my dear fool." Vierria slowly paced around and said, "You are now a citizen of [society]. You are not yourself at all. You can only find meaning in life by being in [society].

"... And what about Li Aoz?"

"Fool, citizens of society do not have independent will. You and the Star Abyss native who thinks he is your little boyfriend are not even the same species."

Vierria looked at her pitifully. "In the past, both of my mothers were deceived, even fighting each other over a man, betraying the Hidden Society, only to be betrayed by the men they trusted in the end—but ironically, it was [society] that intervened, and Gaia saved them."

"Gaia..."

Ya Wen murmured.

"Yes, Gaia, without the Hidden Society, perhaps I wouldn't exist in this world."

Vierria circled around Ya Wen again and again, carefully admiring Ya Wen from head to toe. "You're quite beautiful and very capable, but you don't live for men; you live for yourself. Ya Wen, I hope you realize that [Society] and Star Abyss are not good things. Their battles have caused countless families to be torn apart and lives lost."

"[Hidden Society] will use councilors to bring down the true form and devour civilizations, while Star Abyss wants to use your life to fill the never-ending battle line."

"Don't love them, don't love Grand Narrative, love yourself."

Ya Wen sighed and asked, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"I've come to invite you."

"Invite me?" Ya Wen asked, bewildered. "I... I'm just a tailor."

"Yes. I'd like to invite you, Yawen·Hesksin."

Vierria said, "Citizens of a [society] have already infiltrated this planet. Narrative-level Civilization are also constantly monitoring the situation here. Sooner or later, you will be discovered."

"If Gaia's people discover you, they will merge your will into the ether. In that environment, you will be unable to resist and will immediately succumb to society."

"If you are discovered by Narrative-level civilization, they will not hesitate to dismantle you, destroy you, and turn you into weapons and equipment."

"Even your crush Li Aoz, would not hesitate to draw his sword once he finds out that you are Hidden Citizen."

Vierria looked at her intently.

"I'm here to protect you, to protect people like you who refuse to submit to secrecy and are rejected by the civilization on the other side of Star Abyss."

"... I don't believe it."

Ya Wen shook her head. "Li Aoz, he won't lay a hand on me. I have absolute faith in that."

"Hmm, they say love makes your brain shrink, I don't expect to persuade you back with just a few words."

Vierria stopped beside Ya Wen, examining the two Memory Crystal, and said nostalgically:

"Li Aoz... Lioz. It's a very common and mainstream name, just like him. That man is someone who fits perfectly with the Narrative Civilization and Star Abyss, and is favored by this world—you have nothing better to do than date someone so high and mighty and exceptionally talented. Aren't you just asking for trouble?"

"Don't say anything."

Ya Wen said weakly, "He needs me, or at least, he's willing to need me."

"Your 'inferiority complex' is really terrible." Vierria patted her forehead and said helplessly, "In that case, I feel it's necessary to tell you everything I've learned recently."

"What does that have to do with me—"

"Of course it has something to do with you."

Vierria slowly sat down beside the shrine, looking up at Ya Wen: "You don't know yet, Li Aoz... that pronunciation is really strange, I'll just call Lioz. You don't know what the name Lioz means in these short two weeks. If you get too close to him, you'll be burned to ashes like Icarus touching the sun, falling from the sky."

"What is Icarus?" Ya Wen asked, puzzled, then continued with the question that concerned her, "What happened to Li Aoz...?"

"Lioz, we've never been from the same world."

Vierria paused, organized her thoughts, and said, "In short, he is a god."