Chapter 1173: 160. Welcome

“Milk?”

The sweet fragrance filling the liquid inside the wooden tub made Priscilla freeze.

“What’s wrong, Lady Priscilla?”

With a “heave-ho,” Sera set the wooden tub down on the floor and turned back in confusion.

“Of course it’s milk. And it isn’t ordinary milk, either. It’s milk from a Truen cow. It contains extremely powerful vitality, and since you’ve worked so hard, I added many special treasures to it as well. They can help you recover your condition as quickly as possible!”

“No... what I mean is...”

How could it possibly be milk?

And milk from an incomparably precious Truen cow at that.

She knew perfectly well how barren the region where they were hiding was. Although it was not as impoverished as Annabawei, which had struggled in darkness for four hundred years, it could certainly not be called prosperous. The ordinary people here had difficulty even securing enough food and clothing, let alone indulging in something as extravagant and wasteful as bathing in milk.

And when she had left... had livestock even been raised here on a large scale?

“Ah, that’s right. Lady Priscilla, you’ve been away from here for a very long time, haven’t you? That’s why there are many things you don’t know.”

As if remembering something, Sera covered her small mouth and smiled.

“Sorry, I completely forgot to tell you. Things are very different now from the era you lived in.”

“Very different?”

“Yes. In your era, everyone had a very hard life, didn’t they? Lord Harris once told me that when you arrived here, the people living in this place were almost killed by those polluted monsters outside. It was all of you who saved the people here and opened up a place where they could live.”

Sera said:

“Everyone’s lives were very difficult back then, but things are different now. We live very well these days!”

“Is... is that so?”

“That’s right! We no longer need to worry about the monsters outside, nor do we need to worry about not having enough food or supplies. Not having enough to eat or warm clothes to wear has already become a thing of the past. And not only that—milk, honey, and bread have all become ordinary things we can have as much of as we want. There’s so much we can’t even finish it all!”

“It’s that good?”

“And that’s not all. Everyone lives very happily. My salary alone is enough to support all seven members of my family.” ℯℯ𝑙.

“Is... is that really possible?”

Priscilla asked in shock:

“What exactly happened here?”

“Oh... explaining something like that would be far too complicated. Lady Priscilla, you’ll have to see it for yourself. Quickly, hurry and wash. The food is ready as well. You can eat while you bathe. Once you’re finished, the lords are still waiting for you. When the time comes, you’ll understand all the changes that have taken place here!”

“......”

Priscilla’s mind was still somewhat muddled. She could not tell whether it was because she was still unaccustomed to her physical body or because the changes Sera described had far exceeded everything she had expected.

She stared at Sera’s face and found that the girl’s cheeks were rosy and healthy, while her eyes were also filled with the light of hope... She did not look as though she were lying.

Had this place... truly become a land of hope?

“Quickly, quickly...”

Sera pushed Priscilla toward the wooden tub and helped remove the clothing from her body. The clothing was also four hundred years old. With the slightest touch, it directly crumbled into piece after piece of debris.

Sera immediately brought over a new set of clothes. Priscilla glanced at them and found that even the clothing was made from exceptionally high-quality material. Even in Tars eight hundred years ago, she probably would rarely have had access to fabric like this.

“Gurgle...”

Her shriveled body sank into the milk. An unprecedented feeling of release instantly washed over her. Priscilla felt every pore across her body opening, greedily absorbing the vitality within the milk and those medicinal ingredients.

Sera brought food: a piece of fragrant baked bread, a cup of drink mixed from milk, honey, and other fruits, as well as a plate of fresh vegetable salad.

“You have only just awakened, so it would not be suitable for you to eat anything too greasy or strongly flavored. You can have a proper feast a little later. By then, Lord Harris and the others should personally hold a banquet to welcome you back,” Sera said thoughtfully.

“...Thank you.”

Priscilla no longer knew what to say. Like a puppet, she picked up the piece of bread and lightly sniffed it beneath her nose.

She was almost beginning to think this was an illusion. Ever since Tars had been destroyed eight hundred years ago, when had she ever experienced anything so wonderful?

But as she gently bit into the bread and lightly took a sip of the drink, she realized that this was definitely not an illusion.

Because eight hundred years had passed.

Such a long time, such unforgettable struggles, along with the impoverished life in Annabawei—she had long since forgotten what real bread, milk, honey, and fruit actually tasted like.

Therefore, the unfamiliar sensation now filling her mouth, yet causing her very soul to tremble, could not possibly be an illusion.

This was real.

“Has this place truly changed this much?”

Priscilla suddenly became somewhat dazed. Since everyone was living happily, did that mean all her efforts over these years had truly been nothing more than a joke?

......

......

She ate her fill, drank enough, and finished bathing.

Dressed in clothing made from fabric as soft as gauze, Priscilla followed Sera’s guidance and walked onward.

The roads on either side were both unfamiliar and familiar. Many splendid decorations had replaced the originally cold stone walls, while warm lights stretched like a long dragon, illuminating the entire passage.

“The lords are all waiting for you inside.”

Sera brought her before a large door, bowed slightly, and withdrew. Priscilla stared at the door and likewise stood there in a daze for a long time.

This... truly was the place.

It was still somewhere familiar to her—the place where they had once gathered to discuss matters whenever something difficult or important occurred.

But now, the luxurious reliefs upon the door, the exquisite gilding, and the priceless patterns... all shone with such brilliance that she could barely keep her eyes open.

“Priscilla, what are you standing here for?”

A pale face emerged upon the door. Harris looked at the dazed Priscilla in confusion.

“Come inside. Everyone is waiting for you.”

“I don’t need you to tell me!”

Priscilla glared at him resentfully.

Everything before her was ultimately wonderful, but the sight of the detestable Harris reminded her that what awaited her might not all be pleasant.

After all, when she had proposed that plan four hundred years ago, most of the people here had opposed it. Now she had returned in such a sorry state without even completing the first step. There was no telling how much ridicule she would have to endure.

Not to mention, all the wonderful changes here made her look even more like a failure.

Damn it! Harris was only being this quiet now because he was surely saving his strength for later! She understood him far too well!

“Laugh all you want. I’m not that fragile anymore!”

Priscilla took a deep breath and forcefully pushed open the door.

She prepared herself to face the humiliation that belonged to her...

“Clap, clap, clap!! Welcome!”

“Huh?”

Priscilla stepped through the door, but what greeted her was not blame and humiliation, but the sudden sound of...

Applause.

“Look! Our brave warrior has returned!”

She looked over in astonishment and saw an old man dressed in proper clothing standing beneath the bright lights, smiling at her with kindly eyes.

He clapped his hands vigorously. The applause echoed throughout the entire hall, as though he were praising the most praiseworthy thing in the world.

“Clarence?”

Priscilla recognized the old man. Even after several hundred years, he had barely changed at all.

He was the most senior and oldest person among their group. He had also once been one of the firmest opponents of her plan. She still remembered how nagging and long-winded he had been, yet at this moment, he was merely applauding.

“Congratulations, Priscilla!”

“Praise be to you, Priscilla!”

Someone else stepped forward, likewise applauding enthusiastically.

“Let us sing your praises, Priscilla!”

The applause grew increasingly thunderous.

“Clap, clap, clap!”

“Clap, clap, clap!”

Priscilla stood rooted to the spot, unable to understand what was happening for a moment. She only saw one familiar face after another—people she had just assumed would humiliate her—now surrounding her...

Applauding her.

Cheering for her.

As though they were welcoming...

The return of a hero.