---o---
"You must be the Holy Maiden of Aidonia, then?"
Fu Zhu curiously sized up the girl standing five steps away, her head covered by a white veil. Castorice.
Cerydra had clearly stated that the Titan of [Death] hadn't been seen in a very long time, so why was the girl before him already a demigod?
If he remembered correctly, one could only become a demigod and obtain immense power by passing a trial of the [Coreflame]. Could it be that Aidonia had already recovered the [Death] Coreflame?
Castorice stared blankly at Fu Zhu, who had fallen from the sky. She nodded, acknowledging her status as the Holy Maiden.
"That makes things simple. Let me have a touch!"
Fu Zhu was a little excited. He could deal with the [Coreflame] matter later. Right now, he was extremely curious about the rumors surrounding Castorice. Was it true that just getting close to her or touching her would result in death?
The moment Fu Zhu took a step toward Castorice, she subconsciously took a step back. The group of priests following behind her also retreated in unison.
Fu Zhu took two steps forward; Castorice retreated two steps, and the priests scrambled back two steps along with her.
Fu Zhu scratched his head and crouched down, trying to make his tone as gentle as possible.
"Don't be afraid, little sister. I'm not a bad person. I just want to pat your head to satisfy my curiosity, that's all."
But Castorice's face was pale as she shook her head frantically, looking as though she would rather die than let Fu Zhu get near her.
At this point, the priests behind Castorice could no longer stand by. Not only had this man appeared in a bizarre fashion, but he was now actively trying to approach their Holy Maiden. It was obvious he knew about her power, yet he was deliberately trying to get close. Something was very wrong.
"You there… sir."
An elderly-looking priestess came around from behind Castorice to her right side, addressing Fu Zhu at an angle. "Who might you be? Why have you appeared in the sacred lands of Aidonia's ritual, and why are you pressing our Holy Maiden so? What is your purpose?"
She had already secretly sent someone to call for the guards. As long as she could stall for time, they would surely be able to capture this man.
Seeing the priestess's question, Fu Zhu, who had planned to give his usual introduction as a Nameless Guest, decided to switch to a more familiar local title.
"I am Fu Zhu. I have come here under the orders of Her Majesty Imperator to investigate and search for the Golden Merchants, and also to investigate matters concerning the Titan of [Death]. I heard that your Holy Maiden can bestow death upon others, hence my curiosity."
The priestess nodded upon hearing his explanation. The reason was plausible enough, though it still didn't explain why he had fallen from the sky.
However, that detail wasn't a major issue; the priestess simply attributed it to Fu Zhu's unique abilities.
"I see. However, sir, is it not against common courtesy to intrude upon our sacred ritual grounds without first announcing your arrival?"
Fu Zhu nodded. Generally speaking, he was indeed in the wrong. But…
"Honorable priestess, I actually have other business in Aidonia that requires a detailed discussion with your lord. But before that, please, finish what you are doing now. We can talk afterward."
With that, Fu Zhu stepped to the side, no longer blocking their path.
His initial curiosity about Castorice had lessened considerably. In any case, she couldn't outrun him. He could always go and touch her later.
For now, he might as well observe Aidonia's ritual and see if it had any connection to the long-vanished Titan of [Death].
The priestess eyed Fu Zhu with suspicion. Only after he stood at the very edge of the mountain path, showing no intention of making another move, did she hesitate for a moment before turning to Castorice and saying softly, "Let's continue, then."
Castorice pursed her lips and gave a slight nod, continuing her walk forward. As she passed Fu Zhu, however, she glanced sideways at him, her small eyes blinking with curiosity.
Fu Zhu offered her a smile in return. After Castorice and the priests had all passed him, he fell in at the very end of the line, following them up the mountain.
He hadn't walked far before several fully-armed guards came up from behind and surrounded him, though they made no move to attack.
They were clearly wary because of his mention of Cerydra.
After a short while, the procession reached the mountain's summit. Here stood a sacrificial altar built entirely of marble, and behind it, a forest of countless tombstones.
In the very center of the altar lay an aged, old deer. It was breathing in rapid, shallow pants of white mist, clearly suffering and not long for this world.
The priestess walked to a spot five steps from the deer's side, then turned to look at the girl before the deer, who stood with her head bowed, her fingers twisting nervously. "Go on," the priestess said softly. "Help it escape its misery."
"But…"
---o---
Castorice lifted her head, her tear-filled eyes pleading with the priestess, looking as though she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Seeing her like this, the priestess's heart softened, and she wanted to go and stroke her head to comfort her. But then she remembered Castorice's ability and the fate she had to bear. She could only swallow that soft spot in her heart and urge her on with a stern face.
"Hurry up. To continue like this is only to prolong its suffering."
Castorice bit her lip and took a step closer to the old deer. She knelt down and gently placed her leather-gloved hand on the deer's head. The very instant she made contact, the deer's already murky pupils dissipated. It lost all signs of life, and its head, no longer able to support itself, slumped to the side, falling into a warm embrace.
Castorice hugged the dead deer, the tears from the corners of her eyes finally breaking free and splashing onto the ground.
It was one of the few hugs she could ever give, yet she felt no lingering warmth from the deer's body.
Won't you even grant me that little bit of warmth?
Castorice's heart was a field of dead ashes.
Just as she was lost in her sorrow, she suddenly felt a warm touch on the top of her head. Her pupils contracted sharply.
"You poor child."
Fu Zhu had been watching from the side and couldn't bear it any longer. He simply couldn't watch a little girl cry like this. It reminded him of how pitiful Cipher had looked when she was little.
They're both just children!
And so, he walked over and patted Castorice's head, intending to offer some comfort.
Who would have known that the moment his hand rested on her head, a new DEBUFF would appear in his status bar.
[Wither V: 00:10]
What immediately followed was a small hand forcefully slapping his own away. Castorice, her face deathly pale, scrambled backward on the ground, her eyes filled with terror as she looked at Fu Zhu. Mixed in with that terror was a look of worry and pain.
"Holy shit, you've really got something, huh?"
Fu Zhu muttered as he looked at the Wither debuff on his status. A single touch directly applied a level five Wither effect?
He was lucky his health pool wasn't that of a normal Steve. Ten seconds of Wither V was just enough to take him down to half health.
Blech…
Fu Zhu spat out a mouthful of black blood, and two streams of the same black blood flowed from the corners of his eyes.
The fusion of MC with reality had given him this speechless setting where he would bleed when injured.
Although he looked terrifying at the moment, he forced a smile so as not to frighten Castorice. He took out a bucket of milk and, while drinking it, said to her, "It's fine, doesn't hurt, cough…"