"Now that things are mostly dealt with, it's time to see what that purple thing from earlier actually is."
Seeing that there was no one around, Castorice sat on the bed and opened the System Inventory.
She hadn't found an opportunity to be alone before, and with her mind focused on other matters, she hadn't managed to check what the purple item she had drawn together with "Gold" actually was.
Then, she saw a familiar object.
[A Wisp of Aura] (Purple Consumable)
"This is already the third one... System."
Looking at the drawn item, Castorice fell silent.
She had joked earlier that the system should just give Castorice to her, and now it really had. Wouldn't these auras be useless then?
After all, she could already cause other creatures to die upon contact.
Thinking of this, she took out all three bottles of [A Wisp of Aura] and placed them on the table:
"System, tell me now, what use do these things have for me anymore?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the system's prompt popped up.
[Host, you can try putting these three bottles together.]
"Put them together?"
Hearing the system's words, although Castorice was a bit confused, she still did as instructed.
She first placed two bottles of [A Wisp of Aura] together, but nothing happened.
But just as she placed the third [A Wisp of Aura] on the table...
Boom!
A purple flame suddenly shot out from the middle of the three bottles, instantly engulfing the other two in the fire.
"Eh?!"
The sudden change startled her. Seeing this, Castorice hurriedly summoned the river of souls, letting it flow out from the void to quickly wrap around the three bottles.
This way, the purple flame was completely isolated by the river of souls, leaving it no chance to ignite anything else.
"Good thing I reacted quickly, or this place would have definitely burned down."
Looking at the scene before her, she gently patted her chest and muttered to herself, secretly rejoicing.
Although she could have extinguished it in time even if it did catch fire, it would inevitably leave scorch marks. If someone saw it, it would be somewhat troublesome.
Even though she wasn't afraid of trouble, she didn't want to add complications to things she wasn't interested in.
At this time, the flame on the table gradually extinguished. Castorice leaned in to look, and then couldn't help but freeze.
The original three bottles of [A Wisp of Aura] had actually merged into a single glass bottle filled with a dense purple mist.
So, she stepped forward, gently picked up the bottle, and checked the item information:
[A Wisp of Aura from the Depths of the Styx] (Purple Consumable)
"A glass bottle formed by blending and refining three bottles of [A Wisp of Aura] as the base material through an unknown ritual. The purple mist inside the bottle is as thick as a solidified undercurrent of the Styx. When left to sit, fine scale-like lights occasionally bob in the mist; when shaken, a vague resonance between a dragon's roar and a human voice can be heard.
The bottom of the bottle is engraved with a faint twin star crest. When approaching it, one can smell the cold scent of the Styx's damp soil mixed with the Antiling flower sea. Legend has it that this is related to the legacy of a certain Titan who broke the boundary between life and death."
Effect: Unknown.
"Effect unknown?"
Seeing these words, Castorice's brain crashed for a moment.
It was her first time seeing an item with an effect described as "unknown."
Seeing this, she frowned slightly, held the glass bottle, and pressed further:
"System, what is going on with this 'effect unknown'?"
But this time, the system did not respond, reverting instead to its previous aloof appearance.
After waiting a moment and receiving no reply, Castorice understood that the system was planning to play deaf and mute again.
"Forget it, I'll figure it out myself."
Seeing this, Castorice couldn't be bothered to continue seeking answers from the system, and instead began to carefully examine the glass bottle in her hand.
Its material and shape were not much different from the bottles that previously held [A Wisp of Aura], but following the item description, she indeed saw that faint twin star crest at the bottom of the bottle.
"Twin stars... a dragon's roar and a human voice... could this be related to Pollux?"
After observing it for a while, Castorice even tried opening the glass bottle, wanting to see if she could directly react with the aura inside.
But obviously, there was no reaction.
"Never mind, this thing won't get lost in the inventory anyway. I'll rest first and have Pollux take a look later."
With that said, Castorice stored the glass bottle back into the System Inventory, turned around, walked back to the bedroom, lay down on the bed, and soon fell asleep peacefully.
...
Meanwhile, in another secret realm, inside a council hall woven from vines and ancient wood, six elves of varying appearances were sitting in a circle discussing matters.
At this time, an elderly elf who looked to be in his sixties spoke first, his tone carrying a bit of solemnity and a mild reprimand:
"Maria, right now is the critical period when the Nether Moon seal is loosening. Aren't you afraid that suddenly inviting an expert into Shadow-fold Valley will affect the subsequent rituals?"
"Patriarch Thorne, that expert saved our clansmen. Besides, she is also an elf herself. Both logically and emotionally, I ought to bring her back to the valley."
Faced with the questioning, Maria calmly explained her reasoning.
"Elder Maria, we all understand your concern for our clansmen and your eagerness to find our kin wandering outside." At this moment, an elf in her thirties with the elegant aura of a noblewoman suddenly interjected, her tone carrying obvious dissatisfaction. "But you know how tense the situation is right now, yet you still insisted on doing this—are you trying to get us all killed just for your own selfish desires?"
"Elder Erishelde, you exaggerate." Maria frowned. "The seal is only slightly loose now, and there are at least ten years until the next sacrifice. We are merely hosting a guest, and I won't let her stay in the valley for ten years."
"Exaggerate? I don't think so." Erishelde shook her head, reached out to pick up the ancient tome on the table, opened a page, and pushed it in front of Maria. "Look here. The ancient records clearly state that the Nether Moon has two types of power: one is the moonlight power that guards the valley, and the other is the power of death that devours life. Now that the seal is loosening, the power of death in the valley is already more active than usual. The guest you are hosting happens to have an Aura of Death that shares the same origin as the Nether Moon. I wouldn't dare gamble on such a 'coincidence'."
Maria fell silent for a moment before finally saying in a low voice, "I will send someone to keep an eye on her..."
"Hmph." Erishelde scoffed coldly, clearly still unsatisfied, but she didn't continue to argue, though her tone remained firm. "It's best to send her away tomorrow. After sending her off, change the formations at the valley's entrances and exits immediately to avoid similar troubles from occurring again."
Seeing that the two were no longer arguing, Thorne slowly nodded and continued speaking:
"This is a matter Maria caused, so we will follow Maria's suggestion for now. Send someone to watch that guest; if there are any abnormalities, report back immediately. The most important thing right now is still to reinforce the seal. Wisps of the Aura of Death have already begun to appear in the valley, so we must also start preparing for the purification ritual."
Hearing this, everyone stood up one after another, bowed to Thorne, and then left the council hall respectively, leaving only the Moonlight Stone totem still in the center of the table, emitting a faint white light and reflecting on the empty conference table.