"Excuse me, may I ride your boat?"
When the small boat slowly docked at the shore, Castorice stepped forward a few paces and asked toward it.
"Hm?" The elf, who had intended to lean against the side of the boat for a short nap, raised her head upon hearing the voice and quickly perked up. "Of course! Where are you going?"
As she replied, she looked Castorice up and down.
Soon, a trace of confusion surfaced in her eyes:
"Huh? This clanswoman looks a bit unfamiliar... I don't think I've ever seen you in the valley before?"
Seeing this, Castorice was slightly taken aback at first, but quickly explained:
"I just arrived at this Shadow-fold Valley last night, so we shouldn't have ever met before."
"Just arrived last night?" Hearing this, the elf's eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands as if realizing something. "Ah! I know! You must be the honored guest that Nimue and the others brought back yesterday, right?"
"I wouldn't dare call myself an honored guest." Castorice shook her head gently. "But it is true that Nimue and Shalin brought me back."
"Then that's right!" Seeing this, the smile on the elf's face became even brighter. She then extended her hand toward Castorice in a natural and poised manner. "My name is Calanthe. Nice to meet you!"
However, looking at the hand extended in front of her, Castorice did not shake it, but politely responded:
"My name is Castorice, nice to meet you too. It's just that... I'm sorry, I cannot casually come into contact with others."
"Cannot come into contact?" Calanthe's hand paused in mid-air. She froze for a moment, then tapped her forehead in annoyance. "Oh dear! Look at my memory! The elders clearly instructed us yesterday! I'm so sorry, I forgot for a moment!"
"It's fine." Castorice responded with a smile; she didn't mind it at all.
Then, she brought the topic back to business.
"I saw you ferrying back and forth on Crescent Lake just now, so I wanted to ask if I could catch a ride on your boat."
"Of course you can!" Calanthe immediately straightened her back, placed her hands on her hips, and spoke with a hint of minor pride. "This is exactly my duty! I am specially responsible for ferrying clansmen who live on this side of Crescent Lake and find it inconvenient to detour to the opposite shore."
"I see."
Hearing this, Castorice nodded in understanding. Then she cast her gaze toward the sparkling lake surface and continued asking:
"Then, if I want to go to the central area of Crescent Lake, how much will it cost?"
"Cost?" Hearing Castorice's words, Calanthe was stunned. She then waved her hands repeatedly, her tone sincere. "No money needed, no money needed! I said it's a duty, not a business. I don't charge any fees."
"It's a duty and not a job?"
Castorice was somewhat confused. Why was ferrying other elves to the opposite shore a duty?
But she quickly realized.
This should be a task arranged by the elders of this clan, right? And her wages were probably paid directly by her superiors, so she didn't need to collect extra money.
She guessed in her heart and didn't press further, only continuing to say:
"I understand. Then I'll have to trouble you to take me there."
"Alrighty!" Calanthe agreed readily with a radiant smile. "Going to the center of Crescent... Eh?"
Before she could finish her sentence, as if she had just digested the destination, the bright smile on her face instantly froze, turning into a look of bewilderment. "Wait? Go... go where? The center of the lake?"
"Yes." Castorice nodded affirmatively.
However, she keenly caught the change in the other party's expression, so she asked with some confusion:
"What's wrong? Can we not go?"
"We can go..." Calanthe raised her hand and scratched her cheek somewhat embarrassedly, her voice dropping a few degrees. "It's just that... I've never heard anyone make this kind of request before. It's a bit surprising."
Speaking of this, she seemed to feel that agreeing so quickly just now made her appear a bit rash, so she hurriedly cleared her throat to cover her embarrassment, then bent down and picked up the oars.
"Ahem... Well, come aboard. We'll set off right now."
Seeing this, Castorice didn't say anything more and carefully stepped onto the small wooden boat.
The boat swayed slightly with her steps, but quickly steadied under Calanthe's skilled rowing.
The oars broke through the clear lake water, letting out a rhythmic splashing sound. Then, the small boat slowly left the shore, cutting a long ripple across the lake's surface.
Afterward, the boat's speed began to gradually increase, stabilizing at a steady pace once it reached it.
"We're going to the center of the lake, right?"
Calanthe asked, turning her head to confirm with Castorice once more while focusing on steering.
"That's right."
Hearing Calanthe's question, Castorice nodded again, only this time her gaze was directed toward the lake.
"Mhm..."
Seeing this, Calanthe hesitated for a moment before saying with a sense of apology:
"Umm... because Crescent Lake has a unique shape, curved like a crescent moon, I can't say for sure exactly where this 'center point' is. So I can only try my best to take you to the approximate central location. Will that be alright?"
"It's fine. That will do."
Castorice did not force the issue. After all, her goal wasn't the absolute geographical center; she only needed a place far from the shore.
She just wanted to test whether the concentration of the Aura of Death changed relative to the distance.
"That's good..."
Hearing Castorice's reply, Calanthe visibly sighed in relief, and her somewhat tense hands relaxed a bit.
She had agreed too quickly just now, completely forgetting that she had no idea where the so-called "center of the lake" actually was. After all, no one had ever asked to go to such a place before...
The small boat moved forward in silence. Castorice gazed at the bottomless lake water, her mind immersed in probing the Aura of Death.
Meanwhile, Calanthe appeared a bit constrained due to her earlier slip-up and felt too embarrassed to initiate another conversation, so she could only focus on rowing.
At this moment, only the sounds of the oars and water waves echoed across the tranquil lake.
After an unknown amount of time, the small boat slowly stopped. They were surrounded by expansive waters where the shoreline was almost invisible.
"This is about... it should be around this area."
Calanthe stopped rowing and pointed at the surrounding water as she spoke.
Upon hearing this, Castorice stood up and began to observe her surroundings.
As far as her eyes could see, the small boat was completely surrounded by deep blue lake water, quite far from any shore. It was exactly the ideal observation point she had envisioned.
"Thank you for the trouble. Just wait a moment."
After thanking Calanthe, she crouched down, took out a water dipper, and then dipped it into the lake.
Splash—
The dipper scooped up a handful of crystal-clear lake water. Under the sunlight, the water looked just like ordinary lake water, having lost the silver-glowing appearance it had at night.
But upon closer inspection, Castorice still spotted a faint glimmer in this dipper of water illuminated by the sun.
Gulp—
Seeing this, Castorice closed her eyes, brought the dipper to her lips, and carefully took a small sip.
The cold, clear lake water slid down her throat, followed immediately by an energy fluctuation that was several times clearer than when she was at the shore.
"As expected..." She opened her eyes, a look of realization flashing in the depths of her pupils. "The Aura of Death here is much denser than at the shore. Although it's still faint, it's enough to prove that there must be a source deep within the center of the lake. It is an entity or object capable of emitting the Aura of Death."
"Eh? Aura of Death? There's something in the lake?" Calanthe, who had been curiously watching Castorice's actions, was instantly dumbfounded upon hearing her words. Her clear eyes were filled with confusion. "Your Excellency... what are you talking about?"
Hearing Calanthe's bewildered voice, Castorice shifted her gaze from the lake to her and briefly explained:
"I am extremely sensitive to death energy. Right now, I can clearly sense that a massive amount of faint Aura of Death is constantly dissipating from the depths of this lake center. This means that there must be some creature at the bottom of the lake capable of releasing this aura, or... an object."
"Wh...?!" Hearing this, Calanthe gasped, disbelief in her eyes, and even the color in her face faded slightly. "This... how is this possible? Could it be a misunderstanding... Crescent Lake is the sacred lake we rely on for survival. If something really went wrong..."
This terrifying news came far too suddenly, leaving her momentarily at a loss for what to do.
Seeing her anxious and panicked state, Castorice immediately offered a suggestion:
"The most urgent matter is to notify your elders as soon as possible and ask them to come and investigate personally."
"Right! Right! The elders!"
Hearing Castorice's reminder, Calanthe woke up as if from a dream. She then hurriedly pulled out a leaf with clear veins from her inner pocket. Holding it with trembling fingers, her lips moved, preparing to chant a communication spell.
Castorice watched from the side, planning to have her row back immediately after she finished contacting the elders.
However, just at the very instant Calanthe's spell was about to leave her lips—
An indescribable biting cold abruptly erupted from the deep lake water beneath their feet without any warning!
This freezing aura was like ink dropping into clear water, instantly spreading across the central area of the lake and completely enveloping them.
A layer of grayish-white mist visibly rose from the originally clear lake surface. The light suddenly dimmed, and the air became thick and oppressive.
Seeing this, Castorice's expression immediately became slightly solemn.
"The concentration of the Aura of Death has surged... Why is it so sudden? Is it because I discovered there was something at the bottom of the lake?"
She muttered to herself in confusion.
At the same time, Calanthe's terrified voice rang out, laced with a sob:
"Wh... what's happening?! The communication magic... has failed! I can't reach the elders!"
"Watch out! This area has been sealed off!"
Castorice said in a low voice. Before her words even faded, her right hand grasped at the empty air.
In an instant, deep purple light flowed in her palm, and a bone-chilling Aura of Death permeated the air. A miniature river of souls appeared beside Castorice, then instantly condensed into a solid form.
A giant scythe, its blade flowing with purple ghostly light, was firmly grasped in her right hand.
However, at the exact moment the scythe formed...
Rumble!
The lake water beneath their feet frantically began to spin without warning!
A massive whirlpool formed in the blink of an eye, emitting a terrifying suction force from its center.
Under this whirlpool, the wooden boat was like a fragile toy, instantly being pulled and creaking loudly, looking as though it was about to break apart.
"Ahhh—!"
Calanthe let out a scream. Losing her footing, she was forcefully thrown out by the immense power, on the verge of being swept into that giant whirlpool.
In the nick of time, a purple blur flashed by!
Castorice's movements were extremely fast. A split second before the wooden boat was completely torn apart, her left hand shot out like lightning, accurately gripping Calanthe's arm and yanking her forcefully toward herself!
Almost simultaneously, she kicked hard against the boat's hull, using the recoil to leap backward with Calanthe.
Just as the two of them became airborne—
Rip!
A giant tentacle condensed from black mist thrust out from the center of the whirlpool, carrying a piercing shriek that tore through the air!
It easily skewered the small boat the two had just been riding on. The sturdy hull was pierced through like paper, sending wood chips flying!
"Wu..."
Witnessing this thrilling scene while tightly protected by Castorice's side, Calanthe let out a terrified whimper of lingering fear. Her body couldn't stop trembling as she spoke with a choking voice of someone who had just survived a disaster:
"Th... thank you, Your Excellency Castorice..."
If it weren't for Your Excellency Castorice's quick reaction, she would probably have been pierced through by this terrifying tentacle just like that wooden boat by now, right?!
At this moment, Castorice was standing steadily on a pedal formed by flowing purple water from the river of souls, ignoring the surging whirlpool below.
She shielded Calanthe behind her, her gaze sweeping across the now turbulent lake surface. Her voice was still as gentle as before, but it carried a trace of coldness:
"There's no need to thank me, Miss Calanthe. Only, right now, rather than expressing thanks..."
"We should be more concerned with how to get you out of here safely."
Before she could finish speaking, a terrifying sight occurred once again!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One massive whirlpool after another exploded open around them in quick succession, sending muddy pillars of water shooting into the sky!
Accompanied by a teeth-grinding, sticky squelching sound, several terrifying tentacles, also formed from black mist, violently shot out from these newly formed whirlpools like giant black pythons!
Twisting and writhing, carrying freezing malice and boundless Power of Death, they slowly closed in from all directions, completely trapping the two floating on the river of souls water pedal within a cage of death.
The icy mist churned, and the shadow of death thoroughly enveloped this area of water.
...
"Outsider..."
Meanwhile, on a hidden shore of Crescent Lake, a figure cloaked in black was gazing toward the center of the lake, muttering to themselves.
"Lord Nether Moon's revival requires no interference from external factors. Since you have already gotten involved, then we must eliminate you. If you want to blame someone, blame your excessive curiosity."
Saying this, the cloaked figure turned and walked toward the depths of the forest.
And behind this cloaked figure were many other cloaked figures already lying on the ground.
These cloaked figures were all bleeding profusely, and their blood converged into a magic formation emitting a faint bloody glow.
On the backs of these black cloaks, without exception, a purple full moon was tattooed.
Only, at this moment, steeped in blood, this purple moon had been dyed into a purplish-red blood moon.