"Your Excellency Castorice, to ensure your safety, do you need me to escort you back to your residence?"
As soon as her feet touched the lakeshore, a steady voice reached Castorice's ears.
Castorice looked toward the voice and saw it was the elven guard who had been accompanying the mage Lunarian earlier.
At this moment, with one hand resting on the hilt of his sword at his waist, he was vigilantly scanning the peaceful woods around them.
"There's no need for the trouble." Castorice gently shook her head, rejecting him with a mild tone. "It's not far from my residence. I can go back myself."
Seeing this, the elven guard didn't say anything more.
He bowed slightly, performing a standard elven etiquette, and solemnly reminded:
"Understood. Then please be extra careful. Although Shadow-fold Valley is usually peaceful, what happened today... is truly somewhat unbelievable, so we cannot guarantee whether there are still potential threats lurking in the shadows."
With that, he nodded once more in greeting, turned around, and went to join his other companion.
Castorice saw Calanthe being protected in the middle of them, looking back at her every few steps. Her eyes were filled with gratitude and an unspoken message.
Castorice simply nodded slightly to her, indicating for her to be at ease.
Seeing this, Calanthe pursed her lips and then quickly left with the guards.
After watching their figures disappear into the forest path, Castorice withdrew her gaze.
It had been quite a toss-up for a while, followed by a battle. She figured she might as well rest for a bit.
Thinking of this, she looked up at the familiar large wooden house not far away.
That was Lunara's "kitchen" and public dining area. She decided to go there to replenish some energy before returning to the treehouse to rest.
As soon as she walked into the large wooden house, a familiar figure came into view.
She saw Lunara carrying a rattan basket filled with some fresh mushrooms and beast meat, walking briskly toward the wooden house.
"Lunara!" Castorice called out.
Lunara paused upon hearing the voice. Following the sound and turning her head, she saw it was Castorice, and a surprised and joyful smile immediately bloomed on her face:
"Your Excellency Castorice! Why did you come over so early today? It's not even lunchtime yet." After saying that, she trotted over to welcome her, looking at Castorice curiously. "Did something happen?"
"Yes, a few things."
Castorice nodded in response. Then, while walking side-by-side with her toward the wooden house, she recounted what happened at Crescent Lake in as concise but clear a manner as possible.
Lunara listened entranced. As Castorice narrated, her eyes grew wider and wider. By the time the two pushed open the wooden door and walked into the large wooden house, her mouth was open wide enough to fit a small berry.
"Heavens! There... there was actually such a terrifying monster hiding in the lake?!" Lunara's voice was slightly raised due to shock, and her expression was filled with disbelief.
Soon, the expression on her face turned into one of worry.
"Then... then what do we do now? Will it come out again?"
"Probably not for the time being," Castorice consoled with a smile. "The matter has already been reported. Your elders and the guard squad will handle the aftermath."
Saying this, she walked to a small table by the window and sat down.
"Oh, that's good, that's good..." Hearing Castorice's words, Lunara sighed in relief and patted her chest.
But the next moment, her expression drastically changed again, as if she suddenly thought of an extremely terrifying problem. Even her voice trembled slightly:
"Wait! Your Excellency Castorice! Does... does that mean... the water of Crescent Lake... has been polluted by that monster?!"
Crescent Lake was the lake they frequently used to draw water. If something went wrong with Crescent Lake, the water supply for the entire Shadow-fold Valley would directly drop by more than half.
Seeing Lunara's instantly pale face, Castorice immediately understood the source of her worry.
She pondered for a moment, but still nodded, although she spoke in as peaceful a tone as possible:
"Pollution does indeed exist, but according to my perception, its concentration is extremely weak. At the current level, even if consumed or used for cooking long-term, it won't pose any substantial health threat to ordinary living beings."
However, this affirmative answer didn't fully relieve Lunara. Her brows remained tightly knitted, and she paced in a small circle anxiously.
Afterward, Castorice saw Lunara rush directly out of the wooden house.
"Lunara?"
Seeing this, Castorice called out in some confusion.
"Please wait for me a moment!" Her voice came from outside the door.
Not long after, the wooden door was pushed open again. Lunara ran back panting, holding a wooden cup filled with clear water.
Immediately after, she carefully handed the water cup to Castorice, her eyes full of pleading and nervousness:
"Your Excellency Castorice, could you... help me verify this cup of water? This was just drawn from the water collection point by the lake... I... I want to make sure."
Castorice understood her feelings and took the water cup without a word.
Then, she brought it to her lips and took a shallow sip of the water inside.
Immediately after, she opened her eyes, handed the cup back, and said with an affirmative tone:
"Rest assured, it matches my judgment. There is only an extremely faint 'trace,' so weak that it can be almost ignored. For daily use, there is absolutely no problem."
"Phew—" Seeing this, Lunara let out a long sigh of relief, finally showing a smile of liberation. "That's great... that's really great... Thank you! You don't know, but all the drinking water, cooking water, and irrigation in our Shadow-fold Valley... mostly relies on Crescent Lake. If something really went wrong with the lake water... I simply wouldn't dare imagine..."
"I see." Castorice finally fully understood the root of Lunara's almost unhinged anxiety just now, gaining a deeper understanding of this elven clan's way of survival.
"Then since the water is fine." Lunara's emotions came and went quickly, and she immediately regained her vitality. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing an energetic smile. "I'll go make you something delicious right now! Having experienced such a terrifying thing just now, you must be starving!"
Before her words faded, her lithe body had already darted into the kitchen in the back.
Soon, tantalizing aromas wafted out from the kitchen doorway, carrying the scorched fragrance of grease, the scent of spices, and the innate deliciousness of the ingredients themselves.
Castorice sat by the table, her nostrils flaring slightly.
'Smells so good... She truly deserves the title of Master Chef that Nimue and the others gave her; it's well-earned.'
Smelling these aromas, she couldn't help but marvel once again at Lunara's culinary skills in her heart.
After a while, Lunara walked out carrying two steaming large wooden platters. Beside her, two slightly smaller plates, enveloped in soft green halos of light, hovered steadily and followed her.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Your Excellency Castorice!" After placing the main dish in front of Castorice, Lunara sat down opposite her.
"Sorry for the trouble."
Castorice smiled and thanked her, looking at the food before her that was excellent in both color and aroma.
"No trouble at all!" Lunara waved her hand, an enthusiastic smile beaming on her face. "I'm very happy to be able to do something for you!"
Saying this, she picked up her utensils but didn't start eating immediately. Instead, resting her chin on her hands, she looked at Castorice somewhat curiously and asked:
"By the way, Your Excellency Castorice, you are so powerful, you must have experienced many, many wonderful and interesting things in the past, right? Could you tell me about them?"
Speaking of this, she sighed softly, a trace of loneliness appearing in her tone.
"I grew up here since I was little. Elder Maria... I don't know why, but she protects me too well. Every time I say I want to go see the outside world, she always has various reasons to disagree. Even if I just want to go a little further to gather some special ingredients, she would definitely arrange guards to 'protect' me. In reality, it's just keeping an eye on me, afraid that I'd take a single step out of the forest..."
Saying this, she pouted, looking like a wronged child being restricted by an adult.
"Interesting things? Let me think..."
Hearing this, Castorice was slightly taken aback and began to ponder.
Soon, Castorice thought of what to say.
"I got it. Let me tell you about my two past companions. One is called Flame Reaver, but we usually call him Xiao Bai. The other... is a very interesting guy named Mydeimos..."
Just like that, inside the warm wooden house, bathed in the soft sunlight slanting through the window, Castorice vividly recounted some of the Honkai: Star Rail plotlines she had seen before, along with fan-made stories created by Fictionologists from Bilibili.
Xiao Bai and Lord Ravager's "Sauna Endurance Contest", how the word 'retreat' simply didn't exist in a sword-wielding person's dictionary, and how Xiao Bai tried to wipe off the painted tattoos on Lord Ravager's body...
Lunara was entranced. While taking small bites of her food, she would sometimes nervously hold her breath along with Castorice's narration, and other times she would be amused to the point of giggling, even laughing so hard she almost choked and tears came to her eyes.
She was completely immersed in this vast and wonderful world that she had never imagined before.
"What are you guys chatting about? You look so happy."
At this time, a gentle and slightly deep female voice suddenly interjected, breaking this relaxed atmosphere.
Castorice's narration came to an abrupt halt, and she turned her head to look at the doorway.
She saw Elder Maria standing there, wearing her usual gentle smile. It was unclear when she had arrived.
Her gaze lingered on Lunara's bright, smiling face for a moment, before landing on Castorice.
"Elder Maria! Why are you here?"
Seeing this, Lunara hurriedly put down her utensils and stood up somewhat surprised.
"Why can't I be here?"
Maria smiled as she walked in, her tone carrying a hint of an elder's chiding.
"Of course, I came to see you, and by the way..." Her gaze turned toward Castorice again, carrying an indescribable, complex emotion, "By the way, to see if our guest is well. I heard there seemed to have been some issues on the lake just now?"
"Elder Maria!" Hearing this, Lunara immediately remembered what Castorice had told her earlier, and eagerly wanted to report it. "Your Excellency Castorice just told me that in the lake..."
"I know." Maria raised her hand and gently interrupted Lunara. Subsequently, her eyes grew serious. "I came exactly to talk to you about this matter."
Speaking of this, she sighed softly, the sigh seeming to contain some heavy implication.
"Lunara, come outside with me for a moment. There are some things... regarding Crescent Lake and the subsequent arrangements that I need to explain to you privately."
With that said, Maria didn't look at Castorice again but turned around and walked straight out of the wooden house, her back appearing somewhat heavy.
Lunara was stunned. She looked in the direction Maria left, then looked back at Castorice, a trace of confusion and unease flashing in her bright eyes.
"Go on, Lunara." Castorice gave her a reassuring smile. "The elder looking for you must have important matters to discuss."
"Mhm... Mhm! Alright!" Lunara came back to her senses and hurriedly nodded, her face apologetic. "Sorry, Your Excellency Castorice. I have to leave for a bit. Please take your time eating!"
Watching Lunara's hurriedly retreating back disappear outside the door, the smile on Castorice's face gradually faded.
She frowned slightly. Just now, when Maria looked at Lunara, there was a fleeting... sorrow deep in her eyes?
'What happened?' She mused silently. 'That sorrow... didn't seem to be merely because of that monster in the lake.'
Looking at Maria's reaction, especially that final look toward Lunara with a gaze so complex it almost overflowed, she felt that things were probably far more complicated than she had imagined.
"Never mind." Castorice gently shook her head and picked up her utensils. "I'll ask her when she comes back."
With that, she continued to enjoy the delicious meal Lunara had carefully prepared.
Not long after, when Castorice had finished the last bit of food on her plate, she sat patiently for a while longer, refilled her cup with lightly floral-scented clear tea, and sipped it slowly.
Time trickled away. Over an hour had probably passed, yet Lunara still hadn't returned.
Finally, Castorice gently set down the empty teacup.
It seemed Lunara wouldn't be returning anytime soon.
"I should head back first." She muttered to herself, stood up, and carefully gathered her used utensils, placing them neatly by the sink in the kitchen.
Then, she pushed open the wooden door and walked toward the treehouse the elven clan had previously arranged for her.
...
"Finally back."
Stepping into the comfortable treehouse filled with the fresh scent of wood, Castorice let out a long sigh. Then she threw herself onto the large, soft bed, burying her face into the bedding and rubbing against it contentedly.
After lying there for a while, she rolled over and gazed up at the vine decorations hanging from the ceiling.
A thought suddenly popped up: 'Right, let's check the system prompts. I wonder how much Stellar Jade that monster I fought earlier gave me.'
Thinking of this, with a thought, she instantly opened the system.
[Successfully resisted the attack of the sealed Evil God's Progeny (Weakened State), and enraged it, causing it to attempt to forcefully break through the seal, ultimately suffering a severe backlash from the sealing power. Stellar Jade +800]
"Evil God's Progeny?!"
Seeing this system prompt, Castorice abruptly sat up from the bed, her mouth slightly agape in disbelief.
In novels, anything related to an evil god was extraordinarily terrifying. Was she actually fighting such a thing just now?
But soon, she frowned slightly.
"But it feels like this Evil God's Progeny's strength wasn't that great either? Could it be because it was sealed?"
After all, she hadn't used Castorice to fight before either. When she fought this so-called Evil God's Progeny, she didn't feel any pressure at all. As a result, she couldn't gauge the exact power level of this so-called "Evil God's Progeny."
"Wait a minute." At this time, Castorice suddenly seemed to discover a problem. "Since this Evil God's Progeny is sealed at the bottom of the lake, and since it is sealed, then it certainly couldn't have occurred naturally..."
"This is the core area where the Moon-marked Elven Clan has lived for generations, and Crescent Lake is their 'sacred lake'."
"Then... as the masters of this place, the high-ranking members of the Moon-marked Elves with their long historical inheritance... how could they not know what is sealed at the bottom of the lake?! Not only do they know, but they completely covered up its existence, even dressing up this sealed land as a so-called 'sacred lake'?!"