Castorice walked to the window of the treehouse, her gaze cast toward the distant Crescent Lake sparkling under the sunlight.
"Forget it..." She sighed lowly, her voice carrying a hint of helplessness. "So what if these are true? I am an outsider. Even if I tell those elves my speculations, would they believe me? How is that possible?"
After speaking, she stood up. A wisp of purple origin power, containing the aura of the end of all things, gently coiled around her palm like living smoke, emitting a terrifying aura.
"They chose to conceal this secret and chose to dress up that dangerous sealed land under the name of a 'sacred lake.' Whatever their reasons, that is their clan's path, and I have no right to point fingers."
Speaking of this, Castorice's eyes grew cold, and that wisp of annihilating aura instantly vanished into her palm.
"But—"
Her tone suddenly hardened, carrying unquestionable resolve:
"—That Evil God's Progeny entrenched at the bottom of the lake, it must be completely eradicated! This has nothing to do with the elven clan's secret, nor does it matter if I'm involved, because the very existence of an evil god is evil and twisted!"
"And I am merely a strong individual who discovered a monster in the lake and wants to eliminate a menace for the people, that's all."
With that said, she took a step to head outside.
[Ultimately, aren't you just doing it for the Stellar Jade you'll get after killing the Evil God's Progeny?]
"System! Why did you suddenly pop out!"
Hearing the system's words, a blush instantly spread across Castorice's cheeks.
"Aren't I just eliminating a menace for the people while earning some Stellar Jade on the side? And why is it that when I ask you questions, you're nowhere to be found, but when you can mock me, you're always here laughing at my expense?!"
After saying that, she waited for the system's response.
However, the system resumed its daily routine of playing dead.
Seeing this, Castorice snorted softly in displeasure.
"Playing dumb again now?"
The system still didn't reply.
"Forget it." Seeing that the system was still playing dead, Castorice couldn't be bothered with it either. "Perfect timing, your appearance reminded me. Give me a ten-pull; the Stellar Jade should be enough."
As soon as she finished speaking, the system's subtitles appeared before Castorice's eyes again.
[Consumed Stellar Jade x1600. Pulling for you now...]
The subtitles began to flash with light. A moment later, a familiar purple light shone.
Nine blues and one purple. The result was exactly the same as before.
"The gacha habits are back. Whatever, let's see what practical little gadget it is."
She rolled her eyes at the system internally, then gathered her thoughts and curiously clicked open the System Inventory.
[Energy Focusing Core] (Purple Item)
"The energy of the universe is like a rushing river, and this is the cup you hold in your hand."
—Designed by the "Stasis Scholar" Lya Vaughn, who dedicated her life to solving the energy crises of scientific expeditions in remote star sectors.
Lya observed that many dangerous environments are filled with unusable waste energy (such as stellar radiation, planetary core heat, and spatial turbulence dissipation energy), while the explorers themselves often faced the dilemma of energy depletion.
The [Energy Focusing Core] is her solution: a large device that can efficiently convert chaotic environmental energy or directed impacts into pure energy that can be absorbed by living beings and machinery. It looks like a deep purple polyhedral crystal embedded in a transparent force field, with faint pulses of energy flowing on its surface.
(P.S.: Just made that up)
"An energy converter?" Castorice's fingertips traced over the virtual description text. "Sounds like a 'heart' to power large machinery or bases?"
Seeing this, she tried to manifest it with her mind, but the system immediately popped up a warning:
[Beep! Warning: This item is a large physical device. The current space is insufficient to accommodate its complete form. Please ensure you operate in an open area.]
"A large device..." Castorice raised an eyebrow as she read the prompt. "Looks like I'll have to find an open area to set it down."
After speaking, she closed the System Inventory and stopped dwelling on it.
This time, she walked toward the door more composedly.
However, just as her fingertips touched the doorknob...
"Knock, knock, knock."
Three crisp knocks on the door sounded at exactly the right moment.
Hearing this, Castorice paused her movements. Her formless mental power instantly spread out, quickly sensing the scene outside the door.
Outside the door stood a woman in an ornate elven robe. Her bearing was dignified, her face beautiful, carrying the elegance settled by time and an invisible majesty.
She stood quietly at the door, her whole body exuding a rich natural aura and a trace of powerful magical fluctuation.
'An unfamiliar face... and it feels like her status should be quite high.'
Seeing this, Castorice hesitated for a moment before pulling the treehouse door open.
Seeing the door open, the noble-looking elven elder outside immediately showed a fittingly gentle smile and bowed elegantly in greeting:
"Good afternoon, Your Excellency Castorice. Apologies for the intrusion. I am Erishelde, one of the elders of the Moon-marked Clan."
"Elder Erishelde." Castorice calmly returned the greeting and stepped aside. "Please come in. My name is Castorice. May I ask why Elder Erishelde has come looking for me?"
Erishelde walked calmly into the treehouse, her gentle gaze sweeping over the furnishings with a hint of appreciation. Finally, her gaze landed back on Castorice, her eyes sincere.
"I have come on behalf of the Moon-marked Clan of Shadow-fold Valley to offer our most sincere respect and gratitude to Your Excellency for coming to the rescue of our clan members during two critical moments."
Saying this, she took out an exquisite pouch from her sleeve. The pouch was woven from grass and flowers, embellished with small natural gemstones, and exuded the fresh scent of the forest.
Following that, Erishelde handed the pouch toward Castorice.
But Castorice didn't take it immediately. Instead, she shook her head gently and said with a frank tone:
"Elder, your words are too heavy. The root of the first bone wolf attack was my own aura attracting them, putting your clansmen in danger; taking action was my duty. For the second investigation at the center of the lake, it was me who took the initiative to go, and Calanthe was implicated by me. Both instances of assistance occurred because of me, so I do not need any reward."
Although she said this, the smile on Erishelde's face remained unchanged, but a layer of respect was added to her eyes. "Your Excellency is too modest."
With that, she stepped forward and gently placed the pouch on the small wooden table in the room.
"In this world ruled by power, the strong treating the weak like weeds is commonplace. Yet, Your Excellency, not only do you harbor benevolence, but you also bravely bear the consequences of the implications caused by yourself. This sense of responsibility and character alone is worthy of the Moon-marked Clan's highest respect." Her voice was warm. "If you stubbornly refuse this 'token of gratitude,' then please consider it as a token of friendship from us to you, a powerful, benevolent, and trustworthy fellow elf."
Erishelde's words were sincere, and her reasoning was sound.
Castorice looked at the pouch glowing faintly with natural light on the table, then looked at Erishelde's eyes. Although she still harbored doubts in her heart, since the other party had expressed herself like this, forcefully refusing would seem somewhat unreasonable.
"If Elder Erishelde puts it that way," Castorice nodded slightly and reached out to pick up the pouch, "then it would be better to respectfully obey than to decline."
Seeing this, the smile on Erishelde's face deepened slightly, as if an important goal of her trip had been accomplished.
However, this ease did not last long, and her expression slowly turned into a solemn seriousness.
"However, Your Excellency Castorice," her voice lowered, carrying a grave look, "I also have another matter of utmost importance on this trip, which I must formally inform you of."
Seeing this, Castorice was a bit confused, so she said:
"Please speak."
"Because of the anomaly at the bottom of Crescent Lake," Erishelde's gaze was extremely serious. "The Council of Elders has held an emergency meeting and formulated a countermeasure. However, this plan involves an ancient and exceedingly core secret ritual of our clan."
Pausing here, she stopped for a moment, then continued in a clear tone:
"To ensure the absolute safety and secrecy of the ritual, Shadow-fold Valley will enter a state of complete lockdown for one month starting today." Her gaze carried apology, yet it was incredibly resolute. "Therefore, we must ask you to temporarily leave Shadow-fold Valley. During this period, the valley will decline all visitors."
"A ritual? Sealing the valley?" Castorice's brows instantly furrowed slightly, a feeling that something was wrong welling up in her heart.
"Elder Erishelde," she took half a step forward, her tone probing, "forgive my presumption, but how do you plan to 'deal' with... that existence at the bottom of the lake?"
Faced with this question pointing straight at the core, an expression of helpless apology appeared on Erishelde's face. Shaking her head slowly, she said:
"I am very sorry, Your Excellency Castorice. The specific details of the ritual concern the fundamental survival of our clan and are the highest secret guarded for generations. Please forgive me for being unable to disclose them."
The air in the treehouse seemed to stagnate for a moment. Silence spread between the two, carrying an invisible weight.
A moment later, Castorice took a deep breath, seemingly having made a decision.
She raised her head, her clear eyes looking straight at Erishelde, but her gaze had become extremely sharp.
"Fine." Castorice's voice was unusually calm. "I can leave."
Hearing this, a trace of joy flashed across Erishelde's eyes.
But immediately after, Castorice stated her condition:
"But before I leave, I only need the answer to one question, a... doubt that has been troubling me."
Although Erishelde was a bit confused, she still said, "Please speak, Your Excellency."
Seeing this, Castorice took a step forward, staring calmly at the other party, her voice ringing out clearly in the treehouse:
"Why, when you clearly know that an Evil God's Progeny is sealed at the bottom of Crescent Lake, do you still allow others to be active on the lake, and even let this lake water become the 'sacred lake' that the Moon-marked Clan relies on for survival?"
"Buzz—!"
The instant the last word fell, the gentle expression on Erishelde's face froze abruptly!
Her pupils contracted violently in a flash, and an unconcealable shock mixed with a hint of pain instantly overwhelmed all her composure.
Dead silence!
A deathly silence, so heavy it was suffocating, instantly shrouded the entire treehouse, as if even the air had solidified into a physical entity.
Seeing this reaction, Castorice knew her guess was right.
After an unknown amount of time, Castorice was the first to break this suffocating silence. Her voice was icy, carrying an unconcealed questioning tone: "Elder Erishelde? Is this question... so difficult for you to answer? Or rather, is it that you yourselves..."
"Tac ar shelune! (Bind!)"
Before Castorice could finish, what answered her was an urgent spell command tinged with anger!
At this moment, the gentleness on Erishelde's face completely vanished, replaced by the coldness of having her secret exposed.
She abruptly raised her hand, her five fingers spread open and aimed at Castorice. In an instant, the verdant vines growing naturally on the treehouse walls and ceiling came alive, as if endowed with a powerful life command.
They transformed into dozens of tough and durable giant python-like vines, carrying the sound of breaking air. From tricky angles, they coiled toward Castorice like lightning, intending to instantly imprison her!
However, facing this expected attack, there wasn't even a ripple on Castorice's face.
"Hmph."
With a soft snort, a purple aura instantly erupted from Castorice's body, plunging everything around the treehouse into a purple mist.
Sizzle—!
The instant those pouncing, animated vines touched the purple domain, their vitality was instantly drawn out!
The powerful natural life force they contained was frantically eroded by the purest power of death. The verdant and plump vines turned gray, withered, and lost their luster at a visible speed, then snapped inch by inch, turning into countless withered vine fragments that rustled down, instantly covering the floor.
Erishelde, who stood before Castorice, widened her eyes upon seeing this scene, filled with absolute disbelief.
Immediately after, her body began to shrink and deform, revealing the original appearance of this body.
A humanoid puppet cleverly woven from vines, withered leaves, and fallen petals.
Seeing this scene, Castorice wasn't surprised, because back when she used her mental power to sense the figure outside the door, she had already discovered that this elf named Erishelde only had an extremely weak life aura.
Either the person in front of her had a major physical problem, or it wasn't her main body that had come at all.
When she opened the door, she scanned her again with mental power and quickly confirmed the second possibility.
After forcing Erishelde back, Castorice slowly picked up the small pouch placed on the table and then opened it.
Inside were many plants and gemstones she had never seen before, as well as a necklace woven from grass, wood, and flowers.
"Wait... this necklace?"
Upon seeing this necklace, Castorice's brows instantly furrowed slightly.
Because she clearly remembered that this necklace was exactly the same as the one Lunara wore around her neck at that time.
"Could it be the same style? But I don't think I saw other elves wearing this either..."
Castorice muttered to herself in confusion, then began using the system to check the information on this necklace.