Just as Castorice was concentrating on pondering the purpose of that magic formation that unexpectedly appeared at the bottom of the lake, an aged voice, carrying an unconcealable tremble, cautiously broke the silence constructed by the purple moon and sea of flowers:
"Who... exactly are you?"
Hearing the voice, Castorice was slightly taken aback, snapping out of her deep thought, and turned her head toward the source of the sound.
She saw the four Moon-marked Clan elders, led by Patriarch Thorne, still lingering at the edge of the central lake area. All of them were pale, their eyes filled with unprecedented shock, bewilderment, and a trace of awe deeply rooted in their souls. The one who had just spoken was precisely Elder Thorne, who was forcing himself to remain calm.
"Me?" Castorice looked at their almost sluggish appearance and answered somewhat confusedly, "I should have introduced myself earlier; my name is Castorice."
"No... what this old man is asking is not your name." Elder Thorne slowly shook his head, his voice appearing exceptionally hoarse due to extreme nervousness. "This old man wishes to know... your... identity and Status."
He raised his arm with difficulty, pointing at the surrounding heaven and earth that had been completely altered. His gaze swept over the quietly blooming, bizarre sea of flowers, and finally fixed on the purple moon radiating cold light in the sky.
"Because... this domain... this is absolutely not a 'domain' that an ordinary 'strong individual' can create relying on their own power..." His voice carried unbelievable fluctuations. "Here... it is filled with the purest aura of the laws of death. Standing here, this old man can even clearly feel the palpitations and trembling of my own soul, as if it could be triggered and stripped away at any moment by this omnipresent power of laws... Moreover, my perception tells me that this sea of flowers and purple moon we see are merely an insignificant corner of this space; its true vastness and profoundness far exceed our imagination..."
"Hm..."
Listening to Thorne's logical yet fear-laced analysis, Castorice pondered briefly, feeling there was no longer any need to hide, and so told the truth:
"Your perception is very keen, and your judgment is fundamentally correct. This is indeed not a 'created' domain in the usual sense."
She paused, seemingly searching for more accurate phrasing, then said clearly:
"To be more precise, this is not a man-made object; it is a projection of a corner of the Underworld onto this world."
"A projection of the Underworld?!"
These words were like a clap of thunder exploding in the ears of the three elven elders, causing them to cry out in alarm simultaneously, their faces written with terror.
Only Thorne, upon hearing this answer, although his body remained tense, revealed a complex expression on his face, a mix of relief and "as expected."
"As expected... it matches my final guess... This is not a man-made domain, but the manifestation of a 'divine domain' on the level of laws..."
He muttered in a low voice, as if confirming a terrifying conjecture.
Following that, he turned around, his gaze exceedingly complex as he looked at Castorice, who was gently stroking that terrifying purple giant dragon. In a solemn tone almost like narrating an epic, he slowly said:
"The ultimate and purest Aura of Death, purple-white flowers born and blooming in death, the descent of the projection of the Underworld's will... furthermore, you also manifest an elven form. Combining all these characteristics, within this old man's understanding, the existence that fits such a Status and authority... its identity seems already self-evident."
Speaking of this, he took a deep breath, as if to muster enough courage to dare speak that revered name.
He stared at Castorice and, in a tone carrying ultimate awe and uncertainty, probed:
"Could you... perhaps be the one wielding the authority of death and reincarnation, ferrying thousands of souls, the legendary... pale elf who governs life and death, Her Majesty Mnemosyne?"
After asking this question, he and the other three elders held their breath. Their gazes firmly locked onto Castorice, their hearts almost stopping, waiting for an answer that would overturn their imaginations.
However, to their surprise, Castorice merely shook her head gently upon hearing this.
"No." Her voice remained peaceful, carrying a hint of correction. "I am not the God of Death and Reincarnation you mentioned, Mnemosyne. My name is Castorice; I am merely a Demigod of Death walking in this world."
Saying this, she turned her head, patted the cold scales of the giant dragon beside her, and introduced:
"And this is my partner, the death dragon, Pollux."
"Demi... Demigod of Death?"
Thorne muttered this title, a glint of realization instantly flashing across his eyes! A Demigod! Not the main body of a true god, but possessing divine bloodline and partial authority! This explained why she possessed such terrifying power and the might to summon a projection of the Underworld, yet was not the actual legendary, mysterious pale elf!
"I understand!" Thorne's voice trembled slightly again due to excitement; he seemed to have figured everything out in an instant. "You are... an emissary! You are the worldly representative of Her Majesty Mnemosyne, the God of Death, the extension and manifestation of Her will!"
He took a sudden, deep breath, his gaze turning once again to Crescent Lake below, which had just experienced a battle infinitely close to the level of gods and still harbored terrifying energy fluctuations. His face revealed an expression mixing lingering fear, rejoicing, and endless bitterness.
"I see... so our Moon-marked Clan, all along... has actually been opposing an existence infinitely close to a god, representing the very will of death itself..."
Saying this, this Moon-marked patriarch, who had lived for tens of thousands of years, made a gesture that sent a shudder through the hearts of the three elders behind him.
Slowly, with unparalleled solemnity and awe, he bent his knees towards Castorice, knelt upon the lake surface blooming with purple-white flowers, and bowed his back deeply, his forehead almost touching the cold petals.
"Your Excellency Castorice... no, esteemed Emissary of Death..." His voice carried deep repentance and earnestness. "Please forgive our ignorance and offense... We were blind and failed to recognize your sacred identity, instead... repeatedly attempting to obstruct your actions, even drawing weapons against you..."
He raised his head, his eyes full of pleading:
"We dare not extravagantly hope for your forgiveness... we only pray... pray that you will show great mercy and pardon the other innocent clansmen of the Moon-marked Clan... They know nothing of what happened here. All decisions and offenses are borne by us elders... Please... let them go..."
Seeing the patriarch act like this, the other three elders also instantly snapped out of their shock, realizing the severity of the problem.
They were facing a Demigod/emissary who wielded the authority of death! Recalling their previous series of obstructions, attacks, and even suspicions, boundless panic instantly engulfed them.
With almost no hesitation, they closely followed Thorne, kneeling on the ground one after another, bowing deeply toward Castorice, and begging in unison for the clan's forgiveness.
In their eyes, offending a divine emissary was a heinous crime sufficient to invite the disaster of clan extermination.
But what was Castorice thinking at this moment?
Watching these four elders, who held revered statuses within the elven clan, now kneeling before her like children who had made a grave mistake, she only had a helpless, soft sigh in her heart.
'Sigh... I clearly already said I'm just a Demigod of Death, not an emissary of any god... Not to mention, I haven't even heard of this God of Death and Reincarnation Mnemosyne they speak of...'
Although she thought this, she didn't speak up to clarify the misunderstanding because she keenly realized that this self-imagined and deeply believed "emissary" identity seemed capable of saving her a lot of unnecessary trouble.
Although the strength of these elven elders posed no substantial threat to her, their continuous interference and probing would eventually make her somewhat annoyed. If she could use this opportunity to make them completely behave and stop hindering her subsequent actions, it wouldn't be a bad thing.
"I have said before," Castorice's gaze calmly swept over the four kneeling elven elders, her voice clear and cold, "I hate witnessing innocent lives pass away before my eyes, regardless of the name it is done in."
She paused slightly, allowing the weight of her words to settle.
"The meaning of wielding the authority of death is absolutely not to forcefully bring death to lives that shouldn't end. Quite the opposite, it means maintaining the balance of the order of life and death, ensuring all things follow their rightful trajectories."
Her gaze passed over them, landing on the newly "calm" lake surface below.
"My purpose for this trip has only ever been one thing from beginning to end: to eliminate the Evil God's Progeny I unexpectedly discovered hiding here, nothing more."
Hearing this, Patriarch Thorne lowered his head deeply, his voice trembling with relief as he said:
"Thank you for your mercy and forgiveness, Lord Emissary. Your magnanimity far exceeds our imagination."
Only after receiving Castorice's clear stance did he follow ancient etiquette, slowly standing up while maintaining a posture of utmost respect. The three elders behind him also carefully rose, standing with their hands by their sides, not daring to show the slightest neglect.
"Even if you are magnanimous and do not pursue the crime of our offense," Thorne continued, his tone solemn, "the Moon-marked Clan will absolutely not forget today's fault. Once this matter is concluded, we will definitely do everything in our power to make amends for the trouble and disrespect caused to you, offering our clan's most sincere apologies and compensation."
"Let's put the matter of compensation aside for now." Castorice shook her head gently, steering the topic back on track. "What I'm more concerned about right now is whether you know the origin of the magic formation at the bottom of the lake?"
"A magic formation at the bottom of the lake?" Hearing this, a confused look appeared on Thorne's face. "As far as I know, the only magical creation at the bottom of the lake previously was the ancient seal used to imprison that monster. But that seal... wasn't it just broken by you and your partner?"
"The seal is indeed broken, but that is exactly the problem." Seeing this, Castorice's gaze turned toward the deep lake surface again, her brows furrowed slightly. "Pollux told me that it discovered another large magic formation at the bottom of the lake, and, the corpse of that Evil God's Progeny... mysteriously vanished."
"The corpse vanished?" Thorne's brows also immediately locked tightly, realizing the unusual nature of the matter. "This... reasonably speaking, even if destroyed by the power of the Lord Emissary, the remains of an existence like that could not completely dissipate without a trace in a short amount of time..."
"Therefore, I want to borrow your knowledge and magic." Castorice looked at him. "Investigate that newly emerged formation and see exactly what it is."
"Obeying the divine oracle." Seeing this, Thorne immediately bowed and accepted the order without the slightest hesitation.
He raised that simple wooden staff again, his fingertips brushing over the staff body, and began chanting an elven incantation with an ancient and obscure melody. As he chanted, the emerald gemstone at the tip of the staff emitted a gentle glow.
"Cena londëva!"
As the final spell command fell, Thorne closed his eyes, immersing himself entirely in the perception network constructed by magic. His mind, like invisible tentacles, pierced through the lake water, probing toward the abnormal energy source at the bottom of the lake.
Time passed in silence for a moment. Suddenly, Thorne's tightly closed eyelids twitched violently. He abruptly opened his eyes, which were filled with shock and solemnity, and exclaimed in a low voice:
"It's a sacrifice magic! An incredibly massive sacrifice formation!"
"Sacrifice magic?"
Hearing these words, Castorice revealed a confused expression.
"I absolutely cannot be mistaken!" Thorne's tone was resolute, carrying a hint of belated shock and anger. "This is a super-massive sacrifice formation linking to some unknown existence! Its structure is so ancient and hidden so deeply that even we, who have guarded this place for generations, never noticed it! It has always been hiding beneath the seal, using the seal's energy fluctuations to conceal itself! Now... now it is being urged with full power, its energy reactions violent, which is why it completely exposed itself!"
"A sacrifice formation... operating at full power..." Castorice softly repeated these keywords, her mind racing rapidly, connecting the clues.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind like lightning!
"Wait!" She jerked her head up, a purple glint flashing in her eyes. "Could the reason Pollux couldn't find the Evil God's Progeny's corpse be... because its corpse was sacrificed as an 'offering' by this suddenly activated sacrifice formation?!"
My loot... was snatched away?!
Castorice was shocked; she hadn't expected someone would actually dare to snatch her loot right from under her nose!
Although the corpse of that Evil God's Progeny was completely useless to her, this was a matter of pride!!!
Thinking of this, Castorice's originally peaceful face instantly darkened, and the aura around her suddenly became piercingly cold, seemingly causing even the swaying purple-white flowers around them to stagnate.
"Elder Thorne," her voice remained steady, but a hint of coldness was contained within, "do you have a way to locate and find the person who is currently manipulating this sacrifice formation?"
"Please wait a moment, Lord Emissary. I will attempt to track them immediately!" Sensing the change in Castorice's tone, Thorne's heart shuddered, and he dared not delay.
Then, he raised his staff again. This time, the incantation he chanted was more rapid, and the syllables were more difficult to pronounce. The light of the emerald gemstone became almost tangible, outlining complex magic patterns around him.
"Hanta mathomilao tala!"
Upon completing the spell, Thorne closed his eyes again. His powerful mental power, like the keenest hound, traced back along the trajectory of the sacrifice formation's energy flow, tracking the manipulator hidden behind the scenes.
This investigation was much faster than before. After merely a few breaths, Thorne abruptly opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them. His gaze immediately turned toward a seemingly ordinary dark corner by the lakeside.
"Found them! Lord Emissary, they are right there! I will capture them right now!"
"Caita sinome, sëa tarya harja!"
As the final spell was chanted, Patriarch Thorne immediately thrust his staff heavily towards that direction!
The gemstone at the tip of the staff instantly erupted with an incredibly dazzling blue and green intertwined light. Powerful spatial binding mana, like an invisible giant net, crossed the distance and enveloped the target!
The next moment, under the gazes of Castorice and the elders, a blue light flashed violently above the lake surface. Accompanied by a brief fluctuating ripple of spatial distortion, four figures were forcibly dragged out of it, then tumbled wretchedly onto the "ground" blooming with purple-white flowers.
They were two humanoid creatures completely shrouded in loose black robes, and two male elves. The limbs of the robed figures were tightly bound by green vines emitting a magical aura, unable to move the slightest bit. One of the male elves who wasn't wearing a black robe was similarly bound by vines, clearly having lost his ability to resist the moment he was captured.