"A bit troublesome. I wonder if I can defeat it..."
Castorice looked up at the "moon" radiating an ominous aura in the sky. Her brows furrowed slightly as she rapidly assessed the gap in strength between the enemy and herself.
She had also just been one of the observers who looked directly at the "Nether Moon," so naturally, she too bore the massive mental pollution from the evil god "Nether Moon" without exception.
However, unlike Thorne and the others who were instantly heavily injured, this mental pollution couldn't do anything to Castorice, although it still made her very irritable.
Because right now, her mind felt like a noisy cage, where countless shrieks and ravings filled with pain, despair, and madness originating from that "moon" were continuously sounding within this cage.
It was like the irritability of wanting to sleep but the soundproofing in your house is poor, and someone downstairs is renovating with a power drill.
She felt this monster was absolutely the most terrifying monster she had encountered so far since transmigrating.
"Moreover... the feeling this 'Nether Moon' gives me is... very illusory. It's as if separated by a thick veil. Its main body seems to have not truly descended yet. What I saw just now is very likely just a powerful 'projection' it cast into reality after breaking through a portion of the seal's barrier?"
Castorice muttered to herself. During her observation, she keenly perceived that the energy fluctuations transmitted from that "moon" had a very strong sense of illusion.
This judgment caused her original plan of attacking directly to be temporarily shelved. She had initially prepared to have Pollux attack the instant the evil god's main body manifested, but at this moment, the enemy appeared in a "half-existent" state.
The main body hadn't appeared yet, but that pervasive mental pollution had already enveloped the entire valley first. This resulted in her having power but finding it difficult to lock onto the true target for an effective strike. She could only passively wait for the opponent's main body to manifest further, or... figure out a way to isolate this annoying mental pollution first.
"Ahhhh—my head, my head hurts so much!!!"
At this time, a painful cry interrupted her thoughts.
Castorice turned to look and saw that the elf Caleno, one of the only two at the scene who hadn't looked directly up at the "Nether Moon," was currently clutching his head tightly with both hands, his body curled up, letting out painful groans.
His face was pale, and veins popped on his forehead. Clearly, he was also enduring immense mental pressure.
Elder Orion, the other one who hadn't looked directly, was in slightly better condition, but still uncomfortable.
Castorice watched him clenching his teeth, his forehead covered in fine cold sweat, his facial muscles slightly twisted from forcefully enduring the pain, barely managing to stand firm by relying on the staff in his hand.
The scene before her immediately made Castorice understand one thing: even without directly making visual contact with that eerie "moon," one would still suffer continuous mental erosion and impact due to unknown reasons. It was just that this indirect damage was nowhere near as fatal as looking directly at its true face.
"In that case, let's try isolating the mental pollution first."
Thinking of this, Castorice no longer hesitated. The deep purple aura around her began to solidify.
The sea of flowers of the Underworld, which was originally just an illusory projection, began to rapidly become clear with her at the center. The texture of every single purple-white flower became visible in fine detail, emitting an even denser aura of death and tranquility.
The lakeshore, the trees, the distant mountains—all the surrounding scenes belonging to the real world began to gradually blur like a fading oil painting.
Even the filthy radiance cast by the "Nether Moon" radiating terrifying fluctuations in the sky was covered by a continuously solidifying purple mist.
In just a few breaths' time, the space everyone was in had completely changed its appearance.
Above their heads was no longer the night sky defiled by the evil god's gaze. In its place was a purple moon hanging high in the sky, radiating a tranquil glow, quietly illuminating this domain that belonged absolutely to Castorice.
The sky displayed a uniform light purple. Beneath their feet, the originally illusory sea of flowers and river of souls had fully solidified, as if they had truly arrived in a bizarre kingdom that actually existed at the boundary of life and death.
The instant the domain completely stabilized, Castorice's previously furrowed brows instantly smoothed out. Those maddening ravings and shrieks in her mind vanished without a trace in an instant.
"It seems my domain is still superior." She exhaled softly and nodded in satisfaction. "The mental pollution from this Nether Moon simply cannot pollute its way in."
With the disappearance of the mental pollution, Thorne, Orion, and Caleno within the domain gasped for air like drowning people finally being rescued, gradually recovering from that maddening mental pollution.
"Is this... is this the true power of an evil god..." Orion's face was deathly pale, his legs somewhat unsteady, forcing him to rely on the staff in his hand to support his body. His voice also carried the trembling of having survived a disaster. "Just... just being affected by the aftermath of its 'gaze' felt like my entire soul was about to be torn apart, polluted... as if my thoughts no longer belonged to me..."
Patriarch Thorne kept his eyes tightly closed, standing quietly in place, appearing to be striving to shake off the terrifying impact brought by that one glance.
His lips lost their color, pressed slightly together. His aged face was etched with solemnity and lingering fear. No one knew what kind of stormy waves were churning in his heart at this moment.
At this time, Orion, having recovered his breath slightly, began to warily observe this completely unfamiliar environment. When he clearly saw that boundless purple sea of flowers, the quietly flowing reflections of the river of souls, and that solitary purple moon in the sky, a terrifying thought instantly seized him.
Suddenly, his face turned "swish" even paler than before.
"W-wait! Could it be... that we are already... dead? Is this... is this place the true Underworld?!"
He looked in disbelief at Castorice, who was standing to the side gently stroking Pollux, his voice full of despair and bewilderment.
"Why would you think you are already dead?" Hearing this, Castorice turned her head and looked at him somewhat strangely.
Seeing Castorice ask, Orion was taken aback for a moment, then answered with a tone carrying a trace of bitterness and resignation:
"Didn't... didn't you say before that your domain is merely a 'projection' of the Underworld?" Saying this, he pointed at the incredibly real environment around him. "But this scene before our eyes... how does this look like a 'projection'? This is clearly... clearly a complete world!"
In his perception, that previous domain still had a sense of illusion and connection to the real world. But right now, everything around them was so real, which forced him to doubt whether he had already perished in the mental shock just now, his soul ferried to the true kingdom of the dead.
"Oh, I see." Hearing his explanation, Castorice nodded thoughtfully, then clarified, "You are worrying too much, Elder Orion. You are not dead. It's just that to prevent the 'Nether Moon's' mental pollution from continuing to harm you, I 'solidified' the form of the domain, temporarily turning it into a sanctuary independent of the outside world. You are safe here."
"I-I see..." Hearing this, Elder Orion immediately let out a long sigh of relief, his tense body relaxing slightly.
However, just as he was preparing to continue asking about the domain and the situation outside, an even more anxious voice, even carrying a trace of despair, violently interrupted him.
"Lord Emissary!"
Patriarch Thorne, who had been silent all this while, suddenly opened his eyes, revealing those pupils that were completely dyed red with blood. His tone was filled with unprecedented pleading and anxiety.
He staggered forward two steps, actually disregarding his status and injuries, and then bowed deeply toward Castorice as if kneeling!
"I beg of you! I beg of you to show great mercy and save the Moon-marked Clan—!!"
His voice was hoarse, carrying a violent tremble.
"In that brief direct gaze just now... I clearly perceived the terrifying nature of that mental pollution! Any living being illuminated by the moonlight will be polluted by that filthy 'moonlight'!"
"This mental-level erosion and pollution will be like a maggot attached to the bone, never ceasing! Until all sanity and hope are completely ground away, ultimately reducing them to mad walking corpses, or... becoming a new, agonized decoration on the surface of that 'moon'!!"
Speaking of this, it was as if he saw that hellish scene. His entire body trembled violently due to grief.
"Right now... right now, the entire Shadow-fold Valley, all the clansmen who couldn't hide in time... they are all enduring this endless, terrifying torment! I beg you... I beg you to save them! No matter the cost!!"
He raised his head abruptly. There were streaks of blood on his face, making him look incredibly resolute.
"As long as you can save my clansmen, I am willing... I am willing to represent the entire Moon-marked Clan and establish an eternal bloodline contract..."
He took a deep breath, as if using up all his life's strength, and issued an oath as heavy as a mountain, word by word:
"—Swearing fealty to you until death!!!"
...
'Fealty... fealty again...'
Looking at this elf before her who didn't hesitate to kneel and even offer the loyalty of his entire race for the sake of his clan, what welled up in Castorice's heart was not the satisfaction of being revered, but rather a wave of mental exhaustion.
It wasn't that she didn't understand the logic behind this behavior. In the face of utter destruction, attaching oneself to a powerful and seemingly neutral, or even benevolent, existence was undoubtedly the most effective way to seek shelter and preserve the spark of the clan.
And she herself happened to be exactly that "strong individual" present who possessed enough power.
However, understanding it intellectually didn't mean she could resonate with it emotionally.
She truly did not want to hear the word "fealty" anymore right now.
Although back during the time of Cerydra, she knew that as long as it was something done by her subordinates, she could also get a share of the Stellar Jade, so she had a moment of hot-headedness and accepted them directly.
But thinking about it now, what a loss!!!
It was true that her subordinates could easily bring her the benefits of Stellar Jade, but the system had stated long ago that "Stellar Jade can only be obtained through the newest character." This meant that once she rolled a new character, those people who originally swore fealty to the "old" character could be said to be completely useless.
When that time came, not only would these subordinates fail to bring her benefits, but she would also have to distract herself to manage them or back them up.
Well... although right now Damian was managing everything and she was just a hands-off boss, not expending much effort besides giving out chess pieces, this situation would happen sooner or later.
So by the time she realized this, it was already too late.
After all, she had already accepted Cerydra's subordinates; she couldn't just go back on her word, right?
As for whether she could have the "old" character's subordinates assist the new character in obtaining Stellar Jade?
Setting aside the fact that Castorice and Cerydra were separated by an Isekai, whether the system would recognize this loophole of "cross-character assistance" was a huge question mark in itself.
'It seems that if I want to take in factions in the future, I must be much more cautious. Maybe later I can take in a few lackeys to test if this method is viable...' She pondered to herself. 'But directly incorporating an entire elven clan with a long history and complex relationships like the one before me? Let's pass. The burden is too heavy, and there are too many uncertainties in the future.'
Thinking of this, Castorice gathered her thoughts, her gaze becoming clear, cold, and distant again. She looked at Thorne, who was still kneeling on the ground, and slowly shook her head:
"I will not accept the fealty of your Moon-marked Clan."
This sentence was like freezing water poured over his head. Thorne's already pale face instantly lost all color, and the last shred of hope seemed to shatter along with it.
An unconcealable trace of despair flashed across his eyes. Ultimately, it turned into an incredibly bitter smile as he slowly lowered his head.
"I... understand, Lord Emissary..." His voice was dry and hoarse, filled with a powerlessness akin to accepting his fate. "It is us... who hoped for too much and disturbed your peace..."
With that, he forced his body, which was still somewhat weak from the mental shock, to stand up tremblingly, supporting himself with difficulty using the staff in his hand.
That figure from behind looked particularly hunched and desolate, as if he had already prepared himself to face that maddening hell outside alone, and then perish alongside his clansmen.
"However," just as Thorne turned to leave, Castorice's clear and cold voice sounded again, like a glimmer of light cast into the darkness, "I can sign a contract with you."
Thorne's body stiffened abruptly, and he almost instantly turned back around. In those originally dimmed eyes, an unbelievable light of hope suddenly erupted. He eagerly asked, his voice even carrying a slight tremble: "Lord Emissary! What... what contract are you talking about?"
"A relatively fair contract of 'mutual assistance'." Castorice stated in a calm tone. "Right now, I can take action and try to solve this 'Nether Moon' threat for you, driving it away, or... doing my best to slay it."
As she spoke, she raised her hand and pointed outside the domain, in the direction of that terrifying existence which was temporarily isolated by her power but could still be felt.
"And as repayment for this assistance, as well as potential future protection," she paused slightly, seemingly weighing her words, "in the time to come, when I need help, your Moon-marked Clan must do everything in your power to assist me..."
Speaking of this, Castorice hesitated. She was thinking about how many times of help would be fitting for this reward.
"Let's limit it to ten times." She finally made a decision. "During these ten times of help, I promise I will not make any requests that intentionally harm the fundamental interests of your Moon-marked Clan. After ten times, regardless of the situation, the contract between us will be automatically terminated, and we will owe each other nothing."
As for why she said drive away or slay, it was because Castorice also didn't have absolute certainty that she could slay this evil god.
After all, it was an evil god. Not just the title but also its appearance looked intimidating, while she was merely a Demigod of Death.
Although this so-called "Demigod" was just an expression of modesty out of respect for those Titans.
"This..."
Listening to the conditions proposed by Castorice, Thorne was completely stunned, his face written with astonishment and disbelief.
These conditions... compared to the entire clan swearing fealty, were unbelievably lenient! It could almost be called a one-sided benevolent gift!
"What? Unwilling?" Seeing Thorne delaying his response and just standing blankly in place, Castorice raised an eyebrow slightly and asked with some confusion.
Could it be that the conditions she proposed seemed too harsh to them instead?
Castorice's voice pulled Thorne back to reality from his massive shock.
He abruptly snapped back to his senses, so excited he was almost incoherent. He hurriedly bowed deeply, his voice choking with emotion:
"Willing! Of course we are willing! Thank you for your unparalleled mercy and generosity, Lord Emissary! The Moon-marked Clan will forever be grateful for your great virtue!"
After speaking, he excitedly wanted to kneel and bow again to express the gratitude in his heart.
But Castorice merely waved her hand lightly, stopping his action.
"As long as you are willing, then it's fine. We can discuss the contract details later."
With that, her gaze turned back outside the domain. The sense of oppression brought by that "Nether Moon" seemed to be getting clearer and clearer. She could feel that the domain barrier she had set up was enduring continuous impacts.
"As long as you're willing, that's enough." Castorice looked up, gazing at that "Nether Moon" from afar across the domain. "I'm going to withdraw the domain now. Be careful not to look up at that moon."
Following her words, the solidified Underworld scenery around them began to gradually become illusory like an ebbing tide. The color of the bizarre sea of flowers beneath their feet faded, and the light of the purple moon overhead also began to retract. Outside, that night sky shrouded by the eerie moonlight and filled with maddening ravings was reappearing.
Castorice, however, stared at that gradually reappearing "Nether Moon". Feeling the solidifying aura transmitting from over there, she muttered again:
"It's time. It's also time... to take action."