While the tremor faded, the wrongness remained.
Marron's cart rattled again and this time, she felt a sharp and insistent pull through the bond. It was like a fishhook caught between her ribs.
The System notification still hung in her vision, pulsing red:
[ALERT: Resonance Detected. Dormant Core Disturbed.]
[Source: Unknown.]
But beneath it, new text flickered to life, hesitant, like the System itself was uncertain:
[PROXIMITY ALERT: Legendary Artifact Detected]
[Distance: 2.3 km, Southwest]
[Warning: Cart Shackle #2 - Artifact Detection currently LOCKED]
[Note: Continued exposure may facilitate unlock conditions]
Marron's breath caught.
There was another Legendary Tool waiting for its next owner.
She pressed a hand to her chest, feeling the phantom tug pulling southwest, toward the base of the mountain where the meadow gave way to rocky foothills. The air there shimmered like heat off a skillet, but the temperature hadn't changed.
