The black crystal stone felt icy to the touch, yet within it seemed to flow a viscous, dark current, slowly undulating. Holding it in his palm, Lin Xi could sense a faint pulse of energy, like a dying heart struggling to beat.
Lucifer had already buried himself once more in the files on the desk, as if what he had just entrusted her with was not a top-secret mission concerning the border's security, but merely a trivial matter. Yet Lin Xi could sense that beneath that seemingly focused demeanor, a portion of his attention clung to her like invisible spider silk.
She made no immediate attempt to decipher it. Instead, she took the crystal and silently exited the study. Escorted by the guards, she returned to the temporary quarters prepared for her in the side wing of the main hall. This place was a thousand times more luxurious than the dungeon—a soft bed, a burning fireplace—yet it still felt like an exquisitely crafted cage. The shackles around her ankles remained, a stark reminder of her true predicament.
The door closed behind her. Lin Xi walked to the fireplace and, by the flickering light of the flames, examined the crystal stone in her hand—the "Shadow Eye."
It was not a natural mineral, but rather a creation born from the fusion of alchemy and dark magic. Its surface was smooth, yet its interior was densely woven with silver threads as fine as nerve fibers. Occasionally, in the firelight, those threads would flicker with a murky glow.
[Analyze Intelligence Item: Shadow Eye.]
The system task hung coldly within her consciousness.
Lin Xi closed her eyes, attempting to summon the energy-sensing talent honed during her days as Chief Wolf Tamer. Her psychic energy extended like delicate tentacles, cautiously probing the crystal.
"Hum—"
A chaotic, icy intent surged back along her psychic tendrils! It was saturated with bloodlust, whispers, and countless shrieks of shattered agony. This crystal wasn't merely a communication device—it was a vessel containing countless negative emotions, a mental trap!
Lin Xi grunted, her face instantly draining of color. A stabbing pain shot through her temples, forcing her to sever the mental connection. She steadied herself against the wall, breathing heavily.
Forcing an analysis would only allow the chaotic energy within to corrode her mind.
Did Lucifer know? Of course he did. This was part of the test itself—testing her abilities, and testing her... survival.
Lin Xi took several deep breaths, suppressing the turmoil in her mind. If she couldn't defeat it by force, she'd have to outwit it. She recalled the faint, imperceptible energy fluctuations at the vampire spy's fingertips when he activated the crystal. It wasn't a pure infusion of power, but more like... a specific frequency resonance.
She picked up the crystal again, this time without using psychic energy. Instead, she gently pressed her fingertip against the smoothest point on its surface. Recalling the unique cold, slippery texture of vampire energy, she attempted to adjust the fluctuations of her own energy. Even though this body lacked vampire power, she could mimic that "frequency."
A fine, almost imperceptible thread of energy seeped from her fingertip, like the most delicate probe. It no longer forced its way in, but instead sought to establish a "connection" with the silver veins within the crystal.
Time ticked by, second by second. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead; maintaining this intricate energy simulation demanded immense mental effort. The shackles themselves were a constant distraction, relentlessly reminding her of her power's limitations and her lowly status.
Just as she felt her spirit nearing exhaustion once more—
"Click."
An extremely faint sound, like a lock releasing, emanated from within the crystal.
Success!
The chaotic silver veins within the crystal suddenly aligned into order. The murky glow faded, replaced by a steady,幽 blue-tinged light. A clear light screen rose from the crystal, no longer displaying fragmented images but revealing an ever-changing map of the Northern Frontier marked with complex symbols! Beside it scrolled encrypted text, and a blinking red dot indicated the source of incoming information.
This wasn't merely a communicator—it was a real-time intelligence reception and display terminal! Through it, "Shadow" relayed commands and information to its infiltrators within the Wolf Clan.
Lin Xi's heart pounded wildly. She rapidly memorized key points on the map and patterns in the cryptic text. The red dot's location... wasn't at the border, but within the royal capital itself, in an area densely populated by nobility!
Just then, the cipher text on the light screen flashed rapidly, revealing a new message. It wasn't written in the standard cryptic language, but in an older, more obscure internal code used by the Blood Clan. Fortunately, this variant of the code fell precisely within the scope of what she had been forced to study in her previous life.
[...Confirmed 'Container' has reached the Wolf King's side. 'Sower' maintain silence, await 'Crescent Moon' command. Focus: Observe energy interaction between 'Vessel' and Wolf King. Record all anomalous fluctuations...]
The latter half of the message blurred due to unstable energy, but the opening words made Lin Xi's blood freeze instantly.
Vessel... Sower... New Moon...
Observe... Energy interaction...
She snapped her head up, staring at the closed door as if she could pierce the thick wood and feel the cold, scrutinizing gaze emanating from the man in the distant study.
This message... was it about her?
Did Lucifer know this crystal would transmit such information?
Had he asked her to analyze it for genuine intelligence, or to... verify something?
"Shadow Eye." Was it spying on the border defenses, or... on her, Lin Xi, herself?
She clenched the crystal still glowing faintly in her hand. Its cold touch now felt like a red-hot branding iron.
[Side Quest: Analyze intelligence item "Shadow Eye". (Completed)]
[New intelligence acquired. Threat level assessment in progress...]