["Woju Princess?" She couldn't be talking about Castorice, could she?]
[This nickname has some depth to it. Is Cipher saying Castorice is a total shut-in?]
[So Castorice is just like me, a shut-in girl!]
Eyes returned to the creed.
Cipher's writing was very flippant; she had taken the gift Castorice prepared for Caelus for herself, leaving only a single coin behind.
She even left an address for the Celestial Palace of Cloudstone, stating that if they wanted to redeem it, they'd have to pay a higher price—clearly intending to scam Castorice.
But out of necessity, for the sake of the item, Caelus and Castorice chased after her all the way.
"This Cipher is really quite wicked. The portrait of Aidelia in Castorice's home was actually a fake she swapped in?"
"She's even blackmaling Castorice. She's truly picking on Castorice because she looks like a dazed pushover!" Guinaifen clenched her fists, looking very indignant.
Among the Chrysos Heirs who have appeared so far, Castorice seems the most innocent. How could someone actually bully her?!
And as they walked, the Divine Blood Nectar on Caelus was also stolen!
Fortunately, after searching around, they finally found Cipher on a rooftop.
As expected.
This was the new character that appeared in the PV.
Golden combat boots, grey hair, a black hood, and a pair of cute... cat ears?
This was Cipher.
After a brief exchange, they learned the truth.
She had lured the two here for the task Aglaea had assigned her—which was to lead Castorice to find the Spark of Death.
But surprisingly, while Cipher did come for the task Aglaea assigned, it wasn't to complete it. Instead, she wanted to directly persuade Castorice to stop looking and shirk the responsibility!
Guinaifen and Sushang recalled Aglaea's evaluation of this Chrysos Heir, Cipher, from the previous plot.
She was skilled at escaping and shirking responsibility!
Aglaea's voice echoed in the memory:
"Escaping, escaping responsibility, escaping the oracle, escaping fate—'Thou shalt walk with greed, and thou shalt die for a penny.'"
"Have you forgotten? I should have made my stance clear long ago."
"I understand this prophecy is incredibly heavy for you, but now I need you to escort Castorice to fulfill her lifelong quest."
"Oh, I see. You want Castorice to go to her death for nothing, and you want to drag me down with her?"
To invite Cipher, who was unwilling to join Fire Chasing, Aglaea even made a bet with her using money, with the price being one side giving up everything they owned.
The stake was whether Castorice would go looking for Thanatos, which was why Cipher tried to tell Castorice not to go.
However, it was clear that Cipher had lost.
To show her determination, Castorice even agreed to Cipher's unreasonable demand for more money.
"I have lived through a longer time than most people. Even if I am not as good at business as Lady Aglaea, I still have some savings."
"I... can give them all to you," Castorice said with a firm gaze.
These words actually stunned Cipher: "Then how are you going to live your life?"
"Castorice is so cute!"
"The cat girl is so mean!"
"But what is this strange oracle? Could it be that every Chrysos Heir has an oracle?" Guinaifen pursed her lips.
[No way, is Castorice that rich? How much money must that be!]
[Cipher still has a bit of a conscience; she actually only asked for eighty percent in the end?]
[Don't bully Castorice! I feel like Castorice is about to cry; she's so kind.]
[Actually, it doesn't matter. Giving it is fine, since Castorice won't be able to use it later anyway...]
[?]
[?]
[...]
Once it was settled, the perspective shifted.
At the time of the gate of a new day, the three met punctually.
After Cipher teased Castorice for a while, the three prepared to set off!
They watched as...
In the time it took for Cipher to turn around, a cat coin was tossed high into the sky and fell back onto her fingertips.
The two in front of the screen were still watching with bewildered faces.
Who knew that in the next second, after Caelus handed another coin to Cipher, sparks flew like lightning beneath her feet as she grabbed Caelus and sprinted away in one giant stride.
As if time and space had been distorted, they actually arrived at their destination in the blink of an eye?!
Sushang: "My 'Xianzhou Profanity'?!"
Guinaifen whipped her head around: "What was that noise, Chang Chang? Why were you just going 'banana banana banana'?!"
Realizing she was a bit too excited, Sushang waved her hands repeatedly and smiled: "Don't mind me, don't mind me, Guinaifen. I just got excited."
"I didn't expect her to be able to run straight there. Quick, quick, let's look at the map first!"
Guinaifen looked puzzled.
Opening their eyes, Caelus and Castorice had already arrived at Styxia, and Hesitation flew out at this moment.
Looking ahead, the magnificent city-state was close at hand.
Although it had withered and decayed, appearing dilapidated and ruined, one could still recall the majesty and grandeur of its glory days!
While discussing with Castorice, Guinaifen only felt her heart surging with emotion.
"This is Styxia? The Author is consistent; every version's new map has its own unique characteristics!"
"I bet if this wasn't a mobile game, but used other mechanical computations or directly made a simulation scene in reality, I don't know how many people it would attract?!"
[@Tonight Eat Roast Chicken, my big sister is talking to you, hurry up and replicate this in reality!]
[Guinaifen has a great marketing mind! Why even make a game? The Author could just find a planet and remodel it according to the game map, then collect entrance fees and get filthy rich!]
[Butler, help me book a VIP ticket. (Orchid Finger.jpg)]
In the territory close to "death," Guinaifen tried to make a few jokes to lighten the atmosphere.
But until Castorice, Caelus, and Hesitation crossed the Stygian Bridge, all sorts of eerie things still happened.
Young children, apprentices, market merchants, centurions—various 'lost souls' encountered along the way were all repeating the same actions.
This caused bad memories to surface for Guinaifen and Sushang.
Had the Ghost-Hunting Squad encountered a similar situation back then?
Fortunately, they met the cat girl halfway and learned that Mydei was also on the scene!
This provided the players with a significant sense of security.
So Caelus, along with Castorice and Hesitation, crossed the River Styx and entered the interior of the Styxia Temple.
Along the way, Guinaifen operated various mechanisms and instruments. The only harvest from her busy work was finding many missing memories related to Castorice.
For example, her first meeting with Aglaea and the process of joining Fire Chasing.
There were also some memories that even she herself was unaware of.
The first belonged to Amonet, who left a fairy tale for Castorice, saying that the Queen of Styxia had entrusted Castorice to her in the ice fields.
Next was a memory belonging to an alchemist scholar, saying that the giant dragon Polykrus, who supposedly brought destruction to Styxia, actually represented rebirth.
And the one who truly brought death was a young girl in its arms who had long since gone missing!
[Does this count as overturning all the previous settings? The Author really dares to write this? In the Fables of Styxia, the one who brought death was actually Castorice?]
[Castorice and that dragon named Polykrus have a relationship like two sides of life and death.]
[In other words, the River Styx leading to The End of the West Wind, which is death, was blocked by Polykrus, which is why there are so many wandering souls outside?]
[Understood, I understand everything now! Castorice's original home wasn't Aidelia; the Queen of Styxia entrusted her to Amonet!]
"Like a butterfly, alighting on the branch of death..."
"Castorice... I think, that is her name."
In the memory crystal, Amonet spoke Castorice's true name for the first time for the Queen of Styxia.
It wasn't just Caelus and Castorice in the plot who were shocked, but also Guinaifen and Sushang in front of the screen.
They felt they were getting closer and closer to the truth.
And just as they were about to finish a battle that followed immediately after, a familiar and unexpected figure appeared before their eyes.
Red crystals pierced through the Black Tide Creation ahead.
Without a doubt, they had finally caught up with Mydei!