Chapter 71

The stone lantern was massive, with stone pillars nearly a meter tall surrounding it. Although it was called a lantern, there wasn't a trace of light inside. Instead, it was so dark it felt unnatural, as if it swallowed every bit of light that entered, and the longer one looked at it, the eerier it felt.

Elara was holding a sacrificial offering that needed to be placed in the center of this pitch-black lantern. She looked up and scanned the interior of the imperial temple, and saw a staircase in the back left corner that led to the second floor.

The stairs were very straight, and from where she stood, she could clearly see rows of bamboo slips neatly stored upstairs. The Plumera royal family's secret history and the records of the northern ruler Shu Yanyu that she had been searching for were likely kept there.

She glanced at the stairs a few more times before withdrawing her gaze. Then she walked around the stone lantern twice with the offering in her hands. Not seeing anything unusual, she raised her hands and placed the offering into the center of the pitch-black lantern.

When she pulled her hand back and was about to proceed with the next step, following the local custom of lighting incense to honor the lantern, she had just lit three long sticks of incense when a sudden flash struck her vision.

She quickly looked up and saw a cold white light flash from the pitch-black center of the lantern, so bright it was almost blinding. The light was clearly unnatural, with a strange color and intensity. It only lasted for an instant before transforming into a totem-like shape and vanishing inside the lantern.

Elara blinked. Everything had happened so fast that it all felt like a hallucination. That flash and the totem had disappeared in the time it took to blink.

But she was absolutely sure she had seen it. She stared into the lantern, now back to being pitch black, and asked System 92, "Didn't you detect anything strange inside?"

System 92 responded after a short delay. "One moment... Apologies, Master. I didn't detect anything unusual, but I also saw that white light. Still, my diagnostics show everything is normal."

Elara raised an eyebrow, stared at the black lantern for a few seconds, then slowly raised the lit candle and placed it inside the lantern.

The candle's light was usually bright enough to illuminate half of the inner temple, so placing it into the much smaller stone lantern should have lit the entire inside easily. But once it was inside, the flame seemed to be swallowed up, as if by some invisible force.

Not only was the flame much smaller, it couldn't even light the base of the candle, only a tiny, narrow spot.

The lit area was so small it was impossible to see anything. Just as Elara was about to grab the candle and try moving it to light the inside better, she saw the already-dim flame suddenly flicker and go out.

Her brows shot up. She asked again, "Are you sure this lantern is normal? This ritual doesn't involve any mysterious power, right?"

System 92 took two seconds longer again, as if it was being disturbed, before finally responding, "Master, I am absolutely certain. Every world has its own energy source and operating rules. This world cannot support any kind of mystical energy. Not even the main system can override that. You don't need to worry about that. But... this place does seem odd. I haven't found the reason yet. Please be careful and leave as soon as the offering is done."

Instead of leaving, Elara kept her gaze fixed on the lantern for another two seconds. Then, making a bold and reckless decision, she slowly reached both hands into the pitch-black opening.

System 92 went silent in shock, frozen by her sudden and rebellious move, almost as if it wanted to scream. But Elara calmly pulled her hands back and said something that sent chills down the spine.

"This lantern isn't right. It's eating things."

The inside of the lantern felt just like regular stone, and the space didn't seem bigger or smaller than expected. Everything appeared normal.

But the large and heavy offering she had just placed inside had vanished within seconds.

This was a real ritual offering.

"You didn't detect anything disappearing?" she asked again.

System 92 still seemed stunned by her actions and that creepy conclusion. It paused for several seconds before replying stiffly, "N-no... Master..."

Elara didn't say anything more. She just lowered her eyes to look at her hands, which had just reached into the lantern.

Her hands were still slender and pale, completely unharmed, just as they had been before. Except her left palm now held something new.

It was a stone token, palm-sized, with strange totem markings carved on it. The lines had no clear pattern, like random doodles, but somehow carried a mysterious rhythm and beauty.

She had pried it off the inner wall of the stone lantern.

Elara stared at the token, then looked back at the black lantern for a while longer.

Both remained quiet with no signs of abnormality.

She flipped the token in her hand and slipped it into her sleeve.

"Alright, the offering time is nearly over."

With that, Elara tidied up the area around the lantern and turned to leave, as if nothing had ever happened.

At the same time

High atop a snowy mountain at the center of the continent, there was a vast palace made entirely of ice crystal. Inside, a man with long snow-white hair and robes sat in meditation. His features were ethereal and refined, like a being from another world.

His pupils and lashes were also pure white. He was so radiant and clear he looked more beautiful than the palace itself, like a spirit born from frozen time.

In front of him, suspended in the center of the hall, was a massive jade disk.

It was filled with tiny star-like dots, resembling a sea of stars. Some were bright, some dim, and only about one-third of them gave off light. The rest were dark.

Just as the snow-haired man opened his eyes, a tiny star in the southwest part of the disk blinked faintly before returning to darkness two seconds later.

The snow-white man looked silently in that direction.

A few seconds passed. His pale lips moved, and a hoarse voice, as if unused for ages, slowly echoed out.

"Southwest border. Phoenix Star."

In the southwest, Plumera Kingdom's capital

Outside the imperial temple's main hall, Elara stepped out. The only difference in her appearance was that the offering in her hands was gone.

She walked down step by step, her tall slender figure upright and graceful, her elaborately made-up face lowered as if focused on her footing.

Just as she reached the last stone step, a sharp sound split the air as an arrow flew from the distant forest.

It was a gleaming, polished arrow, sharp and fast, charged with deadly intent. It shot toward the seemingly defenseless girl with frightening speed.

From a distance, it looked like the arrow pierced her back without any resistance, sending her delicate form toppling forward.

"Hmm? That easy?… Something's off. Let me see."

A low, hoarse male voice suddenly echoed from the empty woods.

Then, a black shadow shot out from the forest and dashed toward Elara.

But the girl who had seemed to collapse suddenly twisted, grabbed his wrist, and with a hidden dagger, struck directly toward a lethal point.

"Ha! Knew it."