The place was small enough to take in at a glance. Just three or four meters ahead of Castorice, a half-elf man with messy white hair and pointed ears lay motionless on the ground. A longsword made entirely of ice was impaled through his chest, pinning him firmly to the earth.
There was no doubt he was dead, showing no signs of life. However, the moment Castorice saw his face, Black Hand came to mind, for they looked exactly alike.
Castorice quickly remembered Aisha's warning about Black Hand's shapeshifting abilities. This meant his appearance during their previous battle might not have been his original form. Black Hand must have encountered this corpse and imitated its features.
The corpse's identity was now easily deduced: it was the body of the Sorcerer-Hero from the Seven Heroes. The fact that it hadn't decomposed after all this time was likely due to the extreme cold of the place.
Therefore, Black Hand had likely obtained the Sorcerer Divine Artifact from this very location. Beneath the Mage Tower, there was a hidden pit that Black Hand had discovered and explored. Somehow bypassing the deadly cold mists, he retrieved the Divine Artifact and, for reasons unknown, copied the Hero's appearance.
Perhaps it was because he was handsome?
"So, this place has already been explored? Did I come all this way for nothing?" Castorice muttered to herself, scanning the cramped chamber. There was nowhere to hide anything.
Finally, her gaze settled on the Sorcerer-Hero's corpse. She suddenly remembered that those slain by the Demon Lord were supposed to transform into Ice Puppets. Why hadn't this body reanimated, despite the thick ice encasing it?
A daring thought flickered in her mind: If I pull out that sword, might he come back to life?
Acting on impulse, Castorice commanded the Styx Sphere floating beside her to split into several slender Water Snakes. They coiled around the ice sword piercing the Sorcerer-Hero's chest and slowly extracted it.
The moment the sword was freed, it shattered into countless icy fragments and vanished into the air. The Sorcerer-Hero's corpse gradually crumbled into white, snowflake-like ashes that scattered across the ground.
Well, no resurrection, Castorice thought. I just turned his corpse into instant bone ash.
Amidst the pile of "bone ash," Castorice discovered a fist-sized, perfectly round, colorless glass sphere.
She controlled her Water Snake to retrieve the object. It weighed almost nothing and felt pleasantly warm to the touch. Castorice examined it carefully from all angles, but despite not knowing what it was, it was at least the only thing she had found on this expedition. I'll take it for now, she thought.
Before leaving, Castorice pressed her palms together and bowed toward the remains of the Sorcerer-Hero, offering her apologies for accidentally turning his corpse into ash.
Repeating her descent method, Castorice controlled the Styx Sphere as it slowly floated upward, carrying her away from the site. She maintained her Domain throughout the journey, immobilizing any Crystal Men along the way. Upon nearing the Death Priest's stronghold, she deactivated her passive ability and brushed the snow from her shoulders and hair.
Finally, Castorice pushed open the door and immediately spotted Aisha waiting for her. She casually showed Aisha the colorless glass sphere and asked if she recognized it. Aisha shook her head in confusion. "Holy Maiden," she said, "this just looks like an ordinary glass sphere, albeit a very well-made one..."
"Is that so..." Castorice wasn't particularly surprised by Aisha's response. After all, Aisha wasn't Feidric, the all-knowing "male mother" who seemed to have answers to everything.
Castorice hefted the glass orb in her hand. Its compact size made it easy to carry, so she decided to add it to her collection of gemstones salvaged from the Wizard's corpse earlier.
I wonder... if I keep this up and find all the Heroes' corpses, will I eventually be able to loot seven unique items?
Come to think of it, Castorice had only been in Chaos City for a little over a day and night. The sheer amount she'd already obtained was absurdly fortunate, thanks to Aisha and the others.
While many mysteries remained unsolved, such as the truth behind the Divine Concealment, there was no need to rush.
Just then, Kaia returned from his scouting patrol, a thick layer of snowflakes clinging to his hair and shoulders. He sneezed and said, "The temperature outside is plummeting. I bet countless people will freeze to death tonight."
Of course, Kaia wasn't concerned about the others. After all, the city was full of exiled criminals, and their deaths held no weight. His only worry was whether their frozen corpses would transform into Ice Puppets.
Kaia had already encountered the Crystal Men. Though slow-moving, these monsters possessed incredibly tough bodies. If their numbers grew and they roamed the city freely, they would become a serious problem.
Hearing Kaia's concerns, Aisha waved them away dismissively. "What does it matter? The Church members excel at stealth and swift action. As long as we stay vigilant, these monsters pose no threat to us."
That being said, the heavy snowfall did have some impact on the Death Priests. The number of merchants venturing outside the city would undoubtedly decrease, and with corpses turning into Ice Puppets, scavenging for loot would become nearly impossible.
However, the Death Priest headquarters was well-stocked with supplies, including plenty of warm clothing and food reserves that could last at least a month or two. They wouldn't face any immediate shortages.
Aisha even turned to Castorice and asked, "By the way, Holy Maiden, you must be cold after your journey. We have a hot spring here. Would you like to take a bath?"
Castorice blinked her amethyst eyes, momentarily surprised. Though she wasn't afraid of the cold, that didn't mean she couldn't feel it. After wandering through the blizzard for hours and then lingering in that icy pit, the thought of soaking in a hot spring sounded utterly blissful.
A hint of eagerness crept into her voice. "A hot spring? Where?"
"This way!" Aisha led her through the grand hall to the far end of the ground floor, near where Aisha had previously stored the Sorcerer Divine Artifact. But Castorice paused, her eyes widening slightly as she scanned the area.
The door to the artifact storage room had vanished without a trace.
Sensing her confusion, Aisha explained before Castorice could ask, "I used the Third-Level Divine Spell, Veil of Shadows, to conceal the door."
As she spoke, Aisha reached out to the seemingly solid wall and gently tugged. Before Castorice's eyes, a doorway suddenly materialized in the once-smooth surface.
The Second-Level Divine Spell Shadowless Step allowed the user to become a living chameleon. This Third-Level spell, however, turned an object into a chameleon instead.
Castorice couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu as she stared at the hidden doorway. It reminded her of those impossible rooms from horror movies, the kind that seemed to appear out of nowhere.
Aisha continued to explain, "I placed the Divine Artifact in a chest inside the room and cast a Veil of Shadows on it. A Priest will also be stationed outside the door around the clock to guard it. Please rest assured, Holy Maiden, it's absolutely secure!"
As she spoke, the wall beside the hidden room rippled as if someone were emerging from within. In reality, the Priest was simply reverting to his natural appearance. He bowed slightly to Castorice. "Holy Maiden, please be at ease. I will protect the Divine Artifact with my life!"
Holy crap, there's another person here?!
Castorice involuntarily took a half-step back. She had been so focused on soaking in the hot spring and so comfortable in her own home that she hadn't paid attention to her surroundings.
After a moment of stunned silence, she turned to the Priest and said, "Thank you for your trouble."
With that, Castorice and Aisha passed the concealed room and entered the adjacent chamber. The first thing that caught their eyes was row upon row of identical cabinets.
This must be the changing room, Castorice thought, glancing at the rows of lockers. Continuing deeper and rounding another corner, she found an opaque frosted glass door. Sliding it open sideways, the hot spring Aisha had mentioned materialized before her.
A circle of meticulously polished stones formed the pool, with steaming hot water constantly bubbling up from the ground within. The scene perfectly matched Castorice's mental image of a hot spring, but something felt off. Natural hot springs typically required very specific geological conditions, usually found high in the mountains. How could this one exist indoors, in a city built on a flat plain?
Aisha explained, "Originally, this was just a large, empty room. I never knew what it was for. But a few years ago, a wizard from the Transmutation School passed through Chaos City, and I asked him to transform it into a hot spring."
So it's magic? But could magic truly create a hot spring out of thin air? As Castorice pondered this, Aisha licked her lips nervously, her eyes glazed with a dreamy expression. "Holy Maiden," she stammered, "may I..."
"No," Castorice replied instantly.
"Alright..." Aisha lowered her head, adopting a pitiful expression. "Then, Holy Maiden, please take your time bathing. I'll wait outside the door. Call me if you need anything."
After Aisha left, Castorice opened a wardrobe, removed her black cloak, and hung it up. Then, she gently pulled Little Pollux from her cleavage and whispered, "It's not cold anymore. Stop crowding me here."
Only then did she begin to undress properly. She removed her dress, gloves, white stockings, shoes, and finally the numerous hair ornaments. Though she had undressed once before and had a little experience, it still took her nearly ten minutes to remove everything.
Castorice glanced around and, finding no slippers, grabbed a bath towel. Barefoot, she slid open the frosted glass door and headed toward the hot spring.
Pitter-patter... The sound of Castorice's bare feet on the floor echoed softly in the room.
Being an indoor hot spring, the steam had accumulated on the ceiling, condensing into droplets that dripped onto the floor as they cooled. The ground was perpetually damp, reminding Castorice of the public bathhouses from her previous life.
However, the hot spring water was remarkably clear. Stepping onto a nearby stone, Castorice could see her full reflection with perfect clarity.
This was likely the first time she had truly scrutinized her current body in such detail.
Castorice reached down to touch her full breasts, then pinched her slender waist, devoid of any excess flesh. Her delicate navel formed a graceful 'I' shape, completing a figure with balanced curves and a flawless physique.
To be fair, Cipher's figure might have been slightly more refined. However, Castorice's thigh-length purple hair, cascading down her back like a waterfall, was undoubtedly a major asset.
In the eyes of a boy, it was probably a buff that significantly increased attack speed.
Lost in thought, Castorice found herself gazing at her own reflection for quite some time. When she finally realized what she was doing, her cheeks flushed crimson, and the tips of her pointed elven ears turned a deep scarlet.
"But... I really am quite beautiful," she murmured softly. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she extended a delicate foot and gently touched the surface of the hot spring. Finding the water pleasantly warm and well within her comfort range, she slowly eased herself into the pool.
As the water rose to her chest, then her neck, she let out a long sigh, narrowed her eyes slightly, and let her thoughts drift. In that instant, all the day's chill and weariness seemed to melt away.
After soaking for about seven or eight minutes, Castorice opened her eyes to find a strand of her hair floating across the water toward her. She turned to see that a small portion of her long hair was spread across the surface behind her, while the rest had sunk beneath the water.
Castorice suddenly realized that people with long hair should probably tie it up when swimming or soaking in a hot spring.
Clearly lacking experience in this area, she had made a small mistake. She immediately stood up and noticed her hair had become heavy, clinging tightly to her back.
However, she reasoned that with her thick hair, tying it up would likely be quite difficult. Besides, she had only been soaking for a short while, so it probably wasn't a big deal, right?
With that thought, Castorice settled back into the hot spring, leaning against the stone edge and enjoying the warmth for another ten minutes.
It's worth mentioning that while she soaked, Little Polluxs perched on her head, her eyes half-closed in an utterly adorable manner.
Twenty minutes is generally considered the ideal time for a hot spring soak—staying longer might lead to dizziness or other issues. Though Castorice didn't need to worry about such complications, she still rose promptly, wringing out her hair as she stepped out of the water.