After some time, Aisha finally led the band of Barbarians to the Death Priest Headquarters. She immediately found Kaia and explained Castorice's orders to him.
Turning to Nathaniel, Aisha said, "Kaia manages all our supplies here. Follow him, and he'll take you to get food."
With her instructions given, Aisha left without looking back. Nathaniel's incessant stream of bizarre questions during their journey had left her with a throbbing headache. All she wanted now was to find Castorice and replenish her "Holy Maiden Energy" to soothe her frazzled nerves.
Kaia nodded calmly, his face as serene and unperturbed as ever, as if allowing others to take most of their food reserves at once was nothing out of the ordinary.
Little did he know that Nathaniel's eyes had lit up the moment he saw him. As they headed to the storage warehouse, Kaia noticed Nathaniel gradually inching closer, even surreptitiously reaching his right hand toward Kaia's rear.
Kaia: "???"
Kaia's sphincter tightened instinctively. Something felt very wrong.
-
Meanwhile, Castorice had returned to the Death Priest Headquarters and immediately retreated to her private chambers. There, she began examining her latest prize: a silver ring, or rather, a toe ring.
Having been worn on someone else's foot for three centuries, Castorice made a point of rinsing it thoroughly with water, though she knew this was largely symbolic. Any lingering foot grime, like athlete's foot, would hardly wash away with a simple rinse.
Castorice gazed at the ring, hesitating briefly before slipping it onto her right pinky finger for a tentative fit.
Unlike other pieces of equipment she had acquired—such as the multi-colored gemstones, a staff, or a peculiar sphere from earlier expeditions—whose specific uses required further study, a ring's function was straightforward: just wear it.
Such accessories typically carried passive, permanent effects. Castorice couldn't help but be grateful that the Ranger Hero was a catgirl; had it been a burly man, she would never have considered wearing the thing herself.
After putting on the toe ring, Castorice deliberately waited a moment, but nothing happened. Not particularly surprised, she took off the ring, sat on the edge of the bed, and removed her right high heel and white stocking. "I remember," she murmured, "this ring was worn on the second toe of that corpse, wasn't it?"
Grasping her right foot, she pressed down on her second toe and slowly slid the ring onto it. To her surprise, it fit perfectly.
Then, Castorice placed her bare right foot on the floor. The instant the thought Take a step forward entered her mind—
Thud!
Ugh!
One moment she was sitting on the bed; the next, she had teleported three or four meters away and slammed face-first into the wall.
Rubbing her forehead, Castorice tried to step back, only to instantly reappear on the opposite side of the room, the back of her head thudding against the wall.
Instinctively, she crouched down, covering her head with her arms, one hand massaging her forehead while the other cradled the back of her skull.
Well, that's that. By the time the ring's effect had triggered for the first time, she fully understood its function: simple, direct teleportation!
The toe ring allowed the wearer to teleport instantly to any location she imagined, guided by her thoughts. However, there were limitations: the teleportation distance couldn't exceed one kilometer, and her foot had to be touching the ground before activating the effect. It was useless while airborne.
Additionally, the ring had a one-second internal cooldown and could only be used ten times a day. While not a Divine Artifact, it was still an incredibly powerful item.
It was baffling how a Ranger already renowned for agility and reflexes, equipped with such a magical item, could have been frozen in place by a Demon Lord and left to die on the spot. How on earth did that Demon Lord manage it?
"Still, this toe ring doesn't seem very useful for me..." Castorice balanced on her left foot, lifting her right foot to examine the ring on her toe. In a MOBA game, she felt her character's role would be roughly half Warrior, half Wizard, while this teleportation ring was clearly better suited for Assassins or Marksmen.
Take Cipher, for example. But Cipher was already so fast that her movements were practically indistinguishable from teleportation. What use would she have for this thing?
Moreover, the aforementioned requirement that "the foot must touch the ground" was to be taken literally. Not even shoes were allowed; one had to be barefoot. No wonder the Ranger Hero was so thoroughly covered, yet conspicuously shoeless.
The person who designed this magic item must have been a bit off, Castorice mused inwardly. She removed the toe ring, unwilling to go barefoot all day just for a haphazard teleportation effect that was hardly useful to her. Wouldn't it hurt her feet?
In essence, the toe ring was rather impractical. Its effect wasn't weak, but it held little value for Castorice.
Just then, a gentle knock sounded on Castorice's bedroom door. Aisha's slightly aggrieved voice drifted in from the hallway: "Holy Maiden, after four days of relentless searching, I've finally pinpointed the center of the blue mist. May I request a small reward?"
Aisha's request seemed reasonable, and Castorice saw no reason to refuse. "What kind of reward do you want?"
Hearing this, Aisha promptly pushed the door open, catching Castorice standing on one foot as she removed the toe ring. Without hesitation, Aisha blurted out, "I can lick..."
"No!" Castorice interrupted instantly. Judging by Aisha's expression, she already knew what the pervert was about to suggest. Hopping to the bed on one foot, she sat down, picked up the white stockings she had just taken off, and began to put them back on.
"Aisha," she said, "how about I cook you a nice meal later? Would you like that?"
Anything has to be better than eating feet, Castorice thought. After all, she had lived alone in her previous life and knew basic cooking skills.
However, the ingredients and cooking tools in this world were completely different from what she was used to. Castorice wasn't confident she could actually make something tasty, but the truth was, she couldn't think of any other way to reward Aisha.
Pulling the white stockings up to her thighs, she let go with a soft snap. After finishing putting on her shoes, she added, "I don't know if it'll turn out well, but let's give it a try."
Though her initial plan had fallen through, the prospect of tasting a meal personally prepared by the Holy Maiden herself was more than enough compensation. Aisha naturally couldn't refuse.
-
Meanwhile, the perspective shifted to Cipher's group. After their journey from the first battlefield between the Allied Forces and the Demon Lord's Army, they finally arrived at the second.
Unlike the vast plains of the previous battleground, this battlefield was nestled between two towering mountain peaks, connected by a narrow path roughly twenty meters wide. The near-vertical cliffs on either side rose at angles exceeding seventy degrees, and the valley floor was covered in a dark, blood-red soil.
Undoubtedly, this was a formidable natural stronghold, easy to defend and nearly impossible to conquer. With only a handful of troops, it could repel attacks from enemies numbering hundreds or even thousands of times their own.
Upon their arrival, Cipher furrowed her brow slightly. A faint, pungent odor hung in the air, though she couldn't quite place the scent. Whatever it was, it made her feel uneasy.
Dio explained, "As you can see from the terrain, this is a natural fortress, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Unfortunately, in this battle, the Allied Forces were the attackers, while the Demon Lord's Army held the defensive position."
"You must have noticed the strange smell in the air," Dio said. "It's the stench of blood. Countless Allied Forces soldiers died here, their blood flowing like a river and seeping into the soil. Even today, the stench hasn't completely dissipated."
The Earth Dragon entered the valley and traveled forward for about three or four kilometers before finally emerging. At the exit, the first thing Cipher saw was a colossal statue at least five meters tall.
The statue was half-kneeling, one hand braced against the ground while the other was clenched into a fist and raised high, as if poised to strike downward. Its facial features had long since eroded beyond recognition, leaving only a gaping mouth.
Judging by the statue's posture, Cipher surmised it depicted an enemy being attacked in a fit of extreme rage.
Dio spoke up. "This is one of the Demon Lord's Army that the Allied Forces fought here."
"The Demon Lord's Army?" Aria glanced around, finding no other statues. "Just this one?"
"Yes, just him," Dio said with a hint of awe. "His individual strength was equivalent to an entire army. He must have been one of the Demon Lord's most trusted lieutenants. For three days and three nights, he single-handedly defended this valley, repelling every fierce assault the Allied Forces launched. Not a single soldier managed to break through."
"In the end, the Allied Forces overwhelmed him with sheer numbers. Some say they piled countless corpses on top of him until he suffocated, while others claim they simply exhausted him to death. But the giant's tenacity was extraordinary. By the time the few surviving Allied soldiers finally reached the Demon King's City, the battle between the Hero and the Demon Lord was already over, and they arrived too late to assist."
Dio paused, then added, "Or perhaps, by successfully holding back such a formidable foe, this second wave of the Allied Forces had already made a crucial contribution."
Indeed, the Demon Lord had already slain five Heroes, with only two managing to survive. If, during that final confrontation, the Demon Lord had had another lieutenant capable of single-handedly repelling an entire army by his side, the outcome of the Hero's battle would have been far from certain.
Dio added, "Oh, right, there's another legend. They say that because this giant was so obsessed with defending the valley—refusing to let anyone pass—there's a small chance his corpse might twitch back to life, even after death."
"Like a lizard's tail twitching after it's severed, the giant's corpse is said to do the same. Apparently, some unlucky travelers who passed through here centuries ago were crushed by his stray movements. But that's just a two-hundred-year-old tale."
"This corpse has been dead for three hundred years and turned to stone," one of the others remarked. "How could it possibly still move?"
Cipher remained silent, intently studying the giant. Kneeling, it stood five meters tall. If it were standing, it would likely tower over ten meters. The mere thought of Allied Forces soldiers facing such a behemoth in this narrow twenty-meter-wide valley filled her with despair.
As the Earth Dragon carefully skirted around the giant's statue, Dio spoke again. "Though I dearly wish I could stay with you and travel to Chaos City, and even more so to spend more time in Miss Cipher's company, I regret to inform you that I must depart tonight when we reach the next town."
Dio had previously mentioned that he would only accompany Cipher and the others for half the journey. He needed to return to the Alliance to report on the situation in the Grand Duchy of Kandela, Mydei's activities, and the Empire's plans to launch an attack against the Alliance.
Thinking about this, Cipher silently summoned her long-dormant System Panel:
[Flame-Chaser Identity System at your service.]
[Currently unlocked Identities: Cipher (Cifera), Mydei (Mydeimos), Castorice]
[Increase your Fame to unlock the next Identity draw. Current Fame: 51,100/100,000]
Although she wasn't entirely sure what she had done to earn it (perhaps riding a dragon through Chaos City?), her Fame had surpassed the 50,000 mark, fulfilling half the requirement for her next draw. If Dio reported Mydei's actions to the Alliance upon his return, her Fame would likely increase significantly.
In other words, she was nearing another Identity draw?
At that moment, Douglas sighed as Dio prepared to leave, gently patting him on the shoulder. "Ah, without your nightly melodies, I'm already dreading the insomnia."
"Insomnia, my ass!" Feidric muttered inwardly. "The guy who's out like a light the moment his head hits the pillow and snoring within ten seconds? How could he possibly have insomnia?"
Still, he couldn't deny that Dio had been getting along famously with Douglas lately, and his relationship with Feidric himself was pretty good. Dio's departure would be a genuine loss.
Aria, on the other hand, beamed. "Then I wish you safe travels!"
From her perspective, Dio had always seemed to harbor ulterior motives toward Sister Cipher, and his laid-back attitude—despite his formidable strength—made him seem unreliable. It was no wonder she couldn't warm up to him.
Sure, most Bards were like that, but Aria didn't care. If she disliked someone, she simply disliked them!