Hearing Aria's heartfelt praise, Castorice blushed slightly and softly replied, "Thank you~"
At that moment, Feidric even wondered if the Prophet Old Mage's magic had malfunctioned. Could this young girl named Castorice truly have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Mydeimos and slain a god?
It wasn't just her stunning beauty, gentle voice, and polite demeanor. It was especially her current appearance—slightly blushing and somewhat shy—that made her seem utterly adorable!
She seemed less like a demigod and more like a princess from some distant kingdom.
Yet Feidric remembered Castorice referring to Mydeimos as "Mydei" and apologizing on his behalf, confirming that the Prophet Old Mage's magic hadn't failed.
In any case, Feidric felt utterly confused. The more he pondered, the more his head ached. Meanwhile, Aria, whose mind was blissfully free of such thoughts, chatted casually with Castorice.
"Sister Castorice," Aria asked, "since you're friends with Mr. Mydeimos, does that mean you're also a demigod?"
Castorice nodded gently. "Yes, I'm the Demigod of Death."
Aria asked curiously, "Are you all from a place called Okhema? What's it like there?"
Castorice replied, "It's a beautiful, peaceful, and tranquil city. People live carefree lives, and everyone is free to pursue their dreams."
Since Okhema didn't actually exist, Castorice was free to embellish, describing it as a utopian paradise.
She continued, "However, Teacher Tribbie prophesied a terrible disaster that could engulf the world. This calamity is closely linked to the Twelve Divine Artifacts, so we set out to find them."
Mydei's initial pursuit of the Divine Artifacts had been primarily for fame and attention. It was Dio who later filled in the details about the artifacts, information Castorice now freely used.
Aria blinked. "So, you're the good guys? You're collecting the artifacts not to cause destruction, but to protect the world?"
Castorice smiled warmly. "Of course."
Aria giggled, "Just as I thought! Sister Castorice is so beautiful, she couldn't possibly be a bad person! This is wonderful!"
Feidric felt numb listening to their back-and-forth chatter. Castorice was a Demigod, a super-powerful figure, yet Aria was talking to her without any pressure, saying whatever came to mind. Only someone with Aria's boundless audacity could pull that off.
Then Aria asked, "So, Sister Castorice, you're here to investigate matters related to the Divine Artifacts too? Have you found one yet?"
Feidric was stunned. While the previous conversation had been somewhat understandable, this question was utterly outrageous. Not only did it undermine Feidric's earlier attempts to be vague, but it also directly probed the Demigod's motives—something that should never be asked!
It was like two competitors at an auction casually chatting, with one saying, "Oh, you're bidding on this item too? How interesting! What's your budget?"
Yet, to Feidric's astonishment, Castorice simply nodded. "I've found a Sorcerer Divine Artifact."
Feidric: "???"
Feidric stared at Castorice in utter disbelief. "Sis, why would you just blurt that out when someone asks?"
Then, something even more absurd happened. Castorice turned to Aisha and said, "Aisha, could you please fetch me that Sorcerer Divine Artifact?"
Feidric was too stunned to speak, but Aisha's eyes darted between Castorice and Aria, a strange sense of danger creeping into her mind. This seemingly ditzy little girl is terrifying!
Nevertheless, she obeyed Castorice's command and turned to retrieve the staff.
In truth, Castorice wasn't foolish at all. Her naive and innocent demeanor was merely an act. What she really wanted was for Feidric to appraise the staff, to investigate its effects and how to use it.
Castorice had previously attempted to study the staff herself, but aside from a few static zaps, she had learned nothing. Now that a proper Wizard—and none other than the formidable Momma Fei—had finally arrived, she wasn't about to miss this opportunity.
Soon, Aisha wheeled a wooden crate into the cafeteria. Upon opening it, a blue staff lay quietly inside.
The moment Feidric saw the staff, he froze for several seconds. He glanced at Castorice, then at Aria, and suddenly understood.
No wonder they got along so well—they're two of a kind!
He meant they were both rather ditzy and clumsy, which was an odd way to describe a Demigod, but... it was undeniably true.
Feidric carefully chose his words. "This staff... isn't a Divine Artifact."
"Ah...?" Castorice froze, her small mouth slightly agape. Her amethyst-like eyes blinked rapidly twice as she stared blankly at Feidric, looking every bit the beautiful ditz.
If her earlier spaced-out charm had been an act, this was genuine.
Feidric explained, "The craftsmanship of this staff is superb—clearly the work of a master. Wielding it would undoubtedly grant a spellcaster tremendous amplification, but even so, it's just an exceptionally powerful ordinary staff, not a Divine Artifact."
No wonder Castorice had always felt that summoning city-wide storm clouds with a mere flick of the wrist seemed underwhelming for a Divine Artifact. It turned out it wasn't one at all!
From the perspective of an ordinary staff, this weapon was undeniably powerful, top-tier even. But no matter how exceptional it was, without being a Divine Artifact, it was ultimately meaningless.
Castorice recalled her earlier boast about finding a Divine Artifact, only to be proven wrong in an instant. Now, she felt utterly foolish and naive.
"Ugh..."
Her cheeks and the tips of her ears flushed crimson, as if steam were rising from her head. A mortified groan escaped her lips.
"How adorable!" This was the unanimous thought of everyone present, except for Cipher. Cipher quietly lowered her head, her tail twitching erratically behind her as she dug her toes into the soles of her shoes.
While marveling at their Holy Maiden's undeniable charm, Aisha remained skeptical of Feidric's claim. What if he's lying to diminish the staff's value and then trick us into giving it away?
"How can you prove this staff isn't a Divine Artifact?" Aisha asked.
"How can I prove... this...?" Feidric sighed in exasperation. It was difficult to explain, like assessing antiques. An amateur wouldn't know the difference, but an expert could instantly tell a genuine artifact from a fake.
To illustrate: an amateur might see an exquisitely crafted, antique-looking piece and assume it was valuable. But an expert would exclaim, "Good heavens! Why is there a cartoon character painted on this supposed Renaissance-era vase? Clearly a fake!"
Feidric was the expert in this situation, while the others were the amateurs. As a seasoned wizard who had spent years studying arcane artifacts, he could tell at a glance that this staff wasn't a Divine Artifact.
He shook his head. "I can't prove it, but this isn't a Divine Artifact. When I studied at the Arcane Federation, I met the Tower Master of the Transformation Tower. She wielded a similar staff."
Meanwhile, Castorice, still somewhat embarrassed, pulled out a small pouch containing equipment she had salvaged from the corpses of fallen heroes. Seizing the opportunity, she asked Feidric to appraise it all.
First, Castorice retrieved the various gemstones she had collected near the Wizard's corpse and cupped them in her palm. Lowering her head slightly, she whispered, "Could you help me identify these, sir?"
How adorable! Feidric marveled inwardly, though he had already thought it countless times. This Demigod's personality is simply too good to be true!
After their conversation, Feidric's initial fear of Castorice had completely vanished. He picked up a red gem from her palm, squinted, and examined it closely from all angles. "This appears to be a specially crafted, high-concentration Elemental Gem," he said. "By infusing it with Magic Power, you can activate it and summon an Elemental Creature of the corresponding element to assist you in battle."
"The technology behind this is incredibly advanced, Miss Castorice. Where did you obtain this item?"
"From the corpse of the Sorcerer Hero," Castorice replied without hesitation. She then produced a colorless glass sphere of unknown purpose, also recovered from the sorcerer's body. "What about this?"
As for the toe ring she had retrieved from the ranger's corpse, she had already tested it and knew its effects, so there was no need for Feidric's appraisal.
Feidric returned the Elemental Gem to Castorice and took the colorless glass orb. He examined it closely, a puzzled expression on his face. "Just a moment," he said.
He rummaged through his backpack and retrieved a Magic Scroll: a First-Level Divination School spell called Identify.
As its name suggested, the spell revealed an item's function and how to use it. Though only a First-Level spell, it was sufficient to identify the vast majority of objects.
Just as Feidric tore the scroll, placed his hand on the orb, and closed his eyes to begin the identification process, a violent gust of wind suddenly erupted from the orb, violently throwing him backward.
Even those farther away, including Castorice, were caught off guard and stumbled back two steps. Pollux, perched atop Castorice's head, was rudely jolted awake and tumbled to the ground with a thud.
As Feidric was flung away, the colorless glass orb naturally slipped from his grasp. But instead of falling, a gentle breeze swirled around it, cradling it aloft in mid-air.
Feidric rubbed his bruised bottom and slowly stood up, sighing, "The Identify spell failed, but... I know what this is now."
Castorice looked at the glass orb with a puzzled expression. "What is it?"
Feidric explained, "It's a crystallized air element from the Azure Storm Plane. Or, to put it more simply... this might actually be the Sorcerer Divine Artifact."
"Huh?" Castorice's blank expression returned. She had thought the Sorcerer Divine Artifact was lost forever, only to discover that the random trinket she had picked up was actually it.
"You know about the Four Elemental Planes, right?" Feidric asked.
Predictably, Castorice shook her head. Feidric couldn't help but sigh in exasperation, inexplicably reminded of Cipher, who also knew nothing about such things.
With another sigh, Feidric began to explain patiently. The Salan Continent, where they were currently located, was also known as the Material Plane. Surrounding this Material Plane were numerous other planes, layered like concentric shells.
Above the Material Plane lay the Fire Elemental Plane (the Flaming Hell) and the Air Elemental Plane (the Azure Storm).
Above the Astral Plane (Feywild) lies the Divine Realm (Mount Celestia), the home of the Faith Gods.
Beyond the Divine Realm stretches the Outermost Plane. However, due to its immense distance from the Material Plane, Feidric knew little about it, much like Castorice's past-life concept of "beyond the universe."
Just as there are realms above the Material Plane, so too are there realms below: the Earth Elemental Plane (Eternal Rock Caverns) and the Water Elemental Plane (Abyssal Sea).
These Four Elemental Planes—Earth, Water, Fire, and Air—encircle the Material Plane, forming the very foundation of its existence.
Beneath the Earth and Water Elemental Planes lies the Shadow Plane, commonly referred to as the Underworld. Further down lies the Nine Hells, the ancestral home of demons.
Beyond that lies the Bottomless Abyss, the domain of demons. Its spatial dimensions seem limitless, living up to its name—an unfathomable void, like the human concept of the "sea floor" from Castorice's previous life, of which less than five percent had been explored.
Listening to Feidric's explanation, Castorice suddenly felt as if the world had grown several times larger. She asked curiously, "If I were to fly upward endlessly into the sky, would I eventually leave the Material Plane and enter the Fire or Air Elemental Plane?"
Feidric stated matter-of-factly, "Of course not. Other planes can only be accessed through magical means. The most typical example is the Conjuration School's Seventh-Level Magic, Planar Teleportation, which can transport people to any of the planes I mentioned."
It's worth noting that in the story Legend of the Demon King and the Hero, the Summoner Wizard Hero used this very spell to lead his party on adventures across the planes and grow stronger. The scenes of Hell recorded in the Bard Divine Artifact were a result of the Summoner Wizard taking the Hero Party on a tour of the Bottomless Abyss.
Castorice persisted, "But if you can't enter other planes, what happens if you just keep flying straight up into the sky?"
Normally, one would expect to leave the planet and enter outer space. However, after a moment of silence, Feidric shook his head. "Nothing would happen. Because... you can't escape."
"Long ago, a wizard had the same question. After thorough preparation, he attempted it and discovered a transparent barrier at an altitude of approximately nine thousand meters, blocking his path."