"A transparent barrier?" Castorice asked, puzzled.
Feidric nodded. "Yes. That wizard tried countless methods to break through it and ascend higher, but all failed. Even today, small groups of wizards continue to research and experiment with the barrier, but all attempts have ended in failure. No one knows what lies beyond the sky."
Castorice silently raised her head and gazed out the window. The heavy snowfall blanketing Chaos City obscured her view, leaving only a hazy, gray sky with a faint, indistinct point of light—presumably the sun.
But if nine thousand meters was truly the limit, what explained the sun? And what about the crimson moon that illuminated the night? If these celestial bodies weren't stars and satellites, then what were they?
Suddenly, Castorice realized that the night sky in this world was remarkably clear, yet she had never seen a single star. She hadn't paid much attention before, assuming it was normal. After all, in her previous life, air pollution had made stargazing in the city virtually impossible.
But Castorice couldn't help but wonder: this world was far less polluted than her previous one, so lush and pristine. How could it be impossible to see even a single star?
In any case, after hearing Feidric's explanation, Castorice became deeply intrigued by the outer space of this world. Of course, she had no time to investigate now; she would have to wait until her current affairs were resolved.
Having explained so much, Feidric picked up his water glass and took a sip. The conversation then shifted back to the Air Elemental Plane, Azure Storm. This landless realm, perpetually engulfed in raging tempests filled with thunder and lightning, was the most perilous of the Four Great Elemental Planes.
Feidric turned to Castorice and said, "This colorless glass sphere in your hand is deeply connected to the Azure Storm. It can draw nearly limitless power from that plane, allowing you to summon and control storms, thunder, and lightning."
"As for using this Sorcerer Divine Artifact," Feidric continued, "the first requirement is for it to deem you worthy. If it doesn't, you won't be able to use it no matter what you do. But if it approves, it will merge with your essence, transforming your bloodline into that of a perfect Storm Sorcerer."
As previously mentioned, a Sorcerer's power is determined by their bloodline. The stronger the bloodline, the higher their potential. This Sorcerer Divine Artifact instantly elevates the user's bloodline to its absolute limit.
To illustrate, other Sorcerers might have dragons or demons as parents, granting them magical power through their bloodlines. However, a Storm Sorcerer's "parent" is the Air Elemental Plane itself—an endless expanse of storms, thunder, and lightning.
With the heavens as their father and the earth as their mother, merging with this Sorcerer Divine Artifact grants the user complete immunity to all harm from storms, thunder, and lightning. They can also effortlessly wield any magic related to these phenomena.
This explains why the staff Castorice mistakenly identified as a Sorcerer Divine Artifact kept crackling with electricity, shocking those who touched it. This design further amplified the staff's effects, especially since the Sorcerer-Hero was already immune to lightning.
As for the staff's ability to summon dark clouds, that was merely a minor side effect of this true Sorcerer Divine Artifact.
At this point, Aria suddenly spoke up. "You've been talking about the Air Elemental Plane for ages. But aren't there three other elemental planes? Could there be three more of these glass spheres?"
Feidric paused, his mouth agape. "Is that... even possible?"
Could it be that there weren't just one, but four Sorcerer Divine Artifacts?
Imagine someone who could gain the recognition of all Four Great Elements and wield all four Divine Artifacts. How powerful would they become?
Hmm, upon closer reflection, perhaps not that impressive after all. Full elemental affinity across the board—wasn't that the standard starting point for countless isekai protagonists Castorice had read about in her past life?
After the appraisal was complete, Castorice turned to Feidric and said, "Thank you so much for your assistance. Please don't hesitate to ask if there's anything I can do for you in return."
Feidric waved his hands frantically. "No need, no need..."
Just by appraising a few pieces of equipment and explaining the Plane's lore, he'd earned the favor of a Demigod. Was this even reasonable?
It felt like finding five bucks on the street, returning it to its owner, and then being gifted a Ferrari in gratitude. To be honest, Feidric was a little intimidated and reluctant to accept such a weighty favor.
Castorice tilted her head slightly, revealing her pale neck. She tapped her cheek with her index finger, paused to consider, and then said, "Judging by your appearance, you must have just arrived in Chaos City. If you don't have a place to stay, you're welcome to stay here. We have plenty of empty rooms."
This was exactly what Feidric and his group needed. After a moment's thought, he accepted. "Thank you, Miss Castorice."
Castorice replied politely, "You're welcome."
Then, a hint of puzzlement crossed her face as if she were trying to recall something. She turned to Cipher and asked, "My Lady, you look somewhat familiar. Have we met before?"
Cipher shrugged her small shoulders innocently. "How could that be? If we had encountered such a lovely princess, I would never have forgotten it."
The staged exchange was awkward, and in a hidden corner, both Castorice and Cipher were secretly curling their toes in embarrassment inside their shoes. This wasn't a sudden whim, however, but a carefully considered decision, a small bit of groundwork for the lies to come.
Just then, Kaia arrived with lunch and set it down before the group. He turned to Cipher and the others and said, "I made plenty. Since you're all here, let's eat together."
Castorice nodded her head eagerly. "Let's eat together!"
Feidric hesitated for a moment before relenting. "Well... alright."
Castorice promptly sat down opposite Cipher, her legs neatly crossed and her hands resting demurely on her lap. She waited patiently for Kaia to serve the meal, looking remarkably well-behaved and utterly adorable. "Kaia is a wonderful cook," she said. "You're sure to enjoy it."
After a pause, Castorice added wistfully, "It's a shame you arrived so suddenly. If I had known, I would have loved to cook for you myself..."
But the moment she said those words, Feidric clearly saw a look of sheer horror flash across Kaia's face as he served the dishes. From Castorice's blind spot, Kaia frantically gestured at Feidric and the others, even mouthing the words, "Refuse! Quick!"
The reason for his panic stemmed from a previous incident when Castorice had cooked a "reward" meal for Aisha. The resulting dish was... well, utterly indescribable.
In Kaia's eyes, Castorice had simply invented a dish on the spot, calling it "Tomato Scrambled Eggs." But instead of using tomatoes, she mixed red fruits with poultry eggs and stir-fried them together. To Kaia, this was like putting pineapple on pizza in front of an Italian—utterly absurd and incomprehensible!
Unsurprisingly, the resulting dish was awful, sour and bitter. Aside from Aisha, who tearfully choked down her portion, neither Kaia nor Castorice herself ate more than a few bites.
It was understandable. In an a different world with completely different ingredients and cooking utensils, it was only natural that Castorice's first attempt at cooking would be a disaster. What else could be expected?
But tastes vary. What one person finds unpalatable, another might adore. Aisha, for example, seemed to thoroughly enjoy the meal. Afterward, Castorice wanted to experiment with new recipes, but Kaia vehemently stopped her each time, banning her from the kitchen.
During dinner, Aisha casually mentioned the Blazing Fire Gang. "But there's no need to trouble you, Holy Maiden," she added. "Those bored barbarians at the gate have nothing better to do. Let them handle it."
"Mm-hmm," Castorice murmured, nodding slightly as she nibbled at her food. This was exactly what she had in mind.
If Castorice had personally intervened and had Pollux unleash a fiery blast, the battle would likely have ended swiftly. However, since Aria was present, Castorice decided to let her handle it as a training exercise. With Cipher watching over them, there was no real danger anyway.
After dinner, Castorice returned to her room to resume writing her fanfiction. Aisha led Cipher and the others to three empty rooms. Why three? Because Feidric vehemently insisted on staying far away from Douglas and his thunderous snoring, hoping for a rare good night's sleep.
Cipher had initially considered getting her own room, but Aria's persistent coaxing eventually persuaded her to continue sharing with her.
Once Aisha had left, the four gathered in Feidric's room to discuss the recent events.
Aria spoke first. "So, the Okhema people are good people. They're also collecting Divine Artifacts and trying to prepare for the future disaster Dio warned us about. What should we do now?"
They essentially had two options: abandon their pursuit of the artifacts or compete with Okhema to secure them. However, considering Mydei's power and Castorice's deceptively cute appearance, masking unknown strength, challenging them for the artifacts seemed like a fool's errand.
Feidric explained the pros and cons, then said, "Perhaps giving up is the best option. After all, we're just Silver Adventurers. Even if a major disaster strikes, the sky won't fall on us—there are always stronger people to handle it. Maybe saving the world is best left to these Demigods?"
But Aria proposed a third alternative: "Since our goals align, why not collaborate with them? We could help them find Divine Artifacts, for example."
Feidric immediately wanted to object. What level are they at, and what level are we? Would they even need our help?
Demigods on one side, ordinary humans on the other—how could such a partnership possibly work?
Suddenly, Feidric recalled Castorice's gentle and adorable demeanor and fell silent. Douglas then chimed in, "Maybe it could work. Lady Castorice is such a kind person; she probably wouldn't reject our request for cooperation, right?"
Feidric paused. "Forget about that for now. Let's focus on the Blazing Fire Gang."
Normally, when dealing with a group potentially colluding with demons, the first step should be to uncover their plans and investigate their background. After thorough preparation, a swift and decisive strike would be the most effective way to neutralize them.
Demons are notoriously cunning creatures. If they caught wind of our intentions, what was meant to be a surprise attack could easily turn into an ambush.
Besides, we only arrived in this city today. We could use the rest and regroup, so there's no need to rush.
As Cipher and the others chatted, heavy footsteps echoed from outside the door, accompanied by a hearty laugh. "Brother War Priest? Where are you?"
After a series of loud knocks, the voice continued, "Are you in here? No? Then how about here?"
There was no doubt about it: it was Nathaniel. As his footsteps grew closer, Cipher felt an eerie sense of déjà vu, as if she were trapped in a classic horror movie scene where the protagonist hides in a bathroom stall while the monster knocks on each door.
And the reality wasn't far off. Douglas's face twisted in terror, every hair on his body standing on end. This was truly horrifying!
The footsteps outside grew louder. For some reason, Cipher felt a thrill of tension rising within her. The four of them abruptly fell silent, holding their breath until... the footsteps stopped right outside their door.
Knock, knock, knock~
After a brief pause, Nathaniel's voice suddenly rang out: "Bro! I finally found you!"
Douglas: "!!!"
With a look of utter despair, Douglas watched Nathaniel push the door open, flashing a wide grin. "I just got orders from Aisha!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Lady Castorice wants us to help you take down the Blazing Fire Gang! What do you say? Ready to go now?!"
PS: Storm, thunder, and lightning magic all belong to the Evocation School. Storm magic includes spells like the First-Level Wind Blade, the Second-Level Gust of Wind, and the Fifth-Level Whirlwind.
Thunder magic, on the other hand, involves sound-related spells such as Silence, which creates a Silent Zone devoid of all sound. Within this zone, normal wizards can't cast spells requiring verbal components, effectively silencing them. However, sorcerers, who can cast spells silently, are unaffected.
Of course, wizards can resume speaking as soon as they leave the Silent Zone.
Other examples of thunder magic include the First-Level Thunderwave and the Second-Level Shatter.
Lightning magic needs little explanation, with spells like the First-Level Lightning Bolt, the Third-Level Lightning Lance, and the Sixth-Level Chain Lightning. As part of the Evocation School, nearly all lightning spells are offensive in nature.
Also, Douglas found Castorice adorable.