As Lin Qingyue finished speaking, Iris froze completely.
Her expression, usually a blend of wisdom and authority, shattered like delicate porcelain under a sudden impact, crumbling inch by inch.
She staggered back half a step, her face first turning deathly pale, then flushing crimson. The violent shifts in her expression were utterly bewildering.
The first two questions were mere bedroom secrets.
But this last one...
It was a top-secret black history—a detail even the royal historians had been forced to erase from the records—sufficient to bring about the Queen's social demise if revealed.
This went far beyond what an ordinary friend could know!
This was the kind of intimate knowledge that only a lover—a pillowmate who could strip the Queen bare—would possess.
(Lin Qingyue: That's right! I've literally stripped her bare before!)
Iris exhaled a long, long breath, releasing the pent-up shock and anxiety of being cut off from her homeland.
The rigid line of her shoulders finally collapsed.
Her gaze toward Lin Qingyue had utterly transformed.
The scrutiny and wariness had vanished entirely.
In their place was an expression of dawning realization—"So that's how it is"—mixed with a subtle trace of sympathy, as if acknowledging Lin Qingyue as a fellow victim of the Queen's dark secrets.
"Confirmed beyond doubt... The Queen is truly... fortunate to have a friend like you. Yes, truly... fortunate."
Truly fortunate indeed! Since I arrived, she's evolved from a simulator's old hand to a genuine energy-draining queen!
Lin Qingyue mentally scoffed.
Iris steadied herself, her gaze settling once more on Moonlight's Embrace at Lin Qingyue's ear, then scrutinizing Lin Qingyue herself.
She suddenly posed a question Lin Qingyue hadn't anticipated.
"I wasn't certain before, but I can now sense spiritual resonance within you—a connection to her very essence," Iris stated with unwavering conviction.
"Such intimate shared history, a Sacred Relic that merges so seamlessly without rejection, coupled with the absolute trust behind this imperial decree..."
She fixed Lin Qingyue with an earnest gaze, shattering the last veil of pretense.
"You're not an envoy."
"You're her companion, aren't you?"
Lin Qingyue smiled.
Meeting Iris's solemn gaze, she nodded without hesitation.
"That's right."
Whoa! As expected of Ilanier's old friend! Her judgment is sharp—she saw right through me.
As those words landed, the last thread of tension in the air snapped.
Iris visibly relaxed. It was the ease of shedding all guarded scrutiny, of transitioning from military commander back to trusted friend.
The rigid lines of her face softened instantly, revealing a knowing, relieved, and slightly smug smile—a complex expression that seemed to say, "I knew it all along."
"As expected," she murmured, not pressing for details.
She turned and walked to the edge of the massive platform, gazing down at the boundless expanse of verdant forest below.
"The Queen is fortunate to have found you," Iris said sincerely.
She paused, then pointed into the distance, where the line between sky and sea blurred into a vast, still expanse of azure.
"We've been out of contact with Silvermoon City for over half a year now." Her voice remained calm, yet carried a heavy sense of helplessness.
"All magical communications have been severed."
"I dispatched my most elite scouting teams to attempt a land route back."
"But they reported that the road leading to the Eastern Hills had become a bottomless chasm. Beyond the chasm lies this endless ocean."
Lin Qingyue followed her gaze. The sea was eerily still, devoid of even the slightest ripple.
So that's it. This must be the boundary of the Dungeon—the physical isolation formed by forcibly detaching a World Fragment.
"We've also tried breaking through by air and sea," Iris continued.
"Whether riding Dragonhawks or piloting our fastest sailing ships, as soon as we ventured more than ten kilometers from the coast, we found ourselves circling back to the same spot, unable to progress any further."
She withdrew her hand and turned around.
She didn't inquire how Lin Qingyue had broken through the barrier. As a pragmatic commander, results mattered far more than processes.
Her calm green eyes now radiated genuine concern.
"Has she been... doing well lately?"
This greeting shed all pretense of official formality, leaving only the sincere worry of a close friend.
"She's doing splendidly," Lin Qingyue said with feigned seriousness. "Just fretting daily about how to maintain her 'pure, five-hundred-year-old maiden' persona without it collapsing, now that she has a partner."
Iris froze for a moment, then burst out laughing, the tension in her expression dissolving under the familiar sarcasm.
Classic.
"It seems you truly know her well."
"Well, I guess so," Lin Qingyue shrugged.
Whether physically or spiritually, after countless sessions of Dual Cultivation, how could I not?
"Oh, by the way, Lady Iris," Lin Qingyue added, "besides visiting you on her behalf and delivering her decree, I'm here on a mission from the Adventurer's Guild."
"Oh?" Iris seemed surprised.
"We're searching for a human female Mage named Karula who went missing after entering the Silent Forest."
Hearing that name, Iris's recently relaxed expression twisted into a complicated, indescribable expression. It was a mixture of headache, resignation, and a touch of wry amusement.
"Karula didn't trespass on her own accord," Iris said, piquing Lin Qingyue's interest. "In fact, she had a good relationship with us. She was here conducting some investigations and verifications."
"Investigations?" Lin Qingyue seized on the keyword.
"Yes, investigations," Iris replied, her tone tinged with admiration. "Karula is an exceptionally perceptive individual. She was the first to sense that something was 'off' about this world."
"Most humans and Beastmen believe that the current romantic dynamic—where women boldly pursue and men cautiously evade—is perfectly natural."
"Even we, though untouched by this shift, never questioned whether there might be anything wrong with it."
Iris's gaze deepened.
"But Karula noticed. She realized this phenomenon was full of logical contradictions and unnatural elements. So, she sought answers far and wide, eventually finding our Silent Forest, hoping to confirm her suspicions with us."
"Because among us, the Elven Race, this phenomenon simply doesn't exist."
Lin Qingyue's mind raced, swiftly connecting her observations from Blackrock Stronghold with Iris's information.
A hypothesis began to form in her mind.
"Madam Iris, I have a theory," Lin Qingyue said, drawing Iris's attention.
"From what I understand, the Elven Race leans more towards spiritual love. Even your offspring are conceived through the Mother Tree of Life, minimizing physical desire. That's why you're different."
Iris looked slightly surprised. "You know about that too? It seems your relationship with Ilanier is even closer than I imagined."
Lin Qingyue understood instantly.
The Echo of the Heart's Abyss amplifies one's inner desires.
Among common men, the desire for sexual gratification and the longing to continue their lineage were amplified, yet they simultaneously feared losing their freedom after marriage. This conflict between two contradictory desires led them to avoid marriage and romance, only to indulge in twisted behavior at Tender Village by night.
Common women, on the other hand, had their yearning for a stable life amplified. Once they committed to a relationship, they forbade their partners from frequenting certain entertainment venues.
As for the Elven Race, they fundamentally lacked such worldly desires. Consequently, they remained unaffected by this phenomenon.
[Ding~ Congratulations, Host! You have discerned the connection between the abnormal phenomena in the Dungeon and one of its core rules, "Echo of the Heart's Abyss." Elation Value +2000!]
The system's notification chimed in Lin Qingyue's mind.
Lin Qingyue posed her final question:
"Then, where is Mage Karula now?"
Iris's expression froze momentarily.
She seemed to organize her thoughts before speaking in a subtle tone:
"Well... she's currently a guest among our Elven Race."
After a brief pause, Iris rubbed her temples, adding with a tone of weary exasperation, "She's... engaged in a spectacularly relentless pursuit of one of our Rangers."
"Furthermore, she unilaterally declared that she would refuse to leave until she gets what she wants."