Chapter 48: The Cold Elf (Thank You, poorsen, Our Patron)

Thump. thump.

“Anyone home? Anyone… oh, automatic door.”

Herbert knocked on the door, but before he could even crack a joke, the wooden door slid open on its own.

The room inside was no brighter than the outside, still lit only by glowing plants growing everywhere.

He stepped in slowly, his gaze sweeping over the entire layout.

A massive table covered in countless bottles and jars, each filled with liquids of varying colors, some containing unidentified biological organs floating within.

A grotesque giant eyeball, withered and shriveled limbs, five red stomachs lined up side by side, an eye with three pupils…

Logically, Herbert should have felt his skin crawl, his heart race, and undergone a SAN check right then.

But for some reason, Herbert didn’t feel fear at all—he even found the scene… satisfying?

Is this right?

As Herbert questioned whether his mind had gone awry, the culprit stepped forward on its own.

【“Hmm~ Her taste is quite impressive.”】

“Oh, so it’s you.”

Case solved.

It’s you, you damn thing, messing with my sense of aesthetics.

【“What? Don’t you think these are all wonderful? These are all treasures! And the preservation techniques are incredibly refined!”】

“All treasures, huh…”

Herbert stared at the three-pupiled eye for a moment; when he realized it was staring back, his lips twitched involuntarily.

Fine, I’m not worthy. I don’t understand aesthetics.

He forcibly tore his gaze away and continued observing the room’s decorations.

Aside from the massive research table, the entire space held only a small round table and two chairs woven from vines.

One of them was freshly woven, its tender leaves still fresh and unshed.

Overall, it looked like a functional living-and-working space, yet there was no bed in sight.

Doesn’t she sleep at all?

“You seem to have some doubts.”

A slightly hoarse female voice spoke behind Herbert, making him raise an eyebrow.

When did she get there?

He had carefully scanned the surroundings when he arrived—hadn’t noticed her at all.

Herbert narrowed his eyes and turned around, seeing the Dark Elf High Mage for the first time.

“Oh? High Mage Sfan Ni ?”

“Yes. First meeting, Warden Herbert.”

In Herbert’s stereotype, Dark Elves’ looks were generally inferior to normal Elves.

After all, he personally wasn’t interested in dark skin—just the color alone was a minus.

But now he realized—he was wrong.

What’s dark skin?

It’s not an issue at all.

Beauty breaks all barriers!

He didn’t dislike dark skin—he’d just never met a dark-skinned beauty he liked.

Sfan Ni looked about twenty-six or twenty-seven—less youthful, but not yet fully mature.

Her features were exquisitely refined; even her slightly dark skin enhanced the beauty, lending it a unique allure.

Her blue-purple hair was meticulously braided, golden ornaments dangling from her earlobes, golden patterns painted along her cheeks.

Among all the prisoners he’d seen, Sfan Ni was the most meticulously groomed—she looked nothing like a captive locked in a cage.

Moreover, she carried a special aura—an icy detachment born of supreme intellect.

Though standing right before him, her golden eyes gave the impression she was not truly present.

A coldness, unmasked, pushing everyone away.

Herbert met her gaze for a moment, unflinching, and smiled as he handed her the skull.

“Here, your package.”

Sfan Ni shook her head, didn’t take it, but gestured for him to place it on the wooden table. She sat on the vine chair and said softly, “Warden, please sit.”

Herbert sat down and felt the vine branches subtly shift, automatically molding to the curve of his back, positioning him in perfect comfort.

Ergonomic chair?

Living vine chairs are the true way.

Herbert leaned back comfortably, completely at ease as if he were in his own home, and asked casually, “So, who is this?”

“One of my kin—perhaps a death agent sent by a certain family, trying to deliver me a message.”

Sfan Ni pinched her fingers before the skull, and a faint, palm-sized soul was directly pulled out.

The soul was dim, barely recognizable as a young Dark Elf girl of eighteen or nineteen; her lips kept moving, as if desperately trying to convey something to Sfan Ni .

But Sfan Ni ’s expression never changed. She listened calmly for a moment, then reached out and crushed the lingering soul in her palm.

Herbert raised an eyebrow, puzzled. “Hey, she came all the way for you—this is how you treat her?”

Kill the messenger after the job’s done?

So heartless?

Sfan Ni shook her head slowly. “I’m freeing her.”

“She’s been dead for a long time, surviving only through the power of forbidden entities. Her soul has been utterly corrupted by 【Niyu】.”

“Now that her mission is complete, if I don’t do this, her only fate will be to become that deity’s plaything.”

Herbert understood the moment he heard the title 【Niyu】—he now knew why Cao Yu had become that way.

“Oh, so it’s because of Him.”

【Niyu God】, one of the most powerful demons in this world, ruler of all corruption, sin, and lust.

Unlike Nienasha, whose origins and power are unknown, this one is a genuine, utterly insane demon god.

Becoming His follower grants forbidden power—but one can never escape His grasp.

He excels at corrupting mortals, and delights in turning believers into mindless, sex-obsessed lunatics—regardless of how many come, or whether they’re even human.

“Her mission was to deliver me a message.”

“My sister assassinated our grandmother and seized the family leadership. Some elders are dissatisfied and plan to send someone to rescue me, hoping I’ll cooperate.”

Sfan Ni spoke coldly, as if recounting someone else’s affairs.

Herbert: ?

“Wait, you’re just telling me this? No problem?”

He felt odd, and asked with a wry smile, “I’m your warden, after all. Don’t you owe me at least a little professional respect?”

You really aren’t afraid I’ll snitch?

“No problem. You may deal with them however you wish.”

Sfan Ni idly played with the weak soul, speaking lightly. “Because I have no intention of accepting their rescue.”

“Oh? You don’t want to leave?” Herbert blinked.

That’s unusual.

Who doesn’t want to escape prison?

Is it because the people here are so charming, all geniuses?

Sfan Ni said calmly, “I have no interest in power. If I can continue my research here, I have no reason to leave. Returning to the family would only bring them bothering me.”

That’s the reason?

It sounds reasonable enough.

“By the way, you’re more talkative than I expected.”

Sfan Ni shook her head calmly, slightly disdainful. “I simply refuse to converse with Yongsu people. That doesn’t mean I lack the ability to communicate.”

“Oh, I see!”

Herbert sighed, a sly grin tugging at his lips. “Since you’re so talkative… show a little more sincerity. Don’t be so cold.”

“When will you stop using your avatar and come meet me in person?”

He flicked the leaf he’d been rubbing between his fingers at Sfan Ni —the soft leaf passed cleanly through her body and landed on the ground behind her.

Herbert smiled, winked at the Dark Elf, leaned fully back in the chair, and stretched his legs out, asking lazily:

“How about it?”

“High… Mage~ heh.”

Thank you to poorsen’s patron! Thank you, great lord! I’ll split my legs for you!

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…

Today’s extra: five hundred words—

Tomorrow’s read-through is critical! It decides the recommendation’s fate!

Please, please read!

I will update regularly tomorrow at 6 p.m., I love you all!

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(End of Chapter)