Chapter 136: The Minotaur's Skull

Three days later.

At night, in bed.

Rod suddenly felt the bracelet gifted by the half-deer person Miss Xiao Ke emit a fluctuation.

He pushed aside Tally, who was rapidly sucking down food.

He used 【Tree Strider】 to arrive at the Sand Willow District.

In the distance, the 【Dark Vortex Rift Barrier】 sand tornado that had begun slowing down three days ago had resumed its speed, and grown considerably in scale.

The elf Lady Kali walked over from behind.

She had also noticed this movement.

"The ritual of the 【Dark Vortex Rift Barrier】 has intensified — whoever's behind this is getting anxious."

Anxious means that our side's measure of grafting the labyrinth is more effective than imagined.

"How is the grafted labyrinth holding up? Can it still take it?"

"Thanks to your little confidante there. If it were a labyrinth without a consciousness, it would probably have been pierced through by now. I'm genuinely curious — how exactly does a human like you manage to get together with a labyrinth consciousness?"

Rod laughed.

"Mainly mutual appreciation of each other's merits."

"Hmph."

The elf ignored his smugness, gave a cold snort, and went on:

"The probability of symbiotic monsters appearing will likely decrease — after all, the ritual's main power is now being used against the grafted labyrinth — but the disaster from the sand tornado is harder to say."

The sand tornado's dust filled the sky, like a thin membrane draped over the heavens.

It's already October; the wind season's backflow is coming.

Judging by the desert's current posture, it will surely be more violent than in previous years.

Aethelron here is fine thanks to the Windwall Forest as a barrier, but other countries or tribes are in for a rough year.

"I heard you've been going outside lately — did you find Farshad?"

Rod asked casually.

"What business is it of yours whether I go out or not?"

"."

The way you talk just chokes people.

Seeing Rod's speechless expression, Lady Kali sighed and took the initiative to explain:

"On one hand, it's Farshad — his concealment magic has gotten better and better, I can barely keep a grip on him anymore. On the other hand, it's the dark elves — at several places Farshad has lingered, there are traces of dark-elf aura. I'm afraid... he might be getting corrupted."

Rod recalled Farshad's condition.

Apart from messing around with that tiefling boy, there didn't seem to be anything particularly off.

"It shouldn't be, probably. Farshad is the most normal elf I've ever met."

In his shallow life, he had met a total of three elves.

One was the Lady Kali before him, who often whipped herself inside the wooden cabin.

One was the exiled blond elf from Jadeite City, Georgie — a lecherous sort who specifically went after fifty-year-old human women.

And the last, Farshad, liked men.

Having been molded by modern society, Rod, though not homosexual himself, wouldn't reach the point of turning pale at the mere mention.

Indeed, relatively normal.

"You mean to say I'm not normal?"

Lady Kali's face darkened, terrifyingly sour.

Even so, one could still see a faint blush creeping up the tips of her long ears.

Rod played it off with a laugh.

He walked toward the edge of the Death Desert.

There lay a small patch of grafted labyrinth — their experimental site back then.

Now it was just right for Long Hun Nao Lin to come over and meet.

"M-master!"

A girl in a black slip dress emerged from the pink ground, two spiral dragon horns atop her head, a thick dragon tail poking out from the bottom of the dress, lazily sprawled on the surface.

On her snow-white skin, scattered black dragon scales were arranged in an interlaced pattern.

Nao Lin had been beaming, her two little hands rubbing together over her slightly swelling chest.

But the moment she saw a near-perfect-featured and -figured elven lady following behind her master, her face immediately fell.

"W-who is she?! Waaah... Master, you're cheating again!"

The dragon-soul girl was far too jealous.

Helpless, Rod quickly explained, then brought up the matter of the bone dragon Megan he had encountered at the Dread Grounds.

And asked about the risks and possible solutions.

These past few days, the signature bone of the bone dragon Megan had been vibrating madly, constantly urging him to make the trade.

"Who is Megan?"

Nao Lin asked blankly.

"?"

Did the bone dragon lie?

Impossible — the 【Grudge Pain Hate Fire】 on her couldn't be faked.

Some other cursed dragon?

That couldn't be right either—Naolyn's profile had stated she was the only one and only Curse-Wraith Dragon.

"Perhaps it's because she has no physical body."

Lady Kali, who stood at the side, said.

"Although many people separate the duties and functions of the physical body, the soul, and the spirit, in reality the three are deeply interconnected—pull one hair and the whole body moves. Perhaps the loss of her physical body is what caused the gaps in her memory."

Her judgment of the dragon soul before her matched Ona's.

It was the red dragon Saban from the infamous Dragon Fall Incident of those years.

Such a thing wasn't unique on the continent; within Emerald Court alone there were two treasures housing dragon souls.

As for this contract between a human and a cosmic being—

After recently consulting extensive records, she had found no solution, knowing only that it was an ancient contract spell called the 【Soul-Binding Chain】.

Listening to this fellow speak, the contents of the contract didn't seem to be anything major to him. Perhaps observing their transaction up close would give me a better understanding of this spell.

Rod's inquiry of Naolyn yielded nothing, and he felt a touch of disappointment.

Seeing her master's expression, the dragon soul girl instantly grew anxious.

She hurriedly pulled a massive bull skull out of the pink earth.

Twisted words and magical runes were carved across the bone's surface, harboring a dark, sinister spirituality and magical power.

"…Th-this is for you."

"What is this?"

"E-earlier… s-someone offered it as a ritual sacrifice into the sand tornado, and I intercepted it…"

"Nicely done."

He took the bull skull.

Then he approvingly patted the dragon soul girl on the head.

"Hehe."

【Naolyn's obedience toward you +2, current obedience: 52】

Rod handed the twisted skull over to Lady Kali, signaling her to appraise it.

"…Human, just how thick is your skin? The matter of the forest I'll let pass, but what obligation do I have to help you with something like this?"

So she said.

But she still tossed a few appraisal spells at it.

"This is a Minotaur skull. Locked inside are a full twelve souls of that race; their strength in life was generally around the sixth and seventh tiers. As a sacrificial item, the cost was considerable."

"What's this thing good for?"

"If any of the dwarves you know are versed in alchemy or artifact-forging, you could try sealing them into a vessel. Though I wouldn't recommend it—their resentment runs deep, they'll wail day and night, and the psychic shockwaves they release are a real nuisance."

Resentment, huh.

This seemed like exactly what Naolyn needed.

But she indicated that only resentment born from the soil of an open-air labyrinth would be useful.

And Lady Kali had no use for it either.

"Use 【Purify】 to disperse the souls inside—looks like they're not having a good time in there."

Rod said.

Perhaps it was the notions of his past life at work, but he hoped the souls could find peace.

A moment later.

Lady Kali cast 【Purify】 to cleanse the souls within the skull.

The dark, sinister power dissipated, returning once more to a pale blue, pure spirituality.

【Obtained long-term blessing—"Gratitude of the Minotaur Dead"】

(End of chapter)