Gift

The very next morning, just as Vivian had bid farewell to Lucia and Lucia and was heading to the council hall to begin the day’s work, the captain of the guards responsible for maintaining order approached her with a troubled expression.

“Lord Demon Lord, there are two… rather odd visitors asking to see you.”

“Odd?” Vivian raised an eyebrow. “How odd?”

The guard looked helpless. “They’re two elves. They say they have an appointment with you, that you are… their owner, and they wish to personally deliver something to you.”

“Ah, Carol.”

She had almost forgotten that the Grand Necromancer of the Elven Empire was technically still in her territory. Her two flesh puppets, “Lolo” and “Lili,” had been sent off to work long ago, and with everything piling up, Vivian had nearly let the elf slip her mind entirely.

Carol—the mysterious Death High Priestess of the elves, mistress of funeral rites and necromancy, one of the most enigmatic figures in the Elven Empire.

She had already shown unusual interest in Luna before, and now she was sending puppets with gifts…?

“Let them in,” Vivian said.

She wanted to see what Carol was playing at.

“Yes, my lord.”

Soon, the two elven puppets were escorted inside.

At first, the puppets Carol controlled kept up their usual timid, shrinking act, but the moment the others left the room, they dropped the pretense and plopped down unceremoniously on the nearby seats.

“Good day, Demon Lord of Evernight, Lady Vivian.” Both puppets spoke in Carol’s voice, their eyes fixed on Vivian.

“What does High Priestess Carol want?” Vivian asked warily.

“Surely a noble lady like you hasn’t forgotten our little agreement?” the puppets replied with cheeky smiles, their tone carrying a hint of resentment.

“I’ve been working my fingers to the bone this whole time, you know. By rights, you should at least let me get close, right? If you won’t even let me see your child, I might not feel very motivated to help you in the future~”

“I know you’ve been visiting the crystal mines much more often lately. Something interesting must be happening there, yes? I might be able to lend a hand.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Vivian answered, a touch guiltily.

She truly hadn’t expected Carol to notice the activity at the mines. She glanced at the latest report.

During this period, Carol had indeed been diligently fulfilling her duties. And now Lucia was watching over Luna anyway.

After weighing the matter, Vivian decided the two puppets posed no real threat and nodded.

“Fine. I’ll allow you to observe from a safe distance.”

“…You promise?”

“I promise. Go. Come back when you’re done and tell me exactly what you can do for me.”

Vivian spoke coolly, then wrote out a pass that would let Carol’s puppets move freely through the city.

“Okie-dokie, I’ll be right back!”

The two puppets exchanged a glance, snatched the pass, and vanished from her sight at lightning speed.

Half a day later, the puppets returned to Vivian in high spirits.

“Excellent, excellent! I knew my eyes didn’t deceive me—that child is a once-in-a-millennium specimen.”

Carol hummed happily through the puppets. This time, it was Vivian’s turn to extend a hand.

“So. What did you bring me?”

She looked at them and asked slowly.

“Hehe. Seeing how fast your territory is developing—and noticing all the commotion at the mines lately—I prepared some… presents.”

As they spoke, one puppet pulled an ancient scroll case from its robes. The box was made of some black metal, its surface etched with intricate runes that exuded a faint aura of death.

Vivian accepted the case and sensed the energy within.

“What is this?”

“Ancient knowledge,” Carol replied. “Records and theories concerning the crystal mines, plus a few modest findings of my own. I believe they may prove useful to you.”

The two puppets gave a meaningful smile.

“Let me guess—you’ve encountered a mine core?”

Vivian’s pupils contracted slightly.

‘How does she know!?’

She glared at the puppets as though she might swallow them whole.

“Look at that face.”

“Relax.”

The puppets waved lazily. “You may have many secrets, but to me they’re hardly surprising.”

“A mine core is no great mystery.”

Carol continued casually, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

“My puppets have been working here for quite some time. Occasionally they see the Evernight crystals being transported. Given that both yield and quality have been steadily rising, only one thing could explain it.”

Vivian fell silent.

Then a strange smile crept across the puppets’ faces.

“I’m merely interested in fascinating things. You, your territory, and your daughter—all of you are terribly fascinating.”

“As for repayment…” Their voices grew deeper. “When certain truths come to light, I hope you’ll share them with me.”

Vivian remained quiet.

This Carol knew far too much. These scrolls were both a gesture of goodwill and an investment.

A bet that Vivian would one day reach those “truths.”

“I’ll study these materials carefully,” Vivian said at last. “As for sharing… if your motives are pure, I have no objection to cooperation. But if you’re plotting something, don’t blame me for being unkind.”

“Music to my ears.” The puppets gave a slight bow, then turned to leave hand in hand.

Just as they reached the door, they suddenly looked back with an odd glint in their eyes.

“Oh, one more thing.”

“What?”

Carol’s voice through the puppets grew low and serious.

“Your daughter is extraordinarily special. Her bloodline, her gifts—they transcend the common laws of this world. Please protect her well. She may be… a key.”

With that, the puppets departed, leaving the room in sudden silence.

After Carol left, Vivian thought for a moment, then opened the scroll case.

Inside were three rolls of ancient parchment covered in cryptic script written in the old demon tongue.

She took a deep breath and began to read carefully.

The first scroll spoke of the “Origin of the World.”

When Vivian saw those words, she froze.

The Origin of the World?

At the dawn of creation, the primordial Origin Force birthed all things. Fragments of that Origin scattered across the world, becoming cornerstones of its continued existence—each fragment possessing its own consciousness…

But in a certain era, an external power invaded this world. That power sought to rewrite the world’s laws and enslave the Origin fragments.

In resistance, the sages of old sealed away portions of the fragments to prevent their exploitation…

Reading this, a guess formed in Vivian’s mind.

Could the mine core be a fragment of the world’s Origin?

Everything lined up—the way the core caused crystals to proliferate, the power it radiated… Could it be one of the entities sealed by the ancient sages?

And that “external power” was very likely the “system” the players used—or something behind the system!

She hurriedly continued.

The second scroll detailed the “External Force.”

That power came from beyond the void. It could twist reality and grant living beings abilities beyond natural law, but the price was the loss of self—becoming mere puppets of that power.

Those chosen by the external force were called 【Otherworld Walkers】. Some among them seemed immortal, yet their souls were no longer whole, reduced to tools carrying out certain tasks…

Otherworld Walkers… That was clearly the players. Or transmigrators.

Vivian’s brow furrowed; her heartbeat quickened against her will.

She eagerly unrolled the third scroll.

Its contents were sparse, most of the text faded and illegible. Only a few lines could still be made out:

“The balance has been broken; the world heads toward destruction.”

“Only a fitting 【Key】 can restart the Origin and save the world…”

“But the birth of the 【Key】 requires…”

A key?

Vivian suddenly recalled Carol’s parting words—“Your daughter is extraordinarily special.”

Combined with Luna’s unique fused light-and-dark bloodline…

“No way…” Vivian whispered. “Luna is the 【Key】?”

Her hands trembled slightly.

If that were true, Luna’s existence was no longer a personal matter—it concerned the fate of the entire world!

She took a deep breath, carefully rolled up the scrolls, and forced herself to calm down.

“It’s too early to jump to conclusions.”

These ancient records might be incomplete or deliberately misleading. She needed more information. She needed to wait until the mine core fully hatched into a person.

Still, the idea that the mine core was a fragment of the world’s Origin didn’t shock her too much—only something of that magnitude could explain its abilities.

Whatever the case, only by uncovering the full truth could she make the right judgment.