Isolde woke up to a cold, fragrant scent.
It was a very faint smell, like dried roses sealed away in a coffin.
She opened her eyes to find the black bed canopy still overhead.
Dark red tassels hung from the edge of the canopy, swaying gently in a breeze blowing from somewhere inside the castle.
“Miss, you are awake.”
Lia's stiff voice sounded from beside the bed.
Isolde turned her head.
The doll maid stood quietly by the bedside. Her sleeves were torn open, and dirty bandages wrapped loosely around her face, making her look even more like a broken doll than before.
She held a tray containing a cup of blackish-red liquid.
Isolde took only one look before her stomach churned in a knee-jerk reaction, a sour taste rising in her throat.
“What is this?”
Lia bowed her head. “Requiem Blood Tea.”
Isolde: “...Take it away.”
She couldn't stand the sight of such things right now; it kept reminding her of that rotten apple.
Lia obediently moved the tray further away.
Isolde pressed her temple, trying to recall. “How did I get back?”
“You fainted in the Banquet Hall,” Lia answered flatly. “I carried you back to your bedroom to rest.”
Isolde propped herself up against the edge of the bed and sat up.
The moment she moved, it felt as if countless silver threads in her brain were being yanked, causing a dense, throbbing pain.
That final voice from last night floated up from the depths of her memory once more.
Isolde's vision went black for a moment, and her fingertips tightened slightly.
She immediately realized a serious problem—the original host might still be there.
Or rather, the remnant of the original host's soul had not completely vanished with her arrival.
It was like an anchor hidden deep within her body, usually quiet, but likely to pop up at a critical moment to assert its presence.
It was a rather uncomfortable feeling.
But she had no time to battle the 'previous tenant' inside her body right now, as long as she didn't cause trouble under normal circumstances.
Isolde closed her eyes, simply ignoring the faint, fleeting voice altogether.
She looked up at Lia. “What's the situation with the castle now?”
Lia immediately replied, “After Duke Valen's death, absolute authority over Crow Candle Castle has been transferred to you, Miss.”
“From now on, you are the sole master of Crow Candle Castle.”
Just as she finished speaking, extremely light footsteps echoed outside the bedroom door.
A faceless servant walked in with a bow.
It had no facial features, only a smooth, pale patch of skin on its face. Holding a silver platter with both hands, it knelt respectfully before the bed.
Arranged neatly on the platter were the items dropped last night.
【Bone Blade Fragment】
【Undead Afterglow】
【Damaged Bone Bow Accessory】
【Worn Silver Candlestick】
There were also two unused minor healing potions, a heavily chipped dagger, and several copper coins stained with black blood.
Isolde's gaze lingered on the worn silver candlestick for a moment.
She couldn't help but smile.
Luo Qi had stolen the candlestick so easily back then, but he probably never dreamed that he and the candlestick would end up packaged and returned together.
If these three 'heroes' hadn't actively delivered themselves to trigger player drops, she wouldn't have obtained these materials so easily.
Especially 【Undead Afterglow】.
This item was considered a minor treasure in the early game, capable of providing a low-level enchantment to Undead-type or Soul Stitcher-type equipment.
In her past life, even glancing at it would earn her sneers of 'Do you even know what that is?'
Now, it was delivered right to her bedside without her lifting a finger.
Aside from these, the other gear had likely vanished into ashes along with their owners due to soul-binding drop mechanics.
Just as Isolde was about to tell Lia to put them away, her gaze suddenly froze.
On the edge of the platter lay three unremarkable, small gray stones.
They were pressed beneath the damaged bone bow accessory. Isolde reached out to brush aside a few materials, her fingertips touching the three dusty little pebbles.
The stones were very small, easily concealed within a palm, and their surfaces were carved with obscure concealment runes.
At first glance, they looked like ordinary gravel.
But her status panel popped up.
【Rare Item: Concealment Inventory Stone】
【Description: Can hide one inventory slot, preventing it from being detected by low-tier appraisal skills. Drops upon death.】
Oh.
Quite an unexpected harvest, and three of them at that.
She crushed the three concealment stones one by one.
The first one shattered, and a small, grayish-white bone fragment rolled out.
The fragment was as thin as paper, but its edges were sharp enough to reflect light, and a line of tiny ancient script was carved on its surface.
【Special Material: Oathbreaker's Jawbone】
【Quality: Rare】
【Description: The jawbone of someone who repeatedly broke oaths in life. Can be used to craft contract items.】
【Special Effect: The contracted party cannot lie to the contractor. If the contracted party breaks a promise, it will trigger a soul backlash.】
A good item.
With this jawbone, she wouldn't have to worry about being backstabbed or having contracts broken when making deals in the future.
It perfectly emphasized that empty talk has risks, and promises require caution.
But this thing seemed to be a single-use item, so she would have to save it for a critical moment.
The second concealment stone cracked open, dropping a seemingly ordinary silver button.
【Special Equipment: Secret-Peeking Button】
【Quality: Rare】
【Description: Automatically replaces any button it touches on a target's clothing. Allows the user to perceive contract loopholes and the target's most recent hidden action. If the target possesses concealment stones, disguise items, or obscuring spells, the peeking attempt will fail.】
【Limit: Can only be triggered three times a day. If the peeking attempt fails, the button will enter a 24-hour cooldown.】
Looking at the unremarkable button, Isolde finally showed a bit of interest.
Although she didn't know who it belonged to, that person had definitely used it to spy on the other two, which was why they chose the Black Goblet at the very last moment.
After the third concealment stone shattered, a drop of black wax tear floated in midair.
Instead of falling, the wax tear wriggled slowly like a living creature, and a faint, cold fragrance drifted into the air.
【Special Item: Night Prayer Wax Tear】
【Quality: Rare】
【Description: Once lit, it can create an 'illusion' within an area. Targets entering the illusion's range will fall into fear and visualize their most dreaded scenarios.】
【Special Effect: If the target is in a state of exhaustion or fear, the realism of the illusion increases.】
【Once the wax tear burns out, the illusion will collapse inward, throwing the target into a 3-second state of cognitive disruption.】
Isolde's eyes flickered.
No wonder last night, as soon as the rules of the Black Goblet were announced, they shouted about choosing the White Goblet together while their hands proved more honest than their words.
It turned out everyone had a card up their sleeve.
They all believed they could swallow the other two's skills and items, using them as a springboard to ascend to the heavens.
From the very beginning, they assumed everyone would lie—because they themselves were that kind of person.
Isolde sneered.
“Birds of a feather really do flock together.”
Lia's cloudy eyes shifted slightly. “Are you pleased, Miss?”
Isolde tossed the items back onto the platter.
“Not necessarily pleased. I just feel their deaths were entirely deserved.”
She had seen far too much of this in her past life.
For the sake of a rare skill book, players would lead their teammates into a mob of monsters.
To snatch a piece of gear, a so-called permanent party would disband overnight, conveniently tricking their healer into becoming a sacrifice.
Some even went as far as pretending to carry newbies, only to murder them and steal their loot once the newcomers had gathered enough materials.
The most effective aspect of this game was that it stripped away the skin of those players who thought they were merely 'doing a virtual experience,' exposing their true colors.
Isolde leaned back lazily against the bed.
“Put them on the desk.”
The faceless servant bowed and carried the platter over to the desk, placing it down with a precision so reverent it resembled an offering.
Lia stood nearby and asked, “Do they need to be categorized and stored in the vault?”
“Not yet.”
Isolde threw off the blanket and got out of bed.
When her feet touched the floor, she swayed slightly, and Lia immediately reached out to support her.
Isolde steadied herself and frowned.
“How long was I asleep?”
“Eight hours and thirteen minutes.”
Not bad, a normal amount of rest.
She summoned her status panel in her mind, and a gray light screen quickly materialized.
This time, the panel was no longer just a flimsy NPC status screen.
Instead, it featured a dark red border, resembling an old piece of parchment soaked in blood.
【Name: Isolde】
【Attribute: Malice】
【Current Identity: Master of Crow Candle Castle / Soul-Weaving Witch / Soul Stitcher】
【Faction: Crow Candle Castle】
【You have become the new master of the castle and completed the first Blood Banquet Verdict.】
【Reward: Castle Deterrence increased】
【Reward: Low-tier servant loyalty locked】
【Reward: Basic castle modification authority unlocked】
【Personal attributes significantly increased】
【HP: 350→450】
【MP: 80→140】
【Defense: 50→100】
【Agility: 10→20】
【Strength: 10→18】
【Intelligence: 120→130】
Isolde fell silent for a moment as she looked at the final line.
Strength: 18.
Evolved from a roadside chick in the starter village to a roadside chick that pecks.
Truly a cause for celebration.
Rate on N.U.
