Isolde withdrew her gaze and turned to instruct:
“Lia, prepare a room for Mr. Ur.”
Lia nodded slightly. “Yes, My Lady.”
Ur was somewhat surprised by the castle owner's hospitality and quickly asked, “May I choose it myself?”
Isolde's tone was very flat. “You may. But my Big Goldie has a terrible temper. It might throw you out the window at night.”
Ur did not understand, tilting his head slightly. “Big Goldie is...?”
“It is the nickname of my castle.”
Isolde finished with a smile. Right after, the massive castle behind her seemed to respond to her words; the entire building trembled, causing the bricks to clatter against each other.
Ur stared at the massive castle as if admiring a precious treasure, exclaiming happily:
“This castle is truly magnificent. I would love to go inside and have a look. I must trouble the maid to arrange it for me.”
Lia made a gesturing motion of “after you” and turned to lead the way.
As Ur passed by Isolde, he tipped his top hat in thanks:
“With the God of Contracts as our witness, I hope we have a pleasant cooperation. Good night, noble lady.”
His voice drifted past Isolde's ear like a chilly breeze.
Once only a few faceless servants remained by her side, Isolde finally looked at the broken holy beast's body inside the coffin.
Icy mist poured down along the edges of the coffin, forming a layer of white clouds on the ground.
The blood next to the broken horn had already dried black, the fur was tangled into hard clumps, and the cut marks on its chest, abdomen, and limbs were jarringly clear.
She raised her hand, and two faceless servants immediately stepped forward, but their movements visibly hesitated for a moment, and they did not advance further.
Even in death, the residual holiness on its body still filled the surrounding undead aura with dread.
Seeing this, Isolde had the faceless servants seal the coffin and brought over a roll of Soul-Sealing Cloth to wrap around it layer by layer.
The Soul-Sealing Cloth was quickly scorched by the holy light, and black runes lit up one by one, barely shutting out the oppressive pressure.
Only then did the faceless servants lift the coffin again and walk toward the castle's interior.
Wrapped in her plush cloak, Isolde walked at the very front.
The door to the underground laboratory slowly opened, the ghostly fires on both sides of the walls lighting up one by one. The lines of the transmutation array emerged from the darkness like a web waiting to feed.
The faceless servants placed the coffin into the center of the magic array runes.
As the coffin lid was pushed open, a chill immediately carpeted the floor, and an invisible wave rippled outward from the center.
The creatures soaking in the glass jars actually began to turn black, and several bottles containing remnant souls shook violently, as if frightened by something.
A Legendary-grade holy beast could still dominate the room even in death.
Not to mention its residual value, which was also terrifyingly high.
Using any random part of it to modify Lia would definitely yield a much better effect than the Bone Blade Fragment.
Just as she was about to pull up the modification options, a gray light screen suddenly popped up before her eyes.
【Special Body Detected: Mooncrown Unicorn】
【Quality: Legendary】
【Status: Dead】
【Warning: This creature has a strong residual Echo of Last Wishes】
【It is not recommended to deconstruct, smelt, devour, stitch, or refine before the Echo of Last Wishes is cleared】
【The Echo of Last Wishes will evolve into a curse over time】
【Curse Target: All who desecrate the remains】
Isolde clicked her tongue in annoyance. She knew that Legendary-grade materials were not so easily acquired for free.
If she paid the remaining balance, deconstructed the item, and ended up suffering from a curse backlash, it would be an absolute loss of a transaction.
Isolde thought about it and decided to first figure out what the Echo of Last Wishes actually was, so her fingertip gently touched the unicorn's broken horn.
A powerful resentment scorched her fingertip with pain, as if rejecting her power.
The body before her was too broken, making it impossible to piece together a complete Echo of Last Wishes. It seemed she would have to start with body repair.
Isolde walked a circle around the magic array as the knowledge left behind by the original owner gradually unfolded in her mind.
A Soul Stitcher was more than just someone who lured and killed enemies or toyed with corpses.
A truly high-ranking Soul Stitcher was someone who could recall the souls of the dead and rewrite the rules of life and death.
Isolde skillfully took out Silver Thread, along with Soul-Sealing Wax, Moon Salt, Purifying Holy Water, and the Obsidian Needle she had just dug out from the castle's storeroom.
A gray-blue light gradually rose from deep within the unicorn's body. The wounds that had been broken and torn slowly closed under the guidance of the Silver Thread.
The faceless servants stood around, their featureless faces lowered, obediently handing items to Isolde from the side.
Like a professional surgeon, it did not take long before the unicorn's damaged body was finally completely pieced together.
Isolde raised her hand, attempting to recall its soul.
The silver-white Soul Thread extended from her fingertips and gently entered the center of the unicorn's forehead.
The candlelight in the laboratory suddenly dimmed.
Her head felt as if it had been struck hard by something, and countless images flooded in.
Figures in white robes stepped through pools of blood, the hems of their robes blindingly clean.
A young unicorn was pinned to a cold stone altar, its four hooves pierced by silver nails.
As it struggled, a soft, sorrowful cry came from its throat, yet the people around only chanted in low voices:
“The holy beast must dedicate itself to the Light.”
“You are born as a grace bestowed upon humanity by the gods.”
“Your sacrifice is worth it. People will remember you forever.”
In the next scene, an adult unicorn smashed its cage, blood dripping from its broken horn.
It ran through a long corridor, the path beneath its hooves paved entirely with the remains of its own kind.
In the center of the judgment altar, the pure white holy light shone down. It illuminated nothing, only making the pool of blood reflect an even deeper red.
Pain burrowed deep into Isolde's bones.
She heard wails, curses, and the sound of chains dragging across the ground.
Soon, those sounds mingled with the memories of her past life, playing rapidly before her eyes like a chaotic slideshow.
For a moment, she could not tell whether she was the unicorn or Yu Lingye.
Those white-robed figures said “the sacrifice is worth it,” and the players also said “you are weak, so you should obey.”
Different phrasing, but the same flavor.
Both trampled others' lives into the mud, yet stood on high to declare the meaning of it on behalf of the victims.
In the next moment, the entire world was engulfed in red.
Only two blood-red, glaring words remained in the air.
Revenge, revenge, revenge, revenge, revenge.
Isolde snapped her eyes open, stumbling backward and crashing against the cold wall.
She gasped for air, cold sweat sliding down from her temple to her jaw. Her cloak had slipped halfway down her shoulder, and she subconsciously clutched it.
The laboratory returned to silence, and the ghostly fires lit up once more.
The unicorn in the magic array runes remained dead and silent, but the dark patterns near its broken horn seemed to come alive for a brief moment, flowing slowly before sinking back into stillness.
Isolde leaned against the wall, taking a long time to recover.
She recalled what Ur had said to her once more.
A unicorn's memories could be shared, and so could its emotions.
The fear, regret, and hatred before death would be passed down through the bloodline layer by layer.
In that case, how could the last surviving one still be a holy beast?
It was the final witness to extreme atrocities, a breathing grave.
Isolde raised her hand to wipe the cold sweat from her temple, her fingers still trembling slightly.
If she followed the original owner's methods, she could certainly disregard everything, tear open the shackles of the last wish, slice off the most useful parts of the remnant soul, and stuff them into dolls, weapons, or the castle's arrays.
Even if she failed, she would still obtain a batch of extremely precious Holy-attribute materials.
Rationally, this was maximizing her gains.
Had it been Valen, he would probably have laughed until his mountain of flesh quivered, wishing he could dismantle the unicorn's bones into three hundred pieces without wasting even a hoof.
But as Isolde looked at the unicorn on the transmutation table, she suddenly felt a bit annoyed.
She had no desire to be a good person.
Nor did she plan to suddenly wave the banner of justice and stand in the light to speak pretty words.
But she knew exactly what it felt like to be pinned to the ground and forced into a “voluntary sacrifice.”
She could not ignore everything and proceed to tear this broken body apart.
Just as even though she had been reborn, she could not ignore the immense trauma her past experiences had inflicted upon her.
Furthermore, that self-righteous, condescending attitude made her extremely displeased.
Isolde walked back to the magic array, squatted down, and pressed her palm onto the unicorn's forehead once more.
“I won't dismantle you. Nor will I force you to return.”
“I will fulfill your last wish for you and collect the debts from those extremists.”
“I will help you claim the lives they owe you, but any resources dropped will belong to me.”
“We each get what we need.”
After saying this, she added another line:
“I am not your believer, nor am I your enemy. You want revenge, and I want to become stronger. If our goals align, we cooperate. If they differ, we part ways.”
The unicorn did not respond; only the soft crackle of the burning ghostly fires remained in the laboratory.
Isolde waited patiently. A moment later, the black patterns on the broken horn suddenly moved.
A wisp of gray-blue moonlight fell from the tip of the horn, wrapping around her wrist like a cold chain, and also like a sort of belated confirmation.
The moonlight sank into her palm, and a gray light screen popped up in response.
【Triggered: Mooncrown Unicorn's Echo of Last Wishes】
【You have obtained a temporary identity: Proxy of Last Wishes】
【You cannot command the Mooncrown Unicorn's remnant soul】
【You cannot force orders upon the Mooncrown Unicorn's body】
【Before fulfilling the last wish, you may call upon the residual holiness of its body】
【Current Last Wish: Pursue Old Debts】
【Warning: If you violate the agreement, the last wish will backlash against your soul.】
Isolde looked down as the gray-blue moonlight in her palm slowly sank into her skin and vanished.
The magic array runes on the ground slowly lit up.
Blue light flowed along the array runes like a layer of cold frost, covering the unicorn's broken body.
The holy aura in the laboratory was suppressed by a notch, and the remnant souls in several glass jars retreated to the bottom of their bottles, finally quietening down.
Isolde raised her hand and turned off the runes in the transmutation array used for deconstruction.
“Rest assured.”
She looked at the Mooncrown Unicorn's remains, her voice softening.
“I will not forgive on your behalf. I will only collect your debts.”
Rate on N.U.
