Lia still stood there quietly.
Like an old weapon waiting for its master's inspection.
But it was already difficult for Isolde to view her as merely a weapon.
She reached out and gently tapped Lia's chest.
Isolde looked into her cloudy, grey eyes, her voice dropping slightly.
“Now, it's time for you to go find your own 'proof of identity'.”
On the table, the 【Basic Puppet Core】 lay quietly in its black box.
The silver-grey sphere was wrapped in holy silver threads, its inner blue-white light extremely faint, like a tiny heart that hadn't fully awakened yet.
Isolde first retrieved the Soul-Sealing Wax, then withdrew holy silver ore and the remaining residue of the 【Undead Afterglow】 from her storage.
After a moment of thought, she also took out the 【Former Master's Spine Fragment】 she had stored away earlier.
The system had previously prompted her that Lia's soul core strength was insufficient, so direct fusion was temporarily not recommended.
Now the timing was perfect; it was the ideal moment to use this bone.
Isolde raised her hand, wrapping her Soul Threads around the spine fragment to strip away the most heavily contaminated parts bit by bit, leaving only the hardest bone structure.
The finely crushed bone powder was mixed into the holy silver ore, encased in Soul-Sealing Wax, and finally placed into the center of the magic circle.
Dark red runes surfaced on the floor of the underground laboratory.
Lia stood in the center of the array.
Her maid outfit swayed gently in the draft kicked up by the array. Exposed to the eerie firelight, her hollow left eye looked even quieter than usual.
Isolde looked up at her.
“It might hurt.”
Lia replied, “Thank you for your concern, Milady, but I do not feel pain.”
Isolde said softly, “Remember it anyway. If you feel uncomfortable, let me know.”
Lia didn't seem to quite understand this instruction.
After a long pause, she answered, “Yes, Milady. I will log any anomalies.”
Isolde lowered her eyes and pressed the puppet core into the array.
【Do you wish to fuse the Basic Puppet Core for Soul Contractee: Lia?】
【Prompt: This fusion will increase soul core stability, unlock basic self-repair, and slightly improve movement precision.】
【Material detected: Former Master's Spine Fragment】
【Do you wish to perform a secondary skeletal reinforcement?】
“Yes.”
The magic circle suddenly flared to life.
The Soul-Sealing Wax melted into a pale white liquid, crawling up Lia's calves, abdomen, and chest along the patterns beneath her feet.
The holy silver threads peeled away from the outer layer of the sphere, wriggling into her stitches like living things.
Lia's body shuddered violently.
Her soul core, originally covered in cracks, emerged from her chest, its dull grey light flickering erratically.
Isolde's gaze darkened as she shot her Soul Threads into the array.
The puppet core merged into the outer layer of her soul core, like placing a new lampshade over a dying light.
【Fusion successful】
【Soul Contractee: Lia】
【Soul Core Stability: 39% -> 67%】
【Movement Precision: Low -> Medium】
【Skeletal Hardness: Low -> Medium-High】
【Unlocked Trait: Basic Self-Repair】
【Description: Non-lethal damage can be slowly repaired by consuming stored mana and undead materials.】
【Prompt: Contractee's autonomous judgment capability has slightly increased.】
Lia looked down at her fingers.
She slowly clenched them into a fist, then released.
The movement was still stiff, but it was much smoother than before.
Isolde asked, “How does it feel?”
Lia remained silent for a moment.
“It feels... much lighter.”
Isolde felt a slight tug in her heart.
This was the first time Lia had described her own state in a way that didn't sound entirely like an automated command response.
Pushing down that trace of unusual emotion, Isolde picked up the final scroll, 【Pressure】.
“There is also this.”
Lia looked at the scroll.
Isolde unfurled the scroll, and a wisp of dark grey light rose from the paper.
【Do you wish to teach the skill 'Pressure' to Soul Contractee: Lia?】
【Compatibility: 82%】
“Yes.”
The scroll dissolved into a dark grey stream of light, sinking into the space between Lia's brows.
A ring of tiny, dark patterns briefly surfaced within Lia's intact grey eye.
【Learning successful】
【Soul Contractee: Lia has obtained active skill: Pressure】
【Current Mastery: Beginner】
【Prompt: 1. Due to the increase in the contractee's soul core stability, this skill can be cast autonomously.
This skill is ineffective against the Contractor.】
Isolde nodded in satisfaction and said to her,
“Give it a try.”
Lia raised her eyes.
In the next second, an invisible, oppressive force radiated from her.
In the corner of the laboratory, a faceless servant carrying an urn of ashes froze in its tracks.
Clatter.
The urn dropped to the floor, and the faceless servant immediately dropped to its knees.
Isolde stared at the ashes scattered all over the floor, falling into silence.
Lia also looked at the faceless servant, who was kneeling in a textbook posture.
After a moment, she reported seriously, “Milady, the skill is effective.”
Isolde: “I can see that.”
What a waste of her ashes, though.
“In the future, hold back a bit when using it on our own people.”
Lia bowed her head. “Yes, Milady.”
Isolde's lips curved upward.
“As for enemies...”
She paused, her tone growing a bit lighter.
“Use it to its absolute limit.”
“Yes, Milady.”
The eerie fires in the underground laboratory flickered gently.
Isolde looked back at her own panel.
Her setup was finally no longer a hodgepodge of mismatched scraps.
And Lia had finally upgraded from a "housekeeping-edition humanoid forklift" to the "strongest support with self-repair capabilities."
The main carry had grown stronger.
The sub-carry had also been fully geared up.
At least in the early game, team fights wouldn't be an uphill battle anymore.
Isolde closed her status panel in a pleasant mood.
In the next second, the castle walls suddenly trembled slightly.
As if reminding her: Don't forget about me.
Isolde looked up toward the gloomy ceiling above.
“You want to upgrade too?”
A low creaking sound echoed from within the walls.
The blood-red runes on the floor slowly lit up, like a massive eye slowly opening in the depths of the underground laboratory.
【Crow Candle Castle requests to use: Castle Core Fragment】
【Recommended Enhancement Direction: Defense Mechanism Upgrade】
【Reason: Enhance defense capabilities.】
【Additional Note: It feels that it, too, deserves practical care beyond just having a name.】
Isolde stared at the final line for a long moment.
Then, she laughed.
“Alright.”
She retrieved the 【Castle Core Fragment】 and placed it in her palm.
Inside the fragment, the miniature Banquet Hall flowed slowly, as if still recalling the bloody light of its former master's death.
Isolde tossed it gently.
The core fragment fell into the array runes on the floor.
In the next instant, the entire underground laboratory shook violently.
Small cracks spiderwebbed across the walls before sealing shut again.
New silver-black engravings grew along the edges of the workbench, and the color of the eerie fires shifted from an eerie green to a deeper blue-violet.
The originally rusted utensils looked as though they had been wiped clean by an invisible hand, their sharp edges gradually glinting with a cold light.
【Castle Core Fragment consumed】
【Defense Mechanism Upgrade complete】
【New Feature: Grey Mist Warning】
【Effect: The castle can sense outsiders approaching the boundary of the grey mist in advance.】
【New Feature: Portrait Patrol】
【Effect: Castle portraits can transmit vision and alert the master.】
【New Feature: Guard Linkage】
【Effect: Low-tier units like faceless servants and skeletal guards can execute defense commands.】
【New Feature: Blood Banquet Pre-Marking】
【Effect: Intruders who touch forbidden items or attack castle units will be stacked with a Blood Banquet Mark.】
【Crow Candle Castle Mood: Pleased】
Isolde was also in a very pleasant mood.
The sense of security that came from slowly turning her own place into a safe house was something she had never experienced even in modern times.
In her past life in the real world, she had a place to live.
But it was only a rented apartment.
If the door lock broke, she had to contact the landlord; if a pipe leaked, she had to wait for repairs; she even hesitated for a long time just to drive a single nail into the wall.
Later, after being dragged into the 《Fallen Realm》, she lost even that shred of temporary stability.
No home, no way back, and no place that truly belonged to her.
But things were different now. In the future, she would go out, hunt down those enemies from her past life, and seize skills or materials.
Crow Candle Castle was her backing.
Just then, a portrait in the corner of the laboratory suddenly shifted.
The portrait of an eyeless crow opened its beak and rasped out a voice.
“Master.”
Isolde looked toward it. “What is it?”
“Five outsiders have been detected at the boundary of the grey mist outside the castle.”
“Five?”
The crow portrait rasped, “Four men and one woman. Carrying shortswords, a staff, a large shield, a hunting spear, and a hand crossbow. Low-tier mana fluctuations detected. Assessed as continental adventurers.”
Isolde pondered for a moment, then glanced at Lia standing by her side.
Lia quietly bowed her head. “Awaiting your orders, Milady.”
Since uninvited guests had arrived, she might as well use them to test Lia's new capabilities.
After all, practice was the only standard for testing upgrade results.
And the one thing this world never lacked was unlucky fools delivering themselves right to her doorstep for a test.
Isolde raised her hand and gently tapped the wall.
“Goldie, clear a path and let them in.”
Rate on N.U.
