Isolde stopped in her tracks, feeling puzzled.
There was actually a hidden room here.
She raised her hand to touch the chains, and a sharp sting immediately pricked her fingertips.
A biting chill seeped through her skin, making it feel as though something behind the door was watching her.
Isolde quickly withdrew her hand.
Even with her authority as the castle's new master, she couldn't open this thing.
Either Valen had hidden it too deeply, or the castle itself held an even older secret.
Standing beside her, Lia asked if she should break it open by force.
Isolde flatly refused.
Having just become the new master, there was no need to dismantle a forbidden underground zone right off the bat.
Behind a door that couldn't be opened, there usually wasn't some kind of newbie starter pack waiting for her.
Besides, the currently accessible areas of the castle were already vast enough. Just walking through them all was exhausting.
Isolde glanced at her 18 attribute points and sighed silently.
She and strength had no affinity for each other for the time being, so her physical stamina naturally left much to be desired.
“Keep it sealed for now,” she said. “We'll look into it later.”
Lia nodded. “Yes, Miss.”
Two days later, Isolde had finally mapped out the general layout of the castle.
This castle was no ordinary residence.
Its outer layer could confuse intruders, its inner layer could trap targets, the Banquet Hall could enforce rule verdicts, and the underground laboratory could process materials and modify dolls.
Valen had only ever used it as a lair, which was an absolute waste.
However, Isolde did not plan to make major changes immediately.
First, she lacked the resources; second, there was no need.
The castle's most important function right now was not active trapping, but hiding, protecting, and storing resources.
It needed to sit quietly in the gray mist, the more inconspicuous, the better.
The one who really needed to move was herself.
Sitting in the hall, she reorganized the information she had gathered over the past two days.
Lia's enhancement path had already been decided.
The castle warehouse could also be used normally.
The outer traps would maintain a minimal defense, and the illusion formation would temporarily only retain its concealing effect.
The unknown basement remained sealed.
The underground laboratory would continue to be cleaned, reserved for making dolls and processing materials later on.
What was left was to go outside.
There were several resource nodes in the early stages of 《Fallen Realm》 that she had to secure as soon as possible.
If she didn't snatch up certain skill books, materials, and hidden quests, they would soon fall into the hands of players.
There were also those who had survived by stepping over her in her past life.
Since they hadn't grown powerful yet, this was the perfect time to nip them in the bud.
Isolde picked up her cold tea and took a slow sip.
As the bitter taste spread across her tongue, her mind became clearer.
The castle was her trump card.
A trump card couldn't be shown off every day.
What she needed to do was hide herself well, hide the castle well, and then grab everything she could before anyone else realized what was happening.
Lay low and grow, head out quietly, scavenge what she could.
And kill when she had to.
Lia suddenly spoke up. “Miss, there is one more thing.”
Isolde looked up. “Speak.”
Over the past two days, she had gradually adapted to her role as the master of the castle.
Lia lowered her eyes. “The day after tomorrow, the body parts sent from the North will arrive at the castle.”
Isolde paused.
She had almost forgotten.
Valen had indeed mentioned before that this batch of body parts was an important material for his next fusion.
Isolde suddenly felt a spark of interest; for Valen to value them so highly, they had to be good items.
“Tell them to deliver them as scheduled.”
Lia asked, “Should we activate the defenses?”
“No.”
Isolde raised her hand, gently brushing her fingers over the Secret-Peeking Button on her cuff.
“Open the main gates.”
Lia asked, “Do you wish to receive them in person, Miss?”
Isolde smiled very gently.
“Of course. They've traveled all this way to deliver materials to our doorstep. It would be quite rude of me, the new shopkeeper, not to welcome them myself.”
On the evening two days later, the sound of a bell echoed from beyond the gray mist.
The sound was crisp and clear, yet falling upon the dead silence of the withered forest, it sent a shiver down one's spine.
Isolde stood by the window on the second floor of the castle, parting the black veil slightly with her fingertips.
In the distance, the mist parted, and a carriage slowly rolled in.
But upon closer inspection, it wasn't a carriage at all. Instead, sixteen withered branches extended from the bottom, crawling forward step by step like a row of fingers treading on the damp ground, dragging the cabin along.
The cabin was tall and thin, resembling a sharpened, mobile grocery store.
The door was covered in small hanging signs that clinked softly as the cabin swayed, filled with dense writing and labels.
Some were in the Common Tongue, while others were symbols Isolde couldn't decipher.
Lia stood behind her, reporting stiffly:
“Miss, the deliveryman has arrived.”
“I see him.”
Isolde let go of the curtain and turned to head downstairs.
Today, she wasn't wearing her white dress; instead, she had changed into a luxurious-looking black gown.
She was now the master of the castle. Since she was meeting a merchant, she could no longer play the part of an innocent, victimized flower.
Doing business required a certain aura.
Otherwise, they might think her shop was too new and its owner too green, making her easy prey to rip off.
The castle gates slowly groaned open.
On either side, the faceless servants stood in silence, parting the mist down the middle.
The mobile grocery store came to a halt in front of the gate.
The sixteen branches beneath it retracted simultaneously, folding neatly into the base.
The entire cabin stood firmly, like a small shop that had suddenly set up business on the spot.
With a creak, the door swung open.
A figure stepped out.
Calling him a human was a bit of a stretch.
He was very tall and as thin as a withered clothes hanger.
He wore a long coat stitched together from old cloth, leather, animal fur, and contract parchment, with small vials, copper coins, and fangs dangling from the edges.
With every step, he jingled and clattered, resembling a scarecrow draped in trinkets.
His face had no features, only a white mask.
A bizarre smiley face was painted on the mask, its mouth curved high up. If one stared at it for too long, it seemed to mock anyone who tried to reason with him.
Isolde stared at him for a moment, confirming she had never seen him before.
The wandering merchant raised his hand to tip his top hat, bowing elegantly to her.
“Good day, beautiful young lady.”
“I have here a shipment ordered by Duke Valen ten years ago, which requires his personal signature upon receipt.”
Isolde smiled. “A shipment from ten years ago?”
She remembered that the body's original owner had only sought refuge with Valen five years ago to become his adoptive daughter.
She hadn't expected this shipment to predate her own arrival by so much.
Seeing that she didn't reply, the wandering merchant continued, “To be precise, it is a shipment reserved by Duke Valen, which requires his personal signature and the payment of the remaining balance.”
Isolde stood before the entrance, her smile unchanging, growing even gentler.
“Duke Valen is indisposed and cannot receive visitors.”
The man tilted his head. “What kind of indisposition?”
Isolde replied, “The kind of indisposition from which one never wakes up. I'm afraid he won't be able to sign for it himself.”
The man: “...”
The air fell silent for a brief moment.
A moment later, the man let out a low chuckle.
“I see. No wonder the scent of this castle has changed.”
He placed his top hat back on his head.
Only then did Isolde notice that a few faded copper coins and bleached bone fingers were stitched onto the brim of his hat.
The man smoothed his cuffs and bowed to her once more.
“Then, allow me to introduce myself once more. I am the Third Wandering Merchant, Ur, one of the most loyal believers of the God of Contracts.”
“My primary business includes, but is not limited to: specializing in the sale of forbidden materials, erroneous fates, expired divine revelations, and various unclaimed inheritances left behind after the deaths of their buyers.”
Rate on N.U.
