Perfect Amber

The Daughters of Amber would kill all intruders.

Once a Daughter of Amber discovered an intruder, all the Daughters of Amber would be awakened by a chain reaction.

Li Wen even stopped breathing. She could feel a Daughter of Amber's gaze resting on her—although the Daughter of Amber had no eyes, and Li Wen in Shadow State had no physical body. That clammy, icy sensation was like the lick of a reptile, enough to make anyone shudder.

She was not sure whether this awakened Daughter of Amber had already discovered her. If that was truly the case, losing this one life was no great matter to Li Wen, but if all the other Daughters of Amber were awakened as a result, then all her efforts so far would likely be wasted, and she could only seek another way.

Fortunately, the Daughter of Amber soon turned her face away. She seemed merely puzzled by the shadow on the ground and had not truly noticed Li Wen.

Li Wen did not act rashly. She remained where she was for a full quarter of an hour. Only after confirming that the Daughter of Amber had truly failed to notice her did she begin moving slowly toward the inner hall's doors, taking one step, then stopping.

For some unknown reason, the already awakened Daughter of Amber began to move, startling Li Wen into stopping at once. She watched as the Daughter of Amber's cloak slowly fell away, revealing a smooth back covered in strange patterns. Those root-like markings began to glow with a color Li Wen could not make out, spreading outward from the Daughter of Amber's back.

They grew and tangled like tree roots, eventually forming the shape of enormous wings.

The Daughter of Amber floated into the air from nowhere, beat her wings, and vanished from Li Wen's sight in an instant, leaving no trace behind.

Where had she gone?

Li Wen could not imagine it, nor did she want to think about it.

Now, no one guarded the inner hall's doors. The Final Codex was only a few steps away. As long as she walked over, pushed open the doors, all her efforts would have been worthwhile.

But before that, Li Wen's gaze fell upon the cloak on the floor. It was an item left behind by the Daughter of Amber. This was the Amber Temple, and no one had come here since the Golden Age. Naturally, the cloak could not have come from outside. Without even needing to think about it, she knew it had to be some precious treasure.

Should she pick it up or not?

The question flashed through Li Wen's mind.

She was currently in Shadow State and could not touch any physical object, only cling to shadows. In other words, if she wanted to take the cloak, Li Wen first had to dispel Shadow Walker.

This was undoubtedly a highly risky attempt, but it was indeed worth trying.

The Daughters of Amber's awakening was not instantaneous. They needed time to recover from Long Slumber and gradually shed the amber-like Twilight Power.

That was enough time for Li Wen to pick up the cloak and enter the inner hall. The inner hall was a safe zone, housing the Final Codex. Any Twilight Believers who trespassed into the Amber Temple's inner hall would face severe punishment from the Witch Disciplinary Center.

Li Wen was not someone who liked to hesitate. Just as the former leader of the Strategy Group had once said of her, Li Wen saw no probabilities. It was precisely because of this that, when no one knew whether Urd's Thorn could truly rewrite fate, Li Wen had been able to use the divine artifact to kill herself without hesitation.

Thus, Li Wen decisively dispelled Shadow State and dashed forward. At that moment, she could already hear sounds like ice cracking. Countless Daughters of Amber were breaking free of their restraints.

Li Wen reached out and picked up the cloak. A terrifying pressure spread through the place. This temple had remained dead and silent for years, but now it stirred to life for the first time. Flecks of amber scattered and vanished in the air as the Daughters of Amber stretched their graceful bodies, their root-shaped markings beginning to shine with frightening light.

At that critical moment, Li Wen rolled and burst through the inner hall's doors.

Her former position was instantly surrounded by countless figures. Looking out from inside the doors, the entire corridor was filled with them. Every one of them had the form of a beautiful, fair-skinned young woman, radiating terrifying pressure. Yet not one dared cross the threshold into the inner hall. They could only stand outside, silently threatening Li Wen within.

Li Wen felt not the slightest ripple in her heart. She stood up and directly shut the inner hall's doors again.

If she could not see them, they did not exist.

"No wonder it was so noisy outside. Someone had invaded this place."

A cold, unfamiliar voice slipped into Li Wen's ears. Her scalp went numb. The guide had not mentioned in the slightest that there were living people inside the temple's inner hall!

Li Wen forced herself to remain calm and turned around.

The inner hall's style and decorations carried an even stronger religious air. Above was an enormous skylight, through which she could see the red-to-yellow twilight gradient and a towering, half-withered tree beneath it. At the center of the inner hall was a huge eye-shaped stained-glass design facing the skylight, its pupil also an amber color fading from red to yellow.

Opposite the doors, where an altar should have stood, was concealed behind a heavy gray curtain. The voice Li Wen had heard came from behind it.

"Who are you?"

Li Wen tried to gather information through conversation, but the other party apparently had no intention of speaking with her.

"The thing in your hand..."

"Booty." Li Wen glanced at the cloak in her hand and answered without hesitation.

"That was Livia's favorite cloak. Even when she performed the Final Rite, she was unwilling to take it off..."

Li Wen fell silent. Based on what this person had said, the Daughter of Amber who had guarded the door earlier should have been the "Livia" this mysterious person spoke of. From the tone, Livia and the other party seemed to share a rather intimate relationship.

This was truly terrible. Just a moment ago, she had declared right in front of this person that something their friend treasured beyond measure was her own spoils.

"I heard Livia leave. She must be going to destroy some annoying bugs. How strange—no one has visited this lonely city in a very long time... Tell me, what happened outside?"

What happened... Did players invading, the apocalypse approaching, and the world ending count?

"I see. So that was why you came here seeking the Final Codex?"

The other party seemed able to see through Li Wen's thoughts and directly perceive what she was thinking. To a player, that was truly inconceivable.

"No, I cannot see anything. It is simply that you... stranger who has come here, you have told me everything about yourself. It is as though a mirror stands before you. You are outside the mirror, while the you inside it is speaking with me."

Li Wen was speechless. She had never heard of such an ability. Even the Arcane Path, famed for its inexhaustible spells, seemed to have no record of such magic.

It seemed to belong to no Path of any lineage.

"Who exactly are you?"

After a long silence, the other party spoke softly:

"I am the Head of Witches, Twilight's First Gift, the last gravekeeper of Grelion. All call me 'Perfect Amber.'"