The Little Chick That Pecked

Isolde woke amid a chill, gloomy fragrance.

It was faint, like old roses dried in the sun and then sealed inside a coffin.

She opened her eyes to find the black bed curtains still above her.

Dark red tassels hung from their edges, swaying gently in a breeze coming from somewhere within the ancient castle.

"Miss, you're awake."

Lia's stiff voice sounded from beside the bed.

Isolde turned her head.

The puppet maid stood quietly at the bedside. One of her sleeves had torn open, and dirty bandages hung weakly around her face, making her look even more like a broken doll than before.

She held a tray containing a cup of black-red liquid.

Isolde took one look, and her stomach spasmed reflexively as a sour taste rose in her throat.

"What is that?"

Lia lowered her head. "Soul-Calming Blood Tea."

Isolde said, "...Take it away."

She could not stand the sight of such things right now. They always reminded her of that rotten apple.

Lia obediently moved the tray farther away.

Isolde pressed a hand to her temple and tried to remember. "How did I get back?"

"You fainted in the Banquet Hall," Lia replied flatly. "I carried you back to your bedroom to rest."

Isolde braced herself on the edge of the bed and sat up.

The moment she moved, it felt as though countless silver threads inside her head had been tugged, sending fine, dense pain through her mind.

That final voice from last night surfaced once more from the depths of her memories.

Isolde's vision darkened, and her fingertips curled slightly.

She immediately realized something serious—the original owner might still be here.

Or rather, the remnant of the original owner's soul had not completely vanished with Isolde's arrival.

It was like an anchor hidden deep within her body. Usually, it stayed quiet, but at some crucial moment, it might suddenly emerge to make its presence known.

The feeling was deeply unpleasant.

But she had no time to wrestle with the "previous tenant" in her body. As long as it did not cause trouble normally, that was enough.

Isolde closed her eyes and simply ignored that faint, intermittent voice completely.

She looked up at Lia. "What's the situation in the castle now?"

Lia immediately answered, "After Duke Valen's death, Crowcandle Castle's absolute authority has been transferred to you, Miss."

"From now on, you are the sole master of Crowcandle Castle."

As soon as she finished speaking, faint footsteps sounded outside the bedroom door.

A Faceless Attendant entered with a bow.

It had no features, only a smooth patch of pale skin where its face should have been. Holding a silver tray in both hands, it respectfully knelt before the bed.

The items that had fallen last night were arranged neatly on the tray.

[Bone Blade Fragment]

[Undead Afterglow]

[Damaged Bone Bow Part]

[Old Silver Candlestick]

There were also two unused basic healing potions, a heavily chipped short dagger, and several copper coins stained with black blood.

Isolde's gaze paused on the old silver candlestick.

She could not help laughing.

Luo Qi had stolen that candlestick so smoothly at the time. He probably never imagined that in the end, both he and the candlestick would be packaged up and sent back together.

If those three "heroes" had not so enthusiastically delivered themselves and triggered player drops, she really would not have obtained these materials so easily.

Especially the [Undead Afterglow].

It was considered a fine item in the early stages, capable of giving undead-affinity and soul-stitching equipment a low-grade enchantment.

In her previous life, she would have been scolded just for taking a look at it. Do you even understand what you're looking at?

Now, it had been delivered right to her bedside without the slightest effort.

As for the other equipment, it had most likely vanished with its owners due to being bound drops.

Just as Isolde was about to ask Lia to put everything away, her gaze suddenly froze.

At the edge of the tray lay three inconspicuous little gray stones.

They had been pressed beneath the Damaged Bone Bow Part. Isolde reached out, moved aside several materials, and touched the three dull gray pebbles with her fingertips.

The stones were tiny enough to fit entirely in her palm, with inconspicuous concealment runes carved across their surfaces.

At first glance, they looked like ordinary bits of gravel.

But her panel appeared.

[Rare Item: Hidden Backpack Stone]

[Description: Can conceal one inventory slot, preventing it from being discovered by low-level detection skills. Drops upon death.]

An unexpected gain—and there were three of them.

She crushed the three Hidden Backpack Stones one by one.

The first stone shattered, rolling out a small grayish-white bone fragment.

The fragment was as thin as paper, yet its sharp edges reflected light. A line of tiny ancient text was carved onto its surface.

[Special Material: Perjurer's Jawbone]

[Quality: Rare]

[Description: A jawbone taken from someone who repeatedly broke oaths in life. Can be used to create contract items.]

[Special Effect: The contracted party cannot lie to the contractor. If the contractor breaks a promise, it will trigger a backlash against the soul.]

Good stuff.

If you enjoy this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.

With this jawbone, she would not have to worry about being betrayed or having someone break their word during future deals.

Running one's mouth came with risks. Promises had to be made carefully.

But this thing seemed usable only once, so she would have to save it for a critical moment.

The second Hidden Backpack Stone shattered and dropped an ordinary-looking silver button.

[Special Equipment: Secretsight Button]

[Quality: Rare]

[Description: Upon touching any button on a piece of clothing, it automatically replaces it, allowing the user to see loopholes in contracts and the target's most recent hidden action. If the target carries a Hidden Backpack Stone, camouflage item, or concealment spell, the attempt will fail.]

[Restriction: Can only be triggered three times per day. If the attempt fails, the button becomes unusable for 24 hours.]

Looking at that unremarkable button, Isolde finally became somewhat interested.

Though she did not know whose it was, that person had definitely used it to spy on the other two. That was why he had chosen the black cup at the final moment.

After the third Hidden Backpack Stone shattered, a drop of black wax floated into view.

The wax tear did not fall. Instead, it slowly wriggled like a living thing, and a faint cold fragrance drifted through the air.

[Special Item: Night Prayer Wax Tear]

[Quality: Rare]

[Description: When lit, creates an "illusion" within an area. Targets entering the illusion's range will fall into fear and fill in the scene they fear most.]

[Special Effect: If the target is fatigued or fearful, the illusion's realism increases.]

[After the wax tear burns out, the illusion will collapse in reverse, plunging targets into 3 seconds of cognitive confusion.]

Isolde's eyes shifted slightly.

No wonder that once the black cup rule was announced, they had shouted about choosing the white cup together while their hands were more honest than the next.

So every one of them had hidden a backup plan.

All of them believed they could devour the other two's skills and items, then soar to the top in a single step.

From the start, they had assumed everyone would lie, because they themselves were exactly that kind of people.

Isolde sneered.

"Birds of a feather really do flock together."

Lia's dull gray eyes moved slightly. "Is Miss very happy?"

Isolde tossed the items back onto the tray.

"Not happy, exactly. I just think they did not die unfairly at all."

She had seen plenty of it in her previous life.

For a rare skill book, players would lure their teammates into hordes of monsters.

To snatch a piece of equipment, supposedly permanent teams could split up overnight and casually trick their healer into becoming a sacrifice.

Some even specialized in pretending to team up with newcomers. Once those newcomers had gathered enough materials, they would turn around and murder them for their loot.

The most useful thing about this game was how it stripped away the skin of players who thought they were merely here to "experience a virtual world," revealing their true faces.

Isolde lazily leaned back against the bed.

"Put them on the table."

The Faceless Attendant bowed and carried the tray to the desk. Even the arrangement of the items was so proper that it looked like an offering.

Lia stood nearby and asked, "Do you need them sorted into storage?"

"Not yet."

Isolde threw off the covers and got out of bed.

When her feet touched the floor, she swayed. Lia immediately raised a hand to support her.

Isolde steadied herself and frowned.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Eight hours and thirteen minutes."

Not bad. That was a normal amount of sleep.

She summoned her panel in her mind, and a gray screen quickly emerged.

This time, the panel was no longer a thin NPC attribute window.

Instead, it had dark red borders, like an old parchment soaked in blood.

[Name: Isolde]

[Affinity: Evil Affinity]

[Current Identity: Master of Crowcandle Castle / Soulweaving Witch / Soul Stitcher]

[Faction: Crowcandle Castle]

[You have become the new master of the castle and completed the judgment of the first Blood Feast.]

[Reward: Castle intimidation increased]

[Reward: Low-ranking servant loyalty locked]

[Reward: Castle basic renovation authority unlocked]

[Personal attributes greatly increased]

[Health: 350→450]

[Mana: 80→140]

[Defense: 50→100]

[Agility: 10→20]

[Strength: 10→18]

[Intelligence: 120→130]

Isolde fell silent when she saw the last line.

Strength: 18.

She had evolved from a roadside chick in the beginner village into a roadside chick in the beginner village that could peck people.

What a joyful achievement.

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