Alger's proposal

Her all-too-obvious hint stunned the others. After a brief moment of thought, Derrick arrived at an answer and asked with some hesitation:

"Are... are you there too?"

"Yes," Neph said, baring her teeth. "Where else would I be?"

Derrick instinctively looked toward the Fool seated at the head of the long table. The Fool remained aloof, seemingly unconcerned with their conversation.

Derrick turned his gaze back, blinking as he asked in a cautious tone:

"Miss Pure White...

"You only asked for six months' worth of food. Does that mean you're confident you can leave within six months?"

Neph raised her eyebrows.

She hadn't chosen that deadline at random. She hoped to reach Sequence 6 within six months, truly entering the Mid-Sequence ranks. In a sense, that would mark a transformation. Neph also remembered that Klein's Sefirah Castle had first interacted with reality when he was at Sequence 6. She hoped the Blank Canvas would undergo a similar change when she reached Sequence 6.

"Not entirely," she replied. "And I don't think you need to look at me like that-whether I can leave or not, I'm certain of one thing: this time, there's absolutely no way I can take anyone out of here."

After a short pause, she looked at Derrick and suddenly smiled. "If you really want to leave this cursed land so badly, why not look forward to the day my lord returns?"

Derrick instinctively glanced at the Fool again. The Fool still said nothing, so he cautiously asked:

"May I ask whom you worship?"

Neph leaned back in her chair, her eyes flickering.

Sequence 7 of the Ghoul pathway was called the "Emissary of Winter." Rather than interpreting it as something like "an emissary of the winter season," Neph preferred to believe that "Winter" referred to the God of Winter-a title she had invented.

Neph knew that although Sefirah Castle offered some shielding from the Spirit World, it didn't actually prevent her from making progress in her acting. Announcing the coming of the God of Winter in Sefirah Castle could still produce feedback for her acting; it would simply be delayed a little.

Klein couldn't get any because he was acting as an Attendant of Mysteries.

Therefore-

Neph tilted her head and smiled.

"Although I'd very much like to ask which of my lords you mean... given the context, I think you must mean...

"Mm, I call Him the God of Winter."

The God of Winter...?

Audrey and Alger both committed the name to memory and searched their minds, while Derrick said:

"I've never heard of this being."

"Neither have I," Neph said calmly.

"...?" Alger glanced at Neph again. Suddenly curious, he very much wanted to know just how many faiths this Miss Pure White held.

It certainly sounds like more than one... no, it sounds as though her understanding of faith might be rather different from most people's.

Derrick was bewildered too, but Neph didn't mind. Smiling at him as though nothing had happened, she said:

"Mr. Sun, we should discuss your payment... oh, right. Miss Justice, is that all right with you?"

"Y-yes," Audrey answered, sounding a little nervous.

Neph turned back to Derrick. Without waiting for him to ask, she took the initiative:

"Could you bring me a few Black-Faced Grass plants?"

Derrick paused briefly in surprise, then said, "But Black-Faced Grass can't be grown anywhere outside the City of Silver..."

"That won't be necessary." Neph shook her head. "I only want to collect some."

"Even so..." Derrick continued to frown. "Black-Faced Grass is very precious to the City of Silver, but it shouldn't be worth much to you."

Neph gave Derrick a pitying look and asked sincerely:

"Have you ever heard of cornering the market on a rare commodity? Or perhaps you've heard of a monopoly?

"Regardless of how valuable the City of Silver might be to the outside world, the fact remains that Black-Faced Grass only grows on your land.

"But if you really feel bad about it... you could put together a few Black-Faced Grass recipes for me, along with cultivation guidelines and things like that... you should have plenty of those."

"...Miss Pure White, Black-Faced Grass really can't be grown anywhere else in the Forsaken Land of the Gods," Derrick reminded her. "We've tried."

Neph shook her head. "I know, but I really don't intend to grow it... I want the recipes for the same reason I want the plants. I just want to collect them. Do you understand?"

Derrick nodded, only half understanding.

Neph turned to Alger. Before she could ask, he spoke first. "What would you like from me, Miss Pure White?"

"Ah..." Neph laughed. "You're still just as... sigh, you really did figure it out."

She paused, abandoning that inexplicable remark, and merely tilted her head.

"I'd like to ask you a question first. It will determine what I request as payment."

"Hmm?" Alger frowned at her, seemingly waiting for her question.

Neph unconsciously rubbed her fingers against the table again. She had already confirmed in that pure white space that the Sequence 3 Pure White Walker possessed the power to remove corruption. That meant that if she intended to resolve Moon City's corruption problem before leaving, she could leave behind a Sealed Artifact made from a Pure White Walker Beyonder characteristic.

...But.

"In the outside world, is it easy to find Artisans at the Demigod level or above?" Neph asked Alger, her brow creasing slightly.

"Extremely difficult," Alger answered without hesitation. "The Artisan pathway is controlled by the Church of Steam and Machinery. You can still find a few below the Demigod level, but at the Demigod level or above..."

Neph frowned. After a moment of silence, she said, "In that case, I have another question I'd like to ask you."

"Go ahead." Alger nodded.

"I have a Sequence 3 Beyonder characteristic that can purify corruption..." Neph said unhurriedly. "I'd like to turn it into a Mystical Item while retaining its ability to purify corruption... what do you think I should do?"

A Sequence 3... Beyonder characteristic? And it hasn't formed a Sealed Artifact on its own? It seems she has some special means of preserving it... After pondering for a moment, Alger said:

"Have you considered letting it form a Sealed Artifact on its own? As far as I know, without a suitable means of preservation, a Beyonder characteristic will seep into surrounding objects and form a Sealed Artifact. That only takes two or three days.

"Have you considered that approach?"

"But wouldn't the results be poor that way? I can't guarantee that the ability I

"want will be preserved, and there would also be negative effects..." Neph sounded hesitant.

"Even an Artisan would face those same problems, though the chances would be lower." Alger shook his head. "If that concerns you, you could consider using a Mystical Item that boosts luck to help."