"Then isn't this book pretty much useless? Why not just toss it to the True Creator? Maybe I could get something in..."
Before he could finish, his vision suddenly blurred, and a magnificent palace made of coral appeared before him.
Lilith and Phoenix had both abruptly vanished.
Layers of deep blue seawater rippled above the palace. Towering pillars supported an extravagantly large dome, making it both grand and majestic, yet gloomy and dim.
Edward flipped a coin. After confirming there was no problem, he stepped into the Coral Palace.
He was greeted by one elf after another. Some were roasting fish, some were adding spices to solidified blocks of animal blood, and others were using two twigs to lift food to their mouths. Not one paid any attention to the stranger entering.
Atop the steps at the far end of the Coral Palace stood a coral throne inlaid with sapphires, emeralds, and lustrous pearls. A female elf in an elaborate, antiquated gown sat there, looking down at Edward. She bore an eighty or ninety percent resemblance to the figure in the ruins' murals.
She was Cohinem, the Calamity Queen of the Elf Race.
At that moment, she looked at Edward with a complicated expression, her tone indifferent. "You've seen me. You can leave now."
Cohinem's reaction left Edward somewhat puzzled. He had poked the Book of Calamity with a stick not because he really wanted to meet this elven queen, but because, just as he had said, he wanted to test whether the book was dangerous.
But why was this queen reacting so strangely?
Right, now I remember!
Edward had seen a similar reaction on the face of that lovely Egg Tree lady, Reinette Tinekerr.
"Your Highness Cohinem, you seem very unwilling to see me?"
The Calamity Queen said coldly,