"I have a bad feeling about this place!" Meryl said anxiously, a frown etched on her face.
"Me too," Elena whispered in the same tone as she watched a worm crawl out of one eye socket of a skull and quietly slip into the other.
From behind some trees, Tulip caught sight of something. He tugged on Alvin's arm and pointed toward what he had seen.
"I know. We'll see it soon," Alvin replied calmly.
As they walked further, the figure became clearer. It was a statue no taller than five meters, depicting a woman with long red hair, standing surrounded by dozens of swords and human bones.
She wore warrior clothing and leaned on a sword planted in the ground to keep herself upright. Elena stepped closer. The woman's face was covered in a liquid substance.
When Elena touched it and brought it close to her nose, she immediately recognized it… it was blood!
At first, Elena's wide eyes—shocked by the discovery—didn't process it, but now, as she touched the woman's skin again, she realized it was soft!
Meryl, who had also touched the woman, said in a trembling voice,
"She's not a statue!"
Alvin had believed the same thing when he first came here and touched her skin. He thought she was simply resting from battle, even though he was certain she wasn't breathing.
He had sat near a tree and waited for a whole week—and she hadn't moved an inch.
During that week, every time Alvin touched the lady, he found her face soft—just like a living woman. She was a mystery he couldn't solve!
The second strange thing was that in this entire vast forest, the only spot with green grass and brightly colored flowers… was beneath her feet!
"Bluebell says she's a real woman, not a statue. What keeps her body from decaying after death is that it's infused with the energy of one of the Planets," Tulip wrote in the chat.
Elena looked at the woman in astonishment. A dead woman, perhaps for hundreds—or even thousands—of years, and yet her body looked as though she had died only moments ago!
"Does Bluebell know why the Planet did that?" Meryl asked curiously. Alongside her curiosity, another thought crept into her mind… No one knew when this woman had died, but it was certainly a very long time ago.
And if this meant anything, it meant the Planets had been watching this world for centuries.
Who are the Planets? Why do they possess such supernatural powers? And how can they travel between worlds so freely?
The only thing Meryl knew—and what Mr. Elyor had once told her—was that the Planets were beings who chose the title "Planets" to hide their true identities.
"Bluebell says maybe one of them was impressed by her strength and determination in battle… and wanted to preserve her body forever after her death."
Alvin sighed before continuing on his way, saying, "Let's go to the palace. We don't have much time to waste on a lifeless corpse."
"She's not one," Meryl said in annoyance as she followed him.
"As long as there's no soul inside her, she's just a lifeless corpse," he replied indifferently.
After some time, Alvin was able to see the edge of the tree line. When he crossed it, he saw a circular clearing with a simple stone country house in the center, white smoke rising from its chimney.
In its garden stood an ancient mulberry tree, its branches heavy with fresh red berries, and many flowers planted in designated spots… just like in the past.
"What… what is this? Where's the palace?" Meryl asked in shock, while Elena was stunned by how different the nature in this circular area was compared to the surrounding forest.
Yes, Alvin had asked the same question angrily when he came here in the past: Where is the palace? Lady Grace's palace was supposed to be here, and yet all he found was a simple country house!
Tulip finally let go of Alvin's hand and quietly walked toward the beautiful garden in awe, but he stopped in alarm at Alvin's sharp voice: "Stop!"
The child turned back in confusion, and Alvin continued, "There's an invisible barrier around the garden. The moment you touch it, your body will explode completely."
Tulip felt a quick shiver run through him and hurried back to Alvin, grabbing his hand again.
"How are we supposed to get through, then?" Elena asked as she placed her hands on her hips, staring at the house in confusion.
"We're waiting for her to come out," Alvin replied curtly, then lay down on the green grass, his gaze directed at the sky. Tulip sat beside him, resting his upper body on Alvin's chest while continuing to watch the quiet house.
"Who's coming out?" Meryl asked, annoyed by Alvin's calm demeanor.
"There's a young woman who lives here. She sometimes comes out to sit under the tree. We'll ask her to let us in."
"Alvin, have you lost your mind? Why would a young woman live alone in the middle of a dead forest?"
"Ask her when you see her," Alvin replied coolly, with a hint of sarcasm.
Meryl huffed in frustration, left him alone, and focused on the house before her. Smoke was rising from the chimney, which meant someone really was inside.
But how could this young woman live in such a dead forest? What does she eat? There weren't even any animals here!
Just a mulberry tree!
Elena believed the girl might come out at any moment and kept believing that with each passing minute. The minutes turned into hours, until the morning had passed, and the clock's hands pointed to 4 in the afternoon… then another hour passed, making it five in the evening.
"Waiting doesn't serve us," Meryl said after swallowing her bite. About twenty minutes earlier, Alvin had bought enough food for five people—one meal for each of them, and two for Elena due to her large appetite.
"Then try crossing the barrier," Alvin said in exasperation.
The two of them entered another argument, as had been their habit over the past few days. The house stood right in front of Tulip, who was enjoying the taste of the grilled meat and the carefully seasoned vegetables.
Suddenly, he saw the white curtain move to the side. He focused his gaze on the open window—there was someone there, perhaps adjusting the curtain? Tulip immediately tapped Alvin's arm lightly and pointed toward the house.
Only a few minutes passed, during which they were all on high alert after Tulip told them what he had seen. The house door opened quietly, and out stepped a young woman with pale skin and reddish-orange hair.
She wore a white dress with a golden belt around her waist and was adorned with many accessories.
She carried a small basket covered with a green-striped cloth. The girl stopped the moment her green eyes landed on the four guests. She smiled kindly and waved to them.
She placed her basket under the tree and calmly walked toward them. "Hello!" she said with a broad smile. "Can I help you with something?"
"We're here looking for the crystal, and we'd like to search the house," Alvin said calmly.
"Not like that, you idiot!" Meryl whispered nervously, alarmed by how directly Alvin got to the point.
"Bluebell says we need to be careful—this girl isn't human!" Tulip wrote in the chat, clearly worried.
This had been somewhat expected after the hours they had spent there, thinking about the possible ways someone could survive in a dead forest, not to mention the presence of a centuries-old corpse that hadn't decayed.
Alvin was the most aware of the situation, having been here before. But to be honest with himself, he hadn't expected, not even slightly, that non-human creatures existed in this world.
"Oh, it seems you've come to the wrong place," the young woman said with a small, cunning smile. "The crystal isn't here."
"If you don't mind, we'd like to search the house ourselves," Alvin said sharply.
"And if I do mind, what will you do, handsome?" the young woman asked with a sly little smile.