Iris once again stepped into the imperial treasury. This time, she wasn't as clueless as before. In her hand, the Puppeteer Token faintly glowed. It had gained faint lustre and a few patterns on its surface.
Every time Iris completed a test, the Puppeteer Token would gain more engravements. With more engravements, Iris would unlock more privileges.
Suppressing her excitement, Iris looked around. The imperial treasury was still the same. The other Monster Girls couldn’t enter the imperial treasury, including Kurion. The rules of the Puppeteer Legacy Ground were crumbling. Though it gave the Overseer urgency, it also relaxed the restriction of his authority.
"I have to hurry," Iris whispered. "The longer I stay here, the more time the Overseer will have."
Using the energy gained from the Faith, Iris cast an investigation spell, spreading her senses outside of her perception, slowly permeating the imperial treasury with her consciousness. It was an inferior version of Divine Sense of the Deities, obtained from the fragmented knowledge during the failed ascension.
Iris's perception swept across a few rows of altars, but she found nothing that could stir her soul. Because of her mortal body and soul, she couldn't use the full potential of the Divine Sense. Her consciousness could only reach out a few tens of metres around her.
She tried other mundane spells, but the imperial treasury suppressed them all. She could only walk around and give everything up to chance, to Fate, to Destiny.
"Without the knowledge from the world and the Lord, I can't even do anything. Kurion, how did you do it? How could you mislead the Legacy Ground?"
Iris knew that Kurion was one of the most powerful Monster Girls inside the Labyrinth of Love, a Distortive Dark Elemental. To have the ability to distort the power of the Legacy Ground, Kurion must have a deep secret, a mysterious origin.
If that were the case, it would explain why she could give up the treasures inside the imperial treasury.
"No matter. We all have our secrets, I, Kurion, Artium, Serinda. All of us have our unspeakable reasons."
Iris didn't ask further how Kurion could mislead the Legacy Ground; Kurion didn't ask further how Iris knew about the secrets of the Legacy Ground.
What mattered was the two chances she got, one from the Puppeteer Token, the other from Kurion.
What should she get?
Before she decided on it, she hastily toured the outer section of the imperial treasury, looking through many exotic materials, spell records, ancient knowledge, and strange artefacts. Though they exuded powerful, majestic auras, Iris didn't choose any of them. She lacked the knowledge of their function and could only decide with the resonance with her soul.
None of the exotic materials could elicit a strong resonance with her soul. If she absorbed them, her progression through the Transformation Phase would be minimal. They might be valuable ingredients for powerful artefacts and potions, but she needed something that could be of use right here, right now.
After completing a round around the imperial treasury, Iris had confirmed that there was only one altar for the Soul Gems. She used up one chance and took all the Soul Gems, heaving a sigh as the weight on her shoulders lessened.
Before coming here, Iris had asked Artium for the Virtual Space Ring. Artium agreed, but Iris now owed her one favour. She didn't know if she yearned for it or disliked it; she didn't want to consider the question.
Once Iris got all the Soul Gems, she rushed into the inner section of the imperial treasury. She effortlessly went through the divider curtain, reaching the ancient treasury. The same serenity greeted her as she immersed herself in the profound yet ordinary atmosphere.
Taking a deep breath, Iris walked to a row of dusty bookshelves and glided her fingers across multiple books, checking their titles, admiring their designs. Like in her previous life, these book covers were of similar material, compositions, and sizes. Though most of them were valuable in the past, time had changed. Many books were useless, describing extinct plants or obsolete concepts.
After going through the first row, she found only one fascinating book—Speculative Divinity: Power Above, Faith Below. Though it wasn't an artefact or exotic material, it contained profound knowledge about Faith, Divinity, and the Deities.
In the future, Iris had to clash with the Deities; the knowledge inside the book would be of immense help.
"Unfortunately, I need to get out of here alive first." Iris sighed. She couldn't be greedy at this moment. She could take risks, but she was not stupid. At least she thought so. "I'll come back and take you if I got another chance."
The other rows didn't have anything that could attract her attention. Some were collections of spells, but their components and incantations were too confusing, too profound. The inner section of the imperial treasury was not for someone at the Transformation Phase.
Although essential, these books couldn't help her right now.
After wasting her time going through countless books, she couldn't find the secret treasure she fantasised about, no scroll of inheritance, no ethereal guidance, no life-saving spell. She had to turn to the tables of artefacts. They all looked ordinary and lacked the majestic aura, but something about them indicated their ancient value.
There was no indication, no information, no sign of anything. All artefacts quietly lay on the wooden tables, piling up into a small hill, some glittering, some dull, some brittle, some sturdy. They came in different forms: rings, swords, bows, armours, though they revealed nothing of their origin and power.
It was simply a game of luck, of Destiny, of Fate. Iris wanted to cry, but she hadn't given up yet. She was the walking miracle, the Fateless, the Destined One.
"I hope that our meeting is mere coincidence, Serinda," Iris said, shivering. "Please be a random coincidence; please be one."
Iris closed her eyes, focusing her mind on the memory a while ago. Her bluish membrane quivered and bubbled, shifting, morphing, changing into a new appearance. Her slime condensed and extended, fusing her slender legs into a long, black-scaled tail. Her skin grew hard and smooth, not bouncy like liquid water, but fair like a noble lady.
She opened her eyes. Her oozy hair turned black and flowy, concealing her teasing expression, revealing only her pair of sharp, snake-like eyes. Her tongue thinned and separated its tip into two, licking her soft, reddened lips. At once, Iris became a Shadow Snake Girl, a mimick of Serinda. The sensation of a Snake Girl's body surged through Iris, making her shiver in excitement.
"No, not right here, not right now," Iris mumbled, trying to calm herself. "So this is your emotions, Serinda. Do you want to have me this much?"
Iris not only mimicked Serinda's appearance; she also mimicked the sentiments. Her mind almost couldn't handle them. If not for the crisis of survival, she was not sure if she could resist them. Thankfully, she hadn't had a taste of Serinda and Artium yet. If she had tasted the forbidden fruit once, it would be hard to resist it for the second time.
Iris didn't immerse herself in the euphoria for long. She promptly recalled the moment where Serinda cast her destiny spell and imitated her movement. Her little Corruption Power gradually depleted as she drew a complex formation in the air. It congregated into a star-like array, composed of multiple tiny stars and circles.
The magical symbols floating inside them lit up as Iris raised her hand and activated the Virtual Space Ring. Various magical materials flowed out of the gem atop the ring, revolving around the array, melting into floods of colours. They merged with the formation, glowing, fusing, creating a ray of light, depicting a hazy scene that gradually became clearer.
Inside the screen, Iris's hazy silhouette moved around the inner section of the imperial treasury, her gaze jumping from one table to another, trying to find the most suitable artefact for her current situation. As she searched and searched, nothing seemed to attract her attention. These mysterious artefacts were powerful, but Iris was too afraid that they might be too powerful for her to use, or their requirement impossible to satisfy.
As she was about to give up, she came across a worn-down cloak amidst a pile of ancient artefacts. It was a plain yet beautiful cloak, a red dress. Iris strolled to it and picked it up, carefully studying its fabric and decorations. It was the only artefact that attracted her attention, but she couldn't find out its function.
Iris knew she had spent too much time inside the imperial treasury and immediately took it. Once she wore it, her hazy silhouette instantly became confusing and incomprehensible. The white light of the destiny spell formation dimmed, ending abruptly.
Iris didn't have the time to be confused and headed to the dress. Just like in the vision, she quickly found it and covered herself under it. The cloak gently landed on her body and shifted its appearance. Its fabric turned black and white, complementing Iris's black scales, coiling around her snake tail. It perfectly rested on her curvy figure, sticking to her delicate skin while revealing almost too much.
Iris was surprised, for the destiny spell didn't show any of this. As she was about to check her new look, a piece of knowledge emerged in her soul.
The dress was an artefact called the Cloak of Destiny Obscurity. Its primary function was to conceal its owner from the prying eyes of destiny spells. Though its power of concealment was not absolute, it was still a legendary artefact. Those below the Solidification Phase could not accurately divine its owner.
It also shielded its owner's soul, but the effect was weaker than its concealment.
Before Iris could play with her new dress, she had already returned to the dark world, where the other Monster Girls were waiting for her. Artium and Serinda were teasing Flamira while Kurion was watching them, silently smiling, her face unreadable.
Kurion was the first to notice Iris. She stepped forwards and manifested beside Iris. Seeing that Iris had changed her appearance and worn a new mysterious cloak, Kurion leant onto Iris and caressed her arms, feeling the scaled body as well as the cloak's texture.
"So this is a legendary artefact," Kurion said. "Iris, you're lucky. There are many Condensation Phase Monster Girls who lack legendary artefacts, but you, a newly advanced Transformation Phase Monster Girl, have one already. I'm envious."
Kurion's voice was charming and chilling, but there was a distinct lack of greed. She didn't see much value in the legendary artefact, or she valued her promise more than a legendary artefact. Either way, it was good for Iris.
"Lady Kurion, if you were to take this artefact from me, I would have no way of taking it back." Iris tensed. Her appearance gradually reverted to her original appearance. "This artefact is yours in the first place. You merely gifted me the chance."
The Cloak of Destiny Obscurity also morphed its appearance to fit Iris's original appearance. Its shade turned deep blue and white, changing into a short dress, covering her chest, revealing half of her thighs.
Despite sticking to Iris, the cloak remained dry.
"It is a strange artefact indeed. Do you like to dress up that much?" Kurion smiled and stepped away. "Don't worry. The artefact belongs to you. You know more than me, and you are the one who helps me first."
Artium, Serinda, and Flamira had noticed that Iris had returned. They were rushing towards her. She didn't want to deal with their attics, but she got no excuse to stop them from snuggling onto her.
"Artium, I have a gift for you." Iris took out the Virtual Space Ring and returned it to Artium. "This is all I could do for you two."
Artium casually took back the Virtual Space Ring and scanned its content. Once her consciousness found a pile of Soul Gems, her expression froze for a moment before melting into a solemn, happy, sad acceptance. Her illusionary silhouette solidified and faded, alternating between reality and dream, trembling. Though she couldn't see Marina's Soul Gem, she knew it was inside that pile, somewhere, waiting.
"Thank you, Sister Iris," Artium whispered. "Thank you for finding Marina's legacy for us. This is the best gift I ever had."
She thought the explosion had annihilated the Soul Gem, but here it was, inside her Virtual Space Ring. How long had it been since Marina was gone? A day? A week? A month? An eternity?
Tears fell from her pink cheeks as she grasped Iris's shoulders and sobbed. Serinda realised what happened, but she suppressed her joy, hiding her teary eyes. Behind her, Flamira gently embraced her, comforting her, telling her to let it all out.
For a moment, the scary darkness became a place of comfort, warmth, acceptance.
