Chapter 88
“Do you plan on breaking your promise?”
The atmosphere grew heavy, tension filling the air as my companions and I instinctively prepared for battle.
“How could I possibly be satisfied with only tasting this flavor for a single day?!”
But the tiger’s words, spoken with such exaggerated emotion, drained the tension immediately.
“I know I’m being shameless, but I must ask… Could you teach me how to make this?”
As expected, the tiger’s love for sweets was unrivaled.
For a creature that had lived for hundreds of years to bow his head and make a request like this—it left me feeling both amused and awkward.
“Alright, alright, no need for this.”
At my words, the tiger’s face lit up with joy, a reaction so pure it was impossible not to smile.
“Then, as promised, you’ll hand over Asura’s Finger?”
“Of course. Wait just a moment.”
The tiger disappeared to the back of his house and soon returned, carrying an enormous bunch of grapes.
“This is my share for this month.”
The grapes were long and slender, their tips stained a deep, bloody red, reminiscent of fingers drenched in blood—just as described in the novel.
Seeing the familiar sight, I nodded.
“Thank you for keeping your promise.”
Receiving Asura’s Finger from the tiger, I handed him a small note with simple writing on it.
“This is a recipe I’ve written down. It’s not difficult, so you should be able to make it easily.”
“Oh! Thank you, child. Wait, I can’t just take something this valuable without giving something in return.”
The tiger, moved as he glanced over the recipe, rummaged through his belongings and produced a small token shaped like a honeycomb.
“This is a symbol of membership for those who, like me, indulge in the love of sweets.”
Apparently, it was akin to a membership card for a dessert enthusiast group.
“There are a few powerful individuals among us, so if you ever encounter one, show them this and you might receive their help.”
This was an unexpected reward—something that could prove invaluable in certain situations.
“Thank you for your generosity, Elder.”
“Haha, for a child who gave me such a sweet gift, this is nothing. You must be busy, so go on your way.”
The tiger waved off my thanks, sending us off with a warm farewell.
This was truly an unpredictable start.
Perhaps Sura’s Calamitous Despairflower being chosen wasn’t entirely a bad thing after all.
“Once again, it all worked out thanks to Wendy,” Yeriel said with a smile.
I grinned back and shrugged.
“Well, it’s all thanks to your trust in me.”
With these people by my side, blooming a single flower wasn’t a problem.
“Shall we move on to find the next material without delay?”
The remaining materials were Crystals of the Bloody Sea and Heart of the Hell Glutton.
If we chose the easier one first…
“Our next target will be the Crystals of the Bloody Sea.”
“Really, what’s with these ominous names?”
At Sylvester’s comment, I burst into laughter.
Suddenly—Bang!
A popping sound echoed, and a puff of smoke revealed a fluffy white puppy bounding toward us.
Woof!
It was the adorable dog that had guided us before.
“Nice to see you again, hello!”
The dog wagged its tail, seemingly understanding my words.
We all followed the dog as it confidently trotted ahead.
***
“This is the Lake of Blood…”
As soon as we arrived at our destination, the dog vanished without a trace.
Why was it called the Bloody Sea when it was clearly a lake?
Probably just to make it harder to guess what the material was.
My companions and I gazed at the tranquil, pink-tinted lake.
“It’s like a scene from a fairy tale,” Lyria remarked.
Indeed, the place was like a picture-perfect scene from a storybook.
The lake’s surface glittered like jewels under the sunlight.
Petals of soft, colorful hues covered the water,
And fluttering butterflies with pale yellow wings completed the enchanting view.
A small boat would have made it the perfect setting for a leisurely ride.
‘This feels like a romantic fantasy novel.’
That was my first thought upon seeing the place.
…Now that I think about it, this was a romantic fantasy.
Just not a healing one.
Technically, I was in a romantic fantasy reincarnation story.
Albeit, one where survival and despair were the main themes.
Humans are said to be creatures of adaptation.
At first, I had been so upset I couldn’t even sleep.
But now, I could sleep just fine with a blanket on the street, even if Yeriel mumbled in her sleep.
I’d come to accept this as my fate.
Fortunately, there was a straightforward way to solve the problem here.
“Celestine.”
The solution was Celestine’s Memories of the Dead skill.
When I called her name, Celestine, who had been admiring the scenery, turned to look at me.
“Yes?”
She seemed a bit surprised, as if she hadn’t expected me to call her.
Well, normally, I wouldn’t ask her to…
With so many companions to care for,
I couldn’t give equal attention to every one of them.
To be honest, I hadn’t been fair to all of them.
Especially when it came to Sylvestine or Celestine. I figured they were siblings and would look after each other.
As a result, I barely spoke to them unless we were all chatting together.
So, I couldn’t entirely blame Celestine for her reactions.
‘In the beginning, it seemed like everyone got along…’
But we’d added new companions.
And perhaps because of her inherently shy nature,
Celestine had become even quieter.
I’d only thought about how great it was to have new allies.
I hadn’t given much thought to how it might affect the existing team.
Xenon and Darwin, who were constantly bickering, were proof of that.
‘I’ll need to organize a proper bonding session soon.’
This was my oversight.
In focusing solely on our immediate goals, I’d failed to consider my companions’ perspectives.
Sighing lightly, I knelt down to meet Celestine’s gaze.
Strengthening our bonds could come later.
‘For now, though…’
There was something more urgent to address.
Meeting Celestine’s violet eyes, which blinked in confusion, I gently began to speak.
“I need your help. Can you assist me?”
“My help…”
Celestine hesitated for a moment as if weighing her thoughts, but soon nodded in agreement.
“Thank you.”
I smiled as I gently patted her shiny black hair.
How many times had I patted her head already?
‘There’s something addictive about kids’ silky hair.’
It was so soft and fluffy.
Touching it somehow lifted my mood.
What if I accidentally gained a “Patting Mastery” skill at this rate?
Lost in such silly thoughts,
I heard Xenon call my name.
“Do you have a plan in mind?”
I turned toward his voice.
“I’m planning to use Celestine’s skill to locate it.”
“Using a skill?”
“The ‘crystal’ we’re looking for—it’s likely something that has taken shape from being compressed together…”
I tapped my chin thoughtfully before confidently continuing.
“I figured it might be connected to someone’s memories here in the Western Flower Field.”
Xenon tilted his head in contemplation, then slowly nodded in agreement.
“…That does make sense.”
Encouraged by his response, I pressed further.
“Plus, this place is where the souls of the dead linger. It would make sense for the crystal to be tied to the memories of such souls.”
The scenery was serene, like something out of heaven.
The sacred trees and the totem poles honoring gods…
As expected, the Western Flower Field was a passage for the souls of the deceased—a kind of spiritual waystation.
That meant there might still be lingering, unresolved spirits here.
We’d use that to our advantage.
Just as the “Bloody Sea” was a metaphor for the pink lake,
The “crystal” was a figurative way of referring to a soul’s essence.
It was a good thing I remembered this from the novel.
‘Otherwise, we might have ended up fishing aimlessly with a net.’
I glanced briefly at the clunky iron net lying in the corner of the lake—completely out of place in this ethereal setting.
To make things worse, several people were already sitting by the lakeshore, trying to scoop something out.
All of them wore grim expressions as they painstakingly worked.
“How are we supposed to collect enough of this at this rate?”
“Ugh! Who picked this material, anyway?!”
“It was you, wasn’t it? Didn’t you say a true man doesn’t take the easy road?”
Yawning, one of the men sifted a tiny piece of sand—no, a fragment of a soul—out of the lake with his net.
The small fragment sparkled faintly under the sunlight.
“…”
In the original story, they gathered those fragments until they formed a baseball-sized crystal.
I shook my head at the sight.
If Celestine weren’t here, we’d probably be in the same position.
‘I’m glad we avoided that fate.’
Relieved, I turned back to Celestine.
“…Can I really do it?”
She looked a bit uncertain.
Given her limited role in our recent missions, it made sense that she’d doubt herself.
“Of course. There’s no one better suited to this task than you.”
If anyone among us were most qualified to handle matters related to the deceased, it was undoubtedly Celestine.
Especially when it came to residual memories and reincarnation, no one could compare.
After all, Celestine was the avatar of Anubis.
Residual memories were fragments left behind in the cycle of reincarnation.
If anyone could find those fragments, it was her.
“Alright, I’ll give it a try!”
Encouraged by my words, Celestine smiled softly.
And then—
Pororong! Pong, pong, pong…
A mysterious black aura began to rise around her as she closed her eyes.
Her body floated slightly off the ground,
And the light radiating from her spread across the lake.
The moment the aura touched the lake’s surface,
Celestine flinched as though startled.
“I found it.”
Opening her now golden eyes, Celestine made the declaration.
—
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