Forsyth's gaze met Xue's in the air, neither of them speaking. After a while, Forsyth chuckled dryly, "Ha ha, you didn't sleep, did you?" Xue furrowed her brows slightly, "What happened just now?" "Nothing at all," Forsyth replied, acting as if everything were normal. "I've told you before—every time the full moon comes, my condition isn't quite right. During a blood moon, it's even worse." Xue studied her carefully, then pulled the blanket over her. "I remember you brought some sleep-inducing potions?" "For now, I don't need them—I've adjusted well enough," Forsyth said, relieved when Xue didn't press further. "Just go to sleep. Go to sleep. I have to be up early tomorrow to go into the forest." Xue said nothing, turned over, tucked the blanket close, and closed her eyes. Not long after, Forsyth's breathing grew a little heavier, deep and steady. Forsyth stared at the ceiling, lost in thought, and soon drifted off to sleep as well. ……… The next noon, in the heart of the Drelle Forest, before a once-grand castle now partially collapsed and draped in lush green vines. Forth wiped the sweat from her forehead and exhaled deeply, saying, "Finally, we've arrived." Hou glanced at her, remarking, "The innkeeper told me it would only take two hours to reach this place." They had set out before six in the morning, and the journey had taken nearly seven hours. Forth drew a faint smile, then a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth, saying, "There's always a difference between theory and reality. By the time we got going, the paths had disappeared altogether—we had to find our way, create our own paths!" Hou pulled out the three-pronged spike, nodded in agreement, "You should have anticipated this from the very beginning. Yet you still declined the innkeeper's recommendation to hire a guide." "As a 'stargazer,' I don't consider such details a hindrance. Look—we've already arrived, haven't we?" Moreover, the timing is perfect now—the spectral spirits and ghosts are undoubtedly at their weakest. Fothering smiles, holding "Leymann's Travel Notes" in one hand and pointing forward with the other. "I didn't really think so at first, but the more I reflect, the more puzzled I become." "Puzzled about what?" Hux turns his gaze toward the once-grand castle now almost entirely enveloped by vines. Fothering offers a casual reason: "Do you think anyone would build a castle right in the heart of the forest, without ever establishing a direct road leading here?" Before she finishes speaking, she genuinely feels that this does indeed seem odd. Hux considers and replies: "Perhaps there used to be roads, but as the castle fell into disuse, the passage of time gradually erased all traces of them." Fothering tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and shakes her head. "Then, why abandon it?" "If the safety considerations had been taken into account during the initial construction, the remote, townless forest at the heart of the estate would actually have been more dangerous. For a resort purpose, in the style of the nobility, even if maintenance and upkeep were difficult, they would never have abandoned it." Houx said aloud. "Because of ghosts?" Fols thought for a few seconds. "Could anyone with the means to build a large castle not hire extraordinary beings to handle ghostly disturbances? I suspect that neither the three great churches nor the royal government are even aware of this ancient castle—otherwise, they wouldn't have overlooked the extraordinary materials within it..." She then proposed a possibility. "A castle of the vampire kind?" Such extraordinary beings typically favored remote, sparsely inhabited areas and were often associated with eerie, ancient castles. Moreover, the very information about this castle had been provided by the vampires themselves. "It's possible," Houx agreed, but then offered a counterpoint. "Wouldn't the vampires themselves be afraid of ghosts?" They must certainly have the capability to handle the ancient spirits lingering here. That makes sense... Do the bloodline folk really dislike money, indifferent to the gathering of extraordinary materials? Fael thought of Mr. Moon's performance, then dismissed her own hypothesis, carefully adding, "Unless there are other pressing difficulties here that compel higher-tier strong ones to choose to bypass." In that case, her actions would be even more perilous than anticipated. "Hm," said Xue, "we should make our initial exploration now while the sunlight is strong." "Agreed," said Fael, holding Mr. Leimann's travel journal, and stepped steadily toward the half-collapsed castle. They soon reached the entrance, partially blocked by stones, and found that beneath the emerald vines, the stone walls were weathered and cracked, as though they had stood in this condition for a very long time. Xue didn't rush in, but called out to Fael and slowly circled the castle. Back at the entrance, she expressed her curiosity: "The style of this castle is purely defensive—it seems to have completely overlooked residential considerations. Moreover, I've never heard of many of its architectural features. It must date back to before the Late Quaternary period, if not even earlier." "What could possibly be defending here? Orcs? Wood Elves? They were nearly extinct after the Great Cataclysm. Honestly, this isn't architecture from the Second or Third Age, is it?" Vorth replied casually. She surveyed the terrain, then took leave of the entrance and walked to a nearby wall that remained relatively intact, extending her palm and pressing gently against it. — Though she lacked combat experience, she was proficient in all the preparatory matters before battle. Before her, the scene shimmered and transformed, and instantly, Vorth and Thore found themselves inside the abandoned manor. First striking their eyes were: the collapsed stairway, the layered remains of upper structures, beams of pure sunlight streaming in from above, and a ground composed solely of crumbling stone and timber, devoid of animal or bird droppings or any green vegetation. A mournful wind blew through, carrying a bone-chilling cold even at noon. Foresight activated her spiritual vision, and as she slowly surveyed the scene, she saw no spectral beings. Yet she noticed, on the right side, where the ruins clustered, a stone staircase still in relatively good condition. Though weathered and斑驳, it extended downward, its destination unclear. "Shall we go check it out?" Foresight glanced at Thore, suggesting her idea. In her judgment, elsewhere in the castle, either the views were clear and unobstructed, or the collapsed elements were piled upon one another; if they wished to conduct a detailed examination, it would inevitably take a considerable amount of time. Therefore, it made sense to first roughly map out the overall layout and gain a sense of confidence. He glanced left and right, then nodded gently. "The cold wind is gathering toward the ground... I suspect all the restless spirits and ghosts here are hidden somewhere beyond that staircase." "Hmm." Folshe carefully made his way toward the weathered stone stairs, stepping down one by one along the uneven path scattered with stones. The staircase was quite narrow, accommodating only one person at a time, and spiraled in a continuous, winding fashion—making Folshe feel increasingly nervous as he progressed. Dashing, dashing, dashing—the sound of their footsteps grew deeper and more distant, and the light within the stairwell grew progressively dimmer. Xu lit his lantern, while Folshe opened "Lehman's Travel Notes," smoothly running his fingers over one page. A clear, warm glow suddenly emerged, illuminating the weathered staircase ahead. Both Xu and Folshe tightened their focus, stepping steadily, layer by layer, deeper into the darkness. Along the way, cold breezes occasionally blew by, causing them to react excessively, nearly launching attacks against foes that didn't exist. Clack, clack, clack—finally, in the narrow, quiet space, Folshe stepped off the stairs and reached solid, level ground. She had intended to say, "Staying here for long enough truly would drive one mad," but the stillness and silence around her prevented her from fully uttering the words; she feared disrupting the current atmosphere and triggering an unfavorable shift. With the luminous orbs floating above her, Folshe directed her gaze toward the front, trying to make out what lay at the end of the staircase. It was a hall, nearly ten meters high, paved with black tiles that had wept droplets of water, showing signs of cracks and damage throughout. On the other side of the hall, some fifty meters away, where the light barely reached, stood a pair of bronze doors, quietly and steadily open. At the top of the great gate, stones had fallen from the left and right walls, the statues were broken, revealing the deep brown soil beneath. The surface of the gate itself was densely adorned with intricate symbols and strange patterns, creating an immediate sense of mystery and weight, as though it were sealing something, blocking something. Finally, Folshe could contain herself and spoke softly, "Have you seen anything like this before?" Her companion, Hoo, shook his head. "No." Folshe gasped, "Then tell me—what lies behind this door? Where does it lead? Is this, then, the very purpose of building this castle—to prevent the creatures behind the door from emerging?" Hoo surveyed the surroundings, finding no wall paintings that offered clues. What he did notice was that the more they approached the bronze gate, the more water droplets seeped from the ground, and the more scattered silver-black long swords lay scattered about. "During the Fourth and Fifth Ages, murals were widespread throughout all castle buildings. Even before the Great Cataclysm, several elven ruins reveal that extraordinary beings likewise favored murals to praise deities and document daily life..." Thew spoke slowly, drawing from his own experiences and observations as a bounty hunter. Folth nodded slightly. "Indeed, that's accurate. "This castle is more remarkable than I imagined." At this moment, she felt quite uneasy, almost ready to withdraw and ask the 'World' gentleman for assistance. ——After hearing so many tales of terror from the ruins at the Tarot Gathering, especially from the small 'Sun,' she often found herself startled simply by being in such an environment. "Come closer—perhaps we'll uncover more clues," Thew boldly stepped forward, approaching the heavy, sealed door that seemed to enclose a distant space. Folth clutched tightly at 'Lemano's Travel Notes' and hurried after him. As she walked, a sudden flush of bright red appeared in her eyes. The droplets seeping from the cracks in the black floor tiles were no longer water—they were vivid, glaring blood! "Wh-what?" Folsen abruptly opened her notebook, its outer casing covered in verdigris, her peripheral vision catching the state of Xue beside her. In her gaze, Xue had grown pale without her noticing, his eye circles now dark and green, his lips crimson, his aura dimmed, his expression profoundly distorted.