Adventure World Online (AWO)

Everyone followed the Tribe of Darkness along a narrow forest path, which was lined with twisting vines like a fence the entire way. Even though the trees and plants were mostly black, the forest did not look frightening or gloomy at all. On the contrary, the atmosphere within the Dark Forest was shady and cool. Sunlight filtered through the branches, creating a warm feeling, a sense of peace and clarity. Even though the forest had only just been created, many of the trees stood towering dozens of meters tall—as if they had stood there for hundreds of years.

Even more astonishing were the pond and the waterfall. The beauty took Chang Long and Siegfried's breath away. The white waterfall contrasted against the black cliffs, and ferns, moss, and many species of orchids grew abundantly. They walked along the narrow path beside the waterfall, passing under small stone arches and vine canopies adorned with tiny white flowers until they reached the other side. A black flower field appeared before everyone's eyes. Chang Long remembered clearly that this flower was the Night Rose.

They had been walking for quite some time until the sun began to dip and was soon to set. Beyond the flower field was a tall stone cliff covered in soft, short grass. Looking past the cliff revealed a beach and the sea. Something amazing happened when the sun disappeared below the horizon—bell-shaped flowers along the path began to glow, like lanterns lighting the forest trail.

Chang Long decided to camp overnight at the cliff's edge. Today might be the last day she could take it easy, because the matter of building her army and the Land of the Dead awaited her. That night, both pets and spirits were granted full permission to enjoy themselves. Devi-chan's off-key pirate songs and Brownie's hilarious stories drew hearty laughter from everyone. The Horn of Abundance conjured delicious food in unlimited quantities, leaving the four members of the Tribe of Darkness thoroughly impressed.

"Oh right, did you notice? Along the path we walked, there were eggs of all sizes scattered throughout the forest. I wonder what kind of eggs they are."

Chang Long turned to ask Siegfried, who was sitting beside her and listening to Hisa-chan's funny stories.

"Now that you mention it, yeah. I saw them too, but I really have no idea what kind of creature they might belong to."

Siegfried replied thoughtfully, while everyone else burst out laughing at the samurai spirit's lame punchline.

"That's what's about to be born to complete the Dark Forest."

The Emperor turned to respond, having overheard the conversation between Chang Long and Siegfried.

"To complete?"

Chang Long echoed.

"Could it be..."

Siegfried started to suspect.

"Exactly. In a forest, there should naturally be wild creatures. But since you came in, have you seen a single living being? Soon, those eggs will hatch—and with the return of our scattered people, our kingdom will be restored once more."

.....

Chang Long and Siegfried had to part ways again. Though saddened, both had their own duties to fulfill. The young man left reluctantly, but Chang Long's smile told him that no matter how long or far they were apart, the friendship between them would never diminish.

"Why that face? It's not like we'll never see each other again. And besides—aren't you going to contact me at all?"

Chang Long asked as they walked back toward the entrance to Cuzca City.

"C... Call you? Wouldn't that be bothering you?"

Siegfried asked hesitantly, recalling how she had accused him of being a creepy stalker the last time he called her outside the game.

"Of course you can. What a strange question."

Chang Long frowned and turned to look at him.

"Then… what about outside the game? Can I call you then?"

That question made Chang Long fall silent for a moment. Her cheeks flushed red, uncontrollably. She turned her face away and replied softly:

"Suit yourself."

Seeing Chang Long's shy demeanor, Siegfried broke into a wide, joyful smile.

The two of them parted at a three-way junction—one path led back to the city, another led to the mirror's location, and the final path led straight into the Dark Forest. They waved goodbye and went their separate ways. Chang Long watched Siegfried until his figure disappeared from sight, then turned and headed toward the location of the Mirror of Truth, where The Judgment was standing guard.

"My lord."

The Judgment knelt in respectful greeting before Chang Long. She motioned for him to rise and stepped forward to inspect the Mirror of Truth, which now seemed fused completely with the cliff face.

"Can I go in?"

Chang Long turned to ask The Judgment.

"Of course. You may enter, my lord."

The Judgment replied. Chang Long nodded and stepped into the mirror. Her body passed through it easily, followed by the spirits and pets.

The vast plains and familiar openness made Chang Long smile. The Castle of Death still stood proudly on a small island jutting into the sea. The young woman walked toward the castle. Before long, the Four Reaper Guardians appeared to welcome the Lord who ruled the Land of the Dead and escorted her into the castle to sit on the throne and issue her first command.

"Four Reaper Guardians, hear me. Go forth and gather warrior souls who are ready and loyal. I will form an army of the dead to seize a special territory."

Chang Long issued the command in a solemn voice, radiating the unique commanding aura of the Reaper King. The four guardians were so moved they nearly cried. They acknowledged the order and quickly dispersed to carry it out.

Not long after, Chang Long received a notice about the first gate opening to welcome the initial wave of loyal spirits into the Land of the Dead. What she did not expect was that one of the hundreds of doors inside the Castle of Death would open—and an elderly man with white hair emerged, leading a creature that resembled an infernal beast toward her. The old man bowed respectfully and began to introduce himself.

"My lord… I am called Furik, the resident engineer of the Land of the Dead. When your order to gather citizens was issued, it became my duty to present a city plan for your approval."

"Furik? City plan?"

Chang Long repeated, looking startled.

"That is correct, my lord. A city plan is used to organize zones for efficient and balanced use of space."

Furik began explaining.

"Uh-huh."

Chang Long nodded in agreement.

"The spirits permitted entry into the Land of the Dead will receive physical bodies to exist in. Therefore, the four necessities of life are important. First is housing. That's why I've come to present these plans for your approval—so construction may begin, using these infernal beasts."

"Wait a sec, Grandpa. Where are you going to get all the construction equipment from?"

Chang Long asked with curiosity.

"Why, from the Spirit Shop, of course, my lord. It has everything the Land of the Dead needs. The only question is how deep are your pockets?"

Chang Long gaped at Furik's answer. She did have money—thanks to the treasure hoard of Pirate King Devi-chan, she had become ridiculously rich. But it seemed that wealth was draining quickly, especially since she now had to build two cities: one in the Land of the Dead and another in the special territory she planned to conquer. At this rate, she might become a pauper king.

Chang Long looked over the city plans Furik presented and liked three or four of them. She did not want the city to resemble a cemetery too much, knowing well that buildings in the Land of the Dead often looked like spirit tablets. So designing a city that was well-organized and modern seemed best. Furik left with the plan she had chosen.

Now, only she and her followers remained in the throne hall. It looked like Chang Long had a bit of free time to sprawl out and relax until the Four Reaper Guardians returned with souls ready to pledge allegiance. She rummaged through her backpack, hoping to find something to play with and kill time. But what she pulled out instead was a bright red iron fan.

"Alice-chan…"

Inside the Castle of Death, there were many empty rooms to choose from. Chang Long looked for one located deep within the castle and thought it was unlikely anyone would be wandering around that area. The young woman took out the manual for using the Soul-Boiling Cauldron and began flipping through it. The list of required materials was quite extensive, and the process of stewing seemed rather complicated.

"Whoa, why is there so much stuff? How am I supposed to manage this?"

Chang Long skimmed through the manual and nearly fainted when she saw the tiny text stretched across the pages of that small booklet.

"Soul-Boiling Cauldron: used to restore extinguished souls.

Ingredients required for soul restoration:

– Soil from a graveyard – Bone ash or body part of the soul in question – Incense materials: tree resin, bark, or dried flowers – Bathwater from a virgin maiden – Fully-formed magic crystal – Ash from incense offerings – Tear of deep sorrow – The object most longed for by the soul – A dark room for the ritual – Hardwood firewood and black-flame candles – Soul-Boiling Cauldron"

"Where am I supposed to get these? Bone ash of Alice-chan, virgin maiden's bathwater, tear of someone in the depths of sorrow. This is going to take forever before we see each other again, huh, Alice-chan. I wonder if, by then, you'll be cursing me until my ears fall off."

Chang Long grumbled in frustration. Devi-chan and Hisa-chan, who had come along, looked equally troubled. While they were glad there was a way to bring back a soul that had perished, the list of ingredients made things exceptionally difficult.

"Exactly. And that's just gathering the ingredients. We haven't even gotten to the process of stewing yet. Who knows how long it'll take to find all these things, not to mention the time it'll take to brew them."

Devi-chan agreed.

"Master, do you have anything that belonged to Alice-chan?"

Hisa-chan asked, thinking it would be good to figure out what they already had, so they would know what else to search for.

"Well, this fan."

Chang Long held up the blood-colored iron fan for the samurai spirit to see, clearly exasperated.

"Ah, but I do know one thing that Alice-chan longed for with all her heart."

Chang Long suddenly remembered something and looked quite pleased.

"What is it?"

The two spirit men asked in unison, their curiosity piqued.

"Cedric, of course. If I have to, I'll just throw him into the pot and be done with it."

Chang Long answered with a hearty laugh, sending a chill down both Devi-chan and Hisa-chan's spines.

Meanwhile...

"Ha… ha… ha-choo!"

"Is something the matter, sir?"

"I don't know. I just sneezed all of a sudden. I've never done that before."

"They say when you sneeze, it means someone's talking about you. Hee hee hee. Lord Reaper, could it be some lady somewhere is thinking fondly of you right now?"

"Hmph! Nonsense. If I'm sneezing, it must be a cold, obviously."

"Silence, all of you. A reaper like me hasn't had anyone to think about in hundreds of years. Don't even talk about colds or whatever that is. Let's keep moving. Having you all chained up and dragging behind slows me down, you know? I don't want to fall behind those other three."

One of the Four Reaper Guardians, named Cedric, barked at the accompanying souls in a stern voice, making them fall silent and follow him in quiet excitement. The chance to be brought back to life was fast approaching.

Though Cedric appeared solemn and firmly stated that no one had been on his mind for hundreds of years, deep down he felt something strange. A face appeared in his mind—the face of a woman who had gazed at him with adoration back when Cedric was still sealed in slumber within the mirror, having exhausted his power while searching for the Reaper King. Still, to say he missed her felt like an overstatement to Cedric. It was more accurate to say it was a lingering thought buried deep within his heart.

Amid the silence, Cedric knew his feelings went deeper than that. Elizabeth Bathory was not merely a passing thought suppressed in his mind, as he had forced himself to believe all along. The stubborn woman who had constantly visited him, watching over his sleeping body, telling him stories about the world outside—though he was unconscious, he had always been aware of everything she did. All along, he had been unable to fulfill her desires, even rejecting the love she had offered without a second thought...

"Is that why you've disappeared, stopped showing yourself to me? I can't return your love, but from now on. I promise I'll treat you better."

Cedric muttered to himself while leading the warrior souls across the vast sea under the night sky, journeying back toward the Mirror of Truth.

Thud!

A loud noise came from outside the castle, drawing Chang Long's attention as she sat bored on her throne. She walked out to the balcony and saw that Furik was leading the Infernal Beasts in the beginning of the construction within the Land of the Dead. Not far from the construction site, her pets and Fluffy Head-chan were happily running around and playing.

"What's that?"

Devi-chan and Hisa-chan came up beside her and asked.

"Looks like they're starting construction."

Hisa-chan said, squinting out of the castle.

"Seems so. That's Furik and the Infernal Beasts over there, after all."

Chang Long agreed.

"Good thing. Finally, things are starting to take shape. There's only one issue left."

Devi-chan said, glancing sideways at Chang Long with a solemn look.

"What is it?"

Chang Long asked suspiciously.

"Your stagnant level, of course. When's that going to move, huh?"

Hisa-chan burst out laughing at Chang Long's expression after Devi-chan spoke. The young woman's lip twitched as she glared at Devi-chan irritably.

"Hey, I gained several levels fighting Leviathan. And during the forest hunt before the Dark Forest emerged, I went up two more. How's that still considered stagnant?"

Chang Long protested.

"Still not back to what it was before your death. So yeah, I say it's still stagnant."

Devi-chan replied without a care for the protest from his bratty young master.

"Hmph! Whatever. There'll be plenty of fighting soon anyway. I heard the AI guarding those special territories gives experience points too."

Chang Long finished speaking, then spread her wings and flew off to join Kitsune and the others. She was tired of just sitting around waiting in the Castle of Death.