"Then let's quickly see if there's anyone here who can give us clues."
Hearing Castorice say this, Derick quickly spoke up.
"I was thinking the same thing," Castorice nodded.
Subsequently, the two of them walked deeper into the area. After entering, they indeed encountered many souls. Most of the souls were in a state of confusion. Derick and Castorice knew they wouldn't get any information from questioning them, so they decided to ignore them for the time being.
However, among these bewildered souls, an extremely active one appeared.
"Are you living people?" he asked, walking over to Derick and Castorice.
"Yes." Castorice nodded. "Is there something you need?"
"Hahaha, it's wonderful that living people have appeared here! You two are both very special; you can definitely help me achieve my idea!" the soul exclaimed loudly, ignoring Castorice's question.
"What exactly do you want to do?" Although Derick guessed this fellow was the alchemist who wanted to bring back the great dragon Pollux, he still had to ask.
"Of course, I want to revive the legendary great dragon Pollux!" the alchemist said proudly.
However, his expression then became slightly dejected.
"It's just that I'm already dead now, so I definitely can't complete this myself."
His dejection vanished quickly. He turned and said cheerfully to Derick and Castorice, "But it doesn't matter! As long as you help me, we can still bring Pollux back!"
Castorice nodded, then asked him, "Why would you want to do such a thing?"
"That's, of course, to make [Death] reappear in the world," the alchemist said to Derick and Castorice.
"The maiden it brought causes death to those who touch her, but Pollux itself doesn't cause death. Its fall obstructed the River Styx, preventing all the souls here from returning to the Underworld. I plan to summon it, revive it, so that order can be restored to the Underworld."
"Now, my array has been inscribed. You just need to go up there to complete everything. After all, both of your identities are overly mysterious, which can help in the formation of the array."
The alchemist looked at Derick and Castorice, his eyes filled with anticipation.
Hearing the alchemist say this, Derick was also a little surprised. He really hadn't expected to be involved himself. Well, that's fine too. It's good to accompany Castorice.
"Alright, I don't have much else to say. You two should hurry over," the alchemist urged, seeing Derick and Castorice still pondering. His own form then vanished, leaving behind the [Philosopher's Stone] to complete the array.
"Let's go up."
Derick and Castorice picked up the Philosopher's Stone and headed towards the top of Styxia's spire.
Walking along the way, Castorice's eyes were constantly filled with thought. By the time Derick led her to the top, she hadn't uttered a single word.
Derick knew she was currently engaged in intense contemplation, so he didn't interrupt her thoughts.
The two of them continued upstairs. At the very top, they saw the complete array.
"Derick, let me complete the final array. Everything we've encountered on our way here speaks of my connection with the dragon. I think it's more appropriate for me to re-summon it. Perhaps, this is my destiny," Castorice said to Derick.
Derick looked into Castorice's eyes, hesitated for a moment, then nodded. As long as Castorice wasn't taking the final step to assume a Titan's duty and reside forever in the Underworld, Derick wouldn't stop her from fulfilling her destiny.
Castorice smiled faintly, walked into the array, picked up the Philosopher's Stone left by the alchemist, and closed her eyes, beginning to summon the dragon.
"I don't know what our relationship is, nor do I know where I truly came from. But please, appear, and let everything between us become clear. If there's anything I need to bear, please appear and let me bear it with you," Castorice murmured in her heart.
The array emitted a brilliant light.
However, the dragon did not appear.
Castorice felt the great dragon Pollux was on the verge of appearing, but it fell short at the very last moment, failing to break through. What went wrong? Why isn't it appearing?
Castorice showed an anxious expression.
Just as she was thinking this, a female soul, aged in appearance but with a tall and resilient body, appeared before Castorice.
"You've come too early. In your current state, you cannot summon the great dragon Pollux."
She looked at Castorice and said softly.
"Elder Amyntas!"
Excitement shone in Castorice's eyes.
A gentle smile touched Amyntas's lips.
"Child, I am here. I have always been here. Especially after you entered Styxia, I have been watching over you both," she said gently.
Then she turned her head to look at Derick.
Only to see him looking tense and constrained.
"Hm? What's wrong? Am I very frightening?"
Seeing his nervous appearance, confusion flickered in Amyntas's eyes. Derick doesn't look like someone who's afraid of ghosts!
"Um..."
Derick suddenly felt that the list of the world's most difficult tasks had a new entry.
—How to meet the parents.
Amyntas was Castorice's adoptive mother; this was his first time meeting the "parent." What on earth should I say? I really don't know.
"Come, don't rush, speak slowly. Treat it as catching up," Amyntas said softly to Derick in a gentle tone.
"Mm-hmm, I understand, Mother-in-law."
Derick nodded and said subconsciously.
Hearing Derick say this, both Amyntas and Castorice were stunned. Then, Amyntas chuckled in amusement, while Castorice's pointed ears turned red.
"De-Derick, wha-what are you saying?"
Hearing Derick say such a thing in front of her adoptive mother, Castorice still felt an instinctive flush of embarrassment.
"Good lad, quite proactive indeed! Which city-state are you from? If I were still among the living, I would definitely go and propose marriage on Castorice's behalf!"
Amyntas said with a hearty laugh.
She could naturally see the mutual affection between Castorice and Derick. Seeing her child find such a relationship, Amyntas was delighted. Especially since Derick was very handsome; Amyntas had never seen a more beautiful boy. He and Castorice were a great match. His height was still a little short; it would be even better if he grew a bit taller.
"I'm from a village. Elder Amyntas, you probably haven't heard of it." Derick didn't dare to call her "Mother-in-law" again.
Hearing Derick's address, Amyntas shot him a playful glance. But looking at Derick and Castorice, she still found it quite amusing. It was the heartfelt joy of seeing her daughter find an emotional anchor.
Amyntas said to Castorice, "Cassie, first, your relationship with Derick is just newly confirmed, right? The situation in Amphoreus isn't so dire that the Flamechase Journey can't pause for a single day, is it? The first thing you two need to do is focus on your emotional life."
"Of course, the most important thing is that you don't understand yourself well enough right now. If you haven't grasped your own situation, how can you summon the great dragon Pollux?"
Amyntas made a pushing gesture.
"Castorice, my daughter, you two should hurry back. Remember, on your wedding day, send word here. I... will be very happy to know."
Amyntas looked at Castorice, her eyes filled with reluctance to part.
Just then, Derick also stepped into the array.
His entrance interrupted Castorice and Amyntas's reunion. The two looked over, unsure what Derick intended to do.
"I'll also make an attempt," Derick said to them with a smile, then took out his Blade of Scourge and cut his palm. Blood flowed out and into the array.
"What are you doing?"
Seeing his action, Amyntas couldn't help but exclaim loudly.
"I want to try a different way to awaken Pollux. Hmm, a slightly cruder one," Derick replied to them.
Pollux had taken Castorice away from the Underworld, which is why it led to death. Derick planned to use his own blood to mix into its body, allowing it to fuse with the undying nature within him. His own undying ability, from a fundamental logical standpoint, was clearly superior to the death of Amphoreus. Fusing with his blood should be able to awaken Pollux, right? It was just that the method was overly simple and crude.
Castorice's method of waking it was like an older sister coming to her younger sister's bedside, holding her hand, and gently waking her. Derick's method was akin to a prankster brother-in-law approaching with a bucket of ice water and pouring it straight down.
"My avatar's bodily tissues would naturally disappear, but what about my own blood? Will it disappear, or can it fuse?"
Derick thought to himself.
Castorice and Amyntas looked at each other, not knowing if what Derick was doing was right or wrong.
Soon, the three of them felt the floor beneath them begin to vibrate violently, and the array also began to emit a brilliant light. The water of the surrounding River Styx also surged out from the river, forming waterspouts that rushed towards the array.
A purple light flashed, and the three of them quickly retreated.
Soon, within their sight, a strangely featured dragon appeared opposite them.
"This... is this Pollux? Why does it look somewhat different from the records?"
Amyntas's tone was filled with doubt.
Not only is it different from the records, but it's also different from what I saw in the game.
In the game, it was an incomplete dragon, lying on the ground hugging an egg. But now, this dragon has become complete, and not just complete as in the game; its wings and other parts even have a mixed color of gold and purple.
"It seems my blood indeed had an effect,"
Derick thought to himself.
_____
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