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"What’s wrong with him, Granny Yaga?" Elayne asked, looking at the boy.
"Well, certainly, it’s not the boy’s behavior—he’s a good child," Yaga nodded. "Although a bit too noisy for these old ears of mine... but that’s beside the point. Elayne, you know what race this child belongs to, right?"
"Why yes, the White Ghost Race, right?" Elayne replied.
"Yes, indeed," Yaga nodded. "And... you know what the White Ghost Race is, don’t you?"
"Hm, they’re the most prestigious family of nobles in the entire Labyrinth Region?" Elayne asked.
"Yes!" Granny Yaga sighed. "Then you must have already guessed that this boy doesn’t belong with us! He ran away from his family, a family of dangerous nobles we don’t want chasing us around! I say we should give him back. He says his sister is this and that, but I bet his life in that fancy manor was much better than this one!"
"Hm..." Elayne looked back at little Lisette. "Lisette, my child, is that true? Do you want to go back to your home?"
"No..." Lisette sighed. "Mom and Dad are never home, and Big Sis is mean to me... I don’t wanna go back."
"Even though you may face many dangers and go through a lot of suffering with us?" Elayne asked.
"That’s fine!" Lisette nodded.
"Elayne, he’s a child—he obviously doesn’t know what he’s talking about," Yaga insisted.
"I know, and I understand your point, Yaga," Elayne sighed. "But as someone who has welcomed lost children—some with no parents, and others whose parents simply abandoned them—I can understand this child’s pain."
"I love Auntie because she’s kind to me, and she always gives me snacks and hugs me and cares for me..." Lisette said, rubbing his face against her and hugging her while sitting on Elayne’s thighs. "I don’t wanna go anywhere else..."
"This damn brat..." Yaga groaned, clenching her sharp teeth. "He’s obviously spoiled, Elayne. Don’t let him manipulate you. I know you’re a kind person, especially a good mother, but..."
"Hm," Elayne nodded. "I suppose I can only make my decision once I learn where you truly come from, Lisette, and who your sister is. Would you be so kind as to explain these things to me?"
"Um..." Lisette looked a little sad about having to explain himself. "Okay..."
"Good boy," Elayne smiled, kissing his forehead and gently caressing his head one last time. "Alright then, shall we have dinner?"
After meditating for a long while, Elayne finally stood up and walked away. Yaga thought her root expansion would be interrupted or something, but it remained intact.
In fact, Elayne’s soul was still seated where she had been, and a thin soul thread was manipulating her body...
"H-How is she even doing such a thing?"
As Elayne walked away, the Ghostly Tear Salt Tree was illuminated by her golden and clear, green-colored soul, exuding a beautiful radiance.
It felt as though the tree was becoming a vessel for her soul to remain anchored within the shrine... in fact, the shrine itself and all its statues were cores of a large formation.
This formation seemed to be strengthening the Domain even further, feeding it with energy in a constant cycle.
Elayne fed her Spirit Energy to the plants and minerals growing there, and in return, they produced even more energy to help themselves grow and prosper.
At the center of it all, Yaga could see a certain someone—a Great Spirit of the Living World, representing Nature and Harvest.
"Gardenia, the Great Spirit of Nature and Harvest who came with Elayne from the Living World... she’s an incredibly powerful being. Even in her weakened state, she’s already doing so much for all of us! I wonder... I wonder how much our world will be shaped by her and Elayne... The Netherworld has never seen people like them before. They’re defying the very laws and rules we’ve lived by and survived under all this time. Our world—the Netherworld—may change forever..."
As Elayne walked back to her home, she saw Mark sparring with several other undead warriors—mostly skeletons, who admired his strength and wanted to be like him. Wearing spiky armor and bearing blazing skulls, they had become Mark’s friends and fans, calling themselves "The Blazing Skulls."
"Mark! Come with me. We have to talk about something important at home," Elayne called out, waving her hand from afar.
"Ah, yeah!" Mark nodded, walking away. "Sorry guys, I have to go."
"O-Of course, big bro!"
"Take care...!"
"I’m so jealous of him...!"
"Who wouldn’t be?! He’s the only one who’s ever conquered Lady Elayne’s ghostly heart!"
Mark’s fan club both admired and envied him for his relationship with Elayne, which they all wished they had. In the Living World, Elayne was already regarded as a "goddess" by many, but now in the World of the Dead, her pristine appearance, charm, kindness, and motherliness made her seem even more divine to the inhabitants of the Netherworld.
"What is it, Elayne?" Mark asked.
"We need to talk about Lisette—this boy here," Elayne sighed.
"Oh..." Mark quickly understood. "Okay..."
As they entered their home, Elayne decided to cook lunch. They had a rudimentary kitchen crafted through teamwork between Elayne and Orkus. Elayne could "imitate" the Runes of Cooking Magic through her Soul Rune Imprint—a skill she had developed that allowed her to temporarily copy any Rune she once possessed in life through her soul, although it took time to recall them.
Thus, even when cooking with the lamest, most common ingredients, her food was naturally delicious. With just a bit of salt and some spices made from flavorful herbs or dried mushrooms, she could create delicacies the Undead had never tasted before.
In fact, most of them had no tongues and couldn’t taste anything—yet Elayne’s food was so flavorful that they could feel taste again, and their Soul Stomachs were always satisfied. Eating her food also helped strengthen their Soul Fortitude and Ghostly Power—special stats possessed by the Undead.
Near the kitchen was a basket from which Elayne took some of the edible "plants" she had been farming recently. A large Netherworld Farm stood behind her house, tended by Undead people who helped out of goodwill and because they found it relaxing.
Interestingly, practicing farming seemed to help them gain power just like sparring with swords. Improving their proficiency could one day grant them a Farming Skill—an ultimate goal for those who worshipped Elayne.
The basket contained root-like plants resembling screaming faces. Their texture was a mix between beets and potatoes, and they were slightly bitter. However, with her Cooking Magic, Elayne made them sweet and delicious.
She had also grown a special type of edible grass, using it mostly for salads. As for water, she could procure it using a Water Drop Spell from her new skill. Beyond that, as someone who had never specialized in water magic in life, it was all she could manage for now.
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