"Why… is it an egg?"
Kurose Akira scanned the interior of the cave. There was nothing here—only a single snow-crystal–colored egg.
He extended a fingertip and gently touched the shell, yet felt no pulse, no tremor of life from within.
Could it be… a lifeless egg?
"Master… it seems to already be dead…"
Alice stared at the snow-crystal egg, a faint light flickering in her sky-blue eyes.
As a creation of a witch herself, she could sense the witch's aura clinging to it.But the being within the egg gave no response at all—meaning there was no life inside.
"Mhm."
Akira nodded lightly, but confusion filled his heart.Why would a dead egg appear in a place like this?Had the Snow Porpoise been silently guarding it all along?
Just as they were lost in thought, a faint sound broke the silence.
They turned—and saw a white Snow Porpoise appear behind them.
"Danger!"
Loserine reacted instantly, stepping in front of Akira and shielding him with her body. Her Vow Sword snapped forward, pointed straight at the Snow Porpoise, her entire posture bristling with vigilance.
But what happened next left them stunned.
The Snow Porpoise showed no hostility at all.
Instead, it bounced forward and pounced toward the egg. Before they could even process what it was doing, they saw streams of magical power pouring continuously from the Snow Porpoise into the egg.
"What… is it doing?" Akira murmured, deeply perplexed.
"Master… it's committing suicide!" Alice cried out immediately, her voice filled with urgency.
"Suicide?"
"Yes!" Alice nodded quickly, explaining, "As creations of a witch, our existence depends on that sliver of the witch's origin magic. Right now, it's transferring all of its origin magic into the egg! Once that power is completely gone, it will die!"
Akira's brows knit together tightly.
He couldn't understand it. Why would the Snow Porpoise do this?By giving its origin magic to the egg… would the egg truly gain life?
Before he could find an answer, the Snow Porpoise had already finished transferring every last bit of its origin magic into the egg.
Then it turned around and let out a few soft, "Ee-ee-ee~" cries toward Alice.
"…You want us to raise this egg for you?" Alice asked in shock.
"You can understand what it's saying?" Akira asked in surprise. He hadn't expected Alice to comprehend the Snow Porpoise's language.
"Yes!" Alice nodded firmly. "We're both witch creations, so we can communicate through the witches' language. Master… it wants us to help it raise the Snow Porpoise egg."
Hearing this, Akira frowned slightly and looked at the egg in the Snow Porpoise's embrace.
Even after absorbing the Snow Porpoise's origin magic, the egg still gave off no sign of life.
In contrast, the Snow Porpoise itself was visibly fading. With its origin magic exhausted, its life force was rapidly draining away.
Meeting the Snow Porpoise's eyes—eyes filled with anticipation—Akira finally nodded.
"Tell it… we'll take good care of the egg."
He guessed the Snow Porpoise had sensed that Alice was also a witch's creation. Perhaps there was a deep connection between the Moonlight Witch and the Icefield Witch—because of that, it chose to trust Alice and entrust the egg to them.
"Okay. I'll tell it."
Alice immediately relayed Akira's words.
The Snow Porpoise's face lit up with joy. It bounced happily toward Akira, curled its tail fin, and lowered its body as if kneeling—then respectfully presented the egg to him.
Seeing this, Akira glanced at Alice.
He was certain she must have said something extra—otherwise, the one it truly trusted should have been Alice, not him.
"Don't worry. I'll take good care of this egg," Akira said as he accepted it.
Even if it was a lifeless egg, ensuring it stayed safely stored in the guild without being damaged was something he could manage.
"Ee-ee-ee~"
The Snow Porpoise let out a cheerful cry… and then its body slowly dissolved into ice and snow, vanishing without a trace.
Akira stood there, slightly dazed.
His mission seemed to have been completed the moment the Snow Porpoise disappeared—but why did the entire process feel so… abnormal?
"Master~ let's go~"
Alice gently looped her arm around Akira's right arm, her adorable face blooming with a bright smile.
—
After returning to the guild, Akira carefully placed the Snow Porpoise egg inside a glass display case for protection.
He had briefly considered putting it in a flowerpot, but the Demonflame Silver Phoenix Butterfly kept fluttering around it curiously, constantly trying to touch the egg. Afraid its flames might melt the Snow Porpoise egg, Akira deliberately added a layer of glass as isolation.
As a result, the Demonflame Silver Phoenix Butterfly could only cling to the outside of the glass cabinet, staring longingly at the egg inside.
[Quest Complete!][EXP +1500! Silver Coins +15!]
After Akira submitted the quest, a notification popped up in his vision.
[Demonic Spirit Doll Character Quest – Phase Two Complete!][Quest Reward Acquired: Soul Weapon – New Form +1!][Converting witch aura within Demonic Spirit Doll…][Successfully unlocked new Soul Weapon form — Ice Silk Snow Thread!]
[Ice Silk Snow Thread (Unknown):A weapon form woven from ice and snow. Exceptionally resilient, imbued with frost effects.Originates from the aura of the Icefield Witch.]
"Ice Silk Snow Thread?" Akira murmured, curiosity sparked by Alice's new Soul Weapon.
Before he could think further, Alice had already manifested it.
"Master~ look!"
With a thought, countless strands of crystal-blue ice silk materialized around Alice's body, radiating an icy chill. Each thread was as fine as silk, yet brimming with terrifying power that sent a shiver down one's spine.
Like her Soul Cutter, these ice silks could be controlled remotely.
However, compared to raw lethality, this Soul Weapon excelled far more in control.
"A good weapon," Akira said, nodding in satisfaction.
At that moment, Alice's third-phase quest suddenly appeared in his vision.
[Phase Three: ? (Unlocked after visiting the palace once inhabited by the Moonlight Witch in the Moon God Empire)][Quest Reward: Unlock a brand-new form for one Soul Weapon!][Current Soul Weapon Count: 2]
"The third phase only unlocks after going to the Moon God Empire…?"
Seeing nothing but a question mark, Akira frowned slightly.
The Moon God Empire was a special case. It existed entirely through faith in the Moon Goddess. Entry required official permits, and player teleportation arrays couldn't directly access its territory.
However, if a quest originated within the Moon God Empire, players could teleport there directly, and the quest's patron would provide a temporary pass—making entry possible.
"Maybe… there's another way into the Moon God Empire…"
Akira pondered. He knew quests weren't the only route in—but entering the Moon God Empire was undeniably troublesome.
Just as he was deep in thought, the teleportation array flashed white again.
Ivsha and the others had returned.
"Mr. Akira~ we're back~" Ivsha said with a gentle smile.
"Did everything go smoothly?" Akira asked with concern.
"Mhm! Very smoothly!" Beiafurie nodded vigorously.
Beiafuro added excitedly, "It was our first time seeing a world covered entirely in flowers! That lady doctor was amazing!"
"Oh?"
Akira's eyes flickered slightly. He'd never personally seen such a "world of flowers" himself.
"You've worked hard. This is your payment."
He split the rewards into two portions and handed them to Ivsha and the elf sisters.
"Thank you, Guild Master!"
Beiafurie accepted the coin pouch happily, gratitude written all over her face.
"Alright. There are no more tasks for today. We'll continue tomorrow," Akira said.
All ten E-rank evaluation quests were complete. Only the soon-to-refresh special commission remained, so there were no suitable tasks left for the elves for now.
"We understand~ we'll listen to everything the Guild Master says~"
Beiafurie and Beiafuro exchanged a glance and nodded obediently.
They'd earned quite a lot today—three commissions netted them twenty silver coins. For girls who had lived over a decade in the Elf Kingdom, this was wealth they'd never possessed before.
"But… it's still early," Akira said, glancing at the sky.
It was only around five in the afternoon. Logging out this early felt a bit wasteful.
"So~ does that mean Mr. Akira wants to…?" Ivna immediately perked up, her face full of expectation.
"Drop it right now!"
Akira shut her down instantly. The exhaustion from morning prayers still hadn't fully faded yet!
Did she want to do evening prayers too?
"What a shame~"
"If… if the Guild Master doesn't mind, would you like to come to our house for dinner?"
Beiafurie suddenly made the invitation.
"That might not be appropriate, right?" Akira said, interest quietly blooming in his heart.
They'd only joined the guild two days ago. Going to their home so soon…
"It's fine! Everyone in the guild is a good person! And Mom's cooking is really delicious! The Guild Master will definitely like it!" Beiafuro added eagerly.
"Is that so? Then I'm actually quite looking forward to it—"
Just as Akira was about to agree, a bolt of realization struck him like lightning.
Mom?
Wait.
A sudden premonition flashed through his mind. The elf mother Liu Xue had mentioned before—could she be… Beiafurie and Beiafuro's…?
"Come on~ Guild Master~"
The elf sisters each wrapped one arm around Akira's, pulling him close.
"Mom said she really wants to meet you too!"
"R-Really?" Akira said, startled.
Their mother wanted to meet him?
That only made things more intriguing.
"Alright! Then let's head out now!"
..
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