Night Frost crouched in a corner, completely unaware of the outside world.

She had only just begun learning the Elven language. Even so, she displayed extraordinary talent in this area. Without a doubt, it came from that person’s Elven Blessing.

Lurie had studied the Purification Magic Spell. She could list the written Array Patterns for Night Frost.

All Night Frost needed to do was recognize the characters, compare the surface-world language with Elven, and work out the meaning of the Array Patterns in the Purification Formation.

But even that single task was incredibly difficult.

Sometimes, one Elven word corresponded to three or even four characters in the surface-world language. Yet the surface-world Array Patterns on the Formation contained only one character.

Clearly, the surface-world people of the past had simplified part of the Array Patterns. They had also added some of their own interpretations.

Night Frost had studied the Formation for several days. She had roughly deciphered all its Array Patterns.

However, its operating method differed from that of the surface world. To understand it, she first had to construct an Elven Purification Formation, then study it in depth.

Under Lurie’s guidance, Night Frost memorized more than a hundred Elven words from the Purification Magic Spell in just two days.

After breaking those words down and following the Spell’s operating trajectory, she barely managed to piece together the Purification Array Patterns.

Actually, it shouldn’t have been this troublesome.

The books the Elderly Elf had ordered the administrator to find recorded the operating trajectory of the Purification Magic Spell.

Night Frost only needed to copy the movements and infer the principles behind them.

Unfortunately, an accident occurred midway. The Purification Magic Spell and the books never reached Night Frost’s hands.

“I finally finished it!”

Night Frost carved a simple Purification Formation into the ground.

She had completed it in only three days. The Eye Orb, Li Dogegg, and Lurie had all contributed greatly.

Without them, Night Frost probably couldn’t have carved these Array Patterns in such a short time.

“Learning the basics of this is much easier than learning the genetic chain.”

“But the deeper you go, the more endless mysteries you find. This thing is actually so similar to genes…”

“I think I’ve found the direction for my future research.”

The Eye Orb looked at Night Frost, its eyes filled with gratitude.

It had originally believed that genetic and cellular research had reached its limit. Aside from combining different genes, there seemed to be no further path forward.

But after coming into contact with Array Patterns, the Eye Orb had a new idea.

What if each gene were divided into sections, with an Array Pattern carved into every section?

After rearranging them, the genes might form a self-sustaining cycle…

It seemed feasible.

Genes might be combined with Mana that way. Perhaps it could create even more geniuses capable of manipulating Mana.

It might even allow men who were originally unable to use Mana to wield it.

If this research succeeded, its achievements would surpass Night Frost’s current masterpiece.

After all, Night Frost’s miracle was nearly impossible to replicate.

The Dragon’s Heart, the Dragon’s Magic Stone, and the Miracle-Bearer were all indispensable. Missing even one would make it impossible.

There was also the risk of being devoured by the power.

The Eye Orb looked toward Li Dogegg, who was lying motionless nearby.

As a Palu—no, as a familiar—it had gone nearly forty-eight hours without sleep.

Night Frost had dragged it here to compare the semantic similarities between Dragon Language, Elven, and the surface-world language.

With Li Dogegg’s help, the Eye Orb had already compiled the first translation between Dragon Language and the surface-world language.

Although some parts were inaccurate, it was generally sufficient for communication.

Returning to the main topic, Night Frost’s miracle was difficult to replicate.

But if this experiment succeeded, surface-world men could gain some ability to protect themselves during disasters.

They might even become no weaker than those Magic Maidens.

Night Frost planned to rest for a day.

She had been stuck in this wretched place for three days and two nights. Even a Magic Maiden needed to get out and breathe some fresh air.

So, for the first time in several days, Night Frost climbed out of the pit.

She hadn’t gone far when a human appeared behind her without warning and lightly tapped her shoulder.

“Would you like a fortune reading? (Elven)”

Night Frost turned around in alarm.

Anyone who could appear behind her without making a sound clearly possessed considerable strength.

Following the direction of the woman’s finger, Night Frost saw the fortune-telling shop that had previously been almost empty.

Who recruited customers like this?

Wasn’t fortune-telling supposed to be mysterious?

And did this Abyss really have things like tarot cards?

After thinking about it, Night Frost realized that surface-world people had once come here.

So having tarot cards wasn’t strange at all.

The woman behind her possessed some strength. Starting a conflict here would only draw the nearby crowd’s attention.

Night Frost decided to follow her to the fortune-telling shop and see what tricks she had.

“Let’s go. (Elven)”

This time, Night Frost didn’t need Lurie to translate.

After several days of study, she could say some simple phrases without hesitation.

Whether her pronunciation was correct was another matter.

After all, you couldn’t expect every foreigner who spoke Chinese to speak it fluently and accurately.

“No wonder you’re from another world.”

The pronunciation was awkward, but Night Frost understood her.

The woman had spoken in the surface-world language.

No wonder she was from another world…

It seemed this woman already knew where Night Frost came from.

Wait.

Perhaps it was more accurate to say that this woman had come into contact with the surface-world people who had arrived here before.

That might be Night Frost’s only chance to learn more about the surface-world language.

Night Frost wanted to go with her even more now.

So she woke Li Dogegg up again and made it work overtime.

This time, however, Li Dogegg’s duty was to guard the entrance. If anything seemed wrong, it had to immediately return to the familiar space and report to Night Frost.

The Eye Orb went with Night Frost to meet the woman behind her.

The fortune-telling shop wasn’t very large. It was less than ten square meters.

Night Frost sat across from a table holding a crystal ball, an astrolabe, and scattered tarot cards.

At some point, the woman had draped a layer of cloth over herself. She sat opposite Night Frost.

“This is truly remarkable…”

“If you look from this angle, that is.”

The woman, covered by a translucent veil, stared at Night Frost’s chest.

Her Mana-infused fingertip traced a circle across Night Frost’s chest.

She spoke in the surface-world language, though her accent was slightly awkward.

“What are you trying to say?”

Night Frost covered her chest.

She had no idea what the woman had seen.

Her heart?

Or the white orb beside it?

Either way, those were both extraordinary things.

The moment Night Frost finished speaking, she felt an enormous pressure.

It didn’t seem to come from the woman.

Instead, it felt as if it had descended from the earth and the heavens above.

At that moment, it was as though everything in the world had become Night Frost’s enemy.

“Thump…”

Night Frost heard the sound of the woman’s heart bursting into motion.

That heart pumped Blood toward every part of her body.

The Abyssal Aura mixed with Mana and forcibly pushed back the pressure radiating from heaven and earth.

“Truly breathtaking…”

“The heart of the Calamity Dragon is actually protecting an outsider of its own accord.”

“I understand now. You can also be considered a Calamity Dragon, though your title is incomplete.”

“But because the Calamity Dragon’s heart exists within you, you still haven’t obtained what you were meant to possess.”

What she was meant to possess?

Was the woman saying that Night Frost had failed to obtain something because of the Calamity Dragon’s heart?

Was it that white orb?

What exactly was inside it?

The Eye Orb pricked up its ears.

They had encountered countless enemies until now, but only this woman had exposed all of Night Frost’s secrets.

Some were things Night Frost already knew.

Others were things she didn’t.

“You’re a perfect vessel.”

“You should have been stronger, but the power of calamity has stopped you from advancing.”

“Now, you have two choices.”

“One: let me remove the heart, and you’ll obtain your own power.”

“Two: abandon that power and become a pure Calamity Dragon.”

Night Frost couldn’t understand what the woman was talking about.

What choices?

What did she mean by abandoning something?

“The two paths lead to different destinations, but the heights of those destinations are nearly identical.”

Nearly identical destinations…

The Eye Orb fell into thought.

It had sensed long ago that Night Frost was no ordinary person.

A miracle capable of harmonizing with the heart of a Calamity Dragon naturally carried other extraordinary secrets as well.

“You did this, didn’t you?”

“I have to say, you’re both intelligent and lucky.”

“I don’t know how you turned her into a Calamity Dragon, but if you had encountered anyone else, your experiment would certainly have failed.”

Let’s review Night Frost’s life.

She was a first-year university student whose origins were unknown. But eleven years ago, she appeared in the Twelfth District.

That year, the Calamity Dragon invaded.

The Magic Maidens, led by Crimson, killed the Calamity Dragon.

But in truth, it hadn’t died.

After changing hands countless times, its heart eventually fell into Aklatia’s possession.

Night Frost’s parents had unquestionably vanished during that disaster.

There was a high chance they had been killed by the Calamity Dragon and an unknown enemy.

Wait…

How could they be considered dead without seeing their bodies?

The Eye Orb noticed something important.

The rift torn open by the Calamity Dragon had appeared in the Twelfth District. That was beyond doubt.

What if Night Frost’s parents hadn’t died?

What if they had leaped into the Abyss and accidentally arrived in the Myth?

Night Frost’s father had been a master in the field of Formations.

And now, within the Mythic Abyss, there was also a Formation.

Could it be said that Night Frost’s father had established that Formation here?

That he had once come here and lived in this place?

Everything fit.

Perhaps Night Frost might even meet her biological parents here—the people she was willing to do anything to see, even if it meant standing alongside calamity.

Then the tarot cards, this fortune-telling shop, and the woman before them might also be connected to Night Frost’s father.

Otherwise, how could she know everything Night Frost carried?

“Who exactly are you?”

The Eye Orb looked toward the veiled woman.

The two little creatures before her were rather clever.

With only a few words from her, they had already guessed nearly the entire story.

“I have no intention of telling you right now.”

“But first, you must make a choice.”

“Do you want calamity, or the treasure inside your body?”

Night Frost shook her head.

She didn’t want to give up anything within her.

She had survived until now because of the Calamity Dragon’s power.

And the thing inside her had been left behind by her father.

Naturally, she wouldn’t abandon it either.

“I’m a greedy person.”

“So naturally, I want all of it.”

That was very Night Frost.

Her answer was exactly the same as the Eye Orb’s.

After hearing Night Frost’s response, the woman across from her replied in a deep voice:

“Since you’ve chosen this path, I’ll read your fortune.”

“Your past was filled with cold and hardship.”

“Your future is nothing but calamity.”

“Time cannot save everything. The end of life is death.”

“Only you can rebuild…”

“A new Order…”

“Within the calamity.”