Brand New Life Online: Rise Of The Goddess Of Harvest

”Of course...” Blank sighed, shaking his head slowly. ”It would be better if we avoid speaking with her while we are there. We will stay for a couple of days to hunt monsters, right? Once we finish, let’s move on quickly. There is no point in staying any longer than necessary.”

”Wow, okay. It’s that bad?” Sailor jumped into the conversation. ”Damn, is there a single normal person in that family of yours?”

”...” Blank remained silent and chose to ignore the remark, but the words still stung deeply.

”Sailor!” Elayne slapped the back of his head.

”Sorry,” Sailor apologized, though only half-heartedly.

”Blank’s family back in White Tooth were all nice and... well, normal,” Elayne explained. ”Maybe his sister was a little obsessive, but there is nothing wrong with a clingy girl, right?”

”Yeah, sure,” Sailor sighed. ”Hm, we are drawing closer. What are we doing now? Are we still pretending we are slaves?”

”If you mind it so much, you should not have come,” Norman replied. ”You were the one who kept insisting on joining us, Sailor.”

”Why are you mad at me? I have not said anything,” Sailor sighed, shaking his head.

”Yes, we are going with that story,” Granny Yaga confirmed. ”It is the best cover for us right now. We cannot waste time trying to explain to the guards that we are a party of free undead and friendly noble races. That would only bring more suspicion. Especially because they suspect any undead without an owner to be part of the Demon King of Death’s faction. Such undead are usually killed on sight or captured and enslaved anyway.”

”Huh...” Elayne let out a soft sigh as she gazed into the distance. A breathtaking garden of Ghostly Flowers and Nether Grass stretched for dozens of kilometers around the walled village. ”It is beautiful here.”

The flowers emitted a faint, phantasmal glow, while the grass swayed gently with the subtle winds that drifted in from the outside world through the labyrinth.

”It truly is,” Mark nodded, looking around while gently holding her hand.

As the couple admired the beautiful yet somber and lugubrious scenery, Elayne summoned her phone. After being refined, it had transformed into a powerful soul treasure. She took a quick selfie with Mark, then captured several more photos of the stunning otherworldly view.

”First ever documentation of the otherworldly netherworld! I bet people would go crazy if I posted this online,” Elayne said excitedly. ”Well, I will do it eventually. It will probably take a month or so to reach Earth.”

”Hahaha, I do not know if you should do that though,” Mark laughed awkwardly. ”What if someone dangerous finds out about us?”

”Oh, right...” Elayne gasped. ”Hmm, then I have to be more careful, I guess. But still, I want to keep photos of everyone so I never forget these moments. And because this technology has become a magical relic, it can even take pictures of the dead. Crazy, right?”

”Pictures?” Granny Yaga asked, raising an eyebrow. ”Just what are you doing now, Elayne?” She sighed and shook her head.

”Just stand together like this!” Elayne said enthusiastically. She gathered everyone into a big group and then summoned a Sporeborn from her Domain. It was the corpse of a former enemy, now completely covered in mushrooms. ”Take the picture for us, will you?”

”Gaahhh...” the Sporeborn groaned but nodded obediently, holding the cellphone carefully and snapping the photo.

”Say cheese!” Elayne called out.

”C-Cheese?”

CLICK.

”It is done!” Elayne ran back to her undead companion and took the phone. ”Oh, it looks even better than I imagined! You are good at this, Mister Shroom.” She smiled and gently patted the mushroom-capped head of the Sporeborn.

”Gaahhh...” the creature groaned once more before Elayne sent it back into her Domain.

Sporeborns were the special undead that Elayne could create and control. By infecting a corpse or even a living being with her spores and overcoming any resistance, she could transform them into loyal servants. Their power varied greatly depending on the original host, but her abilities and skills could enhance their stats and grant them unique powers. Even the weakest Sporeborn reached the level of a Level 100 fighter in toughness, endurance, and attack power, though they tended to be quite slow.

Still, having them around the Domain made heavy labor much easier, and they had become a normal part of everyday life there. The vessels themselves were usually completely dead. What remained alive were the mushrooms growing throughout the body. They typically had no souls left. Elayne would never leave a soul trapped and tortured inside one unless the person was truly evil and deserved punishment. Because of this, her undead felt more like peaceful mushroom colonies than traditional horrors.

”So you took a photo?” Mark asked, leaning in. ”Wow, it looks really good.”

”Is that me?!” Sailor exclaimed in shock. ”Damn, I look all putrid.”

”What did you expect? We are dead,” Norman replied flatly.

”Heheh! I cannot believe there are relics that can do that. So cool!” Lisette marveled at the pictures. Suddenly her eyes widened. ”Huh? Who are these people? Wait! Is this the world of the living?! It is so damn bright! The sky is blue?! There is... what is that bright ball in the sky illuminating everything?!”

”It is the sun, dummy,” Sailor said. ”Though I do not recognize any of the rest. What are those huge cities? Huh? Those are some weird carriages...”

”Is she your daughter, Elayne?” Norman asked, pointing at a picture of Elena eating pizza.

”Yes,” Elayne replied with a warm, loving smile. She did not mind showing her precious memories to her friends. ”She is my baby girl, Elena! I gave up my life to save her and her friends.”

”Wow...” Sailor muttered. ”Well... I guess you are a good mom.”

”Wow, there is another kid?!” Lisette wondered aloud. ”Who is he? He has wings and... is that a halo?!”

”A HALO?!” Granny Yaga asked in disbelief. ”Wait a moment, Elayne. Who is that?”

”Ah! That is Little Gabriel, an Archangel I befriended,” Elayne explained with a gentle smile. ”He was badly wounded and had regressed into a cherub form. He had lost most of his memories, but over time he started growing again. I do not know what became of him, but I believe he is at least alive and safe somewhere...”

-----