Chapter 101 The Final Feast of Revelry (End) "My god, until next time."...

The stone steps were very long. Du Yu felt that there might really be something wrong with his brain. Otherwise, why would the normal Icaria look familiar, and why would this stone path, which he had never been to before, also look familiar?

Du Yu couldn't help but extend his spiritual power, which spread along the way. The cave was very deep, and the invisible darkness seemed real, viscous and sluggish, writhing in the distance, exuding a chilling aura. Du Yu cautiously bypassed that area.

Icaria seemed very familiar with the cave. Bypassing the ominous darkness in the distance, as if she had practiced it a thousand times, she skillfully led Du Yu through the labyrinthine cave.

Du Yu had always been a good student, and even better after awakening her powers. But now, as she followed Icaria through the cave, she couldn't remember the route she had taken.

Even stranger, this lifeless cave seemed to be rejecting him. If he slowed down even a step, Icaria's figure, which was clearly in front of him, suddenly became illusory. The darkness in the distance suddenly became restless, and an inexplicable aura began to spread.

Du Yu's heart tightened. Even though this body was just an avatar, she had an extremely ominous feeling, as if something terrifying might happen if she fell into the darkness.

Du Yu's mental energy suddenly focused on one point, but Icaria's figure in the distance was still blurry. His brows twitched, and he was about to summon the purple flame. Although he did not know the principle, with the purple flame, the sharpness of his mental energy would directly increase to a higher level.

"We can't turn back here."

Just before the flames illuminated the darkness, something cool and soft pressed against him. Du Yu hadn't had close contact with a living person in so long that the hairs on the back of his neck almost stood on end. His first reaction was to shake off the hand, but his rationality made him realize where he was and he forced himself to stay still.

Please forgive my offense.

Icaria didn't turn around, but her unusually cold hand didn't retract. With a slight pull, she led Du Yu in a certain direction.

As the two ventured deeper, the surrounding environment grew increasingly dark, almost to the point of conceptual darkness. Their senses were completely clouded, and Yu's mental energy was suppressed to the minimum. However, perhaps because the two were holding hands, Icaria did not merge with the surrounding chaos and darkness.

Du Yu could clearly "see" the other person's trembling eyelashes and tightly pursed lips.

Awkwardness is a strange emotion; when you're feeling awkward, if someone else is even more uncomfortable than you, you suddenly stop feeling awkward.

The unease in Du Yu's heart dissipated considerably. After the restless darkness deep in the cave subsided, Icaria seemed to have forgotten to let go, and Du Yu did not remind him. With his mental energy relaxed, he explored the surrounding environment.

When I discussed this with Icaria before, I asked about the information of this mysterious cave, but Icaria only said that we would understand once we got here, and that it would be better not to go into too much detail before that.

Du Yu had gotten used to the atmosphere of being surrounded by riddle-makers, but even after the two of them had been walking in the cave for a while, she still hadn't felt what Icaria had said: "The call from the depths of the cave will tell you everything."

"Crack."

Something was kicked away and hit the cave wall with a crisp sound. Du Yu was puzzled and stopped with Icaria.

Du Yu realized that he had unknowingly reached the end of the cave. The dull echoes of stones hitting the cave walls traveled far and wide.

Du Yu suddenly held her breath. As her gaze shifted forward, a gentle, pale gold light suddenly appeared, like a firefly in summer, faint but shining happily in the long night, illuminating fragments of memories.

Golden light danced on the water's surface, and silvery water accumulated into a lake. The surface of the water was like a mirror, but what it reflected was not the cold, dark cave around it, but a series of blurry images. In the familiar scene, several figures with indistinct features flickered.

Du Yu couldn't help but step forward, subconsciously holding her breath. It was as if a voice in her heart was shouting, urging her to quickly see the reflection in the pool.

My wrist suddenly felt lighter.

Du Yu subconsciously turned his head to the side.

Because of Du Yu's actions, she was now standing in the same row as Icaria. From this angle, she could see the faint golden light shimmering in his eyes deep within the cave. His golden eyes, like pools of water, held some kind of emotion that she did not understand.

As his fingers instinctively pulled back from their empty grasp, just as his fingertips touched his palm, Icaria was about to ask a question when he suddenly took a step back and fell straight into the pool.

"!"

Du Yu subconsciously stepped forward, but forcibly suppressed his impulse.

Icaria's fall seemed to break some kind of seal. The golden phantom shimmering on the surface of the lake suddenly shattered, and the thin golden light vanished without a trace. A cool silver light slowly rose, like a diligent spider tirelessly weaving the entire cave into an airtight cocoon, just waiting for its prey to walk into its trap.

Du Yu's pupils contracted slightly, his mind wavered, and a fine layer of cold sweat broke out on his back in an instant.

She finally understood what Icaria meant when she said the cave would tell her everything.

It can't be wrong... although the form is different... the lake, this small lake, is the moon!

"One moon is crescent-shaped, one moon is full, one moon is perfectly square..."

During his first journey through the spirit world, the terrifying memories of the moon almost flooded back into his mind. Without Icaria's prompting, Touyu immediately took a few steps back and left the seemingly gentle and harmless lake that had swallowed all his panic.

"Splash."

After a few breaths, Icaria emerged from the water, holding a crystal that glowed with a pale golden light. She raised it high with both hands and handed it to Du Yu. The unknown liquid in the pool was viscous, but Du Yu could already see that Icaria's lower body skin had dissolved, revealing her stark white bones.

The other party's meaning was crystal clear, yet Du Yu did not reach out.

"It won't corrode now, it's safe."

Icaria clearly misinterpreted Du Yu's silence, and didn't retract her hand holding the crystal. Du Yu had always thought that Icaria's incoherent speech was due to insufficient energy, but now it seemed that Icaria was actually not good at speaking; she was fine when she wasn't in a hurry, but when she got anxious, she would reverse the order of her words.

Why did you do that?

Even without knowing the details, Du Yu could tell from Icaria's "shattered" state that he was in a bad situation. So why would he choose to entrust this crystal to him?

Even if Du Yu knew it, as the actual beneficiary, there was no need to be too calculating; it would be foolish not to take advantage of a good deal.

But whether you call it being suspicious or cautious, there are some things that I just have to get to the bottom of. Are there really people in the world who would give everything for others without any reason?

Icaria looked up. The pool began to ripple the moment the crystal left the surface, spreading upwards like a rising tide. He remained motionless in the pool, the silver liquid covering his chest, revealing a pale neck, the ends of his black hair floating on the water like withered leaves drifting on a lake after summer.

Those golden eyes stared silently at Du Yu, and that inexplicable emotion welled up again. The golden eyes shone astonishingly bright in the shimmering silver light.

"You don't need to worry about me."

He said.

Icaria didn't seem to be asking for a response from Du Yu when he said that. He grabbed Du Yu's hand and pressed it against his throat.

A cool, jade-like touch came from his fingertips, followed by a slight tremor. Du Yu subconsciously pressed his fingertips against the pale skin, against the supple muscles and flowing blood.

Before Du Yu could react to Icaria's inexplicable behavior, a golden light shone from Du Yu's fingertip, condensing at an astonishing speed into a golden rune that appeared in the air like a brand and was imprinted on Icaria's throat.

Du Yu recoiled as if burned, but the information from the rune had already entered his mind with the touch. The dark golden rune pulsed a few times as if asserting its dominance, then quickly disappeared into his pale skin.

This is... a slave contract?

"What are you doing?!"

"Now you can accept my sacrifice with peace of mind."

Du Yu's questioning voice and Icaria's gratified voice rang out almost at the same time. The rune seemed to be the opening of some kind of ceremony, and the pale golden crystal flew into Du Yu's hand automatically.

The viscous, silvery lake water surged and rapidly submerged the lower half of Icaria's face, which was as dark and handsome as a screen in a smoking room, its exquisite embroidery riddled with black holes.

Icaria seemed completely oblivious, her golden eyes above the water filled with a sense of relief and belated confusion, without a trace of pain.

"You seem very angry... I'm sorry, I'm always so clumsy and there's so little I can do for you... See you next time, I'll do better."

"My God, until next time."

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Author's Note: I was hoping to finish this volume, but it's still a little short. Sorry, I had relatives visiting a few days ago, and the romance plot was incredibly difficult to write, so I just managed to squeeze out this little bit while racking my brains.

After some thought, I've decided to discontinue the daily copywriting update. The double whammy of job hunting and exam preparation has been taking its toll lately, and my life has been incredibly turbulent. I also underestimated the devastating impact of internships. I'm truly sorry for the inconsistent updates; I'll try my best to update, and if I don't update, I'll ask for leave. I won't be like I am these past few days, so reluctant to open the backend if I haven't finished writing. Again, I apologize. (bows)