“Hello, my name is Sylviette Noiv.” The woman with long golden hair prostrates herself in a bow. Then she gets up, expressionless she waits.

I feel the awe. Her teal-green gaze is lost in the void. She is wearing a dark men's suit with a green tie. She has ash stains on her shoes and trousers, signs of walking in the desert.

Unlike others, she is a person without smell.

She doesn't smell old.

Not of rot.

Not sweat.

Not of blood or disease.

She doesn't smell at all.

Ci-cin.

In this sense, she is similar to me. How beautiful!

“Oh,” she narrows her mouth and points to my hissing tail.

“Nice to meet you, I'm N and that's one of my two tails. It's a bit rebellious, I can't tell you whether it understands or not. Don't worry about it and just call me whatever you like, Sylviette.”

Despite the torrent of words I pour on her, I bow in turn.

I haven't had rational guests for a while and then I want to have a chat.

“Yes…”

She doesn't say anything else. She remains stunned as if she were waiting.

“Yes?”

“Yes, I will do as you say.” She sighs.

Unusual.

Doesn't she ask any questions?

In short, she is a dark elf. She Is used to cat ears? Or is she a connoisseur of deserts that I can't even imagine? Or does she already know everything due to some unknown divine intervention?

No, seriously. I must find out who this God of Wisdom who knows the underworld is.

Hmm…

“Sorry,” Sylviette shows no facial expression. She points to the house in the desert. Her thin finger wears a ring of dark thorns.

Hmm, is this a magical item?

Ah, I don't have to think about these things. She is waiting for a response.

“That is my home, as well as the entrance to the Underwasteland dungeon.”

“Uh, yeah. I understand.”

“Aren't you even a little surprised?”

Ci-cin.

“Surprise is good for the ignorant and gullible, I think. Categories I don't belong to.”

Self-confident, the elf.

“Scan.”

[lv: 29] [xp: 2489]

[name: Sylviette Noiv]

[type: Dark Elf]

[class: Noble]

[job: Diplomat]

[hp: 1427]

[c: 1][d: 4]―[s: 2][i: 7]

[ap: 1742]

[c: 1][i: 7]―[d: 4][s: 2]

[status: Astral journey]

This is absurd!

Instead of [malus] it has a [status] entry!

“Did you notice?”

“Aren't you a deceased person?!”

“My government has been trying to get to the bottom of this mystery for centuries.”

“What mystery?”

“That of the great desert that appears in the sleep of our people.”

The extravagance of Sylviette's words is nothing new to me. My father certainly met other individuals of these people.

The only people in the entire universe capable of dreaming of the ash desert.

“It's a religion here, right?”

“We believe it is the kingdom of the dead.”

Met or not in the past, it has always been about deaths. Maybe atypical in terms of composure and preparation, but still defunct.

“But why are you here? You are not dead.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“I have to consult with an ancestor. It is on behalf of Emperor Louvy II of Glovkya.”

I'm the surprised one!

How can a diplomat of only [lv: 29] travel through space and get here!?

“You seem alarmed, N.”

Ci-cin, Ci-cin.

“No-no, no…” My ears drop and I feel my cheeks heat up. How embarrassing this guest is. “I'm sorry, but you'll have to go back empty-handed.”

Calling back a dead man to please her wouldn't be impossible. With [Necromancy] I can do this. Ancestors have done this in the past.

But in this case, it is not possible: the «kingdom of the dead» must not interfere with that of the living.

As the name suggests, the Underwasteland is a wasteland. There is nothing for the living here.

“I supposed.”

Sylviette doesn't seem disappointed or annoyed. She acts as if she already knows everything and she is just acting out a script.

“Sylviette, forgive my rudeness… but are you a seer?”

For the first time, she cracks a smile which immediately disappears.

“I'm not. It's the curse of the thorn ring, that's all.”

I bend down to take a good look at her ring. The thorns penetrate the skin, but there is no blood or scabs.

A curse?

Even if she is not deceased… hmm…

“Would you like to come in, Sylviette? I don't have much to offer you, but while you're at it I can listen to you. Don't worry about the passage of time, a lot of time here does not affect the flow of the universe.”

Ci-cin! Ci-cin!

Shaking my head also sways the snake. The noise embarrasses me a little but I am proud of my hospitality.

“It's not the case. If I can't fulfill my task, there's no point in wasting your time.”

“No-no-no, no; I have a lot of time! Maybe, by telling me about your adventures, you know… about the ring, well… perhaps I can help you that way.”

To see I must be very red. I feel my neck and cheeks burning. I avoid eye contact, preferring suspended bodies. With my big toe, I draw circles in the sand.

Am I always this pathetic when I'm looking for company? I have to work on it; a thousand years can't be done like this.

“No one can. It's a divine curse. The highest priest imposes it on the most gifted of its Diplomats… it is an honor to have it.”

“Huh? You don't seem very honored to me.”

“Judging by appearances is not befitting of a deity of death.”

Oh, this is bad!

I would just like to help. It is clear that an expressionless face and a heart incapable of feeling amazement are not honors!

Let's try another approach, maybe I'll find out how she got here.

“What if… what if… instead of removing the curse I told you how to relieve the symptoms???”

I'm not sure what I'm promising. After all, the only way I have to understand that curse is [Scan]. If that doesn't reveal anything, bye-bye trust.

Sylviette is perplexed.

“You could?”

“Of course, I can!”

Ci-cin.

The elf puts one hand on her chin, places her other hand on her waist, and looks up at the sky. She is taller than me, but she is younger.

“Where I come from there are many stories of dream travellers. People who have traded in death and then died, you know what I mean?”

“Well, dying is common to everyone…” except me who I am immortal. But I'm dead. How should I consider myself?

“You are Death.”

“It's not like that's how it works. I limit myself to judging the dead. Look, I don't even judge them. It's all a skill I have.”

Sylviette looks at me again. “Judging without knowing the Judgment criteria. That makes you even worse than death.”

“Ngh… but no, come on, I mean… it's for the good of the universe System! If this were not the case, each Bakenekro could judge based on the mood of the day.”

“It's better than knowing nothing. In that circumstance, a judgment criterion would be known, however arbitrary.”

Hmm, better change the subject quickly. This one is super skilled at arguing. I wouldn't be surprised to find specific [Language] [skills].

“Ugh, okay. If you don't want to stay I can't force you. This is land for the dead and you are not it.”

“Are you sure you can't get me to talk to the deceased?”

“You're persistent! Are you sure you don't want to relieve your curse?”

Silence falls.

We stay like that for a while, as if neither of us wanted to make the misstep.

“What do you want back? I don't want to incur a debt to her who judges the dead.”

“Nothing, really. I'm a person who feels alone, a little chat would be enough for me.”

I keep my ears and my gaze lowered. I don't know how to convince her of my good intentions. It's as if she comes from a paranoid environment, where every step weighs on a web of rewards and punishments.

Her very «honor» in her suffering is a clue to this.

“I accept your offer N. But if I deem it appropriate, I will bring you a more appropriate gift for when the time comes.”

Ci-cin.

♦

To carry out my analysis we entered the house. Sylviette sits in front of me, on the opposite side of the table.

At my request, she holds her hand palm up in the centerpiece.

“Scan.”

[Ring of cosmic root thorns]

[type: Object]

[status: 20/20] [endurance: 99/100]

[damage: 5] [critical: 10]

[Ring of cosmic root thorns] is made from parts of the cosmos. It feeds on the bearer's vital energy and causes constant pain.

[ability 1] Since the cosmic root is spread throughout the universe, the ring bearer can use the [Liminal Journey] spell to travel into otherwise inaccessible areas.

[ability 2] Since the roots extend at different times, the bearer can foresee fragments of the future linked by the same root.

Well, I breathe a sigh of relief.

Sylviette moves her pointed ears and looks at me without saying anything. I don't understand if she is indifferent or worried.

I nod to her and she takes her hand away.

“I have good news and bad news.”

“You can't act without breaking the ring, can you?”

“At all. This is the good news! Pain and spell are not related.”

“Magic spell?”

I nod.

“Magic spell. The ring contains one. However, it is an object on the edge of the living and feeds on your life energy. I'm sorry I couldn't do more.”

Sylviette is in disbelief and she blinks several times.

“Are you sure, do you want to check again? The highest priest claims something completely different.”

“There's no need, magic works for certainties. In the end, I wasted your time.”

I'm sorry I can't say more, I'm really sorry. After all, I gave her hope.

Pam!

Ci-cin.

“Ah! Why did you hit your hand on the table!?”

“N, you're a genius!!! Are you sure I can? Not even the most experienced priests… in short, it's a centuries-old tradition.”

I point to my face with my index finger: would I be a genius? But if I just used [Scan].

“Yes Yes, you! You have no idea how long I've been thinking about it, I can ease the pain! I've never done it out of fear. I was afraid this would stop me from traveling! it is a dogma that suffering nourishes the tree of the cosmos!”

HUH!?

“But have you never used Scan on such an important object? Where is your sovereign's head!?”

Sylviette withdraws her hand again, regaining her composure. There is a worried expression on her face.

“The fact is, that magic you call Scan doesn't exist among us mortals. The high priest has studied the ring in many ways, but no one has ever solved the mystery. It only took a few moments for you!”

Oh, as weird as it sounds to me, it makes sense. Many things about the Underwasteland are specific to the place. In certain parts of the universe, [skills] are known, in others it is known that many of them work magic. Rarely do people know about the System and things like stats. So, is [Scan] also considered a rarity?

As I think, I watch as Sylviette casts [Regeneration] and anesthetic spells on her finger. She is silent, but her expression is decidedly relieved.

Maybe I can offer her something?

“I don't have much, but if you want a berry or some tea…”

She takes her attention away from her finger.

“Thank you, you were too kind. I owe you some company, remember? So, I accept some infusion and, before going back, I ask you: is there anything else you would like to do?”

The girl bows her head for a few moments, waiting for my request.

Something I want to do?

Hmm…

Hm-Hmm…

Sure!

Ci-cin!

“Tell me Sylviette, can you play an instrument?”