As Eleanor took the chest in her hands, her heart began to beat much faster. She knew that whatever was inside the chest was what had been calling to her all this time. However, before opening the chest, she wanted to know how the tavern owner came to possess it.

Seeing Eleanor's gaze shift from the chest to her, the tavern owner understood her thoughts and immediately spoke up:

"I know nothing about this chest or about you. In my childhood, my younger brother and I were orphans living by thievery. But twenty years ago, we encountered a mysterious man. I was around fifteen at the time. He bought this tavern and hired us as workers here. My brother and I were very happy back then and deeply respected this man."

"However, after about six months, he showed me this hiding place and the chest, along with two books. He said that if one day a young lady comes and reads these two books, and then asks me what is under the floor, I must give this chest to you. After that, the man left and left this tavern to my brother and me. Since then, I have never seen him again."

Eleanor, upon hearing the story from the tavern owner, realized that there were many things she didn't know. Yet, what was said was more than enough to intrigue her. The mysterious "sir" mentioned by the tavern owner seemed to either know her and her family, or possessed the ability to see the future. Immediately, Eleanor thought of All-Seer from the book Evelina had read. However, according to the story, All-Seer was deceased. With few clues to connect the dots, Eleanor decided not to dwell too deeply on it and focused on the chest instead.

Thanking the tavern owner, Eleanor left the basement with Evelina and returned to their room. Sitting on her bed, Eleanor placed the small chest on her lap and began to examine it. The chest was securely locked. She didn't have the key. Eleanor hadn't asked the tavern owner about the key because if she had it, she would have given it to her.

With no key in hand, Eleanor could only think of one way forward. She closed her eyes once again, just as she had done before, and tried to listen to the call within her soul. Moments later, golden patterns appeared on the surface of the chest, and then it opened by itself.

☆☆☆

At the moment when the small chest opened in a world where the sun never shines and it is always night, where the moon and stars glow with a crimson light of blood, in a majestic dark palace, a handsome youth with silver hair, dressed in black clothes, who had been sitting on a throne of bones with his eyes closed for an unknown number of years, suddenly opened his eyes. His eyes also shone with a silver light. However, his eyes seemed to conceal the secrets of all existence and were capable of seeing through the mysteries of everything.

"It has begun. I wonder what choice she will make in this life?" murmured the young man.

☆☆☆

Eleanora opened her eyes. At that moment, her pupils once again shone with a golden light. However, unlike the last time, the golden light did not disappear after a moment but remained. Eleanora looked at the chest.

Inside the chest lay a golden hairpin, a sheet of paper with text, and a golden crystal.

When Eleanora looked at the golden hairpin, her eyes suddenly began to water. She didn't understand why this was happening. She only knew that an inexplicable sadness had awakened in her soul. Tears started to flow one after another.

Eleanora didn't understand why she was crying, but deep inside, she wanted to cry. She was frightened by this feeling and looked away from the hairpin. She looked at the sheet of paper with the text. She took the sheet and began to read.

The golden crystal was the Life Crystal of the Great Golden Magus. After the death of the Golden Magus, this was the only thing left of her. When she ruled the world, her entire family and her kingdom no longer existed in this world. Therefore, this crystal was the only remnant left of her. Anyone who merges with this crystal can receive the entire legacy of the Great Golden Magus and become the second Great Golden Magus, also obtaining the title of the strongest under the gods.

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To merge with the golden legacy crystal, one needs to hold the crystal between their palms and feel the will and energy within the crystal. Then, there are two sequential actions. First, one needs to accept the will of the crystal into their consciousness, and second, direct the energy within the crystal into their heart.

Eleanora lowered the sheet of paper and turned her gaze to the golden crystal.

“So, this golden crystal is the Life Crystal.”

For some reason, Eleanora felt an extreme danger from this golden crystal, but also an incredible closeness. She knew that this was the very crystal that had been calling to her all this time. However, the feeling of danger made her leave this crystal for last to examine.

Eleanora overcame her fear and took the golden crystal in her hands. The moment the golden crystal was in Eleanora's hand, a mysterious power began to pour into her body through the crystal, as if a flood. Moments later, her dark hair turned golden.

At that moment, Evelina noticed the incredible changes in Eleanora.

"Big sister," said Evelina.

Eleanora did not respond to Evelina. Her golden eyes had no focus. She was not conscious, although her eyes were open.

Evelina was frightened that something might have happened to Eleanora and started shaking her by the shoulders, but it didn't help.

Evelina turned her gaze to the golden crystal that Eleanora was holding and guessed that this was the source of the problem. Eleanora had fallen into this state immediately after grabbing the crystal.

Evelina tried to pull the golden crystal out of Eleanora's grasp. However, Eleanora held the crystal incredibly tightly, and it also seemed as if the crystal was stuck to Eleanora's hand.

While Evelina was trying to wake Eleanora, other events were happening in Eleanora's consciousness.

At that moment, in the empty space within Eleanora's mind, stood two women. One was young, and the other was mature.

The young woman was, of course, Eleanora herself. Opposite her stood an incredibly beautiful woman in a golden dress with long golden hair and golden pupils. However, the face of this stunning mature woman expressed no emotion.

The mature woman in gold, besides the color of her hair and eyes, resembled an adult version of Eleanora.

Eleanora paid no attention to the woman and began to examine the space they were in. The sky was empty and white, and the surface she stood on was like water, with each step she took causing ripples on its surface.

"And how long do you intend to examine your sea of consciousness?" asked the woman in the golden dress.

"Sea of consciousness? Interesting term. So, this is the place where consciousness is stored or something like that. But how did we end up here?" asked Eleanora.

"Your pathetic soul does not have enough soul power, so you have no access to the sea of consciousness. Only my arrival made this sea of consciousness light up and open to accommodate me," said the woman in the golden dress in an emotionless tone.

"So, entry into this space requires special conditions related to the soul," Eleanora thought.

"Okay, now the main question is, why do you look so much like me? Are you my ancestor or something like that?" asked Eleanora.

"Funny, you should have already guessed. Why ask such a stupid question? I am your past life," said the woman in golden clothes.

Eleanora already suspected that she had a strong connection with this woman, but the only thought in her mind was a blood connection, and she never thought it would be a mystical connection through reincarnation.

"So, you mean to say that the strongest of the Four Great Magi is my past life. But you are already dead, and now there is only me. How can you speak with me?" Eleanora was very puzzled.

"I am merely a pathetic shard of a soul that existed within the Life Crystal," said the woman in the golden dress.

"And what do you want?" asked Eleanora.

"Of course, I want to live again, to break the cycle of reincarnation and find my beloved." At that moment, for the first time, soft notes of tenderness appeared on the otherwise emotionless and cold face of the woman in gold.

"The soul is the same, but the will is different," said Eleanora.

"Yes, you have three options in this situation. Either be absorbed by me, leaving my will, or you absorb me, leaving your will, or we do not absorb each other and merge equally, resulting in a third will," explained the woman in the golden dress.

"Why did you say three options when there are actually only two or even just one? You already said that my soul is pathetic and does not have much soul power, so the option of me absorbing you is simply not feasible. And merging is also a tricky option. I only have fourteen years of memories, while you lived for who knows how many hundreds of years. It wouldn't be a merge but a devouring, my little memories would just drown in your ocean of memories. Overall, there is only one option left, which is not in my favor," said Eleanora.

"If you already know all this, then just accept your fate and disappear," said the woman in the golden dress, pointing her hand at Eleanora.

In the next moment, waves rose on the surface of the sea of consciousness, originating from the position of the woman in the golden dress.

An unknown, compelling force appeared and pulled Eleanora's body toward the woman in the golden dress. Eleanora tried to resist, but her resistance was like that of a butterfly trying to fly against a storm.

Eleanora's body appeared next to the woman in gold, who grabbed her by the throat.

Eleanora felt her consciousness blur, and her body in this sea of consciousness began to become misty and illusory, gradually dissolving.