Chapter 142: Secret Room
Just some time ago, as the Regional Auction Event was completed, Shane's anticipation of a swift return to his estate was abruptly replaced by bewilderment as he found himself in an expanse of unending white.
"Mhmm? Did I get teleported to a different area? Is there a mistake?" Shane thought as he felt a bit nervous after seeing the unusual surroundings.
The room, if it could be called that, was devoid of corners and edges, a seamless void that seemed to pulse with a gentle luminescence.
Ding!
[ You have entered the Auction Administrator's Room. ]
The message from the Apocalypse System hung before him, its words clear and yet unfathomable.
He had no idea there was this kind of place and that he could enter it.
'Administrator's Room? Is it a bug? Why am I even doing here?'
Before he could process this anomaly, a figure magically emerged from the whiteness—it was a figure of ethereal beauty.
She was an elf, her skin aglow with a soft radiance that rivaled the room's own light. Her hair was a cascade of silver, falling in waves that shimmered with each graceful step she took towards him. Her eyes, a deep emerald, held the wisdom of ages and the warmth of a kindred spirit.
She was clad in robes of gossamer, which fluttered around her like a gentle breeze, and upon her brow rested a circlet that seemed to be forged from moonstone itself.
"An elf…" Shane muttered as there were indeed some vague memories of elves in the Memory Spheres he had opened.
He would not mistake this at all.
Then, Shane was stunned as she did something unexpected.
"You…"
The elf suddenly kneeled before Shane, her smile was one of genuine honor, as if his presence was a blessing upon this sanctified place.
"Welcome, Blessed One of the Fairy Realm, I'm Syndra. I am the Administrator of this Special Realm." Syndra said as she introduced herself with a humbleness that belied her noble bearing. Her beautiful voice was also a melody that resonated with the very air around them.
Shane, taken aback, could only echo her words in a whisper…
"I'm Blessed One?"
He couldn't recall how he was blessed until memories of a title once earned in a different timeline, 'Fairy Realm's Lone Survivor,' flickered through his mind…
[ Fairy Realm's Lone Survivor: The Survivor gains the ability to travel to the Fairy Realm for 8 hours once a week. The Survivor also gains bonus points for Strength, Agility, Luck, and Perception. The title also provides immunity to Fairy Charms.
Requirements: Become a Lone Foreign Survivor of the Fairy Realm's Apocalypse. ]
He didn't expect that this title could also be felt by someone from the Fairy Realm!
"Yes…" Syndra confirmed, her gaze never leaving Shane's. "I do not know how you received the blessing of the Fairy Queen, but I can feel that you have made a great contribution to the Fairy Realm."
He had many questions about this since she was an Elf and not a Fairy… However, it doesn't seem to be appropriate now, as they could have some special connection.
Anyway, as Shane's confusion grew, he demanded an explanation.
"Then… Tell me why you brought me here?" He asked curiously.
Syndra rose; her movement was quite elegant and attractive, and Shane even gulped as she had gotten too close.
Although he had seen a number of beautiful ladies in his estate and his Clan, this elf was undoubtedly on a different level… Furthermore, this elf must've taken more baths than the others he had encountered!
Her scent was way more attractive than he had imagined!
'Ugh.. I need to calm down… Is her Charm Points reaching 50 or something?' Shane thought as he shook his head to erase his random thoughts.
Anyway, Syndra didn't mind Shane's unusual movements as she explained what she knew.
"You have been summoned here not because I just wanted to meet you, but to be honored…" she said, her voice as clear as the air around them. "The Fairy Queen has blessed you, and as her devout follower, I cannot ignore the signs of her favor."
She paused for a moment before looking at Shane's eyes.
"She might've even predicted that you would come here, so she gave you that blessing to let me know that I should be helping you."
'That was too far-fetched… But since you're going to help me in some way, I won't be declining that.'
Shane, still grappling with the surreal nature of his surroundings, watched as Syndra reached into the folds of her ethereal robes and produced three items, each radiating with otherworldly energy.
They were a pouch, a vial, and a piece of wood…
"Take this…" Lysandra continued, presenting a small, intricately embroidered pouch.
"It contains five Elf Recruitment Stones. With these, you can call upon the valiant elves of the Fairy Realm to aid you in your endeavors."
Shane's eyes widened after hearing these!
'Thank you, my past self! You did a great job clearing the Fairy Realm!' Shane thought as he nervously took the pouch, feeling the weight of the stones within.
They pulsed with a gentle warmth, as if alive with the magic of the realm they represented.
Five Elf Recruitment Stones! That was something he had never thought he would have since elves weren't supposed to be in the Zombie Outbreak!
Nonetheless, his surprise wasn't over yet.
"And what of the other gifts?" Shane inquired, his curiosity piqued by the generosity of the Fairy Queen's servant.
Syndra smiled, her eyes reflecting the depth of her reverence for the Fairy Queen.
"The second gift…" she said as she handed the vial filled with a luminescent liquid, "is the Elixir of Purification. It will purify anyone… It doesn't matter if they're human or not."
Shane was slightly disappointed with this explanation, but Syndra didn't want to clarify further. He could only thank the Administrator for the gift he received.
Anyway, it was Purification Liquid, so it could probably cure disease or perhaps…
"Ahh… Is it a vaccine?" Shane muttered as he reached this thought.
Shane held the vial up to the light, watching the liquid dance and shimmer within. It was a very interesting potion.
"The third is a wooden charm…" Syndra said as she handed the amulet carved from a single piece of moonwood…
"It is the Charm of Whispering Winds. This charm will help you in many ways. You can learn how to use it when you return to the Fiend Continent."
Shane accepted the amulet, feeling a thrum of power run through his fingers. Since she doesn't want to explain the use of the items in more detail, Shane decided to accept it and study them once he returned.
"These are generous gifts, Administrator. " He said, his gaze meeting Syndra's.
"But why bestow these upon me? Do I have to do something in return?" Shane asked cautiously.
Syndra's gaze was unwavering. After a few moments, she replied with a voice that was like a soft chime in the stillness.
"Nothing… The Fairy Queen seeks nothing but the balance of all realms. Your existence here must be one of her plans, so I just wanted to help. There is no debt, Blessed One, only the hope that you will continue to be a force of harmony in this fractured world."
Shane nodded at her mysterious voice… Although he didn't fully understand what she was trying to say, a sense of responsibility settled upon his shoulders.
"Thank you for these gifts and the trust the Fairy Queen has placed in me… I will use them to save the Fiend Continent." He vowed.
Syndra was satisfied with this answer and nodded at him.
Soon, Shane's surroundings in the Administrator's Room began to dissolve, he felt a sensation akin to floating as the very fabric of reality thinning around him.
The image of Lysandra, the ethereal elf, seemed to fade like a wisp of mist, her final smile imprinted in his memory as a symbol of the Fairy Queen's favor.
In an instant, the white void collapsed into a tunnel of swirling colors, a vortex that pulled at his very essence.
He could feel the rush of dimensions passing by, a journey through the unseen corridors of space and time.
And then, as suddenly as it had begun, the sensation ceased, and Shane found himself standing amidst the familiar grounds of his estate.
The scene before him snapped into focus with alarming clarity.
The remnants of battle could be easily seen; his people were in disarray, and the air was thick with the ominous fog of Sleeping Gas, according to Cloud!
Without hesitation, Shane reached into his gear and produced the Bio-Barrier Generator, a device designed to shield against such insidious threats. it was one of the items he bought from the Grand Auction Hall!
With a swift activation, the generator hummed to life, emitting a protective dome that enveloped the area.
The sleeping gas soon hit an invisible wall, halting its advance and nullifying its potency!