Isolde reached out and touched the spinal remnant.
A system notification immediately appeared.
[Former Master’s Spinal Remnant.]
[Quality, Rare.]
[Description, Core bone material left behind after Duke Valen Sylvain’s prolonged mutation. It once supported the primary mana circulation of his Corpse-Stitched Entity.]
[Potential Uses, Main Skeleton Reinforcement for Dolls, Undead Weapon Forging, Castle Array Nexus Repair.]
[Current Recommended Use, Secondary Skeleton Reinforcement for Soul Contractor.]
Isolde nodded in satisfaction.
She could use it for Lia.
Another warning quickly appeared.
[Warning, Target’s Soul Core is currently too weak. Direct integration is not recommended.]
[Recommendation, Increase Soul Core Stability first or use purification materials to reduce contamination.]
What a shame.
She finally had a high-quality material, but Lia wasn’t strong enough to use it yet.
It was like giving endgame gear to a low-level character. She couldn’t equip it yet, and forcing the issue might make her body explode.
Isolde wasn’t disappointed.
If anything, she felt even more satisfied.
At least she knew what to do next.
Strengthen Lia’s Soul Core, replace her skeleton, then rebuild her body.
Lia’s upgrade path was officially open.
Isolde turned to the [Castle Core Fragment] beside it.
The fragment was only the size of her thumb. It was black and red, and a tiny replica of the banquet hall seemed to exist inside it.
[Castle Core Fragment.]
[Quality, Rare.]
[Description, A node of power recovered by Sylvain Castle from the Former Master’s remains. May be used to strengthen castle facilities.]
[Modification Option One, Blood Banquet Hall Reinforcement.]
[Effect, Increases the stability of Blood Banquet Judgment and reduces the cost of enforcing rules.]
[Modification Option Two, Underground Laboratory Restoration.]
[Effect, Increases the success rate of doll modification and material processing.]
[Modification Option Three, Castle Defense Upgrade.]
[Effect, Improves guards, traps, and capture mechanisms.]
Isolde studied the three options and immediately found herself unable to choose.
She wanted all of them.
After a painful moment of thought, she put the fragment away.
There was no need to use it yet. The rarer the material, the more important it was to remain levelheaded.
She needed to inspect Sylvain Castle from top to bottom before deciding where to invest her resources.
The easiest mistake to make after suddenly becoming rich was trying to upgrade everything at once and ending up with a pile of unfinished projects.
Isolde had no intention of becoming that kind of fool.
She raised her hand and transferred all the decomposed materials into the castle storage.
[Materials deposited.]
[Castle Storage unlocked.]
[Create the following categories, Doll Modification Materials, Castle Reinforcement Materials, and Necromantic Spell Materials?]
Isolde raised an eyebrow.
The castle was surprisingly thoughtful.
“Create them.”
[Categories successfully created.]
Seeing the neatly organized storage list improved her mood even further.
Killing Valen had given her a core, skills, renovation materials, and upgrade materials for Lia.
She had made a fortune from that one fight.
Just as Isolde was about to leave, the system interface lit up again.
Dark red text emerged from behind the storage list, as though Sylvain Castle had squeezed one final trace of value from Valen’s remains.
[Home Ground Advantage triggered, Former Master’s Remains fully decomposed.]
[New Skill unlocked, Last Rites Dissection.]
[Skill Type, Analysis, Growth, and Spell Extraction.]
[Skill Description, Consumes 50% of current Mana to dissect the structure of the final skill used by a recently deceased target. Has a chance to produce Basic Skills and Attribute Fragments.]
[Skill Effect, Attribute Fragments may be used to increase personal attributes or strengthen skills.]
[Restriction, The longer the target has been dead, the lower the chance of successful extraction. If the target’s soul is severely contaminated, the user may suffer backlash contamination.]
[More compassionate than plunder. Gentler than decay.]
The skill didn’t steal another person’s ability outright.
Instead, it dismantled the final skill they had used before death, stripped it down to its spell structure, and converted the remains into something she could absorb.
In other words, it wouldn’t instantly hand her a complete skill.
But it could open new development paths for the skills she created herself.
Her luck was almost suspiciously good.
She had triggered the castle’s passive effect and received exactly the kind of skill she needed most.
Did this mean the castle was pleased with its new owner?
Perhaps it had even given her a housewarming gift.
The more Isolde looked around, the more she liked the place.
Even the dark corners she had disliked at first were beginning to seem charming.
This wasn’t a haunted house.
It was a gold mine with walls.
Isolde ran a hand over the stone wall, then left the banquet hall in high spirits and headed for the drawing room.
The faceless servants had already cleaned it.
The heavy curtains had been drawn halfway open. Sunlight streamed inside at an angle, falling across the deep red carpet and antique wooden cabinets.
The raven painting on the wall had been cleaned. The silver candlesticks had been relit, and a fresh lace tablecloth covered the table.
The room looked old and luxurious.
It also had the ceremonial grandeur that someone newly rich would find very difficult to resist.
Isolde settled into a high-backed armchair and listened as a faceless servant played the violin in the corner.
The soft music flowed through the drawing room. Combined with the rare sunlight outside, it created an atmosphere of strange, elegant peace.
If she ignored the bloodstain the servant had missed on its sleeve, the scene was almost idyllic.
Lia had changed into a clean uniform and looked much better.
At least she no longer resembled a dried corpse.
She brought over afternoon tea.
A porcelain cup rested on the silver tray. The tea was pale purple, with several curled leaves floating on its surface. A sweet floral scent rose from it.
Isolde had barely lifted the cup when she stopped.
She recognized the plant.
Withervine.
It wouldn’t kill anyone who drank it.
Instead, within half an hour, their entire body would wrinkle until their skin looked like dried orange peel.
The effect lasted for three days and couldn’t be removed by low-tier purification spells.
Isolde stared at the cup in silence.
“Lia.”
Lia lowered her gaze.
“Miss.”
“What kind of tea is this?”
“Beauty tea from the castle’s stores.”
Isolde returned the cup to the silver tray and sighed.
Some horrible person must have left this horrible ingredient behind.
Apparently, its idea of beauty treatment was turning someone eighty years old ahead of schedule.
Lia paused.
“Would you like me to replace it?”
“Yes. Bring me something fit for human consumption.”
“Yes, Miss.”
A short while later, Lia returned with another cup.
This tea was pale green and painfully bitter. Drinking it felt like stuffing a handful of dried herbs into her mouth and chewing them.
At least it had no side effects.
Isolde took a slow sip and winced at the bitterness.
Yes.
That tasted like being alive.
She leaned back in the chair and listened to the violin while looking around the clean, orderly drawing room.
She now had a castle, several skills, Lia, and a group of faceless servants capable of cleaning up battlefields on their own.
It was an excellent start.
But it wasn’t enough.
The true horror of Fallen Realm had never been limited to one castle, one Boss, or a handful of vile players.
The true horror was the world itself.