There's a big problem with dreams in this world.

I never expected that the train station I was looking for was located under the street near the old royal city's central castle. I hoped that the train hadn't been buried by rubble, otherwise it would be a real problem.

Although she had thought about it a lot, reality was just a fleeting moment. Taking advantage of the moment when the Black Mist Giant fell to the ground, Lu Qing came to the Black Mist Giant's side and poured all the remaining spiritual power in her body into the Sword of Altaïr.

"call!!"

A dense, reddish-black spiritual energy rose from the blade of the Altaïr sword and inevitably dissipated outwards. Lu Qing recalled the sword that Knight Myron had swung in front of the wall of flesh and blood, and gained some insight.

The next moment, a black and red sword light rose from the ground, clearly visible even outside the walls of the old capital. The sharp Altaïr sword pierced into the body of the black mist giant, and a large amount of spiritual power spread like a spider web throughout every corner of the black mist giant's body.

[Spiritual Power Mastery LV8-LV10]

[Sword Master LV2-LV3]

"Well......."

The black mist giant's body slowly dissipated, and Lu Qing, completely disintegrated, knelt on the ground, supporting herself with her sword in one hand to prevent herself from collapsing.

It was at this moment that Lu Qing noticed an object emitting a pale purple light appearing in her eyes at the spot where the black mist giant had died.

"They've released game items?" Lu Qing thought with a jolt of excitement.

With some effort, Lu Qing arrived at the location emanating a pale purple light and picked up the game item. She discovered a pale gold metal badge engraved with a lush sacred tree and a standard knight's longsword.

【Item Name: Oath Amulet】

[Item Quality: Purple]

[Description: This amulet, crafted from an image of the sacred tree and the first king of Vanhustan holding a longsword, symbolizes an eternal vow made before the sacred tree and represents royal nobility and status.]

[Skills: None]

[Note: Wear it, and you'll be the new king!]

"There's no skill effect..." Lu Qing said with slight disappointment.

Items like these, which have no skill effects, can either be listed on the auction house to see if anyone will buy them, or they can be used when creating card characters to see if they will be useful.

Besides these two options, she can also sacrifice it to the hut, and it's unknown what new functions will be added.

Thinking that this was a pretty good find, Lu Qing threw the amulet into the storage cabinet in the small house. It was at this moment that she suddenly realized something strange.

This black mist giant did not provide her with magic essence or a soul after its death...

Lu Qing suddenly felt a chill run down her spine as she thought of something. Just then, Ling's panicked voice reached her ears.

"Hey! Lu Qing, run! This guy isn't the real vengeful spirit. That guy's true form... is coming this way!!" The spirit's body flashed intensely as it urged Lu Qing to leave.

"I'd like to leave as soon as possible..." Lu Qing struggled to stand up using the Altaïr sword, then looked up at her surroundings.

She and the black mist giant fell into the underground train station. To get back to the surface, they either had to jump back up or find a way out...

Jumping up there is unrealistic given her current condition; she should try to find a way to leave.

Lu Qing looked around and, relying on her intuition, walked into an underground tunnel. Shortly after she entered the tunnel, Ling's slightly anxious voice came over.

"Oh no, that thing is already back where we were, it's coming this way!"

"Don't panic, calm down, Ling." Lu Qing tried to soothe Ling, but the next moment, a figure completely black floated in front of Lu Qing.

"!!"

The icy aura almost froze Lu Qing's body. She stared at the resentful spirit that had suddenly appeared before her, feeling as if she would die at any moment.

Her heart was pounding rapidly. Lu Qing instinctively tried to back away, but found that she had lost control of her body. She could only watch as the figure in front of her walked towards her step by step.

The one who truly became a vengeful spirit was actually the Queen of Vanhustan. She possessed the power to control the dead, able to transform the deceased into her own fighting force.

The Black Mist Giant was the most powerful undead she commanded, for it was the transformed form of her beloved King Vanhusdan.

Now, she's come to see you...

The chilling aura drew ever closer, and Lu Qing could now clearly see the appearance of the resentful soul before her.

It was a figure made of mist, resembling a human woman, who was slowly walking towards him with her arms outstretched.

"Hey, you're not allowed to hurt Lu Qing!" Ling transformed into her elf form, a bright blue elven blade suddenly appearing in her hand, which she swiftly thrust towards the queen's resentful soul.

"call......."

The Queen's resentful spirit turned its head towards Ling and gently exhaled a breath of light black mist. In just a few seconds, large patches of Ling's pure white body were tainted with black.

Elves are among the creatures most unable to adapt to the new environment after the sacred tree withered; their elemental bodies make them extremely vulnerable to the power of the void.

"Ling, back off!" Seemingly because the Queen's resentful spirit was attacking Ling, Lu Qing regained some control of her body and shouted at Ling.

"Ling'er is alright!" A pale blue light appeared on Ling'er's body, and the next moment, under Lu Qing's astonished gaze, the polluted part of Ling'er's body was purified in an instant.

The next moment, pure white elven fire scorched the body of the Soul of Hatred. The spirit's figure flashed by, and the sharp elven blade instantly severed the body of the Queen's Soul of Hatred.

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!"

A familiar shriek emanated from the Queen's Vengeful Spirit's body. Because its main ability was to control the undead, the Queen's Vengeful Spirit itself was not particularly strong in combat.

Just before disappearing, the Empress turned her gaze to Lu Qing, as if she were being watched by something, and a cold, decaying sensation spread from her lungs.

------------

摸了

I've been slacking off all day. Our area is under lockdown, and I'm feeling a bit down right now.

I got up early this morning to get a nucleic acid test. Because I was outside in the cold, I couldn't sleep when I got home. I finally managed to fall asleep, but I still felt like I hadn't slept enough.

I'm in such a bad state that I just can't write anything.

Hmm... Perfect timing for me to resume my update schedule, back to 4 PM and 5 PM as agreed (I'm so tired).

Speaking of which, there's something else that you might not believe. I happened to go out on the 14th to buy some things, including several packs of Lao Tan pickled cabbage beef noodles. Then on the 15th, it was revealed that the pickled cabbage packets had a problem, and I was completely stunned.

Luckily I haven't eaten yet 23333

Anyway, I'll just touch it up for today, and maybe I'll make up for it later, we'll see.

------------

Chapter 581: Minasha, the Carriage, and the Attack

[Magic Element +800]

[Soul +1500]

"Ling, are you alright?" After regaining control of her body, Lu Qing rushed to Ling's side and asked with concern.

"Oh, Ling'er is alright..." Ling remained in her physical form, waving her hand to disperse the azure elven blade.

A pale blue energy glow flickered, and Ling returned to her usual sphere-like form. Lu Qing looked at her and asked curiously, "Ling, aren't you affected by the power of the void?"

Just now, the Queen's resentful spirit had spread its corruption throughout Ling's entire body, but with a surge of spiritual energy, all the corruption on her body disappeared.

"Is that thing... a purification spell?" Lu Qing wondered.

Since spiritual energy can purify the void power within polluted elements, removing the pollution from one's own body doesn't seem like anything to be surprised about.

But just now, watching Ling gradually become corrupted before my eyes, I couldn't help but worry about her condition.

"It's because of Ling's special abilities that Ling was sent here to heal the Sacred Tree," Ling said, seemingly knowing what Lu Qing was thinking.

"However, maintaining a physical body requires much more spiritual energy than usual, which is why Ling'er always maintains an elemental state."

Seeing that Ling seemed no different from usual, Lu Qing finally felt relieved. There was no doubt that Ling was different from other elves, and there was even more to it than that Ling might be hiding something from her.

It's easy to see that because Ling is so clumsy, it's hard for anyone not to notice that she's hiding something. But it's precisely because of Ling's clumsiness that Lu Qing doesn't worry about whether Ling will do anything to harm her.

Be patient and wait. Perhaps when the time is right, Ling will take the initiative to reveal the secret she has been hiding.

"And also..."

"Cough cough."

Clearing her throat, Lu Qing felt as if her lungs were being eroded by something, and with each breath she could smell a faint, almost imperceptible odor, like rotting tree roots.

"Are you alright?" Linggan asked quickly, sensing the cursed aura emanating from Lu Qing.

"It's alright for now." Shaking her head, Lu Qing looked at the countdown displayed above the diary and asked, "Ling, can you purify this curse?"

"Hmm, we'll have to take a look before we can know," Ling said after thinking for a moment.

After she finished speaking, the body, which resembled a ball of light, entered her chest. After a short while, Lu Qing felt a cool sensation in her chest, and the faint smell of rotten tree roots disappeared without a trace.

However, the curse was not lifted. Lu Qing opened her diary and found that the countdown had changed.

[Undead Conversion (360 hours)]

The time limit was extended from the original 48 hours to 360 hours, or 15 days. Although the curse was not completely eliminated, a sense of relief still rose in my heart.

After all, fifteen days is much longer than two days...

Ling flew out of Lu Qing's body, her body flashing with light, and said, "This is a curse of the rules within the soul of resentment. It will be automatically triggered upon death. Ling'er cannot purify it; she can only delay it."

"Delaying it is enough," Lu Qing comforted Ling after hearing her slightly self-reproachful words.

Fifteen days may seem a bit tight, but it only took them one day to purify the wind element and the Fanling Water Lake. As long as the Sacred Tree is healed within fifteen days, she can leave this dream world, and the curse will not affect her.

"Ugh... If the sacred tree can be healed, Ling'er can also use its power to remove the curse." Ling thought for a moment and then spoke again.

"Then let's aim to heal the sacred tree before the curse erupts," Lu Qing said with a smile.

“…Hmm!” Ling seemed to be infected by Lu Qing’s optimistic spirit and cheered up.

After finishing her conversation with Ling, Lu Qing looked at the core of the resentful soul floating beside her. She took out the queen mask she had carved and skillfully channeled the power from the core into the mask.

A wisp of dark mist floated on the surface of the mask, and two lines of blood-red tear tracks flowed down from the corners of the mask's eyes, making it look like a woman crying.

A familiar drowsy feeling washed over her, and Lu Qing slowly closed her eyes, entering the Empress's world of memories.

Minasha, that is the queen's name. She has no surname. Her father was a wandering merchant who traveled from city to city for many years, accumulating his own wealth.

One day, in a country tavern, a man passing through the town walked in and unexpectedly encountered a beautiful woman with long gray hair.

This is the story of how Minasha's father and mother met. As for what happened afterward, the man didn't say.

"Gurgle, gurgle..." The carriage sped along the road full of potholes, and the bumpy ride brought Minasha back to her senses.

"Where are we going?" Minasha asked her father with some curiosity.

"Hehe...you'll find out soon enough." Minasha's father, a middle-aged man, smiled mysteriously. His face, prematurely aged from years of travel, was etched with wrinkles as he smiled.