While Vee and I slept peacefully, it seemed that Paeris continued to burn the midnight oil. When we bumped into him, his perfect appearance had some minor blemishes, and I could see dark lines under his eyes.

We both eagerly asked him if there was any status update from him perusing through the dead and their items, but he shook his head grimly. While he would probably be able to identify the dead elves eventually, the two humans had been thoroughly scrubbed clean and lacked even a single identifying mark.

All three perpetrators wore rings that blocked [Identify]. After the two humans were dead, the skill no longer mentioned their name or Emblem, which might have hinted at their identity. I'd never bothered using it on anything dead before, so I had no idea it even worked that way.

Vee requested one of the rings herself, and Paeris handed it over. I didn't see a need for one, as I had a much superior skill in my opinion.

"Hey, this saves me a lot of time and effort," Vee explained cheerfully.

It'd definitely be quite beneficial for when we go out exploring the world, as if anyone broke through her relatively low level in the skill, then they'd possibly be able to link her back to my original identity.

Although even then, how many shrinking and teleporting spiders are there? Ah, well, that's a problem for future Syl and Vee to worry about.

Paeris obviously managed to find out who the elf necromancer was, but he was seemingly no one special, almost suspiciously so for the amount of resources he had on him. He wasn't part of the prominent Dornhallow family despite being at such a high level, and he had no official positions. From every bit of information Paeris managed to uncover so far, he was a nobody, just an average elf who would blend into the background.

There was one exception, although Paeris admitted it was more of a hint than a foolproof piece of evidence. The spearman's armor was crafted using a renowned forging technique in the Outeatus Kingdom; however, they also sold arms and armor, so it could have been merely sourced from there.

Of course, if you pieced it together with the group that had attacked me before, all being Outeatus Knights, then it formed a somewhat credible link.

"I just simply cannot fathom why an elf would work with humans to undermine us, especially from that accursed kingdom," Paeris muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

I knew there was a grim history between the elves and the Outeatus humans, so I didn't press him while he was clearly showing signs of stress and fatigue. However, I couldn't resist mentioning my reward.

"When you next speak to Loreleia, can you mention my pink slime core?"

"Yes… I shall do so. Assuming you can secure the antidote without too much issue and what information we can pry from him, you might've earned it outright," Paeris replied. "Speaking of which, here is a list of what you can use for negotiations. Secure the antidote first, and the rest can be used for your arachnid knowledge, or anything else you might want from the Carrens."

I gratefully took the pieces of parchment from him, briefly glancing through them before storing them away. The Feirelle offered knowledge, alchemy, blessings, treasures, and, of course, money. I was a little surprised at how much I was being given to bargain with until Vee pointed out that I was now quite literally the named heir to the Branch after passing my trial.

It's too bad I'm not into all the politics and responsibilities, or I could've become quite a big shot!

When I ran into Llewel, I also requested that he get me a brown slime core. I'd made mention of it previously, and he said he would look into it.

"That shouldn't be too much of an issue. I'll try to secure one by tomorrow," he replied. "I also offered you alchemy lessons, although we might need to postpone those until after this ordeal."

"It's something I'm looking forward to, but I agree with the rain check… when this is all over, Vee and I really want to take a vacation, so I'll probably come back to claim those lessons."

Llewel nodded. "Of course, there's no expiry date on my offer."

With that business out of the way, I simply had to wait for Aimon to arrive. He arrived shortly after lunch, which was good because Paeris had enough time to rest and freshen up. Aimon was once again wearing his bulky robe with his companion concealed underneath, and seemed to be quite peppy.

Paeris led us to a tea room where snacks and drinks were already prepared and waiting. Vee, of course, wasted no time in grabbing a few handfuls before resting happily on a web hammock.

"It's good to see you again, Lady Sylthaeryn, or should I say Mistress Feirelle?" he said with a little smirk.

"Just Sylthaeryn for now, at least until the official announcement," I replied.

"But you did succeed, I take it?"

"Indeed. It was quite an experience; I almost didn't know what to expect from each of the twenty floors in my trial. I got to witness a Medusa Vinewraith and a rather advanced Plant Horror."

Aimon shuddered a little before replying. "A Plant Horror… gods, what an ordeal."

"Oddly, I found it simpler to deal with than the former; the [Basilisk Venom] was a bit of a tricky situation."

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"Ah! I forgot that you don't share our unique constitution. From a young age, we are exposed to all sorts of poisons, toxins, and venoms over time until we reach near immunity. It's imperative to be able to work on our products safely," he explained.

"It nearly affected Vee, but thankfully, the dungeon reward cured any lingering ailments."

Vee gave a little wave of her front leg to indicate she was in excellent condition.

"I don't suppose you managed to harvest any [Basilisk Venom]? It's quite rare and hard to get, so the Carren Branch would be quite happy to receive some—even a small sample."

I wasn't actually quite sure of that, and while I knew I could create it with [Poison Slime], I didn't want to risk their alchemists tinkering with my slime. I quickly perused through my [Core Storage] and was quite impressed to find quite a sizable portion secured.

[Dissection] you've done it again!

I pretty much always let the skill do its own thing, and it seemed I was being rewarded for how obsessively it would want to collect the valuables. I'd barely been paying attention myself, but through force of habit, I'd allowed it and my [Sub-Cores] to harvest when needed.

"I do have some. I happen to be quite skilled in [Dissection] from my adventuring days," I explained.

"Oh, marvelous! I simply have to get some of that."

"Gladly. I happen to need a few things from you as well."

"You mean other than the arachnid research for Vee?" he asked, curiously tilting his head.

I nodded. "I'm in need of securing an antidote to [Sanguine Dream]. Just one portion will suffice."

Aimon let out a whistle. "That's a real nasty piece of work. It's actually one of the final tests we have to take before we are allowed to work."

"You willingly took it?" I asked, my surprise evident.

"Only to be resistant to it in the future. While we predominantly control its production and regulation, we are under no illusions that our Branch is the sole source. It's a big world out there, and I'm sure someone else has managed to synthesize it."

Yeah, like me.

"Is the antidote an issue?" I asked.

"No, it shouldn't be. If you were asking for the actual poison, then I'd need to jump through a lot of hoops to secure it. But the antidote itself is harmless, especially just a single dose."

I was a little surprised by that. I had expected it to be a trade secret and something they really wouldn't want to part with. My curiosity got the better of me, and I just had to ask.

"Is there no fear of it being used against you? Obviously, that's neither mine nor the Feirelle Branch's intention, but isn't there a risk of discovering its composition?"

Aimon actually laughed at that, breaking any decorum, not that this was a serious meeting, but it was still surprising.

"I'd love to meet the alchemist who can reverse engineer the antidote from a single drop," he chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye. "And yes, you heard me right, the antidote is in a single drop. You'd need a much larger quantity to be able to decipher anything from it."

"I see. Well, I'm glad that's no trouble."

We continued to chat a bit, Aimon mostly being curious about my dungeon trial. Although he was a self-proclaimed non-combatant, unless forced, he was pretty interested in what I had gone through. When his curiosity was satiated, I brought up our other point of business.

"And any word on Vee's request?"

"I have received permission to negotiate on it, but there is a catch."

"Oh?"

"You and Vee need to come to the Carren Grove, and then Vee must enter our allied dungeon. In there, she will receive her answers, if she is deemed suitable."

"What? I have to go into a dungeon?" Vee asked, but obviously only I could hear her at the moment.

"Vee needs to go into the dungeon?" I asked on her behalf.

"Sorry… I can't really explain further, but Vee will need to go in. You're welcome to join her on the first floor, but beyond the depths, only she will be allowed to venture. I will also point out that she will be sworn to secrecy and that not even your [Companion Bond] will be able to circumvent it."

"Interesting… are there any risks we should be aware of?"

"Yeah, I don't want to be walking into a deathtrap," Vee concurred.

Aimon shook his head. "I can't see any potential issues. Just be aware that it could take a few days. Vee is a magnificent individual and should be treated like royalty throughout the duration."

"Royalty?" Vee and I asked simultaneously.

Aimon slapped his hand over his mouth. "Please ignore what I said."

I frowned. "Just promise she won't be taken away from me."

Aimon vigorously shook his head. "Gods no! I swear that is not what will be happening! We'd never, never

, try to steal away someone's companion."

"Alright. Then I guess that's good," I replied hesitantly.

"Assuming we come to an agreement, you'll likely understand a little when you enter the dungeon," Aimon further explained.

"Then I guess we'd better get to negotiating," I replied.

We got down to business, and since I'd secured the antidote really easily, it meant that I didn't even have to break the bank to get Vee's aid. It certainly helped that Aimon himself had expressed interest in assisting Vee as well, so the Caimon elves were reasonable in their demands.

Of course, the ease of negotiations caused my neurotic tendencies to flare up, and it wasn't until I had multiple additional reassurances from Aimon that they were not after Vee that I felt some relief.

"The most I can say is that our Dungeon is interested in meeting her, if you catch my meaning," Aimon said cautiously.

I did catch the hint, but it only opened up further questions for me. Why was a [Dungeon Master] interested in meeting Vee?

"Huh… does that mean the [Dungeon Master] wants to meet me? What did I do to be so popular?" Vee pondered.

"It must have happened before we entered Ygdran's dungeon, so it's not due to your behavior there," I replied telepathically.

"Yeah, you're right… I wonder why then?" Vee further questioned. "The gods gave strict orders for the [Dungeon Masters] not to harm us except in self-defense, so what could it be?"

"Maybe that [Dungeon Master] is part of Mother's faction, and that's why they want to meet you?" I suggested.

"Huh… maybe?" Vee hesitantly agreed.

"So, when would you like to visit?" Aimon asked, breaking the silence while Vee and I had a secret conversation.

"I need to secure the antidote as soon as possible. Would tomorrow be fine?" I suggested.

"I don't see why not. I can have it arranged for delivery before we depart for the Carren Grove," Aimon replied.

I turned to Paeris. "Are those arrangements suitable for our timeframe?"

"Of course, Lady Sylthaeryn," Paeris replied with a dignified bow.

"Great. Then I'll see you tomorrow, don't forget to bring the [Basilisk Venom]!" Aimon chirped. We exchanged a few more pleasantries before he ultimately departed.

"That went well," I replied.

"Indeed. I didn't expect you to need almost none of our resources…" Paeris replied.

"I'll need bottles or something to transfer the venom, it's sitting rather loosely in my storage amongst the slime," I explained.

"I'll have some brought up immediately."

"Also… what are the chances I can do some hunting before tomorrow?"

"It could possibly be arranged… but what for?"

"Well, I've got one level to go, and I'd like to get it before Vee potentially spends days inside a dungeon."

Paeris nodded and left to see what he could do.

Both Vee and I were excited for different reasons. Vee would get the answer she sought, and meanwhile, I was so close to a major milestone that I could hardly sit still anymore.

Tomorrow is going to be a big day, I can feel it!