Judging by the current situation, Elizabeth appeared to be in even more pain.
But Noel wasn't the protagonist, the kind who could save Elizabeth. This world wasn't like that, and he was nothing more than an arrogant fool.
"If I had a way, I would save you."
Noel could not simply ignore Elizabeth as she suffered before him. In the end, he was still too soft-hearted.
"If it were possible, I would trade my life for yours."
He didn't even know why he was saying these words, only that he felt he had to say them.
Suddenly, the scenery around him changed. Elizabeth was gone, the Silver Wolf was gone, and only he remained, curled up on a small patch of land.
The ground around him began to crumble, until only the patch beneath his feet was left, the entire world falling into chaos.
Eventually, even the ground beneath his feet disappeared, and Noel felt himself falling.
Noel opened his eyes, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Elizabeth and the Silver Wolf were gathered around him.
"What just happened?" Noel's head felt heavy and dazed.
"Was everything I just saw an illusion? But it all felt so real…" Noel muttered to himself.
"Yes, everything you saw just now was an illusion, created by me." Elizabeth said with a gentle smile.
Ancient texts had recorded that Ice Spirits were beings of considerable mischief, often testing humans to judge whether their hearts were pure.
The trigger for this magic was touch. As long as a human touched an Ice Spirit, they would fall into a dreamscape controlled by the spirit.
The dream could end in one of two ways: either it would head toward a positive conclusion, or it would end negatively.
In the end, the person would always awaken. If the dream ended positively, the Ice Spirit would grant a gift; if it ended negatively, the Ice Spirit would vanish without a trace.
"So that legend was true," Noel murmured.
"What legend?" Elizabeth didn't understand, thinking it was likely a human saying.
Noel explained it to her, and Elizabeth nodded, realizing she had been planning to explain it to Noel herself, but now it seemed unnecessary.
With Elizabeth's confirmation, Noel understood that what had just happened had been an illusion, not reality, and he fell into thought.
But that illusion had been far too realistic, drawing him in before he even realized it.
"You did well in the dream, so you have earned my recognition," Elizabeth said, offering a tempting proposal.
"You're an alchemist, aren't you? I can form a contract with you."
…Another contract. This would be the third spirit he had contracted with…
"Actually, I already have contracted spirits," Noel said awkwardly.
"It's fine. I am offering this of my own will, and I will guide the ritual myself." Elizabeth reassured him.
"I've already contracted with two spirits…" Noel added.
"There's no conflict," Elizabeth quickly dispelled his doubts.
> "Each spirit has its own way of forming a contract, so there's nothing to worry about."
"This is also a rule passed down from the Ancestor Spirits, and rules cannot be broken."
"You've passed the trial, so you naturally deserve this power." Elizabeth declared firmly.
There was no room for refusal, so Noel could only accept.
"Will we perform the contract now?" Noel asked.
"An Ice Spirit's contract isn't done casually. We will use the Ice Spirit Fruit as a medium to form the contract." Elizabeth explained.
"But if I touch the Ice Spirit Tree, won't I turn into an ice sculpture?" Noel suddenly recalled the cold surrounding the Ice Spirit Tree, and shivered.
"The Ice Spirit Tree and I are one. You have my approval, so the tree will not emit cold toward you." Elizabeth assured him.
> "Little White."
At Elizabeth's call, the Silver Wolf King immediately stood up.
The two of them used the Silver Wolf King as transportation. Although Noel had experienced it in the dreamscape, this time was real.
And it had to be said—the Silver Wolf King was incredibly fast, faster even than the one he had fought before. They had only chatted briefly on its back before arriving beneath the Ice Spirit Tree.
If he had gone on foot, it would have taken a very long time.
The two of them stood beneath the Ice Spirit Tree.
"Place your hand on the trunk of the Ice Spirit Tree." Elizabeth instructed.
Hearing Elizabeth's command, Noel obeyed.
When both of their hands were on the tree, the Ice Spirit Tree began to change, enveloping them both.
"What's happening?" Noel was completely confused. This ritual was far too strange!
"Don't lose focus, the ritual is about to begin." Elizabeth noticed Noel's wavering and reminded him.
Elizabeth began to chant something, words Noel could not understand—perhaps an ancient tongue, perhaps the language of spirits.
Even if he didn't understand, the chant sounded gentle, and the melody seemed to carry a magic that calmed his mind.
After the mysterious chant, Elizabeth's entire aura changed, becoming sacred and untouchable.
"I, Elizabeth, swear upon the Ice Spirit Tree, to grant Noel Manchester the highest honor of the Ice Spirits."
Noel suddenly felt a wave of cold rush toward him. He tried to dodge, but there was no escaping it, and it enveloped him completely.
"What is this?" Noel asked.
But Elizabeth did not answer him. Perhaps the explanation in the dreamscape had been correct: once the ritual began, it could not be stopped.
"In the name of the Ice Spirits, I grant Noel Manchester the first blessing: Ice Resistance."
"In the name of the Ice Spirits, I grant Noel Manchester the second blessing: Ice Burst."
A white light dispersed, and the Ice Spirit Tree returned to its previous state, as if nothing had happened.
But there were changes. The surrounding cold seemed to lessen.
Noel felt that even if he were wearing short sleeves in this place, he would not feel cold.
"You feel the change?" Elizabeth asked.
"It's not as cold anymore," Noel answered after sensing the difference.
"Indeed. With Ice Resistance, you are immune to cold. But the second blessing is something you must explore for yourself. This is one of the mysteries of the Ice Spirits." Elizabeth said proudly.
"So I won't tell you what it is." Elizabeth laughed.
"Oh, and there's one more gift for you."
Elizabeth picked a fruit from the tree. When she touched the Ice Spirit Fruit, the crystal-clear fruit became coated with a layer of white frost.
This was the truly ripened Ice Spirit Fruit, and Noel was certain that it could only ripen properly when picked by an Ice Spirit herself.
It was well-known that an unripe Ice Spirit Fruit was no different from poison, and even the best alchemist could not use it.
Noel placed the Ice Spirit Fruit into his insulated container so that it could be preserved for a long time.
"Human-made magic gadgets are so delicate." Elizabeth said, eyeing Noel's backpack with great interest.
Spirits lived in nature and rarely saw magical tools like these.
"You mean this?" Noel said, lifting the insulated container in his hand.
Elizabeth nodded, then pointed at Noel's bulging backpack.
"Your backpack looks so full; there must be many little trinkets inside. Give me one as a gift!"
Noel simply dumped out all the items from his bag.
"You can pick whatever you like."
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