Chapter 295: That Golden One

Chapter 295: Chapter 295: That Golden One

Seraphina Sinclair stared at its cowering form. After a few seconds of silence, she spoke, her voice hoarse from exhaustion and exertion. "Come here."

Lucky trembled all over. It carefully processed the human’s command, then immediately scrambled to her feet. It didn’t dare to nuzzle her, merely touching the tip of her boot with its head and letting out a pitiful, fawning whimper.

Seraphina Sinclair roughly grabbed the creature by the scruff of its neck and lifted it into the air.

She glanced back one last time at the deep darkness behind the red-brick door.

’Time to go.’

Seraphina Sinclair wasn’t one to get bogged down by emotions.

After the danger had passed, you evaluated your gains and losses, took stock of your resources, and planned your next move. That was the way to survive.

She had a stronger sense of purpose and a greater capacity for action than most survivors. In other words, a pragmatism that bordered on ruthlessness.

Seraphina Sinclair carried the Gloomdrake like a scruffy kitten. The moment it abandoned her to cower in the back, she had stripped it of its name.

Seraphina Sinclair could not accept betrayal from a partner, not even a betrayal born of cowardice.

She only gave one chance, and the Gloomdrake had failed to take it.

Seraphina Sinclair looked away from the door and turned to face the gaping Silver Door Plate.

The scene behind the door was much the same as before. The only difference was that this door was locked.

Seraphina Sinclair drew closer and tentatively pushed the door. As expected, a prompt popped up.

[Your free exploration chances have been exhausted. Would you like to use the sacrifice function to recharge?]

Seraphina Sinclair’s gaze lingered on the word "Recharge" for a long moment. It wasn’t just that word; the entire panel that had suddenly appeared had the gaudy, cheap style of a low-quality online game.

It was as if the designers were terrified people would see this page and choose not to sacrifice. The word was designed to be massive. Not only was the font exquisite, but the color was also a baby pink.

As a result, the word was incredibly conspicuous, allowing survivors to grasp the main point at a glance.

Staring at the exaggerated, baby-pink text, the corner of Seraphina Sinclair’s mouth twitched involuntarily.

The malice of The Black Mist World was omnipresent. Even this "recharge" portal dripped with a kind of playful mockery, as if laughing at the survivors who sacrificed everything they had, one after another, for a few meager resources.

But Seraphina Sinclair was here for only one reason.

Seraphina Sinclair stared at the exaggerated, baby-pink word "Recharge." The twitch at her lips quickly subsided, her gaze turning cold, hard, and focused.

She was here to confirm just one thing: could the Gloomdrake actually be sacrificed?

She had to know the answer, even if she had no intention of sacrificing this Gloomdrake right now.

This Gloom Hatchling wasn’t scary, and it was useless to keep around. But The Eclipse Dragon circling outside the mobile cabin was absolutely terrifying.

There was no way Seraphina Sinclair would risk her life to deal with this Gloom Hatchling.

Besides... this damned place might seem mysterious, but it still abided by the rules of The Black Mist World.

Safe zones had scarce resources—things that were completely expendable to Seraphina. And as for dangerous zones? Entering one in her current state would be no different from a suicide mission.

She had just barely escaped with her life.

So, for now, she was only here to see if the Gloomdrake could be sacrificed.

’If I can...’

She would definitely be back with this Gloom Hatchling.

Seraphina Sinclair glanced down at the Gloomdrake in her hand, trembling from overwhelming fear.

The little creature seemed to sense what was coming. It desperately curled into a ball, limbs flailing uselessly in the air. Its large, red eyes welled up with tears as it squeezed out a faint, mournful whimper, like a string stretched to its breaking point.

Seraphina Sinclair avoided its gaze. Her finger hovered over the baby-pink "Sacrifice" option, then gently tapped it.

The first thing that popped up was a notification.

[Warning: Sacrifice is an irreversible action. The sacrificed item will be permanently erased.]

’Permanently erased.’

The hand gripping the Gloomdrake’s neck tightened slightly.

The little creature seemed to feel that cold, resolute intent and began to struggle more violently. Its long, slender tail coiled frantically around her wrist—cold, slick, and filled with an animal’s primal urge to survive.

Fear practically spilled from its red eyes as it stared at Seraphina Sinclair, as if begging for its life, or perhaps silently accusing her.

Accusing her of her cruelty.

Her face impassive, Seraphina Sinclair directly tapped "Confirm."

The next panel popped up immediately:

[Scanning sacrificial offering...]

The baby-pink text on the panel shimmered, turning a deeper rose-red as a new series of words appeared.

[Scan Complete: Sacrificial Offering—Gloomdrake (Juvenile, Lucky)]

[Status: Mildly frightened, healthy.]

[Potential Assessment: Extremely High.]

[Judgment: This sacrificial offering does not meet the criteria for a live sacrifice!]

[Cannot be sacrificed!]

[Repeat: Cannot be sacrificed!]

Seraphina Sinclair stared at the glaring, scarlet lines of text, her brow slowly knitting together.

"Criteria for a live sacrifice... not met?"

She repeated the key phrase under her breath, her gaze shifting from the panel to the trembling Gloomdrake whelp in her hand.

The Gloom Hatchling seemed to sense the shift. Its struggles gradually ceased, and it simply stared at her with wide, moist red eyes, looking lost and anxious.

Seraphina Sinclair wasn’t exactly disappointed. After all, if such a huge problem could be solved so easily, the waiter wouldn’t have been so shocked when he first saw the creature.

Still... Seraphina Sinclair stared at the now docile Little Dragon and began to ponder.

’Since it doesn’t meet the criteria for a *live* sacrifice, does that mean it *can* be sacrificed if it’s not alive?’

Seraphina Sinclair was certain that creatures from The Black Mist World operated on a completely different system from the monsters.

Monsters only left behind a puddle of uniquely valuable slime upon death. Creatures, however, left behind corpses.

’A corpse... that can be sacrificed, surely?’

Seraphina Sinclair stopped herself, forcefully dragging her thoughts back to the present.

The Gloom Hatchling was already an A-level creature. Seraphina Sinclair didn’t even have the ability to kill it in its juvenile state, let alone after it had some time to grow.

It was like standing before a gold mine without even the most basic tools to dig. A pointless frustration.

Seraphina Sinclair brought her focus back to the present.

She had her answer. It was time to go.

Seraphina Sinclair didn’t look back. The solidified Auric Young was with her; there was no need to look back.

After she chose to exit, the scene before her began to shift, and the familiar furnishings of the mobile cabin materialized once more.

As always, the Sunflower noticed the human’s reappearance and began to leisurely sway its leaves.

But it seemed to notice something, and its movements quickly came to a halt.

The huge pair of eyes on its flower head stared unblinkingly at the earring on Seraphina Sinclair’s ear. A moment later, Seraphina heard its thoughts:

’That golden... annoying... guy is gone.’