Brand New Life Online: Rise Of The Goddess Of Harvest

Chapter 1748: Together Again

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After waking from a week-long sleep, Elayne wandered through the village before returning to her new “home”—a rudimentary house built from black stone, covered in moss and glowing mushrooms.

Once she helped Mark awaken with Little Hope’s assistance, one of the most surprising changes was that Mark could now reveal his living face through the flames produced by his body. This allowed him to express emotions more clearly, even as a skeleton.

“I… I think something happened to my soul when you helped me recover my memories. These flames are my very soul, after all,” Mark said. “I’m not sure what exactly changed, but I can control them better now.”

“Oh? I see…” Elayne nodded. “Well, now that you’re awake, there’s a lot we need to talk about… but I bet you’re hungry. Here, eat this. I cooked some mushrooms and made a small moss juice. They’re packed with nether and ghostly energy. Eat up.”

“Ah… hahah, salad in the Netherworld. Who would’ve thought?” Mark laughed. “Thank you… But, uh, how do I eat? I’m… a skeleton. I don’t think I even have a stomach. Now that I can speak and think more clearly… it’s kind of sad.”

“I know, it is,” Elayne nodded. “But this is our reality now. We have to accept it and move forward.”

“I… I know…” Mark nodded. “I’m still… I’m really sorry for what I did before. For attacking you… for losing control.”

“No, it wasn’t your fault,” Elayne said. “It was that damn skeleton who tortured you so much…”

“Ugh… just remembering that fills me with dread…” Mark sighed, his skeletal hands trembling.

“It’s okay,” Elayne said, gently holding his hard, bony hands with her soft ones. “We’ve both been through a lot. Don’t worry. I understand your pain; I saw it too. I tried to ease it, but even then, it lingered… I should be the one apologizing for not doing enough.”

“Don’t apologize…” Mark said. “Back then, we were both powerless… and yet you still found a way out.”

“I couldn’t have done anything without their help,” Elayne smiled. “The company of our new friends kept me sane and helped me hold onto hope. I fought to change our fate, and even though it seemed hopeless at first, I kept moving forward—and eventually, I found a way.”

“Yeah…” Mark nodded. “I’m still amazed by that… So, uh, how do I eat though? I guess we got a little off-topic.”

“I suppose we just need to talk more. Back then, we couldn’t even form proper words,” Elayne smiled. “Anyway, just eat them. Try to swallow using your memories of eating. You’ll see.”

“…? Okay,” Mark nodded, still confused.

He opened his large jaws and tossed the entire salad inside, biting it with his teeth and swallowing.

Swallowing shouldn’t have been possible for a skeleton with no tongue or throat… but it worked.

Mark managed to swallow, and something resembling a stomach began digesting the food slowly.

“Woah?! What is this? I could barely taste anything, but maybe that’s for the best… Still, it worked?”

“Yes, I discovered it recently. Undead who develop enough can grow a ’Soul Stomach’ to digest compatible food,” Elayne explained. “That’s how we’re able to consume Ghostly Yin Pills.”

“Hoh, so that’s it…” Mark said. “It’s strange to eat with my soul… but I think I can get used to it. Thank you for the meal, Elayne.”

“It’s fine. Are you sure you don’t want more?” Elayne asked, roasting mushrooms over ghostly fire and preparing more green moss paste.

“I wouldn’t mind some more. My soul feels weary and wounded…” he nodded. “If we don’t want to rely on pills, this is the best alternative.”

“Yeah, I thought about it a lot,” Elayne said. “And yes, it really is the best option. These plants and mushrooms are cultivated within the Domain. They feed on the spirit energy I crystallized to grow quickly. They provide nourishment without us having to destroy innocent souls. Eating meat is one thing, but consuming souls and denying them rest is just wrong.”

“Especially when those souls seem to be from people. And it’s not like we ever ate people,” Mark nodded, continuing to eat as Elayne served him more.

Elayne also began eating from a large plate and gave one to Little Hope, who happily devoured the mushrooms and drank the moss shake.

“The flavor isn’t great. We have no spices, salt, or anything—no oil or butter,” Elayne sighed. “But I managed to manifest a few Cooking Magic Runes, so the food is at least presentable and edible.”

“Yeah, I can barely taste it, but… the warmth is comforting. Thank you,” Mark said, finishing his second plate. “I think that’s enough for now… phew. I never thought I’d feel full as an Undead.”

“Me neither,” Elayne sighed in relief. “I suppose… even the dead must eat sometimes to feel satisfied. As ominous as that sounds.”

“Hm,” Mark nodded, hugging Elayne and letting her rest on his armored legs. “A lot has happened.”

“Yes…” Elayne nodded, happy in his embrace. “But I’m happy as long as we’re together.”

“Me too…” Mark smiled softly. “Thank you for coming for me. For never giving up… thank you, Elayne.”

“It’s fine,” Elayne said, caressing his blazing face. His flames didn’t burn her—they felt warm and comforting against her cold hands. “I prepared myself to face anything.”

“Even then…” Mark smiled.

“It’s fine, don’t worry,” Elayne insisted. “Anyway… did you know? Those mushrooms and the moss are considered pests and dangerous. Their true nature is to consume souls and corpses. They can even become parasitic to the undead.”

“E-Eh?” Mark panicked for a moment.

“However, when I befriended them, I realized they were just living beings—alive, existing in this Realm, the Netherworld, surviving and adapting,” Elayne explained. “Through our friendship, I gained their trust and power. A single mushroom or a bit of moss isn’t much, but when they gather in thousands… I was able to refine spiritual energy from their lifeforce and nature essence. It allowed me to strengthen my soul, refine my Spiritual Heart, and eventually create a second Domain Core. It took ten years… but I also developed a new Farming Technique.”

“You did?!” Mark was amazed.

“Yes, it was registered as a Skill,” Elayne smiled. “It’s called Netherworld Farming Arts. I deciphered it after getting used to the corrupted text that kept appearing.”

“I-I see…” Mark muttered, still amazed.

“You’ve grown strong too,” Elayne smiled. “Even after everything you went through… did you awaken some kind of Phoenix power?”

“I… yeah, something awakened,” Mark said. “But I don’t remember it clearly. I’ll need to train for a while to figure out what I can do.”

“That’s fine,” Elayne nodded. “I plan to train as well and test my abilities.”

“One thing I’m confused about is… well, what’s going on?” Mark said. “We landed in the Netherworld with our real bodies, but we’re still in Arcadia, so there’s a System we can learn Skills from… and it’s glitched for some reason. Also, what happened to our avatars? Can’t we combine with them or something?”

“I don’t know. Maybe something is preventing it,” Elayne explained. “This must be the Death Domain. Maybe our avatars can’t cross into it.”

“So you’re suggesting that… by returning to the World of the Living, we could merge with our avatars?” he asked.

“Maybe. I’m not even sure myself,” Elayne said. “That’s the beauty, I guess, of not knowing anything.”

“Hm…” Mark nodded. “So what’s the plan now? We finally escaped…”

“The path to escaping this Realm might take longer. It’s much bigger than I expected,” Elayne sighed. “But it’s not impossible. I’m sure there’s a way—we just have to find it and seize the opportunity.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Mark nodded. “We’re still clueless about this world. We need to learn how it works, what each region holds… and where exactly we are.”

“Very true,” Elayne nodded. “We also need equipment. New weapons, armor, maybe magic items. We’ll be protecting many people with the Demon Tree Religious Order, so I want to ensure their safety. We’ll need a lot… Little Hope, I wish we could learn more.”

“Hm, but we can!” Little Hope said. “Let’s ask those aunties and uncles I met before for help!”

“Hm?” Elayne was confused. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean what I mean…!” Little Hope said. “Uncles and Aunties can help us. They know more than even the friends we made in the Dark Pit!”

“Right… we could ask the Undead we rescued,” Elayne nodded. “Some of them were important soldiers and guards.”

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