Chapter 124: One Shot to Unearth a Secret Realm?

Celeste stared at the Elf Queen’s faintly smiling face, and every alarm bell in her head started blaring.

‘No way,’she thought, her mind racing.’Am I getting busted for this too?”I just set off a few fireworks! The commotion was a little big, and I accidentally caused an avalanche. Are they really going to hold me accountable for this?”And what does Her Majesty mean by “a more spectacular performance”? She makes me sound like some kind of street performer.’

She forced two dry laughs, trying to bluff her way through the situation. “Your Majesty is joking. We were just… ah, having a little friendly exchange with the locals. The exchange just got a bit intense, that’s all.”

“A friendly exchange?”

Elaniel’s gaze drifted from Celeste, sweeping over the valley that had been completely flattened by the avalanche. Even for a queen who had witnessed countless storms, a flicker of genuine shock was clearly reflected in her wise eyes.

Then, her gaze returned to Celeste. The smile in those eyes, a captivating blend of starlight and fine wine, deepened.

“Your methods of ‘exchanging’ are always so… unorthodox.”

At this point, even Selene could pick up on the deeper meaning behind the Queen’s words.

She leaned in close to her sister’s ear and whispered, “Sis, I think Her Majesty knows it was you.”

‘No kidding, Sherlock. Of course I know,’Celeste rolled her eyes internally.’With a light show that big, who else could it possibly be?”Ah, forget it. Might as well come clean; resisting will only make it worse.”Besides, I saved the people, cleared the monsters, and even leveled up. The worst I’ll get is a verbal scolding from Her Majesty. What else can she do to me?’Buoyed by this line of reasoning, Celeste boldly puffed out her chest, adopting an attitude that screamed,’That’s right, I did it. What are you gonna do about it?’

“Ahem. Your Majesty is truly discerning.”

She cleared her throat and began to explain with a solemn expression. “It was mainly because that Troll Leader had an incredibly thick hide. Normal attacks were like trying to scratch it with a grain of sand. I figured I had to use some high-power skills to have any hope of breaking its defense.”

“I just didn’t expect the snow on this mountain to be so flimsy,” she continued, her tone full of conviction. “It triggered an avalanche just like that. It was a complete accident, purely an accident.”

She delivered the line with such confidence that Su Wan and Xia Lian, standing nearby, were left utterly dumbfounded.

Su Wan silently roasted her in her mind: ‘Calling a natural disaster an accident and saying it so casually… Qingyue, your shamelessness might be more durable than that Troll Leader’s hide.’

Xia Lian, on the other hand, was blushing furiously. She could feel the eyes of all the surrounding elves fixed on them—a mixture of awe, curiosity, and shock. The attention made her wish she could find the nearest snowdrift and bury herself in it.

Eldara shot a silent glance at Celeste, then at the Queen, saying nothing. The look, however, spoke volumes: ‘See, Your Majesty? I told you she was interesting.’

Elaniel could no longer contain the curve of her lips. A soft laugh escaped her throat as she shook her head gently, deciding not to press the matter. Instead, she turned to more serious business.

“That is not why I came.”

The Queen’s voice returned to its usual gentle and composed tone. “The messenger Eldara sent met us just outside Dawn Harbor.”

“Then why are you here?” Eldara asked, equally confused.

“Ever since you mentioned the ‘secret realm core,’ I had the Royal Mage Council increase their monitoring of abnormal energy fluctuations across the entire continent,” the Queen explained, her gaze once again drifting toward the depths of the valley now buried under tons of snow.

“Especially those fluctuations that could trigger distortions in the spatial structure.”

“Just half a day ago, the Mage Council detected an extremely violent and abnormal spatial ripple originating from the North. Its intensity far exceeded any natural phenomenon we have ever recorded.”

The Queen’s expression grew a shade more serious.

“I was concerned that the Undead Race was conducting some evil ritual related to world fusion, so I immediately assembled the Royal Guard and came to investigate personally.”

Celeste’s heart skipped a beat.

‘Spatial fluctuations? Half a day ago?”Isn’t that right when we arrived at Frost Trail and started fighting the Undead vanguard?”Could it be… the secret realm core is nearby? And our battle activated it?’

A brand-new possibility exploded in her mind.

“Your Majesty, what about now?” she couldn’t help but ask. “Has that spatial fluctuation disappeared?”

“No.” The Queen shook her head slowly, her eyes becoming deep and sharp. “It has not disappeared.”

“On the contrary,” she continued, “just now, after that devastating explosion and the resulting avalanche, the fluctuation was not masked. Instead, it became clearer and more stable.”

The Queen’s gaze finally locked onto Celeste, her tone laced with a hint of playful amusement.

“It’s as if… something was ‘blasted’ out from under the thick layers of snow and rock by you.”

As soon as the words left her lips, the four of them, Celeste included, were all stunned into silence.

“I… I blasted it out?” Celeste pointed at her own nose, her face a mask of disbelief.

‘Wait, so after all that, my carpet bombing didn’t just get me a ton of EXP, but it also accidentally blew out the main quest objective?”Can things really be this good?”Is the passive effect of the Lucky Clover this busted? I freaking love Klee!’

Selene’s mouth hung open. She looked at her sister, then at the ruins of the avalanche in the distance, feeling as if her brain had short-circuited.

Su Wan’s breath hitched. She instantly understood the implication. “In other words, the secret realm core is right under that avalanche area?”

“It is highly likely,” the Queen confirmed with a nod.

This conclusion made everyone present hold their breath. The “secret realm core,” which they had pursued with such difficulty, finally had a clear location!

“Then what are we waiting for! Let’s go dig it up now!”

Hearing this, Selene was instantly re-energized. She grabbed her shield and longsword, ready to charge back into the fray.

Eldara grabbed her by the shoulder, her voice cold. “In your current state? Do you want to go and become fertilizer for the snow mountain?”

The Death Knight’s blunt words finally made Selene register the bone-deep exhaustion that had settled into her body. She had blocked the Troll Leader’s final, desperate strike head-on. While she wasn’t seriously injured, her stamina was completely bottomed out.

It wasn’t just her. Celeste, Su Wan, Xia Lian, and even Eldara and her knights were all running on fumes after the consecutive battles and desperate escape. The Royal Guard, brought by Her Majesty, had also been marching at a rapid pace and were equally exhausted.

“Eldara is right.” The Queen spoke with an authority that permitted no argument. “The entire army will listen to my command: set up camp here and rest for the night.”

“Baroque, you are responsible for arranging the sentries and camp construction. Tonight, I do not want anything to disturb our warriors’ rest.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” The majestic elven general immediately acknowledged the order and began organizing the troops to set up camp with practiced efficiency.

The elves worked with incredible speed.

In just half an hour, a temporary camp composed of glowing magical wards and sturdy tents rose from the vast, snowy plain.

Celeste and the other three were assigned to a luxurious tent near the Queen’s main pavilion. The space inside was generous, the floor covered with thick animal fur rugs. Smokeless magical flames burned in the corners, making the interior as warm as a spring day—a world apart from the ice and snow raging outside.

The moment she stepped inside, Selene could no longer hold on. She threw herself directly onto a soft rug, refusing to move an inch.

“I’m so exhausted… I feel like my bones are going to fall apart.”

Xia Lian and Su Wan also found places to sit, silently recovering their strength.

Although Celeste had the [Embrace of Moonlight] continuously restoring her mana and stamina, the mental fatigue was very real. Her spirit had been on a high-octane rush, especially during her transformation into Klee. Now that the adrenaline had faded, her brain felt like a pile of mush.

“Sister, I’m hungry,” Selene whined, rolling around on the rug.

“If you’re hungry, grab some dry rations from your storage space,” Celeste answered lazily, her eyes closed.

“But dry rations don’t taste good,” Selene pouted, starting to lay it on thick. “I want to eat meat. Something hot.”

Celeste had no choice but to open her eyes and sigh in helpless defeat. “Fine, fine, you win. Let me rest for a bit, and I’ll make you something after I’ve recovered.”

She glanced over at Su Wan and Xia Lian. “What about you two? What do you want to eat?”

Su Wan thought for a moment before saying hesitantly, “Anything is fine. I’m not picky.”

Xia Lian added softly, “Whatever Sister Qingyue makes, I’ll eat.”

‘Great. All of them are just waiting for me to feed them.”Am I the captain or the team’s designated mom and head chef?’ Celeste grumbled wildly in her thoughts, but her body had already started to honestly plan the menu.

[Elysian’s Note:

Having a good time with the story?

Every single bit helps immensely:

Thanks a ton for making this journey possible!]