Chapter 182: The Enigma(2)

Hours slipped away...

Night had finally fallen.

The palace was enveloped in the quiet stillness of the late hours. The corridors grew utterly silent, while the lights throughout the rest of the estate dimmed gradually into darkness.

Yet Amelia had not left her desk.

She remained seated in the exact same spot. The paper before her was now densely covered with notes, cross-references, and symbols transcribed over the preceding hours.

She had devoted a substantial amount of time to analyzing the message. She compared its syntax against dozens of distinct languages within her repertoire, searching for unfamiliar linguistic structures, double meanings, or hidden subtext that might yield a logical interpretation of the quest.

Yet regardless of the methodology applied... she reached a total dead end.

Eventually, a sudden thought crossed her mind—an approach she had employed in the distant past when encountering phenomena of an unknown nature:

Simply ask it directly.

Amelia fixated her gaze on the floating screen.

The concept appeared remarkably simple. Perhaps excessively so.

That was precisely why she hesitated.

If she questioned the entity directly and received no response, she lost nothing. But what if it succeeded? What if the interface actually responded?

Then Amelia would appear utterly foolish for squandering hours dissecting dozens of languages when she could have simply asked.

She remained silent for a few lingering moments before letting out a soft sigh.

"Very well..."

She lifted her head slightly.

"I have nothing to lose."

Then, she spoke clearly: "Who are you?"

Nothing happened.

The window remained entirely unchanged.

One second...

Two seconds...

Three...

Initially, Amelia felt her skepticism confirmed. Naturally—there was no logical reason for such an entity to answer so casually. She lowered her eyes, on the verge of returning to her manual analysis.

Yet at that exact moment... the interface shifted.

New text materialized across the floating panel, accompanied by a cold, synthesized voice reciting the words as they appeared:

{THIS SYSTEM IS AN ASSISTIVE TOOL DESIGNED TO AID THE HOST IN ASCENDING, OVERCOMING OBSTACLES, AND REACHING THE PINNACLE.}

Amelia froze.

Her eyes widened slightly, her complexion draining of color. She stared at the illuminated text, motionless.

"What does that mean...?" The query escaped her lips involuntarily.

If the entity’s assertion was accurate, it meant the interface before her was not merely a random generator of arbitrary tasks, but a structured mechanism possessing a defined purpose:

Ascension.

Overcoming obstacles.

Reaching the pinnacle.

Yet her primary question persisted: What was the precise connection between this system and her father?

The quest that had manifested appeared tailored specifically to him, yet the interface now declared its existence was solely to assist the "Host."

Who was the original Host?

Was her father the intended user?

Or had she acquired this system through an unverified anomaly?

Refusing to let her mind derail into speculative theories, Amelia asked directly: "Do you have a connection to my father?"

She anticipated an evasive response.

Sure enough, new text rendered across the screen moments later:

{THIS SYSTEM IS EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY RETRIEVING MEMORY DATA DUE TO AN UNIDENTIFIED INTERFERENCE.}

Upon reading the output, Amelia gave a slow, deliberate nod.

She was not entirely surprised; she had anticipated a constraint preventing the interface from disclosing absolute answers.

Yet the response failed to resolve the enigma. If anything, it deepened the complexity.

If the system held stored data regarding her father, why was it inaccessible? What was the precise nature of this "interference"? Was it a technical corruption, or was an external force actively suppressing the system’s memory banks?

Deciding not to pursue that avenue for the moment, Amelia shifted to a far more critical inquiry.

She locked eyes with the screen once more and demanded: "Does an item of the Celestial Grade truly exist here?"

This question differed entirely from the previous ones. Even Amelia, possessing vast knowledge regarding the world’s power structures, understood the absolute value of a Celestial-Grade artifact. Billions of individuals would readily forfeit their lives upon hearing a mere rumor regarding the existence of a single item at that tier.

Yet now... the system was offering one as a straightforward completion reward.

The system responded:

{THE SIGN-IN REWARD FOR THE CAVE OF THE GRANDEST HERITAGE IS INDEED THE CELESTIAL-GRADE PRINCESS CROWN.}

Absolute silence returned to the room.

Amelia had largely anticipated the answer, yet confirming its validity expanded the problem rather than simplifying it. The core issue was not the sheer value of the item, but the underlying motive for bestowing it.

Why?

Why would this interface grant her an item of Celestial caliber? And what did it expect in exchange?

Amelia crossed her arms, pausing briefly before pressing further: "Why?"

The system provided no response.

She added sharply: "Why present me with something of such immense value? I assume nothing in this world is free."

Had the system declared the reward entirely devoid of cost, she would have flagged it as an immediate trap.

Text materialized once more:

{THE PROVISION OF THIS REWARD DOES NOT FALL UNDER THE DISCRETION OF THIS SYSTEM. AUTHORIZATION TO DETERMINE WHETHER AN ULTIMATE COST EXISTS EXCEEDS CURRENT SYSTEM PERMISSIONS.}

Amelia’s eyes narrowed into sharp slits.

"Dammit..." she muttered, staring at the screen.

So even the system itself was uninformed—or simply locked out from accessing that data.

The realization brought zero reassurance; instead, it elevated the threat level significantly. If the system was merely an automated conduit, who had configured the reward? Who decided Amelia was eligible to receive it? And why was she required to travel to that specific coordinate?

The unanswered variables were compounding rapidly.

Before she could analyze the matter further—

Knock. Knock. Knock.

A firm tapping resonated against her chamber door.

Amelia looked toward the entrance. She had no need to inquire about the visitor’s identity; she recognized the presence instantly.

It was her aunt, Roselina. And the reason for her arrival was glaringly obvious.

"Enter," Amelia stated.

The door swung open, and Roselina stepped inside, her facial expression displaying clear annoyance. She scanned Amelia, then the desk, and finally the room—which had been cloaked in total darkness prior to the door opening.

"Amelia, why haven’t you eaten your dinner?" Roselina scolded sharply.

Approaching the desk, she continued: "Are you aware that this can severely hinder your physical development? Your parents’ delayed return and your grief do not excuse neglecting your basic health."

She cast another glance around the dimly lit study. "And why are you sitting here in complete darkness?"

Amelia met her aunt’s frustrated gaze and gave a simple nod. "Alright, I promise I will eat."

She paused briefly before adding: "Actually... I am facing a dilemma right now."

Roselina halted. "A dilemma?"

Amelia nodded. "Could my aunt offer me some guidance?"

In her previous life as the supreme Empress, Amelia could never have envisioned a scenario where she would solicit advice from a mortal human. Roselina, meanwhile, appeared genuinely taken aback by the request. What possible dilemma could a young child be grappling with that required adult counsel?

Naturally, Roselina assumed it was nothing overly complex.

The two sat opposite one another. With the chamber’s main lights now fully illuminated, Amelia remained seated in her desk chair, looking at Roselina with absolute seriousness.

"Aunt Roselina..." Amelia began, pausing slightly before posing the question: "What would you do if you had to gamble your life for something immense... something unimaginably grand?"

Roselina’s eyes widened. For a split second, she wondered inwardly if all children her age pondered such bizarrely heavy questions.

After a moment of deliberate thought, Roselina replied: "Well... naturally, I wouldn’t do it."

She continued firmly: "Even if there is a chance you might obtain it, life is a singular opportunity."

She looked directly into Amelia’s eyes. "It cannot be replaced."

Roselina presumed her answer was sufficient to resolve the girl’s doubt. Yet Amelia merely stared back in silence.

She recognized the objective logic in her aunt’s rationale. It was entirely sensible for a normal context.

The issue, however, was that they were not discussing a normal context.

Had the stakes involved mundane wealth, territory, or political standing, Roselina’s stance would be absolute. But when the objective placed on the line was a Celestial-Grade artifact... the equation became drastically more complex.

Amelia remained quiet as her aunt’s final words echoed in her mind:

Life is a singular opportunity... it cannot be replaced.

It was perhaps the most straightforward answer she could receive.

Yet it was not necessarily the answer she was searching for.