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“Very good. That’s a good girl,” Yaeger praised, placing the Artifact Soul on a pedestal with a smile. “Tell me, why were you targeting me back then?”

“No, no, I’m not targeting your… Master!” The Artifact Soul hastily replied, clutching her swollen face with a vacant gaze.

“Heh, it seems that you need to be educated properly,” Yaeger remarked, rubbing her hands with an evil gaze.

Feeling the malice, the Artifact Soul trembled and quickly shouted, “I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you!”

At this moment, Alicia and the others approached quickly, curious about the previous appearance of the horrifying aura and the Artifact Soul’s current cowardly behavior.

“What’s happening?” Alicia asked, eager to understand the situation.

“It’s a long story, I’ll explain it to you later,” Yaeger waved her hand, dismissing the question. She then focused on the Artifact Soul. “You are called [Blue], right? I’ll call you Little Blue from now on. Tell me, Little Blue, why were you targeting me?”

‘What the heck is Little Blue? My original name is so noble and nice!’ Little Blue thought, smacking her lips in displeasure. She then reluctantly replied, “B-because I hate the aura on you, master. It reminds me of unpleasant memories!”

“Huh?” Yaeger tilted her head in confusion, trying to comprehend Little Blue’s words.

“I treasure freedom and liberty. I am like the wind!” Little Blue continued, trying to express her feelings.

Hearing this, Yaeger’s understanding deepened. ‘I see. Little Blue didn’t want to serve a master, which is why she tried to kill me. The aura she mentioned must be the one emanated by the Chaos Roulette. She hates it because she fears being forcefully enslaved by the owner of the [Chaos Roulette]. And somehow, I have become Little Blue’s master.’

With these realizations, Yaeger couldn’t help but touch the tiny roulette on her chest. From the moment she received this Artifact from the Newbie Pack, she had sensed that something was amiss. Now, those feelings grew even stronger.

‘Litzy, who are you truly? Are you a Celestial or a Demon?’ These questions swirled in Yaeger’s mind, but she shook her head, deciding not to dwell on them for now. There were more pressing matters at hand.

“Little Blue, where’s the City of Chaos? I want to see it.” She was more eager to explore her own War Fortress than to delve into speculation about Litzy’s origins.

In response, Little Blue raised her head and stared at Yaeger as though she were a fool. It was an action that warranted a punishment.

“Feeling itchy, are we?” Yaeger narrowed her eyes and rubbed her hands together, ready to deliver another slap.

“No, no! Master, I’m just shocked!” Little Blue panicked, desperate to avoid another painful blow. The memory of the previous slap still lingered, causing her distress.

As she spoke, the shimmering blue light surrounding Little Blue faded, revealing her white and delicate skin. Her glittering blue hair swayed gracefully, adding to her ethereal beauty.

Perplexed by Little Blue’s fear, Yaeger asked, “What are you so afraid of?”

Little Blue carefully chose her words, hoping to avoid any further abuse from her violent master. Deep down, she valued her freedom above all else.

With a final sigh, she mustered the courage to speak. “Master, this city belongs to you. The underground maze you always mention is just a small part of the [City of Chaos].”

The revelation left everyone stunned, but it was Yaeger who was most affected. She had assumed that the so-called [War Fortress] would be a mobile stronghold. Little did she know that the entire underground maze was merely a fraction of the vast [City of Chaos].

The realization sent shivers down her spine. She had hit the jackpot unexpectedly and too soon, leaving her feeling overwhelmed.

“Master, I advise against celebrating just yet. Consider this: if the [War Fortress] were intact, why would it be buried underground for so many years?” Little Blue’s words acted as a bucket of cold water, jolting Yaeger back to reality.

Indeed, if the [City of Chaos] were fully functional, it would not have been relegated to a trial ground for the royalty.

“Are you saying that the city is in ruins?” Yaeger questioned, disappointment creeping into her voice.

“No, Master. I mean to say that the city has suffered significant damage and is mostly unusable. It can be considered similar to a ruin. Furthermore, the city lacks the necessary energy to be fully activated, which is why it remains buried underground and in the void,” Blue explained.

Yaeger’s disappointment deepened. While it wasn’t a complete ruin, the city’s condition was far from ideal.

“The city was able to sustain itself in the spatial gap by absorbing some energy, allowing their clan to occasionally enter for training purposes. However, to fully activate the city, a substantial quantity of [Black Magic Crystals] was required. Unfortunately, despite my many years here, their clan has yet to collect any [Black Magic Crystals] with a concentration higher than fifteen percent. It’s quite disappointing,” Little Blue looked at Alicia and shook her head.

The latter’s lips twitched, but she had no intention of retorting.

“M-Magic crystals are incredibly scarce in our current era, and [Black Magic Crystals] are even rarer as they are of the highest grade,” Alicia explained. This was the first time she had learned of such a secret. It appeared that their clan had a cooperative relationship with the Artifact Soul, involving the quest for these rare magic crystals.

“Hmph! You only know how to make excuses,” Little Blue pouted, dissatisfied with the lack of progress in obtaining the necessary [Black Magic Crystals]. If the royalty could gather more of them, she would have a chance to repair the [Spatial Jump] of the [City of Chaos] and escape her current predicament, avoiding enslavement once again.

The thought brought tears to Little Blue’s eyes as she contemplated her unfortunate circumstances.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Yaeger interjected, “What exactly are these magic crystals?”

“Master, magic crystals are highly concentrated magic cells. They can occur naturally or be artificially created by certain civilizations. However, the artificially created ones are of low purity and are practically useless. Additionally, the cost of creating them is exorbitant, making it impractical. Magic crystals come in seven different grades, represented by seven colors: white, yellow, green, red, blue, purple, and black. The darker the color, the higher the grade,” Blue explained, shedding light on the subject.

“I see.” Yaeger nodded in affirmation. . She then asked, “So, if we were to find the highest-grade magic crystal, would it be possible to repair the city?”

“No, even with an abundance of [Black Magic Crystals], I can only repair critical areas. Repairing the rest would require additional precious materials,” Blue replied, shaking her head.

“Once these critical areas are repaired, will the city be functional again?” Yaeger inquired.

“Yes, if I can repair the central cores responsible for [Spatial Compression], [Spatial Stacking], and [Spatial Jump], the [City of Chaos] can temporarily house the damaged sections within a spatial gap. It will be able to function as a fortress and we can finally leave this cursed place!” Blue explained, her excitement evident in her voice.

However, her enthusiasm quickly faded. “Unfortunately, finding high-purity [Black Magic Crystals] is incredibly difficult in the present year. The city and I can only remain trapped in this place.”

Curious, Yaeger asked, “What do these [Black Magic Crystals] look like?”

With the [War Fortress] being Yaeger’s own, she was determined not to leave it in its current state. With the opportunity to repair it, she had to seize it.

“It looks like this.” Little Blue extended her hand and tapped the air, causing a series of images to materialize.

“Are these…?” Yaeger’s eyes widened as she looked at the pictures of the [Black Magic Crystals].