After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the two sat by the bonfire.
Once Castorice realized Oliver was unaffected by her curse, she stopped keeping such a distance.
The two sat facing each other, staring blankly into the flames.
"Your Excellency, where are you going next?"
Castorice took the initiative to ask.
"Don't call me Your Excellency. Call me by my name, or call me Big Brother," Oliver said, holding a branch and poking the flames. He added, "I am a wanderer; I have no fixed destination."
He only had one purpose for being here: to stay by Castorice's side and complete the script.
If his intentions were too obvious, he feared Castorice would suspect him of having ulterior motives, so he simply decided to play the role of a wanderer and strike up a friendship.
"So we are the same kind of people! I am wandering too."
Castorice imitated Oliver, picking up a branch to poke the flames. Lowering her head, she asked, "Then, Oliver, would you be willing to travel with me?"
It was so rare for her to meet someone she could actually touch; she really didn't want to let this opportunity slip away.
Who knew how long she would have to wait to meet the next person capable of touching her?
"I never refuse an invitation from a beautiful maiden."
Oliver used his branch to playfully tap the branch in Castorice's hand.
This brought a smile to her lips, and she tapped her branch against the one in Oliver's hand in response.
Castorice breathed a sigh of relief.
This was the first time she had invited a man to travel with her, and she had been terrified of rejection.
Fortunately, the other party agreed and seemed quite pleased about it.
"So, where are you planning to go?"
Oliver asked.
Castorice replied, "I need to find the Death Titan Thanatos. I want to ask Him why He cursed me."
"Let me tell you a story."
Oliver had seen the plot and knew the internal details.
In Castorice's previous life, she had a younger sister named Polyxenia.
They were the successors of the Death Titan, but they had to personally kill their closest kin to pass the trial and gain divine authority.
The older sister willingly offered her heart, allowing her younger sister to achieve godhood.
After the younger sister became the Death Titan, she did not lose her Remembrance, and the first thing she did upon recreating the world was to use Alchemy to resurrect her older sister.
She even shared half of the Titan authority with Castorice.
The outcome was that, contrary to expectations, an accident occurred.
Polyxenia, missing half of her authority, died suddenly upon arriving in the current world, while Castorice could only wield the power to bestow Death. Both sisters lived tragic lives.
Oliver recounted this story to Castorice, eager to see her reaction.
"If that is the case... I would definitely forgive Thanatos."
Castorice offered a rare smile, seemingly quite pleased with Oliver's story.
"Thank you. I like the story, but I hope it isn't true."
Who could bear to let their younger sister die suddenly and suffer such hardship?
Castorice refused to believe the story, choosing instead to treat it as a fairy tale specially crafted by Oliver to comfort her.
Oliver's short temper flared up. He had spent all that time telling her the truth, and she called it a fairy tale?
"If you don't believe it, go and witness it yourself. Go to Styxia, follow the Underworld River to its source, and you will find Thanatos."
Oliver stood up, his expression serious.
"How do you know that? Are you Thanatos?"
Castorice looked up, her eyes strikingly clear, as innocent as a university student's.
"What kind of logic is that?"
Oliver laughed, reaching out to flick Castorice's forehead. "Are you going or not?"
Castorice covered her forehead with both hands and nodded softly: "I'll go."
So the two of them became companions and embarked on their journey together.
Oliver: "What year of the Light Era is it now?"
Castorice: "Year 3900."
Oliver: "It's so late."
Castorice: "What's late?"
Oliver shook his head, "Nothing, just some things I didn't get to do."
He actually wanted to know where the story of Tiresias was.
By year 3900, the flame chase journey had already begun.
The Little Tribbies had also endured a hundred years of hardship, and most of them had died.
"I wonder if the Bandage can repair the fragmented Tiresias."
If he had the chance to meet her, he would definitely try.
Of course, the protagonist of this script was Castorice, so Oliver's focus would naturally be on Castorice, not getting sidetracked.
"Little Die, give me a map."
Oliver suddenly spoke as they walked.
This intimate address made Castorice's pretty face flush slightly.
She pulled out Amphoreus's world map from her bag, which marked the locations of major and minor city-states.
Castorice pointed to a location on the map and explained, "Styxia has long been destroyed, surrounded by the River Styx as an isolated island. No one can cross the River Styx and enter it."
Therefore, for so many years, she had never returned to that place.
She had only heard from her adoptive mother, Amunet, that Styxia was her hometown.
"Even if you don't die, after entering the River Styx, you will be entangled by the undead and dragged into the abyss."
Castorice looked at Oliver's face worriedly, wanting to persuade him not to take risks.
Oliver, however, was completely indifferent to the dangers Castorice spoke of.
He spread his hand and said unequivocally, "Give me your hand, close your eyes, I'll give you a surprise."
When Castorice heard about holding hands, her face flushed again. She was a bit embarrassed and fidgety.
In her heart, she wanted to touch a living person, yet also wanted to maintain her composure.
But Oliver was overbearing. He directly grabbed Castorice's hand, then put his arm around Castorice's slender waist, and then lightly flicked.
"Within one second, hit the top of the city wall at the map coordinate."
Whoosh!
Castorice hadn't recovered from the panic of being embraced around the waist when she felt the scenery before her eyes blur and darken.
She had arrived at an unfamiliar place.
Oliver stood on the city wall, holding Castorice.
Before them, it was dim and eerie, without a trace of sunlight.
Only the purple glow emanating from the River Styx illuminated the surroundings.
In their ears, they could hear the whispers of the undead, mumbling who knows what.
Looking out.
In the waters of the River Styx below the city wall, there were indeed undead wandering. Some had been dead for too long to reincarnate, their consciousness completely extinguished, becoming solitary spirits.
"Can you put me down?"
A timid voice came from Oliver's arms.
He looked down, meeting Castorice's beautiful eyes.
Castorice immediately averted her gaze, a blush appearing on her cheeks.
She gently pushed Oliver's waist with both hands, indicating that she wanted to leave.
Oliver let go, pretending everything was normal, "How is it? I didn't lie to you, did I?"
Castorice looked left and right, then nodded gently: "Hmm, it's here... but how did you do it? This speed, only a Demigod of Trickery could... but a Demigod of Trickery is..."
"You just need to know that I am very strong, stronger than everyone else. You can rely on me as much as you want."
Oliver showed a confident smile.
It was as if there was no problem he couldn't solve.
Castorice was infected by his smile, and a thought of wanting to rely on him truly arose in her heart.
The two walked against the River Styx.
They walked for a very, very long time, so long that Oliver forgot the time.
Finally.
At the source of the River Styx, they discovered a dragon.
It was a huge, pale purple dragon, a Western dragon with wings on its back.
That's right.
This was the corpse of the Death Titan, Thanatos.
It was blocking the way here, forming a roadblock for the River Styx.
Oliver pulled out the Bandage, "Watch my miraculous recovery."