During their meal, the group engaged in light conversation, getting to know each other better since some of them were still not very familiar. Once full, Chang Long quietly slipped away, setting out immediately for the Sacred Water Pond without informing anyone. She wanted to avoid any mistakes.

Chang Long moved quickly toward the west gate of the town. As soon as she was outside, she spread her wings and took flight. It did not take long for her to reach Doi Buppha. The area remained as desolate as ever. Since the Fairy Forest had returned to its normal state, players preferred to visit there for its beauty and the absence of the numerous snakes that plagued this place.

Chang Long approached the edge of the Sacred Water Pond. She was not sure if the moon would be full tonight, but if it was, she might meet the Goddess Veritas again and have a chance to speak with her. For now, though, her focus was on handling Kitsune's lifeless body. She unsealed Kitsune, and the clear ice block containing the still form of the little fox, covered in thick layers of frost, appeared on the ground.

She stared at Kitsune's face for a moment before taking out a water bottle and dipping it into the Sacred Water Pond. She poured the sacred water into the ice coffin repeatedly, ensuring that every part of Kitsune's body was bathed in it. Then, she reached for the resurrection potion.

Placing the potion bottle next to herself, Chang Long pried open Kitsune's mouth with some difficulty due to the ice encasing his body. After managing to open the mouth slightly, she carefully dripped several drops of the resurrection potion into it without hesitation.

Kitsune's body began to glow with a radiant white light. Moments later, it ignited in golden flames, completely enveloping the fox. The ice coffin shattered, and the large orb of golden fire slowly rose from the ground. Chang Long watched in panic, unsure if this was supposed to happen or if she had made a mistake during the process. The system had yet to notify her of anything.

For ten long minutes, Chang Long waited anxiously. The flames still enveloped Kitsune's form, but finally, a system notification arrived.

"Player Chang Long has used a special method to resurrect their pet, resulting in the ability to upgrade the pet's status from a Sacred Beast to a pure-blooded Sacred Beast. Player Chang Long may choose to retain the current status or upgrade. If the current status is retained, Flame Fox Kitsune will be resurrected immediately. If you choose to upgrade, the pet will undergo a rebirth and require one week to reincarnate."

Chang Long was momentarily stunned. She had expected that by this method, Kitsune would be resurrected immediately with the new status. But now she had to wait an entire week for the rebirth.

"Upgrade the status,"

Chang Long decided after a brief moment of contemplation. She had already resolved to make Kitsune a pure-blooded Sacred Beast.

"Resurrection of pet Kitsune is complete. Before reincarnation, Kitsune will be sealed in an egg. Player Chang Long must locate the Shrine of the Inari God to receive divine recognition of the pet's new status. If the shrine is not found before the reincarnation, your pet will still achieve pure-blooded Sacred Beast status but will not be acknowledged by the gods or other pure-blooded Sacred Beasts."

The system message ended, and the golden flames that had engulfed Kitsune vanished, leaving behind a beautiful golden egg with orange markings floating in the air. Though stunned by the system's notification, Chang Long reached out and hugged the egg. At least, the resurrection had been successful.

She glanced at her watch—it was still early afternoon, far from evening. Deciding not to wait for another encounter with Goddess Veritas, Chang Long tossed a silver coin into the Sacred Water Pond as an offering of thanks, a habit she had formed every time she used the Sacred Pond's water. This small gesture had endeared her to the goddess.

With the egg in her arms, Chang Long flew back to the Starting Town. Upon arrival, she saw her friends rushing toward the west gate. Everyone stared at the egg in her hands, their faces filled with curiosity, which made Chang Long chuckle. Her mood had significantly improved now that Kitsune's resurrection was successful. She told them to find a quiet spot where she could explain everything.

The group eagerly sought out a secluded area in the old part of town, near Elder An's shrine. It was a quiet, almost abandoned place, as most players avoided it due to the eerie atmosphere, which hinted that it was haunted, despite the fact that in-game ghosts were generally peaceful and rarely showed themselves. Only players with spirit-related professions, like Chang Long, could see the ghosts, even when they were invisible to others.

The group entered a tea shop that was nearly empty. The pale, ghostly-looking staff member approached to take their order and floated away as if gliding to deliver the order to the tea brewer who had the same look. This left Wet Trash Can visibly shaken. His fear of ghosts was well-known. He clung tightly to Oliang's arm, completely abandoning his tough-guy image. At this moment, he did not care about appearances—he just wanted to avoid being haunted.

"I've successfully resurrected Kitsune,"

Chang Long finally announced. Rafael, Draco, and Peach Blossom's eyes widened at the word resurrect. Now they understood why they had been told not to ask about Kitsune, as it would upset Chang Long. The rest of the group was visibly excited, looking around for the four-tailed fox. However, all they saw was the golden egg with orange markings resting on Chang Long's lap.

"Where is Kitsune, Master Chang?"

Peach Blossom was the first to ask, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"Waiting to reincarnate,"

Chang Long replied.

"I'm leaving tonight for Aseana Island. Do you want to come along?"

"Huh. You just got here, and you're leaving already? Why so soon?"

Peach Blossom said, disappointed, though she noticed that Chang Long had invited them, which meant she could join too.

"I only have seven days. I need to reach that island and find the Inari God before then,"

Chang Long explained with a heavy heart. She knew that the Inari God was somewhere in the town of Kirisakura, but where exactly to find it was still a mystery.

"I've heard of the Inari God before. Some players have found it on Fox Valley. The place is covered in snow year-round, with thick, towering pine trees and winding paths. There are many types of foxes living there, but the high-level and beautiful ones lives closer to the Inari Shrine,"

Cat-Faced Angel explained. Her words caught everyone's attention. It was common knowledge that fox-type beasts were extremely rare, and now they understood why—they were all hiding in Fox Valley.

"Fox Valley? Do you know the way there?"

Chang Long asked. Having someone who knew the area would save her time from wandering aimlessly. Just then, their tea arrived, and fortunately, each cup looked appetizing and tasted much better than expected.

"When do you plan to go, Chang Long? It's already getting late. We should prepare,"

Destiny asked.

"How about we leave right now? We only have seven days, and just the travel time will take over a day. Then we still need to get to Kirisakura and find the shrine,"

Chang Long replied, standing up while analyzing the situation. With seven days on the clock, most of it would be spent just traveling, leaving little time to search for the shrine. What concerned her more was the possibility of fulfilling specific conditions to meet the Inari God, like how she had to toss a coin into the Pond on a full moon to encounter the Goddess Veritas.

"Great. I'm so happy we're leaving. You know, I've been so lonely without you, Master Chang. And... wait, is that you, brother?"

Peach Blossom chattered excitedly but paused as she finally took a good look at her brother. Something seemed slightly off about him from what she remembered.

"Come to think of it… you've changed, Siegfried. Hmm, your eye color is different,"

Draco observed, his eyes widening in surprise as he noticed Siegfried's warm light brown eyes had turned into a bright blue.

"Your skin tone has changed too! And wait, are your ears pointed now!"

Rafael added, equally shocked, along with Peach Blossom. The three of them stared at Siegfried in amazement, confused as to how he had turned into an elf.

"By the way, where are Mi and Aden?"

Chang Long asked, glancing around for her close friends, who had previously accompanied Siegfried's group back to the Starting Island. She said that since she had already joined the guild, she should help them in time of need.

"Oh, they went out hunting to level up. Why don't you call them, Master Chang?"

Peach Blossom quickly responded, aware that Chang Long did not know yet that Mi (who went by the Valentine, in the game) and Aden had become a couple. Valentine had been too afraid to tell Chang Long, even though the entire guild already knew.

"Uh-huh, never mind. I don't have time to wait for Mi. Whoever wants to join me can come along,"

Chang Long said as she started walking away.

"This way, actually,"

Rafael corrected her. Chang Long glanced back at everyone and simply said,

"Oh, right,"

before turning around and heading in the suggested direction, completely unfazed by her friends who were struggling to hold in their laughter.

"She's in a much better mood now,"

Oliang commented with a chuckle as the group followed Chang Long.

.....

Eventually, Jane, Hero, and the Four Tao group finished helping their friend Ten (in-game name: White Tiger) and his girlfriend Fah (in-game name: Fahsai) reach level 30. They were now hastily heading toward the harbor. Jane claimed she could not stand being on the Starting Island anymore. Usually, she and Hero loved traveling and disliked staying in one place for long. In truth, she wanted to avoid Ten, who kept giving her strange looks when no one else noticed.

"It's getting dark, Jane. Why the rush?"

White Tiger asked, worried about his girlfriend, who had just reached level 30 and was immediately told to start traveling without resting.

"I don't remember forcing you guys to follow me. You've got the Four Tao gang to protect you, right? You can stay in town for the night and catch up later!"

Jane responded nonchalantly, not breaking her stride.

"But you promised to help us get the Sniper profession,"

White Tiger reminded her, sounding concerned that Jane might change her mind.

"Yeah, yeah. I said I'd help, and I will. But that doesn't mean you have to stick to me like glue. Besides, your archery and secret weapon skills are too average for someone at level 30. And let me tell you, your girlfriend is even worse. Maybe you should find a profession that suits you better. You'd have more fun playing a profession you're good at rather than forcing yourself to play one you're not,"

Jane grumbled.

"That's too harsh, Jane..."

Hero warned, noticing that Fahsai had tears welling up in her eyes. Jane rolled her eyes in frustration, silently thinking,

'What a crybaby.'

"Whatever. Do what you want, but I've had enough of this place. I can't stay on this island any longer!"

Jane snapped and stormed ahead. However, she suddenly stopped in her tracks when she nearly bumped into a group of players emerging from the woods at a fork in the road. The players were chatting merrily, not noticing Jane and Hero, but Jane and Hero immediately recognized them.

"Chang Long!"

Jane shouted, causing the players to turn toward her in unison. The Four Tao group and White Tiger, who had been chatting about how the group ahead of them were probably all top-tier players, were shocked to see that Jane and Hero seemed to know these players well.

"Jane, Hero!"

Chang Long exclaimed, a small smile appearing on her face as she reunited with her old friends. Jane rushed forward to hug Chang Long, while Hero, being more considerate of Siegfried, settled for a handshake and a smile. Everyone in Chang Long's group greeted Jane and Hero warmly, including their new friends, Cat-Faced Angel and Destiny.

"Unbelievable, running into Chang Long here,"

Hero grinned widely as they merged into one group. The Four Tao gang, White Tiger, and his girlfriend Fahsai walked behind them, still in awe at suddenly finding themselves with a group of such high-level players, and even more amazed that Jane and Hero knew them so well.

"We were just thinking about you, you know? Thinking about the good times we had traveling together,"

Jane said with a bright smile. She seemed to be in a particularly good mood, though it was unclear whether it was from seeing Chang Long again or being surrounded by a group of handsome men.

"You're heading to Aseana Island again, Chang Long? Why?"

Hero asked curiously.

"I'll explain everything on the ship. For now, let's hurry. I need to get to Kirisakura City as quickly as possible,"

Chang Long replied. Despite picking up the pace, the group continued chatting casually. The Four Tao group was amazed at how even the slower members like Peache Blossom, Kimhant, and Cat-Faced Angel managed to keep up with the higher-level players. They themselves could have kept pace too if they were not hanging back to help White Tiger and Fahsai, who were struggling and falling behind, potentially at risk from the beasts along the way.

"By the way... How come the beasts aren't bothering them? They're just breezing through,"

TaoKaowNian asked, puzzled.

"Who says they aren't? The beasts come, but they deal with them in less than a minute. Look,"

TaoHuYee pointed out. The group watched as Chang Long's friends quickly dispatched a group of beasts, making the journey seem effortless from the perspective of those following behind. Soon, the group reached the harbor by exactly 7 PM. Knowing his role, Kimhant quickly went ahead to negotiate with the Maritime Association about securing a ship. Meanwhile, the others browsed the few remaining market stalls at the harbor while waiting. White Tiger and Fahsai, exhausted and breathless, were being looked after by the Four Tao group. Hero and Jane, on the other hand, were having a lively conversation with Chang Long and her friends, seemingly having forgotten about the companions they had helped train on the Starting Island.

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