I Revived My Maid, Now She Hungers for My Blood

Chapter 256: The Solitary Path

Pandora wore an expression of unprecedented gravity. Elsa, standing at her side, looked ready to fight for her life.

Though her own memories had been scrubbed of Faye’s presence—both the name and the face seemingly deleted by some esoteric force—Elsa trusted Pandora absolutely. She didn’t doubt it for a second. This supposedly safe “journey to find a Mentor” likely harbored massive, unpredictable dangers.

“My Lady, if it’s this dangerous, then why not—”

Elsa didn’t get to finish. Pandora shook her head, cutting her off. “We can’t let caution paralyze us.”

During her year in the Sentence of the Void, she had come to realize exactly how crucial a higher-level perspective was. The greatest boon the Rank-5 The Quicksilver Blood Meditation had given her wasn’t the push to Rank-2. It was the top-down, bird’s-eye view of the path ahead.

The path she walked wasn’t The Corpse Hall’s mainstream. That had given her plenty of advantages, but it also meant she couldn’t tap into centuries of accumulated experience. She had no access to the systematic, heavily optimized guidance of the established curriculums, nor could she benefit from the latent support structures woven into every facet of The Corpse Hall.

It was a solitary path. Lonely, and entirely lacking in signposts.

And besides... if she didn’t go looking for Faye, did she really think Faye wouldn’t come looking for her? She hadn’t forgotten how Faye had shown up before. Zero warning. Dead silent.

Subconsciously, she had been forcing herself not to think about it, not to dig too deep. But two years had passed. It was time to... face the music.

“Understood.” Elsa’s voice snapped Pandora out of her thoughts. She asked no further questions. She merely adjusted her stance, shifting half a step closer to Pandora.

Pandora refocused. She took another deep breath. Then— the heavy, tense expression on her face drained away like the tide. Replacing it was a relaxed, natural smile, tinged with a self-assured confidence, as if she had it all figured out. Her eyes cleared, becoming perfectly calm.

Seeing this, Elsa relaxed slightly as well. Her expression smoothed out, reverting to her usual, elegant maid persona.

Pandora raised a hand. The Palmfiend nimbly hopped off her shoulder, scurried over to an unassuming black sensor pad by the door, and tapped it.

Beep—

A faint electronic tone chimed. The heavy glass door, framed in dark alloy, slid silently to the side. Beyond it was the scent of vegetation so thick it was almost tangible, alongside a sense of... uncanny stillness.

The cover charge was exorbitant, but that was only true for fresh Apprentices. For Pandora now, it was just chump change. She casually approved the entry fee for two on the payment terminal by the entrance. Then, together with Elsa, she stepped inside.

..................

Inside the oxygen bar, it looked exactly like the rumors among the Apprentices said. On the surface, at least, it was just an outrageously expensive forest-themed oxygen bar that absolutely wasn’t worth the ticket price.

As far as the eye could see, meticulously maintained, beautifully layered flora thrived. Towering broadleaf trees, low ferns, cascading vines, and countless nameless plants of every hue and shape. The air was impossibly fresh, carrying the damp scent of soil and the distinct fragrance of greenery. The oxygen levels were clearly regulated to perfection; every breath brought a crisp, soothing comfort.

But that was it. For someone in poor health or fresh out of a polluted environment, spending time here might have some minor benefits. But those benefits probably couldn’t even compete with a random low-grade potion.

“Ladies.” A voice suddenly rang out. Gentle, carrying a professional politeness. A attendant in a smooth, sleek uniform seemed to materialize out of nowhere. The outfit was incredibly high-quality, colored to blend almost seamlessly with the surrounding foliage. Smiling, she gave a slight bow, apparently ready to guide them through the amenities. “Welcome to the Deep Forest Oxygen Bar. How may I—”

Before the attendant could finish, Pandora raised a hand. Between her fingers was that deep purple card with the black-gold filigree. She didn’t say a word. She just held it up for the woman to see.

Surprisingly, the attendant’s smile didn’t waver. Even with Pandora’s Rank-3 Wizard senses, she couldn’t detect a single noticeable fluctuation in the woman’s expression. That professional, perfectly polite smile remained glued in place.

But... Pandora still caught it. The instant the attendant laid eyes on the card, her posture shifted, almost imperceptibly. The angle of her body subtly realigned. Instead of facing Pandora and Elsa head-on, she was now angled toward a specific direction deeper within the bar.

The attendant’s gaze lingered on the card for less than half a second before lifting back to Pandora.

“Right this way, please.”

She stepped aside, gesturing elegantly, then turned and walked toward the densest cluster of vegetation.

Pandora and Elsa followed. When they reached what looked like an impenetrable wall of interwoven vines and broad leaves, the attendant didn’t slow down. The plants, seemingly alive, peeled back as she approached, opening up a narrow, winding passage barely wide enough for one person.

At the end of the passage, a metallic gleam was visible. An elevator, hidden deep within the greenery.

“No wonder that curious Apprentice didn’t find anything,” Pandora murmured.

The attendant, walking ahead, seemed to hear her. Without turning around, she replied in that same mild tone, “Quite so. This is a facility reserved for the Master Demon Hunters, after all. They do so hate to be disturbed.”

Pandora nodded slightly. Elsa remained silent, quietly following behind her, her eyes sharp with vigilance.

Soon, the three of them reached the elevator. The doors slid open silently. The interior was compact but minimalist, its walls made of matte dark-grey metal. The attendant pressed an unmarked button, and the elevator began to descend.

The weightlessness was barely perceptible; the ride was unnervingly smooth. After about ten seconds—

Ding—

A soft chime. When the metal doors parted again, Pandora found herself looking at a subterranean space far larger and more expansive than the floor above. It carried on the aesthetic of the ground floor, blanketed in flora. But the air wasn’t stale, nor did it have that claustrophobic, underground feel. Instead, it was exceptionally fresh, carrying a faint, soothing scent of wine.