"And if I'm not mistaken, the cave tunnels we just walked through might even be the shrunken blood vessels of the Beast Emperor."
Lan Qingyou's explanation was flawless.
More accurately, ever since everyone learned that her Magic Eye could identify objects, they viewed her statements regarding such matters as authoritative.
"Then take it. We came here for this in the first place. And according to our initial agreement, this belongs to you anyway," Vivian said with a wave of her hand.
Although she hadn't thought of it earlier, she remembered the agreement once reminded.
She wasn't one to go back on her word regarding something settled before they set out, even if the item looked incredibly precious.
After all, it was the product of a Beast Emperor's dried heart.
"Mhm... I want to, but there's still a problem."
Since it was technically hers now, Lan Qingyou naturally wanted to take it. Fortunately, there was plenty of room in both her cards and her herb bag.
But as she said, there was a problem.
"What problem?"
"This thing fused with the Beast Emperor's body below during the solidification process," Lan Qingyou said with a hint of worry.
She had noticed this during her earlier inspection.
Furthermore, through her Magic Eye, she had seen something incredible, which led her to this conclusion.
"So you can't take it?"
"It's not that I can't, but I'm worried about what might happen after I do. After all, we're inside the Beast Emperor's body; anything could happen."
Exactly. Because this hill was the Beast Emperor's body, no monsters spawned here.
But the lack of monster spawns was the scariest part.
It meant the Beast Emperor's body was on a much higher level than those Level 40-something monsters.
As the saying goes, the fewer the monsters, the bigger the trouble.
Lan Qingyou couldn't afford to be anything but cautious.
"Then what do we do?" Gu Xiaobei asked, dumbfounded.
"Why don't you guys head out first? I'll grab it and follow right behind."
At this point, they had to take it regardless, but the method of doing so would be a bit tricky and required precision.
"Is it really that simple?"
"Just that simple."
"Are you sure you'll be okay alone?" Vivian asked.
There was no worry in her tone; it was just a casual question.
After all, this was the Witch of the Tower. She should be able to handle something like this.
The others felt the same.
It wasn't just that they trusted Lan Qingyou; they believed in her strength.
"It should be fine."
Lan Qingyou nodded.
And so.
After looking at each other and discussing it briefly, the group quickly evacuated the area.
"Phew..."
Once they were gone, Lan Qingyou let out a long breath.
She then rode her magic broom to the Beast Emperor Ore, reached out to touch it gently, and closed her eyes.
This thing was the heart of a Beast Emperor.
A Beast Emperor only had one, so its preciousness went without saying. However, thinking about how she had been trapped in this dungeon for ten months for this thing—and still didn't know when she'd get out...
To be honest, Lan Qingyou felt it was a bit of a loss.
It was hardly an equivalent exchange.
She wasn't sure what role the Supreme Council, who had leaked the information, played in this, but there was one thing she needed to reflect on.
She relied too much on others for intelligence.
Previously, her information had always come from Shang Chuan, the world channel, the Supreme Council, or the people in the Villa.
Whether she bought it with money or supplies, it led to this result.
If she ever got the chance to leave, she had better establish her own intelligence system.
People like those in the Tourism Department, who loved roaming around, would be perfect for that kind of work.
Of course, the most important thing was that she didn't know what the outside world was like now.
Transmigrators grew incredibly fast, especially in a place with no man-made rules.
Ten months was enough time for many things to change.
After resting her eyes and mind for about half an hour, Lan Qingyou slowly opened them.
Half an hour should be enough time for those guys to leave this place.
Lan Qingyou made an estimate and then drew the Moonstone Dagger from her waist.
With one hand on the Beast Emperor Ore, she focused all her attention on the area beneath the ore.
This level of focus was so intense that she even employed Alice's 'Meditation Method'. It was clear how much importance she placed on this small action.
"Well then, let's begin."
As if to psych herself up, Lan Qingyou cautiously applied her talent to the Beast Emperor Ore and then slowly 'lifted' it.
One had to admit, talents were truly useful.
The seemingly heavy Beast Emperor Ore was lifted easily by Lan Qingyou's talent, costing her very little mana.
She had mentioned earlier that the ore and the body below were connected due to solidification.
But there was one thing she hadn't mentioned.
While the heart and body were indeed connected, it wasn't because of solidification.
It was because the body 'refused' to let the heart leave and had forcibly entwined its base.
After all, the heart was the source of mana.
Yes.
Even though it had turned into a fragmented ore, the Beast Emperor's heart was still continuously absorbing mana from the surrounding air and converting it for the body's use.
In other words, this hill formed from the weathered body of the Beast Emperor was, in a sense, still 'alive'.
This was precisely why Lan Qingyou had wanted the others to leave. Even she couldn't be sure what kind of reaction this still-'living' body would have once the heart was removed.
"Sigh..."
Lan Qingyou let out another breath as she looked at the lingering red thread-like fibers beneath the slowly rising ore and the pink tender meat below them.
Lifting it was one thing, but that was all it was—lifting.
No one knew what would happen once she started cutting.
But she had already spent ten months for this ore. The sunk cost was so high that no matter what happened, she had to take this thing with her.
With that thought, Lan Qingyou stopped hesitating. She flew a bit lower and began clearing the fibers connecting the ore.
However, she didn't start her cut at the ore itself. Instead, she went straight for the tender meat beneath the fibers.
Like using a spoon to scoop out a watermelon, she 'uprooted' the tender meat along with the fibers.
After all, these fibers were part of the Beast Emperor's flesh and were clearly valuable alchemy materials.
That was the reason for her action.
Though it might seem like she was being greedy...
As an alchemist, it was only natural to be a little greedy.
Rate on N.U.
