Chapter 168: Section 169: The Second Heart Core


    Divine Artifact—Green Jade Gold Coffin!


    Zi Di hadn’t expected that on the first floor of the Alchemy Factory’s Central Tower, there would be a Divine Artifact on display.


    The crowd couldn’t help but be shocked, but upon closer thought, it wasn’t strange for War Merchant, who was ranked seventh on the wanted list of Legendary Alchemists, to possess such wealth.


    “We have to move this Divine Artifact! Presenting it to the Empire will surely result in unimaginable credit,” someone shouted.


    “To prevent any accidents, let’s not touch it for now. There is an Alchemy Array here, and it must be the core,” Zi Di saw through some clues. “The countless replica coffins outside the tower must be its replicas. Through the Alchemy Array, War Merchant spread the power of this Divine Artifact into the replica coffins, which then created the various Transformed Magical Beasts on the island.”


    Cang Xu nodded, “It seems I was wrong in my previous guess. The man-made magical beasts on the island weren’t created by Beastification, but were forcibly crafted here. The Green Jade Gold Coffin truly is unbelievable!”


    ...


    “After all, it is a Divine Artifact…” Jia Sha sighed with admiration, leading the way around the exquisitely beautiful Divine Artifact coffin, “Let’s hurry to the next floor and find a way to control this place.”


    Aside from a few corpses and the Divine Artifact coffin, the first floor of the Mage Tower only had a single staircase.


    Jia Sha cast Divine Arts to probe the surroundings and the area ahead.


    But the results were very poor—nothing was detected.


    Even if this place had lost control, due to the materials used in construction and Legendary grade alchemy techniques, the effectiveness of Silver Level detection Divine Arts was nearly nil.


    Therefore, Jia Sha did not walk in front, letting others scout ahead.


    Everyone proceeded with full vigilance, approaching the staircase without any incident.


    “Listen, it sounds like the sea waves!” Lan Zao suddenly said. Sёarch* The n??el Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Many nodded in agreement; they had heard it too.


    “Could there be a permanent Teleportation Gate on the second floor that lets us leave Mysterious Monster Island directly?”


    “Or perhaps it’s the activation of some Defensive Magic…”


    The crowd was abuzz with discussion, while Zhenjin’s heart silently skipped a beat, “This feeling…”


    He suddenly felt a call, a mysterious attraction, just above the first floor. As he stepped onto the staircase, the closer he approached the second floor, the stronger this pull and call became.


    “What exactly is on the second floor?” Harboring such strong curiosity, Zhenjin, along with the others, finally set foot on the second floor.


    Upon arrival, the sea wave sounds they had heard before vanished.


    There was almost nothing in the second floor; contrary to expectations, there was no permanent Teleportation Gate, only an ordinary seashell suspended in mid-air.


    The seashell looked mundane and old, as large as a basin with moss growing on it, mostly a dark greenish-black color.


    They could sense a faint Life Breath from it, proving that the seashell was alive.


    But it was not a Magic Beast; the Life Breath indicated— it was just an ordinary seashell.


    Why would War Merchant place an ordinary seashell on the second floor?


    In War Merchant’s view, this seashell must have been more important than the first floor’s Divine Artifact, the Green Jade Gold Coffin!


    While the others hesitated, Jia Sha’s expression suddenly shifted as he thought of something.


    “Could it be the Mermaid’s Fairy Tale?” Jia Sha was uncertain.


    “What thing?”


    “Fairy tale?”


    The crowd was utterly baffled, finding it difficult to connect a seashell with a fairy tale.


    However, Cang Xu recalled some piece of knowledge and explained, “What the priest must have been referring to is the Divine Artifact of Mei Lan, the god. The name of the Divine Artifact is the Mermaid’s Fairy Tale.”


    Seeing everyone’s gaze focused on him, Cang Xu continued, “Mei Lan is the deity that the Fishmen worship, best at deception and disguise. Her true form is that of a mermaid, fond of using her charm to lure excellent males of different races from sea vessels. However, on one occasion, She encountered a Duke from our Human Race… As for what happened next, it would be inappropriate for me to elaborate.”


    Everyone seemed to realize something, recalling the scrapes and scandals associated with a certain great person from the Holy Bright Empire.


    “I had always thought that was just a rumor.”


    “Many things aren’t unfounded.”


    “Stop talking about it, this topic is taboo—be careful of the trouble that comes from your own mouth!”


    The group voluntarily stopped discussing the matter, turning their attention back to the unremarkable seashell.


    “I am still not certain,” Jia Sha shook his head, “but if this really is the Mermaid’s Fairy Tale, then everything would make sense.”


    “The War Merchant was able to hide his stronghold directly within the Main World by relying on this Divine Artifact, utilizing its talents in deception and disguise,” someone said. “That’s why the gods couldn’t detect Mysterious Monster Island here, and no ships can reach it either. Our arrival is purely the result of numerous accidents!”


    Zong Ge gazed at the large shell in front of him, his tone full of admiration, “The War Merchant is truly a Legendary Alchemist, capable of using a Divine Artifact.”


    Divine Artifacts, as the name suggests, are tools used by the gods. Most Divine Artifacts are crafted solely by the gods themselves, each perfectly suited to their respective Divine Powers.


    Only when the gods permit it, can Divine Artifacts be used by other beings.


    However, the War Merchant clearly did not have the permission of the Feathered Snake or Mei Lan gods. He forcibly unearthed some of the abilities of these two Divine Artifacts through his own means. The War Merchant’s alchemy skill, which was at the peak of the world, was undoubtedly revealed.


    The War Merchant was not a believer; to steal the power of Divine Artifacts for alchemy was an affront, a sacrilege to the Feathered Snake and Mei Lan gods. If discovered, he would become an enemy of the gods.


    But both of these gods had long since fallen, so they could not cause any trouble for the War Merchant.


    This also showed the War Merchant’s caution; he had the sense to only target fallen gods.


    “Let’s go to the third floor,” said Jia Sha as he walked toward the stairs.


    Just like before, no one dared touch the large shell, carefully bypassing it, for fear that getting too close would trigger something.


    Zhenjin glanced at the Divine Artifact one last time, harboring no familiar feelings within him, it felt quite alien.


    But the youth’s gaze grew heavier, as he felt an even stronger mysterious call and attraction.


    “So the source of the summons isn’t on the second floor, but even higher up!”


    “What exactly is the reason for this hidden summoning?”


    “Why does this Central Tower look somewhat familiar to me?”


    “Could it be that I have been here before?”


    “That’s unlikely, how could I have been here?”


    Using Divine Arts, Jia Sha still couldn’t detect any traps, and those walking in front remained unscathed. Soon, everyone reached the third floor.


    This floor was similar in layout to the second one, empty with nothing but an object suspended in the center, and a staircase at the edge of the wall.


    “What is this thing?”


    “Could it be another Divine Artifact?”


    “The War Merchant placed it on the third floor, indicating that it’s even more important than the Green Jade Gold Coffin and Mermaid’s Fairy Tale in his heart!”


    However, this time, whether it was Jia Sha, Zong Ge, or Cang Xu, they all furrowed their brows in confusion, unable to recognize it.


    In the eyes of the observers, it was a round small ball.


    It was only the size of a thumb, thoroughly red, and its surface was not smooth, resembling an exquisitely delicate little walnut with extremely fine crisscrossing lines.


    Its texture was akin to crystal, faintly transparent, radiating blood-like radiance from within.


    Zhenjin also looked puzzled, but he was filled with shock inside.


    “This is a Heart Core!!!”


    He was all too familiar with this strange object, as there was one just like it hidden within his heart.


    Size, shape, texture, all were identical; only the pattern on the surface was different.


    Without the Heart Core, Zhenjin would have died long ago in a corner of Mysterious Monster Island. It was by continuously tapping into the power of the Heart Core that Zhenjin relied on his Mutation to reach where he was now.


    “The War Merchant also has a Heart Core!”


    “Did he create this Heart Core himself?”


    “He put it on the third floor, he must feel its value exceeds that of the Green Jade Gold Coffin and the Mermaid’s Fairy Tale!”


    Zhenjin was surprised, yet somehow not surprised.


    He had long speculated that the incessant battles between the magical beasts on Mysterious Monster Island might be for the purpose of forging Heart Cores.


    The young knight then recalled information previously mentioned by Jia Sha. In recent years, the War Merchant had mastered the alchemy technique for Beastification People and was already selling it as military hardware to others.


    “But why such a strong attraction?”


    Zhenjin couldn’t help swallowing hard, the Heart Core suspended in mid-air, broadcasting an incredibly strong call.


    The caller was not Zhenjin, but the Heart Core inside Zhenjin’s heart.


    The Heart Core inside Zhenjin emitted a weird red light, flashing on and off as if loudly reminding Zhenjin: “Eat it! Eat it! Quickly, assimilate it!!”