The ‘Heart of the Devil’ was something left behind by the Demon of Envy. It was the source of a demon’s power. The demon’s inherent evil was thrown off, leaving behind only the pure, unadulterated essence of a demon.
At that time, although Xi Wei was not sure where it came from, he felt some type of call. It gave off a huge attractive force, and the closer he got, the clearer it was. The protagonist had to use all of his will to keep firm control over himself and stop from dashing straight towards it.
Finally, they came to the door at the end of the stone corridor. The door of that stone room was engraved with many grotesque and colourful monsters. They were nothing like the magical beasts they had learned about in Providence College. These were the magic beasts that roamed the continent in ancient times. Seeing how terrible it was from these images, it was clearly worthy of being called the devil’s lair. It was evident that ‘mysterious door’ would not take them on the usual path.
Xi Wei took a deep breath and pushed against the seemingly heavy stone door. Zeno felt that his heart could actually jump out of his throat. Here it comes!
When the stone door opened, the first thing that greeted their eyes was Nile, who had fainted in the doorway. Zeno did not know what happened to him. There was not even a speck of blood on his face, but his exquisite and refined clothes had become tattered like a beggar’s clothes. There were strips of fabric that were ragged and split, and the skin that was exposed to the outside was all scratched. It was a spectacle too horrible to endure.
When he looked back up again, Zeno could not help but be shocked by the sight before him. Inside the stone room it was like a completely different world, there was a hole that did not seem too large at first. There was a huge blood pool inside, along with an unceasing trickle of blood falling from the top of the stone room. There was no way to tell where the blood originated from or how it got there. The blood rain constantly fell, and suddenly a singing voice issued forth from the blood pool.
The song was so bleak and yet elegant, like quiet weeping. It told a tale of the pain and sorrow of losing one’s kin, but also contained a blessing for the dear ones that had gone. That song was very familiar to the people of the Hong Yue Continent. It was a requiem to departed souls, and even after several ages had passed, that requiem had never changed by even a note.
It was just that, with the current time and place, a person could not help having their hair stand on end.
Reading the description of that moment in the novel and seeing and hearing with his own eyes and ears was as different as heaven and earth. Even if he clearly understood within his mind that there was no threat from the person who was singing the requiem, Zeno still involuntarily swallowed down his saliva and moved in close beside Xi Wei. Here, the only unconditionally safe location was beside the protagonist.
Finally, the song came to an end with a sigh that belied hidden bitterness and a secret grudge.
The blood filling the pool began to fluctuate. In the very center, a stone platform emerged from the depths. Resting on top of the platform was a single, beautiful gemstone. It was in the center of the blood pool. It was brilliant, clear, and dazzling. Its beauty would inspire and bewitch all without discriminating.
That was the ‘Heart of the Devil’.
When everything had finished, the naked upper body of a woman appeared by the side of the stone platform. Half of the woman’s body was bared above the surface of the blood pool, and her lower body remained hidden beneath the surface.
Her skin was snowy white and her figure was dainty. She had not been stained by even a single drop of blood. Even though she was exposed in front of two strange men, she was completely natural and relaxed—not even the slightest bit embarrassed.
Contrary to what one might expect, Zeno lowered his head to avoid the impropriety before him.
Xi Wei did not avoid looking at all. When he was young, he had seen far more than that exposed scene. By now, he was basically unaffected by that sort of thing.
He just frowned slightly.
The woman who had been singing emerged from the blood pool and smiled, “After three millenia, finally this day has arrived. I truly did not expect that there would actually be a human being here.”
Xi Wei asked, “Who are you?”
“Who am I? I don’t know, the master used to call me Suji.”
After Suji said that, it seemed to have brought back memories and her gaze became somewhat blurred.
Although others did not know, Zeno was very clear on what type of person Suji was. “Curse” said that Suji was the guardian of the treasure house as well as the Heart of the Devil. Only Suji could touch and take hold of the things within. If others were to attempt the same, they would be wounded. If the one trying to forcibly acquire it was stronger than the Heart of the Devil, it would destroy itself.
Zeno suddenly regretted his choice a bit. He should not have let the protagonist come here. After the original protagonist left the treasure house, he took Suji out with him. Suji followed Xi Wei until the end, but her goal was to get the Stone of Destiny in order to resurrect her former master. Before she decided to betray him, she actually did not know that Xi Wei had the stone. Suji had always been loyal and devoted—she was the maid-type beauty that readers liked to see. Her sex appeal when she appeared was especially well received since it was directly in line with the preferences of the otaku readers.
Suji was a member of the now-extinct Merfolk race. She had been mortally wounded three thousand years ago, but was saved by the Demon of Envy. She was able to recover while she rested in the blood pool for a thousand years, but lost all of her memories in the process. Later, the Demon of Envy seemed to have died, leaving Suji behind alone in the treasure house to sing her requiem for two thousand years.
In the end, should he take the protagonist along for the various adventures he would originally have had, or give up these adventures in order to stay away from the characters that helped shape the original plot? Zeno was in a dilemma.
At that moment, the choice left Zeno’s control as Suji spoke, “The master said that the person who came with that ring would be Suji’s new master.” As she spoke she had taken up the gemstone and offered it to Xi Wei, “Master, please accept the Heart of the Devil.”
The way she changed her method of address was actually quite smooth.
Xi Wei looked as if he remained unmoved. In reality, his whole body’s blood was boiling, screaming at him to take it and swallow it.
However, Xi Wei was Xi Wei after all. If there was an abnormality, there had to be some sort of trick. Was there such an easy thing in the world?
Not only could he get a treasure house and its contents, but also a sexy maid. It was like a meat pie fell into his lap, but was that pie really so delicious?
Despite that, the huge attractive force quickly reduced Xi Wei’s brain into a bowl of paste. Eventually, he simply could not hold back his hand and reached out.
Zeno was stunned, and the words he had read on his computer screen all barged into his mind.
Xi Wei took the Heart of the Devil in somewhat of a daze. While the beautiful mermaid Suji seemed to suffer no effects from holding it, in the hands of Xi Wei, it seemed as if the very devil was demanding his life. The blood vessels in his body burst. His entire person began bleeding, blood splattered, and even more blood flowed down and formed a pool below that reflected the entire scene. After three hours, Xi Wei finally stopped twitching. Suji held the gemstone she gave to Xi Wei, who lost consciousness, helped him consume it, and guarded him gently. After a week, Xi Wei woke up from his coma. That was the cost of acquiring the Heart of the Devil!
Of course, the Heart of the Devil was not so easy to obtain. Although the benefits were immense, the price to be paid before gaining its power was enormous.