Chapter 1609: Taking the Heart from the Secret Treasury (Part 2)

Stopping in front of a huge keyhole that was half a person high, Director Taurus reached out and touched the characters engraved inside the keyhole, then nodded slightly and put the key in, twisting it in the void.

Following her movements, the empty brass keyhole immediately twisted clockwise, and every time it turned ninety degrees, a palm-sized groove would appear on the inside.

And after the fifth ninety-degree turn was completed and five grooves appeared inside the keyhole, Director Taurus stopped her movements, pulled out the key, and continued to explain:

"The number of grooves inside these keyholes represents how many directors' consent is needed to take things out. And except for things at the level of 【Thirteen Ant Nests】 and 【Prayer Wheel】, basically only two or three directors' tokens are needed to open them..."

Director Taurus explained the rules and usage of the secret treasury while extending her palm, which constantly revealed different patterns, and touched the four palm-shaped grooves one after another.

"As for the tokens of the directors, they are the corresponding imprints that are automatically obtained when selected by the Star Palace. As long as you communicate with the Star Palace, they will automatically appear. Since you didn't reach 60 Leon values before, you couldn't make the Aquarius imprint appear completely, but now you should be able to... Come, you try."

"Okay."

Nodding, Leon stepped forward, learned from Director Taurus's appearance, and while trying to communicate with the Aquarius Star Palace, placed his palm on the last empty groove.

"Click!"

The treasure-blue Aquarius pattern flashed on Leon's palm, and after obtaining the last key, a sound similar to a machine spring being triggered came from inside the brass keyhole.

Immediately afterward, the huge keyhole split up and down from the middle. Before Leon could see clearly what was inside, a thick smell of blood that was unimaginable suddenly splashed out from inside.

That's right, it was splashing.

Just the slight aura emitted from the secret treasury was like a thick rain of blood pouring over his face, soaking Leon and the two of them thoroughly, almost soaking their whole bodies in sticky blood plasma.

Countless semi-coagulated crimson liquid droplets, like ugly earthworms made of pus and blood, crawled all over Leon and Director Taurus, and fell down along their hair tips and clothes corners, dyeing the surrounding ground blood red.

Good heavens...

Turning his eyeballs, which had been dyed blood red in an instant, and looking at Director Taurus, who was also covered in sticky blood plasma, Leon couldn't help but ask with extreme surprise as he looked at the world that had been smeared blood red:

"This thing is just a heart?"

"Yes."

Wiping the contaminated blood on her face with her sleeve, Director Taurus sighed with a complicated expression:

"And it is a shriveled heart that has been stripped from the corpse for thousands of years, and the secret treasury is opened every three to five years to drain all the residual blood inside... Leon, although I brought you here, whether you can take it away or not depends on yourself in the end."

Hmm?

Just as Leon revealed a puzzled expression and wanted to ask what she meant by this sentence, he found that his heart suddenly stopped, temporarily interrupting the work of pumping blood to the whole body.

And at the same time, the giant heart, more than two meters high, hidden behind the sticky rain of blood, strangely replaced the work of Leon's heart and beat in an extremely weird way.

"Your body is quite good."

After beating heavily and powerfully, a somewhat blurred will penetrated from the shriveled giant heart and said slowly:

"According to your physical fitness, it will take about 6 minutes of complete stop to cause irreversible damage to the flesh, so you have 6 minutes to gain my recognition."

Gain your recognition?

Touching his chest, which had quieted down, Leon didn't answer the shriveled heart's words, but cast a puzzled look at Director Taurus beside him.

This thing has been dead for so many years, how does it still have the face to put on airs with us?

"Crimson is the color of blood, and the Crimson Master is the master of blood, bloodlines, blood lineage... and many other corresponding things. Its heart naturally has the power to dominate these."

Failing to understand the meaning of Leon's look, Director Taurus explained: "Pillar Gods are the controllers of truth, but they must also be controlled by their own truth. So even if the Supreme Four Pillar Gods are at odds with us, they cannot make any behavior that violates their own truth. Therefore, as long as you can gain the recognition of its heart, it must serve you."

There is such a strange setting?

Raising his eyebrows with surprise, Leon reached out and wiped the sticky blood plasma on his face, then turned his head back and looked at the 【Crimson Heart】 that had stolen his heartbeat:

"So how do I gain your recognition? Launch an attack on you? Or pay the price for using you?"

"Neither, you just need to answer the question."

The huge 【Crimson Heart】 beat powerfully, and then said with a hint of arrogance:

"Your heart is beating fifty-two and a half times a minute. As long as you can make me beat more than sixty times a minute within three questions, then you win."

Just make your heartbeat faster? This assessment is abstract enough.

Leon frowned slightly upon hearing this, but still nodded:

"Fine, then you ask."

"Very good, although you are a human, I don't hate your confidence."

After beating slightly with approval, the shriveled giant heart said slowly:

(Content omitted for brevity)

"Then the first question, blood is the most precious liquid in the world, but I want you to name another liquid. It must be more precious than blood, even if it is worth exchanging all your blood."

"This is simple."

After pondering for a moment and vaguely figuring out the style of this thing, Leon answered without hesitation:

"Tears are more precious than blood. For myself, if I can make Anna no longer shed painful tears, it is worth draining all my blood."

"Heh."

After listening to Leon's words, the shriveled giant heart beat rapidly twice, and then said with a hint of disdain:

"A vulgar and boring answer, but your heartbeat tells me that what you said is indeed the truth, barely worth two heartbeats... Then the second question, why is blood red?"

Why is blood red?

Leon couldn't help but hesitate upon hearing this. His previous answer only received a mediocre evaluation, so it would be better to change an answering style this time...

"Because of hemoglobin."

"?"

In the giant heart's somewhat confused will, Leon explained seriously:

"Hemoglobin molecules have iron atoms. These iron atoms can combine with oxygen to form oxyhemoglobin. The main color of blood comes from the binding state of hemoglobin and oxygen. Oxyhemoglobin appears bright red, while deoxyhemoglobin appears dark red."

"When arterial blood transports oxygen to various tissues and organs of the body, with the release of oxygen, hemoglobin changes to a deoxy state, and the color of blood changes to dark red..."

"..."

"I answered, why don't you speak?"

"..."

I don't want to speak, I just don't know what to say...

Looking at Leon, who was still waiting for the answer in front of him, the Crimson Heart, full of confusion, couldn't help but smack its non-existent lips, feeling that its non-existent brain was slightly lagging.

Logically speaking, shouldn't you answer something about life and vitality, sacrifice or death? What is that egg yolk protein thing?

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 1610 =====