"Target One went to 19."

"Two people. The companion's info is being processed. Results are in. His name is Bruno Hornes. His father is Soltsbury Hornes, and his mother is Mimi. Wait—why are their records blank? They seem to be farmers... He himself is a student at the Gaston Martial Arts School. They've never met before. This is their first contact."

"First time?" The bearded man flicked his ash. "This ice-cold beauty would come to 19 with a guy she just met?"

The investigator said, "The records say that's the case. Should we mark Bruno?"

The bearded man thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Forget it. Don't mess with the Gaston people. That old man has some power."

The investigator nodded and turned to say, "What if this Bruno is a cultist?"

"Impossible," the bearded man said.

"Why?" the investigator asked, confused.

"Because Nell has a long-standing grudge with the cult, especially the God-King Cult," the bearded man smirked. "Keep following Target One. As for Bruno, we'll put it on hold for now. Let's check his people instead. Start with his father. A guy with no identity becoming a farmer? That's already suspicious enough."

"Yes, boss," the investigator said.

Bruno pinched Elise's smooth face.

How could skin feel this good?

Elise's cheeks turned red.

"Didn't want to talk?" Seeing the girl stay quiet, the boy spoke louder.

Elise stayed silent.

Bruno hooked her chin and lifted her head slightly, staring into her eyes. "Can't talk?"

"For the medicine," she finally said, clearly embarrassed. "There was no other choice."

"Medicine?" Bruno was surprised. "Go on."

She whispered, "To reach the High Rank of the Meditation Technique, I can finally free my heart, the eternal heart. They said if I did it, they'd give me a vial of alchemy potion, the 'Spring Life Elixir,' that could save my mom."

That's it?

"Is that potion expensive?" Bruno was shocked.

Elise said, "It's super expensive. The 'Spring Life Elixir' is known as a miracle medicine. Just one drop could bring the dead back to life, heal any illness, and remove all pain. The whole federation only produces five drops a year."

Bruno sucked in a breath.

That was really expensive. It was priceless, but why would this girl even believe those people?

Bruno thought, then unconsciously pinched her face again. After a while, he asked, "Who are those people?"

Elise stayed silent again.

"I don't like that," Bruno said, pressing harder. A red mark appeared on her cheek.

He was using Arcane Power. If it were a regular person, their face would have been crushed.

Elise struggled to say, "Cultists. From a secret group called the God-King Cult."

Oh, here we go again.

Bruno didn't really think of the God-King Cult as a cult. That was the one that worshipped Zeus, right?

They were pretty powerful, after all.

Bruno thought for a moment and asked, "Is it the Eastern Sect or the Western Sect?"

"I don't know," Elise looked confused and shook her head.

Bruno's mental power was higher than Elise's. He could feel her mental waves, and she wasn't lying.

He smiled and asked, "Actually, I just started out. I don't know much about things. Can you tell me why you're so scared of being late?"

Elise's body shook clearly. She said in a trembling voice, "If you're late, your soul will be pulled out and thrown into endless hell. You'll suffer unbearable pain. This gives you three more months. If you break the deal again, you'll stay in that hell forever, turning into one of those monsters."

Bruno thought about the bones and ghosts in Mr. Nell's mental realm. The monsters biting into them was really painful. He didn't want to think about it again.

Wait.

"According to what you know, how many people break the deal?" Bruno asked.

Elise looked bitter and said, "Of course a lot. People always lack money."

Bruno sucked in a breath.

So were the bones and ghosts in Mr. Nell's mental realm once real people?

Otherwise, how could Mr. Nell pull people's souls into his mental realm so easily?

Thinking about having touched those people before made Bruno feel really uncomfortable.

Elise looked at him with a begging expression and said, "Please, I already broke the deal once."

Bruno bit his lip. I want to help you, but how can I trade your heart?

Trading 3,000 gold coins for a special heart? That's just a dream.

The Book of All Things definitely wouldn't allow such an unfair deal.

The important thing was how to get Elise to agree to trade. That was crucial.

Saving her mother's life?

That was also very hard.

Bruno sighed and said, "Let's talk about your heart first."

Elise said, "An eternal heart, as the name suggests, never stops beating. I will always have strong energy, never get tired. And every time my heart beats, it improves my body and nourishes my body. Even though the change is small, it never stops. I will grow every single second."

Bruno looked really jealous.

What kind of monster is this?

The girl added, "Of course, the most important part is the word 'eternal.' It means there is a flame inside my heart. The cultists said this flame is called 'Prometheus' Fire.' It seems to be the key to something important. When I reach the High Rank of Meditation Technique, I will be able to see that flame."

Bruno's eyes widened.

Hey, girl, why are you so calm when you say "Prometheus' Fire"? Have you never read the myths? Prometheus was a thief who stole fire!

That was the fire of the gods! Just for the king of the gods.

No wonder this heart is so powerful.

No way, does this world really have gods?

Are Zeus and Prometheus actually real?

No, no, no.

If there were real gods, the Kingdom of Anlaine would have been smashed to pieces by Zeus's lightning long ago.

Who in their right mind would call a cult that worships a god a "cult"?

The teenager calmed down and asked, "If the cultists care so much about you, why don't they just pay off your debt for you?"

"They said it was a test," Elise answered.

Bruno sneered, "A test? That's just code for not having money."

After being labeled a cult, they're like a rat on the street—everyone hates them. They can't run any business, and they wouldn't even give Elise money unless she had a mountain of gold. Even then, the cultists would be happy to take it all.

Elise stayed silent again.

"Your mom has what kind of disease?" Bruno thought the key was still with the girl's mom.

Elise bit her lip and said, "It's a weird disease. She's rotting every second. According to how it's going, she'll be dead in six months."

That makes sense.

There's a way to fix this.

This girl cares so much about her mom. Maybe I should start there.

Bruno thought to himself: "If I buy a healthy body and trade it with Elise's mom, that would work, right? Health is easy to get. Just find some street kid and take his... Wait, no, why waste a trade? I could just trade the disease from Elise's mom directly."

His mind started to move fast.

He meditated on The Ten Thousand Hells, which was all about slowly rotting, being buried, and becoming bones. Elise's mom's disease was basically made for him.

In the silence, Elise put her head in Bruno's hand, like a cat, calm and obedient. "Can I get an extension? Please, I beg you."

She was shaking uncontrollably, her eyes full of fear. Maybe she had already been through Nell's mental realm once and didn't want to go through it again.

The girl hesitated for a moment, then even licked Bruno's palm with her tongue.

It was ticklish.

Bruno snapped out of it, looking down at the girl's small face on his hand. He felt a strange flutter in his chest, like a beautiful and terrifying moment.

The teenager smiled and said, "Do you think I'm some kind of charity guy? This is 3,000 gold coins. It's Mr. Nell's money. I don't have the right to do this."

The light in Elise's eyes went out instantly.

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