I! Cleaner!-Chapter 1011 - 930: Retrieving the Heart from the Secret Vault (Part 2)

After stopping in front of a giant keyhole as tall as half a person, the Taurus director reached out and touched the inscriptions etched inside the keyhole, then nodded slightly, inserted the key to the secret vault, and began turning it in the void.

With her actions, the hollow brass keyhole immediately began to rotate clockwise, and every ninety-degree turn revealed a palm-sized groove on the inside.

When the fifth ninety-degree turn was completed, and five grooves had appeared inside the keyhole, the Taurus director finally stopped, withdrew the key, and continued explaining:

"The number of grooves inside the keyhole represents how many directors need to consent for something inside to be taken. Except for items of the caliber of [13 Ant Nests] and [Prayer Wheel], generally, it only requires the tokens of two or three directors to unlock..."

As the Taurus director explained the rules and usage of the secret vault, she extended her hand, which continuously revealed different patterns, and lightly touched each of the four palm-shaped grooves.

"As for the tokens of the directors, they are the corresponding pattern marks automatically obtained when chosen by the Star Palace. You just need to communicate with the Star Palace, and it will manifest automatically. Previously, you didn't reach sixty Leon Value points, so you couldn't fully manifest the Aquarius pattern mark, but now you should be able to...Come, give it a try."

"Okay."

Nodding in response, Leon stepped forward, mimicking the movements of the Taurus director, trying to communicate with the Aquarius Astropalace while placing his palm on the last empty groove.

"Click!"

The aquamarine Aquarius pattern flickered briefly in Leon's palm, and after acquiring the last key, a sound similar to a spring mechanism being triggered came from within the brass keyhole.

Immediately after, the giant keyhole split open from the middle up and down, and before Leon could see what was inside, an unimaginably heavy scent of blood spilled out from within.

That's right, just spilled out.

Even the slight aura emitted from the secret vault was like a thick blood rain pouring over them, drenching Leon and Taurus director completely, almost soaking them entirely in sticky blood paste.

Countless semi-coagulated crimson droplets, resembling ugly worms made of pus and blood, crawled all over Leon and the Taurus director, dripping down from their hair ends and clothes, staining the surrounding ground a deep red.

Good heavens...

As his eyeballs, instantly dyed blood-red, moved, and he saw Taurus director equally covered in sticky blood paste, Leon couldn't help but exclaim in shock at the world before him, now wholly covered in blood red:

"This thing is just a heart?"

"Yes."

Wiping the smeared blood off her face with her sleeve, the Taurus director sighed with a complex expression:

"Moreover, it's a heart stripped from a corpse thousands of years ago, and every three to five years, the secret vault is opened to drain all the remaining blood... Leon, although I brought you here, whether you can take it or not is still up to you."

Hmm?

As Leon showed a puzzled expression, wanting to ask what she meant, he suddenly felt his heart pause, temporarily halting the pumping of blood throughout his body.

Meanwhile, hidden behind the sticky blood rain, the massive heart of the Crimson Overlord, over two meters tall, strangely replaced Leon's heart's function and began beating eerily.

"Your body is quite nice."

After a heavy and powerful thump, a somewhat vague will emerged from the shriveled giant heart, slowly "speaking":

"Given your physical condition, it would take roughly six minutes of complete cardiac arrest to cause irreversible damage to your body, so you have six minutes to earn my recognition."

Earn your recognition?

Touching his chest, which had quieted down, Leon didn't answer the shriveled heart's words but instead cast a questioning glance at the Taurus director beside him.

How is this damn thing, dead for so many years, still shamelessly putting on airs with us?

"Crimson is the color of blood. The Crimson Overlord dominates blood, lineage, heritage... and other corresponding matters. Its heart naturally commands these things."

Ignoring the meaning in Leon's gaze, the Taurus director explained:

"The pillar gods are the masters of truth, but they must also be governed by their own truths. Even though the supreme four pillar gods are locked in eternal conflict with us, they cannot act against their truths. So if you gain its heart's recognition, it must serve you."

Such a bizarre setting, really?

Arching an eyebrow in surprise, Leon wiped the sticky blood paste from his face, then turned back to look at the [Crimson Heart], which had stolen his heartbeat, and asked:

"So how do I earn your recognition? Do I attack you? Or pay to use you?"

"Neither, you just need to answer questions."

The massive [Crimson Heart] beat forcefully, then spoke with a hint of arrogance:

"The better your answers, the more intensely I will beat, and your current heartbeat is fifty-two and a half times per minute. As long as you can make me beat over sixty times in a minute within three questions, you win."

Speeding up your heartbeat, that's quite an abstract assessment.

Leon slightly furrowed his brows at the words but then nodded:

"Alright, go ahead then." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Excellent, although you are human, I don't dislike your confidence."

After beating with a hint of appreciation, the shriveled giant heart slowly spoke:

"So, the first question: blood is the most precious liquid in the world, but I want you to name another liquid, one that must be more precious than blood, even worth trading all your blood for it."

"That's simple."

After pondering for a moment and vaguely grasping this thing's style, Leon answered without hesitation:

"Tears are more precious than blood. To me, if it means Anna never sheds tears of pain again, draining all my blood would be worth it."

"Heh."

After listening to Leon's words, the shriveled giant heart beat twice quickly, then spoke with a tone carrying slight disdain:

"A banal and dull answer, but your heartbeat tells me you're speaking the truth, worth two heartbeats at best... Now, the second question: why is blood red?"

Why is blood red?

Leon hesitated upon hearing this; his previous answer only received a mediocre evaluation, so it might be best to switch up his answering style this time...

"Because of hemoglobin."

Amid the confusion of the giant heart's thoughts, Leon, with a serious expression, explained:

"There are iron atoms in hemoglobin molecules, and these iron atoms can bind with oxygen to form oxyhemoglobin. The main color of blood derives from the state of hemoglobin binding with oxygen, with oxyhemoglobin being bright red and deoxyhemoglobin being dark red.

When arterial blood delivers oxygen to various tissues and organs of the body, as the oxygen is released, hemoglobin becomes deoxygenated, changing the blood color to dark red..."

"..."

"I'm done, why aren't you speaking?"

"..."

It's not that I don't want to speak; I just don't know what to say... Logically, shouldn't you be talking about things like life and vitality, sacrifice or death? What are those egg yolk iron protein things, anyway?