Chapter 667: Ancestral Warden
Leon circled the palace once and quickly spotted an unusual alchemical array.
This alchemical array was located right on the flat ground in front of the main staircase.
Leon pulled out a quill and ink, grabbed dozens of sheets of draft paper, and began calculating furiously. The quill scrawled messy data across the pages. After a full ten minutes, he tossed aside more than twenty sheets, then switched to a crystal pen and started cracking the array.
After another ten minutes, Leon slapped his hand down hard on a rune in front of the first step.
Crack—
A mechanical whir sounded, and the floor in front of the steps sank downward.
Rumble—
Amid gentle vibrations, a small pedestal rose up from the hollow. The pedestal looked as if it were constructed from a mass of alchemical arrays, with intricate patterns converging in a central recess.
Inside that recess sat a fist-sized, dark red crystal. The crystal had dozens of facets, and within it, a swirl of dark red flame seemed to flow slowly.
Molten Heart! So it really was here! I knew it—this palace could never provide power for the Blazeforge Throne. The Blazeforge Emperor conquered the Blazeforge Plane, so the Molten Heart must be in his possession. What could possibly be stronger, more suited to fueling the Blazeforge Throne than the Molten Heart itself?
Legend has it, the Molten Heart is the very core of the Molten Mountains. Before it was extracted, every volcano in the Molten Mountains erupted endlessly. In fact, across most of the Blazeforge Plane, volcanoes were constantly active.
According to legend, after the Blazeforge Emperor conquered the Blazeforge Plane, it was as if he tamed all the volcanoes—most of them went dormant, leaving only the Molten Mountains with active volcanoes.
The Blazeforge Orcs called this a miracle: the Blazeforge Emperor had subdued the raging volcanoes.
Now it seems clear—the Emperor must have excavated this Molten Heart, brimming with terrifying magical power.
A faint smile appeared on Leon's face as he glanced at the slumbering Blazeforge Emperor above. Clearly, the Emperor would continue his deep sleep.
Andefa's eyes bulged at the sight of the Molten Heart, drooling shamelessly as he sidled up to Leon, grinning obsequiously. "Merlin, look, I've got the Alchemical Vortex here. Your mana dropped by a third the moment you handed it over—think how much it hurts your combat power. You should take it back. I can make do with the Molten Heart..."
The moment Andefa finished speaking, he regretted it. He knew perfectly well that slotting the Molten Heart into the Wheel of Arcana was the best choice, but he just couldn't help himself.
Damn, a chunk of elemental amber that size is almost unheard of—and it shattered! Now it's replaced with an Alchemical Vortex, but the power difference is massive. The Wheel of Arcana can barely manage the lowest tier of True Spirit magical artifacts, all because of mana restrictions.
Leon glanced at Andefa, his expression somewhere between a smile and a smirk. After a moment, he couldn't help but laugh aloud.