But my intuition tells me that this shouldn't be human nature.
Putting aside the fact that a normal human heart isn't as big as a washbasin, doesn't have a crystalline structure, and isn't covered with soft scales, the purplish-red color alone is enough to arouse suspicion.
"Perhaps, this is... a dragon's heart?"
I was amazed by the conclusion I had drawn from my reasoning.
I have never seen a real dragon. At most, I have only heard about dragons as main or minor characters in the stories of my predecessors. The closest I have come to seeing a real dragon is when I overheard the casual conversations of the people at the transfer hub, and the story that Miyuki recounted about the thunder wolf dragon that was single-handedly killed by the Hurricane Sword Saint.
The wind stirred up again, sending the lighter pieces flying backward and the heavier ones falling downward, gathering fragments still faintly imbued with lingering magic before me. Soon, as more fragments were collected, what was revealed when they were pieced together was exactly as I had imagined: a huge, seemingly still-pulsating, crystal-like heart.
"Can I take this away for investigation?"
I made a suggestion to Miyuki, but the icy female swordsman, who had stood up again, wiped her swords and nodded nonchalantly, saying, "Please do as you please. I have already gotten what I wanted."
This surprised me slightly, but upon reflection, I couldn't help but laugh and cry.
Recalling the conversations between Miyuki and me, it's not hard to see that she was referring to the rather intense battle we just had.
Okay, as long as she doesn't mind.
I casually placed an inward seal on the dragon heart, which I had barely managed to piece together, and tucked it into a crevice in my pocket. Then I walked back to the door engraved with patterns and held out the key.
As magic was infused into the silver-white key, which had become immobile after the battle ended and was not a keyhole, a keyhole shape gleaming with silver-white light suddenly appeared on the front of the key. It swallowed the front of the key perfectly, and after twisting it, it made a crisp sound like mechanical action as it clicked in sequence.
The locked door structure loosened and silently pushed open, revealing the cave behind it to us.
It was a very spacious indoor space.
As if the entire mountain had been hollowed out, the semi-circular dome, suspended by a crystal chandelier, was dozens of meters above the ground. Layers of spiraling stone staircases extended downwards from all four directions, eventually converging at a low-lying area, where two closed doors extended outwards. In the very center stood a dark-colored disc that had been deliberately erected and repeatedly reinforced, its purpose unknown.
"This is clearly not a project that can be completed overnight."
Having confirmed that there were no more traps or mechanisms inside, I took the lead in descending the spiral staircase illuminated by moonstone, looking around as I did so: "Even a mage proficient in earth and stone magic and engineering would need to spend several years to complete such a massive project without damaging the mountain's appearance."
"So, what will this place be used for, Mr. Yumi?"
Hikari asked curiously.
I shook my head: "I don't know. Considering that this place has never been known to the outside world and the builders have not made it public, I guess it might be for testing some techniques that are inconvenient to show to the outside world, or it might be a gathering place for specific people in secret."
"Given the magical turbulence inherent in the Abyss Mountains, this is an effective preventative measure, whether it's to trap people or prevent gatherings from leaking information."
Having confirmed that the huge, dark disc was nothing noteworthy except for being slightly higher than the surrounding ground, I looked again at the tightly closed doors on both sides.
Unlike the World Tree Gate that opened when I arrived, the two doors in front of me were both locked, but they were just ordinary wooden doors. There was no magic enchantment or alarm device that would be automatically triggered after opening the doors. Therefore, I did not use the key again, but stepped back two steps to give the performance position to Miyuki.
A dozen or so frost-white blades flashed by in an instant. The wooden door was first quickly covered with a layer of pale frost, and then it collapsed silently into a pile of flying debris, as if it had never existed at all, turning into dust.
Behind the first door appears to have been a warehouse for storing materials.
The messy wooden shelves were covered with countless labels bearing the names of the materials: from animals and plants to magic stone fragments, from alchemical catalysts to intermediate products... You could even find things like animal eggshells and scales among the shelves of varying heights.
Unfortunately, the warehouse in front of us looked like it had been severely looted. Most of the wooden shelves were empty, and there were even some marks that looked like they had been blackened and burned by smoke, or broken by external impact. Not to mention the materials that were left behind.
Even after thoroughly searching the entire warehouse, only a few remaining kudzu roots, gel, and hard scales could be found. The remaining amount in the few magic stone crates was less than one-tenth of what was left, so it could only be considered barely enough.
Somewhat disappointed, we left and took a shortcut to another door. As usual, we asked Miyuki to clear the way, and to our surprise, we found a fairly well-maintained workshop in front of us.
I quickly shielded the two of them behind me, used the wind to dissipate the unpleasant smell in the room, and then applied inward protection again. I first observed the situation inside the room.
On the alchemy workbench, surrounded by numerous pages of paper and bookshelves piled high with books, various gems, etched with intricate patterns, lay scattered about. Test tubes containing chemical reagents sat on wooden shelves, and the long-extinguished alcohol lamp overflowed with a dark green reagent, the still moisture mixed with the rising steam, causing the liquid in the flask containing the final product to gleam with an unsettling deep purple hue.
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