Village Head's Debauchery

Fifi sat beside him on the bed. They had arrived fifteen minutes ago, and after surveying the room and finding nothing suspicious, she decided to join Orion and relax.

Suddenly, a knock echoed from the other side of the room.

Orion raised an eyebrow and sat upright. "It seems they arrived earlier than expected."

With a nod, Fifi said, "I'll go check." She stood up from the bed and walked towards the door. Opening it, she found a nymph dressed in a dark grey, knee-length dress with a blue hood over her head, bowing low as she entered the room.

Fifi frowned at the sight and glanced outside, noticing that the guards who had been standing at the entrance just a minute ago were no longer there.

Still frowning, she closed the door and turned to the nymph, who had stopped a few paces from the entrance and bowed again.

Orion had also risen from the bed.

Fifi joined him, standing by his side.

[ Energy Level - 1,400 BEM ]

Both Orion and Fifi raised their brows as they observed the energy level displayed, realizing that the figure before them must be someone of importance within the Bastion of Wailing Gnarled.

"Are you the one sent by the Sovereigness to escort us to our new room?" Orion asked, breaking the silence.

The nymph quickly shook her head. "Please forgive me for the sudden intrusion, kind travellers," she apologized, then introduced herself.

"I am Mira, Lead Artificer of the Bastion of Wailing Gnarled. I heard of your arrival and couldn't contain my curiosity, so I came to see you myself." She raised her head slightly, her shimmering blue eyes meeting Orion's and Fifi's.

"So you came here without the Sovereigness' authorization?" Orion asked.

Mira hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I apologize if I've offended you. But knowing the Sovereigness, it was highly likely she would prevent me from seeing you during your stay. So I took the opportunity to visit at such an unexpected time," she admitted, her voice trembling.

Orion's words reminded her of the potential consequences of her actions. Still, she gritted her teeth and regained her composure, awaiting their response.

Orion studied Mira, inwardly contemplating. He wasn't sure if this was the Sovereigness' way of approaching them without jeopardizing the Bastion of Wailing Gnarled or if Mira had genuinely come of her own accord.

Regardless, he was intrigued by her title as the 'Lead Artificer of the Wailing Gnarled' and curious about what she wanted.

"Okay, be quick and tell me about your reasons for wanting to see us," Orion asked, his tone indifferent.

"I have a question, and I hope you'll satisfy my curiosity by answering it," Mira said, her voice regaining some steadiness but still faint.

"Go ahead," Orion responded.

"Kind travellers, are you powerful?" Mira inquired.

"Yes, we are," Orion replied, narrowing his eyes at her.

"How did you become powerful with the Voidheart?"

"Voidheart?" Orion repeated, his tone laced with confusion.

He recalled the term mentioned by Knight Mayril during their meeting with the forces but had

set it aside to investigate later. Now, it had reemerged, and he was curious.

Mira raised her head and looked at Orion and Fifi in shock. "You don't know what a Voidheart is?" she asked, astonishment apparent in her voice.

Orion shook his head. "I don't. What is it?" he asked, his voice ting with curiosity.

"I hope Miss Mira can provide some insight into what a Voidheart is," he added.

Mira remained silent, shocked by his words. The information she had received didn't match what she was hearing, making her doubt everything she knew about these mysterious individuals.

'No, they can't be lying! There's no reason for them to deceive me! But if that's the case, then...' Mira thought, her mind racing toward a troubling conclusion.

'If they don't know about the Voidheart, how did they achieve such strength?' Mira continued to ponder.

Orion and Fifi waited patiently for her to regain her composure. They had seen this kind of reaction before when they first learned about the existence of the Devourer Bracelet, so they were in no hurry.

Finally, Mira spoke. "The Voidheart is an artefact embedded within the wielder's body. It functions as both a regulator and a filter for Vylkr energy. Its primary purpose is to siphon the Vylkr energy coursing through the user's body, filtering out the corruption of Deathplague to prevent it from overwhelming their body and soul, which would transform them into an unrecognizable monster like the tainted."

Hearing her explanation, Orion and Fifi frowned.

A Vylkr energy regulator!

Deathplague!

Tainted!

Apart from the latter two terms, they were familiar with a Vylkr energy regulator-like the Vylkr Fusion Armlet, an enhanced version of the Devourer Bracelet, which also functioned as a Vylkr energy regulator. Mira's explanation confirmed their suspicions.

However, Orion was still unclear about Deathplague and the tainted. From Mira's explanation, it seemed like something everyone in the pocket dimension knew about, so

instead of asking further, he asked, "Can we see the Voidheart?"

Mira hesitated for a moment before nodding. Straightening her posture, she fixed her eyes on Orion and Fifi. Even though she couldn't see their faces, she felt more at ease with their

response.

It seemed her gamble was about to pay off.

She removed her blue hood, untied the sash around her dress, and let it fall to the ground before slowly opening her dress.

Mira had a half-blue upper body and a deep orange lower skin tone. Below her ample chest on the left side was a metallic plate extending from under her breast to the upper side of her waist. The metallic-like plate protruded slightly and seemed to be made from Vylkr alloys.

After taking a breath, Mira placed her two right fingers on the surface of the metallic-like plate. Instantly, numerous runes and inscriptions flickered across its surface, glowing brightly for a few seconds before fading into nothingness.

A clicking sound echoed through the air, and the metallic-like plate, which had been large enough to cover the lower left side of her body, began to shrink. It transformed into a small rectangular metal bar that landed in her right hand.

Orion and Fifi could finally see what had been hidden beneath the plate's compartment.

Mira's skin below her left breast appeared to have been carved out and replaced with metallic

ribs forged from Vylkr alloys.

Encased within the artificial ribs was a metallic ring adorned with flickering runes and inscriptions, which held a beating black heart that emitted a faint dark hue.

Thin, vein-like conduits resembling organic veins surrounded and connected the black heart. These conduits were linked to a small orb-like structure, seemingly a fusion of mechanical and biological elements, within another metallic ring just above the black heart. The conduits branched out from the orb, stretching up her chest, connecting to her natural heart, and extending across her entire torso, melding seamlessly with her flesh and body. Only after Mira removed the metallic plate could they see the subtle scar tissue around the area, evidence that part of her body had been reconstructed to implement the structure before

them.

Orion and Fifi couldn't help but stare in astonishment at the two hearts within Maria's body and the scene before them.

"This is the Voidheart," Mira said, pointing at the orb-like structure. She then shifted her hand toward the black heart and the vein-like filaments. "This is the tainted heart, which serves as a reservoir for the collected Vylkr energy and Deathplague."

"Lastly, these are the filament networks attached to the heart and arteries, directly linking to the bloodstream and vital organs. They absorb the Vylkr energy throughout the body, sending it to the Voidheart, which filters out the corruption and stores the energy within the tainted heart. Once filtered, the pure Vylkr energy is gradually reabsorbed into the body, enhancing its

capabilities."

After finishing her explanation, she placed the rectangular plate close to her chest. It immediately flew out of her hand, expanded, and resealed the compartment.

Orion and Fifi remained silent.

"Unfortunately, that's all I can reveal for now. Many other details would take time to explain and be difficult to understand unless you're familiar with the Voidheart. And there's no time for that, as the guards will return soon. So, I'd like to hear how you became so powerful," Mira said, adjusting her dress before picking up her sash and tying it around her waist. She then picked up her cloak and put it on, though she didn't pull the hood over her head this

time.

Her deep blue irises locked onto Orion and Fifi, briefly glancing at the complex workmanship on the Armlet on her right hand.

"Actually, it's going to take some time if we want to explain how we achieved our strength,"

Orion said, calming his emotions.

He recalled that only ten minutes remained before the individual sent by the Sovereigness would arrive to escort them to their new room.

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