Chapter 107: The Heaven’s Fire and the Blood-Bound Cauldron

“This gem?”

Bai Yu extended her hand, intending to touch the crimson jewel.

[Do not touch]

However, before Bai Yu could even make contact, Moweila’s voice sharply interrupted her.

“Why? Is there something wrong with this gem?”

Bai Yu felt a flicker of confusion; logically, even if there were an issue, her physical constitution should render her immune to any ill effects.

[Have you not seen the carvings on it? Inside resides Heaven’s Fire, the legendary sacred flame.]

Moweila’s voice was grave, devoid of any jest.

“Heaven’s Fire…”

Bai Yu could not quite grasp what made this particular fire so special. After all, she could manifest fire abilities through her [Fantasy World], considering it was merely a matter of fire magic.

Yet, such magic produced only the most ordinary flames, their temperature scarcely rising beyond that of a match or a lighter, a detail she had specifically noted before.

Truthfully, the magic available through [Fantasy World] offered Bai Yu little more than minor conveniences in daily life.

In combat, however, it held virtually no practical use; it might suffice for intimidating ordinary people but proved utterly inadequate against Arcanists.

Her strength within the dream world was not particularly formidable, and she had yet to master any truly potent spells.

‘Oh, if only I could return to the dream world someday, then I could truly unleash the full potential of my [Fantasy World] ability.’

But the dream world had been created by Lili, an Outer God, leaving Bai Yu uncertain of its exact nature or how to return.

Bai Yu shook her head, casting these unproductive thoughts from her mind.

The most pressing matter now was to understand the Heaven’s Cauldron before her, for it was the indispensable vessel required to smelt her scythe.

[Just like your scythe, this gem also contains Heaven’s Fire. This is crucial; it must be absorbed together with the Reverse Metal when the time comes.]

“Does it differ from ordinary fire, or will it grant me some unique ability?”

Bai Yu inquired of Moweila, the patterns on the carving vaguely stirring memories of some ancient myth.

[Indeed, it is precisely as you suspect. This is the same kind of primordial fire that Prometheus stole, a flame that will never be extinguished.]

Moweila murmured, causing Bai Yu to pause momentarily.

[As for its abilities, you will only know once you have absorbed it.]

Bai Yu nodded, acknowledging that no one could predict what might happen before absorption.

[But not now. You must only absorb the sacred flame after absorbing the Reverse Metal, otherwise, the fire will utterly destroy your body.]

Moweila cautioned Bai Yu.

“I understand.”

Bai Yu withdrew her hand, having had no intention of absorbing it here anyway, as she still wished to conceal certain information from the Dragon Summer Investigation Bureau.

After all, the less the Dragon Summer Investigation Bureau knew, the fewer troubles she would encounter; otherwise, being constantly sought out would be an intolerable nuisance.

“Given this, how exactly should I transport it?”

Bai Yu pondered whether to simply repackage the item and arrange for a vehicle to haul it away.

Ultimately, she would need to bring it aboard the ship her Mother had prepared, as the final absorption would undoubtedly take place at sea.

Perhaps she could even consider absorbing it at Nemos Academy, which might offer a greater degree of safety.

Bai Yu mused, knowing that the Principal would never allow anything untoward to befall her.

****

As Bai Yu was lost in thought, the carvings on the Heaven’s Cauldron captured her attention.

A winged creature emerged from the Cauldron’s core.

At the center, embraced by malevolence and true serpents, the faint outline of a chalice was discernible.

“What is this?”

Bai Yu leaned closer, noticing a slight indentation on the chalice.

Her curiosity piqued, she extended a finger to touch it.

Her index finger fit perfectly into the recess.

“Ouch!”

A sudden prick of pain shot through Bai Yu, prompting her to swiftly withdraw her hand.

Good heavens, there truly was a trap! How deceitful could this thing be?

Bai Yu quickly cleaned her wound, even using fire to sterilize it.

Given her physical constitution, resisting the corrosion of ordinary flames was a trivial matter.

Bai Yu observed that a small amount of her blood had gathered in the chalice’s indentation, only to be absorbed instantaneously.

“It can even absorb blood?”

Bai Yu leaned in again, confirming that her blood had indeed been absorbed.

She could also faintly sense a spiritual aura emanating from the Heaven’s Cauldron.

“Something is changing!”

Bai Yu immediately perceived that something was amiss; the carvings on the Heaven’s Cauldron seemed to come alive, with red light gleaming from the eyes of both the gryphons and winged serpents.

The crimson gem at the center grew intensely hot, like a roaring inferno within the chalice.

At this moment, Bai Yu seemed to hear sacred songs drifting from the heavens, echoing in her ears.

Her rationality wavered for a moment, but swiftly returned to normal.

Just as Bai Yu was about to examine the Heaven’s Cauldron’s state, the entire vessel began to shake violently.

The tremors were so profound that the entire Dragon Summer Investigation Bureau building started to sway.

****

In his office, the Branch Director of the Dragon Summer Investigation Bureau was leisurely sipping tea, glancing at the report in his hand.

Following the Outer God statue incident, everything in Xian City had recovered remarkably swiftly, as if the event had never transpired.

Aside from the cultists from the Source of Dreams, there had been no other casualties whatsoever.

This was an unprecedented occurrence in historical records, and he had even received significant commendation from his superiors.

It even led him to believe that he might achieve further advancement in his lifetime.

This caused his aged face to flush slightly, as he felt he had made virtually no contribution.

All the credit belonged to Bai Yu.

“Truly, heroes emerge young!”

The Branch Director sighed with emotion, taking another sip of tea.

However, a sudden tremor caused the tea to spill all over him, the scalding hot liquid nearly making him leap from his seat.

“What’s happening?!”

The Branch Director was startled. While his strength ensured the tea wouldn’t harm him, such a tremor was undeniably unsettling.

He had heard no reports of an earthquake today.

His thoughts instantly flew to Bai Yu in the storage room.

For some reason, the Branch Director had come to directly associate all manner of strange occurrences with Bai Yu.

It seemed that whatever Bai Yu did, it simply made sense.

He immediately rushed towards the storage room; if anything happened to Bai Yu, he would be in dire straits.

At that moment, the Branch Director’s heart pounded with even greater urgency than Bai Yu’s.

****

“This is…”

Bai Yu watched as the small Heaven’s Cauldron before her steadily diminished in size, shrinking until it was no longer visible, then floated onto the back of her hand.

It formed a pattern of three concentric circles, countless runes flashing within it for an instant, before the entire design vanished completely.