Thunder Pool

On the third floor of the Underground Palace, Rein and his companions surrounded the unconscious black cat lying on the ground, whispering among themselves.

After hearing Gannix's account, Rein asked, unable to hide his astonishment, "You mean the little girl just now turned into this black cat?"

Gannix shrugged helplessly and said, "While I also find it unbelievable, I'm afraid it is, Mr. Rein."

"."

Upon hearing this, everyone frowned and remained silent.

Rein also examined the runic chain carefully and confirmed that it was the same one that had been around Nareta's neck earlier.

Moreover, the large black cat with its glossy black fur and delicate features looked very familiar to him.

Because these black cats exist on the stone carvings on the walls of this third Underground Palace, and their numbers are no less than those of the dog-headed monster.

Judging from the content of the stone carving, this cat has a rather unusual origin; legend has it that it was a "servant" who often accompanied Death.

Before seeing Nareta, Rein thought the black cat on the stone carving was some kind of magical beast or other creature. He never imagined it was actually a human in disguise?

When Guy saw Nareta transform into a black cat, he was momentarily surprised, then seemed to remember something and said, "I saw some records in that cave that documented the legends of the 'Curse Tribe.' Perhaps, beast transformation is the Transcendent power inherited from this bloodline."

"It should be."

Upon hearing this, Rein nodded.

He had a "werewolf" Bazel by his side, so he wasn't too surprised that there were such subhuman races in the world that could transform into beast-like forms.

A perfectly healthy little girl suddenly turned into a black cat; the truth was undeniable. After a moment of shock, everyone accepted the reality.

Rein crouched down to examine Nareta's physical condition, and as he expected, her blood contained traces of hallucinogenic drugs.

After being injected with a "Sobering Potion" and having the rune chains unlocked, the big black cat slowly opened its eyes after a short while.

Nareta seemed to be sobering up after a hangover; her jewel-like amber cat eyes were filled with confusion, and she instinctively curled up.

But when she saw Guy not far away, she relaxed.

But in the blink of an eye, she also noticed her own abnormality. She raised her hand and looked at her soft, fleshy paws, and a human-like expression of fear appeared on her delicate cat face.

In a panic, she uttered some low, strange words: "@Σ*&#Ψδξ∮" (What's wrong with me?).

This was clearly the Ancient Demon Language.

Others couldn't understand the ancient language, but Rein did.

He looked at the bewildered Nareta and replied, "#%*@ёжз" (Don't worry, it's probably your bloodline power that's turned you into a beast).

Upon hearing this, Nareta, who had transformed into a black cat, suddenly froze for a moment.

The content of what he said was secondary; what was more shocking was that someone actually understood what he was saying.

This was the first time in all these years that she had heard someone speak the same language as her.

Meanwhile, Guy, Catherine, and Gannix, who were standing to the side, also looked surprised and turned to look at Rein.

Gannix, standing to the side, seemed to have discovered a new world. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked, "Mr. Rein, you can speak cat language?"

Guy was also very surprised, even though he knew that Nareta was not mute, but could only speak a language that normal people could not understand.

But to my surprise, this Doctor Rein was actually able to communicate with her?

Rein laughed and explained, "This isn't 'cat language,' but 'Ancient Demon Language.'"

Gannix, an expert in archaeology, had clearly heard of this language before and exclaimed in shock, "The language used by ancient demons and gods in legends? Wasn't that a language that was lost during the mythological civilization era?!"

It was one thing for a strange "cat" to speak ancient Demonic Language, but what surprised him even more was that this Mr. Rein, whom he knew, could also speak it.

Upon hearing this, Catherine and Guy, who were standing nearby, also showed expressions of utter disbelief.

Both men were well-traveled and knowledgeable, and had never heard of any polymath in either of the two empires being proficient in this language.

Where did this guy learn that?

"Um."

Rein nodded without explaining further.

He turned and looked at the black cat, who was still in a panic.

Waking up to find yourself transformed into a monster is something no one could accept.

He then explained to Nareta in the Ancient Demon Language, "The power of your 'Curse Tribe' bloodline should be similar to that of a 'werewolf.' Don't worry, you should be able to turn back once you get used to it."

"Huh? A werewolf?"

Finally, someone was able to communicate normally. Nareta looked at her hands, and although there was still unease in her eyes, she chose to believe him.

Previously, in the "Black Wind Territory," Rein had treated her injuries, and Nareta had a very good impression of the doctor.

After thinking for a moment, she asked somewhat timidly, "I am of the 'Curse Tribe' bloodline. Are you the same as me?"

"Our situation is a little different."

Rein gave a brief explanation.

After exchanging a few more words, he discovered that Nareta's understanding of the world was extremely limited because she rarely interacted with others.

I've never even heard of the "Seventy-Two Gods".

However, now is not the time to explain those things to her.

Clearly, Nareta only turned into a black cat after entering the third level of the tomb, which was most likely due to "environmental factors".

After asking her if she felt any discomfort after her body "turned into a cat," Rein tried to guide her with some questions, such as, "Do you remember why you transformed? Also, is there anything here that feels special to you?"

Nareta: "I don't know, I just feel like I know this place, it's very familiar."

What feels familiar to you?

"Many of these things here seem familiar to me."

"."

The cat and the human began to communicate, their low, guttural Demonic Language leaving Gannix and the others nearby completely bewildered.

Nareta felt the Underground Palace was familiar, but she was certain she had never been here before.

Upon hearing this description, Rein understood that her inexplicable "familiarity" was likely due to the bloodline inheritance.

Now, the sight of the scene evoked certain memories for her.

Unfortunately, his understanding of the "Curse Tribe" was very limited, based only on a small passage in the goblin's material records, which revealed that her blood was a form of spiritual medium.

I didn't know she could transform, and I didn't know anything else.

However, it now seems that Nareta definitely knows more secrets about this tomb. Thinking this, Rein guided her to see a magical portal to the "Place of Inheritance".

Nareta looked at the carving on the stone wall depicting a "black cat serving the Grim Reaper," which seemed to awaken some memories.

Nareta turned to the crowd and said, "I feel there's something very important to me behind that magic door. I want to go in and see."

Rein listened with a slightly strange expression. He then pointed to the scales in the golden Dog-headed Man's hand and asked, "But the inscription says that you need to put your heart on the scales to go in."

Nareta looked puzzled when she heard this.

Then, to Rein's surprise, she actually spoke a few words with the golden Dog-headed Man sculpture he had thought was just a sculpture.

However, it wasn't normal speech; it was a beastly roar that even Rein couldn't understand.

I don't know how they communicated, but Nareta understood, and it seemed like they were still "bargaining".

"Is this golden dog head alive too?"

Rein was filled with suspicion, not noticing no signs of life on the golden sculpture, and couldn't help but think of those gargoyles.

He guessed that the golden dog-headed monster was probably also an alchemical creation.

After the exchange, Nareta turned to Rein and said, "It said I'm Death's servant, so I can go in."

Upon hearing this, Rein's eyebrows twitched. That's all?

So, you don't need to have your heart removed?

He asked, "What about the others? Can they go in too?"

Nareta shook her head and said, "Trial participants must pass the test of the 'Soul Balance,' otherwise they will die if they rush in rashly."

Just as I expected.

Rein also felt that it made sense; since it was a "trial," it must not be a useless setting.

After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "What I want to be sure of is that this isn't a trap, but rather that we really have to put our hearts on it?"

This is the legacy of one of the "Seventy-Two Divine Generals," and he really wanted to go in and take a look.

Upon hearing this, Nareta asked the golden Dog-headed Man again and received an affirmative answer, "Yes. It says that the trial participants must undergo a test, and only the kind and upright can pass the test."

She clearly noticed Rein's curiosity about the magical portal, and after a pause, she added, "I believe that you, Doctor, are an upright person and will certainly pass the test."

Rein translated the conversation for Guy and the others.

Guy also thought it was a good thing that Nareta could find her bloodline, and although entering the magic portal might be dangerous, he expressed his support.

Then Nareta, transformed into a black cat, walked in with cat-like steps.

Rein and the others were initially worried and were focused intently on the magic gate.

But not long after, she came out again.

Not only was he unharmed, but he also had a strange black book in his mouth.

This is a book about "living".

The book cover resembled the wrinkled skin of an old cat-faced woman, and it appeared to be wriggling to the naked eye.

No one dared to touch it, because if the aura of a living person approached, a living face would actually materialize on the book cover, surrounded by black mist, looking extremely sinister.

"It was this book that led me into it."

Nareta introduced it to everyone, saying, "Having obtained it, I remembered many things. This is the [Book of the Dead], a heirloom of our clan."

You wouldn't believe it until you hear about it; it really is a wicked book.

Those who are not of the "Curse Tribe" bloodline will be cursed with a deadly curse similar to "being plagued by misfortune" if they touch it.

Moreover, this book is not for others to read.

Upon turning the pages, they found pages made of a material resembling human skin, with the "text" on Rein appearing as wrinkles like palm lines—it was nothing short of a ghost book.

Nareta, however, said they were some "spells".

She can understand a small part of it now; most of it consists of special Transcendent abilities related to Control Undead and curses.

But most of them, she still doesn't understand at her current level.

Since it was a secret manual exclusively passed down by the Curse Tribe, Rein didn't bother to find out what was recorded inside.

He then asked curiously, "Nareta, is there anything else inside the magic gate?"

Nareta thought for a moment and said, "There's also a pool of lightning inside, a temple, stone carvings, and strange devices, but those things are reserved for the 'trial takers.' I only saw them from afar and couldn't go up to the altar."

Hearing this, Rein was finally moved.

Temple?

Before, he was unsure what was inside the magical portal and hesitated whether it was worth the risk, but now, upon hearing this, he was immediately tempted.

Rein had personally explored the two temples of the "Seventy-Two Divine Generals" and naturally knew what this meant.

Even if there are no "Divine Power Crystal" inside, those inherited Cultivation Method are priceless treasures.

When they heard that Rein was going to cut out his heart and put it on a scale, everyone was terrified.

Guy and Renata felt that if this trial was a test of the "soul," Doctor Rein should be able to pass. But the act of dissecting the heart was still too perplexing. Could such a vital organ as the heart be removed so easily?

Catherine made no attempt to hide her worry and asked, "Are you really planning to do this?"

After all, Rein had saved her life several times and was Canossa's man. Now, she completely regarded him as close family.

"Yes, Mr. Rein, just in case."

Gannix, standing to the side, also looked hesitant, saying, "What if it doesn't work?"

He was indeed curious about the Place of Inheritance behind the magic gate, but he naturally dared not attempt such a horrifying and insane act as dissecting the heart.

Rein chuckled and shrugged, saying, "It wouldn't hurt to give it a try."

Now that Nareta had communicated with the golden Dog-headed Man, and it wasn't a trap but a real test, he naturally had few concerns.

He considered himself to have fairly sound values and could barely be considered an "upright and kind" person. Passing the test would be great, but even if he failed, he was a doctor, and temporarily removing a heart and then stitching it back in wouldn't be a big problem.

Let's get right to it.

Once he decides to do something, Rein will never hesitate or drag his feet.

He walked straight to the foot of the golden dog's head, then took out a scalpel. Without much hesitation, he took off his shirt and precisely made an incision in his chest with the blade.

Then, to the astonishment of Catherine and the others, he reached into his chest cavity, cut out his still-beating heart, and placed it on the golden scales.

The whole process was characterized by an almost numb calm.

This reflects Rein's confidence in his medical expertise.

Then, a magical thing happened.

Because the heart was placed on one side of the scale, it swayed slightly towards both sides of the "Angel's Feather" scale a few times, and finally it actually balanced!

Rein felt relieved.

At that moment, the golden Dog-headed Man spoke in human language, saying in Monkel: "Congratulations, trial participant, you have passed the test."

Rein was overjoyed and could not hide his delight.

Then, he calmly picked up the bloody heart and stuffed it into his chest cavity. The "Gang Line" quickly pierced through and stitched it up, and the chest healed in the blink of an eye, leaving only a faint bloodline. There was no more serious problem.

After putting on his clothes, Rein turned to look at Catherine and the others, who were even more nervous than he was, and said casually, "I think I passed the test."

Catherine and the others were too shocked to speak.

Upon hearing this, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

"My God, you actually succeeded!"

Although they knew that Rein was a very skilled doctor, they still looked like they had seen a ghost when they saw him cut out his own heart and put it back in.

It's no wonder they're "making a fuss over nothing".

On the contrary, because of their extensive knowledge, they realized that no one in the world could perform such an incredible surgical procedure!

Moreover, while he hadn't noticed it before with his clothes on, now that he'd taken off his shirt, Rein's bulging, muscular physique was visually striking. And the purple lightning-shimmering markings on his skin seemed to be the same markings as those of Uhm, the young master of the "Sunflower Merchant Guild"?

They vaguely felt that Rein was becoming increasingly unfathomable.

Without lingering, Rein dressed and stepped through the magical portal.

It was as if a special barrier had been penetrated, isolating everything outside the door.

He immediately understood the layout of this [Place of Inheritance].

It's not very big, covering an area of about a few thousand square meters.

This structure is somewhat similar to the original sinkhole temple, and there is a huge stone statue of a god not far away. Judging from its face, it is King Pallas the Fifteenth of the Ancient Monkel Kingdom, one of the Seventy-Two Divine Generals, the "Thunder Nightmare" Arurete.

Of course, the most eye-catching thing is not the statue of the god, but an ancient "power supply system" on the altar.

"So the energy supply for the moving maze above actually comes from this 'Thunder Pool'?"

When Rein saw the roughly two-hundred-square-meter Thunder Pool on the altar not far away, he immediately understood what was going on.

It was a pool crackling with purple lightning, its core shimmering with silver light. Around the pool were stone pillars glowing with mysterious runes, connected by metal pipes that disappeared into the ground.

Ever since he saw many ancient technologies in that Goblin Ruins, he instantly understood that the Thunder Pool and those conduction devices in front of him were the "power supply system" of this Underground Palace.

"What exactly is in that Thunder Pool that has been able to provide energy for so many years?"

Looking at the shimmering Thunder Pool of lightning, Rein felt as if he were witnessing a short circuit caused by high-voltage electricity, his eyelids twitching violently. Although the stone pillars restrained it, the overflowing light still posed a deadly threat.

"This is... the power of a high-level Thunder Law?"

Having now met figures like Bazel and Mafat who stood at the pinnacle of the Transcendent, Rein was no longer a novice with only a superficial understanding of Transcendent power.

He sensed the violent, almost scorching lightning elements floating in the air and guessed that there must be some high-level Thunder Law treasure in the Thunder Pool.

"High-level Law Power" is a realm that only fifth-tier Great Perfection Transcendent are qualified to touch. Therefore, this "Thunder Pool" poses a deadly threat to other Transcendent, even fifth-tier Transcendent; a slight mistake could result in being electrocuted into roasted chicken.

But for Rein, it's not a big problem.

Because he possesses the Thunder-type treasure, the Thunder Totem!

Because of the totem, as soon as he entered the secret chamber, he felt the surging, rich, and vibrant lightning element in the air, as if it had a strange attraction, "pulling" his body closer to the Thunder Pool.

Rein carefully climbed the steps; to get to the statue, he had to cross the Thunder Pool.

Fortunately, no traps or restrictions were triggered along the way.

But they hadn't gone far,

A silver crow, more than ten meters long, swooped down on him menacingly.

Crow's beak, eagle's claws, swallow's tail, peacock feathers

This is a purely elemental creature.

Rein seeing the appearance of this monstrous bird, the system immediately associated it with a mythical creature. He almost blurted out, "Mythical creature, the Immortal Thunder Raven?"

Thanks to 'Little Q Loves Reading' for 1,500 coins, '20190927100626210' for 500 coins, 'Second Yuan Yi Feng Ye Yu' and 'Xing Ni'. Thank you to the four for their generous support.