There Is No New Beginning Without Breaking the Old

"It's not that I'm efficient. Someone went to great lengths to deliver the Black Flame to me. I couldn't refuse even if I wanted to." She propped her cheek up with one hand and used the other to tease the sandworm with the crystal core, but the sandworm showed no interest in it.

Instead, it had its eyes on Jiang You's fingers and kept circling them.

It seemed to prefer eating meat.

"Someone gave it to you?"

Red Eyes paused, then said with a half-smile, "If that's really the case, then you're unbelievably lucky."

Jiang You said, "The people from Dawn Tower call this thing the Heart of Black Flame, but you call it Black River Water. What is it actually called?"

"Black Flame and Black River Water are only names. It's like how you humans call the same thing potatoes and spuds. You can call it whatever you want. That doesn't affect its nature."

Red Eyes continued, "I'd rather call the Heart of Black Flame you mentioned a stone from the Black River. There are countless stones like this throughout the Black River. The black magma they continuously secrete gathers into a massive river—the Black River."

As he spoke, he used a wooden spoon to keep ladling the Black Flame spilling from the box into a bottle. The entire process was slow and calm, and not a single drop of Black Flame touched his skin.

"Is the Black Flame poisonous?" Jiang You asked.

"What makes you say that?"

"You're being so careful, as if you're afraid of getting even a little on yourself. If it isn't poisonous, what are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid of it. It's just that this human body isn't suitable for touching it."

Red Eyes gave a slow smile. That lopsided potato-like face wasn't