In Erin’s ancestral home, inside the secret Alchemy Workshop, liquid metal flowed like a galaxy through siphon tubes.
She dipped her left wrist into the "Mercury Pool," and the silvery-white liquid climbed along the lines of her blood vessels toward her heart. She turned back to Li Xiang with a faint smile, "Each Holy Blood Core requires 200 milliliters of my blood to be extracted. Esteemed Mr. Armor, you’d best not lift my skirt at a time like this—unless you want to see the French Rose turn into a metal sculpture."
Li Xiang leaned against a bronze pillar inlaid with gears, twirling a sweet-smelling Swiss LINDT chocolate between his fingertips. He had just fished it out of Erin’s dress. "Just say the word if you need help."
He bit into the hazelnut filling. Seeing Erin bite her red lip, completely focused on her Alchemy, he couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. ’To think a single Alchemy Holy Blood Core requires 200 milliliters of her blood. No wonder she turned pale when I mentioned ten of them earlier.’
However, Li Xiang didn’t let his heart soften. These ten could be made over time; he wasn’t in a hurry. Two per year would be fine. That would be equivalent to 400 milliliters of blood a year, about the same as a blood donation, which wouldn’t harm her body.
Li Xiang silently selected seven or eight tasty-looking Spirit Fruits from his system inventory. After washing them, he arranged them on a Crystal Plate and placed it in a small room adjacent to the Alchemy Workshop.
This small room was isolated from the Alchemy Workshop and served as Erin’s rest area. The food wouldn’t be contaminated here.
"Come eat some fruit if you get tired," Li Xiang called out, poking his head in. Then, a yellow-ochre light bloomed from his body, and he left Erin’s old castle.
It would take Erin about seven days to craft one Holy Blood Alchemy Heart. Li Xiang would just be bored waiting around for that long, so he figured he might as well go wander around Europe.
As for Erin’s safety, there was no need to worry. First, the Alchemy Workshop was located underground and was very well hidden. Second, the entrance and the castle interior were patrolled by Alchemy Puppet guards. Any intruders who entered without the master’s permission would be killed on the spot.
These Alchemy Puppets were quite powerful, and some were even equipped with modern firearms.
Moreover, the castle was in a remote location, surrounded by treacherous terrain that was easy to defend and difficult to attack. Few people ever came this way.
Three days later, Li Xiang returned to the castle. Erin was still working with rapt attention, her lovely face showing signs of fatigue. She had, however, finished all the Spirit Fruits Li Xiang had prepared for her.
"Darling, your fruits were so delicious I almost bit my tongue off." Seeing Li Xiang’s return, a smile touched the corners of Erin’s eyes. Her cobalt-blue eyes sparkled, shimmering like the spring waters of the Seine, and all traces of her fatigue vanished.
"How is the Holy Blood Alchemy Heart coming along?" Li Xiang asked.
"The key components are finished, and it’s going more smoothly than ever before. Also, I feel like my Alchemy skills have improved by a huge margin, darling! Give me one more day at most, and it’ll be a success!" Erin was genuinely happy. It seemed that after meeting Li Xiang, her life had completely changed.
Not only was her "curse" gone, but her strength had also grown immensely, and now her Alchemy proficiency was unexpectedly high.
Li Xiang mused that it was probably the seven or eight Spirit Fruits that had done the trick. ’Alchemy involves a massive amount of work, and it’s incredibly taxing for a girl like Erin. Without the Spirit Fruits to replenish her energy, she’d just be dragging her exhausted body around. Back then, she wasn’t just exhausted—she was also cursed and constantly had to resist the metallic transformation. Naturally, her work efficiency took a major hit.’
"If you like them, have a few more. I’ll go wash them for you." Li Xiang picked out another seven or eight incredibly tempting-looking Spirit Fruits, placed them on the Crystal Plate, and took them to be washed.
As Erin watched his back, she suddenly understood what "caring" felt like. Ever since her parents passed away, no one had ever cherished her like this. In that moment, her blue eyes grew misty.
She wasn’t an ordinary person, and with the curse she used to bear, she had figured she would never be able to marry or have children in this lifetime. She often felt lonely and had once imagined two possible fates for herself.
’The first, and worst, was turning into a metal sculpture, to be buried along with this old castle in the river of time.’
’The second was slightly better: I successfully break the curse and live a lonely life for two or three hundred years (since Extraordinary Beings live much longer than ordinary people). In the end, I’d finally succumb to the ravages of time, old and frail, sitting at the castle gate and quietly gazing at the dark forest in the distance, waiting for my parents to come from the Netherworld and take me away, just like they used to pick me up from school when I was little. (If the Netherworld even exists.)’
’But now, it seems there’s another option. If possible, I hope Li Xiang can give me three or four children. Then this old castle will be filled with life. Mmm, and at least one of the children has to take my surname, so the bloodline of the Melovanga Clan won’t be broken.’
’As for dating an ordinary person... I could never settle for that. Only the most powerful man in the world, someone like Mr. Armor, is worthy of my attention.’
’Mr. Armor is so powerful, brave, and handsome, yet also gentle and considerate. His genes must be excellent. Three or four might be too few... I should have at least seven or eight.’ Erin changed her mind again.
"What are you thinking about that’s making you so happy?" Li Xiang asked jokingly as he came in with the Crystal Plate of fruit. Seeing the silly grin on Erin’s face, he couldn’t resist reaching out and pinching her smooth cheek.
"Nothing, just that the Alchemy is going well. It’s never gone this smoothly before." Erin had no intention of letting Li Xiang know about her little thoughts.
"You’ve worked hard. Let me feed you." Li Xiang’s heart truly ached for Erin. She had toiled for days and nights without sleep and used 200 milliliters of her vital blood, all to craft the Holy Blood Heart for him.