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There were two heartbeats inside Maria’s chest and a third one throbbing all around her. She did not doubt the fact that the cave she had entered just now was different from any other she had been in before. Somehow, this one felt alive.

Or maybe it was because of the weird feeling she got from the second she entered this cave. It felt like a physical presence around her like Nao and Suna were in the time they ‘helped’ her out.

Then there was the feeling of having someone watch her. Maria had looked around to try and find the intruder a few times now but had always come up unsuccessful. It did not help that the feeling of the heartbeat inside the cave masked any other presence inside it.

The seal inside Maria throbbed as a result and tugged at Maria to follow it. Maria could not resist the flow of magic being poured into her being by the feeling, so she followed it. Despite having someone tail her, Maria only focused on going inside.

[Restricted area entered. Cutting external connections. The system will be going on off-time due to high-authority intervention]

Maria knew she should be panicking right now due to her system’s weird warning but the feeling of suffocation that accompanied the panic did not come. It was all calm and quiet. It was serene and accepting.

Maria kept on walking till she reached a small valley filled with red liquid and she just knew this was her final stop. This was where she was supposed to be and she instantly gazed upon the center of the place.

‘That’s the node’ everything in Maria pointed to the small spherical red blob in the center of the magma pool to be the node of the world tree. Several branches-like entities circled the spherical ball and formed a network all around it.

The veins were thin and fragile-looking but Maria thought she saw them contract and expand like blood vessels.

And not just them.

The spherical ball in the middle looked like it was moving as well and it looked almost translucent to Maria. It looked like a picture of an embryo Maria had seen a long time ago and she wanted to examine it.

But the pool of magma made for a big obstacle in her way. Maria could try to climb the veins to reach the embryo but it did not look safe. The veins looked like they would snap under her weight anytime she tried to as much as step foot on them.

Maria was deep in thought about what she should do now when she felt something fast move past her and toward the magma pit. Maria had no time to issue a warning before the shadow tried to climb up a vein but jumped back just in time to avoid falling into the magma pit once the vein snapped.

The place around Maria gave a painful throb. Maria did not know why she could tell but the snapping of the vein had felt like it hurt her as well.’

“So it’s not going to be that easy, huh” The new figure muttered as she tried to pick herself up. Maria could only watch in silent observation as the new figure locked eyes with her.

“So the Oracle was alive all this time. I can’t say I’m, surprised but it certainly is my lucky day. I wonder how Lady Baron would pay for such information since you feel strong as well” the lady commented, a little lost in her thoughts and Maria felt her eyes rise in a challenge.

She had no idea who Lady Baron was but the name did sound familiar. Must be a nobility back home for the name to be familiar but not influential enough to have left an impression.

But why would someone like him be happy to know Oracle's wellness specifically?

“You seem to know me but I don’t know you. Identify yourself and your objective here” Maria asked as she gripped her chains in her hand. It was a risk to deploy her chains but Maria knew she had to do something and minimize the damage at the same time.

While Maria was proficient in different weapons, most of them were not her specialty and would cause property damage. And this palace did not look like the sturdy type either.

“Oh, my apologies. I’m Rucci John from Albest kingdom. But I’m sure that’s not important for now. I would like to make a formal request of the Oracle” the lady asked and Maria felt shocked at the admission.

Albest kingdom was the neighboring canopy, or so it was believed to be.

Truth to be told, the seven major canopies did not interact with each other since they were difficult to cross for anyone but the royal families of the place. Only they knew the hidden routes from one canopy to another.

And for a person of Albest kingdom to pass over meant that Maria’s nobility had to have known. Heck, Neah had to have known. Then, did they know what happened in this town and had left it intact still?

It made their merit drop in Maria’s eyes.

“Hey, you don’t have to look that scary. Your nobility and our nobility had a deal so they can’t interfere in my work too much. You know, politics and that shit. But anyway, that’s not the important part” the female reminded Maria as she finally put her hood down.

And just as Maria had known, the person in front of her was not fully human. But she did not feel like a demon as well. She felt like a mix but not like Maria was. She had demonic energy but no demon part.

“What are you?” Maria asked in alarm as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing in front of her. The female had actual demonic features with reptilian skin and scales and all that shit.

“Huh, me? I’m a chimera. But I can see why you would be surprised to see someone like me here. Your place doesn’t have people like me, right? We’re a specialty of Ablest kingdom after all” the female cheered as she made a suggestive pose.

Maria did not look at her ‘assets’. Not that Maria even could with the pressure of her heart increasing around her. The nod was reacting to something and the place was beginning to be filtered with a red light.

The external heartbeat of the cave echoed inside Marai’s ears and it felt pain in her chest. Rucci took advantage of her state and managed to get a head-start on Maria. The Chimera managed to grab onto a thin vein and Maria felt pain all around her.