Chapter 267: Thunder Pool
On the third floor of the underground palace, Ryan and his companions surrounded the unconscious black cat lying on the ground, whispering something.
After listening to Gannix's story, Ryan couldn't hide his surprise and asked: "You mean... the little girl just now turned into this black cat?"
Gannix shrugged helplessly and said, "Although I also find it incredible, I'm afraid it is true, Mr. Ryan."
“…”
Hearing this, everyone frowned and remained silent.
Ryan also looked at the rune chain carefully and confirmed that it was the one that was locked around Naretta's neck just now.
Moreover, this big black cat with shiny black fur and delicate facial features looked very familiar to him.
This was because there were black cats on the walls and stone carvings everywhere in the third-level underground palace, and their number was no less than that of the dog-headed monster.
Judging from the content on the stone carvings, the origin of this cat is not simple . Legend has it that it is the "servant" who always accompanies the god of death.
Before seeing Nareta, Ryan thought the black cat on the stone carving was a magical beast or some other creature. But he didn't expect that it was actually a human?
When Guy saw Naretta turning into a black cat, he was surprised for a moment, and then he seemed to remember something and said, "I have seen similar records in the cave that records the legend of the Curse Clan. Perhaps, beast transformation is the extraordinary power inherited from this bloodline..."
"That should be it..."
Ryan heard this and nodded.
He has a "werewolf" named Bazel by his side, so he is not too surprised that there is such a sub-human race in the world that can transform into animal form.
…
A normal little girl suddenly turned into a black cat. The truth was clear before everyone's eyes. After a moment of shock, everyone accepted the reality.
Ryan squatted down and checked Naretta's physical condition. As he expected, there were "psychedelic drug" components in her blood.
After injecting the "awakening potion" and unlocking the rune chains, the big black cat slowly opened its eyes after a while.
Naretta was like someone who had just sobered up from a hangover. Her jewel-like amber cat eyes were full of confusion, and she instinctively curled up.
But she relaxed again when she saw Guy not far away.
But in the blink of an eye, she also discovered that something was wrong with herself. She raised her hands to look at her soft paws, and a human-like expression of fear appeared on her delicate cat face.
In panic, she uttered some low and strange words: "@Σ*&#Ψδξ∮..." (What's wrong with me?)
This is obviously the "ancient demon language".
Others could not understand this ancient language, but Ryan did.
He looked at the bewildered Naretta and responded: "#%*@ёжз..." (Don't worry, it should be your bloodline power that turned you into a beast...)
When Naretta said this, the black cat's face suddenly froze for a moment.
The content of the speech was secondary. What was more shocking was that someone actually understood what I was saying?
This was the first time in all these years that she heard someone speak the same language as her.
On the other hand, Guy, Catherine and Gannix were also surprised and looked at Ryan sideways.
Gannix, who was standing by , seemed to have discovered the door to a new world. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked, "Mr. Ryan, do you also speak... cat language?"
Guy was also very surprised, although he knew that Naretta was not mute, but could only speak a language that normal people could not understand.
But she didn't expect that Dr. Ryan could actually communicate with her?
Ryan smiled and explained: "This is not 'cat language', but 'ancient demon language'."
Gannix was well versed in archaeology and had obviously heard of this language. He was shocked and said, "Legend has it that this is the language that the ancient demons used to communicate? That... wasn't it lost during the mythological civilization period?!"
It would be fine if a strange "cat" could speak ancient demon language, but what he didn't expect was that this Mr. Ryan he knew could also speak it?
Hearing this, Catherine and Guy beside them also showed very incredible expressions.
Both of them were well-informed people, and had never heard of any "polymath" in the two empires who was proficient in this language.
So where did this guy learn this?
"Um."
Ryan nodded without further explanation.
Turning around, he looked at the black cat who was still in a panic.
Waking up and turning into a monster is something no one would be able to accept.
He then explained to Naretta in ancient demon language: "The power of your Curse Clan bloodline should be similar to that of a Werewolf. Don't worry, you should be able to change back once you are familiar with it."
"Huh? Werewolf?"
Finally, someone was able to communicate normally. Naretta looked at her claws. Although there was still a flicker of uneasiness in her eyes, she chose to believe what he said.
Previously in the "Black Wind Territory", Ryan had treated her injuries, and Naretta had a good impression of this doctor.
After thinking for a while, she asked timidly, "I am of the Curse Clan bloodline... Are you and I the same?"
"Our situation is a little different..."
Ryan gave a brief explanation.
The two exchanged a few more words, and he discovered that because Naretta rarely communicated with others on a daily basis, her understanding of the world was extremely limited.
I have never heard of the "Seventy-two Gods".
However, now is not the time to educate her about those things.
Apparently, Naretta turned into a black cat after entering the third floor of the mausoleum, which was probably caused by "environmental factors".
After asking her if she felt any discomfort after "changing into a cat", Ryan also tried to guide her by asking some questions, saying: "Do you remember why you changed? Also, do you think there is anything special here..."
Naretta: "I don't know either... I just feel like I know this place, it's very familiar..."
"What is familiar to you?"
"There are many things here. I see them and they seem familiar to me..."
“…”
The two cats started communicating in this way, chattering in a low demonic language that made Gannix and the others nearby look confused.
…
Naretta felt that this underground palace was very familiar, but she was sure that she had never been here before.
After hearing this description, Ryan understood that her inexplicable "sense of familiarity" was probably due to blood inheritance.
Now the scene reminded her of something.
Unfortunately, his knowledge of the "Curse Clan" was very limited. He only knew from a short passage in the goblin material book that her blood was a medium.
I don't know if she will transform, or anything else...
However, it now seems that Naretta must know more secrets in this tomb, Ryan thought, and guided her to see the magic light gate of the [Land of Inheritance].
Naretta looked at the carving on the stone wall that read "Black Cat Serving the God of Death" and it seemed as if some of her memories were awakened.
Naretta turned to the crowd and said, "I think there is something very important behind that magic door... I want to go in and take a look."
Ryan listened with a slightly strange look on his face. He pointed at the scale in the golden kobold's hand and asked, "But it's written on the stone that you need to put your heart on the scale to enter..."
When Naretta heard this, confusion appeared on her face.
Then, what Ryan didn't expect was that she actually spoke a few words to the golden dog-headed man he thought was a sculpture.
But it was not normal speech, but a roar like a wild beast, and even Ryan did not understand it.
I don’t know how they communicated, but Naretta understood it anyway and seemed to be “bargaining” with them.
…
"Is this golden dog head also alive?"
Ryan was shocked and didn't notice any signs of life on the golden sculpture. He couldn't help but think of the gargoyles.
He guessed that this golden dog-headed monster was probably also a product of alchemy.
After the exchange, Naretta turned to Ryan and said, "It said I'm the servant of the god of death and I can go in..."
When Ryan heard this, his eyebrows jumped. That's it?
So there's no need to cut open the heart?
He asked, "What about the others? Can they go in too?"
Naretta shook her head and continued, "The test taker must pass the test of the 'Soul Balance', otherwise he will die if he rushes in rashly."
It is true.
Ryan also felt that it made sense. Since it was a "trial", it must not be a useless setting.
After thinking about it, he asked again: "I want to make sure that this is not a trap, but do you really want to put your heart on it?"
This is the inheritance of one of the "Seventy-two Divine Generals", and he really wants to go in and take a look.
After hearing this, Naretta asked the golden dog-headed man again and got a positive answer: "Yes. It said that the trial taker must be tested, and only those who are kind and upright can pass the test."
She obviously saw Ryan's curiosity about the magic light gate. She paused and said, "I think that you, Mr. Doctor, an upright person, can definitely pass the test."
…
Ryan translated the content of the conversation to Guy and others.
Guy also thought it was a good thing that Naretta could find her bloodline heritage. Although entering the magic light gate might be dangerous, he also expressed his support.
Then Naretta transformed into a black cat and walked in with cat steps.
Ryan and his companions were a little worried at first, and were concentrating on the magic door.
But not long after, she came out again.
Not only was he safe and sound, he was also holding a strange black leather book in his mouth.
This is a "living" book.
The book cover looks like the wrinkled face of an old lady with a cat face, and it seems to be moving to the naked eye.
Others didn't dare to touch it because if the breath of a living person approached, a real living human face would condense on the book cover, surrounded by black air, which looked very evil.
“It was this book that led me into…”
Naretta introduced it to everyone: "After getting it, I remembered a lot of things. This is the inheritance of our clan [Book of the Dead]..."
You don’t know until you tell me, but once you hear me, I realize that this is really an evil book.
If you are not of the "Curse Clan" bloodline, you will be cursed with a fatal curse similar to "bad luck".
Besides, other people cannot read this book.
Turning the pages, they saw that the material of the book was like human skin, and the "text" on it looked like wrinkles like palm prints to Ryan and the others. It was completely a ghost book.
But Naretta said that they were some "spells".
She could now understand a small part of it, mostly some special extraordinary abilities related to controlling the undead and curses.
But most of them are beyond her current level of understanding.
Since it was the exclusive inheritance secret book of the Curse Clan, Ryan was no longer curious about what was recorded in it.
He turned and asked curiously: "Naretta, is there anything else inside the magic door?"
Naretta thought about it and said, "There is also a pool with flashing lightning inside, as well as a temple, stone carvings, and strange devices... But those things are reserved for the 'trial takers'. I can only watch from a distance and cannot go up to the altar."
Hearing this, Ryan was finally moved.
Temple?
He was not sure what was in the magic light gate before, and he was a little hesitant whether it was worth the risk. But now when he heard this, he was immediately tempted.
Ryan had personally explored the two inheritance temples of the "Seventy-two Generals" and naturally knew what this meant.
Even if there is no "Crystal of Divine Power" in it, the inherited skills and the like are priceless treasures.
…
When they heard that Ryan was going to cut out his heart and put it on the scale, everyone was terrified.
Although Guy and Renata thought that if this level was a test of "soul", Dr. Ryan should be able to get in. But the act of cutting open the heart was still too unbelievable. Could such a vital part as the heart be cut out casually?
Catherine did not hide her concern and asked, "Are you really going to do this?"
After all, Ryan had saved her life several times and was a Canossa man...Now, she completely regarded him as a close family member.
"Yes, Mr. Ryan, just in case..."
Gannix on the side also looked like he was about to say something but hesitated, "What if it doesn't work?"
He was very curious about the place of inheritance behind the magic door, but he naturally did not dare to try such a horrifying and crazy act as cutting out the heart.
Ryan chuckled and shrugged, saying, "It doesn't hurt to give it a try."
Since Naretta has communicated with the golden dog-headed man, this is not a trap but a real test, so he naturally doesn't have many concerns.
He thought that his values were fairly positive, and that he could be considered an "honest and kind" person. It would be better if he could pass the test, but even if he failed, he was a doctor, and it wouldn't be a big problem to take the heart out of the body for a short period of time and then sew it back together.
…
Just do it.
Ryan would never drag his feet on what he was going to do.
He walked straight to the foot of the golden dog head and took out a scalpel. Without much hesitation, he took off his shirt and used the blade to accurately cut an incision on his chest.
Then, under the shocked gazes of Catherine and the others, he reached deep into his chest, cut out his still beating heart, and placed it on the golden scale.
The whole process was filled with an almost numb calm.
This is Ryan's confidence in his medical skills.
Then, a magical scene happened.
Because the heart was placed on one side of the scale, it swayed slightly toward the "Angel's Wing" scale for a few times, and finally it was actually balanced!
Ryan looked at it with a sense of relief.
At this moment, the golden dog-headed man actually spoke in human language and said something in Monk's language: "Congratulations, trial-taker, you have passed the test."
Ryan was overjoyed when he heard this, and he couldn't hide his joy on his face.
Then, he calmly picked up the bloody heart and stuffed it into the chest cavity. The "Gang Line" quickly penetrated and sutured it, and the chest healed into a faint blood line in a blink of an eye, and there was no danger anymore.
After putting on his clothes, Ryan turned to look at Catherine and the others who were even more nervous than he was, and said easily, "I think I passed the test."
Catherine and the others were so shocked that they were speechless.
After hearing this, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh my god, you actually succeeded..."
Although they knew that Ryan was a very good doctor, they still looked as if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight when they saw him cut out his own heart and put it back.
Don’t blame them for being surprised by something they haven’t seen before.
On the contrary, because of their wide knowledge, they realized that there was no one in the world who could perform such incredible surgery!
Moreover, I didn't notice it when he was wearing clothes before, but now that he took off his shirt, Ryan's bulging and knotted muscles were extremely visually impactful. And the totem on his skin that was faintly glowing with purple lightning seemed to be the same totem as that of the "Sunflower Chamber of Commerce"'s young master Wumu?
Faintly, they felt that Ryan was becoming more and more unfathomable.
…
Ryan didn't delay any longer, put on his clothes, and then stepped into the magic light gate.
It was as if a special barrier had been penetrated, and everything outside the door was isolated.
He saw the layout of this [Land of Inheritance] at a glance.
It's not big, covering an area of about several thousand square meters.
This is somewhat similar to the structure of the Tiankengshi Temple. Not far away is a huge stone statue. Looking at its face, it is the Fifteenth King of Pallas of the ancient Monkker Kingdom, [Thunder Nightmare] Yarulet, one of the seventy-two generals.
Of course, the most eye-catching thing is not the statue, but an ancient "energy supply system" on the altar.
"So the energy supply for the moving maze above actually comes from this 'Thunder Pool'?"
When Ryan saw the thunder pool of about 200 square meters on the altar not far away, he immediately understood something.
It was a pool with purple lightning flashing and a silver glow at its core. Around the pool were stone pillars with mysterious runes, and some metal pipes connected them, sinking into the ground.
Ever since he saw a lot of ancient technologies from the goblin ruins, he instantly understood that the thunder pool and those conduction devices in front of him were actually the "energy supply system" of this underground palace.
"What on earth is in that thunder pool that can provide energy for so many years?"
Ryan looked at the lightning pool, and his eyelids twitched as if he saw a short circuit in high voltage electricity. Although there were stone pillars to limit him, the light that was radiating out made people feel a deadly threat.
"Is this... the power of a high-level lightning law?"
Now that Ryan has met people like Bazel and Mafa who are at the top of the extraordinary world, he is naturally no longer a novice who has only a superficial understanding of extraordinary powers.
He slightly sensed the violent and almost skin-burning lightning factors floating in the air, and guessed that there must be some high-level lightning-related treasures in the thunder pool.
"The power of high-level laws" is a realm that only fifth-order great perfection transcendents are qualified to touch. Therefore, this "Thunder Pool" is a fatal threat to other transcendents, even fifth-order transcendents. If you are not careful, you will probably be electrocuted into a roasted chicken.
But for Ryan, it is not a big problem.
Because he has the thunder treasure [Thunder Totem]!
Also because of the totem, as soon as he entered the secret room, he felt the surging, rich and pleasant thunder element in the air. It was like an inexplicable attraction that "sucked" his body to get closer to the thunder pool.
Ryan walked up the stairs carefully. If he wanted to get to the statue, he had to pass through the minefield .
Fortunately, no restrictions were triggered along the way.
But I didn't go far.
A silver crow over ten meters long attacked him fiercely.
Crow's beak, eagle's claws, swallow's tail, peacock's wings...
This is a pure elemental creature.
As soon as Ryan saw the appearance of the evil bird, the system immediately matched it with a mythical creature. He almost blurted out: "Mythical creature, the Undead Thunder Crow?"
