Chapter 475

“This is just ridiculous!”

The Blood Sect Technician, eavesdropping on the chaos inside the stone chamber, was absolutely dumbfounded.

As a real practitioner of the mechanical system, he had never heard of the title “Mechanical Sovereign Divine Body.”

And what in the world was with the silly name “Dayeoreum”?

It could be a pseudonym, so he stayed on edge, watching the scene unfold.

And what a sight it was—no basic understanding of how to examine a mechanical system whatsoever!

What do they think is going to happen? Just banging around and groping it with all their might?

To properly understand a mechanical system, you have to probe your surroundings, carefully analyze the core functions, and approach it with caution.

This guy must be some kind of quack who read a few books somewhere, trying to score a payday. It was quite displeasing.

How dare they impersonate an expert in mechanical systems, earning gold ingots that way? It made him sick to his stomach.

The sect technician glared seriously at the wall with a rope labeled “Path Destruction.” Should he cut it or not?

Ignoring the west gate, he could still choose to collapse one of the east, south, or north gates to teach that fraud a good lesson.

But that would mean he’d have to reckon with the blood, sweat, and tears of his comrades.

After all, this was the masterpiece of the Blood Sect built over a whopping twenty years.

Each trap laid on the path carried the weight of that labor. If he brought it down, all those twenty years of hard work would go up in smoke.

So, what should he do?

As dirty and petty as it was, he had no choice but to swallow his anger.

Qing continued to make noises.

“Hmm,” “Oh,” “I see.”

“Ah, you’re coming out like this? Can’t lose!”

Internally, he thought,

“Lady, what is going on? I don’t understand a thing. What am I supposed to touch to make it work?”

No, was it even possible?

They said the door would only open if you placed a heart there, and it had to be a supreme-grade heart? Who’s watching from behind? Just waiting for a supreme martial artist’s heart to be placed so they can operate it? No way that would happen.

After all, aren’t there surveillance systems in the Central Plain?

Unless they had x-ray vision, there should at least be holes for sight. If there were, Qing’s superhuman hearing would pick up on it.

But there was nothing like that at all.

Or maybe the secret lay within the hole where the heart is placed? Qing, with his sharp and sensitive senses, could feel nothing—no device or even the tiniest hole.

What on earth was the principle behind this?

Qing could only guess it was perhaps just about weight?

Maybe he underestimated the mechanical system of the Central Plain.

After all, we must be in a world where people shoot rays, fly in the sky, and slice through cliffs with starlight.

“Hmm. I really have no idea,”

Qing exclaimed, thinking aloud.

“Hmm. The riddle is all solved!”

All eyes turned to Qing.

He placed his hands on his hips, puffing out his chest and asking,

“Everyone. The door opens when a supreme heart is placed. Isn’t that odd?”

“What—”

“What does that mean? I’m terribly curious. Please enlighten me right now!”

Jun Gi-chung interrupted, and the strange monk joined in.

Qing didn’t care who answered; he just rambled whatever came to his mind.

“From my examination of this ‘Mechanical Sovereign Divine Body’—”

“Wait a minute, young lady. Wasn’t it the ‘Mechanical Sovereign Divine Body’?”

Pobidon interjected.

Qing frowned.

“Lady, whether it’s this or that, once you put four hearts in, they’re the same. Will you stop interrupting? Just hand over the gold ingot and go home?”

“No, that’s not it…”

“Typically, a mechanical system considers the weight and shape of the object you’re placing. But a heart? Do the hefty uncle and the almost-skeleton monk have hearts of the same size?”

“Hefty, huh?”

Pobidon jumped up in outrage.

Still, the crowd shifted their gazes between Pobidon and the strange monk, as if they had realized something.

There’s no way the size of their hearts could be identical, given the weight difference!

As Qing nodded in agreement, he said,

“Yes, right. The heart size is the same.”

“……?”

Not many people from the Central Plain had seen various hearts like Qing.

Experience taught them that while heart sizes differed between men and women, most were pretty much alike.

However,

“But did you know that hearts can also have fat? That hefty uncle’s is probably covered in butterfat. But the heart size itself is similar, right?”

“So, what’s your point?”

“Alright, listen. If we place a heart, how are we supposed to do that? Is it supposed to be clean, with all the fat trimmed? Or do we need to drain the blood through a phlebotomy? How much of the big blood vessels attached to the heart should we leave? What about freshness? How long can a heart that’s been dead be allowed? Isn’t it okay if it’s half-rotted? What about contamination? Can we use a poison-killed corpse’s heart?”

“Huh? Now that I think about it,”

It made sense even to hear it.

Even Qing, while speaking enthusiastically, thought to himself, is this even logical?

They only said to place a supreme heart, but didn’t specify how to do it.

And does a supreme heart flow with energy instead of blood? Once pulled out, they all look alike, anyway.

Anyone who has encountered a mechanical system in the past should have a better understanding.

Why the hell are there so many warnings and fuss just to boil water or set off a trap?

“So my conclusion is, this is all a complete lie! I’d stake my grandfather’s honor that no matter whose heart you put in—it won’t work!”

At this, people frowned in confusion.

If you are going to risk something, shouldn’t it be your own honor? Why stake your grandfather’s honor instead?

So if he’s wrong, is his grandfather’s honor wrecked instead?

But this is the world ruled by filial piety (or pretending to be),

betting on grandfather’s honor has more weight than your own.

But then why sell out grandpa? Isn’t that just plain cruel?

Then the strange monk chimed in.

“You don’t seem to understand. If that’s the case, then why is there such an inscription?”

“Hmm… Just to let them kill each other?”

“Gasp!” “What!” “No way!”

It was so compelling that they couldn’t hold back their astonishment.

Everyone’s eyes widened all at once.

“##. The people of the Central Plain certainly lack parental guidance. I really can’t believe this. Even the devils are amazed at the personalities of the Central Plain folks.”

At that, the people of Central Plain glared at the barbarian, but the strange monk seemed unfazed.

Then Jun Gi-chung shot a piercing gaze.

“So, what’s the conclusion?”

“I said placing a heart won’t help!”

“Not that. So how do we open the door?”

The entire crowd turned to him.

Now that they thought about it, whether the heart placement was a trick wasn’t important. What’s important is how to open the door.

Then Qing tapped the stone door smartly.

“There are always methods. Just watch.”

He picked up a stone and made a scratch on the stone door.

The line he made formed a rectangle through which a person could easily pass.

“This is precisely the empty space within the mechanical system, literally empty space? I figured this out by tapping away at it. This is the supreme skill only the Mechanical Sovereign Divine can accomplish.”

With each statement, his title changed.

Pobidon thought that surely one of the four had slipped away, but he kept his mouth shut, knowing engaging with her would only bring trouble.

“So?”

“What is it? The Sword Aura? Didn’t you slice through steel with that? Then, cutting stone should be even easier, right? So just cut it. Done.”

“What?”

“If we can’t open the door, we just dig through it!”

Such a clear solution made everyone gasp in astonishment. If they can’t open the door, just dig through it! It was a thought few could have but, strangely, anyone could implement.

“Has anyone ever seen such a madwoman?”

Exasperated, the Blood Sect Technician yelled out loud.

It warned that forcing it open would cause it to collapse, written boldly yet these fools plan to slice through it instead?

The tricky part was that it might actually work.

After all, if it’s just a thick stone slab, slicing through it with energy would create a hole.

“No, no way. Who would listen to a madwoman like her? There’s even a message saying not to force it!”

The Blood Sect Technician muttered to himself before starting to nervously nibble on his nails.

Fortunately, Pobidon wasn’t about to let it slide without voicing his concerns.

“Hey, it clearly says here that it’ll collapse if forced. Is that really okay?”

“Typically, forcing it would give enough impact to activate a mechanical system. You slice metal as if it were tofu, old man. So wouldn’t it be impact-free?”

“Hmm?”

“The designer probably didn’t envision someone cutting through the stone door like this. They likely thought it would be struck down directly or a shell might be used to breach it.”

Strange, but it was persuasive.

“Well then, I’ve done my part. How about you go and take care of the door, old man?”

“What? Are you saying I should breach it?”

“Well, then you should collect for breaching the door.”

Breaching fee.

The masters flinched.

Weren’t there just a handful of masters here? They wouldn’t let one of their ranks pay the fee to open this door.

“There are plenty of masters here. I can’t burden you, elderly!”

Pobidon quickly stepped in.

“You, yourself, are capable too.”

The Blood Sect Technician was about to lose it completely.

These lunatics are seriously trying to breach the door!

So what should he do?

Opening the lid of the urgent response in the Central Hall, he promptly shouted into it.

“Lord! Big trouble! Those idiots at the west gate are trying to break in!”

The reply he got back was resolute.

-Then let them break it. Are the east, south, and north gates breached?

It was as if to say, is there really only that one entrance?

With that, the Blood Sect Technician drew his sword.

The memories of the last twenty years flooded through his mind as he raised the blade.

He recalled himself as a young man who sighed in despair at the dread of having to dig through that mountain.

But he began to find fulfillment as he carefully carved out the path, feeling human strength conquer nature.

He remembered the many comrades lost in the process and the tears shed in joy upon finally finishing the construction.

Recently, he had even experienced the horror of scooping water in unventilated leather and digging drainage systems.

All those efforts, pains, sorrows, and joys—every accomplishment—all could vanish in a single swipe of steel.

The Blood Sect Technician’s arms trembled.

Teardrops rolled down his cheeks, dripping off his chin.

What on earth was my time spent?

Where do all those efforts and lost comrades go? And where did my youth disappear to?

But all was for a greater cause.

To set this rotten world aflame.

And finally, the Technician’s arm moved.

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