Looking at Theodore’s worried face, Muxuan fell silent.
Her condition really wasn’t good.
She had overexerted herself during that outbreak in the Canoches Forest, nearly pushing herself to the brink.
Even with the Lightforce continuously being fed back from the settlement to replenish her consumption, the physical weakness couldn’t be compensated for.
Moreover, Qiansitelin’s state was also extremely poor, and “Lyrasel” was even more depleted of power, not yet having received sufficient replenishment.
If they encountered any more of The Strange, it would become very troublesome.
Theodore’s strength was considerable, but it was fundamentally ineffective against The Strange… at best, she could buy some time but couldn’t eliminate it.
It’s just… there were already Dwarves in this passage who had been Corrupted, so what about the situation at the Votkan tribe headquarters?
Noticing her young lady’s gaze upon her, Qiansitelin shook her head, her voice weak.
“Your Holiness, I’m fine… it’s you…”
In Qiansitelin’s eyes, besides exhaustion, there was deep concern for Muxuan.
Muxuan shook her head with a wry smile, then rejected Theodore’s suggestion.
“The current situation is still unclear, and the most important thing is time. I think we should accelerate our pace regarding the situation with the Great Artisan God.”
After speaking, she slightly raised her Crosier.
Pure Faith Power overflowed from the Crosier, streaming continuously into the bodies of Qiansitelin and Theodore.
Thanks to the supply from the Faithful, the Faith Power had already accumulated a considerable reserve, making it perfectly suitable for use in such urgent moments.
The moment that warm current surged into her body, the deep furrow in Qiansitelin’s brow eased considerably.
A suppressed groan deep in her throat transformed into a long, drawn-out exhalation.
Under the infusion of vast Faith Power, her condition improved significantly, and the bottleneck at the peak of the Deep Sea Layer also seemed to loosen slightly.
As for Theodore, she felt a warm, soothing current with a strange calming power instantly spread through her limbs.
The slight ache from the recoil of her earlier clash with the Corrupted Dwarf, along with the fatigue from the journey, vanished in an instant.
Her whole body felt warm and brimming with strength.
She habitually mobilized the unique “Qi” within her Dwarf Tribe body—a power inherent in her bloodline and muscles.
This time, however, she was shocked to discover that what flowed within her was no longer the singular, familiar power.
Beside that familiar “Qi,” there was now an entirely different force.
This power was gentle, pure, carrying an indescribable warmth and vitality.
“This… this is?!”
Theodore’s eyes widened abruptly, her little mouth forming a perfect ‘O,’ her face etched with utter astonishment.
She could clearly perceive the faintly glowing power within her body.
An indescribable, overwhelming joy instantly flooded her.
Light had always been something she constantly pursued, never imagining that one day she herself could wield it.
Yet now, this power truly existed within her.
“Pope! I… inside my body… there’s light!”
She was so excited she became incoherent, hopping in place once before looking at Muxuan with eyes filled with the purest worship and gratitude, as if she had discovered a new world.
“Alright, little Theodore, we need to hurry now~”
Qiansitelin, feeling much better, spoke with a lighter tone.
Her young lady had already made up her mind.
Qiansitelin understood this when the Faith Power was infused—since that was the case, they had to act quickly.
Much of the Faith Power just infused had also been converted into Lightforce and channeled into “Lyrasel.”
The silver luster on “Lyrasel’s” golden blade now shone noticeably brighter.
“Yeah! This way!”
Her face still flushed with excitement, Theodore shouted, hefted her stone hammer, leaped over the remains of the Corrupted Dwarf, and ran deeper into the passage.
Qiansitelin carefully supported Muxuan, her worry still evident.
“Your Highness… can your body still handle it?”
Seeing the concern in Qiansitelin’s eyes, Muxuan quickly waved her hand, trying to sound as light-hearted as possible.
“I haven’t exerted myself much, I’m fine. Let’s go, we should catch up with Theodore.”
After reassuring the worried Qiansitelin for a moment and seeing Theodore already far ahead, Muxuan urged.
She was well aware of how poor her own condition was.
The Lightforce within her had indeed recovered considerably, but the damage to her body from the high-strain operation wouldn’t heal that quickly.
The reason she infused Faith Power into Qiansitelin and Theodore was precisely to increase their combat effectiveness, wasn’t it?
Muxuan could sense that Qiansitelin’s poor state wasn’t due to any injury, but rather seemed caused by a depletion of power.
This made her think of that forbidden spell… was it a side effect?
As for Theodore, she had brute strength but couldn’t inflict damage on The Strange.
At least this way, even if she herself couldn’t contribute later, the two of them could handle most of the trouble.
Qiansitelin also roughly understood her young lady’s thoughts.
After a moment of silence, she said nothing more.
No matter what she said, it wouldn’t change her young lady’s decision.
“Your will.”
Qiansitelin said with rare formality, then, supporting Muxuan, quickly followed Theodore’s trail.
“We’re almost there!”
Theodore’s urgent voice echoed in the narrow space, her small figure running hard ahead.
Along with her excitement, there was also unease.
The path was littered with many corpses whose forms were now indistinct, far messier than the last time she had come through this passage.
She was also afraid of seeing something she desperately didn’t want to see.
Muxuan and Qiansitelin followed silently behind, not speaking, only quickening their steps.
Soon, the scenery ahead suddenly opened up.
However, the end of the passage didn’t lead directly to the Molten Heart.
Instead, it opened into a somewhat dilapidated cavern, also scattered with bodies.
Seeing this scene, the unease in her heart grew stronger.
Theodore roughly identified their location, then swiftly charged into the next passage.
Muxuan and Qiansitelin only took a brief look before following her into the next passageway.
The Black Mist within the passage rapidly dispersed the moment Muxuan entered.
Seeing this, Theodore unconsciously sped up her pace.
With no obstructive Black Mist to hinder them, the trio’s speed increased significantly.
Soon, their vision was filled with red light.
Upon exiting the passage, the enormous cavern housing the Molten Heart came into view.
Looking at the churning magma, Muxuan’s heart gave a fierce tremor.
Especially at the Wonder Building—the “Molten Heart.”
It wasn’t a single structure, but a cluster of furnaces of unimaginable scale.
Countless giant furnaces, forged from some heat-resistant metal, were densely embedded like a honeycomb into the steep rock walls, connected by metal pipes as thick as giant pythons.
The magma river was diverted, transformed into several scorching streams channeled through massive conduits to inject different furnaces, providing them with an inexhaustible energy source.
Only—
The entire furnace cluster was now emitting a low, violent roar, its vibrations far exceeding those of normal operation.
The furnace walls flickered erratically with red light, as if wailing in agony.
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