Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

With this thought in mind, Liu Xia stopped watching and silently imitated Gavin's technique during the previous surgery, quietly releasing a wisp of gentle magic to silently intervene in the wound and precisely stabilize the flow of blood and body fluids in the patient's body.

Although his technique is not as refined as Gavin's years of practical experience, it excels in precision, stability, and pure essence.

In an instant, the pressure on Ada lessened, and her tense nerves relaxed abruptly.

What alarmed her even more was that a gentle, invisible force quietly supported her trembling wrist, steadily calming her tension and panic.

She looked up in disbelief, only to meet Liu Xia's calm and composed gaze, and heard him speak softly:

"Let's continue."

Ida took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in her heart, and once again lowered her head to concentrate, methodically proceeding with the surgical procedure.

A short while later, Anna rushed back with hot water. When she saw the bloody and horrific scene before her, she couldn't help but gasp in fright.

Ada, who was fully immersed in the surgery and the exploration of the secret techniques, had become deaf to all external noises and was single-mindedly focused on completing this long-awaited surgery that belonged to her.

Chapter 45 The Demon Core Within the Human Body

"Ugh—what the hell is this?!"

The icy blade precisely sliced ​​through the muscle tissue next to the patient's stomach, and a fleshy sac, covered in viscous fluid and resembling a malformed tumor, was completely peeled off.

The next instant, an extremely foul and nauseating odor filled the entire room, instantly filling every inch of air.

Liu Xia, with her profound cultivation and extremely fast reaction, instantly activated the battle qi barrier on her body to isolate the odor, remaining completely unaffected.

But Anna and Sienna were caught off guard.

Anna's expression changed drastically. She immediately covered her mouth and nose tightly and retreated to create distance.

Sienna, who was clinging to the patient's neck and maintaining the binding spell throughout, had nowhere to hide. Her tiny insect body trembled slightly, and she couldn't help but let out a short gasp.

Seeing this, Liu Xia immediately came to her senses, raised her hand and activated her magic to create a cleansing barrier, enveloping the two of them, isolating them from the foul stench and replacing it with fresh air.

"It's the magic core of a magical beast."

Compared to the others' outbursts of emotion, Ada remained calm and composed, her eyes indifferent and devoid of any ripples.

She raised her hand and conjured ice tweezers, steadily picking up the deformed fleshy sac and casually placing it on a tray beside her.

A biting chill instantly enveloped the entire piece of flesh, freezing the writhing muscles and viscous fluids. Then, the ice blade lightly sliced ​​through the moist membrane.

A dull, rough, yellowish-brown crystal was fully revealed from the flesh and blood covered in mucus.

"To be precise, it's a fragment of a magic core."

Ada picked up the irregularly shaped fragment with her fingertips and held it up to her eyes to show it off.

Liu Xia looked in that direction, his gaze piercing through the dissected wound, and he could clearly see the scene inside the patient's abdominal cavity—the surface of the internal organs was covered with similar fleshy tumors of all sizes and shapes. Under the thin skin of some of the tumors, the outlines of the demonic core fragments encased inside could be clearly seen, densely packed and shocking to behold.

Liu Xia felt a sudden chill and immediately activated her deep magic to examine the patient's body.

A fine network of magical energy seeped into the skin, instantly capturing an extremely chaotic and incongruous mixed aura.

These fragments of demonic cores, buried deep within organs, are forcibly fusing with human flesh and blood in a bizarre way.

They continuously devour and extract the patient's own life essence, while at the same time overflowing a wisp of mixed magic power, feeding back into the body's meridians and forcibly transforming the body's aptitude.

Not only that, Ryuka quickly noticed more details.

The tumors inside the body varied in size; some were much larger than the magic core fragments they contained, while others were just forming, barely enveloping the newly formed fragments.

This stark difference in growth points to a harsh truth.

He looked up at Ada, his gaze sharp and intense, and succinctly cut to the heart of the matter:

"You're using human bodies to cultivate demonic cores. The previous surgery involved removing the old ones and implanting new ones, right?"

Human-based cultivation of magical cores!

The cold conclusion caused even the usually composed Sienna to stiffen slightly, her breath caught in her throat, and her eyes widened in astonishment.

Only Ada remained calm, nodding in response. Her composed words only made Ryuka's mood heavier and more depressed.

“That’s right, but it’s not just that. After the magic core merges with the human body, it brings about a series of incredible changes: not only will it give ordinary people extraordinary abilities, but it will also cause changes in the shape of their organs, and sometimes their minds will also change to varying degrees. Although Father Mayocles will remove the magic core tumors that have grown to a certain size each time, this is not the only purpose. The whole process is the subject of our research…”

"How could this be! Could it be that all the patients in the sanatorium... vomit—"

Anna, standing to the side, was already deathly pale, clutching her mouth tightly, her eyes filled with terror and disbelief.

She spent years at the sanatorium caring for patients and was completely unaware of these taboo experiments and the cruel truth behind them.

Witnessing the dense, deformed sarcomas inside the patient's body and smelling the suffocating stench, she could no longer bear it. Her body hunched over violently, and she turned and rushed to the corner, vomiting violently, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

Even Sienna, who was known for her expertise in strange and mysterious arts and considered herself to have sinister methods, fell completely silent at this moment.

The only sounds in the room were Anna's vomiting and the deathly stillness of the air currents.

Ryuu's eyes were icy as she stared intently at Ada, whose expression was indifferent, her chest churning with barely suppressed rage.

He finally understood where Ida's excitement and obsession with the surgery came from.

The seemingly elegant and refined noblewoman's heart has long been completely corrupted by forbidden secret arts.

Not only that, Ryusha thought of Ada's previous excitement about the surgery, but now he felt extremely disgusted by the beautiful noble girl in front of him.

Mayochis has been based in Cornwall for many years, and no one knows how many innocent victims this town has buried.

The story of King Ries that Sienna had once told flashed through Ryusha's mind. Decades ago, countless children were forcibly abducted into secret chambers and turned into experimental subjects.

Such inhumane acts of evil could not be ignored even by Ryuka, who was used to bloodshed and considered himself ruthless enough.

Ida's ability to skillfully conduct live experiments in such a short time since arriving in Cornwall is enough to prove that she had already been deeply exposed to and immersed in Mayocles' taboo theories during her time in Linzeburg.

Ryuka was now certain that she was drawn to the strange and mysterious nature of life magic, and that her willingness to abandon her family and join the organization stemmed from her desire to revive her mother using forbidden techniques.

As if anticipating Ryūka's fury and scrutiny, Ada lowered her eyes slightly, avoiding his sharp gaze. Her hands continued their work, methodically removing several mature sacs from his body, before she spoke softly:

"Your Excellency, it's time to heal the wound."

Liu Xia forcibly suppressed the anger surging in her heart and the urge to question.

The surgery was not yet over, and the patient's life was in danger; he could not afford to lose his temper.

He raised his hand to activate gentle life magic, while simultaneously layering pure holy arts, gradually repairing the damaged tissues and continuously replenishing the life force and energy of the increasingly weak patient, stabilizing his body which was on the verge of collapse.

As his magic flowed, he asked in a cold, indifferent tone:

"Don't you feel guilty about doing this to a living person?"

"Is this... an interrogation?"

To Ryuu's surprise, even when facing his extremely cold scrutiny and oppression, Ada remained fearless, her hands moving steadily and methodically as she precisely cleaned away the remaining skin while calmly responding:

"When I first came across the priest's theories, I was naturally disgusted. I even found the hand-drawn illustrations of human anatomy in the book terrifying. But that feeling gradually faded because the knowledge and achievements were too fascinating. At first, I was indeed thinking about resurrecting my family members, but I gradually felt that if the [life magic] could really be accomplished, it would be a great feat in the history of magic, no, in the history of civilization."

As she finished speaking, she slowly lowered the ice blade in her hand.

A sarcoma with an unusual shape remains in the patient's liver and has not been removed.

“Your Excellency, you can heal now. This last demonic core tumor cannot be removed. This man suffers from liver disease, and this fragment is the key to his survival.”

Liu Xia stared intently and clearly saw that the patient's liver was in severe pathological failure. It was the magic power continuously overflowing from this fragment of the magic core that was barely keeping the organ functioning and maintaining its vitality.

Ida's statement is true.

Without further hesitation, he unleashed his full healing magic, rapidly healing all the wounds in the patient's abdomen. He then continuously channeled pure magic power to stabilize the patient's life force over a long period, ensuring that the patient could survive after undergoing two invasive surgeries.

The surgery was completely over. Ada withdrew her magic, clasped her hands together in front of her legs, slightly straightened her chest, and bowed solemnly to Ryūka, her posture calm and composed.

"If you think I've lost my humanity and want to kill me after you've finished questioning me, I won't complain. But thank you for giving me the opportunity to put my knowledge into practice."

She was acutely aware of her situation and knew that there was a world of difference between her strength and that of Ryuka.

Even though her magic power had been fully restored, she couldn't muster the slightest thought of resistance.

Whether this compliance was a deliberate act of pretense or a genuine acceptance of fate, it is impossible to verify.

Looking at her indifferent expression, Liu Xia snorted coldly, her tone indifferent and icy:

"When I want to kill you, I will naturally kill you. Let's talk about these things first."

He raised his chin to indicate the demonic tumor on the tray, his gaze calm, awaiting an explanation.

Ada then began to speak, explaining her points clearly and logically:

"Father Mayocles has developed a magic that allows the magic cores of magical beasts to fuse into the human body. Unlike the previous potential activation, the magic cores can gradually awaken the relevant powers in people who have no talent for magic or martial arts. Of course, just like potential activation depletes a person's life force, transplanting magic cores is not perfect either. As far as I know, not everyone is suitable for transplantation, and rejection can be fatal. Even the most perfect research subjects currently have uncontrollable emotions, physical deformities, and other complications. They need to take the magic potions provided by Father Mayocles regularly to maintain their health."

She pointed to the man on the hospital bed and continued:

"Like this man, the transplant of the magic core not only cured his fatal liver disease, but also gave him the arm strength of a trainee knight. However, his limbs became uncoordinated and he was in pain all the time, which kept him in the sanatorium for recuperation."

"Actually, you're just using his body to cultivate more demonic core tumors, aren't you?"

Liu Xia's words hit the nail on the head.

Ada offered no explanation, simply nodding in agreement:

"The priest said that this man has a very good healing constitution and is very suitable as a seedbed, so it has been maintained at this stage. As for other cases, you have probably seen them all over Cornwall."

Liu Xia's brows furrowed suddenly, all the doubts instantly connecting in her mind, and she asked in a deep voice:

"You mean...the guards in the town?!"

He had noticed something amiss beforehand; the militia and spies guarding Cornwall were far more powerful than those in a typical border town, each one a formidable fighter and young man.

He originally thought these people were like Ada, cyborgs who relied on potential activation techniques to overdraw their life force and forcibly enhance their strength.

Only now did he realize that the truth was far more terrifying than he had imagined.

Ada nodded in confirmation:

“That’s right. They are all devout believers in the Church and believe that this is a gift from God. There are also some people in the lower ranks of the Cornish organization who are under the jurisdiction of the priest. However, they actively requested the transplant after knowing the inside story.”

A chill crept into Liuxia's heart, and her mood grew increasingly heavy.

The Chosen Ones' forbidden research has long since broken through numerous barriers.

The previous potential activation technique, while it could forcibly enhance the talent for cultivating magic and battle aura, required the user to grow and accumulate slowly, and the cost was overdrawing lifespan and destroying life force.

The current magic core transplant technique is brutal and direct, with immediate results. It can instantly awaken the power of magical beasts and give ordinary people with no talent for cultivation any extraordinary combat power.

Although it comes with a high rate of rejection and death, physical deformities, emotional breakdowns and many other aftereffects, it is already a terrifying system that can mass-produce combat power.

Liu Xia looked at the fragments of magic cores on the tray. Although these fragments were only from low-level magical beasts and could only grant mortals rudimentary power at the apprentice level, once Mayocles completely overcame the technical barriers and perfected the transplantation system, they would be able to continuously produce combat power and completely break the balance of power on the continent.

It all started more than a decade ago when Carmela began to dabble in the laws of life and destiny through the Rose Baron Nur Anthony, who wielded the demonic sword [Idunir]!

In just over a decade, this group of people has gradually developed life magic to such a terrifying degree!

Just as Ryuka was lost in thought, her mind heavy with emotions, Ada's cold voice rang out again, revealing a deeper secret of the organization, leaving Ryuka with mixed feelings and unable to make a judgment.

"I chose this path even after learning about the drawbacks of the Potential Activation Technique. More than possessing the strength of a Grand Mage, it's like a pledge of allegiance to the organization. Many people—like Miss Monica of the Santilla family, her family, and even the nobles of the Bauhinia Kingdom and all the southern continents who have made deals with the organization—are unaware of the side effects of the Potential Activation Technique. This will inevitably become a hidden danger in the future, and transplanting the magic core of magical beasts can, to some extent, restore their vitality. This is one of the reasons why the organization had Father Mayocles research it. Of course, Father Mayocles himself, including myself, is simply obsessed with the research of life magic."

At this point, a self-deprecating smile curved her lips, and a hint of melancholy and clarity flickered in her eyes:

"But it seems that the priest did not regard me as his disciple, but only used me to strengthen his infiltration and control over my father and Linzebao."

But then, as if reliving the excitement of her first time wielding a knife, a sickly blush rose on Ada's face, and she thanked Ryuka again:

“Even after I arrived here, the priest never let me perform a single surgery myself. It was only today that I had this first opportunity. Without the governor’s magical assistance, it probably wouldn’t have gone so smoothly. For that, I want to thank you. Although I won’t see the day when the system of [Life Magic] is established, I have already tasted a sense of satisfaction. Even before I am killed, this sense of accomplishment is enough to comfort me.”

Chapter 46 The Twisted Girl

Ida's words were frank and open, seemingly revealing her true feelings without reservation, but in reality, they concealed a meticulous calculation that was seven parts genuine emotion and three parts pretense.

She knew perfectly well that the current situation was beyond concealment.

Even if she could deceive Ryuka, whose temperament was still somewhat predictable, with her words, she could never deceive Sienna, the demonic insect beside her who could see into people's hearts and read memories.

If she is found to have concealed anything or uttered even the slightest lie, she will inevitably face utter ruin.

After weighing the pros and cons, she had already made up her mind to stop pretending to be kind and virtuous and simply reveal her most authentic and twisted core.

The moment the words left her lips, she clearly caught the icy killing intent that suddenly solidified in Liu Xia's eyes, and a bone-chilling sense of oppression enveloped her, yet she felt no surprise or panic.

She knows her own nature better than anyone else.

Her personality, like her acquired and extremely cold ice magic talent, was already chilling to the bone and devoid of warmth.

Throughout countless human experiments, the only discomfort she experienced was the physical nausea caused by the filth and blood; she never felt any moral guilt or pity.

She is not unaware of good and evil; she is simply born with a deficiency in empathy.

She knew perfectly well that all of this was an act of evil against human ethics, cruel, indifferent, and heinous, but her heart remained numb, unable to feel the pain and despair of the victims.

For her, the bottom line has always been different for different people.