I watched Evelyn Norton's retreating figure disappear down the hotel corridor. Her midnight visit had left me with more than just the pulsating Demonic Beast Core in my hands—it had given me food for thought about alliances and power.
The jade box felt heavy in my palm. I closed the door and leaned against it, examining the dark, glistening core. Grade four. Rare and dangerous.
"So this is her idea of an investment," I muttered to myself.
I carried the box to the table, clearing away the last of Caleb's herbs to make space. Under the lamplight, the core seemed to throb with dark energy—alive despite being separated from its original host.
Most cultivators wouldn't dare consume such a thing. The stories of horrible deaths and twisted mutations were legendary. Yet Evelyn had survived the process, even thrived from it.
