Two seconds later, the result of the second round of the [Mental Assessment] really improved and became "Excellent."
[Congratulations, you have completed the second [Mental Assessment] and received an "Excellent" rating. Up next is the third and final assessment: [Heart Inquiry]. Please prepare as soon as possible to begin the test.]
The mechanical voice sounded again, and the contents of the screen above her changed once more.
The name of the third test was quite different from the previous two. Elara stared at the words [Heart Inquiry] for two seconds. After confirming that her overall condition had returned to its best, she tapped [Start Assessment].
The floating screen emitted a beautiful blue glow, but the surroundings did not change. Only a row of semi-transparent words appeared in front of Elara, accompanied by the mechanical voice.
[Please answer the question.]
[Do you think you are a good person or a bad person?]
Elara paused for a second.
So this was what [Heart Inquiry] meant? The third round was no longer about combat ability, but rather an evaluation of the participant's character?
Looking at the calm, floating pale-blue question in front of her, Elara thought for two seconds. She didn't plan to say something overly flattering to beautify herself, nor did she plan to hide or downplay anything.
She answered according to the principles she had followed since childhood:
"I'm neither a good person nor a bad person. I act according to my own principles."
The mechanical voice paused for a few seconds, as if determining whether her response met the standard.
[Then may I ask, what are your principles?]
Elara looked at the changing content on the blue screen, her clear voice calm:
"Gratitude should be repaid, but grudges must also be returned."
The blue light screen began to flicker.
A slightly blinding white light flashed for a few seconds, and Elara heard the mechanical voice sound again, this time a bit hazy. The previously emotionless mechanical tone actually seemed to carry a slight change in emotion.
[Congratulations, you have successfully passed the third [Heart Inquiry] assessment. Your evaluation is "Excellent."]
[Congratulations, you have achieved "Excellent" in all three assessments and may enter the central core palace.]
[The palace has been opened. Please enter as soon as possible.]
After the mechanical voice fell silent, the surrounding high-tech light beams slowly faded away.
The ancient and primitive dark yellow walls were revealed again, and the damp underground chill returned. On the innermost wall, a simple stone door slowly opened, revealing a deep and narrow path.
Elara turned her head to glance at Uno's side, but after she finished the assessment, the area around her had turned into solid cold walls, making it impossible to see directly.
Elara used the Holy Spirit's blood to send Uno a message, telling him she had passed and he just needed to wait for her, then withdrew her gaze and walked into the passage.
Inside should be the so-called Core Palace. She wasn't sure if it would still contain high-tech elements.
But what surprised Elara was that although there was indeed a palace-like storage area at the end of the path, it didn't have the same futuristic feeling as the assessment room. Instead, it was filled with a heavy and ancient atmosphere.
Stacks of thick bamboo scrolls were neatly placed on wooden racks woven from wood and bamboo. Each stack was six or seven layers high, shaped like pyramids, and were lined up along the wall of the room. A quick glance around showed nearly twenty stacks in total.
The higher the pyramid, the thicker the bamboo scrolls on it. At the very top of each pyramid was not a bamboo scroll but a totem stone plaque, just like the one Elara had once taken from the royal temple of Plumera.
Elara stared at the totem plaques placed at the peak of each stack, and her eyes slightly narrowed.
Back in Plumera, there had only been one totem plaque, and even that caused the top powers of the continent to spy and scheme. They had even sent someone as rare as Sindri, a top assassin of the continent, to approach her just to uncover the secrets of that plaque.
Yet now, more than a dozen totem plaques were displayed plainly before Elara, no more than twenty meters away from her.
Her breath hitched slightly, and just as she was about to step forward for a closer look, a dazzling golden light suddenly appeared in front of her.
Elara raised her hand to block the blinding golden light, squinting as she saw a figure slowly appear within it.
Two seconds later, the light faded.
Elara's brow moved slightly as she looked at the golden-haired man who appeared out of nowhere.
It was the same man she had seen on the fourth floor during the Rare Treasures Banquet among the hundred nations. The one with golden hair and golden eyes, called a living divine vessel in human form.
The first time Elara saw him, she felt he was very inhuman. He clearly looked like a living person but stood at the divine vessel display booth. People walked past him, laughing and chatting, yet all seemed to ignore him completely, as if he were invisible.
If Elara hadn't locked eyes with him back then, and unexpectedly seen her modern self reflected in his eyes, she might have ignored him like everyone else.
Now, watching him appear in such a strange way didn't shock Elara. Instead, it confirmed what Prince Yu had told her. The title given to him was indeed accurate.
This golden-haired, golden-eyed man was closely connected to the divine vessels.
It might even be that he himself was a divine vessel in a unique form.
"Is it you?"
Before Elara could speak, the golden-haired man had already spoken as soon as he saw her. His golden eyes shifted slightly, and those two words slipped from his mouth, as if he hadn't forgotten the brief gaze they had shared during the Rare Treasures Banquet.
His voice was as pleasant as a jade chime, calm and clear. His golden eyes stared at Elara without blinking.
Elara once again saw her reflection clearly in his eyes, but this time, it no longer showed her modern form.
"You... who are you?"
He stared at Elara for a few seconds, his brow slightly furrowed as he muttered the question to himself.
Then, his entire body suddenly scattered like golden sand.
The next moment.
A flawless face appeared enlarged before Elara's eyes.
His pale golden eyes were like amber filled with soft light, so beautiful they almost took one's breath away.
He had reappeared extremely close to her, his straight nose almost touching Elara's, and his gentle breath mingled with hers.
But he seemed unaware of it all. He simply stared deeply at Elara with those beautiful golden eyes, as if trying to see deep into her body and soul.