That was the strangest part. As the Third Princess, if Cecilia merely wanted one usage slot for the Moonlight Sacred Spring, Duke Alves would most likely not refuse if the royal family formally requested it.
Why come to Victor?
Cecilia’s violet eyes narrowed slightly. "Because I don’t want the royal family to know that the curse has deteriorated this badly."
Victor understood right away as he thought back to the story’s plot.
Three years from now, there would be a civil war, a struggle for the throne.
In the original storyline, Cecilia supported the Second Prince and eventually disappeared during the coup. It seemed the relationships inside the Saint Laurent imperial family were far more complicated than they appeared on the surface.
If the other princes discovered that an SS Rank genius princess was already approaching death, many things would change.
"So you want to obtain a slot through me under a private arrangement."
"Correct."
"Payment?"
Cecilia had clearly prepared for this. "A Tier Three Selection Token for the Royal Treasury."
Victor didn’t seem impressed. "And?"
Cecilia lightly frowned. "The Moonlight Sacred Spring is valuable, but one usage slot is not worth more than that."
"Under ordinary circumstances." Victor leaned back against his chair as if he owned the place. "But right now, Your Highness is the one who needs it."
The air became slightly quieter. Cecilia watched him for several seconds, then she suddenly smiled. Very faintly, but it was completely different from the calm expression she had maintained until now.
"You really have changed. The old you wouldn’t have spoken this much in front of me."
A memory belonging to the original Victor quickly surfaced in Victor’s mind.
Right. The original Victor really had pursued her before, and he had been rejected quite thoroughly.
"My taste used to be poor," Victor replied casually.
Cecilia froze slightly, the smile gradually disappearing from her face. "What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing."
"Are you saying I’m unattractive?"
"..."
Victor looked at her.
Wasn’t this woman’s focus a little strange?
Cecilia herself seemed to realize it as well. She quickly returned to her calm demeanor.
"State your condition."
Ding!
Before he could respond, the familiar sound of the system entered his ears.
[SS Rank Special Investment Event has entered a critical stage.]
[Available Investment Item: Moonlight Sacred Spring Usage Qualification ×1.]
[Estimated Investment Value: 3,200,000 Gold Coins.]
[Current Need Compatibility: 72%.]
[Estimated Investment Return Multiplier: 100× to 180×.]
Three million two hundred thousand. Up to one hundred eighty times was already absurd.
But... Need compatibility was only seventy two percent.
Victor quickly noticed it. That meant the Moonlight Sacred Spring was not the optimal investment. It was merely the best solution Cecilia herself had managed to find.
An idea suddenly struck him.
"System. Is there an investment method with higher compatibility?"
[Deep Investment Analysis available.]
[This SS Rank Special Investment Event includes one free Deep Analysis.]
"Use it."
[Analyzing...]
Several seconds later, a long string of text appeared abruptly.
[Analysis Complete.]
[Target’s Core Predicament: Abyssal Heart Erosion Curse.]
[Moonlight Sacred Spring can only delay corrosion and cannot change the target’s ultimate destiny.]
[High Compatibility Investment Plan discovered.]
[Investment Plan: Purify the Abyssal Heart Erosion Curse.]
[Need Compatibility: 100%.]
[Estimated Degree of Destiny Alteration: Extremely High.]
[Estimated Return Multiplier: Minimum 500×.]
Victor’s heart nearly leapt from his chest.
Five hundred times????
And that was only the minimum???
The system’s next notification appeared almost immediately.
[Detected that Host currently possesses the talent "Mana Devour."]
[The Abyssal Heart Erosion Curse is fundamentally a special pollution type mana structure.]
[Theoretically, it can be absorbed by Mana Devour.]
Victor: "..."
His expression genuinely changed for the first time.
Mana Devour?
It could even be used like this?
[Warning.]
[Host’s current Mana Devour level is too low.]
[Directly absorbing the Abyssal Heart Erosion Curse carries severe risk.]
[Success Rate: 17%.]
Wonderful!
Seventeen percent. That was basically suicide!
But in the next moment, another notification immediately followed.
[Detected that investment target possesses High Level Light Element Affinity.]
[If the target actively uses light element mana to weaken the curse structure while the Host simultaneously performs Devouring, success rate can be increased.]
[Estimated Success Rate: 61%.]
Still suicide!
As long as it was not 90 percent, Victor would not throw away his life just like that.
[If combined with the Moonlight Sacred Spring for purification and mana stabilization...]
[Estimated Success Rate: 93%.]
At this, Victor’s eyes suddenly lit up.
So that was it. The Moonlight Sacred Spring was not useless. It simply was not enough by itself. The true investment method was to use it as support, then rely on his own [Mana Devour] to directly consume the curse.
More importantly, if he succeeded, not only would Cecilia’s curse be resolved, but would he also be able to absorb that Abyssal mana?
As though sensing his thoughts, the system refreshed one final time.
[If Host successfully devours the Abyssal Heart Erosion Curse, there is a chance of obtaining additional growth.]
Victor smiled.
What kind of investment was this?
It was practically three benefits from one action. Save an SS Rank investment target, obtain at least a five hundred times return, and strengthen himself at the same time.
Cecilia noticed the sudden change in his expression. "What did you think of?"
Victor raised his eyes toward her. "I can give you the Moonlight Sacred Spring slot."
Cecilia did not appear surprised. "Condition?"
"But I have a question."
"Speak."
"What if..." Victor leaned slightly forward, his gaze settling on her violet eyes. "I have a way to completely remove the curse from your body?"
The air seemed to freeze completely at that moment.
Every trace of expression disappeared from Cecilia’s face. She did not smile, she did not question him, and she did not even speak immediately.
After several full seconds, she slowly opened her mouth.
"Victor."
For the first time, her voice was no longer as calm as before.
"Do you understand what you’re saying?"
"Of course."
"Tier Six royal healers couldn’t do it. A Tier Six priest from the Church couldn’t do it either."
"So?" Victor calmly asked in return. "Because they couldn’t do it, does that mean no one can?"
Cecilia stared at him intensely, as though trying to find even the slightest trace that he was joking, but there was none.
After a long while, she suddenly stood up.
"Come with me."
"Where?"
"Underground. There’s a sealed treatment chamber beneath the White Tower reserved for the royal family."
Victor raised an eyebrow. "Now?"
Cecilia was already walking toward the door.
"If you’re lying to me..." Her footsteps stopped, and she turned her head slightly. At that moment, her violet eyes were frighteningly cold. "I’ll make you regret walking into this place today."
Victor smiled instead. "And if I really can cure you?"
Cecilia fell silent for a moment. "What do you want?"
The system notification suddenly appeared at that exact moment.
[SS Rank target has undergone intense emotional fluctuation.]
[Special Investment Event has officially entered Stage Two.]
[If Host successfully alters the target’s destined death, an ultra high multiplier Destiny Return will be triggered.]
Victor stood up. As he passed beside Cecilia, his footsteps paused slightly.
"We’ll talk after I cure you. After all..."
He looked at the silver haired girl standing only a short distance away.
"Only then will Your Highness truly be able to afford what I want."
Cecilia narrowed her eyes slightly.
The two stared at each other for several seconds. In the end, she said nothing. She simply turned around and walked deeper into the White Tower.
And within Victor’s vision, a line of crimson system text slowly appeared.
[Hidden Hint.]
[The Abyssal Heart Erosion Curse did not form naturally.]
[Artificial inscription traces detected within the curse.]
Victor’s footsteps abruptly stopped.
Artificial?
In other words, the Abyssal creature Cecilia encountered eleven months ago might not have been the true reason she became cursed at all.
Someone wanted the Third Princess of the Empire dead.
..
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