The laboratory doors sealed shut, locking out the world and leaving Leylin in his personal sanctuary of cold steel and biological decay. The air in the experiment room was thick with the copper tang of blood and the sterile, sharp scent of preservative fluids.
It was a macabre gallery: the dissected corpses of Rank 1 magical beasts hung from silver hooks, their muscular fibers exposed for study, while the bodies of several Grand Knights lay on stone slabs, their chests carved open to reveal the blackened, pulsating veins of the bloodline experiments.
Even the remains of a fallen Dark Magus sat in a corner, partially submerged in a vat of green liquid, his brain matter connected to a network of wires.
Dominating the center of the room was a labyrinth of complex machinery. Beside the Bloodline Extraction Transfuge and the humming Elemental Excluder, several other apparatuses worked in silent mechanical harmony: A Soul-Core Distiller, which hissed as it purified spiritual remnants.
An Arterial Pressure Regulator, keeping the blood flow in nearby specimens constant. The Runographic Inscription Table, where Leylin carved his formations.
A Cryogenic Essence Stasis Chamber, holding rare ingredients in a frozen state.
The Neural-Synapse Synchronizer, a delicate web of silver needles used for soul-mapping. A Molecular Disintegration Vat, for disposing of "failed" biological samples.
Further back, three figures were entrapped by Runic Chains of imprisonment.
Black Boa Razors (Specimens 1 & 2): Massive, heavy-bodied constrictors with charcoal-black, serrated scales. Their most striking feature is a jagged, triangular obsidian-like ridge of sharp protrusions running from their skulls to the tips of their tails.
Green-Eyed Viper (Specimen 3): A leaner, emerald-green serpent with an oily, venomous sheen. Its primary feature is its bulging, glowing green globes for eyes, featuring vertical slit pupils that shimmer with phosphorescence even under sedation.
Multiple Runic Chains glow with a faint blue light, suppressing their Rank 1 elemental essence and keeping them in a state of heavy, helpless lethargy.
Sedated and weakened, they barely offered a flick of their tongues as Leylin approached.
With a cold wave of his hand, Leylin summoned his primary companion. The Black Horrall Snake slithered from the shadows, its obsidian scales shimmering with a metallic luster.
"Kill them," Leylin commanded. The Horrall snake moved with blinding speed, its fangs sinking into the throats of the three sedated serpents.
As their life force faded, Leylin commanded the A.I. Chip.
"Soulbound Devourer—Engage."
He reached out, his materialized spiritual force acting as a bridge. The souls of the two Black Boa Razors and the Green-Eyed Viper were ripped from their cooling bodies, appearing as three flickering orbs of green and black light.
Because these snakes were distant descendants in the massive family tree of the Great Kemoyin Serpent, their soul signatures possessed a high degree of synergy with the Black Horrall Snake.
Leylin funneled their essence directly into his summon. The Black Horrall Snake hissed in a mixture of agony and ecstasy, its body growing larger, its scales thickening until they looked like black armor.
[Beep! Soul Fusion Complete. Black Horrall Snake has devoured three compatible soul fragments. Recalculating stats...]
[Black Horrall Snake (Summon) Strength: 21.1, Agility: 14.4, Vitality: 27.9, Spiritual Force: 85.6, Magic Power: 85. Elemental Essence Conversion: 99%. Status: Peak Rank 1.]
"Good. With 99% elemental conversion, even a Rank 2 would be caught off guard by the Black Horrall Snake's Shadow Concealment if he's not careful." Leylin thought as he looked around at the piles of specimens around him with a wry smile. "I guess there really is no rest for the wicked..."
....
While Leylin delved into the macabre, a different kind of theater was playing out in the Four Seasons Garden.
A grand banquet was held in the hall for the members of the Potioneering team. Hazelnut chicken, roasted suckling pig, honey wine, and other sumptuous dishes were arranged in staggering abundance.
At the center of the table lay delicacies unique to the Magus World, their alluring scents mingling with fine wine to tempt even the most disciplined palate.
After the dinner, Decarte—the Potioneering team leader—knocked on a golden cup. Clad in white robes with embroidered green vines, his face common and his forehead adorned with a dark green headband, he looked deceptively indolent.
*Ding-ling!* The room fell silent. Lancey and the other Magi stood in anticipation.
"Everyone! Before we get into important matters, let me announce something!" Decarte cleared his throat. "Today, the hunting team's Caesar looked for me, hoping to have a few Potion Masters join him! As you know, the Eternal River Plains' secret plane is a theater of frequent battle, resulting in a dire lack of healers. Many Potion Masters can achieve the same effects."
Lancey's heart lurched. Caesar.
"The following are to be sent: Wilkenson, Saladin… and lastly, Lancey!"
Countless eyes turned toward her—some curious, some worried, but most brimming with schadenfreude.
'Damn you, Caesar,' Lancey thought, her face a mask of calm. 'I haven't even begun to collect interest for your slights and you target me now. Fine. Master ordered me to enter the secret planes anyway; you're playing right into my plans. But I will remember this, you three-eyed bitch!'
Her ostensible team leader, Martin, sighed heavily. He knew that without Lancey, his workload would become unbearable, but he lacked the courage to dispute Decarte's decision.
"You have five days to prepare," Decarte warned, his eyes lingering on Lancey. "Report to the branch at the Eternal River Plains. Otherwise, you will be branded a traitor!"
A day later, Lancey set off. The sun shone mercilessly, distorting the air with heat and dust. The silence of the main road was shattered only by the rhythmic Thud-Thud-Thud of her horse.
Suddenly, a thick gray fog rolled in. The branches of the surrounding trees twisted like the gnarled hands of monsters reaching for her. A heavy, unnatural drowsiness enshrouded her mind.
"A.I. Chip, expel the hallucinogen!" Lancey commanded.
[Beep! Hallucinogen detected. Initiation of expulsion... Success.] [Alert: Attack origin identified. Direction: 2 o'clock. Energy Signature: Semi-converted Rank 1 Magus.]
Lancey's icy blue glare pierced the mist.
"Hei Hei… Lancey Evans, you are quite sharp to defend against my hypnosis so easily!" The voice of a little boy drifted through the fog. "Is it alright if I call you Lancey? Or should I use a more familiar term... Virago?"
Lancey's brow furrowed. She was disguised as a standard Light Magus, yet this Dark Magus from the Thousand Meddling Leaves had seen through it.
'It must be related to the Old Witch's disappearance,' Lancey reasoned.
Leylin had purposefully left clues to her identity, intending for the Thousand Meddling Leaves to attempt to blackmail her.
This "exposure" was part of a larger plan to turn her into a double agent, ensuring that neither the Dark Magi nor the suspicious Chairman Reynold of the Four Seasons Garden could easily pin her down.
"Boy! What do you want?" Lancey asked bluntly. The Magus before her, known as 'Boy', was a powerful semi-converted Magus. Lancey had worked with him before, but she harbored a secret, deep-seated hatred for him.
"Hehe… This is about Old Devil," the boy snickered. "She is an elder, and it is unknown if she is alive or dead. The 'Boss' has instructed us to investigate. Her final appearance was an invitation to you and Brass Ring for an expedition…"
"Brass Ring perished!" Lancey snapped. "As for Old Devil, she is currently unable to leave! I have no comments on the secret plane's location!"
"You're the Virago, after all!" the boy laughed. "Straightforward as always. But let's move on. I bring a mission from the Boss!"
At the mention of the 'Boss,' his tone turned sharp.
"Since when does the Thousand Meddling Leaves force missions on its members?" Lancey asked, her eyes narrowing.
"It's different now," the boy threatened, his tone dripping with arrogance. "I believe you will do whatever is necessary for the organization to protect your identity. Am I right, Lancey Evans... or should I say, Virago?"