"Boom!!!" A deafening explosion suddenly erupted.
The thick wooden door of the laboratory, as if struck by an invisible giant hammer, instantly shattered into countless fragments that shot outwards.
Following that, even more terrifying, the street-facing wall of the laboratory collapsed with a crash under the violent impact.
Bricks and stones flew, dust billowed into the sky, and more than half of the laboratory roof caved in, with a fierce blast of air mixed with rubble and wood chips rushing towards them.
Karl reacted quickly; at the moment of the explosion, he instinctively retreated rapidly.
At the same time, he raised his arm to shield his head and face, narrowly avoiding being buried in the ruins.
The hot airflow and pervasive dust made it almost impossible for him to open his eyes.
"Triss! Triss!" He waved his arm to clear the dust in front of him, calling out anxiously.
As the dust dissipated, the scene before him was alarming.
The once neat and mysterious laboratory was now a ruin, with broken beams, shattered bottles, and charred books scattered everywhere.
In the center of the ruins, a hemispherical, sapphire-blue magic shield stubbornly flickered.
Beneath the shield, Triss stood unharmed.
Her fiery red hair was a bit disheveled, and her face held an expression of shock and bewilderment as she surveyed the surrounding mess.
Karl keenly noticed that the magic shield protecting Triss was extremely unstable.
Its light flickered erratically, sometimes bright, sometimes almost transparent, as if it could dissipate at any moment.
"Triss! Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Karl quickly made his way through the rubble to the shield, asking urgently.
Triss saw Karl, let out a sigh of relief, dismissed the wavering shield, and shook her head.
"I'm fine… but… this is too strange," she furrowed her delicate brows, her face full of confusion.
"I was just practicing a routine Fireball spell, and there were no issues with the incantation or magic channeling."
"But the magic in the laboratory suddenly became extremely chaotic and violent, and the spell structure instantly lost control, which triggered this fierce explosion…"
"That feeling was… like… being interfered with by a large amount of Dimeritium!"
Hearing the words "Dimeritium," Karl first froze, then an expression of extreme embarrassment appeared on his face.
He instinctively raised a hand to his forehead, his gaze drifting, too uncomfortable to look at Triss.
He quietly and imperceptibly turned his head, his gaze falling on a corner of the laboratory.
Indeed, the box containing the Dimeritium gifted by Foltest was sitting there, safe and sound.
He knew Dimeritium affected spellcasters, but he never expected its interference effect to be so strong even from twenty meters away.
Additionally, he hadn't anticipated Triss practicing spells inside the laboratory.
Because previously, when Triss was learning Alzur's spells, it was in a remote suburb.
"Uh… Triss."
"I think… the reason for the spell's instability might… have something to do with me," Karl coughed dryly, his tone apologetic.
He raised his hand, pointing to that inconspicuous corner: "In that box… is Dimeritium."
Triss followed his gaze, first startled, then a surge of annoyance welled up in her emerald eyes.
She glared at Karl, her chest rising and falling slightly, wanting to say something reproachful.
But seeing Karl's sincerely embarrassed and apologetic expression, the words on the tip of her tongue were swallowed back.
She ultimately just clenched her fist and lightly punched Karl's chest.
Then, she crossed her arms, turned her head away, and sulked by herself.
In her opinion, although Karl had strong physical abilities, his understanding of sorcerers and magic was ultimately limited.
He most likely didn't know that Dimeritium could interfere with magic, nor was he aware of its range of influence or specific effects.
The destruction of the laboratory this time seemed more like an invisible accident and couldn't be entirely blamed on him.
Karl looked at Triss's pouting profile, feeling a bit guilty.
At this moment, he naturally didn't dare to admit that he had actually somewhat estimated the power of Dimeritium.
Although he had still underestimated it… confessing now would be akin to adding fuel to the fire.
To change the subject, and also to truly understand the characteristics of this item.
Karl tentatively asked, "Triss, how much does this Dimeritium… specifically affect you sorcerers?"
Although Triss was still angry, upon hearing Karl's question, she rolled her eyes irritably.
She sighed softly and explained, "Dimeritium… humph, to us, it's like poison."
"Generally speaking, within thirty meters, it can make spells very unstable, greatly increasing the chance of error."
"However, sorcerers of our level can still barely cast spells."
She pointed to the surrounding ruins: "But if, like just now, the distance shortens to a dozen meters, the interference will drastically increase, and out of ten spell attempts, perhaps only two or three will succeed."
"And you also have to endure the magical backlash from failed spellcasting, which is very dangerous!"
Triss paused, her tone becoming more serious: "If you get even closer, say within a few meters, almost no sorcerer can successfully channel magic, and forcing an attempt will only lead to catastrophic consequences."
"And the body will also experience strong discomfort; dizziness and nausea are minor. If shackled by Dimeritium cuffs…"
At this point, Triss shivered.
"Then even the most powerful sorcerer will become weaker than an ordinary person, at the mercy of others."
"At least, as far as I know, that's how it is."
After explaining, Triss suddenly remembered a crucial question.
She turned her head, looking at Karl in confusion: "By the way, why did you suddenly get so much Dimeritium?"
"You're still learning the basics of magic yourself, and this stuff isn't good for you. Isn't it just asking for trouble?"
Before Karl could think of how to answer, Triss's expression shifted, as if she had thought of something.
She looked at Karl's slightly unnatural expression and immediately understood.
Nine times out of ten, it was because of Keira's previous attempt to control him with mind magic that had stimulated him.
Making him desperately want to find a means to counteract magic.
She raised her hand and gently placed her slender index finger on Karl's lips, stopping his impending explanation.
Her eyes held a hint of understanding and complexity: "Alright, you don't need to say anything… I probably guessed it."
Just then, two low coughs, choked by dust, came from the entrance of the ruins.
The two turned to look, only to see Fikat and Keira.
They were entering the ruined laboratory, one after another, somewhat disheveled, stepping over the piled bricks and stones.
Such violent magical fluctuations and explosions naturally alarmed the other two royal advisors also in the Temple District.
Fikat looked around, his face showing surprise, but more so confusion.
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