"Number 1, you have entered the laboratory with others twice in succession. You have violated the rules and must co with us to et the Master, or face the consequences." It was X9 speaking, his pupils were white, and a faint chill seed to seep from his mouth as he spoke.
X5 and X2 did not speak, but from their indifferent and disgusted expressions, it was clear they sided with X9 as well.
Clearly, though they were like Reynaud, also experintal specins, they completely lacked Reynaud’s free thinking; they had been thoroughly brainwashed.
Under the gaze of the three, Reynaud lowered his head and was silent for a long ti.
After a while, he finally spoke, "Rin, I told you before, I am not Number 1, I am Reynaud."
X9, the man whom Reynaud called ’Rin’, showed a slight fluctuation in his eyes after hearing Reynaud’s words, but ultimately returned to his indifferent deanor: "It seems you’re still stubbornly resisting, so don’t bla us."
As soon as X9 finished speaking, he didn’t negotiate further with Reynaud and directly adopted an attack stance with X5 and X2.
However, just when Reynaud thought they would attack, he saw them abruptly turn their heads, imdiately turning to flee, the montum built up earlier vanishing instantly without a trace.
Reynaud was montarily stunned but quickly realized what was happening.
Reynaud believed that the three of them, much like the Shadow Phantom on the second level, were there to ambush him.
But unlike the Shadow Phantom, the three of them had the sense to see what was happening, and they had independent judgnt.
These surviving experintal subjects usually spent most of their ti gathering intelligence. With their insight, how could they not recognize Nis and Kanter?
One is a renowned Soul Wizard, and the other is the leader of a secret clan. Even facing only one would make victory unlikely, let alone confronting both at the sa ti.
In such a situation, it was impossible to ambush Reynaud effectively, so the best solution was certainly to flee and seek help.
However, escaping from the presence of official wizards was quite unlikely.
Neither Nis nor Kanter even had to make a move themselves; they just let the armored Knight co forward, who single-handedly blocked the three of them.
Perhaps because they were only facing the armored Knight, they did not completely despair. They all brought out their strongest abilities, trying to defeat the armored Knight to escape.
Unfortunately, the controller of the armored Knight was Nis, who, with absolute power, took less than two minutes to subdue the three of them onto the ground.
However, this does not an they were not strong. If they were placed in the Supernova competition, they would certainly have the qualifications to compete for a supernova. Moreover, their combat exhibited so highlights, such as — Soul Arms.
Their Soul Arms were all different. X9, called ’Rin’ by Reynaud, could control a vast amount of cold air with his Soul Arms, able to serve as a controller during battle.
X5, also known as ’Tooth’, materialized his Soul Arms as a ghostly green dagger that could slice through souls and poison them. In battle, he could weaken his opponents.
As for X2, whom Reynaud called ’Scythe’, he was the strongest among the three. He directly drew a pitch-black, long-handled scythe from the Land of the Soul, and while engaging in an open and aggressive fight, he fiercely confronted the armored Knight. In the beginning, he even chopped off the head of the armored Knight, showing just how violent his attack was... only, the inside of the armored Knight was a soul, so what was cut off was actually the helt, causing no harm.
The three possessed abilities to weaken, control, and assault, forming an already perfected team. Facing any strong apprentice would grant them a battle-worthy challenge. Even the champions of the Supernova competition, Onassis and Trom, might struggle against such a combination.
Their collaboration in capturing Reynaud should have been easily executed. Unfortunately, Reynaud returned with two exceptional powerhouses by his side...
After capturing the three, Nis imdiately sealed their souls, immobilizing them from inside out. Reynaud had ntioned a suicide switch hidden within them that would activate directly upon mission failure. Sealing them was a precaution.
After sealing their souls, Nis proceeded with interrogation through their souls, attempting to glean more intelligence.
However, the information they provided was no more than what Reynaud already knew. It was normal, given that Reynaud’s rank was higher, and he was privy to more information than they were.
The only intelligence obtained was that they were indeed here to ambush Reynaud. Moreover, they had been stationed there since three days prior, to capture Reynaud at the earliest opportunity.
Notably, those who assigned them to capture were from Number 03, and they were unaware of the Shadow Phantom’s presence on the second floor.
Of course, this didn’t imply that the Shadow Phantom was not also there to ambush Reynaud. Various signs suggested that the Shadow Phantom was orchestrated by Number 02, that skilled Shadow Wizard adept in concealnt and ambushing.
Number 03’s n knew nothing of the ambush set by Number 02, perhaps because Number 03 hadn’t inford them, or possibly because... Number 03 was also ignorant of Number 02’s arrangent.
If it were the latter, it would indeed be intriguing.
Number 03 wanted to capture Reynaud, and so did Number 02, but they were acting independently and secretively.
If this was truly the case, it indicated that Reynaud possessed sothing of great interest to them, perhaps... a Luck Talent?
Of course, this remained re speculation and determining its authenticity was challenging.
Yet, if it were true, perhaps Number 01 also harbored designs on Reynaud and had set an ambush sowhere?
That’s all the intelligence the three knew. They had remained concealed nearby for the past few days, disinterested in other matters, even unaware that all the combat personnel had been sent out.
Nis also inquired about the whereabouts of the researchers from these few levels, to which they had no answer.
To avoid wasting ti, Nis ceased his questioning, though Reynaud, pondering over sothing, inquired, "Do you know where ’Song’ is?"
The three were silent for a mont before X9 finally replied, "Don’t know. You should know better than us; she rarely appears in the laboratory. Perhaps she’s outside on a mission."
Reynaud nodded and fell silent.
With the interrogation over, it was ti to decide what to do with the three of them.
Reynaud pleaded with Nis on their behalf, as incompatible as their personalities were, he couldn’t bear to see his forr companions perish before him.
After pondering for two seconds, Nis decided not to kill them but confined the three in his Exile Space.
It wasn’t Reynaud’s plea that worked; rather, it was Nis’s intense interest in Soul Arms. Given that the three were the carefully selected and ultimately successful experints from the laboratory, they might aid in his future research on Soul Arms, thus sparing their lives.
Next, they did not encounter any other dangers and followed Angel’s guidance to search for the third layer’s control nodes.
On their journey, Nis curiously asked Reynaud, "Who is the ’Song’ you ntioned earlier?"
"She is... Number X3." Reynaud’s voice was slightly low, and his mood inexplicably downcast.
"The one you said could control sea beasts?" Nis rembered that not long ago, Reynaud introduced his fellow experint partners and specifically ntioned X3, saying her soul arms could control large sea beasts to so extent, making her the most unique among the test subjects.
"Yes." Reynaud said, "Her ability is very dangerous, being able to control sea beasts, which is why most of her tasks involve patrolling the nearby sea area. Half of the ships that intrude into the Mist Belt get swallowed by the harsh sea conditions, while the other half are generally sunk by the sea beasts she’s controlling... If you encounter her, you need to be very cautious."
After listening, Nis raised his eyebrows slightly; controlling sea beasts to drive away outsiders in the Mist Belt truly is a powerful ability. Even if she cannot control Wizard Level sea beasts, ordinary sea beasts are enough to overturn cargo ships guarded by Transcendents in the harsh conditions of the Devil’s Sea.
Nis said, "X3’s ability is to control sea beasts. When we ca, there were very few sea beasts nearby. Perhaps, X3 also went to The Nest with those combat personnel to lead the sea beasts away."
This was Nis’s speculation, but considering the current situation, it might actually be the case.
Angel said, "Reynaud, from your tone, you seem to care about her?"
Reynaud was silent for a mont, then nodded, "Yes, she used to be my best partner, and we shared the sa ideals, but later she was brainwashed by the laboratory."
Simply put, Reynaud and X3 were once barely soul mates, but then X3 abandoned the previous ideals and embraced the blind loyalty of the Lacey Association. This was a huge blow to Reynaud; there are things that if you didn’t have them initially, you wouldn’t mind losing them, but once they are there from the beginning, losing them is naturally hard to accept.
No one comnted on the past between Reynaud and X3, rely glossing over it lightly.
Following this, they didn’t discuss the topic of X3 further, and continued searching through the vast third-layer corridor for the final destination.
Before long, they arrived at a spacious corridor.
This was still not a control node, but there was a door here that caught Nis’s attention.
Exhibition Room.
The third-layer’s exhibition room was located on this corridor.
They were originally searching for control nodes, but passed by here in the process.
"Do you want to go in?" Angel also noticed the exhibition room’s naplate and turned the Authority Eye to look at Nis.
Nis didn’t hesitate, shook his head directly, "There’s no rush, we can talk about it after finding the control nodes."
Although Nis had a strong desire for the exhibits, he was clear about the current situation. They were not entirely safe yet; only after finding the control nodes, helping Angel confirm the location of the main control, and resolving their safety issues, would he have the mind to consider beneficial matters.
Therefore, despite seeing the exhibition room’s door, they bypassed it directly.
Nis forced himself not to look at the exhibition room, while Kanter stared at the exhibition room’s door, seemingly pondering sothing.
After a while, Kanter picked up the Authority Eye and asked Angel, "By the way, have you ever thought about getting a soul arm?"
Angel replied without hesitation, "No need."
Angel was sowhat interested in soul arms, but obtaining one requires organ transplants, which he rejected.
It’s not that he opposed organ transplants, but since Sanders once ntioned that before thoroughly understanding the projected bloodline, it is best not to transplant organs recklessly.
Transplanting organs from other organisms can cause rejection, and if not handled properly, it might even pollute one’s bloodline. Whether the projected bloodline can accept "contamination" is still uncertain. Generally speaking, mixed bloodlines may lead to bodily collapse.
Of course, there are thods to clear the drawbacks of mixed bloodlines. The bloodline side can use spell technique; the non-bloodline side can rely on magic pattern and potions.
But this is based on research around ordinary bloodlines; Angel’s projected bloodline is currently unique in the Southern Domain Wizards’ World, so caution is advisable.
With such considerations, even though Angel is interested in soul arms, he wouldn’t choose transplantation.
Kanter said, "I vaguely know sothing about your situation from Sanders. Although he didn’t say directly, the main reason you don’t want to transplant organs should be the fear of bloodline pollution, right?"
Angel nodded.
Kanter continued, "You’ve actually fallen into a thought trap; you fear bloodline pollution, but why not choose an organ that doesn’t pollute the bloodline?"
Angel was a bit stunned, "There are such organs?"
It wasn’t Kanter who spoke next, but Nis, adding, "It seems the period you spent secluded in the ruins was still not enough."
"I was honing my abilities in the Illusion Series..."
Nis explained, "Organs that pollute the bloodline are generally those that overlap with human organs or those necessary for use must enter the internal cycle. For example, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, tongue, limbs... these parts already exist in the human body, so if you transplant external organs, they must enter the internal cycle to function, which might lead to bloodline pollution."
"However, certain organs that humans do not naturally possess or are purely driven by energy cycle do not partake in internal cycling. These organs can be transplanted; though this isn’t transplantation per se, rather like embedding a special tool onto you that can be replaced anyti."
"For instance, the Phantasm Wings of the White Night Butterfly, which don’t exist in the Material Realm because they are an energy product, cannot possibly pollute your bloodline."
"Also, the external exoskeleton of the Snakehead Widow is for defense and doesn’t involve internal circulation."
Under Nis’s explanation, Angel was sowhat amazed, as it was his first ti hearing about such transplantable organs. If they truly do not pollute bloodlines and can be replaced freely, they indeed suit him well.
Nis continued, "Of course, these organs that don’t involve internal circulation usually aren’t very effective. To most wizards, these organs might seem even less useful than their own alchemy tools, seeming quite out of place."
"Honestly, I felt the sa way."
"However, despite their reputation, I think they suit you well. You don’t need the effect of organ transplants, but you can try soul arms, as non-Soul Sect souls are very fragile. Having a soul arm for protection is surely beneficial for you."
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