Translator: SumTLMan
The only discordant spot in this Material Storage is a rugged, hemispherical metal room located beside the artificial lake.
On the room’s large door hangs a copper plaque inscribed in cursive: Spell Testing Ground.
From the traces on the ground, the font on the plaque, and the architectural style, Angel is quite certain that this Spell Testing Ground was an addition by Tizarro himself.
Tizarro had no use for such a vast Material Storage, but a Spell Testing Ground was essential.
After touring the storage, Angel, setting aside the Spell Testing Ground, found himself quite fond of the storage.
The multitude of ecological zones, the thorough consideration for material preservation, led Angel to suspect that the first owner of these ruins, the original builder, might have been an alchemist. Otherwise, why would one need such a large storage?
For those who are not alchemists, this storage indeed seems too vast. Tizarro, it seems, was not an alchemist.
Although currently empty, Angel considers that if he decides to reside here long-term, he could gradually fill this storage in the future.
With this pleasant thought, Angel exits the Material Storage.
Currently, the storage seems safe. The only room in the entire ruin yet to be explored by him is the most crucial one: the laboratory.
Initially, when Tree Spirit suggested he move to these ruins, he referred to the site as an abandoned laboratory.
Setting aside the “abandoned” prefix, the most critical and important part of these ruins is undoubtedly this laboratory.
Tizarro even left a blood-colored annotation on the door: Do Not Enter Without Invitation!
This indirectly illustrates the importance of this laboratory.
Given the lab’s significance, it’s highly likely that there are mechanisms and traps here. Angel had already prepared for all contingencies before opening the lab door, even… The model of the Gateway of Fantasy was already flickering, just to avoid being caught unprepared in case of an emergency.
However, when Angel pushed open the lab’s main door and entered, he found that there were no anomalies.
Just like all the other rooms, it was both quiet and safe.
It’s not that there were no traps at all; upon entering, Angel noticed the intricate and threatening patterns on the walls, drawn by rune wizards as mechanism runes.
However, these mechanism runes were now dim, probably due to a lack of energy supply.
Generally, in ruins, the core of the mechanisms is bound to have an energy source. The absence of an energy supply in these mechanism runes here suggested two possibilities: either the energy was exhausted, or the energy source had been actively removed.
The energy consumed by the mechanism runes was minimal; as long as the mechanisms were not touched daily, a single magic crystal could probably sustain them for many years. Therefore, Angel thought it unlikely that the energy had been exhausted. The wizards who lived here were almost certainly not concerned about one or two magic crystals.
Thus, it was highly likely that the energy source had been taken away.
It was probable that someone had cleared all the dangers from this ruin before sealing it.
Once certain that the lab was safe, Angel finally took the time to look around the lab. As previously mentioned by the tree spirit, the experimental equipment inside the ruin was very complete. The only regret for him was that all these experimental tools were of ancient design, significantly different from the contemporary tools that were up-to-date.
The technology in the Wizarding World had been continuously developing. Ancient things, including technology, knowledge, and tools, were not necessarily inferior; but they were definitely not as applicable as contemporary ones.
As Kimberly from Black Castle journeyed, she acquired mechanical alchemy techniques from centuries ago, which were the pinnacle of that era, yet her current urgent desire is not to learn at Sky Mechanical City.
In a world without a civilization gap, modern techniques are undoubtedly more suitable for contemporary people than ancient ones.
Of course, these ancient-style experimental tools are not unusable, just not as convenient as today’s.
Setting aside experimental tools, Angel is quite satisfied with the layout of this laboratory; it’s a standard laboratory form, larger than his lab at the Flowing Source, with many corresponding experimental compartments based on the type of experiment.
Among these, Angel’s main focus is the alchemy laboratory.
Deep inside, Angel found the alchemy lab. On opening the door, however, he frowned.
Although dust-free, it was a mess inside, with many experimental tools knocked over, and the equipment on the lab tables haphazardly arranged.
Compared to the outside labs used for research projects, this one seemed as if it had been ransacked.
Moreover, Angel noticed that the experimental tools in the alchemy lab were even more ancient than those outside.
The tools outside for research projects were ancient-style from a few centuries ago; those in the alchemy lab were at least a millennium old.
This led Angel to speculate that these alchemy tools might have been left by the first owner of the ruins.
The second owner——Tizarro, not skilled in alchemy, had haphazardly piled various alchemy tools here, while his own tools were in the outside lab.
Angel did not begin to tidy the cluttered alchemy lab but instead stepped back out.
Although he was very interested in the alchemy lab, it didn’t mean he would start working immediately. His current priority was to consolidate himself; the alchemy lab could wait for now.
After leaving the alchemy experiment, Angel didn’t directly depart the area but instead went to another experimental compartment a few dozen meters away.
He could distinctly feel something inside, resonating with the —Tizarro Experiment Record No. 117 (Volume I)— in his pocket.
Presumably, it was the second volume of this experimental record.
Upon opening the compartment’s large door, Angel immediately spotted a bundle of scrolls on the control panel, which were indeed the second volume of Experiment Record No. 117.
Surveying the laboratory, he noticed many large nurturing pods. Generally, these pods are used to nurture biological entities, but these were empty.
Angel speculated that Tizarro’s Experiment Record No. 117 probably involved biology.
The exact nature of the experiment would likely be clear after reading the records. So, without further thought, he prepared to pick up the second volume and return to the study upstairs.
However, as Angel picked up the scroll, a ‘click-click’ sound suddenly emerged from within the control panel.
Frowning, Angel noticed that the second volume of the experiment record was precisely pressing on a protruding button on the control panel. This button was inadvertently triggered when he lifted the scroll.
Unaware of what this button controlled or what might happen, Angel cautiously exited the laboratory to be safe.
After nearly five minutes without any signs of disturbance, he re-entered the inner room.
Everything seemed as calm as before.
The only difference was a raised platform in the center of the control panel.
On the platform, there was a pitch-black iron box.