Chapter 2395 Partition <TOC> Chapter 2397 Core in a Bottle
Previous page password is bold portion: 0RE8a=Ru4_Th
Translator: SumTLMan
“The call following the fluctuation is quite unfamiliar,” Nisi murmured.
Canter replied, “Speaking of the fluctuation, I remember the last time there was a distinct cry of a wild beast mixed in with it.”
Nisi said, “I noticed that too. I guess the Nest they explored is indeed a sea beast’s nest. Just not sure if our speculation is correct, whether it really could be the offspring of Ziz… Hey, our lucky mascot, didn’t you say there were staff members around? How come I don’t see any? If we could catch someone to ask, we might get an answer.”
“Staff members are indeed usually around here; I don’t know what’s happened. Maybe they went to the lower levels?” Reynolds’ voice came through the mental connection, and regarding the nickname of ‘lucky mascot,’ he had already become very calm. Since he couldn’t resist, he could only accept it.
“Then let’s go to the lower levels. But, I remember you mentioned there’s an Exhibition Room for Soul Armor on this level? Since we’ve come this far, let’s go have a look.” From Nisi’s slightly excited tone, it was clear he wanted to do more than just “look.”
Angel listened to the conversation in the mental connection for a while before blocking it again, as it was mostly Nisi’s monologue and self-entertainment. Instead of wasting time listening to him ramble, it was better to study runes.
After the law ripples dissipated, Angel immersed himself back into the study of runes.
On the other hand, under Nisi’s strong request, Reynolds went to the exhibition room on the first level.
Along the way, they passed the research center, storage room, and material vault, with Nisi entering every room to take a look. His goal was not just to “look”, if possible, taking something would be even better; however, in the end, he only “looked.” Because the items on the first level were not appealing to him.
According to Reynolds, the most valuable things on the first level were only two: the staff members and the exhibition room.
The staff members are the core of the laboratory. Even those on the first level would be involved in many core-related research, undoubtedly valuable.
And the exhibition room, although each level has one and their value increases with each level, it doesn’t mean the first level’s exhibition room is without value.
Reynolds’ Soul Armor, for example, was originally from an exhibition room on the first level. The value of a Soul Armor lies not in the item itself but in the person using it.
Reynolds led the way, with Nisi observing his surroundings as he walked.
Reynolds had always said that there weren’t many dangers inside the laboratory, with mechanisms that could be avoided with caution. This gave Nisi the illusion that the laboratory wasn’t very dangerous.
However, walking through the laboratory, Nisi realized that Reynolds’ words were purely his personal bias.
Reynolds, who lived in the laboratory, had become accustomed to everything here. Moreover, many mechanisms would recognize authorization, and Reynolds hardly ever triggered the lab’s mechanisms, so his perception was limited.
Now following Reynolds through the laboratory, it seemed they also didn’t trigger any mechanisms, but this was only because Reynolds was leading the way. If someone without a guide barged in, Nisi believed they wouldn’t fare well.
As an experienced wizard, Nisi had already spotted several dangerous mechanisms along the way.
Despite the inherent dangers, the most crucial aspect was that the laboratory’s interior wasn’t as spacious as one might imagine. Although it was interconnected with many large rooms——such as the experimental center and the storage room, most of the space consisted of narrow, cramped corridors.
Throughout their journey, they spent eighty percent of their time in these tight passageways.
These corridors were entirely mechanical in structure and were covered in runes, embedded with energy conduits.
Nisi’s knowledge of rune magic was not particularly strong, but he could still discern that if they triggered the runes in such corridors, they would suffer from the backlash of the entire magic formation against them.
Therefore, walking through the narrow corridors, they could not attack the walls around them. This restriction made their safe passage even narrower.
Moreover, in such narrow and complex corridors, a wrong turn could lead them to a dead end, encountering mechanisms capable of total destruction.
If this situation wasn’t considered dangerous, Nisi didn’t know what danger meant.
It could only be said that they were lucky to have Reynolds, the rebel, with them, which allowed them to move relatively freely and safely within the laboratory.
After walking through corridors filled with green and red lights, mechanical valves, and energy pipes for about ten minutes, they finally arrived at the exhibition room.
The doors of the exhibition room were tightly closed, with two massive steel doors blocking their path. The nameplate of the exhibition room, shining with a normal white light, was prominently placed above the door.
It’s worth mentioning that the nameplate of the exhibition room, in addition to the common script, was inscribed with the tadpole-like script of the Qwest World.
In any other place, facing a sealed chamber, Nisi’s first choice of infiltration method would definitely be soul entry. However, this place was different. The laboratory was almost entirely covered in runes, which were integrated and designed to guard against energy bodies.
The steel doors also had similar runes flickering on them. This meant that they were connected to the entire laboratory’s rune system. Unless the entire laboratory’s runes were destroyed, soul entry was virtually impossible.
Nisi turned to Reynolds and asked, “Is there a way in?”
Reynolds hesitated for a moment and then said, “The last time I came here with Nausica, I could enter, but now, I don’t know if I can still enter without my physical body, and I don’t know if my access has been blocked. Let me try.”
Reynolds stepped forward, took a deep breath, appearing very cautious.
However, this solemn atmosphere was easily pierced by Nisi, who silently said in his mind, “Lucky mascot, don’t forget you’re a soul now. I’m pretty sure you can’t breathe; you’re inhaling loneliness.”
Reynolds almost lost his composure, his soul’s power fluctuating for a while before he managed to calm down. Ignoring Nisi’s teasing, he extended his translucent hand towards the steel door.
The moment Reynolds’ soul hand touched the door, the runes laid out on the door immediately reacted.
Energy flows, moving towards the nameplate above the door.
The nameplate, which reads “Exhibition Room,” shifts from white to yellow light. Simultaneously, a mechanical eye, resembling those found in Sky Mechanical City but lacking wings and instead sporting several spider-like silver tendrils, emerges from the nameplate. These tendrils allow the mechanical eye to securely attach itself to the nameplate.
Upon its appearance, the mechanical eye doesn’t glance at the others but fixes its gaze directly on Reynolds.
Reynolds feels his entire body tense up, his heartbeat accelerating——though he momentarily forgets that he no longer possesses a heartbeat.
After approximately two to three seconds, the mechanical eye retreats back into the nameplate. Concurrently, the nameplate, now flickering with green light, signifies the unlocking of the door.
Hearing a “click” sound by his ear, Reynolds exhales deeply.
“What was that?” Nisi curiously looks towards the nameplate. He hadn’t noticed anything when the mechanical eye first appeared, but later, the eye emitted a fascinating ripple that enveloped Reynolds. This ripple contained a soul’s power, sparking Nisi’s curiosity.
“The Exhibition Room’s steward, or rather, an Authority Eye.”
Nearly every exhibition room is overseen by such mechanical eyes, which govern entry permissions. Everyone entering or exiting the room is subject to its scrutiny. Yellow light indicates verification in process, green light signifies approval, and red light means failure, triggering an alarm mode.
Nisi asks, “Even though you’ve become a soul, it can still recognize you?”
Reynolds scratches his head, “I’m not entirely sure, but I’ve heard that the Authority Eye doesn’t recognize people but soul marks. It seems that might be true.”
If the Authority Eye identifies individuals based on soul marks, then Reynolds, even as a soul, wouldn’t face restrictions. After all, the soul mark is tattooed onto the soul itself.
Presently, Reynolds’ soul bears two marks: X and 1.
“Identifying soul marks… the creators of this device must have had involvement from that power in the Qwest World,” Nisi thought to himself. However, with no knowledge of that power, he could only speculate in his mind.
Without dwelling further, the most important thing was that the door was now open.
The magic runes on the steel door have been unlocked, and with a rumbling sound, the door slowly opens.
Unlike the other rooms they had visited, a chilling frosty mist rolls out from the gap as the door opens.
As the doors fully open, the interior scene comes into view for everyone.
The exhibition room, with a larger space than the research center, is as spacious as a small to medium-sized square.
Inside, there are numerous metal platforms of various sizes, each holding a special transparent container.
Due to the extremely low temperature inside, the area was enveloped in white frost mist, making it initially unclear what exactly was contained within the transparent vessels.
However, considering the overall layout of the exhibition room, it reminded Nisi of the cavern discovered by Angel in the Central Empire.
Around the cavern’s altar, there were stone platforms, atop which similar containers were placed. The situation here bore a striking resemblance to that of the cavern, except that here, the stone platforms were replaced with metal display stands, which appeared somewhat more refined.
If the situation was indeed similar to that of the cavern, then it was possible that the transparent containers held those… organs.
As Nisi pondered this, the frost mist around a container near the entrance began to dissipate due to the flow of air from outside.
The frost mist on the transparent container also started to clear, revealing its true contents.
It was half of a head.
More precisely, it was half of a head submerged in a clear yellow liquid.
From the round nose and the dark, rough skin, as well as the fan-like large ears, it could be inferred that this half-head likely belonged to a ‘pig’.
Or to be more precise, a pig-like humanoid?
Such beings, possessing certain beastly forms, were almost non-existent in the Southern Region. However, in the Drulna Plane, such entities were quite common, given that the outer gods of this plane were of beastly forms.
“It really is a transplant organ.” Nisi approached the platform, closely examining the pig’s head and discovered that its skin, while appearing rough from a distance, was not simply rough upon closer inspection. Its skin surface was covered with very fine black pores, each absorbing the external energy liquid.
For the time being, let’s refer to it as a pig-person.
The pig-person’s ears were engraved with some primitive-style totems, which vaguely pointed to some unknown entities. These made Nisi feel an inexplicable sense of dread.
“This is a follower of the outer gods from the Drulna Plane, who has undergone numerous baptisms. If transplanted correctly, it could possess a significant power boost,” Canter, a widely knowledgeable scholar, immediately recognized the origins of the pig-person.
“That being said, would anyone really choose to transplant a pig’s head?”
While Nisi was inwardly scoffing, he reached out intending to take the container.
Regardless of whether the pig’s head was desirable or not, it was undoubtedly valuable, as anything displayed in the exhibition room had successfully integrated with Soul Armor.
However, as Nisi was about to touch the container, Reynolds communicated through the mental link: “My lord, the exhibition room has its own protection system. It’s fine for the number of exhibits to fluctuate occasionally, but if too many items are missing, it might trigger the exhibition room’s alarm state.”
“So, you mean we can’t take too much?” Nisi looked dissatisfied.
Reynolds explained, “I’m not sure about the specifics. This is what I heard from someone in the research number.”
Once, Reynolds had also entered the exhibition room and often saw items being moved in and out. At that time, he thought that the items in the exhibition room could be taken freely. Later, a researcher told him that there was a daily quota for directly taking items from the exhibition room, which was to facilitate the researchers’ access. Once the quota was exceeded, the exhibition room would enter a state of alert.
When the time comes to take items from the exhibition room, it must be approved by people from the top three numbers.
This is actually a protective mechanism of the laboratory.
It not only facilitates the work of ordinary researchers but also prevents the loss from expanding infinitely when loopholes occur.
Nisi was puzzled: “There are such restrictions?”
On the other side, Canter gestured for Nisi to look at the metal platform. Previously, Nisi had been focused on the pig’s head in the container, neglecting the rest. Now, upon closer inspection, he discovered that there was a magic rune connection between the metal platform and the container.
That is to say, once the container is tampered with, it could indeed trigger a backlash from the magic formation.
Nisi couldn’t help but complain in his mind-link: “This is really unfriendly.”
The others remained silent.
“What do we do now? Can’t take this pig’s head?”
Reynolds: “As long as it doesn’t exceed the limit, it can be taken. Once it approaches the limit, the Authority Eye will appear and flash a yellow light as a warning, then you shouldn’t continue taking… However, it’s best not to let the Authority Eye warn you, because this might alert the people still in the laboratory.”
Although the combat personnel might have left, the staff were still there, and their authority was not low. If alerted in advance, some of the treasures in the exhibition room below might be hidden by them. Even worse, they could directly order the Authority Eye to shut off the exhibition room’s access rights, which could likely result in gaining nothing.
“When will the Authority Eye likely appear?”
“Generally speaking, taking more than three items could possibly trigger the Authority Eye’s warning.”
Despite the frustration, reality was such, and to avoid making the journey ahead difficult, Nisi had to suppress the desire to take everything.
As for this pig’s head… Nisi decided not to take it for now.
It would be better to look at the other displayed items before making a decision.