Chapter 351 - 298: Abnormal Material, New Altar Site
Morning light streamed through the skylight, casting a checkered pattern of light and shadow on the blue-gray stone slabs.
A potent aroma of medicinal herbs filled the laboratory.
Ian stood before a constant-temperature cabinet, his fingertips brushing across a row of newly delivered crystal boxes.
The lids of the boxes were transparent, revealing neatly arranged extracts, crystallized powders, and biological tissues soaking in preservative fluid.
Dark silver, dark gold, ink green...
They shimmered with different lusters under the light of the Crystal Stone Lamp.
Aidele had somehow used her connections to procure a full twelve sets of materials in just seven days.
"This is the third batch," he muttered to himself, opening the leftmost box.
Inside were twelve thumb-sized crystal tubes, neatly arranged. The tubes contained a viscous, milky-white liquid.
Tiny golden specks of light floated deep within the liquid, as if countless miniature stars were sealed inside.
The purity of each sample was higher than the last bottle.
’Looks like... she’s really giving it her all.’
’It makes sense. Her father’s awakening is on the line, so she’s bound to mobilize all her power to gather these things.’
Ian took out one of the tubes and held it up to the light.
The marrow flowed slowly within the tube’s walls, and the golden specks of light swirled along with it, forming a miniature vortex of order.
At the center of the vortex, the faint silhouette of a unicorn’s phantom could be seen.
The phantom held its head high, its spiraled horn glowing with a faint golden light.
Just looking at it, one could feel an almost instinctual repulsion toward chaos.
’Over 95% purity... almost no impurities.’
He put down the Crystal Tube and opened the second box.
Inside were six fist-sized Holy Radiance Crystals.
The surfaces of the crystals were covered in dark purple cracks, and an inky-black liquid writhed slowly deep within them.
This time, however, the number of cracks was clearly reduced, and the liquid’s activity was much weaker.
’The pollution level is lower... Was it pre-treated during collection?’
Ian’s fingertip hovered three inches above the crystal.
His Spiritual Power extended like the finest of threads, seeping into one of the cracks.
Faint, twisted, and crazed whispers echoed in his mind, but their intensity was at least thirty percent weaker than last time.
The panel vibrated silently.
[Abyssal pollution energy detected... Pollution Level: Level One...]
[Analyzing pollution source strength...]
[Pollution Nature: Abyssal Will Remnant (Weak)]
[Purification Progress: 17%]
[Recommendation: Safe to handle]
Ian retracted his finger, a flicker of understanding in his eyes.
Aidele must have used some kind of purification method to pre-treat the materials before delivery.
’Although some information will be lost, it significantly improves safety.’
’Fine by me... saves me a lot of trouble.’ He continued inspecting the rest of the materials.
Dark Erosion Petals from a Dawn Flower, remnants of Order Metal, blood from the Time Trace Clan’s direct lineage...
Each sample had been carefully processed, its purity up to standard and its pollution controllable.
Until he opened the last, lead-sealed metal box.
The box was dark gray, its surface covered in engraved isolation runes.
The runes flowed with a dark gold luster, completely sealing off any fluctuations within the box.
But the instant Ian’s fingertip touched the lid...
...the panel in his Sea of Spirit vibrated violently!
At the edges of his vision, dark red text erupted like splattering blood.
[WARNING! Middle-level concentration Abyssal Pollution Source detected!]
[Pollution Level: Level Three]
[Pollution Nature: Abyssal Will Permeation (Primary), Flesh Curse (Secondary), Bloodline Mutation (Carrier)]
[Pollution Spread: 51%]
[Core Contaminant: Unknown Biological Tissue Fragment (Active Stage)]
[WARNING: Pollution Source shares 99.7% origin match with database sample (ID: Titus Justice)]
[Recommendation: Purify immediately!]
Ian’s pupils contracted sharply. His fingertip hovered over the lid, motionless.
’It’s identical to the pollution in Titus’s Sea of Spirit!’
Gaga, on his shoulder, sensed the abnormality and poked its small head out from under its wing.
Its silver-gray pupils blinked in the shadows, then shot wide open.
"Ian..."
Its childlike voice rang out in their Soul Link, laced with a rare tension.
"That box... the thing inside..."
"I know."
Ian took a deep breath. He pressed down lightly with his fingertip, and the Lead-Sealed Runes dimmed as the lid slowly opened.
In an instant, the light in the laboratory distorted.
It was as if something invisible surged out of the box, devouring all surrounding light.
The halo of light from the Crystal Stone Lamp stopped abruptly three meters from the box, as if an invisible black hole existed there.
Ian narrowed his eyes, a silver glint flowing deep within his pupils.
The Starry Sky Festival Meditation Method operated at full power in his consciousness, and the Power of Order Stars surged through his meridians.
A faint, silvery light seeped from the surface of his skin, forming an extremely thin protective layer.
He looked down into the box.
Lying inside was a palm-sized chunk of dark red flesh.
The surface of the flesh was densely covered in dark purple veins, and an inky-black liquid flowed deep within them.
The liquid writhed as if countless tiny tentacles were squirming beneath the skin.
He reached out, his fingertip hovering an inch above the chunk of flesh.
His Spiritual Power formed into the finest of needles and slowly pierced the veins on the flesh’s surface.
HISS...
Crazed whispers echoed in his mind, ten, a hundred times more intense than the pollution on the Holy Radiance Crystals!
Countless distorted images flooded his mind.
A burning altar, kneeling figures, inky-black tentacles emerging from the void...
And a blurry face.
’Is that you... Edmund?’
The figure in the vision wore a dark gray long robe and was kneeling before the altar.
He held a still-beating heart in both hands, its surface engraved with twisted runes.
His head was thrown back, his face a mask of almost pious obsession.
His lips were pulled back in a grin, revealing deathly pale teeth.
"Great Will of the Abyss... please grant me power..."