In Matthew's mind, pride was certainly important, but it was nowhere near as vital as his life.
If he truly fell into a desperate situation from which he could not escape on his own, asking Regg for help would mean owing an even greater favor, but it was still far better than dying here in silence.
Of course, unless it was absolutely necessary, he was highly unwilling to take that step.
Aidan heard the gravity in Matthew's voice. His face turned pale, but he didn't dare ask any more questions. He simply nodded heavily. “I understand! Brother Matthew... you must be careful!”
“Go quickly,” Matthew said, waving his hand.
Aidan gritted his teeth, turned, and stumbled toward the stairs. His figure quickly disappeared around the corner.
Matthew watched him leave, then turned back, his gaze landing once more on the unopened doors deep in the corridor.
The scale of this basement far exceeded his expectations; a great deal of thought and resources had clearly gone into its construction. An outer city gang like the Blood Hand Gang would never have been able to complete such a project on their own. There was bound to be a noble faction, or even the yellow-haired youth himself, backing them.
He gripped his longsword tightly and walked inward, step by step.
The light from the glowing stones faded behind him, and the corridor ahead gradually dissolved into darkness. After walking about thirty paces, the corridor took a right turn, and the space ahead suddenly opened up.
This space was several times larger than the holding cells, measuring about forty feet long and thirty feet wide. The ceiling was also higher, reaching about twelve feet. The air was filled with a faint smell of herbs, the sour scent of chemical reagents, and a subtle energy fluctuation that left one feeling slightly refreshed.
But what shocked Matthew the most was the layout of this room.
It was a laboratory.
In the center of the room sat a large stone laboratory bench, upon which dozens of vessels were neatly arranged.
There were transparent crystal flasks, slender glass tubes, copper distillation apparatuses, ceramic mortars and pestles, and test tubes and beakers of various sizes... Many of the vessels contained residues of differently colored liquids or powders, some of which were still bubbling faintly.
To one side of the laboratory bench stood a wooden rack, where medicinal herbs and mineral specimens were organized into different categories.
What drew Matthew's attention the most was a display of unusual items in a corner of the room.
Several wooden crates and leather bags were stacked neatly there. Inside the open crates, materials that were by no means ordinary were clearly visible.
There were several pairs of black bat wings, covered in fine vascular patterns, which would span the length of an adult's arms when fully extended. They were carefully folded and stored.
Beside them were giant eyeballs soaking in a pale green preservative liquid. The pupils of those eyeballs were bizarre, still carrying a fierce glint as if they were alive. They certainly did not belong to any creature commonly found within the Kingdom of Cher.
In addition, there were bundles of tendons emitting a faint, fishy odor, several well-sealed jars of dark scales, and some dried organ tissues that were difficult to identify.
“These things...”
Matthew stepped closer to take a look, his heart turning cold.
“Bat wings of this size, such peculiar eyeballs... and these materials that clearly came from powerful magical beasts. It would be extremely difficult to gather all of this from the Kingdom of Cher alone.”
He immediately realized that the resources backing this laboratory likely extended far beyond the kingdom's borders, involving much more distant and unknown regions or factions.
Although his wariness deepened, looking at these rare and even precious experimental materials, Matthew could not help but feel a pleasant surprise.
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly as he muttered to himself in a low voice,
“I didn't expect that besides information and clues, this dangerous trip would yield such a bountiful harvest of resources.”
Whether these materials were used to brew certain special potions or kept as research specimens, their value was immeasurable.
However, alongside his delight, practical problems arose.
He glanced at his light attire and the longsword in his hand. These items were quite bulky and of a peculiar nature; he obviously could not easily carry them out of the villa district in broad daylight.
“I won't be able to take them with me for the time being.”
Matthew frowned slightly, quickly suppressing the urge to move them immediately.
For now, prioritizing what could be quickly acquired was key.
Moving his gaze away from the crates of materials, he scanned the desk on the other side of the laboratory.
Several thick notebooks lay open on the desk, a quill resting beside them, the inkwell not yet dry.
More glowing stones were embedded in the walls, but the light here was softer and seemed adjustable. Matthew noticed a few raised runic engravings on the wall; touching them lightly caused the light to brighten or dim.
There was even a simple water supply system in the corner of the room: copper pipes extended from the wall, connecting to a stone sink with a manual valve above it.
Matthew stood at the doorway, unable to move for a long time.
The shock in his eyes was almost impossible to conceal.
“Flasks... tubes... distillation apparatuses...”
He murmured softly, his gaze sweeping over the vessels that would normally only appear in a chemistry lab in his previous life.
“The wizards of this world... has their study of matter and energy actually reached such a deep level?”
This was by no means primitive, ignorant witchcraft and sacrificial rituals, but systematic, standardized scientific research!
Although the energetic foundation used was mana instead of electricity, its methodology and experimental spirit bore a striking resemblance to the scientific systems of his previous life.
This meant that the path of a wizard was not a vague, ethereal fantasy, but a real system of knowledge built upon rigorous observation, repeated experimentation, and theoretical induction.
At this moment, the desire for magic in Matthew's heart was ignited to its peak.
He had originally hesitated about joining a wizard organization.
He worried about being controlled by others, about being dragged into unknown dangers, and about the so-called “magic” being nothing more than another form of deception.
But now, seeing this fully equipped, well-designed laboratory with his own eyes, all his doubts were swept away.
If he were fortunate enough to enter such an organization, systematically learn magical knowledge, personally operate these experimental devices, and explore the essence and laws of the world—that was the path he truly yearned for!
He took a deep breath, suppressing his turbulent emotions, and slowly stepped into the laboratory.
The urgent priority now was to check the notebooks and materials.
Perhaps within them lay the origins of the yellow-haired youth, the purpose of his experiments, or... introductory methods for utilizing mana, or even more spells!
Matthew walked over to the desk and reached out to open the topmost notebook.
And at the very moment his fingertips brushed against the pages—
An extremely weak yet exceptionally clear fluctuation, like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, suddenly rippled through the perception web he had constructed with his Spirit.
“Hmm?!”
His heart jolted, and his pupils contracted instantly.
Spirit!
This was absolutely not a fluctuation of life energy, nor was it like the energy emitted by the glowing stones.
It was a more active, more “nimble” strand of Spirit, carrying a clear intent of detection!
Although this fluctuation was as faint as a spider's silk in the wind, had his mind not been highly focused at this moment, and had he not deployed his own Spirit beforehand, he probably would not have noticed it at all.
Shock washed over his entire body like ice-cold water.
Matthew immediately froze in place, all his movements halting instantly. He even unconsciously slowed his breathing.
His heart pounded heavily in his chest, and thoughts flashed through his mind like lightning:
“There is... actually a residue of Spirit here? Or... is it a probe from a living being?”
...
...
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