「Late at night.」
In the underground laboratory at No. 12 Golden Oak Street, only a single Crystal Wall Lamp was lit.
The dim yellow halo enveloped a corner of the laboratory table, like a small, isolated island in the deep sea.
Ian sat at the center of this island, pale golden Energy Threads coiling around his fingertips.
At the ends of the threads, two globs of Blood Essence hovered in mid-air.
The one on the left was as dark as ink, its surface swirling with fine shadow patterns. This was the complete Blood Essence of a Tier Two Shadow Leopard.
The drop on the right was slightly lighter, a grayish-blue color, with fine wind patterns spiraling within.
This was the Gale Falcon Blood Essence he had purified earlier, mixed with a small amount of other Wind Element Essence Blood.
"The final step."
Ian muttered to himself, a silver glint flashing deep in his pupils.
Original Blood Origin Tracing activated at full power.
The pale golden Spiritual Threads burrowed into the two drops of Blood Essence like living things, beginning the process of tracing, purification, and fusion...
The air in the laboratory gradually grew heavy.
Within the Shadow Blood Essence, the faint phantom of a leopard, crouching in the darkness, appeared.
Meanwhile, the Wind Element Blood Essence stirred up a tiny vortex of air.
’A pity... it’s not Blood Essence from a Shadow Night Kite of the same origin, but it’ll have to do.’
Gaga had previously absorbed an Eternal Shadow Fragment, so its path to becoming a Tier Two Extraordinary was already clear.
The primary purpose of these two globs of Blood Essence was actually to supplement its Tier Two Shadow Energy.
With a slight movement of his fingertips, Ian made the two globs of Blood Essence begin to melt, slowly drawing closer and merging...
The process took a full two hours.
When the last wisp of impurity was stripped away and devoured, the two globs of Blood Essence had completely fused into a single drop of dark silver liquid.
Inside the liquid, the Shadow and Wind Element Energy were perfectly fused. Deep within, the silhouette of unfurling wings faintly rose and fell.
"It’s done."
Ian let out a breath, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
Maintaining Original Blood Origin Tracing for so long to refine Tier Two Blood Essence had taken a terrifying toll on his Spiritual Power.
He picked up a specially made Crystal Tube and carefully injected the fused Blood Essence into it.
The wall of the tube was cool to the touch, but the liquid inside radiated a warm and gentle energy fluctuation.
He felt a slight weight on his shoulder.
Gaga had woken up at some point. Its small eyes were fixed on the Crystal Tube, and a low gurgle rumbled in its throat.
"Ian... is that..."
Its small claws tightened on Ian’s collar, the shadow patterns beneath its feathers glowing faintly.
"It’s for you." Ian held the Crystal Tube out to it.
"You might sleep for a long time after you swallow it."
Gaga nodded vigorously, spread its wings, and solemnly took the Crystal Tube with its claws.
It moved with extreme care, as if holding the entire world.
It tilted its head back, aimed the mouth of the tube at its small beak, and the dark silver liquid flowed slowly down its throat.
The next second... Gaga trembled all over.
Its wings snapped open, every feather standing on end!
Dark silver Energy erupted from its body, transforming into a black mist as thick as ink that instantly enveloped the entire laboratory table.
Within the mist, the shadow patterns writhed, extended, and intertwined like living things...
Gaga’s mismatched eyes began to lose focus, and countless overlapping shadows were reflected in the depths of its pupils.
Its body swayed, and it collapsed softly onto the laboratory table.
Its small claws still clutched the empty Crystal Tube tightly.
"Ian..."
Gaga’s intermittent consciousness wave, laced with a cold shiver, came through the Soul Link.
"So cold..."
"So many shadows... they’re moving..."
Ian reached out, gently placing his palm on its back.
His Spiritual Power flowed in slowly through the Soul Link like a gentle tide.
"Go to sleep," he said softly.
"I’ll watch over you."
Gaga’s breathing gradually steadied, but the black mist around its body grew thicker.
As the mist churned, fine silver patterns began to seep out from between its feathers.
These patterns crisscrossed and entwined with the shadow patterns...
...finally merging into a new, dark silver luster as deep as the night sky.
Seeing this, Ian’s heart relaxed. He withdrew his hand and slightly closed his eyes.
In his Sea of Spirit, the Crystal Core slowly rotated, extending and unfurling.
His 20.5% Elementalization progress had sharpened his Perception to its absolute limit.
In the front hall of the Workshop, Old Finn’s even breathing.
In the courtyard, the rustle of the night wind blowing through the leaves of the old Golden Oak Tree.
Farther away, the heavy footsteps of the patrolling guards at the end of the street.
And... three extremely faint sounds of something cutting through the air, coming from outside the Workshop’s walls.
The sound was incredibly soft, like a feather landing on the ground.
But in Ian’s ears, it was as clear as a drumbeat.
He slowly opened his eyes, a speck of silver light quietly circulating in their depths.
"They’re finally here."
He flicked a finger at the Crystal Wall Lamp in front of the laboratory table.
The light suddenly dimmed by thirty percent.
The dim yellow halo contracted, completely shrouding the laboratory table in shadow.
Ian didn’t get up. He didn’t even turn around.
He rested his hands flat on his knees, his fingertips unconsciously tapping them.
The rhythm was steady, as if he were counting down to something.
「In the courtyard.」
Three black figures slid down along the wall, landing without a sound.
The leader was tall and thin, dressed in pitch-black night gear, a mask covering most of his face, revealing only a pair of cold eyes.
A Level Two Initial Stage Wizard.
The two behind him were slightly shorter, their movements even lighter, their auras suppressed to near perfection.
Level One Peak.
The three exchanged a look.
The tall, thin assassin raised his hand and made a "disperse and surround" gesture.
The other two nodded, their forms blurring as they turned into two afterimages and darted toward the sides of the Workshop.
The tall, thin assassin himself walked slowly toward the center of the courtyard.
Then, he turned toward the metal door that led to the underground laboratory.
His steps were extremely light.
The moment the soles of his shoes touched the stone surface, a thin film of air would naturally form.
This was a stealth technique specifically designed to counter vibration-sensing Witch Arrays.
He stopped in front of the metal door, his right hand reaching for his waist and drawing a thirty-centimeter-long, dark purple Short Blade.