The black sun hangs high

Chapter 323 Controlled Experiment
After a whole morning of commotion, order seemed to have returned to normal on the Windless.

In this brief and inexplicable chaos, the scholar from the Duchy of Burt, along with his assistant and apprentice, mysteriously disappeared for a period of time, while a member of the dwarven delegation tragically lost his life. Most of the passengers on the ship only knew that something had happened, but had no idea of ​​the specific process or development of the events.

After some thought and reflection, the passengers were surprised to find that the incident on the Windless seemed to be connected to that young "legendary figure" once again. However, when they tried to find Hugh Ernst of the Dawn Society, they discovered that he had also disappeared.

Of course, ordinary people can't find him now.

Realizing the complexity of the problem, Hugh returned to the Legal Committee laboratory on the ship with some of the flesh and blood samples collected from the cabin. All his important belongings had also been transferred there, including the huge water jug ​​containing "Justina".

Although there were many passengers on the Windless, very few of them could be called magic scholars, and even fewer had sufficient knowledge of magical creatures. After some maneuvering, only six or seven people were summoned by the Legal Committee, including an elven scholar who had not even figured out the situation.

Hughes hopes that in the time to come, they can find some important clues from the remains of those deformed crayfish and the few "skin worms".

Faced with these bizarre beings that were completely unfamiliar and vastly different from life forms in Vaan’s existing system, the unassuming and infamous Legerian scholar took the initiative to step forward.

Yes, Leger was also included.

This was the result of Hugh's strong insistence.

Despite Leger's poor public image and questionable academic abilities, Hughes believed that since Leger was able to remove himself from Merlinle's blacklist and directly win the invitation based on his academic achievements, it meant that his personal abilities had been recognized by the Legal Committee.

In this situation, as long as it is confirmed that this guy has no connection with the Black Sun Society, it can be used with peace of mind.

Leger was initially very resistant to the somewhat forceful "invitation" from Hugh and the Legal Committee, as he felt he had just suffered extremely unfair treatment.

However, all his dissatisfaction vanished when he saw with his own eyes the bizarre body parts preserved in the containers and the "skin worms" crawling in the alchemical tank.

While the scholars began to try to advance their arduous task, Hugh, carrying a portion of crayfish blood, locked himself in the laboratory.

Faced with the strange atmosphere and seemingly urgent situation, Hugh did not hesitate. He immediately used magic to hypnotize himself and entered the dream sanctuary.

However, he did not find Theseus in the sanctuary at all.

The desk occupied by Theseus was empty, and the computer he always used to play various games was unusually turned off. There were no messages or notifications left behind.

It seems this guy has gone "out" again, and this time Theseus seems to be in a greater hurry than last time, without any prior warning.

Despite failing to find external help or shortcuts, Hughes was not discouraged. He reasoned that in this situation, Theseus would likely not offer any assistance beyond words, and that he would have to find a solution himself.

So, after leaving the dream, Hugh took out the "Color of Life" that he had originally intended to feed to "Justina". He planned to carefully compare the different samples to confirm the differences between them.

The lid of the huge kettle was slowly pushed open.

Then, "Justine," whose size had increased considerably compared to before, slowly emerged.

It looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings with curiosity, then curled up into a ball on an empty chair next to it and began to quietly observe Hugh's every move.

When Hughes began to try to extract blood from the deformed crayfish, he felt a strong sense of curiosity and longing through the magical connection between himself and Justine.

Facing his "father," who had always doted on him, the honest child did not hide his true thoughts.

Although it is now smart enough, it still cannot understand the somewhat complex term "experimental sample". Therefore, when it judges these things, it will still instinctively use "edible" and "inedible" as the most basic criteria.

Of course, Justine couldn't get a positive answer from Hugh. No matter how much Hugh had spoiled her before, there was absolutely no way he would pour this important blood into her "mouth" now.

However, Justine's reaction made Hugh realize that the blood in front of him was probably indeed highly similar to the "Color of Life" in its basic properties. Only in this way would Justine show such a clear longing for this blood.

To ensure the experiment went smoothly, Hugh directly drew upon the power of the Mirror Messenger. A deep black mask appeared in his palm, and as the mask touched his face, the cold magic immediately pulled and kneaded Hugh's body into an unfamiliar shape.

This was a mage from the Council of Law who had studied in Merlinle and was devoured by the Dark Abyss Spawns in the city of Seren.

Although his personal strength is very ordinary, he has shown excellent performance in magical experiments during his studies, and such memory and ability are exactly what Hugh needs now.

Then, Hugh handed over the tasks to that inexplicable habit and instinct.

Justine, who was standing to the side, watched Hugh's every move with curiosity. She did not judge his identity by his appearance and figure. She knew very well that her "father" was still in front of her, only now he had changed into a meaningless appearance.

It saw that Hugh skillfully separated a portion of the blood from the deformed crayfish and poured it into a clean alchemical solution.

This solution is the base for the vast majority of magical experiments. It has been specially treated by healing mages, so this clear liquid can often maintain the activity of blood, organs, and even biological fragments placed in it. In some special magical biological tissues, the activity can even be restored to a considerable extent after being placed in it.

The blood that Hugh is currently processing seems to be of this type. After some of the blood falls into it, that unique psychedelic color begins to spread rapidly within these clear liquids, much like thick ink being dropped into clear water. However, instead of quickly turning the alchemical solution murky, the blood takes on a different form.

Hughes was surprised to find that these special bloods remained relatively coagulated in the solution; they seemed unwilling to leave each other and remained "connected" to one another.

Upon sensing this peculiarity, a profound magical power immediately surged into Hugh's eyes, transforming his pupils into a thick, black mist.

Within his magical vision, Hugh discovered that these successfully activated blood cells maintained a consistent fluctuation in power. They were like individuals with breathing or a heartbeat, constantly releasing or retracting their own power at a stable frequency. In this process, their size began to grow at a slow rate.

Subsequently, Hughes extracted a small amount of the pure "color of life," hoping to compare the two substances.

The result was beyond Hugh's expectations.

The power contained in the "Color of Life" is far more abundant than that of the blood of the deformed crayfish. Strangely, when they are placed in the alchemical solution, they spread out as quickly as the most ordinary liquid. They are evenly dispersed in all the solutions and give them a faint psychedelic color.

"It seems that although the two are similar in nature, the former behaves more like a definite life form, while the latter is closer to a neutral, pure force that does not possess any will or instinct?"

Hughes pondered silently in his heart, and then directly began the test of "feeding" and "stimulation".

The results of this series of tests surprised him even more.

He discovered that the blood actually possessed the ability to devour, digest, and grow. It reacted very clearly to magic and magic crystal fragments. Under the stimulation of these external forces, the blood that was originally only a few drops actually grew significantly, more than doubling in size.

Faced with the destructive power of the Dark Abyss, they showed extreme resistance. Before Hugh's small amount of magic could even get close, these colors sank directly to the bottom of the solution.

When Hugh brought over the fresh fish meat that had been prepared beforehand and put it into the solution, these strange colors spontaneously gathered together and adhered to the surface of the fish meat scraps.

Correspondingly, the "color of life" did not respond to these temptations in the slightest.

Before long, Hugh brought some special "food".

Those were several tiny, live blue-green algae shrimp. They were originally special "food" prepared by the scholar Leger for several magical fish that he carried with him. These blue-green algae shrimp were very energetic and were still lively even after changing environments twice.

After preparations were completed, the two blue algae shrimp were each thrown into their own "new world".

The blue algae shrimp, once immersed in the solution mixed with the "color of life," became extremely active. Under his magical vision, Hugh noticed that the "color of life" in the solution seemed to have a certain reaction to living beings. They actively attached themselves to the blue algae shrimp. However, it was clear that the blue algae shrimp could only bear a very limited amount of power, so the "color of life" in the solution soon stopped.

Meanwhile, the psychedelic colors that clearly reacted to magic and flesh immediately abandoned the fish scraps and surrounded their "target." Under Hugh's watchful gaze, these strange powers eventually entangled the blue algae shrimp tightly and then began to "invade" its body.

Just as this process began, Justine, who was standing nearby, made a rare, slight noise.

It became alert, and the object of its alertness was the experimental sample in front of Hugh!

The blue algae shrimp, no bigger than a fingertip, quickly became still under the invasion of external forces, but it did not die. Hugh saw that the faint power was entangled and fused with the body of the blue algae shrimp. He could even see these colors flowing rapidly within the small body through his magical vision.

Immediately afterwards, the distortion began.

Blue algae shrimp like to nibble on seaweed. They don't have very obvious claws and their bodies are quite slender. But under this force, Hugh saw that its two tentacles began to extend forward. This process was very violent and was clearly accompanied by tearing and repairing of the limbs.

Its body began to broaden, and under the nourishment of the strange life force, the seemingly thin and brittle translucent shell began to become thicker and stronger, and the colors that Xiuge had seen on the deformed crayfish slowly emerged on these shells.

What's even more bizarre is its head.

The eyes of the blue-green shrimp have almost completely degenerated, but now, those two tiny eyes, which are almost meaningless, have begun to evolve under this force. They have started to grow larger, bulging out from the sides of their heads like inflated balls, and pushing outward forcefully.

Finally, color appeared in the two dark eyeballs.

The psychedelic light and shadow flowed into it and began to spin rapidly. Then, the blue algae shrimp, which had grown much larger, swayed its body, raised its head, and began to observe the outside world.

However, just as Hugh thought it was about to undergo more changes, the two enormous eyeballs suddenly turned toward Hugh. The moment these gazes, composed of flowing light, made contact with Hugh, the creature floating in the solution began to tremble violently. Its newly formed body made a few crisp sounds, and numerous cracks spontaneously appeared on its carapace.

However, in the next instant, several soft tentacles made of black mist shadows suddenly stretched out, and the dark abyss mist, which could suppress and bind the power of "Color of Life", surged out and instantly trapped the blue algae shrimp in the container.

With his keen Karljun Touch, Hugh could clearly sense that the blue algae shrimp, which clearly possessed consciousness, was throbbing and trembling violently, but it had no way to mobilize its power to end its own life.

At that moment, a smile appeared on Hugh's face.

"Finally caught you... What, want to die again?"

(End of this chapter)