Translator: CinderTL
After an all-night conversation with Lin Ran, Feng Qi was assigned a room next door.
Over the next few days, Feng Qi gained a general understanding of the Tiger Soul Research Institute's Star City branch base.
This was one of the institute's many branches in Star City, ranked eighth in authority and known as Tiger Soul Base No. 8. Its primary focus was art magic research.
The base was currently managed by the deputy director of the technique group.
Lin Ran, on the other hand, led Technique Group Two, overseeing a team of thirty-eight art magic researchers and three laboratories within the base that belonged to his group.
Though he held no real power, Lin Ran's status within the base was undeniable.
Through Lin Ran's explanations, Feng Qi quickly grasped the general situation of the branch base.
As a newly hired intern, he didn't participate in any cultivation technique or art magic testing experiments during this period.
Meanwhile, Lin Ran submitted a recommendation letter to Tiger Soul's higher-ups, hoping to get Feng Qi transferred to the Cultivation Technique Research Group.
However, the response from the higher-ups left both Feng Qi and Lin Ran utterly astonished.
The response from Tiger Soul's higher-ups was that they hoped Lin Ran would explore his innate talent in Art Magic Research and attempt to conduct research in that field.
Tiger Soul's leadership seemed intent on channeling capable personnel into the Art Magic department.
This behavior aligned perfectly with Feng Qi's suspicions.
He strongly suspected that the Behind-the-Scenes Domain Faction was manipulating the Tiger Soul Research Institute and forcing human geniuses to research the art magic they required, all for free.
They decided to launch an investigation into this matter.
On this day, Feng Qi followed Lin Ran to the Third Technique Laboratory as usual.
The Technique Laboratory was completely different from the research labs at the Scarlet Research Institute.
Each laboratory space was as large as a basketball court.
The interior was intricately furnished, with walls covered in crimson-yellow talismans designed to contain the overflow of spiritual energy. The floor was made of special magic-sealing stones produced by the Domain Field.
The entire layout was designed to minimize the power of the art magic.
Art Magic Research was inherently unstable, with explosions being a highly probable outcome.
Sometimes, unstable art magic could even cause the caster to suffer backlash from spiritual energy.
Therefore, the primary goal of the test site was to ensure the safety of the art magic researchers and to limit the power of the art magic.
Only art magic that passed the laboratory's initial tests could be taken outside for further testing and refinement.
Besides various spirit-suppressing decorations, the laboratory was filled with instruments.
For example, there was a spiritual energy detector and a spirit energy detector.
These two machines could analyze the purity and quality of the spiritual energy released during art magic casting within the room, greatly aiding in the research and improvement of the art magic.
Additionally, there was a technique trajectory recorder, a technique numerical fluctuation detector, and a data correction device.
What caught Feng Qi's eye was the metallic nutrient tank in the corner, its black surface gleaming under the lights.
After asking Lin Ran, he learned it was the Scarlet Research Institute's latest research product: the "virtual experiment chamber."
This device simulated real-world environments for art magic casting simulations, and its internal virtual system could record the details of the casting process in real-time.
But according to Lin Ran, the virtual game pod's simulation effects were not ideal and it was rarely used.
Feng Qi was surprised by Lin Ran's explanation.
Future virtual technology had already been partially perfected before he time-traveled.
Moreover, the Scarlet Research Institute had conducted numerous virtual reality simulation experiments with surprisingly good results.
To this end, the Scarlet Research Institute had partnered with the Future Research Institute, preparing to acquire the relevant technology and build a massive factory for virtual game pods outside Star City. This would allow for mass production of high-end virtual game pods, laying the groundwork for the future.
However, based on Lin Ran's explanation, it seemed that after all these years, virtual technology hadn't progressed; instead, it had regressed.
Upon closer reflection, he understood the reason.
Clearly, the virtual technology released by the Scarlet Research Institute was a watered-down version. The full version had never been made public. This strategy served two purposes: testing the effectiveness of promoting virtual technology while concealing the institute's ongoing research into advanced virtual technologies.
After all, constructing a massive factory would inevitably draw the attention of external forces. But as long as all parties believed virtual technology posed no threat, this research could continue undisturbed.
Everything was for security.
This half-finished, high-end virtual pod was clearly a smoke bomb released by the Scarlet Research Institute to mislead the public.
Entering the laboratory, he and Lin Ran approached the data control console and pulled up the art magic test videos from a few days prior to review them.
Just then, a communication request popped up on one of the console's screens.
Seeing this, Feng Qi immediately accepted the video call.
A man in a base security uniform appeared on the screen and said, "Team Leader Lin, your package has arrived."
Lin Ran, sitting beside Feng Qi, nodded. "Send it to the lab."
After hanging up and waiting for a while, a security guard arrived at Laboratory No. 3 carrying the package.
He set down the box, gave a brief greeting, and turned to leave.
Feng Qi picked up the box. The sender's name read "Scarlet Research Institute."
"Memory-erasing liquid?" Lin Ran asked curiously.
"Yeah, that must be it."
After removing the outer packaging, they revealed a black metal case. The top of the case had a fingerprint scanner.
Feng Qi was familiar with this type of case. The Scarlet Research Institute used them to transport special items. These cases had to be opened in specific ways—fingerprints, iris scans, blood identification, etc. Attempting to force them open would trigger a self-destruct sequence, releasing highly acidic substances derived from domain creatures to destroy everything inside.
Feng Qi extended his index finger and pressed it against the fingerprint scanner.
Click!
With a crisp metallic clang, a cylindrical metal column slowly rose from the center of the metal box, releasing a wave of cold air.
When the icy mist dissipated, a glass container the size of a cola bottle was revealed.
Inside, a translucent purple liquid swirled, filled with countless tiny black specks suspended within—a truly bizarre sight.
Beneath the glass container lay an instruction manual.
After picking up the manual to examine it, Feng Qi handed it to Lin Ran.
"The glass container holds 500 milliliters of memory-erasing liquid. At a rate of 20 hours of memory erased per milliliter, this entire bottle can erase all your memories from the past year."
Hearing Feng Qi's explanation, Lin Ran, who had never encountered biotechnology before, felt his curiosity piqued. He flipped open the manual to begin reading.
"You read it first. I'll put the box away."
With that, Feng Qi stood up and pressed the metal cylinder containing the "memory-erasing liquid" back into the box.
Clack!
The metal clanged shut as the box automatically locked.
Simultaneously, the three lights on top turned green, indicating that it had entered refrigerated storage mode.
Picking up the metal box, he walked straight out of the laboratory to his room and slid it under the bed.
With this memory-erasing potion, he no longer needed to worry about the Lord of the Mist learning about his conversations with Lin Ran.
To be safe, he decided to test the potion's effects on Lin Ran that night.
After finishing, he returned to the laboratory.
Lin Ran was still poring over the manual, seemingly fascinated by the technology.
He sat down at the control console.
Just as he was about to speak, his phone vibrated.
He pulled out his phone, and the screen displayed "Wang Yi."
Realizing this was a call from the Lord of the Mist, Feng Qi immediately shot Lin Ran a meaningful glance. Lin Ran nodded in understanding.
When Feng Qi answered, the Lord of the Mist's voice came through:
"Is this a good time to talk?"
"I'm alone. Go ahead."
"I've made progress researching the Miracle Bracelet. Come back when you have time."
Hearing this, Feng Qi was taken aback.
The Miracle Bracelet was the first miracle item he and the Lord of the Mist had obtained in this timeline.
Unlike the bloodstone, the Miracle Bracelet didn't create derivatives in real-time and couldn't be activated without a specific method.
From the way the humanoid leader used it, they speculated it might be related to summoning the power of ancestors.
To this day, they hadn't figured out how to use the Miracle Bracelet.
Of course, this was partly because the Lord of the Mist had been focused on the bloodstone, leaving the Miracle Bracelet largely neglected.
He hadn't expected the Lord of the Mist to crack the secret of the Miracle Bracelet so quickly, just a few days after he left.
With this thought, he immediately said, "Understood. I'll take leave tonight and come back."
"Good. I'll wait for you at the usual spot."
After hanging up, he turned to Lin Ran. "Team Leader, I need to take leave tonight."
"Brother Qi, that was the Lord of the Mist on the phone, wasn't it? What's happening?"
"Remember I told you about the miracle items?"
"Of course. Especially the bloodstone you described—it defies the laws of energy conservation, creating pure qi blood stones without losing any mass."
"And Little Black, with its near invulnerability—that's just absurd."
Feng Qi nodded. "The Lord of the Mist seems to have figured out how to use the Miracle Bracelet. I need to go back and get the details. This is crucial intelligence that could be of great help to the other team."
"Understood. Your leave is approved," Lin Ran said with a smile.
(End of the Chapter)
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