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Translator: CinderTL
Though the night was deep, the Tiger Soul Branch Base remained brightly lit.
This was typical of all research institutes.
Operating virtually 24/7, the internal researchers had no fixed work hours.
They generally worked whenever they were awake and rested when tired.
It wasn't uncommon for researchers to work continuously for a day and a night without rest, especially when inspiration struck.
For example, when inspiration struck.
If he couldn't immediately record the inspiration in his mind, he risked losing the feeling of that moment forever, missing out on a potential breakthrough in art magic.
After passing through two security checkpoints, he entered the Tiger Soul Branch Base.
Moments later, Feng Qi returned to his room.
Sitting on the bed, he lowered his gaze to the Miracle Bracelet on his left wrist.
The bracelet seemed to be formed from pure energy, with a green, luminous trail swirling around its core to create the band.
After a moment's thought, he stood up and pulled out the metal box containing the Memory Wipe Potion from under the bed.
Unlocking the box, he placed the Miracle Bracelet inside.
For him, on this Sacrifice Line, the bracelet's abilities were practically useless.
Wearing it would only draw unnecessary attention, so it was best to keep it temporarily sealed away.
On the way back, he had considered sending the Miracle Bracelet to the Scarlet Research Institute for safekeeping, to be given to another version of himself 1,500 years later.
That way, his other self could acquire a miracle item without lifting a finger.
He could also begin testing his plan to use the Miracle Bracelet as a medium for transmitting power.
But after careful consideration, he decided to abandon the idea for now.
For this timeline to continue, he needed to stay close to the Lord of the Mist.
If he never wore the Miracle Bracelet, the Lord of the Mist would inevitably grow suspicious and ask about its whereabouts.
Failing to answer that question would clearly jeopardize the timeline's future development.
Therefore, keeping the Miracle Bracelet with him remained the best course of action for the time being.
He pressed the metal cylinder containing stored items into the metal box. With a metallic clang, the box automatically locked, and the three red lights on top switched to green, indicating refrigeration mode.
He pushed the metal box back under the bed.
After washing up, he turned off the lights, lay down, and closed his eyes.
From the moment he returned to Star City, the future became uncertain. He would have to proceed one step at a time.
Lost in thought, sleepiness washed over him.
He drifted off quickly, sinking into a deep slumber.
The next morning, Feng Qi and Lin Ran met at the branch base's cafeteria.
During their meal, they didn't discuss Feng Qi's absence the previous night.
Back in the lab, Feng Qi explained the situation before Lin Ran could even ask.
When Lin Ran learned that the Lord of the Mist had gifted Feng Qi the Miracle Bracelet, he was astonished.
"Brother Qi, you know what? If it weren't for your opposing stances, you two could actually be friends."
Feng Qi shook his head. "After all these years of contact, we're already friends in a way. But our conflicting positions mean we'll always be at odds. Humanity is one of the obstacles on his path to the summit."
Lin Ran nodded silently.
With the explanation given, they moved on to discussing how to investigate the Tiger Soul Research Institute's upper echelons.
The Lord of the Mist had suggested waiting until his arrival to begin the investigation, believing Feng Qi, as a newly hired intern with no influence or authority, would be unable to uncover anything.
Any premature action would only alert their targets.
However, the Lord of the Mist was unaware of Lin Ran's presence.
Lin Ran held a unique position within the Tiger Soul Research Institute.
Having founded an entire school of art magic at such a young age, he enjoyed unparalleled prestige throughout the art magic community.
His popularity far surpassed that of any other researcher of art magic or cultivation techniques within the institute.
Although Lin Ran hadn't yet ascended to the core leadership, the Tiger Soul Research Institute generally fulfilled his requests.
This time, however, investigating the Tiger Soul's upper echelons and hoping any potential Domain Sleeper Faction would reveal themselves was clearly impossible.
During their discussions, Feng Qi proposed an idea:
They needed to cast a bait to lure out any potential Domain Sleeper Faction.
And this bait had to be sufficiently enticing.
Since the Behind-the-Scenes Domain Faction controlling the Tiger Soul Research Institute was likely doing so for Art Magic Research, they would first dangle a grand promise before them.
Then, using this promise, they would entice the "fox" to show its tail.
As the discussions continued, the plan gradually took shape.
That very evening, they decided to officially launch the operation.
Before proceeding, Feng Qi first called the Lord of the Mist.
The phone rang for a long time before finally being answered.
A cacophony of noise flooded through the line, making Feng Qi realize the Lord of the Mist was likely out somewhere.
"Where are you right now?" he couldn't help but ask, his curiosity piqued.
"I'm at a rave. I genuinely don't understand why humans find pleasure in shaking their heads and swaying their bodies."
Feng Qi: ...
Realizing the Lord of the Mist was once again experiencing human life, he felt speechless. After a moment, he said:
"Find a quiet place where we can talk."
"One moment."
The background noise on the phone gradually faded away.
A moment later, the Lord of the Mist's voice returned:
"I've left that goddamn place. Now I can talk."
Feng Qi nodded and immediately replied:
"I'll send you a list later. Keep an eye on the Domain Weakling Alliance in Star City and report anything unusual."
"What do you mean?" the Lord of the Mist asked, surprised.
"I'm trying to catch a big fish."
Feng Qi's "fishing plan" was actually quite simple.
If the Tiger Soul Research Institute had been infiltrated by a Domain Force, then it was certain that:
The institute was channeling resources and talent into the Art Magic Research Department, clearly aiming to leverage the institute's resources and personnel to advance their own domain race's art magic research.
This explained why the Art Magic Research Department was under pressure to complete the art magic research tasks assigned by Tiger Soul's higher-ups.
Because these task requirements were exactly what the domain race wanted.
Since they desired the art magic specified in the tasks, Feng Qi would dangle a carrot—a promise of exceeding expectations.
However, perfecting this "carrot" required certain preconditions.
Once the plan officially began, Lin Ran would send an email to the Tiger Soul Research Institute's higher-ups.
In the email, he would explain one crucial point:
Feng Qi, an intern, accidentally stumbled upon the art magic data for a mission requirement. To my surprise, he devised an exceptionally well-structured system for the required art magic architecture.
After thorough examination, I've confirmed that this remarkable system is entirely feasible in reality.
This email serves to convey three key points to Tiger Soul's leadership:
1. Feng Qi, who inadvertently reviewed the art magic mission requirements, has developed an art magic system far surpassing the mission's original specifications.
2. Feng Qi appears to possess an unimaginable innate talent in the field of Art Magic Research.
3. Following my professional assessment, the art magic system conceived by Feng Qi can indeed be brought to fruition.
After this initial step, he would submit a series of requests to Tiger Soul's leadership.
However, these were no ordinary requests.
He needed special materials unobtainable through normal channels, to test whether Tiger Soul's leadership had been compromised by Domain Forces.
For example, miracle bloodstone (derivatives).
He would describe needing an extremely pure form of qi blood for art magic testing experiments.
Miracle bloodstone, extracted from bloodstone, served as hard currency within the Domain Weakling Alliance but was entirely nonexistent in human society.
Bloodstone fragments were merely one item on his list.
For other special materials, he would use descriptive language to alert any potential Domain Forces to the resources he sought.
He believed that if the bait was enticing enough, the fish would bite.
When the time came, the Domain Weakling Alliance of Star City would inevitably catch wind of this and might even become mercenaries tasked with gathering these resources, just as the Lord of the Mist had hired them to venture to Heijue Island.
Any slip-up would be immediately detected by the Lord of the Mist.
This was the primary reason he had instructed the Lord of the Mist to gather intelligence based on the list.
However, this "fishing" plan wasn't without its risks.
The biggest concern was that if there were no Domain Forces backing the Tiger Soul Research Institute, these actions might bring trouble for Lin Ran.
Fortunately, failures in Art Magic Research were commonplace.
Still, such a grand undertaking ending in failure would likely earn Lin Ran a severe dressing-down from Tiger Soul's higher-ups.
(End of the Chapter)
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