NOVEL WEB chapter 176
101. Second Stage
“A certain… overlooked factor and condition?”
Mu En followed Teacher Meira’s line of thought but found nothing amiss.
But thinking about it, if even Teacher Meira couldn’t avoid the hints of the evil god, how could he possibly uncover any clues?
Speaking of hints…
Mu En narrowed his eyes, his thoughts suddenly leaping far ahead.
The doubts surrounding a certain past event seemed to be taking shape.
That female demon…
“In any case, I can only continue moving forward.” Mu En sighed softly.
No matter what, if he didn’t hurry to the senior’s side, then nothing could be discussed.
“Oh, you have courage, but recklessness isn’t a good thing.” Teacher Meira chuckled lightly.
“Recklessness? I won’t be reckless again. Recklessness, naivety, and arrogance—these are all things I must abandon.”
Mu En lowered his gaze, and through the breathtaking sea of flowers, he seemed to see that girl, who was like a flower, wilting in an instant.
“Ah, good eyes. Although I don’t know what has happened in just a few days, it seems you’ve qualified to enter the second stage.” Teacher Meira suddenly showed a satisfied expression as she glanced at Mu En.
“Hmm? Second stage?” Mu En was bewildered.
“Forgot? The reason I asked you to bring back the ancient dragon’s blood.”
Teacher Meira gently clapped her hands, and the enormous mechanical construct that spanned the heavens and the earth slowly receded, the sea of flowers rippling once more in a captivating wave as the breeze passed through.
And at the center of that wave was a creation that was completely out of place with the beautiful sea of flowers.
It was… a bed, a metallic bed that looked somewhat familiar, the very thing Teacher Meira had just been tapping away at.
“Alright, lie down.”
Teacher Meira smiled as she patted the cold, metallic bed that reflected a chilling gleam.
“This… what is this?”
Even though Teacher Meira’s smile was very kind and full of the unique cuteness of a white-haired loli, Mu En couldn’t help but subtly step back.
Because the familiar sense of impending doom had once again transformed into the neighbor’s bear-like child, frantically tugging at his hair, urging him to run away!
“It’s just an ordinary bed, no need to worry.”
Teacher Meila’s smile grew even brighter, her eyes filled with an inexplicable joy.
She rubbed her small hands together, excitedly saying:
“Don’t worry, you don’t have to do anything, just leave everything to me, I’m very skilled at this!”
“Please don’t make it sound like I’ve entered some sort of unregulated entertainment venue!”
My brain hadn’t made a choice yet, but my body instinctively wanted to flee. However, before Mu En could even take a step, he felt the view in front of him become chaotic.
His face suddenly slammed into the cold surface, and before he could gather his thoughts, he heard a series of crisp clicking sounds.
That was the sound of some kind of lock closing. In terror, Mu En turned his head and discovered he was lying on a metallic bed, with metal shackles suddenly clamping down on his wrists, ankles, and even his waist, locking him tightly.
“Mei… Meila teacher, what are you doing?”
The only part of his body that could move slightly was his neck. Mu En turned his head and found that Teacher Meila had somehow changed into a different outfit.
The pink nightgown had vanished, replaced by a simple and efficient white lab coat. Her slightly chubby face was neatly covered with a mask and goggles. When Mu En looked over, Teacher Meila was busy putting on rubber gloves.
In this appearance, she looked so much like a mad doctor ready to transform him into some indescribable thing!
And at this moment, Mu En finally remembered what this metallic bed resembled—it was just like the operating table from his previous life!
Doctor.
Operating table.
And this position.
Could it be…
Was Teacher Meila’s so-called second phase about to remove his kidneys?
“Please no, I haven’t enjoyed enough yet! Teacher Meila, can we find a gentler way? Or how about we just take one? The Campbell family relies on me to carry on the lineage!”
“Though I have no idea what you’re thinking, you can rest assured this time is different from last time when I kicked you into the mercury well; it won’t endanger your life.”
Teacher Meila tilted her head and thought for a moment:
“Probably?”
Probably?
What does probably even mean?
You clearly have no confidence in this!
And you’re treating me like a lab rat!
You said that from the beginning, but it’s a bit cold, when will this lab rat be able to stand up?
Even if you want to play some mad doctor, can’t you…
Wear black stockings under the white coat? A white coat without black stockings has no soul!
“Calm down!”
Teacher Meila suddenly extended her finger and gently flicked Mu En’s forehead, who was lost in thought.
—
Mu En quickly held her breath and focused, casting aside those strange thoughts.
“The so-called second stage is to initially establish your connection with the Eternal Bell, given that your physical body has a certain foundation.
To achieve this, I will inscribe a vast alchemical matrix upon your body, and from this matrix, I will differentiate thousands of magical lines to connect you to the Eternal Bell.”
Teacher Meila took out the metal container that Mu En had given her earlier. With a flick of her small hand, the container opened, and in an instant, a terrifying pressure emanating from the ancient dragon’s blood swept through the air. The solemn and fierce shadow of a colossal dragon roared towards the heavens, as if it intended to crush the disrespectful ants before it into pieces.
But Teacher Meila merely cast a cold glance with her crimson eyes, and the dragon’s shadow immediately displayed a look of fear. Its roar, which had reached a high pitch, abruptly ceased, and the shadow instantly transformed into scattered bubbles, leaving only the crystal containing the blood droplet, trembling slightly.
Teacher Meila pinched the crystal from the container, examining the glistening blood droplet with satisfaction as she nodded:
“The purity of the ancient dragon’s blood is quite good; it saves me the trouble of refining it.”
Teacher Meila then took out a bottle of strange solution, shimmering with five colors of light. She crushed the crystal, allowing the ancient dragon’s blood to drip into it.
“Roar!”
The furious and fierce dragon’s roar echoed once more, now only the size of a palm, yet incredibly solid. The shadow of the ancient dragon flapped its wings, attempting to escape from the bottle.
But once again, it was pressed back down by Teacher Meila’s slender finger.
The ancient dragon’s blood emitted a reluctant wail, gradually merging with the solution, undergoing countless violent changes within the bottle, yet unable to escape the control of Teacher Meila’s small hand, slowly transforming into pure gold.
“Impressive.”
Beside her, Mu En, immersed in Teacher Meila’s aesthetic of violence, couldn’t help but exclaim.
But then she jolted.
Because once that mysterious solution was prepared, Teacher Meila shifted her gaze… to herself.
“The first inscription of the alchemical matrix in the second stage will require carving seven thousand five hundred sixty-four cuts on your body… this will likely take an entire day.”
With a flick of her small hand, a surgical knife as thin as a cicada’s wing appeared between her fingers.
With another flick, one surgical knife… transformed into countless others, filling the gaps between her small fingers!
“Good disciple, are you ready?”
Teacher Meila smiled as she gazed at the pale-faced Mu En, her sweet, childlike voice gently saying:
“I’m going to… come in now.”
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