Chapter 144: The Glory of the Family

Creak.

Buensiu pushed open a heavy wooden door.

Lin Wei followed closely behind Buensiu, while Setoli walked at the very back, as submissive as a maid.

"This is my study."

Buensiu turned his head to look at Lin Wei, explaining with a smile.

Lin Wei nodded and glanced around. Noticing no experimental instruments of any kind, he was about to ask Buensiu when he saw the old wizard walk up to a bookshelf.

Buensiu removed two books from the top left corner of the bookshelf, revealing an inconspicuous protrusion. A trace of wizard power fluctuated on his finger as he pressed down upon the bump.

Snap!

The moment Buensiu pressed the protrusion, the smooth wall beside the bookshelf suddenly fractured, opening up a square hole. Inside rested a crystal sphere emitting a faint glow, etched all over with strange patterns.

Buensiu placed his palm upon it, and the dim light on the surface of the crystal sphere began to shine brilliantly.

Rumble!

The wall in front of Buensiu suddenly transformed into a massive stone door, sliding off to one side. In the blink of an eye, a short secret passage appeared before the three of them.

Through the passage, Lin Wei could see that the space inside was not very large.

"This experiment is of particular importance to our family, so I have to be somewhat cautious," Buensiu explained to Lin Wei, his smile somewhat peculiar.

"Understood." Lin Wei remained completely unconcerned and breezy, as if he hadn't noticed a single thing amiss.

Buensiu took the lead and walked in.

Rumble!

The instant the three of them stepped into the secret chamber, the stone door outside began to move once again, sealing shut completely.

"It seems we've been locked in here..."

The moment the stone door closed, Lin Wei sensed a faint trace of wizard power adhering tightly to the gaps of the stone door.

In the center of the secret chamber stood a bizarre piece of machinery. It was over two meters tall and shaped somewhat like a waterwheel from Lin Wei's previous life. Two transparent tubes were inserted into the left and right ends of the apparatus, their sharp tips ending in perforated needles.

"What is this?"

Lin Wei looked at Buensiu.

Buensiu smiled, his expression turning somewhat sinister: "Lin Wei, I heard you are exceptionally skilled at experiments in biological mutation. Why don't you hazard a guess as to the function of this apparatus?"

Setoli looked at Lin Wei in total silence, her gaze carrying a hint of chilliness.

"Oh?" Lin Wei acted as though he had not noticed anything wrong, his eyes filled with curiosity as he gazed at the machinery.

"May I observe it from a closer distance?"

Lin Wei asked Buensiu.

"Of course, you may even touch it with your own hands."

The wrinkles at the corners of Buensiu's eyes deepened.

Lin Wei nodded thoughtfully and walked up to the strange machine.

"Smart Core, scan the apparatus before me, analyze its functions and operational principles!"

While pretending to examine the device, Lin Wei silently commanded his intelligent core.

"A so-called genius, upon encountering something novel, will naturally study and research it instinctively... And thus ignore the impending crisis?"

Buensiu glanced sideways at Lin Wei, instantly overcome with the sensation of having everything under his control.

Lin Wei's movements were very slow, but Buensiu was not in a hurry, simply waiting quietly for him.

Setoli clenched her hands tightly in front of her lower abdomen, her body slightly hunched, maintaining the absolute posture of a maid.

"Scan and analysis complete."

The voice of the smart core rang out in Lin Wei's ear.

The next second, a three-dimensional image of the strange apparatus was projected onto Lin Wei's retina. It was broken down into solid and dashed lines, clearly revealing both its exterior and internal structure to Lin Wei's eyes.

"This apparatus consists of two extraction tubes and an internal conversion and condensation mechanism, targeting wizards."

"The two extraction tubes can respectively extract the flesh-and-blood essence, as well as the wizard power and spiritual energy, of the target wizard. After retaining the essence through various internal filtration programs and utilizing released energy from fuel to condense it, the resulting crystals undergo further filtration to yield a specific product possessing the conditions required for a wizard's advancement."

"The formulation of the energy-release fuel is as follows..."

A neat table appeared before Lin Wei, detailing the various substances and their precise proportions needed to configure the energy-release fuel.

"Such rare ingredients..." Lin Wei sighed inwardly. Having previously probed Setoli's memories and now verifying the function of this strange device, Lin Wei was crystal clear on the ultimate objectives of Buensiu and Setoli.

"Well, Lin Wei, have you discovered any profound secrets?"

Buensiu's tone sounded genuinely as though he were testing Lin Wei.

Lin Wei looked at Buensiu and nodded.

"Care to share your findings?"

Buensiu looked at Lin Wei with keen interest.

Setoli similarly glanced sideways with a slight tilt of her head.

"This is an apparatus designed to devour wizards." Lin Wei stated simply.

"Hm?!"

Both Buensiu and Setoli stared at Lin Wei in astonishment.

Clap, clap, clap...

Buensiu actually began to applaud Lin Wei: "As expected of a genius in biological mutation."

"This has nothing to do with biological mutation."

Lin Wei locked eyes directly with Buensiu.

"Actually, this apparatus is..."

Buensiu looked at Lin Wei, speaking every word with deliberate precision.

"Prepared specifically for me."

Lin Wei suddenly smiled, cutting Buensiu off.

Buensiu froze in sheer bewilderment, then looked at Lin Wei with a sense of pity: "Yes, you're right... It's truly a shame for you... A genuine pity..."

"There's nothing pitiful about it."

Lin Wei flicked his sleeve and turned his gaze to Setoli.

Pinpointed by Lin Wei's direct stare, a wave of guilty conscience washed over Setoli. She quickly averted her gaze, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Setoli, you are a meritorious contributor to the family. I will certainly reward you handsomely afterward."

Just as Setoli tried to dodge Lin Wei's gaze, Buensiu spoke up at an inopportune moment.

"Why are you plotting against me?"

Lin Wei already fundamentally understood the cause and effect of the entire matter, but he desired to verify it one more time.

"To restore the glory of the family."

Buensiu suddenly dropped all expression on his face, turning solemn and grave.

"The Fzein family is one of the former ruling bloodlines of the Shadow Forest Academy. The most powerful wizard of their ancestry once served as the headmaster of the Shadow Forest Academy. However, as time passed, the Fzein family began to decline, gradually fading away from the center of power in Shadow Forest."

Lin Wei spoke calmly.

"How do you know that?"

Buensiu's gaze toward Lin Wei held an even deeper layer of shock.

The history of the Fzein family had long since been forgotten, deliberately suppressed generation after generation by those in power at Shadow Forest. Hearing Lin Wei suddenly recount this history left both Buensiu and Setoli utterly baffled.

Naturally, Lin Wei had no intention of explaining that he had learned this from Setoli's own memories. Although he had only searched for information concerning himself, Setoli's conspiracy inevitably intertwined with the history of the Fzein family.