A maid stood beside the Soul Tower, naked save for a white apron.
As they approached, the maid dropped to her knees with her legs together, pressing her forehead deeply to the floor and exposing her sleek, smooth, sinuously curved back.
"Lord Sanders, Master is already waiting for your arrival in the underground laboratory of the Soul Tower." As she spoke, the maid tried to kiss Sanders' leather boots, but Sanders gave her no chance and simply strode past.
As Nis' old friend, Sanders was no stranger to Soul Valley. Since he knew where Nis was, he did not wait for the maid to lead the way and headed straight for the Soul Tower's entrance.
Angel followed as well.
After entering the tower, they proceeded downward along the spiraling staircase.
Before long, they arrived at an underground laboratory. A gray-haired old man was dissecting the corpse of a male feathered man on the experiment table, while that male feathered man's dead soul sat cross-legged above his own body.
Many busy souls filled the laboratory. With the aid of Soul-Soothing Stones, they could already affect the material world and were assisting him in operating various experimental instruments.
Yet even with the souls' assistance, Angel heard the old man cursing the moment he stepped into the laboratory. "That little bastard actually ran off halfway through! Angel isn't some man-eating tiger—he ran like a dog! Sure enough, he should follow in Hukenke's footsteps."
This gray-haired old man was none other than Nis. Come to think of it, this was one of the rare occasions Angel had come to Soul Valley and found Nis not "enjoying himself."
Angel did not know what Nis was cursing about, but the mention of Hukenke made him feel somewhat embarrassed.
After all, he had been the one to