Interrogation

Passing through the narrow, curved corridor, Gao De saw a slightly larger brownish-black door at its end.

The "mature" apprentice leading the way stopped before the door and carefully knocked three times.

The knocks sounded especially abrupt in the silent surroundings.

"Mage Seda, Gao De has arrived."

As soon as he finished speaking, the tightly shut door opened.

"He can come in alone."

A low, unpleasant voice drifted out from the room.

The apprentice answered "Yes" with great respect, then quietly withdrew.

Gao De looked through the doorway. The light inside was dim, making it impossible to see clearly, but the oppressive atmosphere was all too real. It felt as though a dangerous beast lurked within, ready to devour him whole at any moment.

After a moment of hesitation, Gao De strode inside anyway.

The instant he entered the room, the door silently closed behind him on its own.

His vision blurred at first, then took on a dim yellow hue.

As far as he could see stood an extremely long wooden table. Scattered across it were parchment sheets and several simple tools: a balance for weighing, a grinder for pulverizing medicinal powders, and wooden racks holding many slender glass bottles resembling test tubes.

To the left of the long table stood a massive bookshelf, its volumes arranged in neat rows.

Near the right side of the table was a crucible, beneath which sat a complicated heating apparatus.

Gao De swept his gaze quickly across the room before finally looking behind the long table.

There stood a high-backed chair, occupied by a man who was not particularly tall, his back facing Gao De.

Gao De knew clearly that this was Mage Seda.

"Mage Seda." Gao De fixed his eyes on Mage Seda's back, inclined his upper body by about fifteen degrees, and bowed before straightening again.

He did not know this world's etiquette, so he could only use the most common Western bow to show his respect for Mage Seda.

At Gao De's voice, Mage Seda turned around.

Seeing Mage Seda's true face for the first time, Gao De was inwardly startled.

From behind, Mage Seda had seemed unremarkable aside from his lack of height. But from the front, Gao De saw a gray, lifeless face, as if the man's final days were near.

"Cough, cough." Mage Seda coughed twice and said weakly, "You're here, my good apprentice."

"I heard you woke up." A strange expression appeared on his withered face, and he seemed somewhat excited. "Quickly, tell me, how do you feel now?"

Mage Seda stared fixedly at Gao De, anxiety and anticipation flashing deep within his eyes.

Mage Seda's question was within Gao De's expectations. He had already prepared an answer on the way here.

"Compared with before I took the medicine, there doesn't seem to be any change." Gao De shook his head and said "hesitantly," "Other than being unconscious for a while."

"No change?" At those words, Mage Seda's expression immediately darkened, and his tone became far harsher.

"How could there be no change? Either death or something else—anything but no change!"

Seeing Mage Seda's reaction, Gao De's heart skipped a beat, and unease rose within him.

Still, he was not afraid that Mage Seda would discover that this body had changed owners.

To Mage Seda, apprentices like them were merely disposable supplies. He would hardly pay attention to their habits or personalities, so there was naturally no reason for him to notice Gao De's changes.

"Come here!" Mage Seda suddenly snorted coldly.

Gao De put on an utterly terrified expression and hurried forward. He did not stop until his body was close to the long table, then lowered his head slightly, not daring to look Mage Seda in the eye.

Mage Seda stared at Gao De expressionlessly and said nothing for a long while.

Gao De knew the man was displeased. He had no intention of opening his mouth and provoking him, so he sensibly remained still and waited for Mage Seda to speak first.

A long time passed, yet Mage Seda still said nothing.

The atmosphere was strange. Gao De felt nervous and lifted his eyes slightly.

"If you want to look, then look. Sneaking glances like that—are you feeling guilty because you've done something wrong?" Mage Seda's gloomy voice rang out at once.

Gao De's gaze froze. Then he raised his head, let his eyes circle Mage Seda's face once, and immediately lowered them again.

Mage Seda watched the timid, submissive Gao De with a smile that did not reach his eyes, his gaze darkening.

The next instant, Gao De felt a powerful force suddenly shove him from behind, pushing him forward.

He had already been close to the long table, and the shove caused his entire upper body to pitch forward.

Then, as though he had anticipated it all along, Mage Seda reached out with his right hand and clamped it around Gao De's neck like a pair of pincers.

Mage Seda's grip was not particularly strong, yet it brought Gao De an indescribably intense agony.

The pain was so severe that Gao De nearly fainted and felt nauseated, as though he wanted to vomit.

It felt as though Mage Seda's palm was covered in sharp spikes that plunged into his neck, burrowed into his bones, and churned his marrow.

Of course, spikes could not possibly have grown from Mage Seda's hand.

Gao De understood that this was the effect of a "spell."

"Mage... I..." he said in a "trembling" voice.

"After taking the medicine, do you truly feel that your body has not changed in any way?" Mage Seda asked the same question again.

"Yes." Enduring the intense pain, Gao De answered with difficulty.

Mage Seda frowned deeply. "It is indeed the truth."

After a brief pause, his voice became calm again. He released Gao De and said, "I suppose you wouldn't dare deceive me. Leave."

"Yes." Freed from the intense pain, Gao De's body was still trembling slightly. He hurriedly answered in a "shaking" voice, then staggered out of the room.

Only Mage Seda remained in the enormous room.

His withered face could not be seen clearly in the shadows. No one knew what he was thinking.

"Phew..."

After a long while, Mage Seda let out a long breath, venting the frustration in his heart. His muttering echoed through the stifling room.

"At least the apprentice who tested the medicine survived this time. That means my approach is correct. Adding sage can effectively neutralize the medicinal conflicts produced by the other ingredients."

"But there's still a problem. Why was there no medicinal effect? Could it be that the sage also neutralized the spirit-channeling properties of the Spirit Bone Dust?"

Mage Seda truly had not suspected Gao De of lying. From his lofty position, he did not believe that these "ants," whom he could crush to death with one hand, would dare play tricks on him—and even if they did, did they have the ability?

Before spells, all cunning and tricks were futile.

Just now, he had cast the cantrip Interrogation on Gao De.

Interrogation (Necromancy, 0th Circle):

Touch the target and question them under the threat of strange pain caused by magical power.

The target may choose not to answer truthfully, but the threat of pain will allow you to discover that the target is lying.

The spell proved that Gao De had not lied.

"Replace the ten-year-old sage with five-year-old sage and try again!" Mage Seda gritted his teeth, finally making up his mind.

The reason he had to grit his teeth was because the main ingredient required for his potion, Spirit Bone Dust, was extremely expensive even for him.

Moreover, Spirit Bone Dust was not a common material. Even with money, it was not necessarily available for purchase; one had to wait.

He had already used up the Spirit Bone Dust from his previous purchase.

Only one herb shop in the city regularly stocked small amounts of Spirit Bone Dust, and he had long since bought it all.

That herb shop generally received a shipment once a month. It was now only the second day of the month, which meant there were still nearly a full month before its next shipment.

"One month. I can only wait..."

"I don't have much time."

"I must hurry and break through, advancing to a First Circle Mage!"