"So the reason the Star Gate Council suddenly started recruiting Wizards and Apprentices so aggressively was to get more test subjects?"
Thor wanted to call Jeffrey back and see whether the Red Worm had affected him—or whether Jeffrey was still the Wizard Apprentice Thor had met at the Air Port.
But with Alik watching him closely, Thor decided not to make any rash moves.
The Star Gate Council might tolerate Thor taking a look around, but they wouldn't allow him to interfere with their experiments.
Not even if it was just one of their samples.
Thor looked away and continued waiting for Byron.
He raised his left hand and examined the inactive Red Worm in his palm, then asked the Consciousness Entities in the Diary, "What do you think this species resembles?"
"Hidden Crystal Substance!" Penny answered first. "I haven't had any in ages."
"It does resemble it, but it's still quite different from genuine Hidden Crystal Substance."
Beth: [Thor, how did you manage to touch that Red Worm?]
Xiao Zao and the Nightmare Butterfly both had consciousness-related traits, yet neither could make contact. Thor, on the other hand, had managed to grab the Red Worm after just two attempts.
"Penny and Xiao Zao tried touching Red Worms that were still active, so their situation was different from mine. This inactive one is easier to touch. But first, you have to accept that it exists."
"Let me try first." Penny could no longer sit still. She came straight out of the Diary and pounced on the worm.
But, just like Thor on his first attempt, she missed.
"That's strange. Why can't I touch it? I kept telling myself it was tangible."
Thor shared his method. "Don't keep insisting on it. The more you do, the more it suggests you don't