The Alchemy Empire, the Empire Research Department.
A group of researchers dressed in identical white uniforms stared intently at the isolation chamber.
Inside the chamber, a spherical mass of Silver Metal floated in midair, held aloft by a force field!
"Beginning the 56th test. Deploy the Black Attractor Stone."
A calm, dispassionate voice rang out. A researcher in white issued the order to the person at the control panel.
The Researcher at the control panel promptly pulled down a lever.
Click!
A hatch opened in the ceiling of the isolation chamber. A black ore, dark as ink, with the space around it faintly warped, slowly descended through the opening.
As soon as the black ore dropped, the spherical Silver Metal reacted at once. It rapidly turned liquid and lunged toward it.
But held back by the force field, the liquid Silver Metal struck the invisible barrier like it had hit a wall, scattering in all directions.
After hitting the barrier several times, the liquid Silver Metal slowed down. It sprouted needle-like probes and began jabbing along the boundary of the force field, searching for a weakness in it.
"What a terrifying thing. Even a tiny fraction of it can display intelligence of this caliber!"
The researchers watching the liquid Silver Metal couldn't help widening their eyes and murmuring among themselves.
"Those people from earlier weren't lying. This Silver Metal really does have enormous research value!"
Soon, under the watchful eyes of the many researchers, the liquid Silver Metal finished mapping the full range of the force field!
But to the researchers' surprise, once it had finished probing the force field, the liquid Silver Metal made no attempt to break through. Instead, it drew itself in and returned to its original spherical form.
"Why has it stopped moving?" A crowd of