Qi Yuan, who was standing to the side, spoke up, " The Nightshade Research Institute was secretly built by His Highness."
"While taking in outsiders like our predecessors, we also studied how to eradicate heresy."
The Great Cang people call the indigenous people heretics.
The indigenous people call Great Cang False Human".
They really are incompatible.
Qi Yuan continued, "Senior, please follow me. His Highness has been waiting for you for quite some time."
After going through a series of complicated and tedious identity verifications in front of the alloy gate, the group finally passed through.
Qin Ze discovered that the security level of this research institute was extremely high, almost the same as that of Lin Siyao's research institute.
Along the way, there were always all sorts of people from different races passing by.
In contrast, very few local False Human were seen.
Qin Ze stopped in front of a laboratory and looked inside through the semi-transparent glass door.
An autopsy of a heretic corpse is being performed in the laboratory.
The person wielding the knife was an octopus-man.
His tentacles held various tools, and he had two assistants beside him.
Unlike "zombies" like the False Human, heretics are real, flesh-and-blood beings.
At the heretical Qi Sea location, Doctor Octopus used tweezers to pick out a black crystal the size of a thumbnail.
Qin Ze pushed open the door and entered.
The tightly closed alloy gate was no different from a piece of paper in his hands; he easily poked a hole through it.
Doctor Octopus turned around and angrily said, "Can't you see an experiment is in progress? Who let you in?"
With just a glance from Qin Ze, Doctor Octopus and his two assistants were rendered immobile; the powerful aura made them feel suffocated.
"Interesting."
Qin Ze took the black crystal from Doctor Octopus, examined it for a while, and then discovered its mysteries.
This black crystal is remarkably similar to the Soul Orb.
It contains power fluctuations similar to those of Soul Orb, and this black crystal even contains a "talent ability".
However, this talent has been severely nerfed.
It's the kind of thing that even the Big Black would dislike.
Qin Ze tossed the crystal to one of his ordinary clones. "Eat it."
Doctor Octopus roared, "Stop! Do you know how much effort we put in to get this Black Crystal?!"
Qi Yuan quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Doctor, don't be nervous. This is His Highness's guest. I will explain to His Highness that the Black Crystal exceptionally valuable and ask him to provide you with one."
Upon hearing that there would be more research materials, Doctor Octopus calmed down.
He scoffed, "This is unpurified Black Crystal; it can't be eaten directly, otherwise..."
He had only spoken halfway when his eyes widened.
The clone took the Black Crystal, tossed it into its mouth like a candy, chewed it a few times, and swallowed it all.
All the other clones stared at him expectantly.
"How is it? What does it taste like?"
The clone smacked its lips. "It's not tasty, tasteless, and it's hard on the teeth."
Just then, the clone's body underwent a strange change.
His arms and legs began to grow longer, making him indistinguishable from False Human.
"I think I have a special talent!"
The clone enthusiastically picked up a scalpel, and with a "whoosh," the scalpel cleaved the operating table in two, but the scalpel shattered in the process.
Strengthen objects.
But the extent of the reinforcement is truly laughable.
At the same time, Qin Ze also received feedback on his cultivation level and abilities, which was exactly the same as the effect of the Soul Orb.
It's less like Black Crystal and more like a youthful version of the Soul Orb.
Doctor Octopus stared incredulously at his clone. "You're actually alright?"
The clone dispelled its mutated form. "What could possibly be wrong?"
Doctor Octopus gasped, "This... is absolutely unbelievable!"
He quickly went forward and began to touch and feel around on the clone's body.
The clone laughed so hard it trembled, "Hahaha~ It tickles!"
Qin Ze looked at Qi Yuan beside him and asked, "You've also eaten this... Black Crystal?"
Qi Yuan nodded. "Not only me, every Great Cang person must start taking it from birth until the day they reach adulthood."
"As adults, we become completely immune to the world's influences during the Dark Night and partially immune during the day."
"However, we only consume low-grade Black Crystal; high-grade Black Crystal that can inherit supernatural abilities are extremely precious."
Qin Ze remained silent.
They're starting to look more and more alike.
He roughly understood why the Great Cang people had turned into zombies.
This is a side effect of continuously taking the Purifying Black Crystal.
Even purified Soul Orb Soul Orb side effects.
The higher the level of the Soul Orb, the greater the side effects.
Junior Martial Artist can only consume about a hundred low-level Soul Orb in their lifetime.
Half of the intermediate-grade Soul Orb.
As for high-grade Soul Orb, the limit is one.
Once this number is exceeded, the absorber will undergo an irreversible mutation, and will no longer be human.
The ordinary people of Great Cang were eating Black Crystal like candy, which is why everyone has turned into zombies.
Qin Ze said calmly, "Let's go, take me to see your Crown Prince."
The group then left the laboratory.
Doctor Octopus, like a perverted trolley, tried to keep the Black Crystal clone.
Unfortunately, his clone wasn't interested in his bizarre experiments; he still had to get through the main storyline.
"His Highness is inside."
Qi Yuan stopped outside the door of a reception room.
Qin Ze pushed open the door and entered, seeing the Crown Prince dressed in magnificent robes.
The Crown Prince was younger than he had imagined; according to the age classification of Human Race, he was probably only in his early thirties.
The prince bowed Great Cang to Qin Ze: "Senior, welcome to our world."
He showed no signs of royalty whatsoever.
Qin Ze sat down in a chair.
The Giant Overlord and the Sophist were positioned to the left and right, while the other clones lined up behind Qin Ze.
Qin Ze said calmly, "You need something from me?"
The prince nodded slightly and took a beautiful purple flower from the vase on the table.
" Nightshade Flower, the Great Cang Kingdom, blooms only at night."
"Its individual petals are very fragile, but when subjected to external force, all the petals will close."
His Highness gently poked it with his finger, and the Nightshade Flower instantly closed.
"When the petals close, they become incredibly tough, impenetrable even to swords and blades."
Qin Ze smiled inwardly.
This prince is quite a remarkable person.
The prince put down the flowers in his hand, looked at Qin Ze, and said, "Unity makes us stronger."
"That's why I established this Nightshade Research Institute to shelter those strangers who have strayed into this world."
"I provided them with shelter, and they provided me with the technology of their world."
"This is a win-win situation, because the chances of someone coming in and going out are extremely slim, but by working together, that potential can be amplified infinitely."
"Currently, all attack methods and weapons targeting heretics originate from the research institute."
At this point, the Crown Prince suddenly knelt on one knee.
"Senior, on behalf of all the people of Great Cang, I beg you to intervene and save this world from collapse."
Qin Ze said calmly, "What do you need me to do for you?"
The prince raised his head, his face resolute. "Slay the god."