Chapter 463: Five Color Palm Badge
Directly facing the gold level ice gargoyle stood a massive alchemy platform, leaning against the spatial wall.
Three round vials were casually placed on the platform, each containing a type of recovery cryogenic fluid. This was a specialized healing potion for ice gargoyles, all of silver level quality.
Beside the alchemy platform stood a bookshelf over a meter tall.
The shelves held various books, some slim, some thick.
<< The Complete Guide to Combat Puppet Circuits >>
<< Optimal Circuit Configuration · Volume III >>
<< Practical Battle Formations for Puppets >>
All these books pertained to alchemy puppets.
Beyond these, Zi Di also discovered several drafts and blueprints, likely authored by Jia Bing.
“What a bountiful haul!” Zi Di exclaimed, unable to conceal her delight after surveying the entire hidden compartment.
She felt an exquisite sense of fulfillment, as if her wishes had come true.
For some time now, she had sought to bolster her combat strength using alchemy puppets.
To that end, she had arranged for others to purchase combat puppets in Snow Bird Harbor. These puppets had been delivered to Blood Kin City via caravan, reaching Zi Di's hands.
Yet before these alchemy combat puppets saw a single battle, Zi Di had already obtained the superior ice gargoyle.
“Calm down. Solve the entry and exit problem first before claiming these spoils.” Zi Di steadied her mind and began manipulating the snake shadow ghost to probe the portal formation of the spatial interlayer.
Half an hour later, Zi Di had gained considerable insight.
Two options now lay before her: the first was to directly destroy the portal formation, the second was to dismantle it.
Each approach had its pros and cons.
After pondering, Zi Di discarded the dismantling option in favor of outright destruction.
Dismantling was cumbersome and time-consuming.
Direct destruction would take far less time and carry minimal risk.
Under Zi Di's command, the snake shadow ghost swiftly destroyed the portal formation.
Breaching it from within proved vastly easier than attacking from the outside.
Spatial fluctuations surged, expanding into an elliptical portal.
The portal's frame glowed silver white. Standing before it, Zong Ge could directly observe the spatial interlayer.
The portal remained remarkably stable.
Zi Di cast another round of detection spells at the entrance.
After several spells, she detected no traps within the spatial interlayer.
Yet she remained cautious, this was the primary laboratory of a gold level alchemist.
So Zi Di commanded her alchemy puppet and specter to sweep the spatial interlayer thoroughly.
The results confirmed it was safe.
Zong Ge stepped into the spatial interlayer first, followed by Zi Di.
Zi Di first gathered all books, blueprints, and drafts from the shelves. For magicians, knowledge was always the most precious commodity.
Next, she packed up the twelve silver level gargoyles.
Then, she turned her attention to the sole gold level ice gargoyle.
This ice gargoyle was still in the process of being crafted, making its disassembly and removal quite laborious.
After half an hour, Zi Di finally managed to stow the gold level ice gargoyle into her storage belt.
Thanks to Jia Bing's contribution, his gold level storage device.
Once the gold level ice gargoyle was inside, it occupied over half the storage belt's space.
Zi Di had no choice but to remove five of the silver level ice gargoyles she'd just stowed away.
The storage belt was now full.
“We need more storage devices!” Zi Di sighed, caught in a happy dilemma.
Spatial items were scarce on the market, primarily because demand from all parties was extremely high.
Whenever space storage equipment hit the market, it was usually snapped up instantly.
Moreover, explicit sales bans on spatial gear existed in many regions.
Silver level items were still manageable, but gold level ones almost always fell under these ban restrictions.
For the time being, Zi Di and Zong Ge found it difficult to acquire suitable storage items.
Zi Di quickly devised a solution.
After infusing numerous elemental crystals, she successfully activated the five silver level ice gargoyles.
With the aid of the Deceptive Disguise spell, the ice gargoyles operating outdoors would be nearly impossible to detect.
Zi Di began dismantling the energy reactors.
First was the larger Icebreaker Fang energy reactor, followed by the smaller Ice Crusher energy reactor. The former was silver level and the latter was gold level, both commanding hefty market prices.
Considering the future, the survivors might establish alchemy factories within the Ice Sculpture Kingdom. One could never have too many of these energy reactors.
After a full hour and a half, Zi Di finally emptied the entire spatial interlayer.
Emerging from the elliptical silver-edged spatial gate, Zi Di returned laden with spoils.
“Too bad this spatial interlayer can't be moved, I can't take it with me,” Zi Di glanced back at the spatial gate with regret.
Such hidden spaces held immense value, even more precious than a gold level ice gargoyle.
Regrettably, Zi Di and Zong Ge had no choice but to abandon it.
They couldn't linger here.
On one hand, the redemption plan demanded urgent execution. On the other hand, they still hadn't uncovered the true nature of the faction behind Axe Gang's leader, Jia Bing, and his crew.
The enemy had just lost three gold level members, a devastating blow. Would they seek frenzied revenge, or lay low for now? Zi Di and Zong Ge couldn't tell.
Five ice gargoyles, laden with bundles and sacks, led the way downstairs.
Following them, Zi Di and Zong Ge descended from the second floor.
Upon reaching the ground floor, they observed the last stubborn trap slowly dissipating.
After Jia Bing had set this magic trap, he had to constantly supply it with energy to maintain its formidable power.
Its energy source was the energy reactor within the spatial interlayer.
Now that Zi Di had removed the energy reactor, this most stubborn magic trap was also fading away.
Zi Di and Zong Ge initially paid it little mind, but as they reached for the door to leave, the last vestiges of the trap's magic vanished completely, revealing a peculiar metal door embedded in the ground.
The square metal door was embedded in the muddy ground, resembling a basement entrance.
“Wait, what is this?” Zong Ge halted first.
Zi Di grew curious: "Did Jia Bing set a magic trap on this door? Was he trying to conceal this metal door with this unique method?"
Both Zi Di and Zong Ge's gazes were drawn to it.
Soon, they noticed a pattern at the door's center.
It depicted an open palm with five fingers. Each finger bore a distinct color: red, yellow, blue, green, and white. From the bases of these five-colored fingers, strands of corresponding hues extended outward. These strands converged at the palm's center, intertwining to form the shape of a heart.
“What does this pattern mean?”
“It feels... like a badge.”
Zi Di and Zong Ge began studying it.
Unbeknownst to them, a similar metal door existed far away on Flower Skirt Island. Its portal also bore a palm-shaped emblem cluster.
Gold level magicians, Master Cai Jing and Da Bei, and the silver level Zhong Bei now stared intently at the five-fingered emblem, their gazes burning.
As they channeled their magic, five colored beams emerged from the fingertips.
The condensed beams weren't straight lines but curved strands, thicker than hair, resembling slender vines.
The multicolored beams slowly spread through the air before settling onto several potted plants.
These containers held various magic plants.
They were the fruits of the recent, all-out cultivation and nurturing efforts by Cai Jing, Da Bei, Zhong Bei, and numerous potion apprentices.
The multicolored beams plunged into these magic plants, continuously drawing nutrients from them.
The magic plants withered visibly at a rapid pace, while the multicolored beams grew increasingly bright and thicker in diameter.
Upon reaching a certain limit, the red beam retracted first, disappearing back into the palm pattern.
On the palm pattern with its fingers spread wide, one finger was fully illuminated, flashing red light rapidly.
Then, a similar scene unfolded in succession.
The blue-light finger, green-light finger, and white-light finger all ignited.
Only the yellow-light curve remained coiled around the magic plant. As it visibly swelled toward its limit, poised to retract, the magic plant suddenly collapsed.
A soft pop echoed.
The magic entity shattered into fragments.
The yellow light curve, however, had not reached its limit. Affected by the collapse of the magic plant, it disintegrated and vanished instantly.
“So close! So very close!” Zhong Bei cried, clutching his head.
Da Bei also wore a look of regret, “Yes, just a little more, and we could have passed the final test to inherit the legacy of Master Fan Sheng Za Zhong!”