Chapter 3: Interrogation

Through the narrow, arched corridor, the end revealed a slightly larger brown-black door.

The leading apprentice, “Old Cheng,” stopped before the door and knocked three times with careful precision.

The knock echoed unnaturally in the silence: “Master Seda, Gao De has arrived.”

As the words faded, the tightly shut door opened without warning.

“Let him in.”

A low, grating voice drifted from inside the room.

The apprentice bowed deeply in reverence, answering “Yes,” then silently withdrew.

Gao De’s gaze turned toward the doorway; the interior was dim, obscuring all details, yet the oppressive aura was undeniably real—as if a dangerous beast lurked within, ready to devour him whole.

After a fleeting hesitation, Gao De stepped boldly inside.

The moment he crossed the threshold, the door silently closed behind him.

His vision first blurred, then dimmed to a dull yellow.

Before him stood an extremely long wooden table, scattered with parchment sheets and simple tools: a balance scale, a mortar for grinding powders, and a wooden shelf lined with numerous slender glass vials resembling test tubes. To the table’s left stood a massive bookshelf, neatly arranged with bound volumes.

To the right of the table was a crucible, beneath which rested a complex heating apparatus.

Gao De’s gaze swept the room swiftly, finally settling behind the table.

There sat a man of unimposing stature, his back turned to Gao De.

Gao De knew without doubt: this was Master Seda.

“Master Seda,” Gao De said, fixing his eyes on Seda’s back, tilting his upper body roughly fifteen degrees forward in a bow, then returning to his original stance.

He did not understand the customs of this world, so he defaulted to the most common Western bow to express respect for Master Seda.

At Gao De’s voice, Master Seda turned around.

Seeing Seda’s true face for the first time, Gao De was startled.

From behind, Seda appeared merely unremarkable in stature, but face-on, his complexion was ashen, utterly lifeless—as if death were already at his door.

“Cough, cough.” Seda coughed twice, his voice weak: “You’ve awakened, my good apprentice.”

“I heard you came to,” he said, a strange, almost feverish expression flickering across his withered face: “Tell me—how do you feel now?”

Seda stared fixedly at Gao De, a flicker of anxiety and longing deep in his eyes.

Seda’s question was expected; on his way here, Gao De had already prepared his answer.

“Compared to before taking the potion, there seems to be no change,” Gao De shook his head, hesitating: “Except for the period of unconsciousness.”

Upon hearing this, Seda’s expression darkened instantly, his tone growing harsh.

“How could there be no change? Either you die—or you shouldn’t be unchanged at all!”

Gao De’s heart lurched at Seda’s reaction; unease surged within him.

Yet he was not afraid Seda would detect that this body’s soul had been replaced.

To Seda, apprentices were expendable—no one paid attention to their habits or personalities, so there was no reason he’d notice any change.

“Come here!” Seda suddenly snorted coldly.

Gao De donned a look of fearful submission and hurried forward until his body pressed against the table, then bowed his head, avoiding direct eye contact.

Seda stared at Gao De, expressionless, silent for a long while.

Gao De knew Seda was displeased and dared not speak to provoke him, so he stayed still, waiting for Seda to speak first.

Long minutes passed, and Seda still said nothing.

The atmosphere grew eerie; Gao De’s nerves tightened, and his eyes flickered upward slightly.

“If you want to look, look,” Seda’s cold voice cut through the silence: “Are you sneaking glances because you’re guilty?”

Gao De froze, then lifted his head, letting his gaze sweep over Seda’s face before immediately dropping it. Seda watched him with a cold, humorless smile, his eyes darkening.

In the next instant, Gao De felt a sudden force shove him from behind.

Already close to the table, the push sent his upper body tilting forward.

Then, as if anticipating it, Seda extended his right hand like a clamp and seized Gao De’s throat.

Seda’s grip was not strong—but it inflicted upon Gao De an indescribable agony.

The pain was so intense Gao De nearly fainted, his stomach churned, and he felt sick to vomit.

It felt as if Seda’s palm had sprouted sharp thorns, piercing his neck, drilling into his bones, twisting his marrow.

Of course, Seda’s hand bore no thorns.

Gao De understood: this was the effect of a spell.

“Master… I…” his voice trembled.

“After taking the potion, do you truly feel no change in your body?” Seda asked again the same question.

“Yes,” Gao De answered through gritted teeth, enduring the searing pain.

Seda frowned tightly. “It’s the truth.”

After a pause, his voice returned to calm, and he released Gao De: “I assume you dare not lie to me. Leave.”

“Yes.” Gao De, still trembling from the agony, stammered his reply and stumbled blindly out of the room.

The vast room was left alone again with Seda.

His withered face, lost in shadow, revealed nothing of his thoughts.

“Huh~”

Long after, Seda exhaled deeply, releasing his frustration, his murmured voice echoing in the sealed room.

“At least this test subject survived—my direction is correct. Adding sage effectively neutralizes the conflicting properties between other ingredients…”

“But there’s still an issue: why no effect? Did the sage also neutralize the spirit-awakening property of the Bone Powder?”

Seda never doubted Gao De was lying. As one who held absolute power over these “ants” he could crush with a thought, he believed none would dare deceive him—and even if they dared, could they possibly succeed? Before magic, all schemes were futile.

Just now, he had cast the spell “Interrogation.”

【Interrogation】 (Necromancy, 0th Level):

Upon contact, inflict strange pain as threat to interrogate the target.

The target may choose to lie, but the pain will reveal deception.

The spell confirmed: Gao De told the truth.

“Replace the ten-year sage with five-year sage—and try again!” Seda clenched his teeth, finally making his decision.

He clenched them because the main ingredient in his potion—Spirit Bone Powder—was extremely expensive, even for him.

And Spirit Bone Powder was not a common material; even with money, one could not always buy it—only wait.

His last supply had been exhausted.

Only one apothecary in the city regularly imported small quantities of Spirit Bone Powder—and he had bought it all.

That apothecary restocked once a month; it was only the second day of the month—meaning he must wait nearly another month for the next delivery.

“A month… I can only wait…”

“I don’t have much time.”

“I must hurry—break through and become a 1st-Level Mage!”

(End of Chapter)