Chapter 377: Surveillance and Prototype

Una had long known that a mind flayer had entered the forest.

As deputy director of the Containment Division, she naturally had some knowledge of this new race.

Its psychic frequency and mental abilities inherently generated pressure, making it as bright as a torch in the dark the moment it entered her magical perception range.

This was the specialty of the rabbit folk's mental arts, and Una was especially adept at it.

A week ago, she had already set her sights on the mind flayer Hart, monitoring every word and action he took daily.

This small favor is nothing.

After all, he's staying in our forest—how could I do nothing to help?

Besides, the zombie lady in charge of surveillance is too busy with her spell experiments to care about her.

But what surprised Una was—

This mind flayer's mental abilities were highly advanced, nearly reaching the level of a hive mind in their species.

Yet its physical form clearly showed signs of imbalance and unnaturalness—biological deformity, a mismatch between spirit and flesh.

Una didn't know how Luo De had captured such a mind flayer, but from its recent behavior, it was still under control.

Hey! Wait a minute!

Could I use this as an opportunity to legally cast surveillance spells on both Luo De and this mind flayer!?

"I'm really worried, Luo De."

Her wheat-colored face wrinkled with concern.

Round, bright red eyes, a small round face, tiny rabbit teeth—even with her rabbit ears covered, she was still adorable.

Luo De suppressed the urge to pinch her and instead squeezed Vivian's ears in his arms.

The tree spirit mistook it for a signal and began kissing his chest, clumsily circling—clearly taught by Tally.

"This is a dangerous new race never encountered on the continent. From current encounters, they are cunning, evil, cruel, sadistic, selfish, cold, and heartless—absolutely not redeemable. Luo De, as a friend, I sincerely advise you not to keep this monster near you."

Una spoke honestly, voicing her concerns first.

"Of course, I understand. But she's useful to me—at least for now."

"I know. You must have your reasons for doing this, and I trust your abilities. But Scarlett is recovering here, and I can't stay in the forest constantly—I'm still uneasy."

"Hmm, so what are you suggesting?"

Una secretly smiled, then immediately turned serious.

"I need to place a surveillance spell on that mind flayer."

"Fine, go ahead and cast it."

Luo De didn't care.

Mind flayers are infamous; it's natural to feel uneasy living nearby. Una doesn't know his powerful enslavement spell, so using a small trick for safety is perfectly normal.

Una, seeing him agree so readily, felt cheated.

I should've asked for something more outrageous!

"Actually, that's not enough—I plan to place a mental control monitoring spell on every girl in the forest, just in case!"

Luo De raised an eyebrow at the sight of the rabbit girl waving her tiny fist excitedly.

He suddenly remembered Sharon the dog folk mentioning this deputy director's obsession with eavesdropping.

So… did she already finish mapping Yan State?

He shook his head:

"The girls came to the forest seeking nature and freedom—they wouldn't like being monitored by spells."

"Oh, right… you're right." The rabbit folk looked downcast.

"But I don't mind—I can let you place it on me, as long as you give me some control over it."

You?

Why monitor your mental resistance?

I'm not even sure I can detect anything.

Una only thought these words in her mind—she could never say them aloud.

After all, this was a perfect chance to plant a surveillance device!

She'd never forgotten the incident when they first met and annoyed Luo De—she'd never repeat that mistake. But now that the target himself agreed, it was different!

Legal eavesdropping—ha ha ha—

"Of course! I'll teach you how to activate the spell. For safety, I recommend turning it on for at least two hours daily—the results will be fed back to me."

This was true—Una would only eavesdrop during those two hours. She dared not leave any backdoors.

The mental monitoring spell was cast swiftly.

So skillfully, it was as if she had practiced it hundreds of times.

Next, Luo De quickly learned how to activate the spell—and with his spell comprehension, he mastered it instantly.

Good.

Not large, but for her size, it was definitely not small.

Then, as if remembering something, she handed him a brass sphere.

"Oh, by the way, here's this."

Luo De took it.

Solid, heavy, pleasant to hold.

"What is this?"

"A derivative of the Dwarven 'Lock Heart' from the Magic Control League. It simplifies the user's spirituality, magical accumulation, and physical strength into simple numbers. This is one of their thirty-six prototype units. I thought you'd be interested, so I brought one along."

In short—it's digitized.

The Dwarves' 'Lock Heart' already had traces of a computer.

Before, when I went to the Magic Control League, the queueing and calling systems in the teleport elevators were replaced by 'Lock Heart'—now they've made something like this? Impressive.

Luo De weighed it in his hand and noticed a black crystal shard the size of a fingertip.

He infused a bit of spirituality into it.

The black crystal flickered for a while before faintly displaying the number 【312】.

"Three hundred twelve?"

Una leaned in.

Too short to see, she gripped Luo De's wrist and tiptoed.

Her cheek pressed against his hand—smooth, wonderfully elastic.

"It's a prototype, so inaccuracy is normal."

She let go, but the warmth remained on Luo De's skin.

"What level is 312?"

"According to the 'Lock Heart''s calibration, sixth-rank should be 100–150. Luo De, as a seventh-rank, should be around 150 to 300."

"The gap's quite wide. Sounds imprecise."

"Yes, the dwarves are also troubled by this. The continent has too many races, especially differences in body size—it causes massive errors, making numerical representation difficult."

"By the way, what's Una's magical value?"

"Me? I'm mid-eighth rank. Lately, my readings have hovered between 411 and 415. Oh, and Qixi—she's also mid-eighth rank, between 450 and 458."

"Qixi? Who's that?"

Luo De searched his memory.

The name sounded female. If he couldn't remember a girl's face, it was probably because she wasn't pretty enough.

Una pouted and crossed her arms, smiling playfully.

"The horned woman you met when you brought me the magic ring—she's the squad leader of the Interdimensional Cleanup Team."

Oh!

Now I remember—that horned woman who looked more manly than me.

No wonder I forgot.

Luo De flicked his hair smugly: "Sorry, I don't retain memories of girls who aren't cute enough. Back then, you were right in front of me—I couldn't even see her."

The rabbit folk wasn't easily swayed, but she understood Luo De was complimenting her beauty.

She giggled: "Don't say that—Qixi keeps asking about you, always inquiring about your address."

(End of Chapter)