Chapter 262: Professor You Yu Te Er

The towering towers in the early morning were bathed in soft morning glow, the towering spires like spears piercing the sky, splitting the first ray of sunlight into colorful beams, sprinkling them into every corner of the city.

Luo En walked on the main road of the Central Land, feeling the subtle mana pulses of the floating islands under his feet.

Unlike the mana field lacking vitality in the Black Fog Jungle, the mana here was surging like a torrent, and every inch of air contained energy density that made people palpitate.

The "Star Projection" characteristic became exceptionally active in this environment, like a greedy devourer, continuously grabbing nutrients from the surrounding mana ocean.

In just a few days, his mana reserve had skyrocketed by several tens of percent, and the quality had also gained significant improvement.

"This mana growth rate..." Luo En calculated silently:

"If it continues, within two years, I will reach the mana reserve of a Moon-level wizard."

Of course, mana reserve alone was not enough to compare with a real Moon-level wizard.

Those experienced spellcasters mastered countless exquisite spells and exclusive secret techniques, which were the result of years of accumulation.

But it could not be denied that the environment of the Central Land indeed provided excellent soil for his growth.

Today, he was going to an inconspicuous building complex located in the West District—the Central Land branch of the Abyss Observatory.

According to the agreement, Lei Nuozi would be waiting there to take him to visit and introduce in detail the various benefits of joining the observatory.

On both sides of the main road, various extraordinary races and professionals were shuttling back and forth.

Dwarf craftsmen were carrying shining metal tools and shouting;

Cat people were curled up under the eaves, their eyes vigilantly scanning everyone who passed by;

Several half-elf scholars wearing gorgeous robes were fiercely discussing the derivation process of a mana formula, and the mana models in their hands were constantly changing forms with the discussion.

Luo En took all this into his eyes but did not stop his steps.

As the distance shortened, he keenly perceived that he was entering a special area.

Just like entering deep water from a shallow water area, the surrounding mana fluctuations began to show subtle changes.

On the surface, it was still calm, but inside, there were undercurrents, containing a kind of indescribable sense of danger.

"This mana composition... mixed with the breath of the abyss."

Luo En activated Extraordinary Identification, carefully analyzing the energy fluctuations in the air.

That kind of imperceptible gray energy flow with slight corrosiveness was one of the signs of abyss energy.

"Wizard Ralph! Over here!"

A familiar voice interrupted Luo En's thoughts.

He looked up and saw Lei Nuozi standing at the entrance of a low building, waving at him.

Unlike the casual look on the airship, today Lei Nuozi was wearing a dark blue formal robe.

A silver six-pointed star badge was worn on his chest—that was the sign of a member of the Abyss Observatory.

"Wizard Lei Nuozi, good morning." Luo En nodded slightly, his eyes carrying moderate friendliness.

"Good morning! It seems you have fully adapted to the environment of the Central Land."

Lei Nuozi smiled enthusiastically, stepping forward to shake hands with Luo En:

"Many new wizards should be having headaches in bed right now because of mana overload!"

His gaze carefully sized up Luo En, seemingly quite surprised at the state of the young wizard:

"You look in excellent spirits, and your mental state is also very stable, which is not very common."

"Thanks to my meditation method characteristic, I have unique advantages in adapting to the environment."

Luo En smiled, his tone neither proud nor deliberately humble: "Speaking of which, I also have to thank you for taking the time to take me to visit."

"It should be, and congratulations on successfully joining the Crystal Spire!"

Lei Nuozi patted Luo En on the shoulder, that overly enthusiastic posture forming a sharp contrast with Luo En's calmness:

"Maybe we will become colleagues soon. Come on, let me show you the true face of the Abyss Observatory."

They passed through a seemingly ordinary wooden door.

However, Luo En's Extraordinary Identification skill immediately captured the three layers of concealment runes covered on the door:

The first layer was used to cover the energy fluctuations inside;

The second layer blocked external mental detection;

The third layer was a certain memory interference structure, making passersby subconsciously ignore the existence of this entrance.

Obviously, this inconspicuous building hid quite a few secrets inside.

Behind the door was a long and narrow corridor, the walls made of a special dark gray stone.

The air was filled with a peculiar metallic rust smell, mixed with a certain indescribable exotic breath, as if it were an echo coming from the depths of the abyss.

"This corridor is the buffer zone for the entire facility."

Lei Nuozi explained while leading the way, his voice a few degrees lower than outside:

"It can help visitors gradually adapt to the special environment inside, and it is also the first line of defense to prevent abyss energy leakage."

Luo En nodded, his gaze sweeping over the runes on the wall.

These runes could both isolate external detection of the interior and prevent the overflow of abnormal energy from the interior.

As they went deeper, Luo En could feel the energy composition in the air changing subtly.

In addition to conventional mana fluctuations, it was also mixed with a peculiar gray energy flow, which was a more primitive and chaotic power.

"The abyss breath is indeed a bit heavy."

"Observation is very keen!"

Lei Nuozi gently patted the wall:

"The abyss breath here is kept within a safe range.

This design has two purposes:

One is to keep researchers sensitive to abyss energy, and the other is to provide a relatively real abyss research environment without causing substantial damage to the body and spirit."

At the end of the corridor was a heavy door made of some kind of silver-white metal, with a complex hexagonal verification system embedded on it.

Lei Nuozi pressed his badge on the verification system and entered a mana password at the same time.

The door slowly opened, and a weird atmosphere seeped out from within, as if countless eyes were watching every intruder in the dark.

It had to be said that the abyss breath was indeed as recorded, silently seeping into people's spiritual world, inducing various negative emotions and distorted thoughts.

Without sufficient mental power and willpower, long-term exposure to this environment would easily lead to madness or degeneration.

Behind the door was a spacious circular hall, surrounded by dozens of small laboratories and storage rooms, and in the center was a huge multi-level observation platform.

The entire space was filled with complex instruments and energy monitoring devices, and more than a dozen researchers in uniform uniforms were busy at their respective posts.

"Welcome to the Abyss Observatory."

Lei Nuozi made an exaggerated gesture, his eyes flashing with undisguised pride:

"Here, the top abyss research resources and talents of the Ring Abyss Continent Group are gathered, making it the best place to understand the mysteries of the abyss."

Luo En's gaze quickly swept across the entire hall; the floor, walls, and ceiling of the entire hall were covered with miniature detection and protection runes, forming a complete security network.

Once an energy abnormality or abyss pollution leakage occurred, this network would immediately start, completely isolating the abnormal area from the outside world.

"The precision of the equipment is indeed astonishing, worthy of being a project fully invested and built by Tower Master Cassandra."

Luo En evaluated sincerely.

They took a special mana elevator and slowly descended to the underground floor.

"The first underground floor is the main research laboratory."

Lei Nuozi introduced:

"The second underground floor is the specimen storage area and preliminary analysis area.

The third underground floor is the top-secret area, which requires special permission to enter, and my permission is not enough."

The elevator stopped on the second underground floor, and the door opened to reveal a shocking scene.

This was a huge circular space, with hundreds of sealing devices of different sizes arranged on the surrounding walls.

Each one emitted a faint blue light, sealing various weird-looking abyss substances inside.

"Specimen storage area." Lei Nuozi's introduction became more professional:

"Here, we collect specimen samples from all layers of the abyss, from the most basic abyss dust to the most dangerous mutant tissue, everything is available. For us researchers, this is an inexhaustible treasure house."

Luo En walked close to several larger sealing devices, activated Extraordinary Identification, and carefully observed the samples inside.

The first device contained a seemingly ordinary gray rock, but in Luo En's perception, an energy flow that violated natural laws was taking place inside this rock.

It was consuming its own substance to maintain an abnormal state of existence, like a self-devouring cycle that would never stop.

"'Memory Stone' from the seventh layer of the abyss." Lei Nuozi explained:

"It can record and replay memory fragments of creatures that pass by it. Activating it under safe conditions can reveal the last moments of those creatures that have already perished in the abyss."

The second device suspended a mass of black liquid that was constantly deforming, its shape changing every few seconds.

From a sphere to a cube, then to a hexagonal pyramid, and then to some weird shape that completely exceeded geometry.

"'Morphological Rheological Liquid' from the 'Twisted Jungle' on the fourth layer, and it is also one of the results of my last exploration."

Lei Nuozi's voice carried a trace of undisguised pride:

"I extracted it myself from a tree trunk that could move. This liquid can briefly change the basic structure of matter, making metal flow like water, or making water as hard as stone."

Luo En nodded, recording this information in his mind without changing his expression.

The characteristics of these abyss substances highly matched the descriptions he had read in the "Abyss Creature Illustrated Guide" before, but seeing it with his own eyes was a completely different experience from book records.

They continued to move forward and arrived at the depths of the storage area.

The sealing measures there were obviously more rigorous, each device was shrouded in multiple energy barriers, and additional monitoring instruments were arranged around them.

Luo En's gaze was attracted by a special sealing device in the deepest part.

That was a hexagonal crystal pillar nearly two meters high, with a distorted dark purple object suspended inside.

It looked like a limb fragment of some creature, its surface covered with countless tiny tentacles and eyeball-like structures.

Although locked by multiple seals, Luo En could still feel the heart-palpitating energy fluctuations emanating from it.

That fluctuation contained a kind of near-primitive malice, as if it were some chaotic power from the beginning of the universe's birth.

"That is..." He couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

Lei Nuozi's expression became exceptionally solemn:

"That is a limb fragment cut from an apostle.

Twelve years ago, a Dark Sun wizard briefly fought with an apostle during an abyss exploration and luckily cut off a small part of it.

Later, under the remote support of Professor You Yu Te Er, he tried his best to escape back and successfully brought back this sample."

Luo En carefully observed the mutant limb.

Although it was bound by layers of seals, its ability was suppressed to a very low level.

But one could still see those tiny tentacles slowly and almost imperceptibly wriggling, just like tiny twitches in a dream.

Even more terrifying was that those eyeball-like structures seemed to have some kind of activity.

Their "eyelids" would occasionally twitch slightly, as if they might open at any time to watch this world.

Even under such tight seals, it still emitted activity that could not be ignored.

It was like a fire seed that could never be completely extinguished, ready to burn again under suitable conditions at any time.

"This sample is one of the higher-level research objects of the entire observatory."

Lei Nuozi explained in a low voice:

"Even for researchers like me, I basically have no chance to directly contact it. Only in special experiments personally supervised by Professor You Yu Te Er will it be briefly activated for research."

"The power of an apostle is indeed daunting."

Luo En evaluated simply, while weighing the value and danger of this level of abyss substance in his heart.

Apostles, those terrifying existences living in the depths of the abyss, possessed near-divine power.

Even just a small part of their bodies contained potential power sufficient to destroy a city.

Such research material was undoubtedly a treasure that any abyss researcher dreamed of.

"However, I noticed that there don't seem to be any abyss secret treasures here."

He mentioned it as if casually, his gaze still lingering on that apostle limb.

Lei Nuozi was slightly surprised: "You also have research on abyss secret treasures?"

"Just heard of it."

Luo En responded cautiously: "When I was at the Black Fog School, I once obtained an item called a 'Substitute Doll,' which is said to be a type of abyss secret treasure."

"You actually have an abyss secret treasure."

Envy appeared in Lei Nuozi's eyes:

"That is countless times more precious than ordinary abyss substances, each one possessing unique power and effects."

He shook his head, revealing a trace of regret:

"The observatory does collect a few abyss secret treasures, but they are all locked in the highest-level vault on the third underground floor."

The two continued to visit, and Luo En constantly evaluated the research value and possible application directions of these abyss substances in his heart.

"If you are interested in the research of these abyss substances, joining the observatory would be a wise choice."

After the visit came to an end, Lei Nuozi's tone became more enthusiastic:

"As an official member, you will not only have priority research permission but also be able to purchase some non-high-risk abyss substances at internal prices for personal research."

The two came to a quiet conference room, and Lei Nuozi took out a detailed document and handed it to Luo En.

"This is a detailed explanation about joining the observatory."

He explained: "It includes information on rights, obligations, treatment, promotion paths, and other aspects."

Luo En took the document and read it carefully.

This document was quite detailed, covering almost everything an observatory member needed to know.

"Of course, as a member, the first thing you need to sign is a confidentiality agreement."

Lei Nuozi added: "Many studies in the observatory are top secret and cannot be leaked without authorization."

"I understand, this is a matter of course." Luo En nodded to indicate understanding.

The document specifically emphasized several advantages:

Observatory members can apply for reimbursement of experimental resources related to station research plans;

When participating in abyss exploration, they can obtain remote guidance from Professor You Yu Te Er, as well as help when necessary;

More importantly, outstanding members have the opportunity to participate in higher-level core projects and come into contact with those abyss mysteries that are usually only open to wizards above the Dark Sun level.

"Professor You Yu Te Er is the soul of the observatory."

When Lei Nuozi mentioned this name, his tone carried obvious respect:

"Without his persistence and dedication, the observatory could not have developed to its current scale."

Just the moment Lei Nuozi finished this sentence, the mana field of the entire room suddenly underwent subtle changes.

It was almost imperceptible at first, but soon became more and more obvious:

An ancient and profound energy fluctuation surged from all directions, forming a peculiar resonance in the air.

Luo En was instantly alert, but did not show any defensive posture.

He had long sensed that since entering the Abyss Observatory, there had been a vague sense of surveillance, as if the entire space was under the gaze of some existence.

Sure enough, the next moment, the seemingly ordinary portrait on the wall suddenly spoke:

"Mentioning my name, my old bones are itching a bit!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 263 =====