The giant transparent glass jar in front of them looked more like a cultivation tool, sustaining the person submerged within it.
Ikenouchi Maki focused her gaze on the person inside; it was an old man, appearing to be fifty or sixty years old, incredibly emaciated, seemingly suffering from severe malnutrition, and completely naked as he floated within.
Ikenouchi Maki was profoundly shocked, her mind going blank for a moment.
What… is… this…
Her mind was filled with questions, but she quickly understood what it was, because the device activated.
The transparent tube began to glow, and two pipes extended from its top, precisely piercing the man's back.
Immediately, the entire apparatus started, and the two pipes began to emit a faint blue glow, hazy in the water, but the man's agony was clearly etched into Ikenouchi Maki's eyes.
Magic Power Perception paths began to emerge from within the man's body, like meridians, covering his entire form, emitting faint purple light that continuously deepened.
This seemed to be an incredibly painful process; the old man's entire face was contorted, and his body began to sway slightly, yet he did not struggle… He seemed to have lost even the strength to struggle. He involuntarily opened his mouth, as if to wail, but no sound escaped, and instead, he swallowed mouthfuls of nutrient solution.
This only intensified his suffering… But despite the pain, the device was enchanted, allowing him to breathe and preventing him from choking on the special nutrient solution… Otherwise, he would likely have chosen death long ago, rather than endure such torment here.
Ikenouchi Maki stared blankly at everything, her hands unconsciously clenching, her teeth gritted.
As time passed, the patterns on the old man's body became increasingly clear, emitting a brighter faint purple light, but then they suddenly ceased at a peak and rapidly vanished.
The two pipes plunged into the man's back also changed from emitting a faint blue glow to a faint purple glow as the faint purple light disappeared, looking identical to the light that had just emanated from the man's body.
Then, in the area visible to Ikenouchi Maki, at the top of the external facility, the faint purple Magic Power Perception extracted by the pipes began to condense there, flashing with faint purple lightning, then slowly dimmed, solidified, and finally dropped to the ground.
A high-quality magic crystal was thus completed, the entire process taking ten minutes.
Ikenouchi Maki stepped forward, picked up the crystal, examined it closely in her hand, then looked up at the man.
As the magic crystal was produced, the device slowly ceased operation, and the tubes in the man's back were withdrawn, drawing a burst of blood that quickly diffused into the abundant nutrient solution.
And the man, from beginning to end, never opened his eyes, not even a tiny slit.
The freshly produced magic crystal still held a residual warmth, yet when Ikenouchi Maki held it in her hand, she felt only a chill.
She said nothing, did nothing, but simply stood there silently, watching the device slowly dim, only to reactivate after about half an hour, beginning the production of the next magic crystal.
Gritting her teeth, Ikenouchi Maki tightly clutched the freshly produced magic crystal in her hand and turned to leave.
It's not the present… not the present…
Ikenouchi Maki turned and departed, her heart filled with anger, yet she retained three parts of her rationality. To gather more intelligence, she left and went to other areas for reconnaissance.
...............
The sun gradually grew harsher, the chirping of insects intensified, and time was steadily advancing, already nearing afternoon.
Fang Wuwei crouched outside, having concealed his aura as much as possible, while also having his Magic Power Perception fully open, ensuring he remained undetected. He was intently watching the factory nearby, awaiting good news from Ikenouchi Maki.
Ikenouchi Maki had been inside for most of the day, and correspondingly, Fang Wuwei had been crouching in the tree for half a day, just waiting for Ikenouchi Maki to return. So he quietly remained there, waiting for good news.
Then he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.
Fang Wuwei reacted instantly, his body trembling. He swiftly turned, took a small hop back to create distance, and an asauchi instantly appeared in his hand. He swung the blade behind him, but then his sword stopped mid-air.
Because he suddenly understood what was happening.
"Ugh… Master, you scared me to death…"
Ikenouchi Maki, her face filled with lingering fear, pulled back her invisibility cloak, suddenly appearing from thin air. She clutched her chest, breathing heavily, a few drops of cold sweat running down her face, as she looked at the sharp blade in Fang Wuwei's hand, which was now dangerously close to her, gleaming with a chilling light.
Sweat was pouring down.
Fang Wuwei's hand remained suspended in the air, motionless for a moment, then he silently retracted his sword under Ikenouchi Maki's puzzled gaze. His entire face had darkened, filled with unprecedented anger.
He punched Ikenouchi Maki on the forehead.
"You almost died just now!!!"
"Ah? Ah!! It hurts! It hurts, Master!"
Ikenouchi Maki's shriek seemed to attract the attention of the nearby guards. So Fang Wuwei grabbed Ikenouchi Maki by the back of her collar and leaped away, heading deeper into the area to rest first.
Dropping Ikenouchi Maki to the ground, Fang Wuwei also landed. Looking at Ikenouchi Maki, who was clutching her head and wailing, Fang Wuwei let out a heavy sigh, then extended a finger and forcefully poked Ikenouchi Maki's head.
"Is scaring me fun? You almost got yourself sliced just now!"
"…I won't dare next time, Master…"
Ikenouchi Maki huddled on the ground, looking wronged, covering her head with both hands to block Fang Wuwei's finger attacks.
Fang Wuwei sighed helplessly. This silly girl…
"What did you find?"
At this, Ikenouchi Maki immediately emerged from her cowering state, pulled a magic crystal from her spatial bracelet, and handed it to Fang Wuwei.
Fang Wuwei took it and began to examine it using Magic Power Perception…
This one had an inexplicable freshness… It seemed to be of better quality than the one he had bought before?
"Just produced? Did you find out?"
"Yes! Master, they are producing them using human bodies! Using the bloodline of our Ikenouchi!"
Fang Wuwei raised an eyebrow. This truly caught him off guard.
He had originally thought that Ye Tian had merely deciphered this bloodline secret art and was using automated workshops to produce these magic crystal. He never expected them to be using living bodies?
Then Ikenouchi Maki began to gesticulate wildly, her face filled with anger, as she recounted everything she had seen and heard inside.
Large quantities of magic crystal packed into boxes and transported away, several documents and blueprints in the office, strange equipment, and the emaciated man submerged within, suspected to be a Ikenouchi Clan member.
The more Fang Wuwei listened, the stranger it seemed.
"You said you saw the production process, that it was fully automated equipment extracting, taking about ten minutes to produce one?"
"Yes!"
"And producing one magic crystal requires waiting half an hour for a cooldown?"
"Mm!"
"And you also saw the staff inside transporting away significant amounts of magic crystal?"
"Yes!"
"Did you check if there were any other magic crystal production devices elsewhere?"
"Master… I've searched repeatedly, there isn't a second one, only the one currently in production… Master, we must rescue that person first… No, something feels wrong…"
Fang Wuwei stroked his chin, looking at the factory in the distance, a hint of solemnity in the depths of his eyes.
Something was wrong, very, very wrong.