Legend of the Heroes of Another World's Divine Tower

Just as Lin Chi had successfully completed three standard versions of hallucinogenic grenades and was preparing to start making the more complex "bouncing type", he reached out to take a Sungrass leaf, only to find that the box was empty.

"Oh no!" he exclaimed softly, slapping his forehead in frustration. "I came back too late after finishing the experiment today, and when I got back I realized I forgot to go to the glasshouse to replenish the sun-loving grass."

Without the crucial materials, the work had to be halted. He glanced at the half-finished tree sap and inner lining on the table and estimated the time remaining.

"I hope Mom and Sister Qiluo are fast asleep by now," he thought. Although it was a bit risky, his train of thought was flowing smoothly tonight, and he really didn't want to stop.

Lin Chi dimmed the light of the Soul-Suppressing Lamp at his waist to its lowest setting, barely illuminating a small area beneath his feet. He picked up the empty box containing the Sunflower Grass and prepared to go to the glass room in the backyard.

He first carefully opened the door a crack, held his breath, and listened to the sound in the hallway outside—it was completely silent. Then he stepped aside, and very slowly and gently closed the door behind him, making sure there was no "click" sound.

As he passed his mother's and Qiluo's room, his heart began to race. He moved with utmost care, almost tiptoeing, shuffling over on the balls of his feet.

Fortunately, he escaped unharmed. He successfully slipped out the back door and arrived at the backyard of the mansion.

In the center of the backyard stood a glass room that emitted a faint glow in the darkness. This was Lin Ruyan's masterpiece and one of the camp's important sources of supplies. Inside, many spiritual plants were grown, including the key to maintaining the camp's nighttime "safety" and "entertainment"—the Sunshine Grass.

Lin Chi opened the glass room door with practiced ease, and a warm, moist air mixed with the fragrance of earth and plants rushed out. By the light, he walked through rows of lush, uniquely shaped spiritual plants and headed straight for the area where sun grass was planted.

However, when he reached the edge of that familiar grassy field, he couldn't help but freeze in surprise.

"Huh?" He crouched down, leaned closer to look, and frowned. "How come... such a large piece is missing?"

The sun grass, which was quite dense just a few days ago, is now noticeably sparse, revealing the dark soil underneath.

"Could it be... that Sister Qiluo took them all and gave them to those guys in the front yard?" This thought popped into Lin Chi's mind, and a hint of dissatisfaction and helplessness flashed across his small face.

"What a bunch of addicts!" he muttered under his breath, feeling a pang of sympathy for the precious plants that were being used to create illusory pleasure.

The sun-drenched grass in the glasshouse wasn't enough for him tonight. He thought for a moment, then stood up.

"We can only try our luck and see if there's any stock we harvested earlier that we haven't had time to use yet."

He left the glass room and turned towards a small warehouse in the corner of the backyard, built with heavy white iron planks. It contained planting tools, glass bottles, various research containers, and some processed spiritual plants.

The warehouse door wasn't locked, and he gently pushed it open. It was darker and more cluttered inside than outside. He raised his hand-held soul-suppressing lamp, its golden glow moving among the piles of miscellaneous items.

He rummaged through several shelves...

"Lucky me!" He found a flat wooden box at the bottom of a shelf against the wall. When he opened it, he found neatly stacked sunflower leaves inside, just enough for his needs.

Lin Chi breathed a sigh of relief, a happy smile spreading across his face.

Having completed his mission, he dared not linger. However, just as he was about to close the warehouse door, some sounds suddenly came from the darkness of the room.

In a corner piled with old and cluttered items, on a patch of ground completely covered in shadow, a seemingly ordinary white iron wooden board with tiny cracks along its edges had been moved with a barely noticeable gap.

A cacophony of sounds could be heard coming from beneath the crack...

Not long ago.

An underground chamber almost completely sealed off by thick stone walls.

The only entrance is a hidden passage concealed beneath a pile of junk in the rear warehouse.

On one side of the darkroom, against the wall, stood a large research table. The tabletop was not tidy, but rather covered with vivid traces of research.

Glassware of various sizes, grinding tools, several thick notebooks laid out, and some strangely shaped mineral or plant samples that emit a faint glow.

On the wall next to it hung a large record board, covered with dense data, formulas and scribbled diagrams. The recurring keywords were Sunshine Grass and Soul Eater.

Opposite the research table, against the other side of the stone wall, was a simple yet sturdy stone slab bed.

At this moment, Shangguan Qiluo was kneeling on the edge of the stone bed.

A man lay quietly on her lap.

The man was tall, and except for his head, the skin from his neck to his ankles was almost entirely covered with grotesque, twisted dark purple markings. Yet his face was surprisingly calm, even carrying a hint of peaceful slumber, his eyes tightly closed.

This man was none other than Lin Feng, Lin Chi's father, who was the nominal and de facto supreme controller of this camp.

Shangguan Qiluo lowered her eyes, and the usual shrewishness and playfulness were gone from her wine-red peach blossom eyes, leaving only a focused gentleness and caution.

She held a specially made, slender ear pick with soft down at the tip, and with extremely gentle and steady movements, she was massaging the acupoints around Raymond Lam's ear.

This is a method she learned as a child to soothe someone's agitated nerves.

Under her meticulous care, the terrifying dark markings on Lin Feng's body appeared unusually "docile" at this moment, without the unconscious twitching that might have occurred as usual; he was simply fast asleep.

The door to the secret passage was pushed open very gently. Lin Ruyan walked in silently, her face still carrying a trace of the tenderness she felt after returning from her son's place, but her eyes quickly switched to focused and worried work mode.

"Lin Chi is asleep?" Shangguan Qiluo didn't look up, but as if she had eyes in the back of her head, she asked softly.

"Mm," Lin Ruyan replied, her steps unwavering as she walked straight to her research table, her gaze fixed on her husband on the stone bed.

"How's Raymond Lam doing? Is he in good shape today?"

"Everything is normal." Shangguan Qiluo nodded slightly and gestured with her eyes to a small candle that was burning quietly on the bedside table.

The candle flame was steady, emitting a cool, slightly sweet, calming aroma, not the cloying sweetness of rosemary liquid, but a purer, more soothing scent.

"Using the newly adjusted formula of 'Sleep Candle' has been more effective than last time. The energy flow of the dark patterns is very smooth, and there haven't been any signs of uncontrolled disturbances for a long time."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ruyan's tense shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly. She walked to the table and saw several flat wooden boxes neatly arranged on it.

"I've collected all the used 'Empty Sunshine Grass' for you, and I've put them here," Shangguan Qiluo continued, her hands still making comforting gestures.

"Those guys in the front yard 'consumed' more than ever before, so the amount collected this time is also larger than before."

Lin Ruyan reached out and opened one of the wooden boxes. Inside were neatly stacked bundles of grass leaves that had lost all their luster, turned yellow and fragile, as if they would crumble at the slightest touch.

This is the "Empty Sunlight Grass" after it has been completely consumed and released all its hallucinogenic energy. To ordinary people it is just waste, but in her research, these "remains" contain crucial information.

She touched the withered leaves very lightly with her fingers, feeling a rough, cold sensation on her fingertips. After a moment of silence, she didn't immediately begin studying them, but instead turned her back to Shangguan Qiluo, her voice low and hoarse.

"Thank you, Qiluo. Really... I'm so grateful for your help. You have to deal with those people outside during the day, and at night you have to take care of Lin Feng and collect these materials for me... If I were alone, I definitely wouldn't have been able to handle all of this."

As she spoke, she discreetly raised her hand and quickly and gently wiped the corner of her eye with her sleeve. The stone chamber was dimly lit, but this subtle movement probably did not escape Shangguan Qiluo's notice.

Shangguan Qiluo stopped what she was doing, raised her head, and looked at Lin Ruyan's slightly thin but always upright back.

A complex emotion flickered in her wine-red eyes—a mixture of emotion and determination.