Wizard: The exploration panel keeps me pure.

"arrive."

After looking at the murals on the wall, the two walked for a short while before the passageway ahead was no longer made of stone, but instead became a wall of some kind of unknown metal.

In the middle is a thick alloy door panel, the delicate texture of which appears both cold and soft under the firelight, and there is something on it that looks like a fingerprint lock.

Leon stood in front of the door, turned around and smiled at Ron behind him.

Then place your right thumb on the fingerprint lock in front of the door.

With a "ding," a mechanical voice suddenly came from above the metal tunnel: "Verification passed."

The gate slowly rose, revealing the scene inside.

"Please come in, Mr. Ron."

As he spoke, Leon went inside first, with Ron following behind, curiously looking around at everything inside.

The surrounding light was somewhat dim, with blue and purple as the main colors. At a glance, various bottles and jars, as well as many unidentified objects that looked like machine tools, appeared before his eyes.

It's obvious that this is a laboratory.

As the two ventured deeper, the entire laboratory came into full view of Ron.

The area on the left consists of culture tanks, in which specimens of various organisms are immersed in blue culture medium: flowers, birds, fish, insects, animals, and even humans.

The right side features a complex network of mechanical rails and energy beams, with all sorts of mechanical parts neatly arranged on rows of machine tools. It's clear that the owner here takes great care of these things.

Directly in front of them, an empty control panel stood quietly.

"Mr. Ron, please."

Lyon's voice came from the side, interrupting his observation.

The old man pointed to the control panel in the very center and invited Ron over with a beaming smile.

Seeing this, Ron did not hesitate and followed the other person straight to the control panel.

As soon as he entered this area, he sensed a strange fluctuation of magical energy particles, as if his physical bloodline was being drawn to something here.

"Can you tell me why you asked me to come here today?"

Standing on the control panel, Ron surveyed the layout of the laboratory, considering his best escape route should anything go wrong, while asking the ever-smiling old man in front of him in a detached tone.

"Of course, before that, please allow me to tell you the whole story. Oh, by the way, would you like some tea?"

"No need, hurry up, my patience is limited."

Leon smiled, unconcerned by his words, and inexplicably said "a cup of Moroccan tea" before sitting down on the sofa next to him.

Suddenly, a gap appeared in the metal floor, and a steaming cup of black tea appeared before the two of them.

Ron watched the other person's movements coldly, standing in front of him without making any move.

"Let me think... where should I begin... oh right, you're curious how I know you inherited the legacy of Wizard Mel, aren't you?"

Lyon gently blew on the steaming tea in his hand, speaking in a calm and unhurried tone.

Ron remained silent, simply watching and waiting for the other to continue.

"Hehe, you probably guessed it too. We made sure that family was indeed related to the legendary 'Cult of the Machine God,' or rather, we are the descendants of that group of people."

"Mr. Mayer had contact with my ancestor, and he left behind a keepsake, which is this."

As he spoke, the other party took out the "Phoenix Emblem" from his pocket again and showed it to Ron.

Upon hearing this, he suddenly remembered what he had seen in the wizard Mel's notes: "[The people of the Mechanical Heart have actually appeared here! Unbelievable! I will definitely go back to see you, Millie!!!]"

Could it be that this guy's ancestor was the person with the Mechanical Heart that Wizard Mel went to find?

This guess immediately popped into Ron's mind.

"That wizard Mel and my ancestors came from the same place."

Just as he was thinking about these things, Leon, who was sitting across from him drinking tea, continued, "My ancestors came from a powerful force in another region, the Mechanical Heart, while the Wizard of Mel came from the Phoenix Nest there."

"Back then, my ancestors received a mission to come to the 'Land of Sin,' which is now Valantia, to spread the path of mechanical wizards, but unfortunately, they ultimately failed."

"During this time, a so-called official wizard from the Phoenix Nest, namely Mr. Mel, approached my ancestor, hoping to return to his original place through the channel of the Mechanical Heart."

"Unfortunately, without the strength of a second-ring wizard, leaving this place is simply a pipe dream."

Upon hearing this, Ron immediately interrupted:

"Wait a minute, what exactly does 'Land of Sin' mean? And why can't someone who isn't a second-circle wizard leave this place?"

Lyon looked up at him, took a sip of tea:

"I don't know either. These are all written in the records left by my ancestors."

"Alright, let's get back to what we were saying earlier. Wizard Mel was extremely desperate after hearing this news. After all, for an 'outsider' like him to advance to the second ring wizard level here is not only a pipe dream, but also extremely difficult."

"So my ancestors came up with a solution: to create a bloodline mech for him."

"The so-called bloodline mecha is a combination of bloodline wizard and mechanical wizard. Its function is similar to a magical artifact, but it is much stronger than this."

Upon hearing this, Ron's heart skipped a beat, as if he had thought of something. He was about to ask a question when he was interrupted by the other party's raised hand:

"Let me finish speaking first."

"Afterwards, there will definitely be a price to pay for creating bloodline mechs. My ancestor made a bet with Wizard Mel. If he lost in the end, he would have to leave the legacy to his descendants, which is to say, to the people of that family."

"If he succeeds, the two sides will exchange their skills and knowledge."

Ron looked at the other man suspiciously, feeling that this guy, in the end, still wanted the inheritance he possessed.

Seemingly sensing the doubt in his eyes, Leon picked up a piece of paper covered in writing from the table next to him and handed it to him, saying:

"Take a look at these first."

Ron took the paper and looked at its contents. What he saw immediately made his brow furrow:

[Experiment 1023: Failed again... Damn it, could the people at Mechanical Heart be lying to me?]

[Experiment 2457: Is the Bloodline Mech Really Feasible? Can I Go Back?]

......

"What does this mean? You're not telling me that all of this was written by Wizard Mel?"

Looking at the densely packed experimental data and the occasional complaints and madness, Ron felt a sense of familiarity. He looked directly at Leon and asked.

"That's right, it was written by Wizard Mel."

"After making a pact with my ancestor, he actually managed to return to his original continent thanks to the bloodline mech that my ancestor created for him."

Upon hearing this, Ron's expression shifted: "That's not right, wasn't Wizard Mel ultimately defeated?"

"Hehe, take a look at this first."

Leon's lips curled into a smile, and suddenly a human projection dressed in a wizard's robe appeared in front of the two, its hollow voice echoing in the space:

"I've successfully returned... The bet remains unchanged; take what you need yourself."

After saying that, the figure immediately disappeared.

Ron looked at Leon with a puzzled expression, not understanding what this meant.

"The wizard Mel had an extremely brilliant idea at the time: to separate his soul from his true spirit, thereby reducing the 'burden' when traveling across the continent."

"This projection was sent to my ancestor through special channels after his success."

"So you're saying that the Wizard of Mel I saw before was only incomplete, and the real Wizard of Mel is still alive?"

Ron's expression suddenly changed, and a terrible thought flashed through his mind:

Will the wizard Mel discover my secret?

"Of course, the reason I've been looking for you all this time is to fulfill our bet. So, how about it, do you want the legacy of the Mechanical Wizard?"

"In no mood."