Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

Compared to his disciple Brandon, Heinrich had a more acute sense of smell and easily detected the unusual behavior of Reislaufer, while Doppler was not surprised at all. Since there were others who needed to worry about these matters, he was happy to relinquish this hotbed of trouble.

As for the others, they naturally had to leave with Raslaufer.

Heinrich's study was located within the Serrac Church Theological Seminary, in a small, secluded room that was almost never open to anyone except his disciple Brandon. Even lords and bishops had to make appointments in advance and obtain permission before they could enter. With the exceptional visits by Raslaufer and his companions, they quickly understood why.

“Be careful not to touch anything,” Heinrich and Brandon skillfully navigated around the complex wiring on the ground and the unidentifiable machinery around them. “The high price of these instruments is secondary; the important thing is that once they are damaged, repairing them is a major problem.”

"The city of Qingzun has collapsed."

The City of Tranquil Wine is not only a place blessed by Dionysus, but also possesses a stable starport that connects to other worlds. Some of the instruments or components within it were likely imported from there. Replacing them now would indeed be far more troublesome.

Going to Magpares is no small matter these days.

“Dark Moon Crystal, Ricosen Cauldron…” Pol whispered as he identified each item. As the saying goes, an expert can see the details. The old mage from Magpares may have been less skilled in spellcasting, but he was familiar with every single one of these instruments. “Every step I take here is like brushing past ten thousand Imperial Gold Coins.”

"But, Your Excellency Heinrich, how did you obtain these things? You know, even at Magpares Academy, some instruments are only equipped with one or two units."

The reason is simple: they're expensive. More than half of the royal family's annual sponsorship goes towards equipment that's even more valuable than the imperial princess—Angrita changed many of her habits after her escape to adapt to her new environment; but if these devices malfunction, they'll immediately go on strike.

"What else can we do? We just have to figure it out ourselves," the demon scholar said casually. "I need these things, and I know how to do them. So, if we want to continue, the only way is to fill in the gaps in the middle ourselves. You might recognize these things, Lord Paul, but if you actually use them, you'll find that they are very different from what you've used before."

Heinrich's solution was simple: solve everything himself, except for those he couldn't. Some instruments in the lab even had only one crystal lens that he purchased; everything else he "assembled" himself.

It may not be as precise, but it is more robust and durable, and it is absolutely in line with Heinrich's own operating habits.

"So much gold..." That was all the exclamation Leslaufer could muster regarding the exchange between the two seasoned researchers. He began to carefully examine everything around him, especially the obviously valuable items. But he quickly discovered with dismay that these things were either fragile and explosive or extremely heavy. In short, if he wanted to plunder such a place, he would probably get nothing but ruin everything.

So many gold coins, all so firmly "imprisoned" in this small house.

"So what will these things do to me?" Dopler snapped out of his regret and asked Heinrich in front of him, "Cut open my flesh? Or cut off my head?"

“There’s no need for all that trouble,” Heinrich said, pointing to a makeshift bed made of metal frames inside. “All you have to do is get used to it, and you don’t need to worry about anything else.”

"It probably won't be very comfortable up there, since I was always tied up when I lay up here before."

Leslaufer looked at the iron frame called "the bed," which was covered in old bloodstains and had leather straps and hooks on both sides. The former was used to deal with those who needed to be controlled, and the latter was used to deal with those who did not want to be controlled.

“If you think it’s unreliable, you can try something else first—like the one you have here,” Heinrich added, noticing that Reislaufer was still hesitant. He pointed to the half-spine attached to the Soul Eater’s head that Dople had casually picked up. “This thing won’t move; just secure it with a strap.”

Reslaufer placed the "root" mutilated corpse on the table as instructed, and Brandon immediately went over and skillfully began connecting various pipes. Some of them looked like they were meant for living things, so although they were plugged in, they didn't actually work.

"Can you even tell what all this is for?" Daisy asked, her eyes wide, nudging the old mage beside her with her elbow. "This looks even more advanced than the stuff back home..."

“Everyone has their own expertise, how could I possibly know for sure? At most I could only see some clues,” Paul said with a wry smile. “I never imagined that the renowned demonologist of Ironforge would specialize in necromancy in arcane magic.”

“In order to better understand these demons, I will order some physical ones to operate on before the collapse of the City of Collapse,” Heinrich shrugged. “But as you can understand, only a small portion of them will be alive—most of them are lesser demons, Quass demons, or cowardly demons and the like, and the rest are basically just corpses.”

Slightly stronger demons generally possess some special abilities, and if they were to escape, it could lead to a tragedy. Even if someone dared to sell them alive, Heinrich would not dare to buy them.

As they spoke, the master and apprentice manipulated the system, and the results began to transform into lines of fluorescent characters that scrolled through the air. However, to everyone's surprise, the characters were neither Inasanese nor Imperial.

On the contrary, it is very similar to the oaths in the long poem of keeping one's will.

“Elven, or you could call it the True Language,” Brandon explained, noticing Angreta looking down at her sword. “The elves began resisting the invasion of evil long before us, and their language is much clearer and more precise in describing all specific situations.”

"In fact, dragons came earlier, but the terminology for dragons was more vague, not to mention giants," the demonologist snorted. "So I'm more inclined to believe that elves have an advantage over true dragons in this respect, but I can't say too much about it, or I might get 'dragons' coming to bother me."

“Let me see… Hmm, typical characteristics of a Nabaso Demon, also known as a Soul Eater. The abyss level it most often inhabits is between one hundred and two hundred. And…” Heinrich searched through various more detailed indicators, and after confirming that everything was correct, he gestured for Brandon to throw the spine aside. “Very good, it seems that all the indicators are normal.”

"Please, Your Excellency Raslaufer, let us see what you're really up to."

Chapter 457 Experimental Accident

Reislaufer was confident he could handle a few needles without flinching, after all he'd survived Callistra's weapon, but given Doppler's destructive tendencies, Heinrich and Brandon politely but firmly put a belt on him.

This certainly won't hold Leslaufer back, but it'll serve as a psychological comfort.

The cleaned and sterilized needles were slowly inserted into several of Reslaufer's main blood vessels. The arcane runes that were used to maintain a safe range between clotting and massive bleeding immediately lit up. Blood plasma of completely different colors was slowly transported out of the body from the veins and arteries. As they reached the detection device, the surrounding machines began to roar.

Perhaps sensing that its master had been harmed, Barbasabalon flew out warily, scrutinizing everything with a critical eye: "Ah, I've seen similar things in Kania, and Afonas has them too, but Grand Duchess Zariel has never cared much about the life or death of the test subjects, so from her perspective, most of what you have here is probably unnecessary redundancy."

“If we abandon all conscience and bottom line, I’m sure that will indeed lead to rapid technological progress,” Heinrich sneered, “but at the cost of turning an angel into an incurable devil.”

The little devil grinned: "I don't think there's anything wrong with it."

"So you're the devil, little thing—I know quite a bit about you."

Recalling how easily it had been captured when it came to deliver the message, Barbasabalone wisely decided to remain silent. But soon after, the demonologist himself let out a strange, soft exclamation.

"This is really... The test results just now were clearly normal."

"What happened, teacher?" Brandon rushed over, but when he saw the distinctly different Elvish text, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Ah! The data on both sides is different? How is that possible?"

To ensure accurate results, they would take two blood samples from different sites as controls. However, the right arm and the other arm are completely different? This is impossible!

"Hmm, would it be convenient for the person involved to know what happened?" Leslaufer was not under anesthesia; he was lying on the cold shelf and could not see the details (even if he could, he wouldn't understand them), so he could only ask.

“Your right arm has different results than the other parts… Did you have a devil’s arm transplanted into you?” Heinrich found it unbelievable; this didn’t seem like the result a mercenary could produce. “Although other parts also have considerable feedback from the purgatory power, they pale in comparison to the right arm. Perhaps we can assume that this is a natural phenomenon after the transplant.”

“If you have any doubts about this, I can tell you it’s true,” Raslaufer chuckled. “In the City of the Broken Barrel, my right arm was destroyed by a demon named Intihith. In retaliation, I tore off her arm and drank the demon’s blood.”

"But if you want to know how it came to me, it will probably be even harder for you to believe—I think Dionysus may have appeared to me and helped me."

Heinrich and Brandon exchanged a glance, both seeing the other's astonishment. A miracle? It certainly sounded unbelievable, but there seemed to be no better explanation for it.

"How does this affect you?" the scholar quickly asked.

Leslaufer pondered for a moment: "This arm is stronger, and I might be able to tolerate higher temperatures. Also, my recovery speed might be faster than before? But I can't be sure, it might just be my imagination."

“It’s alright, I can handle it here,” Heinrich immediately began to investigate these three aspects, and soon he came to a conclusion, “It seems that you have indeed acquired some of the characteristics of the devil… No wonder I always felt the aura of purgatory when I saw you several times.”

“Hey little devil over there, tell me the truth, don’t you think… your master could be considered a devil in some way? From any angle.”

Barbasabalon wanted to lie, following its nature, but a superior hidden in the harp warned it, forcing it to tell the truth: "Ah, that is indeed the case. My mighty master can be seen as either a devil or a mortal at the same time. Simply put, he is a devil in purgatory and a mortal in the material world, or it may depend on other limitations."

For example, the soul contract that devils love most. If traits like Leslaufer were present in all mortals, the devils' work would undoubtedly be much easier. But considering the cost... it's better not to do that.

“Well, I’ve never seen such an example before,” Heinrich nodded. “But let’s put that aside for now. Your bigger problem is with your soul, isn’t it? You don’t need to do anything; I can do all the work.”

As he spoke, accompanied by the humming of another set of instruments, Raslaufer felt his mind go blank for a moment. In a daze, it seemed that the spirits that he could only see when he closed his eyes appeared around him.

However, the next second, Raslaufer's pupils, which had been dilating, suddenly focused, and he became perfectly clear-headed again!

“The signal is lost!” He heard Brandon’s voice. “A single rune may not be enough; Lord Raslaufer’s will is beyond that of ordinary people.”

“One more time, increase the power,” Heinrich responded. “Our runes are usually only used on imps, so it’s possible that they’re not effective enough.”

Raslaufer soon felt that empty feeling again. The surrounding spirits seemed to be closer to him, but they were still floating numbly.

"The signal's dropped again!" "Increase the power!" "Still no good!"

Angelita and the others watched in disbelief as Raslaufer was about to be anesthetized time and time again, only to suddenly regain consciousness each time, while the joystick in Brandon's hand was pulled down again and again, until it was finally pushed all the way down.

"Wait a minute!" Angelita suddenly realized something and quickly spoke up to stop her. "Uncle Raslaufer might not be affected or controlled by magic. We encountered a Lamia in Shinwood City before. That monster tried to bewitch Uncle Raslaufer, and other enemies have tried similar things since, but none of them have ever succeeded—"

“That’s because they’re doing it wrong, Miss,” Brandon’s eyes were already a little red. After fixing the lever to the highest position at the bottom, he opened another valve, trying to assist with the drug injection. “Teacher, let’s try one more time. If it still doesn’t work, we’ll have to knock Lord Raslaufer unconscious!”

This was said in a fit of pique. In fact, if Leslaufer could remain conscious under that anesthetic comparable to "Stardust Blast," they would have to declare utter defeat!

This time, as the damned liquid was injected into his veins, Raslaufer instantly found himself sinking into that bizarre, upside-down space. However, unlike the ritual performed by Master Jonata in Xinmu City, this time the force was clearly much more intense, because the surrounding spirits were no longer just one noisy jackal. All the spirits, including the land shark, had gone berserk and were now swarming towards Raslaufer!

Chapter 458 Utter Madness

"Dangdang!"

The leather straps binding Raslaufer were ripped apart by brute force, and the many needles that were originally inserted into his body shot out. Even the heavy metal bed frame overturned to the right with a loud crash.

An inhuman roar reverberated from Reslaufer's throat, yet Dopler's eyes were unfocused, clearly indicating that the anesthesia was still in effect.

However... the effect may differ somewhat from the normal one.

"Calm down!" Heinrich swiftly pulled a magic scroll from a hidden compartment beside him, tore it open, and aimed it at Reslaufer. However, the powerful spell, far exceeding the Command spell, had no effect whatsoever. Reslaufer neither obeyed his command nor fell into confusion. Instead, he grabbed a leg of the metal frame next to him and slammed it down on Brandon!

"I beg for the protection of my Lord!" Brandon was stunned by the sudden attack. Fortunately, the young priest finally reacted at the last moment. A candle flame lit up his chest as the protection spell was cast. The faint light condensed on his body to form an indestructible barrier, which withstood the crazy blows from Raslaufer.

Although his life was temporarily out of danger, Brandon was still terrified to the point of turning pale when the metal frame that could hold the tall and strong Raslaw Flint was swung over his head like that.

What on earth is going on?!

“Some kind of subconscious,” Heinrich glanced at the Elvish test results and spoke rapidly, “It’s unbelievable—there must be another consciousness hidden within him, or rather, this is the real him!”

"The one that seems to have even a modicum of rationality is the 'vassal'!"

"Dual, dual personality?" Daisy stared blankly at the crazed Raslaufer. She, Angelita, and the other two were not surprised by Dople's current state. In fact, it could be said that his stubborn attack on the insurmountable protective barrier was the least dangerous possible outcome.

Heinrich's brow furrowed into a knot: "Name it whatever you want, I'm not a doctor... but I think there's probably a big difference between the two."

"As I just said, this is not a relationship of opposition or division, but rather one of subordination! A little bit of rationality is attached to complete madness. Usually, the former will appear outwardly as a disguise for the latter, but the anesthesia just now was probably too much!"

“This is my problem…” Brandon stood desperately in the shadow of Leslaufer, not daring to even breathe heavily, for fear that the protective spells around him would dissipate.

Even so, this divine spell can only last for one minute, and it cannot be applied to the same person again within the next half minute or so.

Half a minute? That's enough time for him to be killed by Raslaw a dozen times over!

"Now is not the time to assign blame or explain theories!" Angelita wanted nothing more than to rush up and grab Heinrich by the collar. "How can Uncle Reislaufer be restored?!"

“The anesthesia should theoretically last for ten minutes, but considering Lord Reislaufer’s special constitution, it should be even shorter!” Brandon gave a smile that looked more like a grimace. “If it really doesn’t work… if it really doesn’t work…”

Let him get through this period... He certainly won't survive, but it's better than letting Raslaufer affect others or the equipment here. The only problem is, how is he going to survive ten minutes, or how is he going to survive those few dozen seconds after the first minute?

It was obvious that Raslaufer was completely out of control at that moment!

Time ticked by, the sound of the metal bed frame crashing down like a death knell, causing the color to drain from everyone's faces—if they had known this would happen, they should have prepared the appropriate spells the next day!

"How about... Annie, you try to influence Old Ray's... rational side?" Daisy knew she had given a bad idea as soon as she opened her mouth. Fortunately, Mary was quick-witted and pulled Annie, who was about to step forward without hesitation, into her arms.

"Think twice! Think twice! She's been anesthetized, not asleep. You can't wake her up even if you scream your lungs out!"

“Then I have no choice but to send one!” Daisy gritted her teeth, looking at Heinrich, who was at a loss for what to do with this unexpected situation. “I can get someone to come over!”

“That’s probably too late…” Heinrich responded subconsciously, but Daisy took it as a tacit agreement. The next moment, a strong smell of sulfur filled the entire research room, and a beautiful and illusory projection appeared in front of the bard.

Although Zheng Ling had changed her clothes, the theme of her attire was not much different from when she taught Osses a lesson. Large areas of her fiery red skin were still exposed, and she looked at the rapidly dissipating divine barrier with a leisurely smile in her eyes.

"Zhengling?" Daisy was stunned. This was the first time she had ever seen Zhengling's face. "Quick, think of something, at least get Brandon out of here first!"

Even if he was the one who started the accident, and even if he deserved to die, there was no need for Raslaufer to carry out the execution.

"Hmm? That's easy," time was so short that even the "minutes" in the "every second counts" were no longer relevant. The demon didn't hesitate. As the protective spell shattered the moment time ended, she pointed her finger forward slightly, and the next second she had switched places with the priest. Leslaufer's attack still crashed down like a collapsing mountain, but it pierced through the demon's projection and landed directly on the floor tiles.

“Just like the mistress’s guess,” although the projection was constantly being stirred up, Zheng Ling’s gaze did not dissipate, because in fact, her gaze did not come from the projection here, but from a lower plane. “Complete madness, abandoning thought, thus being almost immune to all spells that affect the mind and even the soul.”

"—I say, it's time to repay the mistress in the end. Kill that scholar over there." Suddenly, Zheng Ling's tone changed, and she raised her hand and pointed at Heinrich.

"What did you say?!" "Do you know what you're doing?!" Upon hearing this, everyone was horrified. This devil had finally torn off her facade of loyalty and revealed her true colors!

However, the bed frame in Raslaufer's hands showed no sign of shifting its target. Accompanied by flying bricks and stones, it once again pierced through the zither and smashed onto the ground.

“I know perfectly well, Daisy,” Zhengling spread her hands. “Don’t worry, I’m just checking. As you can see, Mr. Leslaufer won’t be paying any attention to me right now.”

"And you should thank me. If I hadn't volunteered to represent the mistress's will, he would have had to sign a contract with her because of his broken promise," the devil said, crossing his arms and returning them to his lower abdomen, calmly stating the terrifying truth. "But as a reciprocal price, I don't have the mistress's power, so if I want to restore his rationality, I have to resort to other methods."

“Could it be—” Heinrich paused for a moment, then blurted out in surprise, but quickly covered his mouth the next second, afraid of alerting this unknown demon.

But Zhengling didn't need to; she came with a purpose, and she made no attempt to hide it.

“It’s that ‘maybe’ thing. Haven’t some philosophers said that anything that can go wrong will eventually go wrong? Compared to that, this is already a good thing,” Zheng Ling said with a half-smile. “Come on, bring me that piece of the devil’s spine. We need this, you know?”

"The scholar who has fought against evil all his life has to obey the evil's orders to make amends for his mistakes. The 'mortal' who has stitched up the devil must stitch up the demon again. Ah..." The charming devil took a deep breath of the sweet air of the material world and exhaled it with her incomparably seductive voice.

"How wicked, how...refreshing."

Chapter 459 The Devil's Proposal

"Devil!" Heinrich glared fiercely at Zhengling, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked. "This was all your scheme?!"

"You can't even think of succeeding!"

“But that’s impossible,” Daisy quickly interjected. “Even the devil can’t be omniscient and omnipotent. How could she be in purgatory, digging a trap here?”

“Thank you for your explanation, Miss Daisy,” the devil smiled at the bard, but did not laugh out loud. “But it is nothing, it is what I deserve.”

She remained standing under Raslaufer's unconscious barrage, scrutinizing every mortal present: "Just because it is I who am here now, and not some other 'demon,' you can accuse me as you please. But do I really care? No; did I really do it? The answer is still no."

“I have neither the interest nor the ability. I’m just a singer, now occasionally indulging my own preferences and obeying the mistress’s will,” Zheng Ling said calmly. “Besides, Miss Daisy knows that I have a deep-seated hatred for the maggots of the abyss. Colluding with them? Ha.”

"I'd rather be a lesser demon."

"If that's the case, then how do you explain what you intend for Lord Heinrich to do?" Paul interjected. "What's the use of that Soul Eater's spine?"

Seeing that no one was willing to move, Zhengling beckoned, and Barbasabalon immediately flew over and tossed the spine to her feet. The demon looked at the eyes of the demon that no longer absorbed life force, then re-examined Dubul before him: "Spine? No, the important thing is its eyeballs and spinal cord—don't you know that these two parts of the Soul-Eating Demon are extremely precious materials?"