Nis casually drew a symbol in the air.
An almost imperceptible force field encompassed the entire laboratory.
Renko’s pitiful and suppressed cries were immediately isolated outside.
"It’s better not to have background music when discussing serious matters, especially when the music isn’t that pleasant," Nis shrugged. "Screams, particularly hysterical venting, are more pleasing to my ears, especially the howls of the undead. This kind of restrained, enduring cry lacks a bit of flavor. And it’s the roar of a man."
Angel: ... Only you would treat screams as background music.
Without the disturbance of external sounds, everyone finally began to discuss the serious matters.
"Previously in the Wilderness of Dreams, many things weren’t fully clarified. Let’s talk about it now. What did you do, and what caused the current outcome?" Angel looked at Nausicaa.
Nausicaa nodded and started talking from the time she resolved to make her decision in the Sky Mechanical City.
Reynaud also occasionally added some content in between.
Time slowly passed by in her narration.
In her narration, all the details that Reynaud didn’t mention before were completed.
Nausicaa indeed followed Reynaud to the laboratory where he had been imprisoned since childhood, for the Witch of the Night Butterfly’s hand.
The reason Nausicaa was interested in the Witch of the Night Butterfly’s hand was because Reynaud detailedly introduced the "peculiar object" within the arm.
The so-called peculiar object is something unnamed and special obtained through a sacrifice ceremony in exchange with a certain power in the Quest World. These peculiar objects can be injected into organs to transform extraordinary organs through some special methods.
According to Reynaud, the Witch of the Night Butterfly’s arm was the organ with the most peculiar objects and the highest spiritual value in that large sacrificial ceremony over a decade ago. Many sacrificial ceremonies of various sizes have occurred over the years, but few in the limb of an arm surpass the Witch of the Night Butterfly.
Although the peculiar objects in the organ are not the most accommodated or the most effective, generally speaking, the greater the spiritual value and accommodation, the stronger the power.
It was also because of the peculiar objects’ presence that Nausicaa paid more attention to the Witch of the Night Butterfly’s arm.
Nausicaa was not solely attracted to the Witch of the Night Butterfly’s arm for its power. According to her, "I could completely wait for Master Pat to refine a new prosthetic if it were truly about power."
Angel had promised before that after obtaining better materials and more excellent structural ideas, he would later refine a more powerful prosthetic for Nausicaa. With Angel’s alchemical skills, it was not impossible to refine a formidable prosthetic.
What truly attracted Nausicaa and led her to resolutely follow Reynaud to steal the Witch of the Night Butterfly’s arm was another special trait of the "peculiar object."
"Through the transplantation of organs, the peculiar object within can create a certain degree of connection... or resonance with the soul."
"It’s like armor tailored for the soul."
"Its specific name is quite special, and I can’t remember it. However, considering its uniqueness, I gave it a name."
"Soul Arms!"
As a Bloodline Transcendent, Nausicaa’s combat power is almost unrivaled in the same rank, but only almost, because Bloodline Wizards have weaknesses, the most typical being the lack of soul defense. When the enemy is prepared to attack the soul, Bloodline Transcendents, even Official Wizards, may suffer severe injuries.
Before True Knowledge, Bloodline side seldom had the capability to directly protect the soul.
The existence of Soul Arms fills the biggest gap in the bloodline side. Nausicaa valued this point, not only for restoring the limb but also for forming Soul Arms via the peculiar object in the limb to protect the soul. This is something that prosthetics or transplantation of other biological organs cannot achieve.
After hearing Nausicaa’s account, Angel wasn’t particularly moved because his soul is special. Even a banshee’s howl is neither painful nor itchy to him, and he has never experienced the defenseless soul feeling that Nausicaa described.
However, for Nis, Nausicaa’s description astonished him to the point where his eyes almost popped out.
It was actually... Soul Arms? Soul Arms!
This was uncharted territory for him. Perhaps Alchemists could refine similar soul equipment, but achieving a resonance with the soul as Nausicaa described, almost tailor-made, was nearly impossible.
To a Soul Witch, the value of Soul Arms was crystal clear.
Imagine, when someone invades your Land of the Soul, thinking they can deal with you without worries, your soul produces a gleaming Magic Wand, gently waves it, and all becomes silent.
This kind of soul invasion incident wasn’t rare. Angel was nearly deprived of his soul land by the Parasitic Lady at the Sky Tower before.
If Angel had had Soul Arms at that time to deal with the Parasitic Lady, it would have been much more relaxed and pleasant.
That is just one application of Soul Arms.
As a Soul Witch, what’s most important is spell casting via Soul Force, yet the soul body post Astral Projection isn’t necessarily robust. Having defensive Soul Arms allows for carefree combat.
Hence Nis was so taken aback.
This laboratory actually managed to create Soul Arms!
Nis now had an enlightenment, he realized why Dororo suggested he come to the Mist Belt. The main reason wasn’t to help Angel, nor was it due to the lucky Reynaud, but because of Soul Arms!
Even after learning about the existence of Soul Arms, Nis felt a faint pulse in his forehead, he had a hunch... Perhaps his pursuit of the path to True Knowledge would start here.
"Where is that laboratory? I want to take a look." Nis struggled to suppress his inner desire and asked.
Nausicaa and Reynaud didn’t sense Nis’s urgency, but Angel did.
He briefly contemplated and understood Nis’s intentions.
Angel: "Earlier you criticized Ferro’s foolishness, and now you’re jumping into the pit? Hold on, visiting the laboratory isn’t urgent right now. Let Nausicaa finish, I’m sensing she might share something else that could interest you. Like... that weapon."
Nis took a deep breath, realizing he was overly excited. Even if visiting the laboratory was truly needed, understanding the situation there was necessary.
Furthermore, Nis grasped Angel’s implication.
The "weapon" Angel referred to was the one Reynaud and Nausicaa used after escaping the laboratory, to fend off the magical creature’s infant form. Later, according to Nausicaa, Reynaud handed this weapon to her at the last moment.
At that time, when Reynaud was recounting, he didn’t specify what this weapon was, but from his context, it was clear that this weapon was extremely powerful, and also very secretive. Otherwise, why would Reynaud use it at the last moment?
According to what Nausicaa had previously said, Nis had some guesses, perhaps this weapon that Reynaud kept mysterious all along, was actually the Soul Arms!