For the moment, it was challenging to determine the essence of the chain.
Nis also approached then and asked Angel beside him, "Have you figured anything out?"
Angel shook his head: "There seem to be traces of material refining, but it’s not clear."
Nis: "Do you mean it could be an alchemical creation? Can you reconstruct the refining process?"
Angel: "Whether it’s truly an alchemical creation, I cannot ascertain. As for reconstruction, it’s practically impossible, unless there’s relevant documentation."
At this point, Angel looked at Reynaud.
Reynaud was taken aback for a moment and said, "Special... well, I might as well talk about Soul Arms. The research materials on Soul Arms have always been a laboratory focus. As for whether they have been fully researched, I, as an experimental subject, am not aware. The only thing I know is that the essence of Soul Arms comes from the ceremony, directly bestowed by the existence of that world, rather than synthesized in the laboratory."
Angel nodded, not asking further, but turned back to Nis: "You tested its power earlier, what’s your opinion on this Soul Arms?"
Nis pondered for a long time before uttering a sentence: "Very strong."
Angel: "And then?"
Nis: "If Soul Arms have universality and versatility, they will change the entire Wizards’ Realm’s understanding of souls."
In other words, Soul Arms could potentially spark a revolutionary transformation.
Reynaud also sensed Nis’s anticipation for Soul Arms and paused for a moment before saying: "It’s hard to make them universal, because Soul Arms mainly rely on bestowment, and the current laboratory cannot independently develop them."
"I figured that out too, because during the confrontation with the chains, I smelled the scent of Quest World," Nis said.
"What do you mean?"
"Perhaps the composition of Soul Arms depends on some kind of essence from Quest World," Nis said. "It’s hard to replicate it in the real world."
Nis paused for a moment, his eyes slightly brightened: "However, it doesn’t matter much, I will soon be able to decode the coordinates of Quest World... I will try to find this essence."
Thinking of this, Nis glanced at Reynaud a few more times: after all, the decoded Quest World coordinates still originated from the laboratory where Reynaud belonged.
It’s like receiving coordinates and future hope.
Reynaud didn’t understand why Nis’s eyes suddenly became a bit strange, he continued: "As for universality, I’m not sure. But at the time, many people in the laboratory were just like me as experimental subjects, and in the end, only a few remained..."
At this point, Reynaud’s eyes dimmed slightly, among those discarded experimental subjects, there were quite a few who grew up with him.
And they are now almost all resting underground.
Nis: "So, the early failure rate was high. What’s the success rate of recent experimental subjects?"
Reynaud nodded: "Not bad, I overheard a conversation between Number 21 and Number 17 saying that they could attempt small-scale contact with the Gray Market."
The Gray Market is the dark side of several Wizard Markets or the Extraordinary City, understandable as a black market. Things that are prohibited from trading openly, such as slaves smuggled from the Otherworld, can be found here.
Nis: "That indicates a certain universality, but the production rate might not be high."
Regardless, Nis felt that this visit was definitely worthwhile, Soul Arms... he saw the future here.
While Nis was contemplating, Angel gestured to Nausicaa to retract the chains, as maintaining their presence was a burden for her.
However, Nausicaa did not immediately withdraw the black hole above her chest but looked at Reynaud: "Since you’re here, I might as well return the chains to you."
Nausicaa did not have any reluctance, after all, the chains did not belong to her, and she couldn’t use them seamlessly. During the fight with Nis, there was a clear reaction delay.
Though Nausicaa was very interested in Soul Arms, she still hoped to obtain one that could resonate with her.
To acquire a compatible Soul Arms, she still needed to obtain the hands of that Night Butterfly Witch.
Reynaud hesitated for a few seconds and finally shook his head: "Although I can use the chains, purely as a soul, it’s difficult to cultivate the chains themselves, a physical body is also necessary."
The chains now handed to Reynaud wouldn’t have much significance.
Nausicaa didn’t insist, as it was only a matter of giving them sooner or later. With that in mind, she withdrew the chains back into her soul.
Although Reynaud refused to reclaim the chains currently, his words reminded everyone of a question.
Why was Reynaud’s soul separated from his body?
Angel asked Nis: "Is he still a living soul now?"
Nis nodded affirmatively.
So, Nis’s body hasn’t died yet. But where exactly is his body now?
Due to Reynaud’s memory gaps, Angel looked at Nausicaa, hoping she might know something.
Nausicaa shook her head: "My last memory is Reynaud handing me the chains, then I was swept away by the ocean currents. I don’t know why Reynaud’s body and soul separated afterward."
"Yet I can confirm that when I was swept away, Reynaud had not yet retreated from the laboratory."
Nis: "So, Reynaud’s body is more likely controlled by the laboratory. It makes sense, because if it truly sank to the seafloor, your body would have died long ago. However, if a living soul stays away from the body for too long, the body gradually steps into demise. Though you, as a Wizard Apprentice, can endure longer than mortals without a soul, it won’t last much longer."
"Your soul now has quite a lot of death aura, indicating that your body is nearing collapse."
Nausicaa: "What should be done now?"
"What else can be done, we must first find his body, and let the living soul rebind with the body," Nis said. "But even if your body dies, it’s no big deal, your soul remains. You could come with me, and I’ll find a few thousand wo..."
Before Nis finished speaking, Angel interrupted directly: "First focus on finding Reynaud’s body. Anyways, Wizard Nis’s goal is to go to the laboratory, we can search there."
Nausicaa worriedly said: "But what if Reynaud’s body isn’t at the laboratory?"
Though Reynaud’s body is most likely at the laboratory, the possibility Nausicaa raised isn’t impossible. Reynaud’s body might have been taken away or kept as reserve food by some sea monsters, who would try to maintain the body’s activity to ensure freshness.
Angel pondered for a moment: "Then there’s only one solution, we must take Reynaud to a Prophet Wizard."
"A Prophet Wizard?" Nausicaa was taken aback: "Is there a Prophet Wizard nearby?"
Angel: "I don’t know if there’s one nearby, but there’s one in the Wilderness of Dreams."
Angel said this and turned to Reynaud: "Let’s go for a trip."