Chapter 174: Fitting In

"Soul, existing independently? Isn't that just a ghost?" Saul thought of the various strange phenomena he had seen in the wizard tower.

"Of course not in that form! I mean a complete, independent, conscious spirit—not a fractured entity that mutates into madness, tainted by the unknown," Vinnie said, growing somewhat excited. But as she gazed at the red candle, her head slowly tilted downward again.

"They argued for a long time, neither able to convince the other. So Gorsa took Eula away. Ha, the Kema Principality was so pleased that they immediately announced to the public that the two were married."

"And what stance did the Tower Master and Lady Yura take on the matter?"

Vinnie did not answer immediately. The red candle had already burned down by a third, its white flame unusually steady.

"They did eventually become husband and wife. But one day, when Yura woke up, she found herself restrained inside a dimly lit laboratory. And Gorsa... was personally cutting open her skull, peeling off her skin to make a pink bandage."

As she spoke, Vinnie slowly stood up, turning her head toward Saul.

In the dark silhouette, Saul faintly saw a sorrowful smile.

"Gorsa hid her skull away and then wrapped himself in the pink bandages made from her skin, using resentment, sorrow, and fear to sustain himself a little longer."

Vinnie suddenly extended her hand, pressing it against the white flame of the candle, extinguishing it instantly.

"It smells nice, but it only brings temporary peace." She withdrew her hand, and her flat head abruptly twisted ninety degrees to look at Saul. "Tell me, if one day Lady Yura's skull and skin can no longer serve their purpose, what do you think Gorsa will do?"

Saul remained silent.

"Hehehehe…" Vinnie laughed maniacally, her figure gradually fading until she vanished before Saul’s eyes.

Saul stood there motionless, remaining in place for nearly ten minutes before narrowing his eyes and scanning the surroundings.

The red candle was out. At some point, the corpses had returned to their original positions.

Vinnie's shadow had completely disappeared—she must have returned to Gorsa’s side.

Although Vinnie was under Gorsa’s control, she wasn’t entirely without freedom. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have come to tell him this story today.

But as for the truth of her words and her true intentions… that remained unclear.

Saul picked up the red candle.

"Vinnie… she must be Lady Yura. She just refuses to admit it."

Tucking the candle into his coat, he checked the four wounds on his arm. Unfortunately, not a single one had healed.

His eyesight had returned to normal—perhaps there was another factor involved.

At 2:00 PM, Saul headed to Kujin’s dormitory.

As expected, Kujin was waiting for him.

"Senior Kujin, please pass a message to Ferguson: At 2:55 PM, he should bring enough magic crystals and wait for me at the metal door on the outermost level of East Tower, first floor. If he's late, I’ll assume he’s backing out of the deal."

Kujin froze. Before he could nod, Saul turned and left, leaving no room for negotiation.

Kujin watched Saul’s departing figure coldly for a long time before finally heading off elsewhere.

After that, Saul went to Mentor Kaz’s laboratory.

Angela, who was still working there, saw Saul and immediately jumped out of her chair in fright.

"I—I brought food today."

Saul nodded and smiled. "Thanks, but I’m not hungry."

He walked to a cabinet inside the lab, opened one of the doors, reached in, and pulled out a wooden puppet doll before returning to Angela.

"I’m renting a doll."

Angela instinctively took half a step back. "O-Okay."

Money was exchanged, goods were delivered.

With the doll in hand, Saul wandered around for a while.

He first went to find Wright, then met with Byron.

Lastly, he returned to his dormitory, but unfortunately, Carly hadn't come back yet.

Would she be surprised when she saw him again?

Saul lingered for a while before finally making his way to Warehouse Two at exactly 2:55 PM.

Ferguson was already there.

It was unclear how long he had been waiting, but he looked visibly irritated.

"Why are you only just getting here?" Ferguson tried to suppress his frustration when he saw Saul.

Saul didn’t bother with small talk. "What do you need, senior?"

Ferguson hesitated for a moment.

"Have you changed your mind? I don’t mind calling off the deal now."

"It’s our first time working together, so I won’t make things difficult for you. I need a complete candle from the warehouse—not just a small piece, but a full one from a candlestick. These candles don’t have serial numbers, and there are plenty in the warehouse. I assume you’re not too scared to take one?"

Saul crossed his arms and thought for a moment. "If it’s that simple, why don’t you just take one from the hallway?"

"The candles in the hallways are checked daily," Ferguson lowered his voice, "but the ones in the warehouse—only you know about those."

Saul didn’t press him for more details. "500 magic crystals."

"Impossible." Ferguson glared down at Saul, faint traces of electricity crackling in his eyes. "It’s just a candle. I’ll give you 200 magic crystals, tops."

"500 magic crystals." Saul extended his hand. "Or… goodbye?"

Ferguson’s face twitched, but he eventually pulled out a pouch of magic crystals and a potion.

"I didn’t bring that much. This is a Vision Distortion Elixir—it’s worth at least 150 magic crystals."

Saul took the pouch and unceremoniously opened it, sweeping over the contents with his spiritual sense.

The magic energy inside was pure—about 400 magic crystals, plus the potion. Together, they exceeded 500.

Ferguson was paying so easily—he was probably planning to blackmail Saul later to get it back.

Satisfied, Saul pocketed the items. "Wait here, senior."

He entered Warehouse Two, circled the corpses that had returned to their places, and counted the lit candles on the walls—still over a hundred—before heading out again.

When Saul pushed open the right metal door, Ferguson was standing there with his eyes closed, electricity crackling around him. The oppressive aura of a Rank 3 Wizard Apprentice radiated from him.

But having encountered Byron, Bill, and even Hermann, Saul felt that Ferguson lacked something compared to them.

Saul stepped forward and handed Ferguson a box.

Ferguson sensed movement and immediately opened his eyes—only to find the box right in front of him.

He snatched it and scanned it with magic and spiritual sense.

No abnormalities.

He carefully cracked open the lid. "Why is it red?"

"A disguise."

A bad feeling crept up Ferguson’s spine. "I want to check it on the spot."

"Check?" Saul tensed slightly but kept his face impassive. "Here?"

"This place is perfect for checking. In this darkness, there’s nowhere to hide."

Ferguson took out a mini lantern and shined it into the box.

With a hiss, the red candle inside instantly ignited with a white flame.

He stared at the flame for a long time. Confirming it was genuine, he finally relaxed.

"You’re honest, at least." Having obtained his stolen goods, Ferguson finally allowed a smile to form on his face.

But just as he looked up, ready to teach this greedy newbie a lesson, he saw countless faces surrounding him.

Ferguson’s hand trembled, nearly dropping the box.

Around him stood countless pale-faced corpses with closed eyes.

"The corpse swarm!!!"

As someone who had secretly worked with Kujin, Ferguson knew exactly what these corpses were.

Each corpse in Warehouse Two had a designated number, and in life, they had all been powerful apprentices or even full-fledged wizards.

Each one—an untouchable taboo.

Ferguson held his breath, frantically scanning for an escape route.

Then his darting eyes froze in place.

There, standing amidst the corpses, was Saul—the only one with his eyes open, staring right at him.

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