270: Chapter 270 Countering Magic, White Spirit's Research

As the morning light just crept up to the skylight of the Elf Race secret research room, a wisp of pale golden light sliced diagonally into the room, landing in the center of the crystal magic array.

Bai Ling sat cross-legged on the floor, knees slightly bent, her fingertips still pressing against the last rune stone, her knuckles white, and fine beads of sweat oozing from her forehead.

She hadn't closed her eyes for seven days.

The air was filled with a faint scent of herbs and a trace of metallic rust—that was the sign of life energy leaking when the Seal within her loosened.

Moonlight had spilled in through the skylight last night, almost triggering her bloodthirsty personality; fortunately, she had put on the stabilization collar specially supplied by the Chen family in advance.

That thing would release a micro-current when consciousness fluctuations exceeded the limit, like someone pricking the back of your neck with a small needle—painful, but sobering.

"Just a little more… only the final step left." She whispered to herself, her voice so hoarse it didn't sound like a sixteen-year-old girl, but rather like an old craftsman who had exhausted all his strength.

Her finger trembled, and the rune stone embedded into the groove.

Hum—the entire magic array vibrated slightly, the spirit energy circuit lit up instantly, and blue-green light flowed along the patterns, like vines climbing an ancient tree.

She quickly formed Seals, her lips opening and closing, chanting an ancient incantation, every syllable precisely landing on the energy nodes.

Just as the incantation was about to end, her chest tightened violently.

A whisper of battle intent surged from the depths of her Soul, cold and violent, carrying the bloodiness and roars of the battlefield: "Kill them… tear apart those steel creations… let the earth return to the wrath of nature!"

She gritted her teeth, her gums almost bleeding, and slammed her left hand onto the emergency button on the side of the collar.

The electric current surged through her spine, the excruciating pain making her vision go black, but she forcibly suppressed that bloodthirsty impulse.

"Shut up!" She hissed, "This is no longer your era!"

The incantation continued without pause.

The final stream of light converged into the core crystal, the entire magic array resonated with a boom, and then it automatically closed.

The spirit energy mechanical arm slowly descended, steadily sealing the crystal inside the protective chamber, and the red light turned green.

It was done.

She slumped on the floor, leaning against the workbench, gasping for air, her chest heaving violently.

There was no wild joy on her face, only a calmness bordering on exhaustion.

She raised her hand, looking at her slightly trembling fingertips, and suddenly smiled.

"I did it… I really did it."

She braced herself against the table and stood up, her steps still a bit unsteady, but her eyes were strikingly bright.

She carefully took out the core module of the magic array—a diamond-shaped crystal, white all over with cyan light threads flowing inside, holding it in her palm like a newborn flame.

"The magic to restrain the Blood Demon… it's finally finished."

She didn't go to find Chen Tiezhu, nor did she go to the Council Hall.

She knew that Chen Wuwang must be in his residence near the Main Hall at this time, handling post-war affairs.

She knew even better that this news had to be delivered to him immediately.

She walked quickly out of the secret research room, walking along the bluestone corridor toward the Main Hall.

The morning breeze brushed through her long hair, bringing the fragrance from the distant Medicinal Field.

Her pace became faster and faster, almost breaking into a jog.

But just as she turned the third corridor, an alarm sounded abruptly.

"Warning! Abnormal spirit energy fluctuations detected! Target locked! Repeat, target locked!"

Two patrol mechs slid out from the shadows of the corner, their cannons charging instantly, red light pointing directly at her chest.

"Stop! Identity verification!" The mechanical voice was cold and ruthless.

Bai Ling's heart tightened, she immediately raised her hands high, shielding the crystal in her palm, and shouted loudly: "I am Bai Ling! Elf Race researcher! I have urgent research results to report to the Patriarch! I am not an enemy! Repeat, I am not an enemy!"

With her other hand, she quickly reached to her waist, pulled out her identity chip, and held it high.

The chip flashed a blue light in the morning sun, synchronizing with the mech's scanning band.

"Verifying… Identity confirmed: Bai Ling, Rank three, task record normal."

The mechanical voice paused slightly, "But abnormal life energy fluctuations detected, suggesting detention for observation."

"I am fine!" She said anxiously, "The research just finished, my mental state is a bit overdrawn! You can check the surveillance! I was in the secret research room the whole time! I didn't come into contact with any dangerous sources!"

Her voice rose, carrying a rare touch of irritability: "This is a new magic that can restrain the Blood Demon Sect! The Patriarch must know immediately! Now! At once!"

The mechs were silent for two seconds, the cannons slowly retracted, but they still had not fully lowered their guard.

Just at this moment, the communication terminal inside the residence lit up.

"Let her pass." A deep voice came from the speaker, concise and unquestionable.

It was Chen Wuwang.

Both mechs stepped back half a step simultaneously, cannons retracted, and slid back to their patrol tracks.

Bai Ling let out a sigh of relief, her legs went soft, and she almost knelt down.

She steadied herself against a pillar, stabilized her body, looked down at the crystal in her hand, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise.

She knew that this hurdle had been passed.

She continued walking forward, her steps steadier than before.

The wind chime under the eaves rang softly once, as if responding to her arrival.

Inside the Main Hall residence, Chen Wuwang was standing by the window, the surveillance footage just now still remaining in the vision of his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye.

He watched the figure of Bai Ling walking toward the corridor holding the crystal, his gaze lingering for a moment on her slightly swaying steps.

"Seven consecutive days without sleep… this girl is really pushing herself." He said in a low voice, his tone devoid of reproach, only a faint sense of emotion.

He turned and walked to the table, his fingertips tapping the tabletop, the rhythm not fast, but very regular.

Several post-war damage reports were spread on the table, but he didn't glance at them once.

His attention was entirely focused on the figure about to enter the door.

He knew what Bai Ling had brought.

The magic to restrain the Blood Demon—not confrontation, not suppression, but restraint.

This meant that even if Blood Butcher came back again, they would no longer be passively responding.

They had a new trump card, a new option.

He picked up the teacup, blew on it, and took a sip. The tea had gone cold, but he didn't mind.

Footsteps came from outside the door, approaching from afar.

He put down the teacup, straightened his body, and cast his gaze toward the door.

The door was gently pushed open.

Bai Ling stood outside the door, her hair messy, her face pale, but her eyes were strikingly bright.

She walked in, her steps a bit unsteady, but her spine was straight, like a small tree that refused to bend even after the storm.

"Patriarch." Her voice was not loud, but clear, "I have finished."

She stepped forward and handed out the crystal with both hands.

Chen Wuwang took it, his fingertips touching the warm and smooth surface, feeling the weak spirit energy flowing inside.

He didn't ask about the principles, didn't ask about the cost, just looked at her and nodded.

"You've worked hard."

Three words, light, yet heavy.

Bai Ling's nose soured, and she almost shed tears.

She blinked hard, suppressing that emotion, and instead smiled: "It's worth it. As long as I can help the Chen family, everything is worth it."

Chen Wuwang stared at her for a few seconds and suddenly said: "Go get some sleep. When you wake up, I have more things to entrust to you."

She was stunned: "Now? But I still want to…"

"Now." He interrupted her, his tone allowing no room for negotiation, "In your current state, you can barely stand. If you keep going like this, I cannot guarantee you will live to see the next wave of insect swarms."

Bai Ling opened her mouth, wanting to retort, but realized she truly didn't even have the strength to lift her hand.

She looked down at her hands and smiled bitterly: "Fine, I surrender."

She turned to leave, then stopped and looked back at him: "Patriarch, is this magic… really useful?"

Chen Wuwang placed the crystal on the table and gently stroked the surface with his fingertips: "Whether it is useful or not is not for me to decide. But since you made it, I dare to use it."

He looked up, his gaze like a knife: "Because I know, you will never disappoint me."

Bai Ling was stunned, then nodded heavily: "I won't."

She turned and left, her steps staggering, yet she walked with determination.

After the door closed, Chen Wuwang sat back in his chair, and his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye brought up the energy spectrum of the crystal.

Data streams scrolled slowly, he narrowed his eyes, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.

"Another card… has arrived."

He picked up the cold tea and drank it in one gulp.

Outside the window, the wind chime rang again.

He looked up, gazing toward the direction of the Main Hall in the distance.

He knew that the next person to report was already on the way.