Death… And Me

Chapter 4463: Rawr!

In Noso Country, Rean and the others headed straight for the Arrays Guild. More specifically, they made their way to one of its largest research facilities, one entirely dedicated to the study of Godly Creatures. It wasn’t occupied solely by Array Masters, either. Alchemists, Blacksmiths, Talisman Masters, Puppet Masters, and many other professions gathered there, each researching different ways Godly Creatures and their materials could be used.

The moment they stepped inside, they found themselves surrounded by countless laboratories. Transparent walls separated most of the rooms, allowing researchers to observe each other’s work while still keeping every experiment properly isolated.

Godly Creature carcasses lay on enormous operating tables, their bodies opened as various specialists carefully extracted organs, bones, scales, and Godly Crystals. Other rooms were dedicated solely to testing newly created poisons, arrays, medicines, or weapons.

As one of the countries closest to the center of the Besgol Region, Noso had little reason to worry about sudden invasions. The researchers here could devote themselves entirely to their work without constantly interrupting their studies to participate in defensive battles.

There were also laboratories containing living Godly Creatures.

Those creatures looked nothing like the terrifying monsters Rean and the others had fought outside the Sacred Relic’s influence. Every single one of them appeared weak and sluggish, barely capable of moving at all.

Some simply lay on the ground, breathing slowly, while others struggled just to raise their heads. The closer one got to the center of Besgol, the more oppressive the Sacred Relic’s influence became. At this distance, even Godly Predators were reduced to little more than helpless prisoners.

One laboratory, however, drew considerably more attention than all the others.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t the room where the little fox would be examined.

Instead, everyone’s eyes were naturally drawn toward another transparent chamber nearby.

Inside...

A living Godly Horror had been imprisoned.

It was the very same Godly Horror captured during the last great assault on the central area of the Besgol Region. Ever since then, countless experiments had been conducted on it, greatly expanding Besgol’s understanding of Godly Horrors and their biology. Despite its terrifying reputation outside the Sacred Relic’s influence, it now looked little different from the weaker Godly Creatures imprisoned throughout the facility.

Even so, no one dared underestimate it.

Several powerful arrays constantly covered the room, while numerous restraining devices pinned every part of its enormous body in place. Even if the Sacred Relic’s suppression somehow weakened for an instant, the researchers had no intention of giving it the slightest opportunity to escape.

”This guy has been here for quite a few years already, hasn’t he?” Rean asked as they passed by the chamber.

Tobao gave a small nod, though his attention never truly left the little fox sitting comfortably on Rean’s shoulder. She had already woken up and was curiously observing everything around her with bright eyes. Most importantly, she showed absolutely no signs of discomfort despite being so close to the Sacred Relic.

”It has,” Tobao replied. ”The Alchemists have been using it to develop poisons specifically designed for its race. If another Godly Horror of its race appears together with the hordes in the future, we’ll be much better prepared.”

”Makes sense,” Roan commented. ”A cultivator can suppress poison by controlling the flow of Godly Energy through the body. A corpse can’t demonstrate that kind of resistance, so there is only so much researchers can learn from one. Living specimens are far more valuable when developing poisons or studying how they spread.”

Eventually, the group stopped in front of another laboratory a short distance away.

Compared to the other rooms, this one was much cleaner. Numerous arrays had already been activated, while all kinds of analytical equipment surrounded a large circular platform at the center. Several Array Masters and researchers were already waiting for them, clearly having prepared everything beforehand.

”Good. You’re here.”

Flugel, the Guild Master of the Arrays Guild, stepped forward first.

His gaze immediately landed on the little fox.

The fox looked back at him just as curiously.

”Are you absolutely certain this is the Godly Creature the Sacred Relic detected?” Flugel asked. ”I can’t sense even the slightest trace of Godly Pressure.”

”It does have some,” Celis corrected him. ”The amount is simply so small that none of you can detect it naturally. Your equipment should be sensitive enough to pick it up, though.”

He paused before adding, ”As for whether she’s actually a Godly Creature... I’m not convinced.”

Flugel exchanged glances with the other Masters before nodding.

”Very well,” he said. ”Then let’s begin the examination.”

*Growl!*

The fox immediately bared her little teeth as Flugel extended his hand toward her. Her fluffy tail puffed up slightly, making it perfectly clear she had no intention of letting anyone except Rean touch her.

Flugel withdrew his hand before looking at Rean. ”Should I simply restrain it?”

Rean shook his head. ”There shouldn’t be any need for that. Tell me where you want her, and I’ll put her there myself. As long as nobody hurts her without a reason, she should cooperate.”

”There is no reason to injure her,” Flugel assured him. ”Judging by her tiny reserves of Celestial Energy and Godly Pressure, she shouldn’t interfere with the analysis arrays at all. Just place her in the center and make sure she remains still.”

He glanced at the sleepy-looking fox before smiling faintly. ”If you can convince her to fall asleep, even better.”

Rean pondered for a moment. He considered using his Godly Energy together with his Light Element to gently put the fox to sleep, but quickly dismissed the idea. There was no reason to influence the results of the examination unless it became absolutely necessary.

Instead, he carefully placed the little fox in the center of the array before crouching beside her. ”Stay still,” he said while pointing a finger at her. ”Otherwise, I’ll have to put you to sleep.”

He honestly wasn’t sure whether she understood what he was saying, but there was no harm in trying.

To everyone’s surprise, the little fox obediently remained where she was. She didn’t attempt to run away or leave the array. Instead, she simply sat down and looked at Rean with sparkling eyes.

Rean immediately understood that look.

”Alright, alright,” he chuckled. ”You’ll get your meat afterward.”

Seeing everything was ready, Flugel nodded at the researchers surrounding the room. ”Begin.”

Immediately, several arrays lit up at once. Countless runes spread beneath the fox while the surrounding equipment hummed to life one piece after another. Soft lights of many different colors illuminated the room as streams of information flowed through the arrays. Some devices analyzed the fox’s body directly, others focused on her bloodline, while several more examined her soul, energy circulation, and every other detail they could think of.

The laboratory quickly became busy.

”Friend Celis was right,” one of the researchers reported after checking the first results. ”She does possess a tiny amount of Godly Pressure. It is simply so faint that none of us could naturally perceive it. Even the Sacred Relic’s suppression can’t affect such a negligible amount.”

Another researcher immediately continued. ”There isn’t a Godly Crystal anywhere inside her body. Not in her head, not near her heart, nowhere. From every indication we’ve gathered so far, she appears to be an ordinary animal.”

A third Master raised another report. ”Her bloodline is somewhat unusual, however. It doesn’t match the bloodline mutations we’ve observed in Godly Creatures after the formation of a Godly Crystal. At the same time, it doesn’t completely resemble the bloodlines of ordinary animals from the Celestial Plane either.”

Several of the older researchers nodded before one of them spoke up.

”That conclusion isn’t entirely unexpected. We’ve encountered similar cases over the years. Some races slowly adapt to their surroundings across countless generations, gradually developing traits that may eventually allow them to become Godly Creatures. Judging from these readings, this race simply hasn’t reached that stage yet.”

The examination continued for quite some time as more arrays were activated and additional tests were performed. Every new result reinforced the previous ones instead of contradicting them. Eventually, the little fox became bored of standing still. She stretched lazily before curling into a fluffy little ball in the center of the array, occasionally opening one eye whenever Rean walked closer before going back to resting.

Meanwhile, Tobao and the others continued checking the reports sent from the Sacred Relic.

Nothing changed.

According to the Sacred Relic, the powerful Godly Creature was still inside this very laboratory.

Yet every new piece of evidence made that conclusion seem even more absurd than before.

Several hours passed like that. During the breaks between tests, Rean played with the fox a little and fed her several more pieces of meat, which immediately earned him an extremely satisfied expression every single time. The little creature remained completely calm throughout the entire process, showing no aggression toward anyone in the room despite being surrounded by so many powerful cultivators.

By the time the final examination came to an end, every researcher had reached essentially the same conclusion.

The little fox...

Was harmless.

Flugel let out a long sigh before turning toward Tobao. ”At this point, the only explanation I can come up with is that the Sacred Relic produced a false positive. Every examination we’ve performed points to the same conclusion.”

He hesitated briefly before continuing. ”Of course, if everyone is still worried, we could simply kill the fox and eliminate any possible risk.”

”That,” Rean immediately interrupted while picking the fox back up into his arms, ”is not happening.”

The fox happily rubbed her head against Rean’s chest, completely ignoring the serious discussion taking place around her.

”She hasn’t done anything wrong,” Rean continued. ”If that’s everyone’s concern, I’ll simply release her back into the wild the next time we head out on another Elite Exploration Mission. There’s no reason to kill her.”

Tobao remained silent for a long moment before finally stepping forward.

”Let me try something.”

Without waiting for an answer, he gently used his Godly Energy to lift the fox out of Rean’s arms. She immediately began struggling in midair.

*Rawr!*

Rean understood exactly what Tobao intended to test and didn’t interfere. He had expected someone to perform this experiment sooner or later. As long as they weren’t trying to kill her or cause any lasting injury, he had no reason to stop them.

The pressure of Tobao’s Godly Energy gradually increased. The little fox immediately cried out in pain as her tiny body struggled harder and harder against the invisible force restraining her. She desperately waved her little paws while her two tails thrashed around nonstop, yet nothing else happened.

No hidden power awakened.

No terrifying aura burst forth.

No overwhelming Godly Pressure erupted from her body.

She remained exactly what every examination had indicated...

A tiny, frightened little fox. Well, she actually looked angrier than frightened, though.

Tobao maintained the pressure for several more moments before finally withdrawing his Godly Energy. The fox immediately leaped back into Rean’s arms, burying her face against his chest while trembling slightly. Rean gently stroked her fur, calming her down without saying a word.

Watching that scene, Tobao could only let out a helpless sigh.

”I give up.”