After hearing Sanderâs description of the Soul-Fixing Needle, Saulâs first reaction before surprise could surge up was disbelief.
âYou⊠could possess such a powerful magical artifact?â
Saul had never heard of a Soul-Fixing Needle. But this didnât prevent him from understanding how powerful this magical artifact was.
In the wizard world, the leading cause of death was war, and the second highest was pollution!
Various forms of pollution affected wizardsâ bodies and soul bodies.
Some wizards might suffer torment from pollution, dying through painful mutation.
Others showed no reaction at all, then suddenly underwent mutation, directly transforming into monsters, killing others or being killed by others.
And sometimes pollution mutation was more dangerous than death.
Because for high-rank wizards, death could still be reversed, but mutation⊠was truly mutation.
If one could possess the Soul-Fixing Needle that Sander described, then a wizard would essentially have a second life.
But how could such a thing end up in the hands of Sander, an ordinary person?
It was different from the Chaos Realm Compass. Without key components, the Chaos Realm Compass showed almost no abnormalities and would only be considered an antique pocket watch with collectible value.
But Sander knew the Soul-Fixing Needleâs function precisely.
Seeing Saulâs suspicious gaze, Sander swallowed nervously. âActually, this artifact isnât currently in my possession.â
Ah, empty promises!
Saul believed Sander wouldnât dare deceive him. He crossed his arms and waited for Sanderâs explanation.
âActually, Iâve known about the Soul-Fixing Needle since childhood. But back then I didnât know its abilities or name. Father only told me that if the family reached a critical moment where it couldnât continue, this Soul-Fixing Needle could be used to fight for a chance at survival.â
âThis secret could only be known by the direct eldest son of the royal family. Now, Iâm the only one who knows.â
âBut currently the Soul-Fixing Needle isnât in your hands, right?â Saul asked.
âCorrect. Many powerful magical artifacts from ancient times share a common traitâuntil you know the correct method of use, even if the magical artifact is right in front of you, you might only treat it as an ordinary object.â
âSkip these explanations and tell me directly where the item is. I need to first confirm the Soul-Fixing Needle exists before I can consider any subsequent trade.â
Sander froze, clenching his hands together until his knuckles turned white.
Seeing Sander like this, Saul knew he was struggling, afraid that Saul would abandon their trade after obtaining the Soul-Fixing Needle, or even directly betray him.
But at the same time, Sander understood he had no one else to turn to for help.
He didnât trust a single wizard from the Tribunal.
And apart from the Tribunal, he couldnât meet any other wizards.
Saul was the first âoutsiderâ Sander had met since being brought back to the Evernight Royal Palace.
A butterfly flew from Sanderâs left eye to his right eye, then disappeared behind his eye socket.
Sander suddenly looked up. âFine! Iâll tell you the Soul-Fixing Needleâs location, and at the same time, Iâm also entrusting both mine and Midoâs lives to you!â
Sander stepped forward, leaned close to Saulâs ear, and spoke several sentences in an extremely low voice.
Saul was startled, looking at Sander. âHow could it be there?â
Sander smiled bitterly. âWho made him the only person on Nephret Continent who can contend with the Tribunal Chief? Moreover, he doesnât know that thing is the Soul-Fixing Needleâhe only thinks itâs money and treasure we prepared as a backup plan. Someone of his level naturally looks down on our treasures and isnât afraid of him embezzling them.â
Saul pondered for a moment, then chuckled softly. âPlacing it there is indeed safe, but I still need to confirm that what you placed with him is the Soul-Fixing Needle.â
âNo problem.â Sander nodded. âI have a way to make him come here soon and retrieve the Soul-Fixing Needle. You can help Mido resurrect after obtaining the Soul-Fixing Needle.â
Sanderâs sincerity was already very sufficientâhe was basically telling Saul he could take payment first and work later.
Of course, he had no other choice but to trust Saul.
Saul was satisfied.
But to ensure the trade wouldnât have subjective problems, he still needed to add a layer of protection.
âGood, Iâll help your sister Mido resurrect. In exchange, you must do everything possible to help me obtain the Soul-Fixing Needle. If you agree, our deal is concluded.â
Sander finally relaxed slightly, showing a genuine smile. âThank you, Lord Saul.â
âIâll take the chest first. Midoâs soul is still helpful to you, so she can continue staying in your body. When I need her, Iâll take her away.â
Sander nodded readily.
Since heâd chosen to trust Saul and already reached an agreement, he didnât want to appear hesitant and indecisive, lest it displease the other party.
âI also need your blood.â
âNo problem.â
âAnd mermaid royal bloodlineâcan you obtain it?â
Mermaid royal bloodline stocks were very limited. Alfonso might not hand it over to Saul for experimental operations.
Moreover, Saul didnât want the Tribunalâs people to know about the experiments he was doing to resurrect Mido.
Sander frowned, smiling bitterly. âI canât access that either⊠Itâs important material for creating new royalty. Theyâre also afraid Iâll sabotage it.â
If he couldnât obtain mermaid royal bloodline, some of Saulâs ideas couldnât be tested.
Saul stroked his chin thoughtfully. âShould I steal it? Stealing is easy, but how do I clear myself of suspicion afterward? I still need to conduct experiments later.â
Sander didnât know what Saul wanted the mermaid royal bloodline for, thinking it was useful for resurrecting Mido, and was also racking his brains.
Finally, he thought of a plan that might or might not work.
âLord Saul, have you seen atavistic mermaids?â
âIâve seen one.â
âAtavistic mermaids are actually mermaids whose weak mermaid royal bloodline has awakened. Though the bloodline in their bodies is thin, if we could find several more, we might be able to extract sufficient amounts of mermaid royal bloodline.â
Saying this, Sander steeled his heart and said through gritted teeth, âI know of one atavistic mermaid with the richest bloodlineâsheâs right in this palace, in the deepest room!â
Sander needed a surface heir to ensure he wouldnât become the next emperorâs celebratory wine.
For this, even sacrificing the mermaid princess he had some fondness for was acceptable.
He didnât want to die, and couldnât die.
As long as Mido became his heir and the royal bloodline had someone to inherit it, he could remove the shackles on himself and escape his puppet emperor identity.
If operated properly, he might even return to Evernightâs political center!
In Sanderâs respectfully expressed face, Saul saw eyes that secretly harbored ambition.
But he said nothing.
Wanting to live, wanting to live wellâthis was human nature.
Saul used his storage device to collect the chest containing Midoâs remains, then said, âYou stay here and rest well. Iâll go see that atavistic mermaid you mentioned.â
After speaking, he turned and left this small but life-filled room.
Returning to the dim palace outside, passing through three ornate gates and crossing two spacious palace halls, Saul finally reached the last room.
He pushed open the final door and immediately saw the wall opposite.
It wasnât a wall, but a huge glass house filled with water.
A mermaid with a cyan tail was pressed against the glass, making eye contact with Saul.
Her pearl-colored hair and pearl-colored eyes were like the most beautiful pearls in a shell.
Even more beautiful than that mermaid called Coral,
Saul thought.
Suddenly, a voice sounded behind him. âLord Saul, why are you here?â
Saul turned around and saw Alfonso, who had just teleported over.
(End of Chapter)
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