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The researchers in the back were becoming anxious as they watched Dr. Roca, who was lost in his own mutterings, completely ignoring the leader, Ajax, who had visited late at night.

However, Ajax raised his hand to signal the others to stay silent. He then slightly turned his head toward his subordinate Roca, and said,

"Did you all hear what the doctor just requested for his experiment?"

"Tell those janitors to stop bringing us drifters and scavengers. Capture some people with families names; that will yield better research data. Understood?"

"Understood! Leader! I\'ll arrange it immediately!"

The subordinate responded loudly, snapping Dr. Roca, who was engrossed in his research, back to reality.

Roca: "Lord Ajax? What brings you here so late?"

"Today I heard that you\'ve managed to increase the concentration of the Miasma Reagent by another five percent. Such uplifting news! I was too busy during the day, but the moment I got some free time, I had to come and see for myself."

Saying this, Ajax patted Dr. Roca\'s shoulder with his large, sturdy hand.

"Dr. Roca, we owe Callewa\'s current standing to your hard work and exceptional research."

"Thank you for your kind words, boss, but \'exceptional\' is stretching it," Roca replied, shaking his head in a self-deprecating manner.

"My current achievements are nothing compared to those of the Ashen Empire five hundred years ago. Despite their lack of resources, they were able to produce a reagent with a concentration as high as 70% using technology far less advanced than ours. And then there\'s the legendary \'crystallized\' solid-state Miasma. What a beautiful, dreamlike substance that must be! Sadly, I doubt I\'ll achieve that in my lifetime."

A strong sense of longing and regret appeared on the long-haired doctor\'s face. For someone as engrossed—and slightly obsessed—with research as he was, wealth, power, or women could never hold a candle to the allure of studying Miasma.

It was precisely this quality in Roca that Ajax admired, leading him to place such trust in the doctor. Ajax even chuckled as he comforted him,

"There\'s no need to be so hard on yourself Doctor. The atmosphere during the Ashen Empire\'s era had Miasma concentrations tens of times higher than we have now. It\'s not an exaggeration to say that the people of that time grew up breathing Miasma. But today, the decline of the wasteland era has made Miasma very rare, nearly disappearing altogether. Your achievement in \'liquefied Miasma\' is absolutely groundbreaking when you look at it on a global scale!"

Facing Ajax\'s praise, Dr. Roca made no effort to be humble. Instead, he turned his eyes toward the central furnace core of the factory—where the [Crimson Star] levitated and rotated in stark visibility.

"It\'s a waste for this \'Emperor\'s Relic, I can sense that its actual utility extends far beyond what we\'re doing with it now—merely using it as a source of Miasma Radiation. If we could find the true way to activate it…"

"I have a premonition that it would represent a technological breakthrough in Miasma utilization. It would be something even more advanced than our current Miasma Reagents—no, it would surpass even \'Liquefaction.\'"

His wistful words ignited a fire in the heart of Callewa\'s leader standing beside him. Shaking with excitement, the leader fixed his greedy and desirous gaze upon the [Crimson Star] following the doctor\'s line of sight.

"No worries. If one decade isn\'t enough, then we\'ll research for another, and another after that!" Ajax declared passionately.

"I believe that, with your wisdom, Dr. Roca, we\'ll someday turn this \'Emperor\'s Relic\' into a true treasure for Callewa, commanding it to serve us!"

Listening to Ajax\'s impassioned speech, Dr. Roca feigned agreement with a nod. Yet, he silently scoffed with disdain.

What he hadn\'t told Ajax was that their continuous siphoning of Miasma power from this \'Emperor\'s Relic\' had substantially weakened it, far below its original state when first excavated.

From the exterior, it appeared unchanged. But Roca estimated that it wouldn\'t last another decade—three or four more years would be optimistic.

Once the Miasma within "Crimson Star" was entirely drained, the relic dating back five centuries would lose all function, becoming worthless trash. This was why he felt such regret.

It was as if they had a top-of-the-line sports car in front of them but didn\'t know how to start it. All they could do was siphon fuel from its tank. Worse, they had no idea how to replenish it. Once the fuel was depleted, the car would become useless scrap metal.

Dr. Roca shook his head inwardly.

At that point, there would be no reason for him to remain in Callewa. His current allegiance to the gang was solely for the \'Emperor\'s Relic\'.

But Dr. Roca had other plans for the future. He had already learned through Callewa connections that a priest in the Church within Blackhole Plains had secretly stashed another \'Emperor\'s Relic\' in some deep underground location.

Rumors had it that the "Emperor\'s Relic" in the hands of the priest was even more precious, rarer, and powerful than the "Crimson Star" they were working with now. The thought made Roca involuntarily lick his dry lips.

"Alright, let\'s call it a day for the experiment. It\'s getting late; our leader Ajax should get some rest. Shut down the furnace!"

Ajax had personally come to the scene, and Roca couldn\'t focus on the experiment anymore. He felt it was better to clock out early. He relayed his instructions to the gang members in the factory, especially emphasizing the shutting down of the furnace.

Using less of the Tainted Miasma energy inside [Crimson Star] would also allow him more years of research in Callewa.

Ajax slightly furrowed his brows. He could sense the unease from his tone, but out of courtesy, he didn\'t say much. He merely nodded and was about to leave.

However, just at that moment— 

"Doctor, something seems off!" The research personnel operating the furnace sounded alarmed.

Operating the furnace shutdown mechanism was something that the Callewa members could do with their eyes closed by now. But this time, as they performed their usual tasks, they found that the equipment seemed to have "malfunctioned."

They had already pulled the lever to shut down the furnace. Normally, the [Crimson Star] would descend and cease to emit the Miasma\'s red mist. But what presented itself before them now was a [Crimson Star] that not only remained suspended in the air but also— 

Seemed to react to something, shaking violently. The [Crimson Star] isolated by multiple [Barrier Shields], trembled fiercely before the eyes of hundreds of Callewa members inside the factory.

The strange phenomenon not only stopped Ajax, who was about to leave, but also left Dr. Roca dumbfounded, disbelief expression spread across his face.

He had studied the [Crimson Star] for decades, but had never seen this \'artifact\' so animated.

\'What is happening?\'

If the members of the Callewa gang inside the factory were initially merely surprised and intrigued—

That all changed in the next instant.

Everyone inside the factory, Dr. Roca and Ajax included, had their expressions shift in a split-second to utter terror and confusion.

Crack*

A small crack appeared on the [Barrier Shield], spreading rapidly like a spider\'s web. The Tainted Miasma mist surrounding the Crimson Star seemed like a beast about to break free, baring its fangs at everyone in the factory.

It\'s crucial to understand that the original Crimson Star was identified as a Level-B tainted item. Though they had drained much of its Miasma power, reducing its original potency, if the [Barrier Shield] failed, the released Tainted Miasma would be more than they could withstand.

It could even result in a severe infection throughout the factory, turning the weaker member into Miasma-infected monsters in an instant, just like those failed test subjects!

\'How could this be happening?!\'

Dr. Roca was so stunned he forgot to run. His eyes remained fixated on the quivering Crimson Star. He knew that the problem wasn\'t with the [Barrier Shield]. Instead, the \'Emperor\'s Relic\' seemed to have, in a flash, reached an energy level far surpassing even its initial Tainted Miasma peak.

\'It was as if...as if...it was " excited "!\'