Chapter 613: The Dust Settles for Now

Chapter 613 -526: The Dust Settles for Now

But this was clearly not the time to investigate further.

Roland quickly stored the three items in his newly acquired, durable leather pouch, then turned and beckoned to Ellis.

Seeing this, the young Mage straightened up and stepped forward.

Roland’s overwhelming Power, precise judgment, and complete control over the short but intense battle had thoroughly won over the proud, arrogant academic.

Compared to the “former Priest” nearby, who was excitedly rummaging through the corpses while muttering to himself, Ellis felt that this mysterious and powerful black-haired young man was a leader truly worthy of his respect and loyalty.

“Mr. Rudolph.”

He used the honorific subconsciously, his gray-blue eyes holding a question and a hint of imperceptible deference.

“Is there anything I can do for you?”

Hearing the somewhat formal address, Roland shook his head slightly. He had been about to correct him, but considering the urgency of the situation, he cut straight to the point.

“Ellis, these three Heartstealer corpses are valuable for research. However, they’re inconvenient for me to carry, and I don’t want to damage their structure and reduce their value by moving them. Do you have any way to preserve them intact?”

He had left the Secret Imprisonment Dice behind on this trip to allow the Succubus, Celeste, to recover in its relatively stable environment.

Furthermore, directly transporting the three aberrant corpses would not only be cumbersome but could also damage their carapaces, Spiritual Energy organs, or other special internal structures that might contain information—it was the worst possible option.

Upon hearing this request, Ellis’s eyebrows twitched uncontrollably. A look of mixed astonishment, resistance, and resignation flashed across his face.

‘Preserve corpses?’

‘And three aberrant corpses at that, still radiating residual Spiritual Energy?’

This was hardly a “dignified” or “elegant” start to a research project. It felt more like the work of some fanatical Necromancer or a boorish Adventurer.

However, perhaps being forced to cast “Protection” and “Dispel” Magic during the battle had already broken some of his internal boundaries. Or maybe the undeniable logic and urgency in Roland’s calm tone simply overrode his academic fastidiousness.

The young Mage just took a shallow breath, then gave a tiny nod.

“There is a way.”

His voice had regained its scholarly clarity, though it was still a bit strained.

“A standard-issue Academy ‘Emergency Field Specimen Sealing Scroll.’ Though… it’s not typically used to handle ‘specimens’ of this size.”

As he spoke, he carefully retrieved a Sheepskin Scroll, bound with dark silk thread, from a reinforced leather pouch at his waist.

The Scroll itself looked unremarkable, but the Rune Array drawn on its surface in silver-gray ink was exceptionally complex and precise, exuding a cold sense of Order.

He untied the thread and slowly unrolled the Scroll on the ground before him.

The parchment’s texture had clearly been specially treated; it felt tough and cool to the touch.

As the Scroll unfurled, layers of nested geometric Runes and conductive lines became fully visible. At its center was a blank circular area, reserved for placing the “specimen.”

“This is a Sealing Array based on the combined principles of ‘Ice Tomb’ and ‘Secondary Space Folding.'”

Ellis explained quickly, his finger hovering over key Rune nodes on the Scroll.

“Once activated, it temporarily forms a stable, low-temperature micro-demiplane inside the Scroll where the flow of time is nearly frozen. It’s used to preserve biological tissue and minimize decay and Energy dissipation.”

“It’s designed to preserve small- to medium-sized Magical Creatures or rare herbs. However… in theory, as long as the volume doesn’t exceed the Scroll’s capacity and the Energy reaction doesn’t instantly rupture the spatial structure, it should be able to contain them.”

He looked up at Roland, adding with a hint of uncertainty.

“The Heartstealer corpses contain residual Spiritual Energy, which might put additional stress on the stability of the sealed space. But for now, this is the best method I can think of to preserve them completely intact.”

With that said, Ellis gestured for Roland to drag the three Heartstealer corpses, one by one, near the blank area at the center of the Scroll.

He himself took a few steps back, cupping his hands before his chest. His fingertips began to trace guiding Runes in the air as he softly chanted the specific Spell commands to activate the Scroll.

As the last syllable fell, the silver Runes on the Scroll lit up one by one, and a cold Magic Radiance flowed like mercury across its surface.

The space in the central area began to twist and dip slightly, forming an entrance like the surface of water, which emanated a faint, cold mist.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Ellis’s forehead again; it was clear that maintaining the Array was taking a considerable toll on him.

“Quick, push the corpses into the ‘portal’!” he urged. “Be careful not to touch the Rune lines at the edges!”

Roland did as he was told. His movements were swift yet steady as he pushed the three Heartstealer corpses, one after another, into the chilling, distorted portal.

The moment a corpse touched the portal, it was as if an invisible force sucked it in, causing it to shrink rapidly and disappear.

With each one that entered, the silver light on the Scroll flickered violently, and the color drained a little more from Ellis’s face. Still, he clenched his jaw and kept the Spell stable.

After the last corpse vanished into the portal, Ellis let out a breath of relief. He changed his hand gestures, and the silver light on the Scroll quickly retracted and faded.

The portal closed without a sound. The light from the Runes on the Scroll’s surface dimmed, and it once again looked like an ordinary piece of parchment.