"Field neutralization reaction detected! Main-body radiation contamination dissipating!"
At that moment, the Chip's alert sounded once more.
As the mist on Lin Ley's body grew thinner and thinner, the woman's head before him gradually faded into a phantom before dissolving entirely into the air.
The instant the last wisp of mist vanished, Lin Ley ordered the radiation to cease.
Then, he looked down at skin that resembled the aftermath of severe burns, and let out a bitter smile.
For an ordinary person, injuries like these would have been fatal long ago, but for a Wizard, as long as the extraplanar contamination had been removed, the rest was trivial.
*Crack! Crack!*
Lin Ley shook his body slightly, and the scabs on his skin immediately began to crack and split. Layer upon layer of skin wrinkled and folded, forming a process much like a serpent shedding its skin.
Then, much as one might strip off clothing, he peeled away all the dead skin, revealing a layer of smooth, pale flesh beneath.
In just a few minutes, Lin Ley — who had looked like some hideous specter — had restored his former appearance.
"This whole affair was genuinely dangerous. That conceptual being is still beyond my current capacity to comprehend!"
After changing into fresh clothes, Lin Ley let out a long breath.
Something that had nearly rendered him completely helpless using nothing but spiritual energy contamination was definitely an existence that had surpassed the Morning Star rank — or even reached the Brilliant Moon tier!
If he hadn't happened to have the Snake Woman's bone segment on hand, something capable of providing the corresponding neutralizing treatment, this trouble would likely have plagued him for a very long time.
As it stood now, though the contamination radiation from the other side was formidable, the Snake Woman was an ancient fifth-tier being as well. When two high-level radiation forces collided, the only possible outcome was mutual annihilation.
Lin Ley had taken a certain risk in pulling this off, but the results appeared to be satisfactory.
"This whole incident is a warning. It seems the experiment can be put on hold for now..."
Lin Ley stepped out of the core chamber and ordered the Tower Spirit to bring him some sweet pastries and drinks. Only then did he ask, "While I was conducting the experiment, what's been happening outside?"
During experimentation, a Wizard would, as a rule, sever all external communications to avoid disruption to the process.
The Tower Spirit, in such moments, essentially served the role of a butler — not only intercepting incoming messages but also filtering out the most valuable information for Lin Ley to review.
"The Frey family sent someone? And they delivered an invitation?"
Lin Ley rubbed his chin. "Could it be that woman has already broken through to the Crystallized stage?"
His relationship with Frey was reasonably good — especially after the bloodline crystal transaction, which had strengthened their ties considerably. Although Frey had since gone into seclusion and they hadn't been in much contact, they were still members of the same organization, and he couldn't very well refuse to show face.
"Tell Pike — I'll receive that Tim here tomorrow!"
Linley considered for a moment and issued his orders. Apart from this biggest matter, there were only miscellaneous affairs left to deal with, but none of them could bypass Linley as the supreme authority.
There were many things that simply could not be implemented on this territory without his approval.
This was a necessary process — even though it was somewhat convoluted and led to problems like inefficiency, it was unavoidable…
The next day, Tim, who had been waiting for quite some time, finally met the long-famous Linley inside the Wizard Tower.
Mithril golems served beverages and refreshments before quickly withdrawing.
Linley regarded the somewhat nervous young man before him. Clearly, he was very young, yet the purity of his bloodline even surpassed that of Roya from the Robin family last time. He must be one of the Frey family's key protégés. The fact that they had sent him personally to deliver the letter showed just how much they valued Linley.
"Marquis Linley's Wizard Tower is truly breathtaking!"
Tim voiced his admiration with genuine sincerity. Linley's top-tier Wizard Tower was already renowned throughout the entire Ouroboros Ring, and every guest who visited would invariably express similar amazement.
But there was a particularly heartfelt quality to these words coming from Tim's mouth, which earned him a measure of Linley's goodwill.
"Tim, you came all this way — is there something you need?"
After some idle conversation, Linley finally asked.
Growing serious at the mention of business, Tim's expression turned solemn. "On the orders of the clan patriarch, I have been sent to deliver this invitation to you, my lord!"
As he spoke, he presented the invitation with both hands and respectfully offered it to Linley.
Normally, for ordinary matters, communicating through an Arcane Mark would suffice. Sending a personal envoy with a formal invitation was a practice reserved only for the great nobles, and only on occasions of celebrations or significant festivals.
"Frey has advanced to Crystallization! Truly a joyous occasion — I will attend in person to offer my congratulations!"
The invitation emitted a faint, pleasant fragrance as Linley scanned its contents with a quick glance and nodded.
Every advancement for a high-level Wizard was incredibly difficult to achieve, and each success was worth celebrating. When Linley himself had advanced to Vaporization last time, he had invited a whole host of senior apprentices over. And Crystallization was on an entirely different level from Vaporization — incomparably higher.
"Thank you, my lord!" Tim bowed respectfully.