After a flash of pale blue light, everything slowly returned to silence.

Scáthach walked up to Todd and watched as he slowly opened his palm, inside which lay a… 2B pencil…

Scáthach nodded with pleasure: "Very good."

Gasping for breath, Todd was on the verge of tears: "But what I really wanted was a desk, how come there's only a pencil?!"

"The soul ability you are currently using is called 'Soul Manifestation.' It can replicate an object from your soul space in the real world. However, depending on the level of your ability, there are limitations on the size and mass of the materialized object. With your current ability, materializing a pencil is already your limit..."

Having exhausted himself after using his soul-manifestation ability, Todd sat on the ground, looking at the bright and beautiful printed lettering on his pencil—2B—and shook his head helplessly.

He looked up at Scáthach: "Just out of curiosity, I'd like to ask, with your current abilities, what is the most you can materialize?"

Scáthach smiled, took out an apple, and said softly, "An apple tree."

————————————

Sixty-five kilometers east of Muxi City, along a forest path, at 8:15 a.m.

"That damn dog collar!"

Carroll, hiding in the bushes, wore a large linen cloak and muttered curses as he tugged at the magic-suppressing ring around his neck.

Aldenan, also completely concealed by a cloak, looked at the deserted path and said calmly, "I advise you not to bother with that collar anymore, otherwise it'll end up like before..."

Before he could finish speaking, Carol let out a scream and collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth.

Aldenan sighed: "I already told you."

An hour later, Carol, slowly regaining consciousness, looked at Aldenan beside her and said dejectedly, "What are we going to do now?!"

"Just like Mr. Dunlop said, as long as we catch a test subject, we can help him complete the experiment..."

Carroll waved his hand forcefully: "You still call him 'Mr. Dunlop'?! Don't mention that bastard to me again! I'll kill him one day!"

Aldenan shrugged. "Okay, if you kill that bastard, how do we get back to normal? If you kill that bastard, how do we remove the collar? If..."

"Enough!" Carol closed her eyes in pain and slowly sat down on the ground, leaning against the tree.

Aldnan crouched down and whispered, "Listen, Carol, I know you hate that guy, but he's our only hope of returning to human form. So, the best thing to do right now is to do what he says, grab a few people on the road and give them to him to gain his trust, then we can... wait, someone's coming!"

Aldenan used all four limbs to crawl to the edge of the grass beside the road, looking warily toward the end of the road.

Aldenan sniffed hard: "There's the smell of humans, horses, and dogs in the air."

Carol tensed up: "The army?"

“It doesn’t seem like it.” Aldenan shook his head: “The footsteps were chaotic, and you could also hear music and singing.”

"Music and singing?!"

As the group drew closer, Aldenan and Carroll finally got a clear look at who they were.

A convoy of over a hundred people, loaded with a large amount of luggage, slowly made its way through the woods toward Muxi City.

Upon seeing the emblem on the convoy's flag, Carol's eyes lit up: "That's the Golden Lark Theatre Company, the most famous drama company in all of Twilight City! I heard they finished their tour and will be back soon..."

“Okay, these are the ones.” Aldenan stuck out his tongue and licked his palate, looking for an opportunity to rush out, but was suddenly grabbed by Carol.

"Damn it! What are you doing?!"

Aldenan turned and glared at Carol, who had a distressed look on his face, and growled in a low voice.

Carroll watched the Golden Lark convoy draw ever closer and said with difficulty, "Perhaps we should let these people go. They're not bad people..."

"Are you a three-year-old?!" Aldnan shoved Carroll's arm away and roared, "We're here to arrest people and get our report done! This isn't the time to discuss good and evil!"

With a swift movement, Aldenan leaped toward the screaming convoy, leaving Carroll alone, hesitant in the grass.