"Brother Kyle, Sister Ruby."
The middle-aged wizard's voice was hoarse and tired, but it carried the rigor of a scholar. "I'm Harold Wayne, a senior researcher in the association responsible for analyzing the magical changes here. I'm sorry I haven't been able to meet you two yet..."
He waved his hand, as if he felt politeness was pointless, and went straight to the point: "Are you here to deal with that stubborn dark erosion?"
"Yes, Master Harold."
Kyle took a step forward and glanced at the magic crystal fragments on the table. Even though the magic crystals had turned into fragments, they still appeared in a strange black and white blend under the dim light.
"The Holy Light purification has had little effect. We suspect the root cause isn't the erosion of dark magic... Have you made any new discoveries regarding these magic crystals?"
Harold sighed, pushed up his glasses, and pointed to a statistical report on the table:
"After a month of detailed retrospective analysis of all infected individuals and residual magic power, we have confirmed a key point."
"Everyone who has experienced erosion symptoms, without exception, has had direct contact with this dual-attribute dark and light magic crystal obtained from beneath the Phantom Wolf King's lair. Whether they found it, robbed it, or were contaminated by the powder of the shattered magic crystal in battle."
Ruby frowned. "Magic crystal powder? Aren't all the adventurers in Osborne Town just..."
"That's right. The adventurers in Osborne are generally around level three. They don't have the strength to shatter normal magic crystals. But this is the crux of the matter."
Harold picked up a shard, carefully holding it with tweezers, and brought it close to a special magic lamp.
Under the light, it looked as if a sticky black liquid was slowly flowing inside the fragments, enveloped by holy light.
"This magic crystal is different from the normal multi-attribute magic crystals we see. Its magic power is not evenly distributed. It only takes a full-strength attack from an ordinary second-level combat professional to break this seemingly peaceful state."
"Once exposed to unprotected contact, this unique dark magic will directly penetrate deep into the flesh and even the mind, just like a living being, becoming entangled with the host's own energy, forming a 'symbiotic' state that we are currently unable to purify."
"This kind of magic crystal is definitely not naturally generated. It is artificially designed and deliberately produced."
Kyle's heart sank. "Is the goal to corrupt adventurers?"
Harold smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"I'm not sure about that, but based on current research, the adventurers who were eroded by dark magic were all beginners. Adventurers above level four can resist this erosion."
He was just a magic researcher, how could he understand the heretic's way of thinking.
Anyway, from his point of view, this heretical organization is definitely a genius in creating monsters and magic crystals.
But in terms of creating chaos, it seems a bit too frivolous.
They were just a bunch of second or third level adventurers. So what would it matter if they were all eroded by them?
It has little impact on either the Lily Kingdom or the Holy Light Church.
This group of heretical organizations is just a waste of funds!
"With our current methods, whether it's Holy Light Purification, Elemental Dispelling, or Life Magic Healing, we can only weaken its activity and temporarily suppress the frenzy symptoms, but we can't eradicate it."
Harold put down the fragment and continued.
"What's even stranger is that we traced the source of the initial entry into the market to the 'Dark-Light Werewolf Magic Crystal' that was auctioned off on the black market in Osborne Town."
"According to our investigation, no one who has handled that magic crystal has shown any signs of corrosion so far! And the form of that magic crystal also seems to be different from these Phantom Wolf magic crystals."
"Why?!" Ruby's black nun robe fluttered without a trace of wind, and a trace of burning air escaped uncontrollably. "I'm infected by contact with the magic crystal in the lair, but the more powerful werewolf magic crystal on the black market is fine?"
"That's the problem!" Harold's eyes flashed with a gleam. "Either, that werewolf magic crystal itself is naturally formed, with balanced properties. Or... it is the source of the sample made by these ghost wolf magic crystals, and it is a stable 'sample' artificially created!"
But it is obvious that they were the original publisher of the mission to investigate the Wolf Valley.
Harold knew clearly that the dark-light mutant werewolf was man-made.
According to his analysis, the only difference between werewolves and ghost wolves.
It should be that when creating the werewolf, the heretic organization added the material of "human".
It’s a pity that the people who took the task were illiterate adventurers, and they didn’t investigate whether the other party was adding a complete "person", a body, or a soul.
Artificially created?
Kyle and Ruby looked at each other. If the other party could even create a werewolf, a monster designated by the Holy Light Church.
The strength of this heretical organization should not be underestimated!
"Master Harold, we need to enter the black market and find the key figure who handled the Werewolf Crystal, especially the buyer." Kyle's voice was firm and unquestionable, with unquestionable determination. "This may be our only clue to the true source and our only chance to resolve this incident."
Harold seemed to have anticipated this and pulled out a humble black metal coin from the drawer. It was engraved with a pattern of overlapping stars and moons.
"Go to the alley behind the Grizzly Bear Tavern in Osborne Town and find Vicki from the Black Gold Gang. She's one of the black market brokers for the Osborne Town Black Gold Gang and one of the middlemen for that auction."
"Take this and say, 'I'm here to buy used goods, introduced by Harold.' Remember, the black market has its own rules. Don't cause trouble, and especially don't use the power of the Holy Light."
He said the last sentence while looking at Ruby, his eyes carrying an obvious warning.
Although it was only their first meeting, Harold clearly felt the special magic in this nun's body, which was very different from the gentle holy light power in Kyle.
This nun should be a fanatical Holy Light believer like the Punishment Nun.
He was really afraid that this woman would rashly tear down other people's black market.
Although she couldn't tear it apart.
Following the route given by Harold, Kyle and his friends quickly found the Black Gold Gang's territory.
The entrance to the Black Gold Gang in Osborne Town is hidden in an inconspicuous and secluded courtyard.
After showing the black gold coin, a woman with a silver nose ring, wearing a boldly cut leather vest and trousers, outlining her plump and powerful figure, came out to greet them.
The other party called herself Vicky.
When Ruby saw what the other person was wearing, she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows.
Even from the side, she could see the other person's brown hemisphere swaying in the night light.
In the Holy City, such people would be beaten out with sticks!
When she saw the two of them, Vicky leaned against the door frame, her eyes swept over Kyle and Ruby, especially lingering for a moment on Ruby's nun robe that was out of place in the environment of Osborne Town, and a playful arc appeared at the corner of her mouth.
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