As one of the four major research institutes of the First University, the Institute of Applied Magic is a comprehensive magical research institute that is different from the other three professional research institutes.

Under this institute, there are also a series of sub-independent research institutes, such as the Alchemy Research Institute, the Rune Research Institute, and the Spell Array Research Institute, which are under the jurisdiction of the Applied Magic Research Institute in terms of establishment, but have independent personnel and financial authority, just like the relationship between the First University and the four colleges.

Zheng Qing's current Ascension Experimental Research Institute is such an independent research institute.

As he followed the fox maid to the depths of the institute, the young scholar kept thinking about the last words of the budgie in his heart.

What do you mean by 'don't let them cut off your shadow'?

Can the shadow be cut off? What do they want the wizard's shadow for? What are the consequences of the shadow being cut off? And isn't the school concerned about this kind of evil behavior when you hear it?

All sorts of jumbled thoughts rolled in his mind, and it made people feel cold in the bottom of his heart.

This uneasiness grew even stronger as the fox maid led him into an empty laboratory.

Unlike any other office or public laboratory that Zheng Qing had ever seen, this one did not have neat test benches, no clean glass test tubes, and not even many standard alchemy instruments.

The laboratory is in the shape of a long strip, like a huge bomb shelter, tall, empty, and closed. There was nothing but the huge balls of light lined up along the central axis.

The walls around the laboratory are blue-gray and covered with a metallic skin, with no glass windows, no vents, and no gaps in sight.

Except for the lonely entrance behind Zheng Qing, this laboratory belongs to a completely closed world.

"Poof. ”

A faint sound of wind came from behind Zheng Qing.

He quickly turned around, just in time to see the door behind him silently shut.

Well, now that this place has completely become a closed metal box - Zheng Qing is extremely suspicious that the wizards standing in this laboratory do not need to breathe.

Along the central axis of the laboratory, raised hexagonal stone platforms are lined up.

On the stone platform, milky white balls of light floated quietly in mid-air, exuding a peaceful atmosphere all over the body.

Around the stone platform, there were six wizards standing holding record boards, silently staring at the ball of light, making records.

These wizards were men and women, and they were of all ages. There are old wizards with gray hair and goosebumps, as well as young wizards with sharp eyes and smooth skin. The only thing they had in common was that they were both dressed in black robes.

At First University, only wizards of the registered wizard rank and above are allowed to wear black robes.

In other words, the people standing under that ball of light turned out to be wizards above the registered level!

At a glance, the number of light balls is full of hundreds, and if there are six registered wizards under each light ball, this laboratory alone has thousands of black robes - even at the opening ceremony and the opening ceremony of the school hunting party a few days ago, Zheng Qing has never seen so many registered wizards at one time!

These are the legendary researchers who studied among the researchers.

Zheng Qing glanced at the black robes on their bodies enviously, and then his eyes were gradually attracted by the ball of light.

I don't know if it's an illusion, but he seems to see countless struggling and screaming figures from the smooth, white ball, as well as countless worlds in disillusionment.

For a second, the world that flashed on the ball of light seemed to be unusually clear, as if there was indeed a real world in it, so that the young public scholarship student couldn't help but slowly get closer, wanting to see more clearly.

"Don't wander around, follow me!" the fox maid's faint voice seemed to sound far away, but it suddenly drew back the attention of the public scholarship student.

Zheng Qing turned his head and was shocked.

Only then did he realize that he had unknowingly walked to the bottom of the first ball of light.

The researchers around him didn't stop him in the slightest - most of them even completely ignored the approaching public scholarship students, except for a few young wizards who occasionally raised their eyelids and glanced curiously at the red robes on his body.

"What kind of place is this?" Zheng Qing trotted a few steps back behind the fox maid and couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

"This is Miss's laboratory. The fox maid glanced at him and proudly warned, "This is also the largest laboratory of First University...... Keep your head down, and don't look around...... If something happens to you here, Miss will be in trouble. ”

Zheng Qing tugged at the corners of his mouth and didn't speak.

Besides, besides, besides the big ball of light, is there anything else in this room that people want to see?

Although she complained like this in her heart, the public scholarship student still honestly obeyed the master's warning, lowered her head, followed her, bypassed the ball of light, and walked to the depths of the laboratory.

He didn't go far before a familiar voice sounded in Zheng Qing's ears.

"I've been standing here for ten minutes!"

Zheng Qing raised his head, and sure enough, Su Ya's little girl looked at the two of them angrily.

"Where's Miss?"

"I heard from the researchers that Evolution Testbed 1016 had just sent off a malfunction alarm and she went to check it. Su Ya was holding a hair ball in her arms, and her tone was still dissatisfied: "...... I really don't know why Miss wants to see this liar, scumbag, and pervert. ”

The young student touched his nose and smiled dryly, without justification.

This kind of topic, the more it is talked, the more chaotic it becomes, but silence is better than sound.

"Did you go out just now?" The fox maid who came with Zheng Qing looked at Su Ya in surprise.

"Mademoiselle told me to pick up this little bastard at the pet farm. Su Ya lifted the hair ball in her arms and sighed: "No way, those who can work hard...... There are really no reliable people around Miss. ”

"Poof. Zheng Qing couldn't help it, and sneered, causing Su Ya to look at him angrily.

Although the fox maid in front of him still had a straight face, she couldn't help but show a smile on her face.

"This is how important Mademoiselle is to you. She smiled and comforted.

The hair ball in Su Ya's arms seemed to hear the laughter of the public scholarship student, trembled, and a lazy little head popped out.

"Squeak!" it greeted and flicked its tail at the student.

Zheng Qing couldn't help but blink.

"Hey, Poseidon?" The young student couldn't help but show a cheerful expression: "Why are you here!"

"Are you deaf? I just said it, and Miss asked me to take it!"