As soon as the half-hour was up, Saul took his leave.
Watching Saul’s departing figure, Mark seemed a little lost in thought.
"Why do you think so highly of that brat?" His palm split open again, revealing a tongue that flickered in and out, but it was a voice that spoke.
"Even the Mentor has given him a chance, hasn’t he? Besides, I want to see how far he can go. I’ve never seen a First Rank Apprentice complete a Body Modification before."
A swallowing sound came from the hand.
Saul had no idea that someone—or something—was eyeing his body hungrily. He only knew that the knowledge he had gained from Mark was worth every bit of the two credits he had spent.
Hesitation? Fear?
Heh.
Those didn't exist for him.
Saul couldn’t wait to verify his surging inspirations in the morgue.He hurried downstairs, but as he passed someone on the way, a hooded woman brushed past him.
That beautiful jawline and those seductive red lips were all too familiar.
Even though he hadn’t seen her for over twenty days, Saul didn’t feel the slightest bit of unfamiliarity.
He gradually slowed his steps and turned to look back.
Kongsha, however, didn’t stop and soon disappeared around the bend of the slope.
As they passed, she had signaled a single finger.
Saul stood there for a long time. When he finally resumed his pace, his mood had already changed.
He wasn’t surprised that Kongsha had hinted for him to meet her.
Ever since he refused her request, he had expected her to approach him again.
After all, she had gone to great lengths to place him under Kaz’s tutelage—she wouldn’t give up so easily.
He had managed to hold out for nearly a month without seeking her out first.
Today, it was Kongsha who had run out of patience.
Saul slowly made his way downstairs. He passed by people he knew but didn’t stop to greet them.
Upon entering the third morgue on the second floor of the East Tower, he carefully shut the door.
"Hoo—"
Finally, he could relax a little.
"Last time, I acted too firmly. This time, I should soften my stance a bit." Saul pondered how he should handle his meeting with Kongsha later that night. "She probably sees me as an arrogant, greedy fool. Tonight, she will either threaten my life or sweeten the deal to lure me in. Hopefully, it’s the latter."
Regardless of what Kongsha had planned for him, Saul was prepared to accept her terms tonight.
If Sid hadn’t died outside, he should be returning soon, and Saul needed a powerful backer to deter him.
The reason he had outright rejected Kongsha last time was more of a tactical retreat.
He didn’t want her to continue seeing him as a disposable pawn.
Saul tidied up the books on the long table.
He had originally planned to start preparing for his Body Modification today, but Kongsha’s sudden appearance had thrown him off.
Though he intended to use her, deep down… he was still afraid of her.
Experimenting in this state of mind was a sure path to failure.
Might as well read instead…
Flick!
The transfer platform’s lamp ignited.
A guest had arrived.
Saul walked over and pulled the lever with practiced ease.
The conveyor belt whirred, and a new guest passed through the black curtains, appearing before Saul.
"This one... is so clean."
Clean—that was Saul’s first impression of the corpse.
The man’s expression was peaceful, his eyes gently closed, and his hands naturally rested at his sides. The black leather covering draped over him like a blanket, stopping just at his chest.
Saul pulled back the covering and was surprised to find no visible wounds.
"Huh, how did he die?"
He carefully turned the body over, finding no injuries even on the back. That was even stranger—had the apprentices handling the earlier phases skipped their checks?
Had they deemed this corpse worthless?
Saul flipped the body back and entered a semi-immersive meditative state to examine it further.
Yet even in meditation, he found nothing—no familiar glow, no clear traces of death. The entire body seemed shrouded in a faint, holy light.
"No discoveries at all. Why was a body like this sent to the morgue?"
Saul straightened up, confused, and turned his head—
"Hah!"
He jumped back in shock.
The corpse had opened its eyes and was looking at him with a calm expression.
In truth, this wasn’t the first time a body had suddenly opened its eyes in the morgue.
He had simply been lost in thought and caught off guard.
Recovering quickly, Saul stepped forward to gently close the man’s eyelids.
"Rest in peace. In this tower, not even the living have rights, let alone the dead."
Yet, as soon as he closed them, the eyes stubbornly opened again.
"Fine, if that’s what you prefer, I won’t argue." Saul didn’t bother fighting a dead man’s whims and reached for a cloth to cover his face.
"Would you mind not blocking my sight?" The corpse suddenly spoke. "I’d like to see how I die."
Alright, talking corpses—he’d seen those before.
But one speaking so rationally?
That was a first.
"You’re… not dead?"
No heartbeat. No breath. He should be completely lifeless.
Did wizards have some sort of suspended animation technique?
The man lying on the conveyor belt smiled at Saul with the warmth of an elder addressing a mischievous youth.
"This place is dangerous, child. What you think is good may not be good. What you think is bad may not be bad. What you believe to be alive may already be dead. And what you think is dead… may still be alive. I? I am dead… and yet, not dead. So, please, do not damage my body."
Something wasn’t right.
Saul slipped a hand into his pocket, pressing it against a small paper packet.
"This thing is definitely strange. Maybe I should just toss it into the body storage crate."
As he moved to lift the body—
Rustle!
The hardbound book on his shoulder suddenly flipped open.
[June 24, Year 314 of the Lunar Calendar.
Today, while handling a corpse, you met a kindred spirit.
You had such an engaging conversation that you couldn’t bear to harm him.
You gently placed his body into the storage crate.
Surprisingly, lying inside was quite comfortable.
Happily, you closed your eyes.
Saul’s head shot up. The corpse on the conveyor belt was still smiling at him.
His expression darkened as his fingers fumbled behind him, eventually settling on a tool he had never used before.
A bone cleaver.
He gripped the handle and slowly approached today’s "guest."
"Uh… what are you doing?" The guest’s smile twisted. His eyes fixed on the blade, and his limbs twitched as if ready to spring up at any moment.
Saul swiftly pulled out the paper packet, crushed it, and sprinkled its contents over the body.
White crystal dust scattered and quickly dissolved into fine powder.
The body immediately stopped twitching as if suppressed by some invisible force.
The guest’s tone softened. "Please don’t hurt me! I may look frightening, but I’m not what you think! I’m actually still alive! I can come back to life! Don’t—"
Duang!
The hardbound book obediently settled back onto his shoulder.
Saul exhaled, raising the cleaver once more.
Processing complete, Saul stood up, panting.
“Although I don't know where the bodies that passed through the morgue finally went. However, I never like to cause trouble to my guests. They should be satisfied with you becoming like this?”
(End of Chapter)