Ron slowly opened his eyes, feeling the last trace of the power of time in the depths of his consciousness.
The silver pocket watch clicked shut, emitting a slight "click" sound; those fragmented memories of contamination from the Apostle had been thoroughly cleansed.
At the moment the power of time cleansed his consciousness, Ron deliberately retained a strand of extremely weak spiritual thread.
This thread was as thin as a hair, hidden deep within his cleansed consciousness.
Like an almost invisible thin line in the vast ocean, it maintained the most basic perception link with the Stand-In Puppet.
"Such a level of connection won’t bring much contamination risk, and it can be severed at any time."
He calmly analyzed the pros and cons of this decision in his mind:
"The more attempts at contact, like a vaccine, allow my spiritual structure to gradually adapt to the pressure of the Abyss environment."
This idea was not born out of thin air.
Ron had once observed that explorers who had been exposed to low concentrations of Abyssal aura for extended periods often had stronger resistance than first-time contacts.
Though prolonged exposure would lead to accumulated contamination, moderate exposure could indeed train one’s spiritual protection abilities.
And because of the presence of the pocket watch, he didn’t need to worry too much about the problem of accumulated contamination.
"The key is in controlling the dosage and intensity."
He inspected the state of the weak connection:
"I must maintain monitoring capability, yet not exceed the safety threshold."
Through this thread-thin spiritual connection, Ron could faintly perceive the basic situation of the environment surrounding the puppet.
The distance was too great, and most information was disrupted by the spatial distortion of the Abyss.
However, some particularly strong energy fluctuations could still be transmitted over.
Just now, he felt a certain abnormal phenomenon of energy gathering.
"It seems the puppet has encountered some special situation."
Ron recorded this discovery deep in his consciousness: "Needs continuous observation, but refrain from intervening actively for now."
Just then, a signal of a visiting request was received from within the laboratory.
Upon receiving permission, the door slid open, and a young assistant walked in.
"Wizard Ralph, I am Sarah, responsible for guiding you to familiarize yourself with the facilities in Zone C."
Sarah, evidently not accustomed to dealing with figures of this level, spoke with a trembling voice:
"If it’s convenient for you, I’d like to give you a tour of the special experiment zone."
"Of course, thank you very much," Ron responded politely.
Upon leaving the laboratory, Sarah began to detail the management systems of Zone C, her tone becoming more professional:
"For ordinary researchers, there are strict management protocols every day."
She pointed to a row of detection devices on the corridor walls:
"All personnel must undergo mandatory spiritual contamination tests at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
These devices can accurately measure the concentration of Abyssal factors in consciousness, and any excess over the safety threshold will immediately result in a purification room visit."
Ron observed those complex detection devices.
Each device was composed of multiple rune arrays, capable of analyzing the spiritual state from dozens of different angles.
"Even their movement paths are strictly limited," Sarah continued:
"Ordinary researchers can only operate in designated areas and need to apply for route permits every time they leave.
The use of experimental materials especially requires a three-level approval process, including material application, safety evaluation, and usage supervision."
She led Ron to a work area, allowing him to observe the situation inside through an observation window.
A middle-aged researcher was carefully handling a small piece of Abyss Crystal, with every action recorded by multiple cameras.
Beside him, two supervisors stood by, ready to respond to any unexpected situation.
"For safety reasons, any experiment involving Abyssal materials must be conducted under supervision."
Sarah explained: "During the experiment, researchers cannot act alone, and all data will be uploaded to the central database in real-time."
In stark contrast to this stringent management was the privileged treatment enjoyed by Ron.
"And you, specially approved by the Tower Master and Professor Yutel, have a completely different level of permissions."
Sarah’s voice carried noticeable envy:
"Independent laboratories and living areas, routine exemption from inspections, direct resource application channels... These are only benefits experienced at a supervisor level."
After Sarah guided him to the living area and excused herself, Ron began setting up his mobile workshop.
"First, I need to release the seal of the compressed space."
He carefully checked the various rune nodes on the suitcase:
"This compression technology uses the principle of Space Folding, requiring enough stable space around when unfolding."
He activated the first unseal sequence, and the suitcase began to emit a faint blue light.
Tiny distortions appeared in the air, as if reality itself was being slowly stretched.
"Energy output is stable, and space tension is normal."
With the release of the second seal, the suitcase began to change dramatically.
Its volume expanded exponentially, and the internal spatial structure began to rearrange.
The originally compressed equipment and tools emerged one by one like blooming flowers.
Alongside was the Tree Spirit, which had been released and began skillfully operating various instruments.
"Magic Power circulation system is normal, rune array is stable, environment shielding effect is good."
The most complex part was establishing the security system.
Ron needed to connect the workshop’s protective network with the observation station’s main system, while maintaining relative independence.
"This system also grants you certain control privileges, allowing you to trigger isolation procedures when danger is detected."