In the highest-level laboratory of the Curse Ritual Research Institute, the eye on Rashid Tariel's forehead had countless pupils all crowding together to compete for that one observation window.

Some pupils showed cruelty, some showed excitement, and others showed joy.

In the isolation room before him, a white wizard apprentice from a minor wizard organization who had been captured by black wizards was letting out agonizing screams. This white wizard apprentice's skin was naturally peeling off all over his body, turning him into a bloody figure.

Seeing this scene, Rashid Tariel not only felt no disgust but kept nodding approvingly. "Good, good, the foundation work for this special grade project is complete. My previous hypothesis was completely correct."

"What remains is to transform the results into practical applications. From successful experiments to usable results, there's still a considerable distance."

Rashid Tariel suddenly sensed that the magical energy tides within the Curse Ritual Research Institute seemed to have changed for a moment. He looked around suspiciously but found nothing else amiss.

"Something seems off." A puzzled pupil squeezed out from the eye on Rashid Tariel's forehead as he coldly spoke through magic to the research institute's central control room, "What happened?"

"Did my Pandora's Box leak?"

The first-class wizard apprentices in the central control room immediately responded with some panic. "No, no, no, Mentor Rashid Tariel, nothing went wrong."

"We were just repairing the research institute's defense system earlier. There was a small error, so the automatic defense system was activated, but now we've finished adjusting everything."

A displeased pupil squeezed out from the eye on Rashid Tariel's forehead. "Mirror Blood Curse is a very delicate blood curse. Don't randomly update it without reason."

"If something goes wrong, with your abilities, you can't possibly fix it. I'd have to clean up after you again. Damn it, that Sephilin is basically useless now. All the previous investment was wasted, and now I only have you bunch of idiots on hand. Damn it, I'm really frustrated."

"Why can't I have a talent like Hussein? That way I wouldn't be mocked by my colleagues every day!"

Rashid Tariel continued focusing his attention on the isolation room. He cut the connection and muttered to himself, "It doesn't matter. As long as I complete this blood curse targeting wizard apprentices, soon my reputation among colleagues will return."

"This blood curse system is truly marvelous. I must thank the Blood Lord who gave me this idea and preliminary data. I think he truly hates those white wizards from Lilith's Cottage, hehehe..."

"So do I."

...

In some unknown corridor of the research institute, Locke had long known that the space inside this mirror was very large, and the research institute's area was also vast.

Though called a research institute, it was actually similar to an underground ecological space.

The population density here was very low, even lower than Corinth city-state's castle, so Locke hadn't encountered a single black wizard along the way.

He had likely been teleported to some area that people rarely passed through.

Many rooms were sealed with magical alloy and magical locks, which Locke couldn't enter.

Locke drank a bottle of Spirit Spring Soul Surge Potion to recover most of the mana he had expended fighting the blood river when entering.

He took out a magical painting map from his astral ring. The image on the magical painting map automatically shrunk and showed a green dot representing himself.

There was also a red dot showing Rashid Tariel's approximate location.

"Hmm, the distance between my position and Rashid Tariel's is quite far."

"I should have asked Elagabalus to add a function to show companions' positions. Miscalculation, miscalculation." Locke looked at the magical painting map, confirmed his approximate position, and his eyes lit up slightly.

Because the map showed he had been randomly teleported to a location right next to a black wizard's small resource vault.

"About a hundred meters away, around a corner, is one of their small resource vaults." Following the map, Locke discovered that the magical alloy door of that small resource vault was actually still open.

Moreover, the small resource vault had two second-class wizard apprentice staff members and one first-class wizard apprentice staff member who seemed to be moving something inside, which was why it wasn't closed.

When they saw Locke, they were all startled. The next moment, two Omen Mandrake Vines directly pierced through the hearts of the two second-class wizard apprentices.

Because plant magic had pierced their hearts, they died immediately.

The first-class wizard apprentice cast a paralysis curse on Locke, but Locke endured the curse, using his magical pressure and Bear Spirit Jade Bile Potion to ignore the curse, rushed directly in front of him, controlled him with one Omen Mandrake Vine, and used All Plants Are Soldiers to strike him ten times in an instant.

He directly severed the limbs of this first-class wizard apprentice black wizard with about 200 mana, and used Wild Grass Entanglement with Wiregrass Bull Sinew seeds to seal his mouth, ears, eyes, and nose, disabling his combat ability without killing him.

"I finally understand what Hussein felt like when he single-handedly fought seven first-class wizard apprentices." Locke entered the black wizards' small resource vault, "The gap between first-class wizard apprentices is truly greater than between humans and dogs."

Like a wolf among sheep, Locke entered this resource vault with gleaming eyes, "My luck is really too good, I actually happened upon an open resource vault."

"This is..."

"Curse Tumor Wine." Locke saw five large transparent glass wine vats on the shelves, with black tumor-like substances floating inside.

Locke wasn't polite and directly opened one vat and drank it down.

Immediately, he felt a curse power rapidly transforming into pure mental energy, increasing his mana.

"Huge profit. Curse Tumor Wine is a special substance distilled from special cursed creatures. After wizard apprentices consume it, it can permanently increase some mental power." Locke said, "Although its effect is far inferior to Tartarus Catacomb Worm spinal fluid, and after taking it several times, drug resistance quickly develops."

"But having this harvest is already an unexpected joy."

He had only learned about this substance from the two black wizard slaves in his possession. This was an item that Blood Curse Court only awarded to students with special contributions, with a status similar to Stardust Tears Potion and Weeping Blood Nightshade Potion at Lilith's Cottage.

But since Locke had never drunk this wine before, it could indeed improve some of his mana. This was Blood Curse Court's secret formula, their unique skill.

Looking at the shelves, Locke found that besides this Curse Tumor Wine, there were many cursed items or cursed materials, such as Curse-Swallowing Stomach Pouches, Blood Navels, Resentment Bone-Sewing Needles, and so on...

Although they weren't much help to him, this didn't prevent Locke from using three Omen Mandrake Vines like numerous tentacles to completely empty this small resource vault.

Anyway, he could sell everything to Chimera Trading Market later and still make a large profit!

"So satisfying." Locke steadied his emotions. "Is this what black wizards feel daily?"

"Calm down, calm down, I'm a white wizard."