“If the future isn’t what you want, you can’t give up even if you persist until the last moment.”

Byron wasn’t used to encouraging others. After saying this sentence, he directly took out his current research results.

“Instead of having time to think about these twists and turns, why not look at the inertization formula? You said that to change the characteristics of Black Tide pollution, we need to fundamentally change its structure. But I’ve tried several highly destructive experiments, and even when I can shatter the Black Tide, I can’t change its characteristics.”

Since Saul had gradually established himself at second-rank, Byron no longer excluded him from participating in the inertization formula research.

Of course, this formula was really too difficult to crack, and one person could easily fall into mental dead ends.

Saul’s attention was immediately drawn to the experiment.

“If it’s just purely destructive force, I’m afraid it can’t cause damage to matter at the elemental particle level.”

Byron presented his current thinking, “But as long as the destructive force is large enough, it should be possible to complete microscopic destruction.”

“But even third-rank wizards can’t do it.”

Saul’s heart skipped a beat. He knew Senior Byron was always bold, and didn’t know what bizarre yet terrifying ideas he might have.

“What external force do you want to borrow?”

“I haven’t figured that out yet.” Byron held the notes in his hand, “You said in your prophecy that the Borderland might suffer a devastating blow. Could such devastating force reach the reaction intensity needed for the inertization formula?”

You’re using dynamite to light cigarettes!

Although he felt Byron’s idea was quite unreliable, Saul didn’t stop Byron from thinking just because his own views differed.

However, compared to Byron’s violent dismantling approach, Saul thought more about how to work around the problem.

Many seemingly powerful existences often had corresponding natural enemies that could instantly turn strength into weakness.

But finding such natural enemies was very difficult.

In the entire Borderland, there was no place without pollution.

Byron’s experimental progress was stuck, while Saul’s experiment simply hadn’t begun.

Because he had been unable to find a sufficient natural enemy to change the characteristics of Black Tide pollution.

Three days later, Saul suddenly received a letter.

A letter sent from outside the Borderland.

The letter carrier was old friend Jiajia Gu, who had originally wanted to go outside to stock up on goods, but at the entrance to Hanging Hands Valley, he encountered a wizard who wanted to deliver a letter but didn’t dare enter.

Seeing that the recipient was Saul, Jiajia Gu didn’t bother with shopping and directly revealed his identity, took the letter from the other party, and hurried to deliver it to Saul.

Saul received the letter, genuinely surprised, “He just gave you the letter directly?”

Jiajia Gu shrugged with a smile that told him he didn’t dare come in.

Saul used detection magic to simply check the letter.

No problems, there weren’t even any traces of magical power on it.

It should just be an ordinary handwritten letter.

Saul opened the outermost envelope sealed with wax.

As the envelope opened, he saw the signature inside, and his eyes immediately curved up.

However, he didn’t continue opening the letter, but instead looked up at Jiajia Gu and said, “It’s a letter from my friend. Thank you very much.”

Saul took out some magic crystals from his storage device, wanting to give Jiajia Gu some delivery fees.

But Jiajia Gu had no intention of taking money at all; he even looked somewhat unhappy.

“Oh, I help you get a letter and you give me money. Do you really consider me your friend or not?”

Saul was stunned. Although his relationship with Jiajia Gu was good and they had been cooperating for over a year, Jiajia Gu had never called himself his friend before.

Normally, Saul would take this as Jiajia Gu showing goodwill toward him, but recently he was quite tense due to Pei’er’s reaction and his thoughts about the prophetic dream. This made his first reaction to check whether Jiajia Gu had been polluted.

So Saul wasn’t in a hurry to go back and read the letter. He tucked the envelope into his chest and placed one hand on Jiajia Gu’s shoulder.

“Then let me, as your friend, help you check whether the pollution on your body has recurred. This is a friend’s concern—you can’t refuse me, right?”

“Sure, sure, that’s what friends do!” Jiajia Gu alternately bounced on his left and right legs twice, looking very happy with Saul’s response.

Looking at the excited Jiajia Gu, Saul again confirmed his suspicions.

So he immediately penetrated Jiajia Gu’s body with his mental power. The latter showed not a trace of resistance, allowing Saul to explore everything about him.

However, after careful examination, Saul found that Jiajia Gu’s interior was frighteningly clean.

The last time Saul had examined Jiajia Gu, he still had some Black Tide pollution in his body.

Even the substitute puppet Saul made couldn’t completely absorb the erosion from the backpack.

But this time it was truly completely clean!

Saul also checked the puppet cushioned on Jiajia Gu’s back.

The puppet had now turned somewhat blackish gray.

This meant it was continuously operating, preventing the backpack from directly polluting Jiajia Gu.

“The puppet has no problems, the backpack hasn’t changed. So the problem still lies with Jiajia Gu himself.”

Saul’s right hand had been on Jiajia Gu for quite a while, but Jiajia Gu showed no impatience, his face still full of excitement.

Saul glanced at Jiajia Gu, “He looks very… agitated.”

Thinking about the other party’s behavior, Saul pressed his lips together and suddenly sent his mental power into Jiajia Gu’s spiritual body.

This was a more in-depth examination, and also a test.

The spiritual body was as important and fragile as the brain for wizards or creatures with magical power.

For an outsider, even a good friend or relative, wanting to examine someone’s spiritual body was equivalent to asking “May I lift off your skull?”

But Jiajia Gu in front of him still looked at Saul with excitement and joy, as if certain he wouldn’t harm him.

“Too much of a performance.” Saul’s heart sank, and regardless of consequences, he really covered the other party’s spiritual body with his mental power.

Of course, his movements were very careful and cautious—he didn’t really want to harm Jiajia Gu.

But just as his mental power touched Jiajia Gu’s spiritual body, a familiar feeling suddenly came from the other party.

Then, through his mental power, Saul saw a semi-transparent eye that appeared on Jiajia Gu’s spiritual body.

Saul: “…Who are you?”

Saul genuinely wanted to ask this question.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t seen this eye before, but that he had just seen this eye, just not on Jiajia Gu.

Although the eye on Jiajia Gu’s spiritual body was semi-transparent, in Saul’s mental power perception, it still had seven-colored pupils.

Clearly the last time he saw this eye was on the back of Brando’s head—how had it now appeared in Jiajia Gu’s spiritual body?

“Jiajia Gu, have you seen Brando recently?” Saul asked calmly.

“Yes, I met Wizard Brando outside your mushroom forest last time.” Jiajia Gu spoke quite clearly, not seeming to be controlled by anyone.

“Did you see anything like an eye on his body?”

Jiajia Gu thought carefully, “No. But that day I suddenly felt that Wizard Brando was a particularly good person.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s also your friend!”

(End of Chapter)