Unscrupulous (1)

In the dark hall.

"Lin Shen" slowly opened his eyes. After a brief moment of absent-mindedness, he woke up all of a sudden. He wanted to jump to his feet but realized that he seemed to have been frozen on the spot. He couldn't move and could only lie flat on the ground.

"Stop struggling. Even someone at Level-2 Bright Aperture won't be able to break free in an hour."

He heard an indifferent voice.

"Lin Shen" tried his best to look in the direction of the sound. From where he lay, he could see the giant cauldron in the center of the hall.

The cauldron was made of fine brass and was as tall as a grown man. It had three legs and two ears, and the surface was covered with complicated patterns. It gave off a cold, eerie glow.

Meanwhile, a fire had been lit under the cauldron, and white smoke was rising out of the four holes in the lid.