Culmination Of Research

"How do you sense these second and third generation Heretics?" Immortal Wu Lei questioned, the white wings behind him fluttering lightly before folding showing that he was at ease now and not as alert as before.

"Would you like us to demonstrate, Lord Immortal?" Mage Clor asked. "We were going to do it anyway, as it is protocol." He added.

"Oh? Are there heretics here too?" The female Immortal asked. 

"Of course. This is the Crude Lands a place of exile and crime." Mage Clor said with a look of undisguised disgust. "If the heretics are to hide somewhere, this would be the best place to do so." He added.

This made the female immortal look around the area, at all the humans that were still kneeling before them. Her brows furrowed, while the wings behind her half folded as if not fully sure.

"Let them show us, Han Mu." Immortal Yan addressed the female immortal. "We need to learn how these second and third generation heretics are so that we can make the elders aware and inform the rest." He spoke.

"Alright." Immoral Wu Han took a breath and nodded.

Having gotten an answer, Mage Clor smiled and turned to the others.

"Bring it!" He barked.

~thud~

A few knights opened the large trunk that was attached to the back of the steel carriage and took out a small wooden box. It was square in shape, with each side being thirty centimeters in size.

There were fine runes carved on the box's surface with a curling pattern on its edges.

Two knights carried the box on a tray and kneeled before the Mages and Immortals, while lifting the tray.

~clack~

Mage Clor unlocked the clasp and opened the lid revealing a glass orb that rested on a red velvet pillow.

"So this is the tool?" Immortal Yan asked, analyzing the orb.

He could clearly sense the faint magic present inside the sphere that seemed to be slumbering. 

"This is the culmination of all our research, the Heretic Detector." This time another mage responded, causing the three immortals to look at him. "Pardon me Lord Immortals. I am Mage Rizal and also the head of the magical Artifact department in the Mage tower of our region." He introduced himself.

"How does this thing work?" Immortal Wu Lei asked.

"I'll show you." Mage Rizal said before turning to the knights on the side and spoke, "bring two of them… The coward and the savage." He ordered.

"At once!" The Knight replied firmly before heading to the Steel Carriage.

~CREAK~

Its locked door was opened, and the knight walked in. From this angle, the people could not see the scene inside, but if they did, they would feel quite terrified. 

There were eight people chained in the carriage, bloodied and battered. Four of them seemed to be at their limit and were barely conscious, while two had already passed out from the injuries that had been inflicted onto them.

The final two were still awake, but their demeanors were entirely opposite.

The first prisoner was a middle aged man with haggard hair. He had a fierce look in his eyes that almost bordered on maddening, while a perpetual scowl was present on his face. Dark marks covered the front of of his neck and extended all the way down to his heart. 

The dark marks looked like tattoos at first, but if one looked closer, they would realize that they weren't tattoos but veins!

Somehow the veins in his body had taken such a form and grown close to the surface of his skin to be visible clearly. And as blood flowed through them, the dark marks faintly trembled, making them look like squirming worms.

This man was also chained to the very back of the carriage, with all four of his limbs restrained while his head was directly stuck to the carriage wall with a steel hoop. 

One look at the prisoners in the carriage told one that this man was the most dangerous out of them.

Even though he had many injuries and bruises on his body, including a couple of missing fingers and toes, he didn't seem to be cowering at all.

The last remaining prisoner was in the best condition among all of them. It was a young man that seemed to be in his twenties, though he still had bruises on his body and a busted lip that had scabbed over. 

He had a scared look on his face, and his limbs seem to be trembling nonstop. This trembling caused the chains attached to him to shake as well, which was making rattling sounds. 

~thud~ thud~

As the knight walked in, his eyes met the trembling man's eyes. 

"N-no… No! Don't come close!" The trembling prisoner shouted in fear.

"Shut your mouth!" The Knight replied firmly before slapping the man.

~SMACK~

This caused the young man to feel woozy, and he felt his world spin. In this time, the knight unhooked the chains from the carriage and threw the man out.

A couple of other knights picked up the trembling man and brought him to the mage.

The knight inside the carriage then did the same for the fierce man and dragged him out. The man tried to resist, but going against the strength of a Two Star Warrior was not easy. Especially not when he was highly limited by the restraints.

"Keep this one on a short leash. He likes to bite." The knight stated with a frown.

~CLANG~ CLANG~

Two knights wrapped the chains restricting the fierce man to their arms, and dragged him to the front.

"You two will watch your mouths and lower your gaze in the presence of sacred Immortals!" Mage Clor declared.

He could not have any disrespectful event happen here or he could get blamed for.

"Drag the coward first," Mage Rizal stated, as the knights obeyed.

He then grasped the Trembling Man's hand before slashing it with a dagger!

"AHH!" The man cried in pain.

~drip~ drip~

The Mage then touched the glass orb with the bloodied dagger.

~SHUA~