Chapter 18: Marlowe's Mad Research

Hell!

That was the first word that came to Cerdic's mind when he entered Marlowe's prison facility. The illusion that he would find anything civilized was shattered the moment the iron doors closed behind him. The pungent smell of blood mixed with herbs pierced into his nose the moment he entered. The sounds of screaming, pleading, and sobs echoed in his ears.

The hallway was lit by torches lodged onto the walls. As he walked behind Marlowe, his eyes were scanning everything.

There were cells on both sides of the hallway, and they held prisoners.

On the first cell he saw a young man, no older than Cerdic himself. He was chained to the far walls with his head hanging forward. There were fresh surgical wounds on both his arms. The stitches were crude and uneven, with blood seeping out.

The second cell held a young woman. She was curled up on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest. Her body was just skin and bones. Starved and fragile. The rags she was wearing barely covered her. A small metal plate was placed in front of her, with some food. But ants were crawling over it. She hadn't touched it.

That was only the beginning. Each cell was a fresh nightmare. One man was missing his legs. Another missing his arms. A young boy was seen gazing into the wall silently. He was blinded. Some were deformed in ways that defied reason. A woman laughed, beating her head onto the iron bars again and again. She had no wounds or deformities, but she was mentally broken.

Cerdic felt sick. His heart beat hard as he made every step. But Marlowe was completely calm.

"These are what failures look like," he said coolly. "But even failure teaches a lot. The path to creation is carved through corpses."

"W-what exactly are you creating?" Cerdic somehow managed to ask.

"What am I creating?" Marlowe said simply. "Isn't that obvious, boy? I am creating cultivators."

Cerdic stared in shock. Marlowe kept walking. And stopped before a sealed door. It had no keyhole or handle. But there were many different kinds of patterns on its surface.

"You are... trying to produce spirit roots?" Cerdic asked in sudden understanding.

"Artificially," Marlowe stopped before a sealed door. He turned to face Cerdic. His eyes gleaming with madness "In our world, spirit roots are rare. Way too rare. But what if we can create them? What if we decide who gets to cultivate and who doesn't?"

Marlowe placed his left hand onto the sealed door. Suddenly, a glow spread through the patterns. The next moment, with a creak, the door was opened.

Inside, the air was cleaner. Cerdic could finally breathe properly. The room was wide and spacious. With strange devices lining up on both sides. At the center lay a table—covered in patterns. On top of it lay a young man, unconscious. Three youths stood nearby: two young men and a young woman. The woman was stitching a wound on the unconscious man's chest. One of the young men used a brush to draw something like a diagram on the subject's belly. The third young man just stood, writing something onto a scroll.

As they entered, the three of them turned their heads and bowed. Even the woman who was stitching the wound dropped her work halfway.

"Lord Marlowe," the woman said, looking at Cerdic with a cute smile, "is that our new toy?"

Cerdic froze. His fists clenched instinctively. Not because the girl called him a toy. But because he was feeling an eerie sensation when he looked at the trio. A sensation that reminded him of the tragic day at Brightmoon Estate.

"These three... they are similar to those assassins!" Cerdic thought, gritting his teeth.

Meanwhile, Marlowe didn't answer the woman's question. He walked forward and checked the condition of the young man on the table.

"Vex, this was the one from Riverbend Kingdom, wasn't he?" Marlowe asked the young man holding the scroll.

"Yes, Lord Marlowe. I think he was named Finn." Vex replied respectfully.

"Finn or whatever, he's useless. Throw him into the cell," Marlowe said coldly.

The trio froze. The young woman looked shocked.

"But milord, we have followed the process as you have shown us. He also responded when we infused him with spiritual energy."

"His meridians are fried!" Marlowe snapped. "The so-called response was just his body reacting before the collapse. You guys messed up. He is of no value now."

The trio looked at each other, their expression fearful. There was a moment of silence. Then Marlowe sighed.

"Take him to his cell. If he still breathes after three days, we will use him somehow. Otherwise, burn the corpse. This one isn't even worth refining into a puppet."

"Yes, Lord Marlowe." Vex bowed.

As the trio dragged the unfortunate young man out of the experiment room, Marlowe turned to Cerdic.

"Those three are Vex, Hob, and Milla," Marlowe said. "They were brought here just like everyone else. But they survived."

"Survived? So they successfully became cultivators?" Cerdic asked.

"Not quite." Marlowe shook his head. "I am yet to produce a real cultivator artificially."

Cerdic furrowed his eyebrows. "Then what are they? They are not actually mortals, are they?"

Marlowe laughed. "So you have noticed? Your seventy percent spirit affinity is not just for show, it seems. Yes, they are not mortals. They don't have a spirit root. But their body is strengthened using spirit energy. They can be called false cultivators."

"False cultivators? So they can cultivate?" Cerdic was confused.

"In a way, yes," Marlowe replied. "They can strengthen their body using spirit energy. But that's their limit. They can never reach the awakening stage without a spirit root."

Cerdic wanted to ask what the Awakening stage was. But Marlowe raised his hand.

"You ask too many questions," he said firmly. "You only need to know one thing. You won't end up as one of those utter failures. With your high spirit affinity, you can, at the very least, be a false cultivator."

"So, I won't be ending up dead or broken?" Cerdic thought in his mind.

"But if you try to resist or escape..." Marlowe's tone became cold. "I will make you hope you were dead. Understand?"

A chill crawled up Cerdic's spine. He had to obey Marlowe, at least for now.

"I understand," Cerdic bowed.

At that moment, the trio that went to take the failed test subject away returned. Marlowe turned towards them.

"Vex, this is Ren. He has seventy percent spirit affinity. I have high expectations for him."

"Seventy percent?" Vex's eyes widened. The other two also looked at Cerdic with surprise.

"Take him to the vacant room next to yours. Also give him a copy of the Ancient Resonance Method and a bottle of awakening pills."

"Yes, milord," after the initial surprise, Vex nodded calmly. He then turned towards Cerdic. "Ren, follow me."

Cerdic gave a sidelong glance to Marlowe and then stepped out. The woman—Milla—was scrutinizing him with her eyes. Hob looked disinterested. As Vex walked, Cerdic followed him, questions churning in his mind.