Chapter 3905: Proper Order (Part 2) "That’s possible." Rena pondered. "I sure would like to see if it affects me and my children in any way." "Then let’s go." Urhen nodded. "There’s not a moment to lose." Quylla Warped everyone to the closest branch of the Mage Association, and from there, they reached the Blood Desert, where the tower waited for them. Yet Quylla blindfolded Urhen and had her walk aimlessly through the Heavenly Plume Oasis for a while before Warping her inside the Infirmary. When the Balor took the blindfold off, she had no idea how many Steps it had taken to reach their destination and believed the research facility to be hidden deep inside the Desert Palace. Kalla, Friya, Faluel, and Tista had left the room to give their guest space and not make her feel like a lab rat. "Thank you for coming here, Urhen." Lith extended his hand, and she promptly shook it. "Please, don’t thank me, Lord Verhen. It’s an honor-" The Balor almost squealed with joy when she saw Morok. Yet the squeal died on her lips when she registered the presence of the crystal tank, the many cables connecting it to the floor, and the many holographic displays. The lack of windows and doors made the Infirmary look like a trap. The crystal tank, instead, looked like a cage, and Urhen became afraid it was for her. "What is this place and what is she doing here?" She asked while pointing at Baba Yaga. "This is one of the Overlord’s secret labs." Lith replied. "Please, don’t tell anyone about anything you are about to see and hear here. If the wrong people learn about this place, my and Quylla’s research about human evolution will be at risk." "You have my solemn oath." The Balor replied, reassured by the request. ’If Lith needs my silence, it means he intends to let me go.’ She inwardly added. "Baba Yaga is here at my request." Quylla added. "My current patient is beyond my abilities and has no chance of survival without her help." "She’s willing to help a stranger but not us?" Urhen was a Balor, but she knew Carana’s pain as her own. "Yes." Baba Yaga replied curtly. "What if I refuse to help unless you promise to assist Lady Quylla in undoing the trolls’ fall?" "Then Quylla’s patient would die, and her research to cure your species would probably take much longer, child." The Red Mother scoffed. "I’m helping her, not the other way around. I have no obligation to do anything, and you are testing my patience." "Our patient." Lith said. "Please, Urhen, I understand your feelings, but at least Carana’s people can have a normal life until a cure is found. My friend’s days, instead, are numbered." "Really?" The Balor’s eyes widened, all six of them. "Really." Lith nodded. "There is no time to bargain, and even if there was, I have nothing to offer Lady Yaga." "I’m sorry for not mentioning she would work with us." Quylla replied. "But I couldn’t risk the senate wasting precious time squabbling or increasing the divide between Carana and the rest of the senate further. "I need you to keep quiet about this, Urhen. The lab, the project, Baba Yaga, everything. One slip of your tongue and my credibility would be ruined." "Please, do it for us." Morok said, and Lith nodded. Urhen was torn between her loyalty to the senate and the debt of gratitude she felt toward Quylla and Morok. "I’ll do it." She said, yet there was no conviction in her tone or expression. "You better." Ryla stepped forward to say her piece. "Remember your children and those of the rest of our people, Urhen. If this goes well, they’ll get one step closer to being free from our curse. "Run your mouth and you doom them and the next generations of Zelex to a life of imprisonment." The thought of her children waiting for her at home and the grief for her dead husband hit Urhen like a punch to the gut, putting an end to her internal struggle. "I said I’ll do it!" The Balor snarled, and this time, everyone believed her. "What do I have to do?" "Just place your hands on the crystal tank." Quylla replied. "That’s it?" Urhen sighed in relief. "I was afraid I had to enter that thing." The moment the Balor touched the crystal wall, the arrays of the Infirmary flashed red and formed a containment field around her. "Mana core: dormant and compromised. Life force: 100% rank 1 human Balor, but unstable." Quylla read out loud. "Overall: 100% evolved human. 90% of the life force is defective. No wound detected. Perfect health. "Warning: condition is congenital and permanent. Intervention required. No therapy available. Insufficient data." The new and improved Infirmary used the Yggdrasill wood of the Sage Staff to acquire a better scan of the Balor’s life force and record her mana flow. Once it was done, the containment field disappeared, allowing Urhen to step away. "Is this normal, or is there something wrong with me?" She pointed at the figure depicted on the holographic displays. The Balor’s life force looked like a colossus made from lego bricks and an erector set. Most of the pieces were bright red, while a few carried each a different elemental color. In place of her eyes, there were six small pulsing elemental spheres whose energy washed over the rest of her body in rhythmic pulses. Two prismatic whirlpools rested on her back, constantly absorbing the surrounding world energy and transmitting it to the six elemental spheres. The whirlpools’ depth and width changed with Urhen’s every breath. They expanded and contracted, but the amount of world energy captured remained constant. "This is normal." The hesitation in Quylla’s voice betrayed her doubts. "I think. I have to admit that I’ve never noticed the elemental spheres and the whirlpools in your life force when I examined you with my breathing technique before." "Remember that Grandma just upgraded our instruments." Lith shrugged. "I would be surprised if we didn’t get better readings." "That’s true, but what are those things?" Quylla asked. "Mana organs." Baba Yaga’s voice was an awed gasp. "The Infirmary can detect mana organs now." "Shouldn’t I have seen them already with my breathing technique?" Lith asked, and Quylla nodded. "When you reach Faluel’s level, maybe." The Red Mother replied. "Mana organs are deeply intertwined with the life force and usually eclipsed by the mana flow. They grow with the mana core, so it’s hard to see them in an adult as well as in a baby." "Let’s make sure, then." Quylla touched the crystal case, skipping the readings for both her and her children and going straight to the depiction of her life force. It was entirely bright red, and there was no trace of developing mana organs. "There’s definitely nothing wrong with you, Urhen." Quylla said. "I mean, aside from the fact you belong to a Fallen Race. This is exactly how I see my life force with my breathing technique." "Neat." Morok nodded. "Let’s see what-" "Not so fast, young man." Baba Yaga gently but firmly held him in place. "Let’s do things in proper order. It should help the Infirmary to compile the data and us to better understand the development of a human life force."