After pushing the cart for quite a while, they finally saw the silhouette of Dr. Marshall’s house ahead of them. Great, at least they were almost there, and Dr. Marshall and Miss Khaya were surely waiting for them.

However, Shaan couldn’t shake the strange feeling lingering in the back of his mind. For some reason, during the entire journey from Miss Daisy’s residence to Dr. Marshal’s house, they hadn’t encountered a single Resistance member or any of the experimental creatures. The situation felt odd. Either luck had favored them, or that mad organization had planned something behind the scenes.

’Ah, forget it.’ Shaan shook his head and pushed the negative thoughts away. ’I shouldn’t overthink this. I need to report everything to Dr. Marshal and Miss Daisy as soon as possible.’

They finally arrived in front of Dr. Marshal’s house. Without delay, Sebastian knocked on Dr. Marshall’s door three times until the sound of footsteps approached the door.

"Oh, it’s you two. Miss Daisy and Dr. Marshall have been waiting for you," said someone peeking from behind the door, then slowly opening it. "Hurry inside before anyone notices you’re here."

"Alright," Shaan and Sebastian replied in unison.

Shaan stepped through the doorway, but the moment he crossed the entrance, he sensed something unusual. He stopped briefly and glanced back. The thick pink fog still drifted outside, yet none of it crossed the threshold. It was as though an invisible force blocked the fog and prevented it from entering the house. A puzzled expression appeared on Shaan’s face.

’Strange... why is that happening?’

"At least we’re safe now." Sebastian immediately removed his protective mask and let out a relieved sigh. "This feels much better."

Shaan nodded and slowly took off his own mask.

"Sebastian, why can’t the pink fog enter Dr. Marshal’s house? The other buildings don’t seem to have this protection."

"That’s because a protective barrier surrounds the entire house," Sebastian explained. "Dr. Marshal and several faction leaders created it with a special machine. They used Manacite crystals along with several other components to generate this transparent energy barrier."

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small cloth, and handed it to Shaan. "Here, use this. You look like a mess."

"Ah, this is just what I needed. Thank you." Shaan took the cloth and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Then why didn’t they install these machines throughout Twilight Sanctum?" he asked. "If these barriers can block the pink fog, wouldn’t they eliminate its effects?" Shaan asked, wiping the sweat that kept streaming down his forehead.

"Actually, that was the plan, and it was supposed to be installed after the Lunaris Revia event was over," said Sebastian. "It’s just... no one expected something like this to happen first."

"So, is this the only place using a machine like this?"

Sebastian shook his head. "No. This machine is also installed in the Cathedral, so the pink gas won’t be able to get inside."

"Ah, so that’s how it is." Shaan nodded, listening to Sebastian’s explanation. "No wonder the resistance leader couldn’t get inside the Cathedral."

"This energy barrier is also capable of blocking anyone without authorized access from entering the protective barrier, so the Cathedral is still safe for the time being."

"Ah, I see."

"Alright, then we should go meet Miss Daisy and Dr. Marshal." Sebastian started walking down the stairs. "Come on. They’re probably waiting to hear our report."

The two of them immediately headed downstairs toward the laboratory. However, as they descended, Shaan noticed enormous stacks of sacks piled along both sides of the staircase. The piles rose so high that they almost completely covered the walls beside the steps.

’Jeez, there’s no way all that material can fit in a confined space like this.’ Shaan shook his head, looking at the stacks of sacks that resembled towers. ’I’m just curious—how are Miss Daisy and Dr. Marshal going to manage this now?’

A few moments later, they finally reached the entrance to Dr. Marshal’s laboratory. Inside, they spotted Miss Daisy and Dr. Marshal moving back and forth between several large sacks of materials.

The two researchers carefully inspected each sack and occasionally exchanged a few words while checking their contents. It seemed they had already gathered a considerable amount of the materials needed for their plan.

"Um... We have sulfur crystals, rock salt, and mineral lime all ready here," said Miss Daisy as she checked the materials in the lab. "Dr. Marshall, what about the volcanic ash powder?"

"All good." Dr. Marshall gave a thumbs-up, glancing at the pile of sacks filled with grayish-black material beside him. "All the materials are here," he said with confidence. "We just need to wait for Shaan and Sebastian to arrive with—"

"Miss Daisy. Dr. Marshall." Sebastian walked straight up to them. "We have back."

"Ah, just in time." Dr. Marshall greeted them with a warm smile. "How about it—did you manage to find the materials we needed?"

Sebastian nodded confidently. "Yes, we’ve placed all the materials outside."

"Good, good. I’ll have my homunculus carry all that material inside so we can start making the potion," Dr. Marshall said enthusiastically as he climbed the stairs. "Stay here. It won’t take long."

"W-wait, just a moment." Shaan’s words immediately stopped Dr. Marshal in his tracks. "Dr. Marshal, this place is already very cramped. How are we going to fit all the other sacks in here?"

Dr. Marshal paused for a moment, then smiled. "Don’t worry, everything will fit. Trust me."

Without offering any further explanation, Dr. Marshal turned around and headed back up the stairs, leaving Shaan and the others behind. Shaan scratched the back of his head.

To be honest, doubt still lingered in his mind. He couldn’t understand what Dr. Marshal meant. How could they possibly brew such a large quantity of potion inside a laboratory with such limited space?

’Who knows...’ Shaan glanced toward Miss Daisy and Sebastian. Neither of them seemed concerned in the slightest. ’Miss Daisy and Sebastian don’t seem bothered by it at all. Maybe I should trust Dr. Marshal, too.’

"Uhm... would the two of you mind helping me prepare the potion?" Miss Daisy adjusted her glasses nervously. "I-I think it would be easier if more people helped."

"I don’t mind at all."

"Me either." Shaan smiled. "I’m happy to help."

Only a short while later, the sound of footsteps echoed from the staircase. Several of Dr. Marshal’s couriers descended into the laboratory in an orderly line. One by one, they carried the materials inside and carefully placed them throughout the room.

"Great, I think everything is ready now." Dr. Marshal slowly walked down, watching all his couriers go back upstairs. "Then it’s time for us to begin."

’I’m really curious about how Dr. Marshal plans to pull this off.’