Hearing this, the old man put down the bottle of unknown black liquor and his expression became extremely serious.
"About this... I did find some strange ingredients by studying the blood of those mages. It should be some magic potion they drank. However, I don't think this ingredient can achieve the effect of life link. .”
Benjamin shrugged and said: "It is indeed impossible to use a simple magic potion. The magic potion is combined with some ancient curse to achieve this kind of control effect. So, should I find you some more theoretical books on curses?" ?”
"No." The old man still shook his head, "I mean, the so-called life link is just a lie."
Benjamin frowned.
The president of the Mages Guild told him about the potion. The president must be on their side, there is no need to lie, right? Moreover, after interrogating the captured mages, they also admitted that it was the magic potion that tied their lives to the queen.
"Why do you think so?" he asked.
"Because I have been studying this thing these days." The old man's tone was more certain than expected, "I have analyzed all the ingredients for the potion, and it should be similar to the formula you gave me. However, no matter how I Combining them, even if you use the weirdest refining methods, you can't achieve the effect you mentioned."
"But... there are also curses. Maybe you don't understand, but curses are indeed a way to easily control other people's lives. As long as the person who casts the curse is willing, he can make the cursed person's life worse than death at any time."
"I know, but that is when the spell caster relies on his own strong mental power to detonate the magic buried in other people's bodies." The old man said, "The Queen is not a mage at all. If she dies unexpectedly, there will be no mental fluctuations. Come out. Without mental fluctuations, the things hidden in the bodies of those mages will not attack. It is impossible for them to die with the queen."
When Benjamin heard this, he couldn't help but touch his chin and began to think.
After all, the old man specializes in this research, and his words must have his own basis. As for the curse, the old man was right. The basis of the curse is spiritual power. Perhaps the Queen is now half a mage, but in the past, her ordinary-level mental power would never be able to produce even the slightest fluctuation.
If the life link is established through mental power, it is tantamount to tying an adult and an ant together...Does it really feel like that
"Perhaps this potion can strengthen the queen's mental power on the other hand?" Benjamin asked tentatively.
The old man replied: "It is a magic potion with similar effects, but the pending formula I have researched does not have any relevant information on it."
"All right… "
The old man said this, and Benjamin couldn’t refute it.
Is Life Link really just a lie
So, what does the Queen rely on to control the Mages Guild
After thinking about it, Benjamin decided to interrogate the mages captured by them again.
He turned around and left the alchemy room, heading towards the basement. In order to facilitate the old man's research, one of the captive mage was locked up in the basement here.
"... Are you used to living here?"
Opening the big iron door with the key, Benjamin walked in, looked at the middle-aged man sitting in a daze on the straw mat, and said so.
"Huh... I've run out of blood again? If you want to take it, hurry up and don't delay." The other party didn't seem to recognize Benjamin, and his tone was full of resistance.
"I'm not here to take your blood." Benjamin walked up to the other party and said, "I'm here to ask you, why are you all so loyal to the queen?"
Hearing this, the middle-aged man snorted again, turned his head away, and said nothing.
Benjamin couldn't help but shook his head.
To be fair, the conditions here are much better than those in ordinary prisons. There is no stale smell, there will be people cleaning, and food is provided regularly. Except for the magic-forbidden iron chain hanging on the opponent's body, it can't be said to be very hard.
However... some people just don't eat and drink as a penalty.
Benjamin was unable to perform magic normally, but as long as he was willing to activate the "Descent of Water" state, he could still use the unconstrained methods in the past to the mage in front of him.
"It seems that you have forgotten how I entertained you for a few months. Do you need me to remind you again?" He didn't want to waste it, so he still threatened with words.
After hearing this, the mage turned his head and looked at Benjamin again, as if he finally recognized him. At that moment, he was so frightened that he took a few steps back, his body trembling slightly.
"You... why are you here again? Didn't I tell you everything? You... get out!"
It seemed that there was a big shadow in his heart.
Benjamin was also a little surprised as to why the other party didn't recognize him at first. Has he changed so much in a few months? Or has this guy been locked up for a long time and his mental state is no longer normal
Forget it, never mind this.
"Answer my questions well and I won't deal with you like I did before." He said with a cold face.
"Okay, okay..."
"You said before that the magic potion can tie your lives to the queen. If the queen dies, you will also die. Is it true?"
"Yes, it's true."
"Then... if the potion has lost its effectiveness, will you still be loyal to the Queen?"
The mage was stunned for a moment, and immediately replied with great certainty: "Of course. Although I am a mage, I am also a subject of Icol. If it were not for Her Majesty the Queen, I would not even have the opportunity to come into contact with magic. Of course I have to Her Majesty the Queen’s allegiance!”
Benjamin scratched his head when he heard this.
With such heavy secular concepts... Such a mage is really rare.
No, it should be said that after ordinary people become mage, their secular concepts will gradually fade away. The important thing is to pursue the path of magic, and the idea of loyalty to the emperor and serving the country is really not that strong.
"Where did you get this idea?" Benjamin couldn't help but ask.
"Where did it come from... Isn't this what it should be?"
"Of course you should be kind and righteous. However, the Queen even used magic potions to blackmail you. When you drank it, didn't you show any reluctance?"
"That is to show our loyalty to Her Majesty the Queen. Her Majesty also said that when she is about to die, she will remove the effect of the potion for everyone. She does not want all the mages to be buried with her, just so that Icol can May it continue to prosper forever."
“…”
Benjamin didn't know what to say.
Isn’t this person really brainwashed
Or... was he really brainwashed by something
The Potion Master's words flashed through his mind just now. The Life Link might just be a lie, so could the potion's effectiveness be some kind of mental brainwashing? Let these mages invisibly increase the idea of loyalty, and still believe in the lie of life link
Thinking of this, Benjamin squinted his eyes again and observed the other party's mental state. He didn't know whether it was because he had been locked up for a long time or something else, but this man really gave him a strange feeling.
When Benjamin first came in, the man didn't even recognize him.
"...Okay, just stay here. I have no questions to ask you."
So, Benjamin said this sentence very abruptly, turned around and left without hesitation, and locked the iron door of the basement. The captive mage was a little confused and looked at Benjamin's leaving back in confusion, not knowing what was going on.