Chương 109: CHAPTER 107: THE CULT OF DISCIPLES

The black envelope rested against the cold flagstones, its blood-red wax seal radiating a faint, ominous pulse of mana. Inside the sealed subterranean amphitheater, the warmth of the sweet steamed buns vanished instantly. The twenty students stood up from the floor, their relaxed postures tightening back into rigid tension. Valerius stepped forward, his eyes locking onto the three-pointed dagger emblem stamped into the hardening wax.

"The High Inquisitor's seal," Valerius muttered, his jaw clenching hard.

"They don't send summons through standard academy couriers unless they have already decided on an arrest. If they are slipping it under the door, they want to gauge our panic." Elia and the commoner students held their breath, their fingers instinctively curling into fists. Shin did not look alarmed. He walked over to the entrance aisle with steady, measured steps, bent down, and picked up the thick parchment with two fingers. He did not inspect the name on the back.

He did not break the wax seal to read the charges or demands written inside. Shin walked calmly back to the central granite dissection table. He picked up a long pair of bronze utility tongs, clamped the black envelope between the metal tips, and held it directly over the open flame of a blue spirit burner. Fwump. The enchanted black parchment caught fire instantly. The blood-red wax bubbled, melted into greasy black droplets, and dripped harmlessly into the ash tray below.

Within three seconds, the High Inquisitor's formal decree was reduced to a small pile of gray cinders. Shin set the tongs down and brushed a speck of soot from his dark sleeve.

"Official paperwork belongs in the furnace," Shin said evenly, his tone completely indifferent.

"We are in the middle of a lecture." The students stared at the smoking ash in utter disbelief. Burning an Inquisitorial summons was a capital offense punishable by public trial, yet their professor had treated it like a piece of dirty scrap paper. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Rudra looked at the frozen students with dry calm. Abe yaar, in government notices ka ek hi ilaj hai—seedha dustbin.

(There is only one cure for these government notices—straight to the dustbin.) Shin picked up his scalpel and tapped the edge of the granite slab. Clink.

"Vascular anastomosis," Shin began, his voice cutting through their shock.

"Connecting two separated fluid conduits without causing leakage or internal turbulence. The same principles you applied to the nerve sheath apply here, but the internal pressure is four times higher." He lifted a synthetic blood vessel specimen and held it steady under the central lamp.

"If you hesitate during the knot, the wall collapses. If you pull too hard, you tear the lumen. Watch the needle angle." Shin's hands moved with effortless, hypnotic precision. His micro-mana threads looped through the edges of the artificial vessel, binding the two sides together in a seamless, watertight join in under ten seconds. The students did not just watch; they watched with a fierce, almost religious intensity.

Seeing Shin treat the terrifying power of the Imperial Inquisition like minor dust broke whatever lingering fear remained in their minds. He was not just an eccentric researcher or a guest instructor; he was a master whose skill transcended the politics and threats of the empire. Valerius stepped forward, dropped to one knee before the granite desk, and placed his right hand over his heart.

"My lineage, my house, and my fire belong to Ignis," Valerius said, his voice echoing with absolute conviction.

"But my craft and my life belong to this laboratory. I pledge my personal loyalty to you, Professor Shin. Let the Inquisition come. They will have to tear down the House of Ignis before they lay a hand on this room." Beside him, Elia and the four commoner prodigies knelt down in unison.

"The scholarship cohort stands with you, Professor," Elia said firmly. The remaining fourteen noble heirs followed instantly, dropping to their knees across the basalt floor, their heads bowed in unified reverence. The internal rivalry between highborn nobles and poor commoners had vanished entirely, replaced by a tight, unbreakable circle of disciples bound to a single mentor.

[System Core: Cohort Alignment Reached] [Absolute Loyalty Protocol: Active] [External Influence Resistance: 100%] Shin looked down at the twenty bowed heads. Rudra let out a soft, inward sigh. Ek dissection class lene aaya tha, inhone pura cult hi bana liya. (I came to take a simple dissection class, and they turned it into a whole cult.)"Stand up," Shin commanded quietly.

"Loyalty is proven with clean stitches, not speeches. Pick up your forceps. Run the vascular loop five times."

"Yes, Professor Shin!" the twenty disciples shouted together, springing back to their workstations with burning determination. The metallic clicks of forceps and the soft humming of micro-mana threads filled the room once more. Then, from far above the subterranean laboratory, a deep, heavy vibration traveled through the earth. THUD. A low, rhythmic mechanical shock shook the outer stone foundation of the academy. THUD. Shin lifted his gaze toward the ceiling.

Through his system interface, three massive, rune-plated imperial suppression carriages had just breached the campus gates, deploying heavy iron barrier stakes to establish a total containment perimeter around the research district.