### 278

You insert the key and twist it. The lock clicks and the door swings open silently to reveal a stunning sight. A large, low-ceiling room lies beyond, filled with colossal tanks of glass that bubble and seethe with all manner of sorcerous fluids. Glass tubes loop and contort in curious shapes, connecting the tanks and enabling their contents to flow from one to another. The air is heavy with the stench of acids and harsh chemicals, and the walls are lined from ceiling to floor with stoppered jars, each one filled with a brightly coloured powder, liquid, or gas.

On one workbench a curious, arrow-shaped rod is suspended in a field of electrical energy. The crackling fire arcs between two vertical plates of metal, making the arrow glow with a strange phosphorescent light. You take a closer look and see that a lever protruding from the bench itself controls the flow of power. Then you notice that behind the bench there is another door.

If you wish to take a closer look at the rod, turn to 187.

If you wish to examine the door behind the bench, turn to 54.