Chapter 636: A Failed Grand Magic |
On the thirtieth underground level of Group 2's research station, Wizard Zalan Bailey walked into Wizard Cis's office.
Wizard Zalan Bailey looked up at Wizard Cis, whose vast magical pressure and formidable aura loomed before him like an expanse of sky.
"Wizard Cis, I have returned."
Wizard Cis's face broke into a broad, delighted smile. He rose from his seat and gave a light clap of his hands. "I know. The moment you entered the research station, you released your magical pressure. I could tell immediately that you had broken through the 9,999 barrier and completed the second Limit Surpass of the racial soul."
"Excellent. You have done extremely well, Zalan Bailey."
"Zalan, quite a few new people have arrived at the research station recently. It is a pity everyone has been so busy lately, otherwise I would introduce you. I am sure you would become good friends."
Wizard Zalan Bailey smiled faintly, with a dismissive air. "No. Never mind, Wizard Cis. Now that I have become a Second Circle wizard, I find that most interpersonal relationships have become unnecessary burdens. I see all things at a more fundamental level."
"What truly matters is not those things."
Wizard Cis paused, then smiled and said, "That is true enough. The perspective of a Second Circle wizard is indeed entirely different from that of a First Circle wizard. Zalan, I genuinely did not expect you to become a Second Circle wizard before finishing your Origin Academy tenure. I must say it came as quite a surprise."
Wizard Zalan Bailey smiled and said, "Over my five years at Golden Crown Mountain, I participated in a planar exploration project with the Dragon Blood Market, in which I assisted a Second Circle wizard in conquering a plane. As repayment, he gave me the opportunity to make use of that plane's World Stone."
"In truth, the conquest itself was largely carried out by that Second Circle wizard. I only helped out on the side."
Wizard Cis nodded. "Conquering a plane does indeed require many hands."
"And the energy cycle was..."
Wizard Zalan Bailey smiled and said, "Through my work in Group 2, I came to understand the energy-locking structures of many magical plants. That knowledge proved extremely helpful in constructing Grand Magic. With the assistance of that star ring wizard, I completed the construction of my Grand Magic."
Wizard Cis looked genuinely pleased and nodded repeatedly. "Most researchers who enter Group 2 never notice this. I did not expect you to have recognized it."
"Those researchers focus on the specific drought-resistance mechanisms of various magical plants, observing their structural changes and the changes in naturally-occurring magical force structure components within them, yet none of them thought to realize that the true treasure of Group 2's research lies in the energy-locking structures of magical plants."
Wizard Cis said, "In truth, is not the entire natural world itself a kind of large-scale energy-locking structure? Plant communities lock the energy from various sources, such as sunlight, into the ecological chain, and from that, all living things draw their sustenance."
"Studying energy-locking structures is tremendously helpful for creating better Grand Magic."
Wizard Zalan Bailey nodded with pride. "So Wizard Cis already knew all of this."
Wizard Cis smiled and said, "There are things I do know, yes. It is not that I was unwilling to say them, but that saying them would have served little purpose. For wizards who cannot yet understand, saying it is the same as saying nothing. For those who can understand, saying it might actually mislead them."
"So it is better left unsaid."
"Zalan Bailey, tell me quickly about your Grand Magic. As your direct superior, I am proud of what you have accomplished."
Wizard Cis said, "I have been run ragged lately and failed to notice you had achieved this. I imagine you have already reported to the various academy departments. Has anyone reached out to you recently?"
Wizard Zalan Bailey spread his right palm open, and a sea buckthorn plant materialized within it. "My Grand Magic is the Sea Buckthorn Ecology."
A cluster of sea buckthorn quickly appeared behind that single plant, spreading out beneath a barren gobi landscape.
"I noticed that the energy-locking structures of plants could be applied to ecology. So I optimized the energy-locking structure within the ecology of a medium-scale plane's desert gobi."
Wizard Cis's face was filled with a look of warm satisfaction, and he nodded repeatedly.
Wizard Zalan Bailey grew more proud still, elaborating on his Grand Magic. "I found that within an ecology, the more singular and uniform it is, the more it can reinforce the energy-locking structure of that ecology, retaining more external energy within it. Therefore, my Sea Buckthorn Ecology excludes all other plants, leaving only sea buckthorn."
"In this way, it achieves singular and efficient operation."
The smile on Wizard Cis's face dimmed by a fraction, his expression growing complex.
Wizard Zalan Bailey continued, "I was fortunate in that the star ring wizard was satisfied with my efforts and gifted me a Solar Diamond. So I took a shortcut, using the Solar Diamond's radiance and its special ability to reinforce my ecology."
"My Flame Sea Buckthorn can absorb the thermal energy of the Solar Diamond buried underground and transformed that world, bringing its desertification to a complete halt."
"The birth of the sea buckthorn community improved local rainfall, amended the local soil, and turned sand into fertile ground."
The smile on Wizard Cis's face dimmed by another few degrees. "Mm... using an external energy source in this way can indeed accelerate the formation of an ecology."
"But..."
Wizard Zalan Bailey said, with even greater pride, "At the same time, I referenced the energy structure of our research station's thirty-level underground facility and happened to realize that it was itself an energy-locking structure. I followed it step by step, copying it piece by piece, making my sea buckthorn community correspond point by point to the external structure of the thirty-level underground research station, and completed the final ecological energy-lock. In the end, I completed my Grand Magic, Sea Buckthorn Ecology."
"And I received recognition from that world's consciousness, gaining the right to use the World Stone."
At that moment, the smile on Wizard Cis's face had disappeared entirely.
He looked at Wizard Zalan Bailey with a complex, meaningful gaze.
Wizard Zalan Bailey, still unaware of the change in his expression, turned to offer his thanks. "Thank you, Wizard Cis. I never realized that the research in Group 2 was itself a study of how to construct Grand Magic."
"My Sea Buckthorn Ecology halted the environmental deterioration of that world, and so the world will rewarded me with the World Stone. It turns out that conquering a world is not the only way to earn recognition from the World Stone."
"Furthermore, my Sea Buckthorn Ecology has the thirty-level underground structure and the geothermal radiance of the Solar Diamond. Therefore my Grand Magic possesses a very powerful energy-locking structure, capable of storing enormous amounts of energy, raising temperatures to very high levels in a short period of time, and releasing geothermal energy all at once."
The sea buckthorn community in his right palm transformed into a blazing cluster of flames, resembling a vast forest of fire.
The joy on Wizard Cis's face had all but vanished. He let out an almost imperceptible sigh, then said to him, "Zalan Bailey... in any case, becoming a Second Circle wizard is already an exceptional achievement."
"It is something to be proud of. Across the endless void, how many living beings spend their entire lives pursuing the second Limit Surpass, yet never succeed? Those who achieve it are called gods and demons in many planes of the endless void."
"They are truly powerful existences."
"Many call us demon gods as well. Second Circle wizards campaign through the void and their reputations resound far and wide."
A self-satisfied expression crossed Wizard Zalan Bailey's face. "Wizard Cis, since I have returned, and since I have also won our prior wager, you should uphold our agreement and direct a portion of the resources toward me, shouldn't you?"
"I heard that Group 2 recently received a researcher from the Advanced Origin Academy. You are still a man of your word, I trust?"
Wizard Cis immediately furrowed his brow and looked at him with a somewhat awkward expression. "Of course. I always keep my word. But our group's resources are somewhat limited at the moment..."
Wizard Cis furrowed his brow. "Though since you are a Second Circle wizard, you will naturally be given priority. To say nothing of the fact that we have a prior wager agreement."
"You can set your mind at ease on that."
Wizard Zalan Bailey left with a satisfied expression.
After he had gone, Wizard Cis looked in the direction he had departed and gave a slight shake of his head. "It seems the Executive Patrol Group did not invite him to join them."
"Although he completed his Grand Magic, it was barely completed, having taken far too many shortcuts. He relied on external materials, a parasitic rather than symbiotic relationship, to reduce the difficulty of energy accumulation."
"He imitated the form without understanding the essence, which reduced the difficulty of structural design. And he neglected redundancy design in his pursuit of singular efficiency."
"Alas. Even among Grand Magic, there are degrees of quality."
Grand Magic of the same tier would differ in how efficiently a wizard's magical pressure was converted into destructive force, depending on how well the spell model had been designed. So even among Grand Magic, rankings of quality existed.
And from what Wizard Cis had heard Wizard Zalan Bailey describe, it was clear the man had completely misunderstood the nature of Group 2's work, and had further misunderstood the significance of energy-locking structures to ecology.
Becoming an ordinary Second Circle wizard was likely the pinnacle of his life.
From here on, at most he would grind away over the years and eventually become a star ring wizard.
But though Wizard Cis could see through all of this, there was no need to say any of it aloud.
After all, even he could not be certain that this wizard might not make an unexpected comeback in the future.
Wizard Cis shook his head slightly. "Zalan Bailey's aptitude is ultimately a little lacking. Though he managed to construct Grand Magic thanks to the conditions available here in Cloud Marsh Wetland, that Grand Magic of his is a mismatched, ill-fitted thing."
"He was far too impatient. If I were in his position, I would rather have spent ten more years than hurriedly cobbled together such a mess. Unless it is torn down and rebuilt from scratch, something like that will do nothing but drag down one's own progress. But Grand Magic is a wizard's second soul. It cannot be easily altered, only patched and amended on the existing foundation."
"Any major overhaul carries the very real risk of killing oneself in the process."
"He was far too impatient."
Wizard Cis shook his head. "Then again, perhaps I am asking too much. The fact that he became a Second Circle wizard at all is already very good. Why should I expect more?"
"What matters most is that Group 2 now has an additional Second Circle wizard."
"It is just that Zalan Bailey seems to have a great deal of hostility toward Locke. That is going to be a nuisance."
...
Locke had collected Shirley Hormuzs from Witch Yekaterina's side and, together with Shirley, made his way to the room Warwick occupied in Dragon Blood Market Castle.
Inside a guest room in Dragon Blood Market Castle, Wizard Warwick saw Locke arrive and was so exasperated he looked ready to leap to his feet. "You little wretch, you have finally come."
"I have been waiting for you for nearly two months."
Locke smiled slightly and changed the subject. "How have you found our Golden Crown Mountain Dragon Blood Market?"
Wizard Warwick gave a small cough, his expression odd. "Mm, the goods available in your market are quite comprehensive. And there are quite a few places offering free library access. Over this period, I have read a good number of books and come away with no small amount of insight."
"Perhaps staying in a place like this, settling one's mind, taking advantage of the free offerings available here, and reading two months' worth of free books has actually been of some benefit to me."
"I ought to have done this long ago."
In truth, it had been of great benefit.
On his eighth day of residence, Warwick had discovered that Dragon Blood Market Castle offered numerous free amenities, such as sample potions and magical agricultural products that certain shops handed out for trial, and various alchemical workshops regularly held promotional events at their doors, offering free trials or free repairs of magical devices.
As a black wizard, Warwick had quickly learned how to take full advantage of these free promotions without spending a single magic stone.
So over those two months, not only had he not wasted his time, he had actually made a certain degree of progress. That was also one of the reasons he had been able to keep waiting.
Locke looked toward Shirley Hormuzs and said, "This is my senior fellow student, Witch Shirley. She is a Divine Master, as well as an archaeologist. She will be accompanying us on this expedition."
Warwick looked at Witch Shirley with surprise. "A Divine Master, is it..."
"A Divine Master going with us into black wizard territory. Now I have seen everything. I have no objections myself."
Witch Shirley looked at Warwick with a cold gaze, as though looking at something lifeless, her eyes carrying a distinct trace of revulsion.
Warwick turned to Locke and said, "Locke, can we set off now?"
Locke said, "Of course."
"I am ready. Senior Shirley, and you?"
Witch Shirley's expression softened slightly upon hearing Locke's voice. "I can leave at any time."
Locke asked Warwick, "Our destination is the Jade Splendor Enclave wizard land. Are we taking a wizard airship?"
Warwick nodded. "Of course. Then let us go purchase tickets now."
"I hope we can arrive at the Jade Splendor Enclave within two months."
Locke said, "Cloud Marsh Wetland has a network route that goes directly to the Jade Splendor Enclave. It should take roughly a month."
The three of them made their way to Golden Crown Mountain's wizard airship berth.
Warwick had extended the invitation to Locke, so the tickets were on him, while Witch Shirley, in accordance with their prior arrangement, purchased her own ticket for ten thousand magic stones.
The three of them boarded the wizard airship together and set off for their destination, the Jade Splendor Enclave.