Translator: AnubisTL
On the plaza of the New Noren Academy's branch campus, the steel giant David and the upright Jieming exchanged greetings.
There were no superfluous pleasantries, no unnecessary formalities.
At their level, time and efficiency far outweighed hollow etiquette.
A glance, a confirmation of each other's soul aura, was enough to convey all necessary information.
Without further words, they nodded in tacit agreement.
Their bodies simultaneously transformed into two streams of light, tearing through the azure sky of the Elosia Plane as they soared upward. Together, they departed from the still-under-construction academy, flying at expressway speed toward the last known location of the "illegal wizard" mentioned in their mission intel.
The high-altitude winds were effortlessly repelled by the energy shields surrounding them, emitting a sharp, whistling sound.
The ground blurred beneath them, dissolving into patches of indistinct color.
During their journey, they compared the intel on their terminals while exchanging observations.
Curiosity piqued, Jieming asked, "David, why did you choose to participate in this mission?"
"Logically speaking, for newly advanced wizards like us, the best course of action would be to remain in our respective strongholds, meticulously consolidating our realms and accumulating knowledge."
Jieming's words were not without merit.
This was the consensus among logistics wizards, and indeed, most wizards with any ambition.
A solid foundation was far more crucial than reckless exploration.
Moreover, a wizard's power stemmed from intelligence and knowledge. Advancement didn't automatically equate to increased strength, and venturing out prematurely could easily lead to disaster.
From Jieming's current perspective, if circumstances allowed, he believed a newly advanced second-tier wizard should refrain from undertaking missions for at least a century.
Upon hearing Jieming's question, David's figure, clad in pitch-black heavy armor, fell into an uncharacteristic silence.
The surrounding air seemed to grow heavier.
After a moment, instead of answering directly, he countered with a question: "Jieming, do you know... the origins of 'illegal wizard'?"
When Jieming replied in the negative, David began to explain the origins of these peculiar beings in a somber, weary tone.
The term "illegal wizard" aligned with Jieming's earlier suspicions.
In essence, these were individuals who had privately advanced to become wizards without signing the standard contract with the wizard civilization's official authorities.
Such cases weren't common, but they weren't particularly rare either.
They typically occurred during the early stages of a newly conquered plane, when the planar transformation was still in its initial phase and the Monitoring Magic Array, designed to cover the entire plane, hadn't been fully deployed yet.
This chaotic period of transformation was particularly prone to various problems.
Conversely, once the transformation was complete and the wizard civilization had established complete surveillance over all lifeforms on the plane, the likelihood of such issues arising decreased significantly.
According to the wizard civilization's ironclad laws, every promising newcomer, upon first contact with transcendent knowledge, was compelled to sign a soul contract.
This contract contained numerous clauses, but when stripped of the additional terms unique to each wizard faction, its core, most crucial provisions boiled down to two:
First, the signatory must never betray the wizard civilization in any form.
Second, the signatory must never indiscriminately disclose any transcendent knowledge of the wizard civilization to any other race or lifeform that hadn't signed the contract.
"Of course," David said, pausing before adding, "While these two points are clearly stated, there are always theoretical loopholes that can be exploited. Such loopholes always exist."
"For example, what I did back then," he said, openly referencing his past.
"To persuade the sage of the Elosia Plane and completely shatter his psychological defenses, I showed him some devastating intelligence about the wizard civilization."
"If the sage's defenses hadn't crumbled and he had chosen to resist to the end, or even leak that information, I would have technically violated the contract to some extent."
"Therefore, the possibility of the wizard cultivation methods being leaked is not zero."
"However, such incidents are generally limited to the early stages of planar transformation. Later on, the entire plane becomes completely enveloped by ubiquitous Monitoring Magic Arrays, instantly detecting any abnormal energy fluctuations or information transmissions. By then, the occurrence of illegal wizard is completely eliminated."
Hearing this, Jieming had another question. He asked David, somewhat puzzled, "If these loopholes exist, why don't the high-rank wizards revise the contract to make it more rigorous?"
David's massive helmet slowly shook from side to side, a gesture that served as a headshake.
"No," he replied. "Those high-rank wizards... especially the nine ninth-tier Great Beings who stand at the pinnacle of our civilization, could, if they wished, infinitely refine these two core contracts. They could theoretically create a perfect set of contract terms, leaving no loopholes for anyone to exploit."
"But that would offer no benefit to the development of wizards."
"The more precise and airtight the rules, the more they would restrict the thinking and actions of wizards. Yet what is most crucial for wizards is their unfettered intelligence. Such rigid rules would actually hinder their growth. Sheep raised in captivity can never defeat wolves in the wild."
After answering Jieming's question, David finally steered the conversation back to its original topic.
He continued, "The reason I accepted this mission is... in a sense, the illegal wizard we're about to face was born as a result of my influence."
Jieming's gaze sharpened as he listened intently.
"It all started with that sage," David said, his voice tinged with an indescribable complexity of emotions.
"After witnessing the overwhelming power of the wizard civilization, he didn't succumb to despair like the others. Instead, he forcibly split his soul in two, using a method I still can't comprehend."
"One part of his soul remained within his original body, cooperating with me to sign a contract. As the price for his 'surrender,' he personally executed all the remaining mortal leaders of the Elosia Plane."
"The other part of his soul lay dormant within an inconspicuous commoner. He was waiting—waiting for Noren Academy to initiate the first round of physical transformations on the plane's surviving humans."
"Once that body had been transformed into a physique suitable for wizarding world humans and capable of meditation, he secretly began practicing a fragmented meditation technique he had acquired from some unknown source."
"Normally, this wouldn't be an issue. The wizard faction doesn't mind having another intelligent and ambitious wizard. As long as he eventually signs a contract to become one of us, it's fine."
Jieming nodded in agreement.
The wizard civilization had long abandoned the practice of classifying races based on physical appearance. In truth, whether many high-rank wizards could even be considered human anymore was debatable.
Even the transformation of indigenous survivors into humanoids was merely because this form was more suitable for the initial meditation techniques.
If a truly intelligent being recognized by wizards were willing to join their ranks, they would gladly welcome the expansion of their civilization.
Jieming had also researched the sage of the Elosia Plane.
He had to admit that the sage's intelligence was truly awe-inspiring, even to him.
If such a person were willing to join the wizard civilization, the greatest loss to the wizards, in their eyes, would be his use of an incomplete meditation technique, which could potentially hinder his future advancement.
"But the problem lies in the fact that either the brutal soul division or the subsequent physical modifications inflicted irreversible damage on his remnant soul. His spirit has developed severe issues. The once calm and wise 'Sage' has become uncontrollable, cruel, and filled with destructive impulses."
"Moreover, due to his already formidable foundation and soul strength far surpassing that of ordinary people, his power has grown at an abnormally rapid pace since his revolution into a wizard."
"Though it's regrettable, Noren Academy cannot allow an uncontrollable wizard who refuses to communicate to run rampant under its command..."
David didn't finish his sentence, but Jieming silently completed the thought in his mind:
"Therefore, they issued this assassination mission."
After speaking, David fell silent again.
Jieming finally understood why the other man had come here.
This wasn't just a mission; it was also about settling a karma he himself had initiated.
As they spoke, the two had already flown thousands of kilometers, arriving at the location where the target had last been sighted, according to intelligence reports.
It was a scorched and twisted forest.
The air still carried the lingering stench of violent negative energy and the metallic tang of blood.
Descending from the sky, they each employed their own reconnaissance methods to thoroughly search the tens of kilometers of surrounding terrain.
Jieming even activated his Universal Eye, analyzing the residual energy signatures embedded in every inch of the earth.
David, meanwhile, projected a massive force field, sensing for any anomalous soul fluctuations.
Yet after their exhaustive search, they found no clues of any value.
The target had clearly been meticulous in concealing their presence, erasing every trace of their passage.
After exchanging a glance, the two accessed a map of the nearby region through their magic net terminals and located the nearest city established by the transformed remnants of the old civilization.
"Let's go," Jieming said. "We'll check there and see if we can find any leads."
With no other immediate options, they had no choice but to visit the city and inquire about any recent strange occurrences.
(End of the Chapter)
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