The Wizard: From Zero-Ring Wizard to Almighty Lord.

Chapter 247 Totems and Killing Intent

Chapter 247

"Ouch...that really hurts..."

Viscount Layton's body lay silently in a pool of blood, his face as pale as paper.

At the moment Lynn infused his spiritual power, his dying body miraculously rose to his feet, as if a corpse had been revived.

The wound on his chest was still bleeding profusely, and the pain was excruciating. Even with Lynn's willpower, he couldn't help but grit his teeth and whisper.

"This body... is in worse condition than I thought."

He frowned and muttered to himself, looking down at the horrifying bloody hole in his chest, where blood was still flowing out. Clearly, if it wasn't treated in time, the body would soon collapse.

But Lynn was prepared.

"Violet King, come here."

He raised his hand and gestured slightly.

The totem in the distance, which had been motionless and sculpted like a sculpture, swayed slightly, as if it were awakening from a deep sleep.

The next moment, it silently appeared behind Lynn, its petals slowly unfolding and emitting a faint yet noble purple light.

Lynn stretched out her fingertips and gently stroked the layers of petals, as if soothing a lurking beast.

Suddenly, a pale purple light quietly emerged, flowing across his body and transforming into layers of gentle yet strong protection.

This is the power of totems.

Only alchemists can resonate with totems and obtain a transcendent state similar to eternal protection, allowing them to sustain life even when near death through the power of the totem.

Lynn felt streams of purple floral energy flowing into his body, and the cells and blood vessels that were on the verge of collapse began to slowly repair themselves.

"Luckily it wasn't a headshot... otherwise this body would be completely ruined."

He sighed softly, a hint of relief in his eyes.

He did not rush to act, but stood still, allowing the Violet King's restorative power to make up for the damage to his body as much as possible.

Although he cannot fully recover to his peak condition for the time being, at least he can move and fight again.

A few minutes later, Lynn slowly stretched out his fingers, gently clenched his fist, and felt the tension in his muscles and the vitality of recovery.

"From this moment forward, I am Viscount Layton."

A meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Since you were my grandfather for a time... you have done your filial duty, so rest in peace. As for your beautiful wife, I will take good care of her."

As he said this, his gaze fell on the ground to the side.

It was a dead bee, lying quietly among the fallen leaves, its wings broken and its abdomen mutilated, yet it still exuded a deadly sharpness.

It was the "assassin" who had just attacked and killed Layton.

Lynn flicked his right index finger, and the Violet King totem behind him immediately responded, its branches and leaves extending like tentacles to wrap the bee in his palm.

He pinched his fingers together lightly and stared down at the screen.

"The scent of this bee... I remember, my 'teacher's' totem was a queen bee with a scent of bees, whose rank was only bronze."

however.

In his palm, a faint silver sheen appeared on the surface of the dead bee's body, almost invisible in the sunlight, but it could not escape Lynn's spiritual eyes.

"Is this bee... a descendant of the queen bee?"

His gaze sharpened, and he murmured softly:

"It has a silvery luster...which means it has at least a silver-level totem bloodline."

"So... Klaus broke through?"

"He is no longer a brass alchemist, but..."

"Silver Alchemist".

At that moment, a hint of seriousness flashed in Lynn's eyes.

The Silver rank signifies a completely different dimension.

Although it is only one level higher than brass, this step seems like an insurmountable chasm standing in front of alchemists.

There are hundreds or even thousands of bronze alchemists, but only a handful can reach the silver rank.

Conservative estimates suggest that among dozens of bronze alchemists, perhaps only one will successfully advance to the silver level.

This is not merely a qualitative change in the power of totems, but also a profound understanding and mastery of totem construction, the power of silver, and even extraordinary principles.

More importantly, knowledge.

The core driving force behind the alchemical path has never been talent, but rather a vast amount of systematic and precise knowledge.

The lack of any one of these qualities is enough to stop an alchemist from ever reaching the end of his career.

Lord Layton's tutor, Klaus, is well over seventy years old and still in the bronze rank.

Logically speaking, he should have already lost the possibility of breaking through to the silver level.

Alchemists of this age, no matter how hard they try, will only decay step by step and reach their end.

But reality slapped Layton in the face; Klaus actually managed to reach the Silver rank.

There is clearly more to this than just "talent and hard work".

Lynn's gaze sharpened, the fervent declarations Klaus had made earlier echoing in his mind:

"To build a better new world, we must personally destroy the corrupt old world..."

"Even if you are my student, you can't stop me..."

"I see……"

Lynn said in a deep voice, his eyes deep:

"That force is certainly generous. They were able to push even an old man like Klaus into the Silver rank. Their resources are far beyond what we can imagine."

At this moment, Lynn's thoughts gradually became clearer.

He did not forget his fundamental goal for this trip: to seek the "Level Four Opportunity" that was being nurtured in this dimension.

I originally thought that I would need to use Viscount Layton's identity to slowly lay out a plan in order to possibly find a clue;
Unexpectedly, Klaus's words were like the sun breaking through the clouds, revealing a clear path in his mind.

"Build a new world, overthrow the Golden Throne, and annihilate the old era..."

Such a goal is almost arrogant, yet extremely inflammatory.

The source of power that could reignite the life force of an old, dying brass alchemist and even enable him to achieve a breakthrough must be extraordinary.

“It seems…” Lynn murmured, “that ‘level four opportunity’ I’m looking for is very likely in the hands of that mysterious force, or rather… it is itself.”

This cheered Lynn up.

Instead of searching aimlessly, the clues are now right in front of us.

He already held the key to this power in his hands: the Violet King Totem.

“This totem originally came from Klaus. He was able to use it to track Viscount Layton’s location just now, which means that there must be some kind of information loop or mental coordinate between it and Klaus.”

Lynn's eyes gleamed; his thought process had already taken shape.

"As long as I thoroughly study the Violet King Totem and trace its spiritual fluctuations in reverse, there is a very high probability that I will find Klaus and even uncover the true location of that force."

He gently raised his hand; the dead bee in his palm still retained warmth, its body gleaming with a faint silvery sheen.

"I hope those idiots in the Feathered Serpent Order don't catch Klaus... otherwise this lead of mine will be cut off."

After saying that, Lynn slowly closed his five fingers and gently squeezed the bee into his palm.

Behind him, the Violet King totem trembled slightly, transformed into a beam of light, and entered his body.

Lynn glanced at the direction Klaus and the others had fled, as well as the direction the Feathered Serpent Society pursuers had gone, but instead of continuing the chase, he turned and left.

He had just recovered from his injuries and could only maintain the most basic movements and fighting. Continuing to follow him would not be a wise move.

For him, the most important thing now is to return to the castle to recover from his injuries and, incidentally, work on mastering the Silver Alchemist.

"I need to find a way to upgrade my Violet King to Violet Emperor and become a Silver Alchemist... My true form contacted me through the Star Gate. It should take about half a month. In the meantime, I should focus on healing my injuries..."

With that thought in mind, Lynn headed straight for Viscount Layton's viscountry and left without looking back.

………………

Lynn quietly appeared in Viscount Layton's laboratory.

He hurried back to the viscountry without a moment's rest.

Even if they were covered in blood and their clothes were tattered, they didn't bother to change.

At this moment, healing his wounds was not the top priority; he had a more urgent goal: to refine other totems.

During the confrontation with Klaus, the Violet King Totem briefly showed signs of "going out of control," as if it were being remotely controlled or interfered with.

This unusual occurrence alerted Lynn.

"There may be some kind of backup plan that Klaus has laid out inside the totem."

To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, he must prepare in advance.

Refining a spare totem is the best course of action.

In fact, alchemists can have more than one totem.

In this world, there is no hard limit to the number of totems.

In theory, an alchemist can possess hundreds or even thousands of totems, each providing him with a "protective force." The more totems a master has, the thicker the defensive layers become, theoretically allowing for the creation of a nearly impenetrable outer shell.

But... reality is ultimately not the ideal.

There are two key factors that truly limit the number of totems:
First, there is the "hierarchical structure" of the totem.

Alchemists' totems are divided into core totems and auxiliary totems.

Each alchemist can only possess one core totem, whose rank is equivalent to that of the alchemist.

All other totems must be one full rank lower than the core totem.

For example, as a brass alchemist, Viscount Layton's core totem is naturally the brass-tier Violet King;

If one wants to possess other totems, the highest level is Black Iron Stage 3, and it is impossible to advance to higher levels.

The Grey Eagle Totem that Lynn obtained for testing in the Wizarding World was a Black Iron Tier 2, which perfectly met the standards that Viscount Layton could refine before his breakthrough.

The second limitation comes from the alchemist's "mental power limit".

The essence of a totem is a spiritual imprint.

Each additional totem leaves a mark in the alchemist's spiritual sea, which is maintained for a long time.

If one's mental strength is not strong enough, the totem cannot function stably and may even backfire.

Therefore, even though totems can be stacked infinitely, the alchemist's mental power is limited, so the number of totems will naturally be restricted.

in other words:

"If an alchemist's mental strength is strong enough—even if he is only at the second level of Black Iron, as long as his mental strength can hold up, he may be able to fight against those of higher rank by stacking a massive number of totems!"

"But... if he really has such spiritual power, why would he stop at the Black Iron level?"

The reason why Viscount Layton only possessed one totem was essentially due to a limitation in his spiritual power.

He had just broken through to the Brass Alchemist realm, and it was only through Lynn's "forced growth" intervention that he achieved this. His foundation was still shallow, and his mental strength could barely maintain the core totem, the Violet King.

Logically speaking, only through the Violet King's long-term "feeding" would one's spiritual power gradually stabilize and strengthen.

It may take him several years, or even more than a decade, to truly adapt to this core totem and have the capacity to accommodate other Black Iron Triple Totems.

Unfortunately, he never had that chance again.

Lynn calmly scanned the familiar surroundings of the laboratory, his gaze finally settling on the sealed safe in the corner.

He raised his hand and gently clenched it, his spiritual power surging. A pale purple light flashed across the cabinet door, and the heavy mechanism was activated.

Click!

Inside the safe, totems were quietly displayed in the alchemical sealing jar, like sleeping souls, emitting faint but stable spiritual fluctuations.

Linn smiled slightly.

"My mental strength level is equivalent to the early stage of a second-level wizard, which is the rank of a silver alchemist... For me, these black iron three-stage totems are almost no burden."

An average brass alchemist might only be able to carry one core totem, plus three to five auxiliary totems of the black iron level.

Lynn roughly estimated that he could easily accommodate ten or even more Black Iron Triple Totems without any problem.

Thanks to Viscount Layton's prudence and meticulousness, he handled the Black Iron Totem resources during his lifetime.

They even upgraded a large number of the black iron level 2 totems to level 3 and stored them in the treasure vault, never using them.

"It really paved the way for me," Lynn whispered.

Despite having enough mental strength to support him in refining them at will, Lynn did not greedily pursue more, but instead strictly selected and matched them according to the functionality of the totems.

Black Iron Three-Section - Gray Eagle Totem

This is one of the totems he prioritized.

Once activated, it grants the user the lightness and gliding ability of the "Grey Eagle" for a short period of time. Although it cannot actually fly, it is enough to play a key role in combat and escape.

Black Iron Trim - Cheetah Totem

It grants explosive mobility, making it ideal for surprise attacks and guerrilla warfare.

Black Iron Tripod - Alligator Turtle Totem.

With its thick shell and strong defense, it is an excellent tank-type totem.

He selected the necessary individuals from the totems one by one, as if he were choosing generals.

Attack, defense, mobility, perception, sealing, support...

Each totem was meticulously calculated and matched by him, as if he had personally assembled a complete battle template.

"bring it on."

Lynn neatly arranged the dozen or so totems he had selected in a row, then slowly sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and his spiritual power flowed out like a tide.

The next moment, the entire laboratory was suddenly illuminated by beams of light. The alchemical vessels sealing the totems trembled, emitting purple light, crimson flames, cyan light, and silver lightning...

More than ten totem powers were awakened in succession, surging towards Lynn like a torrent.

As psychic energy converged, space trembled slightly, and the power of totems wove together like a net, ultimately reforming and merging within Lynn's body to construct a robust, complex, and stable new totem defense system.

This is the end.

Lynn is no longer merely a totem of protection for the "Violet King," but an alchemist with multiple totem bodies.

If it were an ordinary brass alchemist, they would probably still be in the initial stages of refining their first totem.

Although the totem of the Black Iron Level 3 is not top-tier, it still requires a lot of effort to tame and integrate, and a slight mistake can lead to a mental backlash.

But Lynn is different.

His mental strength is equivalent to that of a Silver Alchemist, and he can manipulate the power of totems with ease.

Each black iron three-section totem can be completely refined in his hands in just a few minutes.

From the first to the last, it took less than an hour.

When the last ray of totem light was fully absorbed into his body, he opened his eyes, and more than ten totem projections flashed in his pupils.

However, he did not continue.

Lynn let out a soft breath, feeling that he still had plenty of spiritual energy in his body, but he did not choose any more totems to refine.

He knew that his next task was to help the Violet King break through to a higher level.

From Violet King to Violet Empress.

It was a silver-tier totem. Even though Lynn's mental strength was now comparable to that of a silver alchemist, bearing such an existence was still a huge challenge.

Overfilling the totem with symbols can actually leave flaws.

"What we should do now is to leave enough room for the Violet Emperor to make room for the throne."

He murmured to himself, his eyes dimming, but a much bigger plan was brewing in his mind.

And at this moment.

Deep in a secret valley far from where Lynn was, Lynn's wish came true.

As expected, the Feathered Serpent Society pursuers failed to catch up with Klaus and his companions, allowing them to escape.

The valley was silent and shrouded in mist when the group quietly arrived.

Klaus walked at the front, followed by the young boy and girl.

He walked with a calm and steady pace, leading the young boy and girl forward.

As he entered the valley, several figures dressed in greyish-white robes, their faces indistinct, quickly approached and bowed in unison.

"Lord Klaus!"

"Ah."

Klaus waved his hand, indicating that they didn't need to be so polite.

However, the next moment, his brows furrowed slightly, and his gaze froze.

He sensed it.

That familiar yet subtly unsettling aura emanated from a distant land; it was none other than the Violet King, one of the totems he had once bestowed upon him.

"Layton...you're still alive?"

Klaus murmured something under his breath, his expression complicated, but he felt no joy.

He never expected that his disciple would have such a tenacious life force, surviving even after being pierced through the chest by bees born from his silver-rank queen bee.

But since the other side has chosen to remain loyal to the old order and reject the glory of the "new world," then no matter how stubborn they are, they are just obstacles that should be eliminated.

Neither cleaning house nor protecting Klaus's reputation could save Layton's life.

He sighed, his gaze gradually turning cold.

“Send someone to deal with him. Even if he survives, he will definitely be severely injured. Any bronze alchemist will be enough to handle him.”

Having said that, he tossed his robes aside and did not turn back.

His gaze fell on the boy and girl beside him, his expression returning to kindness and peace. He took their hands and continued walking deeper into the valley.

“Come on, children… Next, I will take you to see—the creator of the new world.”

Thick fog billowed, and the pitch-black passage seemed to open up an abyss that would devour the future.

Three figures gradually disappeared into the darkness, eventually vanishing completely into the silent depths of the shadows.

(End of this chapter)