Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 697 Mirror Twins
"Ahem, to be honest... even Gallagher, the most impetuous and adventurous of the three of us, wouldn't dare to try the kind of promotion His Majesty taught us."

Dawson touched his bright red nose and glanced at Harvey somewhat awkwardly.

This is not some polite excuse of being cautious or cowardly... In the past, no high-ranking spellcaster in the Federation would have trusted another person without reservation and abandoned their familiar factional theories to choose an extremely unfamiliar path of advancement unless they were in a desperate situation.

In any case, soul casting is a brand new casting school that has just begun to emerge. Even its founder, Harvey, has not publicly advanced to the legendary rank or publicly declared the rationality and advancement mechanism of this casting path.

There isn't even a system of spells that can be copied...

“So… only fervent researchers like the Quinn brothers would dare to take such a huge risk to traverse a path of truth fraught with unknown dangers. I can only say I have to admire them for that.” Salas said, half-teasing and half-admiring, as he gathered his sleeves.

No wonder others can get promotion opportunities from the successors chosen by the "Inheritance Core", while we can only continue to linger at the high level... If Phil Holden, the Son of Flame, were here, he would probably immediately and mercilessly utter this sentence.

But the Shield could only mutter to himself, not daring to risk offending the two chiefs and angering the other high-ranking members by speaking out.

Andrei Weiss, the commander of the mage chapter, happened to be present and asked in confusion, "Your Majesty... do you mean... that Mr. Mirror and the others have successfully completed the Soul Fusion Ascension Ceremony? And have they completely ascended to the legendary rank that belongs only to the two of them?"

Harvey chuckled twice, and said meaningfully, "It can't be said that it's completely finished... but from now on, whether on the forum or in real life, it will probably be inconvenient for us to call them the two 'Mirror Man's' anymore."

"What do you mean?" Dawson paused for a moment, then suddenly realized what he meant and said in a daze, "The Quinn brothers... after completing their Soul Fusion advancement... they have... become one, an inseparable whole?"

This sounded so bizarre that many high-level mages familiar with the Mirror Man Brothers found it difficult to accept and adapt to for a while.

Two originally independent high-level spellcasters, the two chiefs of the Alchemy Exploration Society... are now truly one person, no longer distinguished from each other, and have become a truly legendary chief in the real sense.

Salas paused for a moment, not intending to press the matter further, and said with a faint smile, "Then when we officially meet soon, we'll have to put our heads in a difficult position... should we call them, no... should we call him Overley Quinn, or Ed Quinn?"

The eerie atmosphere that permeated the scene was immediately dispelled by the chief's joking words.

Fa Dun quietly breathed a sigh of relief and immediately changed the subject, saying, "His Majesty invited the Exploration Society to assist us in the battle? Those alchemists do not have the strength and experience of battle mages. Sending them to the battlefield... I'm afraid it won't be very effective."

Although they are all spellcasters in essence, alchemists are generally research-oriented mages. Their combat strength mostly comes from the alchemical weapons and combat prosthetics they create and develop themselves. Only a few mavericks choose to use alchemy to modify their bodies, combining their originally weak flesh and blood with powerful alchemical devices to become beings similar to alchemical beasts.

Phil Holden, the Son of Flame, had his body extensively modified by alchemists, not only enhancing his physical strength but also altering and enchanting his eyes and parts of his bones.

In this respect, Harvey's unique soul-stitching and prosthetic body transplantation are quite similar to the exploration of mysteries.

“Assisting us in fighting the Lizardmen doesn’t mean we have to send them all to the battlefield…” Harvey shook his head helplessly and explained slowly, “The Academy of Magic and the New Union are in dire need of alchemy talent right now. The alchemy labs run by Chris and Benoît are simply not enough to handle it all… I need more alchemy talent who can quickly learn new knowledge and adapt to the development of the kingdom’s magical technology, to continuously replenish our ranks and develop and upgrade more powerful weapons for us!” The New Union is currently focused on research into the alien nature of the Lizardmen, while the Academy is engrossed in the in-depth development of soul technology… The only way to truly enhance the army’s combat power in a short period of time is still through the weapons development department of the alchemy labs. This is also the main reason why Harvey has always been fixated on the Exploration Society and is determined to get his hands on them no matter what.

Based on the principle of equivalent exchange... since they helped Mr. Mirror achieve his long-cherished wish, they should naturally give back to him to some extent.

Just then, Asdaren suddenly rushed into the reception room, bowed to Harvey, and reported, "Your Majesty, the Alchemy Exploration Society, which was invited to the North, has arrived in Fengyuan City for transit. The two... uh, Mr. Mirror Man, are requesting to speak directly with you through the communication device."

"Oh? They arrived so quickly?" Harvey raised an eyebrow, signaling his guards to take the brain-device placed next to the conference table. He then picked up the communication microphone on it, and everyone immediately heard a familiar voice from the other end of the distance.

“Mr. Kel'Thuzad! Uh… no! Your Majesty! I arrived in Fengyuan City last night… and only now have I managed to contact you!”

Harvey hummed in agreement and said gently, "Mr. Mirror Image didn't have to be in such a hurry... How are you feeling now... uh?"

After handing over the soul fusion technology to the Exploration Society, Harvey did not choose to interfere much afterward, nor did he inquire about the subsequent ritual results. Out of respect and courtesy for Mr. Mirror Man, he always maintained that as long as the other party did not actively seek help, he should not arbitrarily interfere with the organization's internal action arrangements.

So after re-establishing contact with the other party and extending an invitation directly... Harvey himself was not very clear about Mr. Mirror's current situation.

Based on his past life experiences, he always believed that when two independent souls merge into one, conflicts and dilemmas would inevitably arise at the levels of consciousness, biology, and social relationships... No matter how advanced the magic and technology involved, there would still be problems from an ethical perspective.

It's possible that while the two men in the mirror may have successfully advanced in rank, their physical bodies, which serve as containers, may have developed two completely different self-perceptions. Their consciousnesses may have been vying for control of their bodies, and their two completely separate memory systems may have become disordered, ultimately leading to a "spiritual Frankenstein's monster."

"Hehe... I know what you're worried about. Are you so unconfident in your own theory? Don't worry! I anticipated and prepared for your concerns, and the troubles encountered in the ritual experiment have been mostly resolved."

The voice of Mr. Mirror Man coming through the communicator was unusually light and cheerful, and those listening could keenly perceive that he referred to himself as "I" throughout, without distinguishing between the original independent identities of the twin brothers. It seemed that he had truly transformed from two people into a complete and independent individual.

"There was no memory overlap or cognitive confusion? There was no functional competition between different brain regions? There was no imbalance in somatic nerve control?" Harvey asked all the questions at once, immediately surprising everyone present.

His Majesty usually exchanges and discusses some incredible and unheard-of theories with Mr. Mirror Man. These are all newly coined terms, and the hidden knowledge they contain even makes the legendary chief frown and look puzzled.

The person in the mirror chuckled and said frankly, "It's all thanks to the anomalies you warned me about beforehand. Although the entire promotion process was extremely dangerous, I managed to get through it..."

He paused, seemingly lost in a brief recollection, before saying calmly, "Do you remember that long and thoughtful exchange we had before the Spirit Fusion Advancement Ceremony began?"

"The story you told me... called 'The Ship of Theseus,' and the epistemological statement 'I think, therefore I am,' enabled me to firmly uphold my principles during my advancement, ultimately breaking through the barriers of different life levels and achieving a complete rebirth!"

(End of this chapter)