Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 239 A Symphony of Stars
Ron stood at the edge of the school's temporary settlement area, looking at the four-wheeled carriage that had just been assigned to him, and frowned slightly.

This is an ordinary station wagon, with a simple protective paint coating on its wooden body.

The interior of the carriage was somewhat cramped but fairly tidy, but the front of the carriage was completely empty—the pack animals that should have been there were nowhere to be seen.

"I'm sorry, Wizard Ron."

The law enforcement officer in charge of arranging the evacuation explained somewhat apologetically:
"The pack animals we have recently used are all being used to transport evacuees. Your application is a bit late, so we can only provide the vehicle frame first. However, we will process your application with the highest priority and expect to provide you with a pack animal within half a day."

After the team member delivering the car finished speaking, he bowed respectfully, afraid that the newly promoted wizard might be displeased.

Since the news of his promotion spread, everyone in the school who came into contact with him was both curious and awe-inspiring, eager to get closer yet instinctively keeping their distance.

Ron nodded slightly, not surprised by this arrangement.

In a school emergency, resources will naturally be prioritized to ensure the safe evacuation of the majority, and even though he is a formal wizard, he will not interfere excessively with this arrangement.

At a deeper level, he didn't care about such trivial matters at all.

Seeing the slightly nervous expressions on the faces of the law enforcement officers, Ron gently waved his hand:

"No need to worry, the frame is sufficient."

His voice was calm and emotionless, like a still pond, but this calmness itself made people feel inexplicably pressured.

The law enforcement officers visibly relaxed and hurriedly retreated.

After taking a few steps, he couldn't help but look back—the newly appointed official wizard was standing quietly in front of the car.

The black robe fluttered gently in the breeze, making him appear as serene and mysterious as a sculpture. Despite making no threatening movements, he inspired fear in others.

Ron watched the other person leave, a flash of inspiration crossing his mind.

His thoughts had already drifted to the puppet he carried with him.

Since there are no pack animals, why not...

An idea formed in his mind—to use a substitute puppet to pull the cart.

This not only saves on magic stone expenses, but also allows the puppet to further adapt to complex movements in practice. Moreover, it is also a rare practical test.

Before making a decision, his mind automatically assessed the mana consumption, efficiency comparison, and possible additional effects—this analysis had almost become instinctive.

"Without pack animals and a driver, how do you plan to travel?"

Mrs. Allen, who was seeing them off, couldn't help but ask, her voice filled with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

Even by wizarding standards, a cart without pack animals is nothing but a burden.

Schools typically provide departing wizards with strong pack animals and guides to ensure their dignity is not compromised.

A formal wizard walking? That would be beneath his dignity.

Although Ron was always easygoing, Mrs. Allen was still puzzled by his choice.

“You’ll see soon enough.” Ron’s lips curled up slightly, revealing a barely perceptible arc, without offering any further explanation.

He took out the puppet, which had undergone many evolutions, from the pocket of his inner robe.

The puppet's appearance has become increasingly human-like, but its skin surface is covered with strange, scale-like patterns.

The eyeballs were a pair of eerie green complexes, emitting a strange glow, with faint traces of blood vessels visible at the edges.

Ron infused the puppet with a wisp of spiritual energy, much like a surgeon precisely inserting a scalpel into a specific area.

The puppet immediately came to life in his hands, quickly expanding to nearly adult height.

At this time, the puppet was about 1.8 meters tall, with firm and taut muscles covered with translucent dark scales, and a row of small thorns could be vaguely seen on its spine.

Overall, it presents a distorted, half-human, half-beast appearance.

The scales displayed faint patterns under the light, like traces of some ancient creature.

“Very good.” Ron nodded in satisfaction, giving the order in his mind: “Pull the cart for me.”

The puppet silently walked to the front of the carriage and grabbed the crossbar that should have been equipped with harnesses.

A dark gray energy surged from its body, forming a structure similar to a harness, which then fixed itself to the shaft of the cart.

This is precisely the puppet's adaptive ability that Ron has recently cultivated, which allows it to change parts of its structure and function as needed, greatly improving its practicality.

Several apprentices who were setting up protective magic arrays in the distance noticed this scene and couldn't help but stop their work, staring at everything in disbelief.

A wooden puppet is pulling a four-wheeled carriage that should be pulled by horses—the scene is so bizarre it sends chills down your spine.

The puppet's movements were fluid and natural, as smooth as silk, without any mechanical feel, just like a real living thing.

Moreover, from any angle, its complex eyes seem to be silently watching every onlooker, even though its head is not turned.

Whenever its gaze sweeps across, the person being watched feels a chill to the bone, as if they have been locked onto by some kind of predator.

After waving goodbye to Mrs. Allen, Ron jumped into the carriage and casually closed the door.

He watched with satisfaction as the puppet pulled the cart forward according to his will, consuming far less magic power than he had expected.

As the charging progress continues to increase, the connection between the puppet and him becomes closer, and the energy transfer efficiency is significantly improved, which may also be the reason for its reduced consumption.

"Let's go," Ron ordered, and the puppet immediately started walking, pulling the cart forward.

Its steps were steady and powerful, like a precisely calculated metronome, and the sound of its wheels rolling on the ground was clearly audible.

Moreover, after Ron mastered the vehicle, its speed even surpassed that of ordinary pack animals at one point.

More importantly, this method does not require additional expenditure on magic stone fragments, nor does it require worrying about feeding and resting the pack animals.

"The use of substitute puppets is more extensive than I imagined."

Ron analyzed in his mind and began to systematically evaluate the various indicators of this usage method.

With a casual gesture, he opened his spatial bag and released a sphere of intertwined vines.

After he released it, the emerald green branches kept shrinking and then transformed into a graceful female body, which was Ailan.

While Dal is slightly less portable than Ailan, the tree spirit can also use plant senses to provide a wider range of alerts.

The tree spirit asked softly:

"Does the owner need to stay awake all the time to control it? That must be exhausting."

A look of concern appeared in her green eyes, and the vines swayed gently.

“No need.” Ron shook his head.

"The mental link is stable, and I can meditate and rest while maintaining the basic connection. I only need to check the road conditions and the surrounding environment every few hours. Several basic instructions have been engraved into the puppet's memory, and it can automatically avoid simple obstacles."

This is another significant change after being promoted to a formal wizard.

The qualitative change in his mental strength enabled him to allocate his attention more efficiently and handle multiple tasks simultaneously without feeling tired.

What used to require complete mental focus can now be maintained stably with just a small portion of consciousness.

He noticed the confusion in the tree spirit's eyes and explained:

"The substitute puppet doesn't need rest or get tired, and can move around day and night. The only limitation is that I need to maintain a mental connection with it."

After confirming that the puppet had adapted to the rhythm of pulling the carriage, Ron sat cross-legged in the center of the carriage and took out a small bottle of special mental stabilizing fluid from his pocket.

The liquid has a pale blue color and is as clear as the purest gemstone, swaying gently in the bottle as the car body moves.

Ron took a small sip, letting the liquid linger in his mouth for a moment to savor its exquisite energy components, before slowly swallowing.

He planned to continue his meditation practice during this journey, especially to consolidate and deepen his understanding after breaking through to the third stage. Although the journey would only last three days, he did not intend to waste any time that could be used for improvement.

As a characteristic of meditation, "Star Projection" requires the continuous absorption of stellar energy to increase the upper limit of magic power.

He took out several energy crystals from his spatial bag and placed them around the meditation mat.

These crystals can enhance the focusing effect of starlight and improve energy absorption efficiency.

At the same time, he also set up a simple isolation array to ensure that the meditation process would not be disturbed by the outside world.

His breathing gradually became slow and deep, each breath carrying a specific rhythm, a unique breathing technique of the third stage of "The Star Eater's Whispers".

As consciousness sinks deeper, the sounds of the outside world gradually disappear, replaced by a profound silence.

His mental perception began to expand outward, penetrating the roof of the carriage and directly sensing the clouds floating high in the sky, as well as the vast starry sky above the clouds.

Although the stars are not as clearly visible during the day as they are at night, their presence is still clearly perceptible to Ron, who has mastered "Star Projection".

The energy of those stars, like tiny rays of light, passed through the atmosphere, reached the ground, and was captured by his spiritual perception.

His consciousness quickly detached from his body and reconstructed that starry sky in his mental landscape.

Unlike before, the starry sky has become clearer and more three-dimensional.

Each star has its own unique light and rhythm, like an instrument playing its own tune in the universe, together forming a grand cosmic song.

He could sense the energy and frequency of the starlight, subtle differences that he couldn't perceive as an apprentice.

Surprisingly, Ron discovered that he was able to consciously choose which stars to connect with more strongly in order to obtain specific types of energy.

This selective absorption allows him to adjust the energy structure according to his own needs, maximizing the effect.

"The energy of the Annihilation Cluster can enhance the power of destructive spells, but it can also cause mental stress."
The light of the Hermit Star can enhance mental acuity, but weakens the power of physical attacks;
The energy provided by the Gemini galaxy is balanced and gentle, suitable for long-term accumulation.

Ron wandered through the starry sky, his spiritual tendrils like countless tiny tentacles gently touching each star and sensing the different energy properties of each celestial body.

This energy is not simply divided into good and bad, but rather each type has its own characteristics and is suitable for different uses and occasions.

He began to experiment with a new way of absorbing energy—mixing the energy of different stars in a specific ratio to create a more balanced and powerful energy structure.

This requires extremely precise control and calculation; any tiny error could lead to energy disturbances.

But at that moment, he heard those strange murmurs again.

Unlike the initial unclear sounds, these murmurs have become clearer and more complete, like a radio gradually tuning to the right channel from static.

“，ǎψ”

These sounds were not heard through the ears, but rang out directly in the mental world, bypassing the limitations of conventional senses.

They are like ancient codes, each syllable carrying a profound meaning.

Although he still couldn't understand the exact meaning, Ron could sense the emotions contained within it.

It was a deep hunger and endless greed, as if the energy of the entire universe could not satisfy that eternal desire to devour.

This greed is not a simple material desire, but an essential, insatiable void that forever yearns for more energy and existence.

The essence of the "devourer" is just as its name suggests: it is a cosmic being that is perpetually hungry, constantly devouring stars to sustain its existence.

It is not malicious; it is simply following its own nature, just as a hurricane does not feel guilty for destroying a city, and a flood does not feel remorse for submerging a village.

Ron began to analyze the potential impact of this emotion on himself. The nature of greed brought great power, but it could also be a source of danger.

If he is too greedy when absorbing stellar energy, it may cause his own energy structure to become disordered, or even trigger some kind of unpredictable mutation.

"I must remain vigilant and not let this greed affect my very nature," Ron warned himself.

This is also a pragmatic choice. Uncontrolled power is not true power; only energy within a controllable range has value.

At the same time, the rhythm and cadence of these ramblings gave him new inspiration.

He recorded these sounds during meditation, trying to find patterns and rules to add new elements to his "Erosion Symphony".

"Erosion Symphony" is essentially a technique that transforms mental interference into music, and the rhythms contained in these cosmic murmurs are the most primitive and powerful modes of mental interference.

These are not simple sounds, but vibrations that directly affect the soul level, bypassing conventional mental defenses and directly influencing the target's consciousness structure.

If it can be incorporated into a musical piece, its power will be significantly enhanced.

However, this also comes with great risks—an overly powerful erosion may backfire on the caster, just as if staring into the abyss for too long will cause the abyss to stare back at you.

During a break from his stargazing meditation, Ron took out paper and pen and jotted down his new inspirations, each word imbued with rigorous logic and an experimental spirit:
"The third movement should incorporate the babbling rhythm of the 'devourer' to create a cyclical, cumulative sound wave structure."

Each cycle amplifies the effect of the previous one, creating a continuously escalating mental impact.

This structure is similar to a geometric progression in mathematics, where the power increases exponentially rather than linearly.

In practice, one can try to incorporate the effect of 'mental shock' into the ending of a movement, creating a black hole-like collapse structure in the target's mental world, thus dismantling the target's mental defenses from within.

However, this attack method also has obvious drawbacks—the energy cycle structure is extremely complex, and any tiny error could lead to an energy backlash. Further experiments are needed to verify and optimize this theory.

As the pen glided across the paper, a completely new musical structure gradually took shape in Ron's mind.

This is not simply a burst of inspiration, but an innovation based on rigorous analysis and logical deduction.

He broke down the observed phenomena into basic elements and then recombined them in a new way to create a completely new attack pattern.

This would be a further advancement of technology than "Erosion Symphony," which he tentatively named "Concerto of the Stars"—a terrifying force capable of directly destroying the target's mental world.

The reason he named it that is because of the enormous ambition he harbored.

The terrifying beings beyond the stars are clearly far more than just the "Devourer." There must be many more similar terrifying beings. Perhaps one day, I will be able to fuse all their delirious ramblings into one...

This concept is still in the theoretical stage and requires a lot of experimentation and adjustments to be truly realized, but its potential is exciting.

After recording these inspirations, Ron's thoughts returned to reality.

He first checked the condition of the substitute puppet, confirming that it was operating stably, following the correct route, and that there were no potential threats in the vicinity.

He then summoned the large-beaked parrot that had been perched on the top of the frame. The parrot had been delivering many letters to him since he was a junior apprentice, so it was an old friend.

He specifically borrowed this messenger bird from the school; it was also a modified product and possessed several characteristics not found in ordinary birds:
With its superior target perception capabilities, it can accurately locate specific individuals.

Its flight speed and endurance far exceed those of ordinary birds;

It also possesses certain defensive spells, capable of resisting simple interference and attacks.

He did a precise calculation in his mind—the average speed of the substitute puppet was 1.6 times that of a regular pack animal.

Considering the advantage of not needing to rest, the actual travel efficiency can be 2.3 times that of a regular team.

A journey that normally takes a week should be able to be completed within three days, which should fit your itinerary.

Ron wrote a short letter on a specially made piece of parchment:
"Andrei,"

I will arrive in the capital around noon three days from now.

Please let me know where you are so we can meet.

Furthermore, my promotion is complete, and I have now officially joined the ranks of wizards.

Ron Ralph

The letter was brief yet contained the most important information, perfectly in line with Ron's usual style.

He didn't elaborate on how he was promoted, nor did he mention the crisis of the school of thought; he simply expressed the core message in the most concise way.

(End of this chapter)