Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 513 Books and Mirrors

Vinard's mechanical puppet core crystal began to flash rapidly, with red, blue, and gold lights appearing alternately.

This is a state of deep computation at the level of a Grand Wizard.

He is using almost all of his computing resources to conduct a multi-dimensional risk assessment of Ron's proposed solution.

The air was filled with the acrid smell of energy overload, and the heat dissipation grilles on the surface of the puppet's body began to emit waves of heat.

"Your plan is indeed as ingenious as my alchemical formula..."

Vinard's voice became deep and thoughtful, each word carefully chosen through precise logic:
"But it ignores the most unstable variable—ourselves."

The robotic arm traces complex energy trajectory diagrams in the air.

The possible consequences of the entire conquest plan are presented in the form of a mathematical model:
"When we use the gold of wisdom and the steel of progress to pollute the soul of steel, the two-way nature of the communication means that we ourselves will also be contaminated by the 'essence' of the stoker star."

His voice carried the caution born from countless failed experiments:

“Ralph, tell me, in this conquest, when wizards begin to think with the logic of native gods, when our value system is rewritten by otherworldly concepts, who is the real victor?”

Faced with this pointed question, Ron did not rush to refute it, but instead revealed a mysterious smile.

"Professor, have you heard of the 'hero ship' paradox from the early days?"

Ron began to tell an ancient philosophical parable:

"When all the planks of a ship are replaced one by one, is it still the same ship? If we reassemble the old planks, which one is the original ship?"

Before Vinard could respond, he continued:

"Perhaps, the highest level of conquest is never 'I' defeating 'you,' but rather creating a completely new 'us' that includes both 'I' and 'you.'"

"A more powerful symbiote, more adapted to the rules of the universe. Victory belongs not to either side, but to this newly born 'being' itself."

These words cut like a sharp blade into the core concepts of wizarding civilization.

Vinard's mechanical body leaned forward slightly.

The optical sensor switched from blue light in analysis mode to sharp red light in interrogation mode.

The energy field of the entire workshop began to tremble, as if even the space itself was feeling the wrath of the great wizard.

"This kind of thinking..."

Vinard's voice turned unusually cold, each word as piercing as frost:
"It has already touched the edge of 'heresy'."

It deconstructs the core concept of 'conquest and expansion' of wizarding civilization, twisting it into a dangerous and unpredictable 'fusion and mutation'.

The robotic arm pointed at Ron, its tip flashing with a high-energy laser capable of piercing steel plates:
“Ralph, tell me, are the roots of your thoughts truly ‘pure’? Where do these unorthodox views come from?”

A sense of oppression washed over him like a tidal wave, and Ron immediately realized he had gone too far.

Vinard's praise has turned into doubt, and even wariness.

This set of philosophical speculations of my own origins from a previous life.

This is too shocking for a world with such a rigid hierarchy and an absolute focus on the self.

If we delve any further, we are likely to be labeled as "ideologically dangerous" or "spiritually contaminated by higher-dimensional beings."

We must immediately find a reasonable, powerful, and irrefutable source for this "heresy" idea.

A perfect scapegoat flashed through his mind—the King of Absurdity.

What could be more fitting as the source of such heretical ideas than a witch king known for his chaos and whimsy?

Thinking of this, Ron did not answer Vinard's question, but instead slowly took out the book "The Complete Guide to the Extraordinary" with a giant eye embedded on the cover from his storage bag.

As soon as the book appeared, the surrounding reality began to subtly distort.

Vinard's mechanical puppets were directly impacted.

The sensor array emitted a rapid "buzzing" sound, and the light from the core crystal began to flicker erratically.

"Professor, your question is beyond the scope of my ability to answer."

Ron's voice became devout and awe-inspiring:
"All my insights just now did not come from my own shallow wisdom, but from this great gift."

He gently stroked the book cover, his giant eyes slowly turning under the touch, his gaze sweeping across the entire workshop:

"It was the teachings of the King of Absurdity that allowed me to glimpse these truths that transcend conventional logic."

He once told me that the essence of the universe is an endless joke, and the ultimate form of conquest is to make the conquered laugh as part of that joke.

Upon hearing this name, all of Vinard's doubts and wariness vanished.

The King of Absurdity—that being's actions are indeed unpredictable and his thinking transcends common sense, making him the perfect source of such "heretical views."

The robotic arm slowly lowered, and the red alert light returned to blue analysis mode.

"I see... If it was inspired by the King of Absurdity..."

But then, another emotion emerged in Vinard's tone.

A strong resentment mixed with jealousy, incomprehension, and anger:

"However, even if it is the teachings of the Witch King, I do not recommend that you believe them too much. Blindly following authority is the greatest enemy of reason."

Ron keenly noticed this shift in emotion.

A bold guess formed in his mind.

He suddenly brought up a topic that seemed somewhat irrelevant to the present:
"Speaking of which, Professor Yutel once mentioned that the copy of 'The Complete Guide to the Extraordinary' is of the greatest value to us Moon-level wizards who have not yet condensed their Void Essence and whose power systems are still being shaped, as it can provide revolutionary inspiration."

As he spoke, he began to observe Vinard's reaction:
"For a great wizard like you who has already reached the pinnacle and can visit the 'Court of Truth' at any time to pay homage to the original, the significance of the copy may lie more in its commemorative value."

Ron's voice was tentative, yet respectful:
"So, Professor Vinard, with your talent in your youth, you must have also been favored by the King of Absurdity and granted a copy of this book, right? I wonder how your copy differs from mine?"

Ron's words were like the most precise scalpel, cutting open the "scar" that Vinard least wanted to mention.

The mechanical puppet's entire body stiffened like a sculpture, and all the computing modules fell into a deathly stillness at this moment.

The internal cooling fan emitted a painful, overloaded hum.

This reaction speaks volumes more than any words.

Ron immediately realized he had guessed correctly.

His brain was working at high speed, and he began to gradually deduce the truth hidden behind it all:
Vinard's personality: extremely rational, advocating order and technology, and despising all vague philosophical speculation.

This is exactly the type that the King of Absurdity "hates" the most.

The Witch King, known for his wit and chaos, would surely use some extremely absurd method to "educate" this seeker who was too obsessed with logic.

It is likely that when Vinard was young, he was mocked by the King of Absurdity when he tried to "question" him, leaving a psychological scar on his heart ever since.

This also explains why a great wizard would show such complex emotions towards a "copy" of a Moon-level wizard.

It wasn't just jealousy; it was a painful memory of being rejected and ridiculed.

It took Vinard a good ten seconds to regain control of his mechanical body.

The core crystal's light stabilized again, but it was still a bit dimmer than before.

He emitted a mechanical sound, like clearing his throat, attempting to mask the deadly silence that had just passed:
"Humph……"

The voice carried a forced arrogance:
"The King of Absurdity... His path is indeed unique, but not the only truth."

“My pursuit of absolute order based on data and formulas is fundamentally ‘theoretically incompatible’ with His chaotic philosophical system.”

“For me, forcibly accepting His ‘gift’ is actually a ‘logic virus’ that would contaminate the core of my calculations.”

His tone became more resolute, as if he were convincing himself rather than Ron:

"Instead of pretending with a toy you can't understand, focus on what you're really good at."

Ron listened quietly, without exposing the other person's explanation.

"Talk about it"

But he didn't react at all, while Vinard himself began to have the urge to talk:
“I did indeed meet that witch king.”

At that time, I encountered a seemingly unsolvable technical problem. All computational models pointed to failure, and all logical deductions led to a dead end.

The mechanical head slowly turned, as if reliving that distant memory:
"In my despair, I found the King of Absurdity and asked for His wisdom."

He granted my request, on the condition that I relinquish my 'attachment to my homeland'.

I accept.

These words, heavy as lead, bear the weight of an irretrievable loss for a soul.

"In exchange, He did give me the core inspiration for spatial folding, which allowed me to successfully break through the technical bottleneck."

Vinard's voice grew even darker:

"Before that transaction, He gave me a gift—a copy of 'The Complete Guide to the Extraordinary,' which is why I was able to contact this great being later."

"But what he actually gave me wasn't a book."

The core crystal of the mechanical golem began to dim:
"It was a mirror, a mirror that would only ever reflect my deepest fears."

His prosthetic hand trembled, as if recalling some horrific experience:

“Whenever I gaze at that book, I see not knowledge, not wisdom, but a lonely soul that has lost its ‘home,’ a ghost that wanders forever in the endless universe.”

"The King of Absurdity told me: 'Child, what you want is an answer, but I give you a question. When you truly understand the essence of the question, the mirror will become a book again.'"

An indescribable sense of desolation filled the air.

"But to this day, that book remains a mirror. It only reflects my pain, never giving me any answers."

Vinard stared again at the "Complete Explanation of the Extraordinary" in Ron's hands:
"And you, a young man who has just been promoted to the Moon Rank, are able to easily obtain such a vivid and vibrant 'book'."

This case gave Ron a strange understanding.

The "copy" that the King of Absurdity gives to different people turns out to be so vastly different.

Books represent the acquisition of knowledge and the transmission of wisdom.

A mirror represents self-examination and inner questioning.

What Vinard received was a mirror, because the King of Absurdity believed that what he needed was not more knowledge, but a profound self-reflection.

An existence that abandons emotions in order to gain power must first confront the consequences of this choice.

What he received was a book, because the King of Absurdity believed that he still possessed enough curiosity and room for growth to be "educated".

"I see."

Ron said softly, his tone full of understanding and sympathy:
"The King of Absurdity gives each person what they need most. Not what we want, but what we need."

Vinard's mechanical body trembled slightly:

"So, do you understand now? Why do I feel ashamed and even pain when I see your copy?"

"It wasn't just jealousy, it was also a psychological imbalance that made me feel rejected."

The King of Absurdity clearly expresses His judgment by giving you a 'book' and giving me a 'mirror'—you are worthy of being taught, while I am only fit to be interrogated.

Although Vinard felt emotionally embarrassed, he rationally had to acknowledge the wisdom and power of the King of Absurdity.

Ron's ability to obtain such a vivid and lively copy precisely proves the value of his "pollution symbiosis" theory.

This holds true, at least within the evaluation system of the King of Absurdity.

"All right!"

He began to awkwardly change the subject:
"The King of Absurdity's code of conduct needs no of our speculation..."

"Speaking of which, your chaos simulation technology reminds me of my good-for-nothing former student—Cedric."

"During my time away from the main world, I heard that he developed a project called 'Cognitive Virus' based on your technology?"

Although this transition seemed somewhat abrupt, it came at a timely and crucial moment, like a lifeline, in the extremely awkward atmosphere of the moment.

Ron, tacitly agreeing, went down this "step" and stopped asking any sensitive questions about the copy.

"Indeed, regarding the cognitive virus project..."

He regrouped and began to describe in detail that terrifying research direction:

“After I left, Cedric pushed the originally relatively mild virtual experience technology in an extreme direction.”

"He was no longer satisfied with simple sensory simulations, but tried to create 'viral experiences' that could completely rewrite the cognitive structure of the target."

As the narrative unfolds, Vinard's mechanical body gradually leans forward, displaying intense focus.

"According to the intelligence I obtained before I left, he had conducted numerous human experiments, with extremely tragic results."

"Three young researchers suffered a complete mental breakdown after returning to reality due to their excessive immersion in the false, perfect experience, and are now just useless people who can only repeat specific words."

“Cedric himself also began to conduct various morbid ‘pain quantification’ experiments on himself, using live dissection to improve his database.”

“What’s even more frightening is Cassandra’s attitude.”

Ron continued:

"Instead of stopping Cedric's crazy behavior, she gave him more authority and more resources."

She viewed these tragedies as 'acceptable research and development costs.'

"Currently, the cognitive virus has begun to be 'tested in real combat' on prisoners of war and is being used as a new type of torture tool."

At this point, Ron sighed softly:

"But what I'm most worried about isn't the cruelty of the project itself, but the deeper dangers that may be lurking behind it."

"I've always had a bad feeling about this."

He took out a yellowed photocopy of a notebook from his storage bag:
"When I was studying the alchemist Lanthhevit's notes, I discovered that any scholar who tried to delve into his grand ideas would eventually meet with misfortune."

“My concept of peaceful evolution, my technological vision of virtual worlds, and Cedric’s ‘cognitive virus’ are remarkably similar to Lance’s core idea of ​​‘consciousness-sharing networks’.”

He looked up, staring directly at Vinard's sensors:
“I am worried that the loss of control of the project was not accidental, but rather triggered some kind of higher-level ‘curse’ or ‘backlash’.”

This analysis made Vinard think deeply.

A few minutes later, he let out a cold, metallic laugh:
“I saw it long ago. Deep inside Cedric’s heart, there is a beast more terrifying than a demon.”

"What he needs is not guidance, but the strongest shackles."

The robotic arm waved, making a universally recognized gesture of disdain:
"Cassandra gave the key to unleash the beast, yet she dared to dream of controlling the direction in which it bites. How utterly foolish!"

Then, Vinard's tone began to carry a clear sense of schadenfreude:

“However, you did very well, Ron.”

Knowing when to withdraw from the gaze of the abyss is a wisdom that surpasses that of most wizards.

"Let Cassandra and my crazy student do their thing."

His laughter was as grating as scraping metal.
"The mess in the fourth quadrant wasn't enough of a headache for her, and now she has to face a 'cognitive virus' project that could get out of control at any time."

"When this thing really causes an uncontrollable disaster, such as infecting the core members of the Conquest faction, or leaking into the civilians of the main world."

Ultimately, we'll have to ask the King of Absurdity to step in and clean up this mess.

At this point, Vinard's mechanical body trembled slightly:
"At that time, I want to see what kind of interesting expression that conqueror leader, who thinks he has everything under control, will make."

But just as this malicious pleasure reached its peak, Vinard suddenly stopped laughing.

"but……"

His voice became unusually solemn:

"I must remind you, if your speculation is correct, if the understanding of the virus has indeed touched some kind of taboo..."

"Therefore, the King of Absurdity's 'correction' methods are likely not limited to the project itself."

I might not be greatly affected in my own colonies, but if you're still in the Central Lands, you might be implicated..."

(End of this chapter)