Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 551 Demon God Faction
As the afterglow of the two breakthroughs gradually subsided, a deeper question arose in Ron's mind.

The parable about the "Twin Witch Kings" that I just mentioned.

The details were described so vividly and specifically, as if the other party had witnessed that "dormitory battle" firsthand.

What is even more intriguing is that the "obsessive-compulsive man" in the fable who pursues the ultimate order has a style of behavior that subtly overlaps with the ideals of Saint Hephaestus, the "King of Perfection."

The "troublemaker" who was keen on breaking all the rules reminded him of a certain absurd king who always "stirred things up" at crucial moments.

This is no coincidence.

Ron stared at the closed pages of the book in front of him and slowly began to speak:
"The 'King of Perfection' and 'King of Stability' who pursue order, and the 'King of Absurdity' and 'King of Opportunity' who champion chaos..."

His voice carried a thoughtful depth:
"Behind this, there seems to be some more fundamental distinction in 'lineage'? Like two long-flowing philosophical rivers, each nurturing different inheritors?"

The author of "The Complete Guide to Extraordinary Things" was amused by his speculations.

The book pages suddenly flipped open, and the giant eye on the cover rolled its eyes, as if the eyeballs were about to roll to the back of its head.

The golden text slowly emerged with a condescending, all-knowing, and mocking tone:

"Hehehe~ Look at this clever little ant, it's actually starting to try to categorize the giants!"

The text danced across the page, each letter carrying a distinctly mocking tone:
"'Order'? 'Chaos'? What a neat binary opposition, what a...sleepy academic framework!"

Do you think my great master Hector, the most annoying troublemaker in the universe, could be stuffed into such an old-fashioned box?

It's as ridiculous as trying to hold the entire ocean in a teacup!

"Fine, since you were quite interesting today, I'll make an exception and give you a lesson on 'A Brief History of Great Men'."

The real story of this world, about the age-old rivalry between two 'kitchens'... and a wandering critic who specializes in tasting dishes but never buys them.

However, forget about your petty 'school of thought' theories, like the Tower of Resonance or the Elemental Garden… those are just toys for ordinary wizards to play house with.

With this opening remark, the pages of the book began to turn automatically.

Each page radiates a different color of light, as if setting the stage for a grand narrative that is about to unfold.

"When the wizarding civilization was still groping its way forward like a toddler learning to walk, two wizard kings had already emerged."

Later, they transcended everything and became demon gods who looked down upon all realms.

The first image appears:
A magnificent palace composed of geometric shapes, every angle conforming to the golden ratio.

"The first one, we call 'the Creator'."

The tone of the writing became solemn, but quickly took on a teasing tone again:

"He was an engineer with a severe obsession with cleanliness, and a master architect obsessed with blueprints."

In His ideal world, everything should be precisely constructed using the golden ratio and physical constants.

The position of every grain of sand, the direction of every breeze, must conform to a certain 'design'!

The scene shifts, revealing Saint Hephaestus's handsome yet aloof face:

"The handsome man with light and shadow that you saw, Saint Hephis, is the 'Creator's' most proud disciple."

This guy, who inherited his teacher's idealism, spent his whole life pursuing that legendary 'ultimate blueprint'.

He wanted to build a flawless, eternal, and unchanging 'ideal state'...

The tone of the text suddenly became sharp and sarcastic:
"It's a pity that He was too obsessed with the concept of 'perfection,' and as a result, a part of His obsession became a precious exhibit locked in the 'Mirror Kingdom.'"

It can only be admired from afar, not touched or played with; even one's own ideals have become prisoners!
What a...poetic tragic ending!

The scene shifts again, revealing a more pragmatic, yet equally serious, figure:
"Later, Saint Themis was a more pragmatic successor in this school of thought."

Having witnessed firsthand the disastrous consequences of his predecessors pushing themselves to the brink of 'perfection,' he concluded that the pursuit of 'flawlessness' is a dead end.

His philosophy is more practical:
"The kitchen can leak occasionally, and pots can burn occasionally, but our drainage system and repair manuals must be absolutely perfect!"

The text leaps and leaps, revealing the ideals of Saint Themis:
"What He pursued was never 'never making a mistake,' that's too unrealistic."

What He wanted to establish was a 'stable system' capable of handling all possible errors: a system with so many rules that it could cover all unforeseen circumstances, and so rigorous in its procedures that any chaos could be quickly corrected!

"."

As the pages turned, the color scheme shifted from cool to warm.

"The other demon god is 'Apocalypse,' who was revered as the King of Revelation during the time of the Witch King."

A blurry figure appears in the scene, surrounded by countless shimmering stars and flowing timelines:

"This one... you're more familiar with him."

The original texts stored in the 'Court of Truth' were written by Him.

The Eye of Observation, the Recorder Gould, Professor Utter, and even my mischievous master all received His guidance.

'Apocalypse' represents 'insight,' 'foresight,' and the understanding and application of the mysteries of time and space.

But then, the style of the visuals suddenly became wild and chaotic:
"However, his most famous disciple was far more 'radical' than his teacher!"

A crazed figure surrounded by lightning and rainbows appeared:
"Saint Chaos, the most radical practitioner of 'divine revelation' thought!"
This guy thought that simply predicting and calculating the mysteries of spacetime was too boring; he wanted to do it himself to make it interesting.

The tone of the text became extremely vivid:
His life motto was:

'A stagnant, thick soup is nowhere near as fun as pouring in a bottle of explosive hot sauce! Let's see what new species 'evolve' out of it!'

He is keen to use 'chaos' and 'crisis' as catalysts to accelerate the 'death' of the old and the 'birth' of the new.

In His view, the gradual change, like boiling a frog in lukewarm water, was too slow. Throwing the frog into an evolutionary pool to see if it would mutate into a dragon—that's what efficiency is all about!

"."

After introducing the key figures from these two "kitchens," the turning of the pages stopped.

A tense, expectant silence filled the air, as if the most exciting part was about to begin.

The tone of the text became incredibly proud and smug:

"So, my perceptive little reader, you must be thinking:"
To which kitchen does my great master Saint Hector belong?
Is He a perfectionist engineer from the side of the 'Creator,' or a chaos catalyst under the tutelage of 'Apocalypse'?

A mischievous smiley face suddenly appeared on the page:

The answer is: neither!

"My master is that picky critic standing outside the two kitchens!"
He neither cares how the 'house' should be built perfectly, nor when the 'house' will collapse in the most spectacular way.

His only concern was reminding everyone in the house: 'Dear friends, this is just a house! This is just a play!'

The text began to dance wildly on the page:
"When the 'Creator' faction is in their sterile laboratory, measuring the trajectory of particles with microscopes..."
My master might sneak in and quietly replace the formula they measured with a grinning, silly face!

Then, hide in a corner and enjoy the hilarious expressions on the faces of those 'perfectionists' when they discover their 'truths' have become a joke!

"And when the disciples of 'Apocalypse' at the ends of the universe, chanting the solemn epic of ultimate destruction and rebirth..."
My master might suddenly jump out of the void again and use comical ventriloquism to provide absurd accompaniment of 'puff puff puff~ ga ga ga~' to accompany their mournful poems!

Let's drag those philosophers, who are immersed in 'fate,' back to the absurdity of reality!

The verbal festivities reached their climax, almost leaping off the pages:
"You must understand that my master's 'absurdity' is not just simple nonsense!"

It is structural, playful, a 'meta-joke' that transcends order and chaos!
The essence of His power lies in questioning all 'answers' and mocking all 'truths'!

As his emotions calmed, the tone of his writing became deeper and more profound:

Sometimes, He adheres to the rules even more strictly than the 'Order faction'.

It's all just to arrive at the most absurd conclusion at the most crucial moment, using the most logical reasoning.

Then it proved to everyone: Look, even your most sacred 'logic' can lead to the most ridiculous 'absurdity'!

"Sometimes, He can be even more insane and chaotic than the 'Chaos Party'."

This is simply to make those who are intoxicated by the 'beauty of change' see clearly:

Pure, meaningless 'randomness' is the truest and coldest reality of the universe!
Your so-called 'evolution' and 'catalysis'? Hmph, it's nothing more than a fancy cloak for 'meaninglessness'!

"He sometimes follows the rules, sometimes breaks them. Sometimes he plays the role of a wise man, sometimes he acts like a madman."

It all depends on His mood today, and which side seems more 'dramatic'.

Finally, "The Greatest Explained" concludes this "Brief History of the Great" with a single, concluding line of text that shimmers with dazzling golden light:
"So, my dear little readers."

You now hold the 'Craftsman's Labyrinth Key' gifted to you by the leader of the 'Order Faction' in your left hand, and my master's 'Mischief Handbook' in your right. Are you preparing to become a diligent builder, helping civilization construct a more perfect house?

Or are you prepared to be an improvisational actor in this grand drama called 'reality,' ready to step on stage at any moment and surprise (or scare) the main actors?

The golden light became exceptionally dazzling at this moment:
"Think about it carefully, child."

After all, being able to get access to the back-end systems of several 'kitchens' simultaneously, and also win the favor of the most discerning 'food critics'...
You're the first of your kind in this era!

When the last page of "The Complete Guide to the Extraordinary" was closed and the room returned to silence, Ron was still immersed in the shock of the information he had just received.

He slowly leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, letting his thoughts surge like a tide.

"Two kitchens, one critic"

He pondered the metaphor repeatedly in his mind.

The Creator faction pursues "order," the Apocalypse disciples advocate "evolution," and the King of Absurdity's "playfulness."

These are not just three different stances, but also three completely different "essences of power".

And now...

Ron's gaze fell on the fractal crystal beacon on the table.

It continues to relentlessly reconstruct itself, with internal light points colliding, coalescing, and separating like stardust.
Just as my thoughts were churning, the communication crystal suddenly lit up faintly.

That was a brief message from Silas:
"Ralph, meet at the conference room in the industrial area at 8:00 AM tomorrow morning."

All technical equipment and personnel are in place and ready to assist you.

This news was like a bucket of cold water, pulling him back from his grand reverie to concrete reality.

Yes, no matter how exciting the epochal struggle between the "two kitchens" may be, no matter how thought-provoking the playful philosophy of the King of Absurdity may be.

He is now facing an extremely specific and urgent technical problem.

He was so resentful of the mineral vein project that he couldn't wait to slowly digest this profound wisdom.

Tomorrow, in that mine filled with a thousand years of resentment, he must deliver a satisfactory answer.

“However,” Ron sat up straight again:
"Perhaps this is a good opportunity to put our knowledge into practice."

He recalled the last sentence of "The Complete Explanation of the Extraordinary":

"Are you prepared to be a diligent construction worker, or an improvisational actor ready to surprise the lead actors at any moment?"

Now it seems that the problem of the resentment vein that he is about to face can just confirm the direction of this choice.

The traditional "construction worker" approach is the standardized purification solution that the Silas team has used for the past decade:
Use stronger rules to suppress chaos, and use more sophisticated technology to control variables.

The "improvisational actor" approach, on the other hand, means engaging in genuine interaction and dialogue with "other actors" (the resentment itself) based on a thorough understanding of the "script" (the historical causes of the resentment).
He needs to be fully prepared.

No matter how sophisticated a theory is, if it cannot be transformed into a workable technical solution, it is just a castle in the air.

To transform his intellectual insights into engineering practice, he needed not more theoretical thinking, but countless simulations and exercises.

Fortunately, he now has the best "rehearsal space": the civilization sand table left behind by the King of Perfection.

Ron took a deep breath and began making final preparations for the upcoming "rehearsal".

Tomorrow, the depths of the mine will be his testing ground for integrating the wisdom of "order," "chaos," and "absurdity."

If he succeeds, he will be able to clarify his path through this experience and gain an unprecedented position in the colonies, ending the so-called "hang period";
It failed.
He shook his head, banishing the thought from his mind.

Now is not the time to consider failure.

Guided by his will, the mysterious sand table bestowed by the King of Perfection slowly emerged from the depths of the sea of ​​thought.

At this moment, the dramatic impact of the "paradoxical dice" has faded.

The sand table has been restored to its original function as a precision simulator:

Cold and rational, yet containing infinite possibilities.

Ron took a deep breath and carefully took out a lead box sealed by multiple rune restrictions.

This seemingly ordinary metal box is densely covered with damping runes, isolation circuits, and mental barrier arrays.

Every protective measure is doing its best to suppress the terrifying energy sealed within.

Inside the box, a dark crystal weighing less than ten grams and about the size of a fingernail lay quietly.

This was the "silent mineral salt" sample that Alistair had given him specifically for preliminary research when he left the experimental area.

Even from such a small piece, the solidified resentment contained within caused him, a Moon-level wizard, to feel a deep-seated tremor in his heart.

Even through layers of protection, the overwhelming sense of despair continued to erode his mental defenses.

He had to constantly maintain the protective barrier he had built to keep out the terrifying chill that seemed to drag his soul into the abyss.

"Is this the 'traces' left by a thousand years of oppression?"

Ron stared at the seemingly ordinary dark crystal.

In his pupils, enhanced by the Eye of the Observer, this piece of salt was no ordinary mineral.

It is more like a vessel of suffering, a historical record written in blood and tears.

He gently placed the lead box on the edge of the sand table, on the gleaming silver "data import interface".

As magic was injected, the interface immediately emitted a gentle blue light, beginning to "gaze" at the sample like awakened eyes.

"Analyze the complete information structure of this substance and construct a full-scale simulated mine environment with this as the core pollution source."

Ron focused his mind and gave clear instructions to the sand table.

He originally thought this would be an extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive deduction process.

After all, the amount of computation required to reconstruct a complete mine environment from such a small sample is astronomical.

However, what happened next was completely beyond his expectations.

The sand table flashed for less than ten seconds.

The crisscrossing energy circuits lit up and went out like a tide, the whole process so fast that it was almost impossible to catch the details.

The next moment, when the light subsided, an incredibly realistic virtual mine, shrouded in dark resentment, appeared before him!

This is neither a rudimentary diagram nor an abstract data model.

This is a complete world that is almost indistinguishable from reality—

Deep within the mine tunnels, the wails of a thousand years ago echoed.

On the damp walls, there were bloodstains of despair.
The air was thick with a suffocating sense of oppression;

Even the figures of the miners who had long since died appeared faintly in the darkness, repeating the labor they had done in life.
The energy fluctuations, emotional frequencies, and historical echoes are exactly the same as the real samples, and are even more perfect in some details!
Ron's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly realized the crux of the problem:

"This is not deduction...this is 'retrieval' and 'reconstruction'!"

The truly terrifying aspect of the sand table that Hephaestus bestowed upon him may not lie in its so-called "simulation computing power" at all.

What's truly terrifying is that it may contain "data" of almost all known matter, phenomena, and historical events since the Second Age!
What it just did was precisely retrieve the complete archive information of "dormant mineral salt" from this vast database.

Then, like building blocks, the corresponding high-precision simulation scene was quickly generated.

"As expected of a treasure left behind by the Creator's eldest disciple, it seems I underestimated it. This is no longer just a simulator..."

Ron thought to himself, as if he had found a treasure:

"This is a miniature 'private domain server'!"

At the same time, another thought flashed through his mind like lightning:
If this server containing a "huge database" could be combined with my own simulation device full of "chaotic variables".
The two may be able to complement each other's strengths:

One provides accurate underlying data, while the other introduces a wide range of random variables.

The fusion of order and chaos is a true reflection of the "roommate reconciliation" parable just told in "The Complete Guide to the Extraordinary".

Suppressing that thought for the time being, Ron got down to business.

(End of this chapter)