Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

"No solution?" Selna raised an eyebrow:

"In the world of mysticism, no problem is truly 'unsolvable'."

"It's just that the technology of my time wasn't advanced enough to find the right method."

A fire rekindled in her eyes: "But you're different."

"I told you last time we met that your abilities and wisdom might be able to complete the work I had not finished."

"Now it seems I wasn't wrong."

The witch circled Ron, looking him up and down:

"The chaotic aura around you is much stronger than last time. The essence of chaos is that 'all things can be integrated'."

"If we can use this power as a 'medium,' perhaps we can really break down the barrier between vampires and humans..."

"This is one of the reasons I summoned you."

Ron took out a stack of documents from his storage space:
"This is the current research progress of the 'Sunwalker Project', including experimental data and theoretical deductions."

"I need you to review this from a bloodline perspective to see if there are any omissions or errors."

"Let me make it clear first, the lifespan of this historical projection of mine is limited."

"We need to hurry up and clarify the most critical issues first."

"If you can really succeed in improving the vampire clan's biggest flaw, 'reproductive isolation'..."

Selna took the documents and began flipping through them as she spoke:

“That would truly be the creation of a new race, and the ‘blessings’ you would receive would be enough to allow you to access the ‘Ancient Alchemists’…”

As she spoke, she pulled out a floating cushion from somewhere and plopped down on it:

Let me tell you about my situation back then.

"The wizarding civilization of that time was completely different from that of today."

This petite "Lady of Blood" was lifted off the ground by the levitation cushions and circled around him once:
"There are no red tape of academic alliances, no rules and regulations of the Court of Truth, and no concept of 'taboo research'..."

"That was an era where 'no taboos were taboo'."

"Any research can be conducted as long as you have the ability, the courage, and the resources."

"Vivisection? It's commonplace."

"Soul experiments? They're everywhere."

"Interspecies fusion? That was the topic that our generation of scholars was most passionate about."

She chuckled softly, her tone tinged with nostalgia and self-deprecation:

“Modern wizards always say that our era was ‘barbaric,’ ‘cruel,’ and ‘without any moral boundaries’…”

"But it was precisely that 'barbarity' that propelled the rapid development of mysticism."

"Most of the basic theories that wizarding civilizations use today were established during that period."

"Including—bloodline studies."

Ron listened intently, while simultaneously constructing a picture of that distant era in his mind.

"When the original vampires were first discovered, it caused a huge uproar in the wizarding world."

Selna continued:
“A species driven entirely by a ‘curse,’ which needs neither food nor water and can survive solely by feeding on blood…”

"This was simply unbelievable at the time."

“Countless scholars rushed to study them—some wanted to unravel the nature of the curse, some wanted to use them as weapons, and others…”

She looked at Ron: "I want to 'modify' them."

"I am the latter."

Why did you choose 'remodeling'?

Ron asked.

"Because I saw 'possibility'."

Selna's eyes were filled with the researcher's fervor:

"Although the original vampires are 'products of the curse,' they possess astonishing vitality and adaptability."

"Their regenerative abilities, strength amplification, enhanced senses, and various innate superpowers... each one far surpasses those of ordinary demonized creatures."

"If we can retain these characteristics while eliminating the negative effects of the 'curse'... that would be the perfect 'new species'."

She explained in detail:

"Of course, it's easier said than done."

"The 'curse' of the original vampires has permeated every aspect of their existence—genes, soul, and even the concept itself."

"To 'eliminate' it is almost like starting the entire species from scratch."

"So I changed my approach."

“It’s not about ‘removing’ it; I want to transform the ‘curse’ from a ‘binding’ into a ‘helping’ force.”

Ron's eyes lit up; this was exactly the direction he was trying to take in the "Daywalker Project"!
“Speaking of which…” Selna glanced at him a few times:

"Most of the great wizards' ethereal remains are 'closed,' representing a certain power or concept."

"But your ethereal body is 'open,' representing the 'unknown' and 'possibility' itself."

“This trait…” she looked at Ron thoughtfully, “is very much like the style of the teacher when he was young.”

"Your teacher?"

Ron raised an eyebrow: "You mean... Her Majesty Saint Pandora?"

Selna bluntly remarked, "Yes, teachers in the past weren't nearly as 'dignified' as they are now."

Ron's expression became subtle.

"You do not believe?"

Upon seeing this, Selna immediately became interested:

"Let me tell you about the 'good deeds' she did back then!"

"Once, she somehow got hold of a 'Nightmare Beast,' which is the kind of abyssal creature that feeds on nightmares."

"We originally intended to study its 'dream erosion' ability, but somehow that nightmare beast broke free of its restraints and ran into our school's library."

"It stayed inside for three days and three nights, and ate up all the 'contents' of the books!"

Do you know what 'eating content' means?

The witch gestured with her hands: "The book is still here, the paper, the binding, the cover—all intact."

"But when you open it, every page is blank!"

"Tens of thousands of precious books have all been turned into blank sheets of paper!"

"The entire academic accumulation of the school of thought vanished overnight!"

Ron was genuinely surprised this time; he had really messed things up big enough.

"What then?"

"And then?" Selna shrugged.

"The teacher used his 'illusionary' powers to 'restore' those books one by one."

"Her memory is simply insane; she can remember every single word in every book!"

"Although some details may be off, the general content is restored to be about 80-90% accurate."

"This event later became a 'legend' in the school of thought—both the 'greatest disaster' and the 'greatest remedy'."

"From then on, no one dared to question Pandora's 'madness' and 'genius' anymore."

Just then, an untimely voice came from the depths of Ron's consciousness.

"Hmph, 'restoration'?"

Acelia's tone was full of sarcasm:

"That bitch's 'restoration' is nothing but a tampering!"

"According to the data in the Dragon Clan's collective memory bank, her 'restored' version is completely different from the original!"

"She 'revised' some key theories and 'deleted' some sensitive content..."

"To put it bluntly, she took this opportunity to rewrite the entire school's knowledge system into the form she wanted!"

"Why does your expression look so strange?" Selna keenly noticed the change in his expression.

“Nothing…” Ron cleared his throat. “Just remembered some… interesting things.”

"What's interesting?" Selna pressed.

“Uh…” Ron carefully chose his words:

“I know a friend who has some different opinions about Her Majesty Pandora…”

"Oh?" Selna became interested. "What's your opinion?"

“She said…”

Ron carefully relayed Azalea's words:
“The ‘restoration’ of Princess Pandora may not be entirely accurate; some content… has been ‘modified’.”

Selna paused for a moment, then burst into laughter:

"Your friend is a sensible person!"

"This is an open secret in the industry!"

"The teacher did indeed tamper with a lot of content under the guise of 'restoration'."

"But no one dared to investigate—firstly, there was no evidence, and secondly..."

She shrugged: "She was already a potential witch king back then, who would dare to mess with her?"

"And to be honest, most of the things she 'modified' were indeed more 'reasonable' than the original version."

“Some ancient fallacies have been corrected, and some chaotic systems have been sorted out… From an academic point of view, the ‘revised’ version may even be more valuable.”

"Of course, that doesn't mean what she did was right."

"Unauthorized alteration of another person's intellectual property, regardless of the purpose, is a form of..."

She paused, as if searching for the right word: "Arrogant, perhaps."

"An arrogance that thinks 'you are right more than everyone else'."

Ron nodded in empathy.

Deep within her consciousness, Acelia's voice echoed once more:

"Look, even her students say so!"

"That wretched woman is just like that—she always thinks she's right and everyone else is wrong!"

"When she took me to be dissected back then, she even 'kindly' explained, 'It's for the sake of academic progress'..."

"It's as if you can do whatever you want just by using the name of 'academic'!"

Ron listened silently without interrupting.

He knew Azalea needed to vent.

It's good that these pent-up resentments, accumulated over countless years, occasionally erupt.

"The teacher has another habit."

Selna's tone became lighter: "She likes to draw during breaks in experiments."

“What are you drawing?” Ron asked.

"I'll draw anything," Selna laughed.

“Landscapes, people, and even bizarre creatures in experiments.”

"Once, He painted a portrait of me."

"I was focused on the experiment and didn't notice her secretly drawing me next to me."

"When I saw the finished product, I was absolutely stunned—he painted me much prettier than I actually am!"

“I said, ‘Teacher, did you draw something wrong? This doesn’t look like me.’”

She just smiled and said, 'I painted your soul.'

"Your soul is so beautiful."

Selna's cheeks flushed slightly:

"Although I later realized that she was just making excuses for her mistake... I was really happy at the time."

"Soul?" Acelia sneered in Ron's mind:

"Her way of appreciating the 'soul' is to separate the soul from the body, put it in a petri dish, and observe it carefully."

"I remember she stared at the fragments of my soul for a long time:"

'What a beautiful structure... It's a pity that the soul of a pure-blooded dragon is too stubborn to be fully extracted.'

"If only I could obtain a complete dragon soul specimen..."

"Oh."

"In her eyes, 'beauty' is nothing more than an 'object' that can be studied, analyzed, and collected."

Ron silently endured Azalea's complaints in his heart, while trying his best to maintain a calm demeanor.

"Alright, enough chit-chat."

On the other side, Selna had already put away her smile: "Back to the main topic."

"I have some thoughts to share with you regarding the issue of 'reproductive isolation'."

She moved the floating cushion to the projection array in the center of the laboratory:

"First, you need to understand the nature of 'reproductive isolation'."

The witch waved her finger, and a complex set of runes appeared in the air:

"The definition of human beings is 'life'—birth, aging, illness, death, metabolism, intergenerational transmission... these constitute the foundation of human existence."

Selna explained: "The 'definition' of vampires is 'curse'—immortality, feeding on blood, eternal reincarnation... these concepts contradict 'life'."

"When two contradictory 'definitions' attempt to merge, the result can only be mutual exclusion and eventual destruction."

She zoomed in on the rune diagram:

“Look here—this is a ‘curse mark’ in the vampire genes.”

"It's like a 'brand,' deeply engraved in every corner of the blood."

"Even though my modified vampires have gotten rid of most of the negative effects, this 'mark' still exists."

"When the genes of a new vampire attempt to combine with human genes, this 'mark' is 'activated,' attacking all 'non-cursed' components..."

"Ultimately leading to embryonic death or deformity."

Ron was deep in thought.

"So... the solution isn't to 'remove' the curse mark, but to find a way to make it 'compatible' with the definition of 'life'?"

"clever."

Selna nodded approvingly:

"Elimination is impossible—the curse mark has become part of the vampire's existence, and forcibly removing it would be tantamount to wiping out the entire species."

"But 'compatibility' is possible."

"If a 'bridge' can be found to connect the two contradictory definitions of 'curse' and 'life'... the barrier between vampires and humans can be broken down."

She turned to Ron, her gaze intense:

"And this 'bridge'... might be hidden in your unique ethereal body, in your chaotic power."

"But while the power of chaos can 'melt all things,' it is also extremely unstable."

"Your previous experimental subjects were cleverly treated with pollutants, which served as a certain 'buffer' effect."

"But pollutants themselves also have limitations; they cannot completely tame the 'randomness' of chaos."

“So…” her voice became serious: “You need to find a more ‘precise’ means of control.”

"It can preserve the 'fusion' property of the power of chaos while eliminating its 'random' property."

"Only in this way can we ensure that every 'transformation' is controllable, replicable, and predictable."

Ron fell into deep thought.

With more precise control, his own illusory form appeared in his mind—[Threshold of Darkness].

It can "filter" the chaotic flow of information, allowing only specific content to pass through.

If this ability could be applied to bloodline modification...

Thinking of this, he immediately explained his idea to the witch sitting leisurely on the floating cushion in front of him.

“I think I understand what you mean.” Selna frowned.

"Use your 'filtering' from your ethereal body to control the output of chaotic power?"

"It is theoretically feasible, but it would be very complicated in practice."

“You need to build a ‘miniature filtration system’ to continuously filter out chaos… The scale of the project is unimaginable.”

Ron nodded, admitting that the plan was indeed somewhat far-fetched.

But research is inherently a process of continuous trial and error, and constant adjustment.

Although today's discussion did not yield a final answer, it pointed him in the right direction.

"Alright, the duration of my projection is almost up."

Selna looked at her hands, which were gradually becoming transparent:
"Let me give you one last piece of advice: the research of wizards is a never-ending road."

"The deeper you go, the more problems you encounter; the more problems you solve, the more complex the new problems that arise."

The witch's vibrant blue eyes turned somewhat serious:
"I was lost in my own obsession back then... I hope you won't repeat my mistakes."

"When you find yourself becoming obsessed with 'perfection' and pursuing 'results' by any means necessary..."

"You should stop and ask yourself—is this really what I want?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the projection completely disappeared.

………………

Grand Duke Alkadi Valentine of the Heart Clan sat alone in an ebony chair, the communication array in front of him already prepared.

He took out three bottles of "Twilight Tears" from his pocket and carefully placed them on the three nodes of the magic circle.

Each bottle of this rare wine is priceless.

But for the person we're contacting today, this is just an "entry fee."

Magic was injected, and the magic circle began to operate.

Blood mist rose from the ground, swirled and condensed in the air, and finally transformed into a blurry humanoid outline.

The figure was short and stocky with surprisingly broad shoulders.

"Yo—Arcadi!"

A voice heavy with drunkenness rang out, followed by a loud burp:

"Long time no see, old friend!"

Gaetano's projection gradually became clearer.

He was still holding that iconic barrel, a few drops of wine stains clinging to his fiery red beard, his cheeks as red as a blazing furnace.

"Your Excellency Gaetano."

The Grand Duke forced a polite smile:

"I'm sorry to disturb your rest. There are some things I'd like to ask you about."

"consult?"

The dwarf wizard raised an eyebrow:

"When did you dukes become so polite?"

He shook the barrel, and the liquid inside made a gurgling sound.

“You didn’t act like this last time when you collectively ‘protested’ against the academic alliance.”

The Grand Duke's expression stiffened slightly.

That happened a few months ago.

When Ron was officially appointed as the Supreme Governor of the Chaotic Blood World, the Grand Dukes of the thirteen clans jointly raised objections to the School Alliance.

Their demands were well-founded:
The Chaotic Blood World is the territory of the vampires. To appoint an outsider wizard as the highest-ranking official is a trampling on the dignity of the vampires.

The governorship should be held by vampire dukes on a rotating basis, with wizards serving as "advisors" at most.

However, the alliance of schools of thought responded with a brief, almost indifferent response:

"The recommendation is rejected, but the appointment is effective."

They didn't even give us a chance to discuss it.

Just like their joint protest by the thirteen dukes, it was nothing more than a bunch of children making a fuss.

"We did underestimate their determination."

Alkadi gritted his teeth and admitted it.

“Underestimate?” Gaetano scoffed.
"You've all lost your minds because of blood."

He took another big gulp of wine and wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth:

"Don't you know who's backing Ron Ralph?"

"What are thirteen great confederations compared to those great ones when they join forces?"

The Grand Duke remained silent; what Gaetano said was true.

After a while, he continued, "Sir, I heard you attended Ron's wedding?"

"Hmm?" Gaetano narrowed his eyes, casting a scrutinizing gaze:
"What, you want to hear some gossip too?"

“This isn’t gossip.” The Grand Duke’s voice turned serious: “I want to know…his true strength.”

This question caused a subtle change in the dwarf wizard's expression.

He stopped shaking the barrel, and the drunkenness on his face seemed to have subsided somewhat.

Do you know about 'phantom collision'?

“I understand.” Alkadi nodded.
"The least frequent, yet most direct, contest of power among great wizards."

The two ethereal entities collided without any fancy maneuvers; strength was strength, and weakness was weakness.

"Very good, you know a lot."

Gaetano's tone became serious:
"At the wedding, Princess Eve organized a 'sparring session'."

“She named three people—Syles, Alvin, and Nitil.”

Arkadi recalled the documents in his hand:
"These three people... are they all people who had a grudge against those two in the past?"

"Yes."

The dwarf nodded: "Princess Eve used the celebration as an excuse to settle old scores all at once."

"And this happened in front of four witch kings and hundreds of wizards."

"Those three couldn't refuse even if they wanted to—if they backed down in that situation, how could they ever face the wizarding world again?"

He shook his head, his tone tinged with emotion: "I must say, the Crown Clan's methods are indeed formidable."

"And what was the result?" Alkadi pressed.

Gaetano lifted the barrel of wine, looked at the surface of the liquid against a certain light source, seemingly reminiscing about the feast:
"Celes—didn't even manage to block one move."

"His dilapidated Tower of Remnants is as fragile as paper in front of Ralph's ethereal remains."

After only one exchange, one-fifth of the tower collapsed.

"The pages scattered like fallen leaves, some turning to ashes on the spot, others becoming ordinary pieces of paper after losing their magical support..."

"The scene, how should I put it?"

The dwarf smacked his lips:

"It's like trying to break a steel fortress with a thatched hut—it's utterly vulnerable."

The Grand Duke frowned deeply.

He knew Cyrus.

Although that guy's ethereal body did have flaws.

But he was, after all, a legitimate great wizard who had been operating within the school alliance for hundreds of years and had many tricks up his sleeve.

A power that could break him in one round...

"Where is Archmage Elwin?"

"It's slightly better, but not by much."

Gaetano's tone became playful:
"He tried to measure Ralph's worth with his own empty shell."

"As a result..." the dwarf chuckled, "the scales collapsed under the weight."

"The mournful sound of the scales could be heard throughout the entire hall."

Upon hearing this, the Grand Duke's brows furrowed so deeply they could have trapped a fly.

"As for Nytil..."

Gaetano's tone became somewhat strange: "She was given some face by Ralph and eventually stepped down on her own."

Nitil Brown—the current director of the Abyss Observatory—is at least a mid-tier wizard in terms of strength; even she couldn't directly confront Ron…

Alkadi's brain was working at high speed, processing the information he had just received.

He began to consider in his mind:

On average, the strength of the vampire grand duke is weaker than that of the grand wizards of the wizard civilization.

This is not him belittling his own people, but rather a precise and objective assessment.

The great wizard's methods are too diverse—voids, various spells or secret techniques, high-level potions, alchemical creations, contracted creatures... He can always find weaknesses that vampires are not good at dealing with.

The power of vampires mainly comes from inheritance, which puts them at a natural disadvantage in terms of flexibility and adaptability.

If the opponent can easily crush great wizards like Cyrus and Elwin...

“That means…” Alkadi sensed something was wrong:
"Even the lower and middle-ranking dukes of the thirteenth kilometer are probably no match for him."

"Finally figured it out?" Gaetano rolled his eyes.

“Ralph’s current strength is already quite close to the level of a ‘top archmage’.”

He counted on his fingers, one by one: "Thirteen major kilometers..."

"You might be the only one who can reliably defeat him in a head-on confrontation."

After all, you're widely recognized as the strongest, and playing at home gives you a bonus.

“Hilda should also have a chance, but she has never liked direct confrontation.”

"As for the rest..." The dwarf shook his head and said no more.

The Grand Duke's expression grew increasingly grim.

He originally thought that Ron was only able to wield power because of the influence he had.

Unexpectedly, the opponent's personal strength had also reached such a level.

At less than a hundred years old... he has already reached this level.

The phrase "the qualities of a king" truly touched his heart for the first time.

Gaetano observed the Grand Duke's changing expressions, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He took another swig of wine, and then, seemingly casually, spoke:
"By the way, Arcadi..."

"Has that 'false king' made any moves lately?" (End of Chapter)