My setting is above yours!

Chapter 60: The Opportunity to Construct a Formula, The Minister Arrives (5k8)

"No, don't kill me! I'm still useful, I'm still useful!"

The magician, clad in protective gear, writhed and screamed like a caged beast, his body trembling:
"As the top scorer in the college entrance exam, your knowledge of magic and the investment from [Tian Ting Media] mean you must be a top contender for the [Astrology Society] this generation, right?"

"I am an alchemist of the Golden Dawn! I know many secrets, and I can tell you who the next Grand Master candidate of the Golden Dawn is!"

“I know which city he’s in. You’re so capable, you can definitely kill him. Don’t you want to know who’s competing with you for a championship rotation spot next year…”

[Astrological Society]? [Golden Dawn]?
This sounds pretty much the same as the "Church of Embers" the old magician mentioned before—just another church organization for magicians...

In this light, do the three giant companies of Ideal City all have some connection with the church organization of such a magician?

[Tian Ting Media] is related to [The Astrological Association], and [Noah Medicine] is related to [Golden Dawn]...

Which magician's church organization is the most powerful entity, [Moen Business], which controls the Ideal City government, associated with?

It seems these "magicians" are truly ubiquitous.

They're inside the ideal city...maybe everywhere.

Ron seemed lost in thought, remaining silent as he lifted the magician up, wiped the mask clean, and examined his face closely.

Seeing that Ron remained unmoved, his forehead covered in cold sweat, the magician's desire to save himself surged, and he spoke again:

"I can help you, I really can help you! Let me go back to Noah's Medicine, and once I reach P21 and get ministerial authority, I can unlock all the files from the Seeking Knowledge Experiment!"

"By then, I will know what Prometheus's Experiment of Knowledge is, and I will also understand the company's proposed plan for this Experiment of Knowledge!"

"Don't you want the sector access to [Prometheus]? Believe me, knowing your enemy is the key to victory, and I'm very useful, very useful!"

But Ron just watched him quietly.

His eyes were deep and calm, like a still pool without ripples.

Upon seeing Ron's serene eyes, the magician felt a chill creep through his heart and then into his limbs.

He realized something profoundly—

He is going to die.

This is something that nothing he says can change!
Despair loomed large, and the magician, who had been desperately trying to save himself, ultimately lost all hope.

His words faltered, and in the end he could only stammer out a sentence filled with regret:
"Why... do we have to fight for a promotion opportunity..."

"I... I shouldn't have come to the inner city of Ideal City..."

After saying that, he was completely drained of his strength and fell silent.

Seeing the magician fall completely silent and become as listless as a wilted eggplant, Ron said softly:
"Actually, if you really repent, I might spare your life and send you to the police station to atone for your sins, which would be fulfilling my duty..."

"But your sins are too grave, and your acting is too clumsy—"

When you mention ordinary people, I can even see a fleeting, condescending disdain for those poor people in your eyes.

"Consider what you just said... as your last words."

As he spoke, he stretched his wrists and calmly delivered the verdict:

"Having said my last words, it's time for me to go."

The flow of blood suddenly reversed.

"In your next life, I advise you to be a good person."

"Heh, heh..."

The magician trembled in agony, but all he could manage was a groan choked with blood…

Blood gushed out from his seven orifices like an explosion, staining the face mask of his protective suit blood red.

After confirming that he was completely dead, Ron changed into the [Potion Sequence], lit a wisp of dark green necromantic fire, opened the man's mask, and threw it on his corpse.

His body was instantly engulfed by the deep green, icy flames, turning into a pile of white ash that fell into his protective suit in no time.

Ron tore open the protective suit, rummaged through it briefly, and unsurprisingly found a delicate sapphire ring buried in the ashes inside the gloves.

Upon closer inspection of the ring, a groove was indeed found inside the ring band, which was its neural interface.

Sure enough, every magician wears this "power amplifier" to record and release magic.

Ron rummaged through the pockets of the protective suit again and found a fist-sized, rather illusory-looking green fruit.

It was contained in a small, transparent, silk-thin bag, clearly a container made by Noah Medicine to prevent the potion material from being corroded by the Anti-Mystic Equation.

So this is the material the magician harvested from the "hollow" in the factory?
Why does it look so unreal? It seems like the magic within it is rather weak. Is it because if it were used as a potion ingredient, the potion it could make would have a lower potion sequence?
Or did this guy drain some of its magic?

I don't even know what sequence of potion ingredients they are...

Ron silently put the fruit away, then switched back to [Superpowered] and used [Vector Manipulation] to tear the protective suit to shreds.

They then haphazardly ripped open the illegally constructed electrical wires outside the roadside sheds, controlled the current to heat the shredded, synthetic fiber medical protective suits, and directly ignited them...

These fragments melted and dripped, emitting a pungent fumes, and finally turned into a black, hard, glassy residue that fell to the ground.

These remnants were then casually crushed and blown away by Ron, and everything vanished into thin air.

After completely destroying the magician's body and all evidence, Ron picked up the ring and connected it to his brain-computer interface, just like he had done with the old magician's "power amplifier"—

Soon, two familiar programs popped up on his brain-computer interface.

"Magic" and "Association".

There was no time to worry about what this person did in the association, or what historical commissions and records they had. Ron directly opened the "Magic" interface.

Soon, more than twenty options popped up on the brain-computer interface, twice as many as the magic models the old magician had recorded before!
However, the vast majority of these are useless things, just "gravity-based" magic tricks that try to control gravity in various ways...

But if he wants to control gravity... does Ron have to use magic?

Vector manipulation is much better than this thing!
He searched carefully and finally found what he was looking for at the very end of the options—

[Consolidation Ceremony]!
It can solidify temporary abilities, like [ability formulas], through ritual magic, but the strength of the solidified abilities is noticeably different.

From the magician's few words, it seems that magicians are also divided into different levels...

For example, this magician said that this [Consolidation Ritual] is the most expensive level of orthodox magic, and that the pendant in his hand was made by a [Grand] level magician.

Clearly, the [ability formula] used by the tomb raider Ron encountered when he was guarding the morgue at the patrol bureau was far less powerful than the magic inscribed in this pendant, known as the "limitation ritual."

Thinking about it carefully, that person's ability might have come from the so-called "ritual magic" of this ceremonial position...

I don't know why this kind of "ritual magic" works in Ideal City... Could it be that the [Anti-Mystic Equation] can't destroy them?
Ron pondered for a moment, carefully considering what the magician had just said, and then recalling the "promotion ceremony" recorded in the diary of the madman in charge of the underground laboratory. Suddenly, he understood.

Could it be because the items they use in their "ritual magic" are all ingredients from these potions?
The extraordinary properties carried by the potion ingredients are the only mysterious products that Ron discovered that cannot be destroyed by the Anti-Mystic Formula...

It is thanks to these that "ritual magic" can be performed normally and not be worn down by the [Anti-Mystic Formula].

Does that mean I now have the opportunity to create a temporary formula for myself?
Ron hadn't forgotten the materials he'd just acquired. He clicked on the [Consolidation Ritual] option with great interest, but it had no effect. Instead, a very detailed magic circle model popped up in front of him.

What's going on... Aren't all these magicians' "magic tricks" just something you can use with a click?
Ron frowned and studied it carefully before discovering that after opening it in the terminal, he could only see a magic circle model. It couldn't be performed in a simple, foolproof way like ordinary "magic." It seemed that a ritual had to be constructed in reality to make it work.

However, performing rituals is a troublesome matter that is quite difficult even for magicians...

Someone like Ron, a complete idiot when it comes to mysticism, definitely can't use it right now.

However, although Ron cannot join the Magicians' Association or find himself a teacher in Ideal City, it does not mean that ritual magic is just sitting idle and gathering dust in Ron's hands.

After all, how could magic be as authoritative as the superhumans of the "Potion Age" when those struggling to survive in this era were?

If Ron just goes back to the "Potion Era" and asks Guild Master Elvis, or even Idrila, he should be able to easily learn this ritual magic...

However, it's unclear what effect the temporary formula constructed using ritual magic will actually have—

Is it just a pure increase in combat power, or...?

Could this allow Ron to take a step forward in building the formula?
Ron seemed to be deep in thought as he thoroughly organized his gains, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

As expected... the result I had predicted was correct.

To encounter an enemy who isn't particularly strong, but is full of treasures and can reveal so much useful information...

It truly deserves the title of "Minor Blessing"!
Next, let's hurry back to the factory and meet up with Xia Zhi and the others.

However, when the time comes, we'll have to figure out a way to fabricate something about the magician's whereabouts...

Ron nodded in satisfaction and activated [Vector Control] once again, quickly flying back to the factory.

At the same time, on the other side——

"Phew... that superpower that could suppress our personal reality has disappeared..."

Xia Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, settled the still unconscious Ji Jin aside, and without hesitation gave instructions to the team members beside her:

"Report immediately! Request assistance from Headquarters for Artemis, and also request support from other squads!" She remained vigilant, carefully surveying her surroundings, and solemnly stated:

"The guy we've encountered this time is probably no ordinary person... He dared to assault the police on the spot and used the kind of ability that could suppress our personal reality, so he's no ordinary criminal!"

“To deal with this kind of person, we have to strike hard—you guys request support now, I'll go through the captain's channel to request the activation of [Artemis]'s temporary management authority, and wait for Ji Jin to regain consciousness.”

She arranged things methodically:
"Ron is very strong; he can easily hold out against that man for ten minutes."

"Once backup arrives in ten minutes, I'll apply for temporary access and immediately go help him to bring that bastard to justice..."

But before she could finish speaking, a loud, buzzing sound of propellers suddenly came from not far away, growing louder and louder—

The next moment, they saw a helicopter painted with the patrol bureau's livery fly over the factory from a distance.

"Captain! This looks like reinforcements from the bureau. They arrived before we even submitted a request!"

A hint of joy couldn't help but appear on C03's face:
"We have backup! That lunatic who attacked the police must be brought to justice today!"

Xia Zhi frowned as she watched the iron bird approaching from the sky.

Helicopter?
Could it be that someone at headquarters is currently monitoring the entire city of Artemis, discovered the trouble here, and sent a reinforcement team over without saying a word?
But that doesn't make sense... This is clearly the outermost layer of Sector D, there aren't many cameras here at all, even Artemis shouldn't be able to track this kind of place...

Xia Zhi couldn't help but feel a little doubtful, and it deepened as the helicopter slowly descended and got closer.

Wait... is that really the paint scheme of the D District General Inspection Bureau?

Why is the "Barking Officer" on the helicopter gone?

Previously, in order to create a mascot and for promotional purposes, every vehicle that the entire organization could get their hands on was painted with "Officer Barking's" big head!

She didn't recall any fish escaping... and wasn't this helicopter too new?

The General Inspection Bureau in District D of Ideal City shouldn't have such a new helicopter... Where did the bureau get the funds to replace the equipment?

With these thoughts in mind, Xia Zhi's doubts grew stronger and stronger...

Then, he suddenly realized the key to it, and his eyes widened slightly.

She immediately called out to the C03 helicopter that was preparing to intercept it, shouting:

"No! That's not a helicopter from the D District Chief Patrol Bureau!"

"Come back quickly! This thing...this thing might be the enemy..."

But before she could finish speaking, she suddenly felt her body sink.

The next moment, the "space" that was still within reach disappeared once again.

Like her, everyone else's abilities were suddenly suppressed, turning them from superpowered individuals into ordinary people...

"I didn't expect that not all of you are fools?"

"Luckily, I knew all along that a young guy like Xiao Wang, who had just been promoted, couldn't handle you guys, so I was prepared to take matters into my own hands..."

A gentle, slightly melancholic voice rang in everyone's ears.

Suddenly, a middle-aged man wearing a white coat jumped out of the helicopter. He was holding a pendant and swaying it, and his face looked somewhat tired.

He casually pushed open the cabin door and jumped out while the helicopter was hovering in the air, landing lightly on the ground as if unaffected by the impact, without sustaining any injury.

Only the cracked ground beneath his feet told everyone... this guy was no ordinary superhuman!
Moreover, this ability that was suddenly suppressed...

Clearly, this was also the work of this person!

"Who are you!"

Xia Zhi immediately raised her pistol and pointed it at his head, saying sternly:

"This is Team C-112, I am Operations Officer C01!"

"You are suspected of assaulting a police officer. Please immediately cease your illegal actions and cease all resistance!"

"Assaulting a police officer? Giving up resistance?"

The tired middle-aged man in the white coat didn't seem to care about Xia Zhi's questioning and threats. Instead, he simply chuckled softly and said:

"Looks like I need to retract my earlier assessment..."

As he spoke, the tone of his voice gradually turned cold:
"People like you, always wanting to get involved in everything, the trash from the patrol bureau... you really don't have any brains!"

"A group of powerless individuals whose abilities have been suppressed are facing off against a Level 3 esper..."

"Don't you even know who's stronger right now?"

He reached out his hand, and his personal reality suddenly expanded, driving his abilities—

Vines are entwined!

The next moment, tendrils suddenly rose from the ground, instantly binding all members of the C-112 squad and neatly eliminating their ability to resist!
What... what is this?!

Xia Zhi stared in astonishment at the vines that suddenly sprouted from her feet. The physical skills she had learned when she joined the patrol bureau were not enough for her to dodge. These slender vines were extremely fast, exceeding the reaction speed of normal humans, and bound her tightly in an instant.

She tried her best to break free, but found that the vines were tightly bound, as hard as steel bars.

Without the ability to do so, she simply couldn't stretch it open...

Damn it... what's with this guy's abilities?

Summer Solstice. A few beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

Like that guy in the protective suit, he can suppress his personal reality, and he also has the superpower to control plants...

Judging from the growth rate and binding strength of these plants, they have clearly reached the Lv.3 level.

If he wanted to, he could probably turn all the members of C-112 squad into sieves in an instant!
Damn it... If my abilities hadn't been restricted...

Xia Zhi frowned. The middle-aged man in the white coat was yawning and counting heads.

"Huh? Why is someone missing?"

The middle-aged man frowned, looked closely, and then relaxed the wrinkles on his forehead:
"Oh, so the tough guy who got invested in by [Tian Ting Media] is missing..."

"Well, well—anyway, these test subjects will die. That guy has some powerful connections, so even if he dies, he'll still cause trouble. It'll be a relief to have one less of him."

Experimental subjects? They'll all die?
What exactly does this guy want to do by tying them up?!
Hearing the man's mutterings, Xia Zhi's face paled slightly, and she immediately questioned him:

"You bastard... what exactly are you trying to do?"

"What?"

The middle-aged man glanced at Xia Zhi, then suddenly broke into a chilling smile, as if he were looking at experimental material.

"Of course, it's to take you to participate in the noble [Experiment of Knowledge]..."

"Although people like you may never come into contact with the [Experiment of Knowledge] in your entire lives, and will never have the chance to open the door to this new world..."

"But don't worry, even trash like you can contribute to the technological advancement of Ideal City..."

"After all... people like you who have developed their abilities to the limits of the human body are truly the best experimental subjects!"

As he spoke, as if he were imagining some beautiful scene, he suddenly burst into laughter:
"It's you...it's you!"

"Next, you will be the experimental materials for the [Final Modification] project!"

"Having constructed the [Ability Formula] at Lv.3... perhaps you can become the pioneers of genetic evolution in the lab with the best chance of crossing that threshold!"

"Be thankful, you will help me complete the [Experiment of Seeking Knowledge], becoming the stepping stone for my advancement to Lv.4... becoming the sustenance for me, Ald!"

He laughed wildly, but before he could finish a few laughs, he suddenly heard a question with great interest beside him—

"Tell me, what do you want to do?"

He turned his head and saw a thin, handsome young man in a patrol bureau uniform flying in out of thin air.

The "Restriction Spell" was fully unleashed, but it had no effect on his abilities whatsoever.

Ron looked down at Minister Old, whose face was frozen and who had just been laughing wildly, and gently landed on the ground.

"Actually, I have quite a few questions about the [Experiment of Knowledge] and Level 4, but I think you're probably not willing to tell me so easily..."

Ron shrugged, seemingly unfazed by Minister Old's increasingly icy expression, and instead offered a gentle smile:

"So, I've decided to build a good relationship with you first."

"But... it's this kind of 'hitting'!"

The next moment, the earth and rocks around him suddenly rose into the air and shot out like a storm under his free control of [Vector Manipulation]!

(End of this chapter)