Wizards pursue the truth

Chapter 502 [502] Memories are like the wind, where does the wizard's path lead? Wang Ya will forever pursue the truth (Seeking votes)

dong dong!

There was a slight knock on the door.

The person outside seemed very anxious. Wang Ya could hear his rapidly beating heart and his body temperature rising as he deliberately suppressed his breathing.

"Come in."

The gray-brown wizard's robes belonged to Gagarin, the former chief of the Divine Eagle lineage, now aged beyond recognition. With the permission of the Nightmare Archmage, he pushed open the door, lowered his head, and entered, glancing only at the boots of the black-robed figure on the desk out of the corner of his eye.

"It is an honor for Gagarin to pay his respects to Lord Nightmare Wizard."

The old wizard's back was somewhat hunched, and his eyes were becoming increasingly dim and unclear. After expressing his respect for the Nightmare Wizard, his already bent back seemed about to break.

"I know why you've come. I can help you, but what price are you willing to pay?"

The Nightmare Wizard stared expressionlessly at the familiar face.

Whether in the heart of conquest or in the darkest places, their relationship was not close enough for them to demand anything from each other without expecting anything in return.

Wizards never ask for anything in return; even the closest of friends will have to pay a price for his help.

Of course, this cost is judged by his subjective standards.

Gagarin's face, which had been flushed with excitement, seemed to be regaining its former vigor before death. However, upon hearing the second half of the sentence, everything receded, his face turned pale, and his wrinkled brows furrowed even more, filled with anxiety and unease.

"The price!" Gagarin was filled with confusion; what else could he possibly give up?

An aging body, depleted blood, increasingly weak vital signs, and a soul that is no longer pure.

He seemed to lack the ability to match the price of even one instance of help from the Nightmare Wizard.

He fell silent, unsure how to answer the question.

Seeing this, the Nightmare Wizard said, "How about this, I'll give you a choice."

"Your demands are nothing more than the continuation of your family bloodline and descendants, your weakened body, and your impending death, leaving you no choice but to come to me for help."

"Now I can help your bloodline descendants make a less excessive request, or I can reshape your body, giving you vibrant life and a pure soul."

In other words, it's Gagarin's chance to become a full-fledged wizard and return to his youth.

A failed attack naturally leads to death.

In a sense, this was also a recovery that squeezed out his remaining potential, but it was not much different from his broken and aged body itself.

As for the Wizard's Heart, Wang Ya had no way to create it out of thin air.

The choice presented now is a test, and also a chance for Gagarin to rediscover his former wizarding spirit.

"The price you have to pay is the price you have to pay for the other option after you've chosen one."

"In other words, if you choose the family, then your very existence becomes my property. I will make you into a special specimen full of memories and place it in my Nightmare Vault."

The Nightmare Wizard's lips curled into a strange smile. "If you choose yourself, you will have the opportunity to break through to become a formal wizard again and return to your healthy and powerful state. The price is that your family bloodline will become my property and my experimental subjects."

Gagarin's face turned deathly pale, and he stood there stunned, his pupils filled with turmoil and struggle.

What should he choose?

It is about choosing yourself.

I'll choose the family.

Once the Nightmare Wizard makes a decision, there is no possibility of changing it.

He was not qualified to ask the Nightmare Wizard to change anything.

Gagarin felt lost, and images flashed through his mind.

He regained his youthful strength and health, returning to his prime.

There were also familiar faces from his family, his descendants, his bloodline.

If he chooses a family, he will die completely, disappear, and become a dead object in the treasury of the Nightmare Wizard.

If you choose to be yourself, everything your family has will cease to exist.

"What should I do? What should I do? Teacher, if you were here, could you tell me how to choose?"

Gagarin's pupils were bloodshot, and in a daze, he seemed to see the Condor Wizard sitting on his throne, staring at him coldly with a mocking expression.

"Didn't you already make your choice? Foolish Gagarin, what are you still hesitating about? Ask your own heart, has your wizarding heart become so rotten and ugly?"

"Yes, has my wizarding heart become so rotten and ugly?" Gagarin muttered to himself, his eyes gradually hardening from confusion to determination, as if he had found what he was seeking in his heart.

"From the very beginning, didn't I come here for my family, for them? Why would I hesitate to think of myself?"

"What good is recovering my health? Will I really become a True Spirit Wizard?" Gagarin smiled bitterly, as if talking to himself. "It's all for nothing. I have to sacrifice the whole family for it and completely cut off my future path."

"If the family can continue, and if more powerful wizards can emerge, my bloodline will live on forever; there will always be outstanding successors who will take my wizarding path to a higher level and witness the appearance of the Gate of Truth for me."

Gagarin knelt down on one knee and said in a deep voice, "My Lord Nightmare Wizard, I have made my choice."

"I am willing to pay the price to give my family a chance."

The Nightmare Wizard remained expressionless and offered no comment on Gagarin's choice, simply nodding.

"Can."

"Thank you, Nightmare Wizard."

*

*

*

Inside the bubble world.

The highest floor of the Nightmare Tower is the exclusive resting room of the Nightmare Grand Wizard. The bookshelves are filled with various books, each one a rare treasure, representing a unique form of witchcraft and a distinctive inheritance.

The site where the Nightmare Tree is passed down also connects to this bookshelf.

Wang Ya often stands here to browse through books. If he encounters some difficult problems or experimental troubles that he cannot solve, he will come here to read books in order to relax and relieve his boredom.

Next to the bookshelf is a display cabinet, with each small compartment made of special glass.

Wang Ya opened one of the empty glass cabinets and placed a small doll inside; the doll's features were so lifelike that it looked just like a real person.

He wore an earth-gray wizard's robe, his face was stiff, but his pupils were full of human emotion, a kind of longing.

"What a pity. If he were a true spirit wizard, he would at least be ranked in the upper-middle tier of my collection."

Wang Ya wrote serial numbers on the dolls.

—Lower Class No. 314.

Evaluation tags: Good bloodline, aged body, full of beautiful expectations and hopes, carrying some precious memories.

"I have to go to another special banquet. I've been delayed a bit. I hope my old friends can be comforted."

Wang Ya smiled, picked up a few small gifts from the table, and turned to walk into the void.

Located in the commercial street of the Upper House area, the Wizard's Mansion Room 1 is in the most central location.

The wizard waiter carefully placed the food on the table.

The private room is very spacious and uses spatial folding techniques. The wizard guests inside can use their mental power to change the internal environmental structure, gain more space, and access some special environmental landscapes.

At this moment, Room Number One is a rather small private room, like a bar room, with a few sofas, a tea table, and simple snacks and desserts on the plates.

"Gentlemen, please feel free to call me if you need anything."

The wizard waiter bowed slightly, then left the room, closing the door behind him. The magic array was activated, enveloping the room in a spatial aura that perfectly isolated the inside from the outside. Even if other wizards wanted to use magic to probe the situation inside, they would not be able to do so.

If space-related witchcraft is used, it will emit the corresponding spatial aura, which will be received by the witchcraft array center within one second and fed back to the mansion's management personnel; specialized law enforcement witches will arrive in the shortest possible time to deal with the relevant violators.

With such excellent service, the price is naturally exceptionally high.

Matthew, who was sitting on the sofa, seemed a little uneasy and unusually reserved. He held the expensive wizard's drink, and his slightly cloudy eyes reflected the luster of the red liquid.

He has also aged. Compared to the past, his hair has turned gray and wrinkles have appeared on his face. This is the result of constant stimulation from particle energy to maintain his physical activity and the use of some auxiliary methods.

Matthew looked at his old friend, who was still as pretty as a young girl, with mixed feelings.

Even if he were to move to a different place, with the support of the powerful and influential Anton family, plus Mona's superior wizarding talent, allowing her to go further on the path of wizardry, the differences between him and Mona would only grow larger, which is perfectly normal.

Although I've heard that the Anton family is also declining and not doing well.

But no matter what, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse, and it still surpasses his family by many levels.

His wizarding path ended at the level of a Limitless Wizard Apprentice.

In order to continue his ideal of pursuing truth, he chose to expand his lineage and create a family of wizards.

To date, he has five direct descendants in the first generation, and the number will increase in the second and third generations.

While enjoying family life, he also worried about how to expand and strengthen the Tatsumi family.

Ultimately, it's not enough to simply have a large population to grow and thrive; a powerful wizard is also needed to stabilize the situation.

He was also surprised to be invited to this banquet, especially since the organizer was the Nightmare Wizard.

He hadn't thought about such things since leaving the Underdark.

The gatherings were experiences from our youth that we hadn't yet grown up. As the wizards grew up and their status changed, recreating some of the friendships and experiences of the past often became just a pipe dream.

This is not due to a change in their hearts, but rather a result of the difference in strength and environment.

A powerful wizard can go into seclusion for a very long time.

It is very likely that all the old friends are now old and gray.

Isn't that exactly what he is right now?

The topics they discussed were all different and not on the same level.

Sometimes, not contacting each other is the best way to get along and maintain the purity of the friendship.

Matthew takes it all in stride and remains calm; these things don't affect his mindset or thinking.

"Long time no see, Matthew."

Mona Anton held the wine glass with both hands, her face slightly flushed in the light, and her voice was gentle.

"Long time no see, Mona."

Matthew picked up his wine glass, took a sip, then picked up some snacks from the table, lay down on the sofa, and relaxed.

"So many years have passed, I never thought we would get together again. I can hardly remember how many years ago the last time we gathered."

Mona spoke with a sigh, her eyes filled with reminiscence and emotion.

Matthew listened and waited until Mona finished speaking before putting down the small plate in his hand. He smiled and said, "I think you have more to say to me than to that person. Let's wait for that person to come before you speak."

"After all, you've waited for so many years."

Matthew blinked at Mona, whose face was becoming increasingly rosy. Despite his aged appearance, his eyes and brows seemed to reveal the youthful spirit he once had.

Mona paused for a moment, then lowered her eyes awkwardly and pursed her lips.

He moved his hands from the cup to his lap, as if he were gripping something tightly.

"Sorry for the delay, I'm a little late, but I shouldn't be too late."

A clear, cold voice rang out, and a young wizard dressed in a black robe walked out of the void with a smile on his face. He was silent and even the spatial fluctuations were calmed down, without causing any disturbance to the wizard array.

"Nightmare Wizard." x2

Mona and Matthew stood up from the sofa and called out in unison, appearing unusually reserved.

"Today it's just the three of us, so let's just relax and be casual, like always."

Wang Ya inexplicably thought of an article he had read on Earth in his previous life, a story about a rich man named Zhou Shuren and a servant named Runtu.

How similar they are now.

The difference is that he will not change; no matter what kind of influence he faces, he will always stick to his original aspirations.

Whether the people in his memory and imagination have changed is not within his consideration.

"Yes, Nightmare Wizard," Matthew replied.

"I ordered your favorite frog legs, would you like a drink?" Mona replied.

"Frog Leg!" Wang Ya was stunned for a moment, recalling the dark place in the past. He was often late and a drink was ordered in advance. He didn't like the taste or appearance, but he was just being pranked by Gray and always ordered this one type. He was too lazy to complain and change it, so he developed the habit of always drinking frog leg at parties.

Looking at the drink in front of him, the liquid was not very appealing in color, and a frog's leg was draped over the rim of the cup, with two eyes staring straight at him.

Wang Ya chuckled and said, "Of course."

He raised the cup of frog legs, whose name he had almost forgotten, and took a small sip.

Now he remembered the name of the drink.

—The Dark Red Witch's Wine.

Every drink has its own story.

Wang Ya had no intention of learning about the story.

Matthew watched from the side, smacked his lips, and thought to himself, "What a blunder, Matthew! Didn't I already prepare myself mentally, not to feel pressured, not to feel the difference in status? Why did you start again?"

He coughed and said, "Wang Ya, it has been a long time. How have you been?"

He kept his eyes open, trying his best to suppress the cloudiness in them and show their bright, shiny side.

"A special experiment is underway. Once completed, it will likely allow one to break through from the mature stage to the flowering stage, which corresponds to the breakthrough from True Spirit Wizard to Star Wizard."

Wang Ya smiled and took another sip of wine.

Matthew: "."

"What a joke! I've barely entered the Limit Wizard Apprentice stage, and I haven't even reached the Limit State or the Break Limit State yet," Matthew complained, slumping helplessly on the sofa.

"I can see that, and I can also tell that you're about to die." Wang Ya put down the cup in his hand.

"I'm about to die, don't you care at all? Won't you give me some extra time to keep me alive?" Matthew's face turned hideous as he glared at him with a fierce expression.

"If you wish, I can extend your life and grant you immortality," Wang Ya said earnestly.

Matthew: "."

Matthew swallowed hard. "I'm a little tempted. How much immortality do you want? And what kind of price do I have to pay for it?"

"You don't need to pay me a price. Pay the price for the result of achieving immortality." Wang Ya's smile was exceptionally bright, and his black eyes held a hint of expectation. "I have some ideas recently and want to conduct in-depth research on the regeneration of dream creatures. I already have a mature resurrection function, and you yourself are a Nightmare Calamity. Although you haven't obtained enough Calamity Points to buy a resurrection opportunity, if you are willing to cooperate with my experiment, I can waive the cost of your resurrection and rebirth."

Matthew was truly tempted and asked, "To be more specific, what are the costs and consequences of immortality? Or rather, what are the potential risks of cooperating with your experiments?"

Wang Ya thought for a moment and replied, "If the body can't be kept, the soul will also change. Starting from the smallest basic unit of the soul, plus your consciousness and spirit, and nourished by various resources, you will be reborn within a special biological system wizard instrument; the definition of rebirth is to recreate and program you from both the soul and the body."

"After all, the self you perceive yourself to be is just your personality and memories; the self we see is also just that part of your personality and memories."

Wang Ya promoted, "How about it? Want to participate in the experiment and become my first test subject? Most of the experimental project has been completed, only the final clinical trial is left. Although the soul transformation cannot be completed in public in reality, as it is too subtle and too mysterious, it can be done in the dream world. Using my technical experience in studying the nature of dream creatures, I can add the power of Nightmare Dream to directly distort reality and achieve a deep interface that cannot be affected in reality."

"In that case, even if your soul is no longer a soul in the pure sense, but rather a product of the dream origin formed by the intertwining of consciousness and dream power, the success rate of being reborn is as high as 40%."

"Only forty percent? You're already making me your guinea pig? Is there no higher percentage?" Matthew's eyes widened.

"Forty is a high estimate; it could be even lower, since there's no real clinical evidence. You might be reborn, or you might completely collapse, losing self-awareness and memory, becoming a bewildered, chaotic dream creature."

"Wait! You mean dream creatures?"

"That's right. The ultimate result of the experimental modification programming is to turn you into a dream creature, a special kind of dream creature with self-awareness. As long as you are in my bubble world, you can achieve immortality. Even if the dream origin of a dream creature has a time limit and will degenerate and perish into basic dream power after a certain period of time, I can continue to program and modify you at any time."

When it came to the experimental courses she was researching, Wang Ya became very talkative, looking at Matthew with burning eyes, as if he were looking at a precious object.

"Imagine that dream creatures do not have the weaknesses of a real physical body. As long as it is not a fatal injury or affects the origin of the dream, they can recover from their injuries by absorbing dream power and continue to grow stronger. Even if they die, they can be resurrected by me."

It's simply that the origin of dreams is connected to the core of the Nightmare Dream, making it impossible to break free. Immortality is within reach; you, a mere native of the dream world, are about to be reborn, a man destined for immortality.

Wang Ya smiled broadly, looking at the aged man with anticipation.

Matthew grinned and said irritably, "Come on, I don't want to get involved in this mess without clinical trials. I don't know the true nature of it, and if you turn it into a monster, making living more painful than dying, that would be torture."

"Besides, there's no point in living. I've lived long enough, enjoyed everything I could, and worked hard to pursue the path of a wizard."

"It's just that there's no result, no future." Matthew thought to himself the last sentence.

"Illusory immortality is not what I pursue. I want to die in reality." Matthew said with great magnanimity, "If I die, you two can visit my grave or have a heart-to-heart talk with me, so that my spirit, which may or may not exist, can listen to me."

Matthew stared intently at Wang Ya and said seriously, "I want to watch you go on, to see how far you can go."

Mona didn't speak, her eyes lowered as she looked at the drinks on the table.

The atmosphere in the room grew increasingly somber and serious.

Wang Ya smiled calmly, "I will definitely do it."

"That's good." Matthew raised his glass, the liquid inside swirling around without spilling a drop. Although he looked old and his condition had declined, his hand holding the glass was still as steady as steel. After all, this was the last drink of his life, and he was drinking with his old friend and his past.

"Well then, it's been a long time, Wang Ya."

The three of them raised their glasses together, the clinking of the glass producing a crisp sound, and drank it down in one gulp.

It seemed to correspond to the three people from the past, how they looked in each other's memories.

It's just like today.

"Long time no see, Mona."

"Long time no see, Matthew."

Matthew chuckled. "This is the last time we'll see each other. You two can see each other many more times."

The cup was placed on the table.

Matthew plopped down on the sofa and sighed, "The past is like the wind; once you're dead, it's gone. The grave can't hold back the wind. You are still alive, with hope and a future, so live well, grow into towering trees, hold back more wind, and go to heaven to see a wider view."

"Unfortunately, there were four people originally, but one person is still missing."

The two fell silent.

Matthew didn't say anything more, leaning back on the sofa, seemingly drunk and sleepy after drinking the wine.

"Wait, I think the idea of ​​immortality is not bad. You can use my soul and remains to do experiments, but leave me a backup of my mental memory. It's better to be alive." Matthew opened his eyes, which had been dozing, suppressing his drunkenness, and forced himself to sit up, speaking in a weak tone.

"I hope your experiment really works, that it really succeeds, you pervert who plays with wizards' souls."

Matthew raised his right hand shakily and gave Wang Ya the middle finger.

The old body leaned against the sofa and fell asleep, without making a sound, not even the sound of a heartbeat.

He would never wake up again.

—Matthew K. Tazmi.

Today, amidst the reunion with old friends, I recall that death occurred at the youngest, most vibrant moment of my life.

sp: One more chapter to come.

(End of this chapter)