Wizard: Starting with Symbiosis with Algae

Chapter 76 A Bitter Journey of Civilization

Meditation can change body posture. Lynn already knew that.

Leon learned the basic meditation techniques, but he did not grow to human size, nor did he shrink.

Because it was all too late.

Decades of millennia have passed since the time he lived. He himself is terminally ill, and the Iron Man civilization he once took pride in has long since been reduced to unrecognizable ruins deep in the mines by the ravages of the Iron Plague.

Spilled water cannot be gathered up again.

Fortunately, the little iron men survived the post-Iron Plague world. They were lucky to have arrived in the new era aboard the wizard's great ship.

However, Leon will not be able to see it in person.

He suppressed the iron fever, struggling to stay conscious, and then asked:

"How is the Iron Man Civilization doing now? How many people does it have, and what is its status in the wizarding world?"

"Ironmen are our partners, always have been, and there are many of them."

"How are they doing? Are they troubled by foreign enemies?"

"The wizards haven't fought off any external enemies on their home planet in a long time. The Ironmen are no exception."

...

"Where do they live? Are they treated equally?..."

"Living inside the academy and being treated equally is great, except for the noise."

"A little noise... a little noise is good." Leon's voice lowered, no longer wanting to exert himself: "At least it's still quite energetic."

Leon closed his eyes; he was terminally ill. His lucid moments wouldn't last long. If Lynn hadn't shown him hope for his race, he would have long since lost control and become a wild beast, slaughtering at will.

Survival is victory, at least for the species.

He's just a nuisance to his species.

Let the old things of the old era die in the old era.

The new era has no ship capable of carrying him.

An unprecedented resolve flashed in Leon's gray eyes.

He sighed and said, "Let the new era of the Iron Man continue."

His magic ceased to function, the silver liquid dripping from the murals no longer flowed onto his mutilated body, and the healing of his injuries came to an end.

He committed suicide.

Quiet, utterly quiet, no different from an ordinary sand worm.

...

The night was silent.

The firelight flickered in the desert wind.

Lynn was in the front, Klein in the middle, and Joe in the back.

The three rode on the side of a giant cactus, waving goodbye to Dopa's small team of a dozen or so people.

"Lynn, thank you for your help. You're very, uh, charming. You can come visit my family at the Gem Academy sometime; the young ladies in my family will love you."

"Of course, Dopa, I'll remember. Please introduce me then."

Klein and Joe scratched their heads.

"Can we do it too?"

Dopa turned back

"Of course, if you want to."

It wasn't until it was time to part ways that she realized Qiao was also a member of that famous trio. What a mistake! She was so focused on the Alchemy Academy's big screen going bad that she thought it was some newly launched spokesperson.

"See you later."

"See you later!" "See you later!"

...

Farewell, Dopa and his two companions rode on the side of a giant cactus.

Domesticated wild cacti can offer some protection against wind and sand, making them one of the most reliable mounts for desert travelers. They are quite stable.

The flames shone on Lynn's face.

After the excitement subsided, Lynn fell into a silence as deep as the night.

At the height of their power, Iron Man moved mountains and filled seas, demonstrating the incredible strength of their civilization.

Those powers that wizards took seriously were almost completely destroyed in the sudden plague. Even such beings were not spared.

It's truly heartbreaking.

There is probably nothing in this world that remains unchanged forever.

Lynn squeezed the Oasis Vanguard in her hand, removed the shell, and found the slimy, doll-like texture quite relaxing.

If it doesn't want to be slaughtered like this, it simply needs to continue to grow stronger.

Regardless of the means used.

...

"Lynn, you're crowding me. It's so spacious outside, you can move over a bit."

Klein shifted his position in the middle of the cactus. He had felt comfortable just moments before, but now he suddenly felt a tightness in his seat. You see, while cacti have been domesticated for travel, their thorns haven't been completely removed. Getting pricked in the backside is quite painful.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

As Lynn shifted to the side, he mentally calculated what he would gain this time.

In fact, the crowding was a consequence of this harvest.

The two of them felt crowded because Lynn had grown bigger.

Lynn can control her growth. Her original height of a little over one meter can grow to more than two meters.

This is the result of the combined effect of a material called "Iron Heart" and basic meditation techniques, meaning that Lynn has fully mastered the advanced applications of meditation.

"I have become a third-level wizard apprentice."

Therefore, Lynn can now learn some more complex spells.

It must be emphasized that although "heart" sounds intimidating, he did not actually reveal his heart to Leon.

The so-called Iron Man's Heart is actually a part of the Iron Man's magical crystallization, essentially the same as the magical energy gathering point on the inside of a human's calf. After obtaining it, Lynn placed it on his chest. Whenever he circulates his magic or sketches the outline of a human in meditation, the phantom of a giant will appear deep in his consciousness, and his body will slightly expand accordingly.

The diameter has increased by approximately 30%, and Lynn now stands at nearly 2.35 meters at its maximum. Furthermore, Lynn's physical attributes are rapidly improving.

From a certain perspective, the meditation methods of Iron Man and humans are inherently mutually reinforcing.

This is why its compatibility is so amazing; as soon as it obtains the materials, it learns the other party's meditation method.

Even so, Lynn could still feel a faint, almost imperceptible, repulsive force.

That was two different forms of magic calibrating within the body.

The advanced application of meditation is essentially to simulate the magical workings of other living beings.

Lynn vaguely understood why high-level apprentices rarely had large-scale transplants and modifications.

Why are advanced apprentices not allowed to access advanced applications of meditation techniques?

Magic from different sources can interfere with each other, and it is still too dangerous if the magic power is not up to standard.

"Come to think of it, I think I might want to eat iron."

Joe stared ahead, his gaze fixed on the dark horizon in the distance, clearly lost in thought. Although his natural talent was poor, he now had a way to become stronger. First, he would build a more powerful wheelchair. Physical strength had its limits, and he had no illusions about them.

Klein's immediate thought was to hurry back to the news agency and compile his observations along the way into a major news story that would cause a sensation throughout the entire academy.

But the two of them heard Lynn's mutterings almost simultaneously, and turned around in unison, their faces showing confusion.

"ah?"

"Tell me what it means, don't overthink it." Lynn waved his hand.

It's the literal meaning that's terrifying, isn't it? Just now, Lynn completely crushed that incredibly powerful guy.

Is Lynn so desperate that she's willing to eat anything?

...

The second gain was naturally the soil of the Iron Man's hometown.

Once he takes it back, he can have the little ironmen create a fungus that can continuously erode the Edranor grass, thus constantly increasing his magic power. This is far more reliable than any external magic.

Thirdly, the thesis is basically settled. This saves me a lot of trouble, and I no longer need to worry about identity verification.

Finally, ignoring the Oasis Vanguard's seemingly unimportant symbiotic ability, Lynn noticed something quite strange. The genetics of this fantasy world seemed to have its own laws.

On Earth, the central dogma refers to the chain from DNA to RNA and then to protein. Proteins determine the form of life; they are both the "products" and the result of life.

Generally speaking, chains are unidirectional.

However, some studies suggest that this link is not entirely unidirectional, with a slight inverse transformation between the three. In the Oasis Guardian, Lynn saw another possibility: a magical form, similar in importance to proteins, could also influence the form of life.

The magical gender transfer effect emanating from the crown can, in turn, influence genetic material.

After all, the Oasis Vanguard takes more than one form in the academy's textbooks. The most common form is the slime ball that appears in swamps, and the reason why the Oasis Vanguard here looks so different is mostly due to the long-term influence of the terrain magic.

Lynn thought this hypothesis made a lot of sense. But before publishing it as a conclusion, it needed cross-validation and more data.

After all, there are still countless possibilities in this world.

The flames flickered gently in the desert night wind.

Lynn suddenly remembered something that made him feel conflicted.

The Iron Man's civilization existed tens of thousands of years ago.

What did Ruby's elders go through?

Such a long life.

Could it be that...

Is Ruby not human at all?

That's really great.

Thinking this, Lynn and the other two stepped into the phase passage, where a powerful suction force carried the three of them upstream.

Lynn simply closed her eyes.