Chapter 425 - 313: Artificial Divinity

Chapter 425: Chapter 313: Artificial Divinity

"Holy shit..." Following Olisti into a laboratory in the Magic Capital, Isaac’s eyes went wide. In the very center of the lab, a brilliant, multicolored Crystal Stone was suspended inside a transparent glass column.

’There’s no mistaking it. This is definitely a Divinity!’

’And it’s an Artificial Divine Format!’

As a Mad Witch who had extensively researched Deities, Isaac was very familiar with this sort of thing; he would never misidentify it.

However, unlike a Divinity or Artificial Divine Format in the usual sense, this thing should be called an Artificial Divinity. It was something created in the Wizarding World in recent years due to increasingly strict regulations on research related to Deities.

In essence, this was still research into Deities. In practice, however, the research used neither Divine Power nor a Divinity. It exclusively used Magic Power and Magic to simulate the abilities of a Deity, which was essentially exploiting a loophole.

This was understandable. After all, although Wizards were now far more powerful than Deities, it was precisely because they had grown so powerful that they consciously established rules to prevent the world from descending into chaos.

Thus, the emergence of this situation was inevitable.

However, even an Artificial Divinity was, in reality, a transgression into the domain of the Deities. In fact, compared to research on actual Deities, this thing was an even deeper violation!

It laid bare the very mechanics of Divine Power. If successful, it would strip the Deities of their [Mysterious] nature entirely!

’At this rate, they might as well be experimenting with a True Divine Format!’

But despite being resentful and fearful, the Deities didn’t dare voice any objections.

Firstly, the Wizarding World had already made a public concession, giving them plenty of face. Secondly...

...it had to do with the technology behind the Artificial Divinity itself.

Replacing Divine Power with Magic Power and Divine Power Origin with magical technology was no simple feat. The threshold was incredibly high: Tier Four was required just to get a foot in the door.

Tier Five was required for in-depth research.

And only at Tier Six did one have the ability to transform research data into tangible results!

So how could the Deities possibly dare to object?

This research directly impacted the interests of High-tier Mages—for some, it represented the majority of their interests. Starting from Tier Five, many Wizards were qualified to go toe-to-toe with Deities!

As for Tier Six Mages, the most outstanding among them could charge directly into a Deity’s Divine Kingdom and scatter your ashes on your own home turf!

Faced with such an Existence, forget about them merely studying an Artificial Divinity; they were already being polite and showing you face by not turning you into a taxidermied specimen.

At the end of the day, in this world where ultimate power belongs to the individual, might still makes right.

However, although this technology could be researched legally, Isaac had never studied it in depth. Firstly, the barrier to entry was too high. He had come to the Endless Tower not long after ascending to Tier Four, so he hadn’t had the opportunity to learn more.

Secondly, he was a Mad Witch!

Why would a Mad Witch need to take so many detours to research a Deity?

Many of the Wizarding World’s rules were effectively useless against Mad Witches. As long as you didn’t make your activities public knowledge, it wasn’t a matter of "no report, no investigation"—even if someone did report you, the authorities wouldn’t investigate!

That is, unless you caused a massive disturbance, like, say, performing a blood sacrifice on a city at the drop of a hat.

Still, just because he wasn’t interested in pursuing such a convoluted research path didn’t mean Isaac had no interest in the subject at all. From a purely technical standpoint, the Artificial Divinity was incredibly profound, containing a wealth of Knowledge and many aspects worth studying in depth.

Thus, the moment he entered the lab, Isaac’s gaze was completely captivated by the Artificial Divinity, and he subconsciously activated his [Analysis] Authority.

And this act of Analysis made Isaac even more ecstatic.

Unlike a real Divinity, the Artificial Divinity was constructed purely from magical technology. As a result, the [Analysis] Authority was remarkably effective against it, yielding incredibly useful data, unlike the analysis of a real Divinity, which was cluttered with useless information.

This was enough to make Isaac, who already had a budding interest in the Artificial Divinity, become completely engrossed.

"[Analysis] Authority?" Olisti watched the faint light flickering in Isaac’s eyes. Beyond his surprise, an even deeper sense of gratification filled his gaze. For [Analysis], also known as "Lesser Omniscience," was a famous Authority that held a great temptation for Wizards.

Unfortunately, this Authority could not be acquired through study; it could only be awakened naturally. Currently, it was predominantly found in the hands of Deities.

Currently, the group with the most access to this Authority was the Wizards from the Golem branch of the Alchemy School, as only they could reliably produce Alchemy Demonic Puppets that possessed it.

That’s right, Alchemy Demonic Puppets.

Although [Analysis] could not be acquired through study and one could only hope for it to awaken naturally, the probability of this Authority awakening was higher in Alchemy Golems and Alchemy Puppets—both of which could be manufactured.

Thus, while one couldn’t learn the Authority directly, one could create an Alchemy Life with a chance of awakening [Analysis], indirectly mastering the [Analysis] Authority through this gacha-like method.

Rumor had it that the folks in the Alchemy School were already researching how to transfer Authority, but it was only a rumor and couldn’t be taken as fact. Currently, the only ones capable of acquiring Authority from other living beings were the Mad Witches.

But to return to the matter at hand, after discovering that Isaac possessed the [Analysis] Authority, Olisti—whose opinion of him had already improved thanks to the Divine Spirit Book ritual—now viewed Isaac in an even more favorable light.

This was because while Mad Witches had the ability to acquire Authority from Outer Gods, the risks were so high that very few would take the chance to obtain an ability that didn’t provide immediate combat power—even if they knew it was practical and had great potential.

In light of this, Olisti grew more convinced that Isaac was a Wizard who truly loved research and had only walked the path of a Mad Witch due to some unavoidable circumstances.

’Yes, very unavoidable circumstances indeed. After all, how could legitimate research ever be as fast as just taking what you want?’

Seeing Isaac immersed in the ocean of Knowledge that was the Artificial Divinity, Olisti didn’t interrupt. He simply pulled two Magic Books from a nearby desk and stood aside, a gratified smile on his face as he waited for Isaac to finish.

...

「Afterward」

With a look of satisfaction, Isaac finally pulled his gaze away from the Artificial Divinity. He then looked at Olisti somewhat sheepishly and scratched his head. "My apologies, I couldn’t help myself..."

"No need to apologize. This is a good thing. It’s rare to see a Mad Witch so interested in Knowledge," Olisti said with a smile. He then handed the two Magic Books in his hands to Isaac. "This is some theoretical research on the Divine Star, along with a few common, classic rituals. Take a look. It should be useful for your research."

Olisti couldn’t suggest any modifications for Isaac’s Divine Spirit Book ritual, but that was only because his own field of research wasn’t rituals. As a Wizard’s Level increased, the scope of Knowledge involved grew exponentially. Even someone as powerful as a Wizard could no longer be an expert in every field, as they might have been in the past.

In this regard, even Isaac, with his cheat-like abilities, couldn’t manage it.

However, while he couldn’t suggest modifications, his eye for quality was undeniable. Olisti was certainly still capable of providing reference materials.