Chapter 781: The Deceived World and Lilith’s Cottage’s Counterattack

In Locke's estimation, this thousand-year veteran Second Circle wizard from the southeastern quadrant was in truth far more formidable than the Second Circle black wizard from the Crimson Deep Court who had once been hired by Solas Light Foot to kill him.

That fellow had possessed only just over ten thousand magic pressure.

He did not know whether it was because that fellow had not lived as long as this Pale Pilgrimage black wizard, or because the holy-side black wizards of the Crimson Deep Court were somewhat weaker than the undead-side black wizards of the Pale Pilgrimage.

Of course, he had encountered relatively few of the five great wars' black wizards, and so it was very likely that this was simply an individual case.

But Wizard Berbel Morgan had employed the most mistaken possible combat approach, inadvertently opening a world channel with him through which their forces were mutually transmitted, entering a world war.

Originally, with only an avatar at his disposal, he would have had no assurance of being able to keep Berbel here.

As long as Berbel had wanted to leave, he likely could have withdrawn without suffering any serious harm.

But once Locke had seized on that mistake, that changed.

Locke directed the tree-man to channel the moon essence that had been distilled from the Blank Potion into the plum blossom tree, and in an instant that plum tree entered the leaping evolution state.

The plant essence of this plum tree manifested in spiritual form and accepted the influx of plane information.

In the Louis Plane, the lich-king, staff of ice in hand, walked among countless zombie snow spirits, seated upon an undead war chariot. Wherever he passed, tree-men were severed at the waist.

In the sea, Locke directed the tree-man to make fine adjustments to the Lunar Cultivation Method's spell model, while simultaneously channeling the information of this world's Grand Magic back into his magical plant.

"Berbel's Grand Magic has been entangled with the Louis Plane for over nine hundred years."

"The two sides' forces are deeply intertwined."

At this moment, drawing upon the state of Following the Heart Without Transgressing the Bounds, Locke rapidly took stock of this world's current condition. "And so when I activated the mechanism of reverse plane information influx, it was equivalent to having the force of the opposing Grand Magic infuse back into this magical plant."

"This allows a kind of adaptive evolution to occur."

"And even better..."

Locke thought for a moment.

"A wizard's Grand Magic is after all a magical force produced through complex calculation and design. Obtaining this portion of information allows the magical plant that evolves from it to be closer to a Second Circle magical plant cultivated through complex design and rigorous planning, rather than a wild magical plant."

Locke fell into deep contemplation.

In that case, the best conditions for his Lunar Cultivation Method to perform at its highest were actually situations similar to the current one?

Did that mean he would need to frequently invade other wizards' worlds going forward?

No, doing so in white wizard society would violate the wizard laws.

But in combat against black wizards, there was no need to follow those laws.

A gleam appeared in Locke's eyes. Moreover, this kind of special circumstance could really only be created by black wizards who had built their Grand Magics on nothing but conquest, slaughter, and plunder.

In future exchanges with black wizards, invading their worlds would be the means by which he could make use of the Lunar Cultivation Method to recreate something like the current situation.

At this moment, the Snow Plum, under the influx of two streams of plane information, had its magic pressure rising continuously. It reached the First Circle peak, and then Locke extracted a virtual root from the Golden Peach Tree and grafted it onto the Snow Plum.

In the next instant, the Snow Plum's magic pressure broke through the First Circle peak and reached just over ten thousand.

This magical plant had three branches in total, each branch bearing two plum blossoms, three branches and six flowers.

White blossoms, carrying within the cold air a faint and clear fragrance.

The first trace of floral fragrance the Louis Plane had known in over nine hundred years.

Locke perceived that each of these three branches contained a special winter spirituality, three subtly distinct winter spiritualities in total, forming a relatively preliminary winter spirituality that transformed into winter magical power.

But compared to the summer magical power his Pinellia possessed, this winter magical power was far too rudimentary. It was likely because this plane's information was too simple.

Had it not been for Berbel's Grand Magic spirituality flowing in reverse, the winter magical power this magical plant contained would probably have been even thinner than this.

Locke's gaze flickered.

At the same time his main body was in the free section of Golden Crown Mountain.

Wizard Akman heard Locke requesting two magical texts to borrow, and his eyes immediately lit up.

"Articles on world wars, and articles on winter magical plants?"

"I certainly have those."

"Are you engaging in a world war with someone?"

Locke nodded and said, "Yes, a black wizard."

Wizard Akman immediately looked at Locke with admiration and said, "I was wondering earlier why you suddenly borrowed the Summer Grass Mars Bewilderment magical text from me."

"Black wizards are all very dangerous people. Heh heh, of course I will help you."

Wizard Akman gave his own chest a hearty thump. "How much magic pressure does your opponent have? What methods do they use?"

Locke said, "Fifteen thousand magic pressure. Approximately one thousand years old. A black wizard from the Pale Pilgrimage Hidden Spirit Ground's Bone Palace."

"Grand Magic is the Burial Ground."

Wizard Akman's expression grew cautious.

"Not an easy opponent. No weakling."

"The Burial Ground is one of the Pale Pilgrimage's more difficult magics to deal with. The Burial Ground reversed the sequence of cold and death. It manufactured mass death in a given location and then, through a special magical formation, caused death and undead to be continuously generated in that region."

"At the same time, that region was transformed through necromancy, gradually beginning to manufacture more and more killing, until ultimately a killing frost capable of slaying people automatically began to be generated in that region."

"And so in the end, it became impossible to determine whether the cold had killed the people, or whether people had killed people first and then used that death energy to manufacture the cold. The causal order was inverted. Death energy, frost, death energy, forming a vicious cycle. That is the Burial Ground."

Wizard Akman smiled and said, "Necromancers always look down on us generalist scholars. Today, I, who does nothing but read documents, am going to help you win this world war completely and thoroughly."

Wizard Akman was in high spirits.

"Not just that. I am going to help you strip him clean and make him regret underestimating the power of knowledge."

Wizard Akman recited an incantation, summoning his Grand Magic, and in an instant all the bookshelves within the Second Circle section of the library began to pulsate with what seemed like a breathing rhythm.

The Spiral Library. That was his Grand Magic.

Golden Crown Mountain's library was assembled from the combined Grand Magics of various generalist scholar wizards. The very ground Locke was standing on belonged to Wizard Akman's Grand Magic.

Wizard Akman's eyes emitted a blue light, rapidly scanning through documents one by one, first examining their relevance, then their research methods, then their results and figures, before beginning to assess which were accessible.

Wizard Akman swiftly identified three high-scoring documents related to the Burial Ground research, along with two documents related to winter magical plants.

"Reading them yourself would be far too slow. The situation in a battle changes from moment to moment. Let me first read through all five articles and then relay the key parts to you..."

Wizard Akman's eyes emitted a blue light.

He was clearly deploying a generalist studies Second Circle spell model.

Locke was deeply moved.

"Thank you, Akman."

Wizard Akman waved his hand and said, "No need to thank me. Black wizards are enemies to all, and all should strike against them. We generalist scholars, Locke, this is what we are here for."

...

In the southeastern quadrant, at Lilith’s Cottage, Justin, the bureau director of the Organization Bureau of the White Wizard Association, who was also the association chairman of the southeastern quadrant's White Wizard Association branch and one of the three deans of Virdantia, sat with a listless expression. His magic pressure had declined considerably, and his soul had suffered serious damage.

Wizard Justin looked at the group precognition wizard mentor from Virdantia University beside him and asked, "Have the calculations been made?"

The group precognition wizard was calculating gains and losses with full concentration.

He was calculating whether the losses caused by inviting the White Wizard Association's main headquarters to enter the southeastern quadrant at this point were now less than the losses caused by allowing the black wizard alliance to act unchecked.

The wizard mentor's gaze flickered.

"Not quite yet. If we invite the main headquarters in now, we will be forced to undergo bankruptcy restructuring. The entire association will be under the main headquarters' forceful control for the next hundred years, with most assets being reorganized and adjusted."

"These losses would still be greater than the damage the black wizard alliance is currently causing."

Wizard Justin listened and nodded in agreement.

"It seems we still cannot notify the White Wizard Association's main headquarters."

On the other side, Halen Vera had been left speechless for some time. He started to speak, stopped, and finally could not hold back any longer, directing a question at Wizard Justin.

"Mr. Chairman, we are down to Lilith’s Cottage as our only remaining stronghold. If the black wizard alliance breaks through Lilith’s Cottage, can the losses really still be smaller than those caused by inviting the main headquarters to intervene?"

"Should we not take into account that the damage the black wizard alliance is causing is multiplying with every passing moment, and weigh considerations beyond economic interests alone, such as security?"

Wizard Justin let out a sigh.

"Halen Vera. Do you think I am unaware of this? The moment bankruptcy restructuring is initiated, how many people in the entire southeastern quadrant will be financially ruined?"

"Unless there is absolutely no alternative, we simply cannot invite the main headquarters to intervene. That would send our association branch into the bankruptcy mechanism."

After Wizard Halen Vera bowed, he asked tentatively, "Then Mr. Chairman, do you have any means to deal with the star ring wizard on the black wizard alliance's side?"

Wizard Justin let out a sigh and shook his head helplessly.

"I have none. Were it not for that star ring wizard suddenly making a move, after all the years I spent fighting Berbel, he fell behind every single time and always came out worse with each exchange."

"How could I have possibly been dealt such a serious injury by him?"

"But you need not worry. That star ring wizard has, for some reason, entered the Forbidden Forest and has not come out for a very long time."

"I previously sensed chaotic magic pressure fluctuations from the Forbidden Forest's direction, suggesting a fierce battle took place there. In my judgment, he has been injured and will not emerge from the Forbidden Forest in the short term."

Wizard Halen Vera asked urgently, "If that is the case, then our primary pressure right now comes from those two Second Circle black wizards?"

"I heard earlier from students at the academy in the mundane kingdoms reporting that the black wizards had appeared in large numbers at Virdantia University's location, which may mean they are about to launch a new full-scale assault on us."

"We had already been sensing chaotic magic pressure clashes coming from Virdantia University's direction, along with four Second Circle-level magic pressures. Some kind of battle seems to have occurred there."

"At this moment, should we take the initiative and strike?"

Wizard Justin hesitated for a moment.

"This is indeed a good opportunity."

"But it could also be a trap set by the black wizards. If they are trying to lure us away from the protective ward of Lilith’s Cottage's academy, that would be troublesome. Lilith’s Cottage has a large-scale anti-undead ward, the Life Force Field, along with the Myst’s Power to sustain it. Here we are positioned as though within a fortress."

"Lilith’s Cottage's academy ward is the greatest counter to undead power. That is also why they chose to attack Lilith’s Cottage last."

Wizard Justin said, "Of course, there is also the factor that they suffered badly here at Lilith’s Cottage in that battle approximately five years ago, and so they have not dared to attack carelessly since."

Wizard Justin said hesitantly, "At this moment, I am already seriously injured. If we misjudge and sortie recklessly, everything will be lost."

"My thinking is that we should remain sheltered here and wait for the battle over there to reach a conclusion. The magic pressures on both sides are still clashing intensely, though one of the sides has already started to clearly decline."

"Among those two unfamiliar magic pressures, it appears one of them may be no match for the black wizard, Wizard Isaac."

Halen Vera grew somewhat anxious.

"And that is precisely why we need to go out and help."

"If that is the situation, we all the more need to seize this moment and lend our strength. If we let this opportunity pass, Mr. Chairman, we will truly have lost. Would you wait until all of us have been captured by those black wizards, forced to sign an agreement with them, and the southeastern quadrant has fallen into their hands before acting?"

Wizard Justin's expression was one of hesitation.

"Give me a moment to think. I suspect it may be a trap."

At this moment, Dean Earl Thompson and Lady Morgana walked in, along with Albert.

Lady Morgana said, "Chairman, it is absolutely not a trap."

"Because the source of one of those magic pressures is an outstanding graduate of our Lilith’s Cottage."

Wizard Justin looked toward Lady Morgana with doubt.

"An outstanding graduate of your Lilith’s Cottage? A Second Circle wizard? For the southeastern quadrant, the outstanding graduates who have become Second Circle wizards are few enough to count on one hand. I know the magic pressure of every single one of them."

"The most recent outstanding graduate was Barzel. He is currently working on the Sunshade Peninsula."

"The one before that who became a Second Circle wizard was Alaric, a student who left your academy one hundred and fifty years ago. He has been out of contact with Lilith’s Cottage for over a century and the connection has faded."

"There is virtually no remaining ties."

Wizard Justin said, "The southeastern quadrant is a small place. I can absolutely recognize the magic pressure of any Second Circle wizard with origins here."

Lady Morgana said with certainty, "No, in fact you are mistaken. Within this recent period, Lilith’s Cottage has very likely produced two Second Circle wizards. One is Witch Sophia, who has gone to the Star Domain Sea."

"The other is Locke Augustine. Because he only just became a Second Circle wizard, you would not have received word yet. And moreover, his magic pressure has changed considerably."

Lady Morgana spoke calmly.

Wizard Justin blinked. "Two Second Circle wizards? From a small place like ours?"

Halen Vera also looked toward Lady Morgana in astonishment.

"What? Locke has already become a Second Circle wizard? Is this true?"

"Dean..."

Dean Earl Thompson gave a slight nod. "This I can say with certainty. It is not idle talk. Albert, please explain."

Wizard Albert stepped forward, cleared his throat, and bowed respectfully to the great wizard Justin.

"Mr. Chairman, the situation is as follows. I currently work at the Myst’s Power Research Institute."

"I once learned a special magic from Wizard Locke Augustine called the Forest Sanctuary."

Wizard Justin's expression shifted subtly, clearly recalling the storm of blood and violence that had once surrounded the Forest Sanctuary.

It was a magic the association had forbidden further research into.

Wizard Justin glanced at Dean Thompson, then said to Wizard Albert, "Please continue."

Albert said, "Wizard Locke Augustine is the most gifted wizard I have ever met, and the most gifted breeder."

"He proposed an idea that after becoming a Second Circle wizard, he would use a certain incantation to connect my Forest Sanctuary with his. He has now connected to my Forest Sanctuary and is continuously drawing upon the magical force within my Forest Sanctuary. And so the Second Circle wizard currently battling the black wizards is very likely him."

A flash of hope crossed Wizard Justin's face.

"If that is so, then this is not a trap, but one of our own people. Excellent. If we mobilize our full strength right now, we can catch the black wizards completely off guard and may even turn defeat into victory. Their star ring wizard, for reasons unknown, is still within the Forbidden Forest and has not emerged."

"Excellent."

"That Wizard Augustine truly lives up to being a talent born from our southeastern quadrant."

"Wait, I do have a vague impression of him."

Wizard Justin thought back to over four years ago, when he had indeed paid attention to that young man who had only just become a formal wizard.

"He should not be very old now. Not even thirty? Goodness, our southeastern quadrant can produce a wizard like this?"

"What level of achievement will his future hold... He will go to the Star Domain Sea."

Halen Vera was also left standing in stunned silence.

He recalled the days years ago when he had tutored Locke. At that time he had told Locke that he would certainly become a great breeder in the future, which had been nothing more than an elder's word of encouragement to a junior, a passing remark of motivation.

Even the person who had said it, himself, had spoken it in the casual manner of something said offhand without thought.

But now, those words he had once spoken might actually come true.

Lady Morgana said, "Chairman, may we go and provide support now?"

Wizard Justin immediately said, "We may. We must support with full strength. The outcome will be decided in this battle. Assemble every wizard on our side, the bureau directors of the White Wizard Association, the wizard mentors and deans of the various wizard academies, and the academic overseers."

"We are going to support Wizard Locke Augustine."

...

In the Louis Plane, Locke directed the tree-man and said, "According to the information on the Burial Ground that Wizard Akman retrieved for me, the Burial Ground is built upon deception. The Burial Ground created a site of heavy spiritual significance that deceived the world and confused death with winter, leading that world to mistakenly believe that winter is equivalent to death."

"Thus a vicious cycle was produced."

"The original cycle of the four seasons was broken. Winter was originally a season in which all things enter dormancy, gathering their strength in preparation for the eruption of life that comes with spring. But because the world was deceived and death energy was concentrated and transformed into the Burial Ground, winter was made into a season of death."

"Of course, winter already naturally possessed the character of purging and clearing away all things. Necromancy simply exploited this characteristic and twisted it into a season in which all things die."

"And so to break the Grand Magic Burial Ground, one must first make the world understand that it has been deceived. To make the world understand it has been deceived, one must make the world recognize what winter truly is."

At this moment, Wizard Akman at Golden Crown Mountain, functioning like a machine for recitation, conveyed to Locke the essential core insights from the twenty relevant documents Locke needed to read.

At the end Akman said, "I have only relayed this content to you as you required. Wizard Locke, you are the expert in botanical studies and evolutionary theory."

"Only you can make use of these materials."

"Out of fear of interfering with your judgment, I did not change so much as a single word."

At this moment Locke's main body smiled and said, "Akman, are all you generalist scholars this formidable? Having you read documents is truly convenient."

Wizard Akman smiled and said, "That will cost you. It is only because you are dealing with a black wizard this time that I am helping you for free. I say again, black wizards are enemies to all, and all should strike against them."

At this moment Locke thought to himself, if he tangled with black wizards a few more times, could he not use old Blue-Head Akman's services for free indefinitely?

In the Louis Plane, Locke did not detach the moon plum that had evolved through his Lunar Cultivation Method and leaping evolution.

"According to those documents, once the death and winter of the Burial Ground are separated from each other, I will be able to capture a large quantity of winter magical power. Combined with the content mentioned in the botanical core materials that old Blue-Head helped me find, together with my Moon of Evolution, I can construct a spell model that uses winter magical power to rapidly incubate magical plants..."

Locke used the Moon of Evolution to catalyze the moon plum's growth and then caused it to flower and bear fruit.

In the end the moon plum's main body withered and died, having flowered and produced three seeds.

This was the Second Circle botanical spell model, Flowers Bloom and Fall.

And it was also something old Blue-Head had dug out from a pile of old and dusty materials, located it, and then helped him fine-tune and adjust.

It could accelerate and catalyze an adult magical plant to flower and bear fruit, producing three seeds with a somewhat improved incubation success rate at the cost of the magical plant itself withering away.

Of course, transforming seeds into adult magical plants required techniques and resources that were themselves far from trivial, and this magic required consuming an adult magical plant to deploy successfully.

And so wizards had always regarded it as having a poor value ratio.

But Locke knew that this magic was absolutely well suited to him.

Locke said, "I need to make this world discover that it has been deceived by the Burial Ground. So I cannot act myself. I must choose a living creature of this world and use that creature's hands to plant these three seeds into the core of the Burial Ground."

"The moment three moon plum trees grow from the core of the Burial Ground, that will be the moment I let this world understand that it was deceived by necromancy."