Chapter 89: Black Wizard and Elemental Storm

Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Black Wizard and Elemental Storm

Chen Shang crawled out of the passage. Surtr was squatting obediently beside a boulder, its tall figure huddled into a ball. The orange-red light seeping from the cracks in its skin illuminated the surrounding sandy ground like twilight. Seeing Chen Shang come up, it stood and shook the sand off its body. "Boss, did you get everything? Are we heading back?"

Chen Shang sealed the passage entrance and patted the dust off his robes. "Let’s go to the High Tower first. I need to look up some information." Surtr didn’t ask questions. Chen Shang cast the Floating Technique on both of them.

He himself advanced rapidly as if flying at a low altitude, while Surtr took long strides, sprinting after Chen Shang. Its soles stepped on the sandy ground, exploding into a burst of sparks with every step and leaving a long trail of scorch marks behind. The wind howled past their ears. Chen Shang narrowed his eyes, his Eye of True Sight sweeping across the wasteland ahead. In less than an hour, the High Tower appeared at the end of their field of vision.

The grayish-white tower stood at the border between the wasteland and the Gobi Desert. The Crystal Stone at its peak flickered with a dim blue light under the hazy sky, and the tower’s surface was carved full of Runes. Not far from the High Tower was the Teleportation Gate that Chen Shang had taken when he arrived. That area was much livelier, with creatures of various races constantly coming and going. However, they generally wouldn’t approach the High Tower.

Chen Shang walked up to the tower doors and swiped his card to enter. The hall inside the tower looked quite simple—a few tables and chairs, a registration device, and the emblem of the Pan-Wizard Alliance hanging on the wall. But this was all a facade. The truly valuable things were in the laboratory; that was where a whole new world lay hidden.

Chen Shang filled out an application. After a while, a First Level Apprentice walked out in a hurry. His gaze paused on the emblem on Chen Shang’s chest before he spoke. "I am the liaison stationed at the Balman No. 7 High Tower. You can call me Cohen."

Chen Shang pulled up the coordinates on his Crystal Plate. "Hello, I’d like to look up some information. Has any Wizard conducted biological modification experiments near High Tower Grid No. 1357 in this Plane? The subject was a desert centipede, roughly at the Tier Two Peak, with Alchemy Runes embedded in its body."

Cohen took the Crystal Plate and operated the device a few times. The data on the screen scrolled for a few pages before stopping. He frowned, checked again, and then shook his head. "There are no records. All the experimental projects in this Plane for the past hundred years are here: genetic sampling, mineral exploration, indigenous civilization observation... There are no biological modification registrations that match what you’ve described."

Chen Shang furrowed his brows. "Could it be an omission in the registration?"

Cohen shook his head, suddenly lowering his voice. "If there is no registration, then it might be... the work of a Black Wizard."

Chen Shang didn’t respond.

Black Wizards. Within the Pan-Wizard Alliance, the definition of this group was quite vague. Generally speaking, it referred to Wizards who didn’t strictly follow the Alliance’s rules. Paranoiacs, madmen, recluses, and those who treated the Alliance’s laws as scrap paper—the Wizard community was never short of such people.

But the Pan-Wizard Alliance’s attitude toward them was also quite ambiguous. As long as Black Wizards didn’t blatantly and massively violate the Alliance’s rules, they were basically left alone. Official Wizards couldn’t be bothered to interfere unless someone infringed upon their own interests. Other races didn’t dare to interfere... After all, Black Wizards were still Wizards. Who knew what methods they possessed? They couldn’t afford to provoke them.

However, there were a few red lines that could not be crossed. For instance, infringing on intellectual property rights offended the fundamental interests of all Wizards. Another example was the large-scale slaughter of intelligent creatures, which would damage the trade system of the Wizard Celestial Net. As for secretly using a centipede for biological experiments? It was simply not worth mentioning.

Chen Shang sighed as he looked at the blank records on the screen. He had no interest in knowing what kind of Wizard the other party was; he only wanted to find that person to discuss how that Eye of the Earth Element had been stimulated. Were the Alchemy Runes inside the centipede related to the Eye of the Earth Element he had extracted from it? If he could find the source, perhaps he could discover the methods of obtaining other Eyes of the Elements, allowing his Eye of True Sight to advance further.

"Thank you." Chen Shang put away his Crystal Plate, turned around, and walked out of the High Tower. Surtr was squatting outside the tower doors, boredly observing little bugs on the ground. Seeing Chen Shang come out, it hurriedly scurried over. "Boss, are you done checking?"

"I didn’t find anything. It might be the work of a Black Wizard." Chen Shang shook his head. "Let’s go. We’re heading home."

***

Upon returning to the laboratory, a familiar scent wafted over. The Golden Crow flew up from the operating table and landed on his shoulder. "Boss, you’re back! Were there any good things in the treasury?"

Chen Shang ignored the chatterbox. He activated his Eye of Truth to check the Golden Crow’s condition and found that it was adapting quite well to the Samadhi True Flame. Then, he went to see Luna Xiya and the Wood Spirits. With ample food and a safe environment, the number of Wood Spirits in the small garden was nearing three thousand. Furthermore, the new generation of Wood Spirits had quickly adapted to the state of learning Runes. Chen Shang planned to wait until their numbers reached ten thousand before officially letting them attempt to stabilize the Automatic Assembly and Growth Device.

Seeing Chen Shang approach, Yilu skipped over. "My Lord, you’re here! I’m currently the fastest one in the tribe at mastering Runes!"

"Great job, Yilu!" Chen Shang placed Yilu in the palm of his hand. "Yilu, do you have a crush on anyone? Are you planning to evolve into a male or a female?" Wood Spirits had no gender distinction before they came of age. They would only evolve a gender after finding a lover.

Hearing this, Yilu squirmed somewhat shyly, but still answered bravely, "Yilu refuses to be feminized! Yilu will definitely become the strongest Wood Spirit!"

"Alright, do your best." Chen Shang smiled, set the little one down, and walked into his own Recording Chamber.