Chapter 573 - 404: The Terrifying Gulf

Chapter 573: Chapter 404: The Terrifying Gulf

Although it was only Tier Two, this soul structure couldn’t be said to be completely unrelated to the Mad Witch Traits. On the contrary, its existence gave Isaac a few more theories about the nature of these traits.

Because this soul structure had only one function—to enhance the stability of the soul!

’That’s right. The Mad Witches, who lived up to their name and were always vying with the Witches for the title of most mentally ill, and yet the first change they experience after dealing with an Outer God is to strengthen the stability of their souls?’

’Of course, from the perspective of biological evolution and the development of their profession, this kind of change was actually quite normal. After all, only a stable soul could bear more Outer God Power.’

’It’s just... even with this, their sanity couldn’t be guaranteed? Just how powerful is the influence of the Outer God Power?’

’It couldn’t be because they were already mad to begin with, could it?’

’That joke was not only lame, it wasn’t even funny.’

The three most valuable research projects were complete, and the three chances to anchor the future had been used up. All that remained was pure grunt work.

Isaac looked at the pile of data he had brought in and sighed helplessly. ’So it’s finally time for this, huh? No helping it. I just have to get it done.’

With a faint sense of dread, Isaac dove headfirst into a sea of data analysis, working tirelessly and forgetting to eat or sleep.

「Just like that, time flew by. In the blink of an eye, ten years had passed...」

On this day, Isaac, feeling even more dead inside, was still buried in his data analysis. Suddenly, he froze, then whipped his head up, his face breaking into a look of sheer elation.

The reason was simple: accursed time had finally begun to flow again!

Isaac couldn’t wait. He dropped the documents in his hands, strode swiftly out of the room, and took a deep breath of the snowy wind, a look of pure bliss on his face. ’Ah, the scent of time flowing freely...’

AA+!

Pure bliss!

"You’re... done?" Moens, who had just stepped out nearby, asked with curiosity upon seeing Isaac’s enraptured expression.

He knew Isaac was planning to use a Fruit of Time to traverse time. Such methods weren’t novel to Arcanists, but they were rarely used.

Firstly, not all experiments could be conducted within a frozen timeline; there were significant limitations. In most cases, it was only suitable for tedious, repetitive work like data processing.

But to be honest... this held little appeal for most Arcanists. ’For all the effort it takes to set up the Time Magic, wouldn’t it be much better to just hire a few Low Tier Arcanists?’

’Especially the ones who just got promoted to Tier One, fresh graduates from the Arcane Apprentice program. They’re the best to use. Offer most of them a certificate of employment, and they’d even pay *you* for the privilege of working!’

’The work isn’t highly technical. They’re more than qualified.’

Secondly, research wasn’t Cultivation. Most of the time, all you gained upon completion was Knowledge. Not all research led to a direct increase in power, so such matters were rarely urgent enough to warrant it.

However, Moens was quite envious of the Core of Time’s ability to anchor the future. Unfortunately, that thing was much harder to obtain. The ten-year time window from the fruit’s pulp could be replicated with Time Magic, but the future-anchoring of the core...

...was truly a pure Great Creation of nature!

Anchoring the future, plus a ten-year window of uninterrupted time, plus Isaac’s terrifying research efficiency...

Moens didn’t dare to imagine what Isaac might have discovered.

But while he was excited about Isaac’s findings, he could also see that Isaac’s current state wasn’t quite right. It made sense. Anyone who spent ten years alone in a completely silent world would experience some psychological discomfort.

Even reclusive, research-oriented Wizards usually had Magic Pets and Servant Demons for company; they were never truly alone.

But Isaac had truly experienced ten years of absolute solitude!

’That feeling must have been horrible!’

’Wait a minute!’

Suddenly, a hint of alarm entered Moens’s gaze as he looked at Isaac. ’This guy... he hasn’t gotten even more mad, has he?’

’Please, not that!’

’The man was already mad enough. If his "condition" gets any worse...’

Moens’s mood suddenly grew heavy.

But clearly, Isaac was more resilient than Moens had imagined. In truth, while the ten years had certainly been difficult, he had poured most of his energy into his research, which made it bearable.

So, after catching his breath and mostly composing himself, Isaac turned to Moens with an excited expression.

"Could you gather everyone? I have a major discovery!"

"Alright!" Although he was still worried that Isaac’s mind might have undergone some kind of pathological change, upon hearing this good news, Moens couldn’t help but grin. Results were results!

’If the research into the nature of Mad Witches truly bears fruit because of him, then it would be worth it even if Isaac became ten times more mad!’

’If push comes to shove, it’s not like *he* couldn’t go mad too!’

His excitement lasted only a moment before Moens froze. He looked at Isaac, baffled. ’What does he mean by "everyone"?’ The research team was currently split into two groups, one studying Star Creation and the other the nature of Mad Witches. They worked in the same location, but their data was kept separate, and they were even forbidden from discussing their work with each other.

’So, why gather everyone?’

’Could it be that...’

As the realization dawned, Moens’s expression gradually twisted into something maniacal.

He swore to himself that he had never, ever wanted to become a Mad Witch as much as he did in this very moment!

—If becoming a Mad Witch could grant him such powerful research abilities, that is.

Soon, all the Wizards in the camp had gathered. They were clearly divided into three factions. Two of these factions were composed of Arcanists, but they were studying Star Creation and the nature of Mad Witches, respectively. The former group was larger and had a more balanced team composition. The team researching the nature of Mad Witches, on the other hand, seemed a bit more haphazard.