533: Invasion of the Disk Creature and the Predecessor
Inside the Golden Crown Mountain library, Locke was browsing books in the free section, holding Albert's detailed records and comparing them with the information in the classics.
"The inscription array runes of the Eternal Defense Field are conflicting with the mana. This situation also exists in the Yunze Wetland," Locke's eyes narrowed. "As expected of the Golden Crown Mountain library in the Yunze Wetland. Information regarding the soul, which cannot be found at all in the Southeast Corner Region, can be accessed here in the free section."
"The method of identification is the magic pressure spectrum. Have the wizard drink a spectrum potion, then use a mass spectrometer to map the wizard's magic pressure spectrum for the next hour."
"If the spectrum is continuous, it proves that there are no foreign objects in the soul, and Albert's situation is something else. If the spectrum breaks, it means there is a foreign object in Albert's soul."
Locke's eyes flickered slightly. "A spectrum analyzer, I remember there is one in the Healing Hand Clinic at Liliths Cottage. The equipment is a bit old and outdated, but it should be usable."
"If that doesn't work, I'll have to borrow equipment from Verdantia University. If that still doesn't work, I'll have no choice but to go to the nearest Wizard Land to borrow equipment."
There was no other way; it was good enough that any wizard organization in the Southeast Corner Region even possessed such high-level equipment.
Although, here at Golden Crown Mountain, regardless of the level of the experiment, there would be a few of the most advanced spectrum analyzers.
Locke summoned the grey mist slate and simultaneously used image communication to contact Albert and Harlan Vera.
He informed Harlan Vera and Albert of the results.
Harlan Vera showed a thoughtful expression. "Are you saying that you believe Albert's problem lies in the existence of a foreign object within his soul?"
Locke said calmly, "After researching similar cases in the Yunze Wetland, that is indeed the case. And if it is this situation, then he can indeed advance to a Formal Wizard using the Forest Sanctuary."
"Because the main defensive magic inscription of the Forest Sanctuary is not on his soul, this magic will receive relatively little interference. However, if this problem is not solved, even if he becomes a Formal Wizard, I am afraid it will be very difficult for him to continue the materialization of mental power."
"Having problems with the soul is not a small issue, even for wizards."
And if he cannot achieve materialization of mental power, then Albert would only be an ordinary Formal Wizard for the rest of his life, unable to make any progress.
A look of excitement appeared on Albert's face. "Locke... I just need to become a Formal Wizard. As long as I can become a Formal Wizard, I will be satisfied."
Albert quickly realized that Harlan Vera was also present, so he immediately corrected himself. "Mentor Augustine, please help me solve this problem."
"I am very grateful to you."
Harlan Vera glanced at him, knowing that he and Locke had a good relationship. He was not some stubborn old man; since Locke was willing to let Albert interact with him as an equal, what could he, an outsider, say?
Harlan Vera said to Locke with a smile, "Locke, it really is true that one gains more insight after going to a big place. I truly cannot believe it. A problem that has plagued our Liliths Cottage for a year and a half, a difficulty that many of our Potion Masters here feel confused about, yet you had a solution the moment you met Albert."
Locke said calmly, "It's not that I'm particularly amazing; it's just that there is a lot of relevant information here in the Yunze Wetland."
Currently, his biggest gain in the Yunze Wetland was being able to access this high-quality information at will.
Locke himself had even checked in the library; knowledge that many high-level wizards in the Southeast Corner Region only knew, such as Cursed Erosion Spore, was readily available in the free section.
Harlan Vera said, "Even if it is just becoming a Formal Wizard, it is already enough in our Southeast Corner Region. A Formal Wizard possessing Mister Power is exactly what our Liliths Cottage is currently in urgent need of."
"Locke, then I will leave it to you. It is our honor that Liliths Cottage could produce students like you and Sophia the Witch."
Harlan Vera said, "Now, your knowledge of Potionology likely already exceeds mine. So, as a wizard and also a Potion Master, I am also very curious about one point—if the foreign object in Albert's soul truly exists, is it innate or acquired?"
Locke glanced at Albert and said, "It is highly likely acquired. If it were innate, he should have exhibited some physical symptoms."
"Such as confusion, loss of the ability to distinguish reality from falsehood, and so on."
"In other words, it would be impossible for Albert to maintain the cognition of a normal person."
Harlan Vera frowned, looked at Albert, and said, "Then that is strange. Albert, what exactly did you come into contact with?"
Albert frowned and fell into deep thought. "I don't know either."
Locke looked at the collection of information on soul foreign object syndrome in his hand and said, "If a foreign object appears in the soul later in life, it is generally possible that it is a bloodline mutation, or a soul experiment by a High-Ring Wizard. If it is not these two situations."
"Then it means you have come into contact with some alien life form. Do you have no impression of this?"
Albert's expression was dull, seemingly racking his brain, but no matter how he thought about it, he had no impression of when he had come into contact with any alien life forms.
"For these two years, I have stayed at Liliths Cottage preparing to advance to a Formal Wizard, and I haven't gone out at all."
Locke had a guess in his heart. "Then during your two years at the Liliths Cottage headquarters, did you hear anyone calling for help, or did you hear someone calling your name while you were walking?"
Albert racked his brain. "No. After Andy died, you and Sophia left Liliths Cottage. For a long time, I was almost alone."
"During that time, I liked to rescue some small injured creatures in the wild; if there is anything to speak of regarding rescue, it is only this. Right..."
Albert said, "I remember now. Once, I heard the cries for help of a pink magic rabbit with an injured left leg in the wild, but after I bandaged its wound, it ran away in a flash."
"But that night, I had a very strange dream."
Locke immediately pressed, "What dream?"
After thinking, Albert said, "It was a blue light, a blue ring that appeared by my bed. I suddenly woke up, only to realize that it was just a dream."
Locke and Harlan Vera's images looked at each other. Both of them simultaneously thought of the Ghost Bride that the Blood Lord had summoned at the Liliths Cottage headquarters back then. But that Ghost Bride was just a facade; behind her, there was something even more powerful, something that had never been a person, or even something that had never been a life form of the Main Material Plane.
Back then, Locke had once led a large-scale ecology and temporarily suppressed that life form with Earth power.
But Locke knew that the unknown life form could not be eliminated just like that; it was still trying to fully enter the Main Material Plane, to enter the Wizard World.
Harlan Vera said to Locke, "Could it be that thing summoned by the Blood Lord?"
Locke nodded. "I had guessed that before. Many victims of soul foreign object syndrome have come into contact with extraterrestrial evil gods or some extraterrestrial evil objects."
"In the Yunze Wetland, there was once a team of First-Class Wizard Apprentice explorers who entered a new colonial Plane. In that tropical rainforest, which appeared to be only at the primitive tribal civilization stage, this team of Wizard Apprentices encountered the evil god existence worshipped by those primitive tribal civilizations. As a result, after they returned, without exception, they all failed to advance to a Formal Wizard."
"The reason is that in the process of eliminating the evil god, part of the evil god's soul fragments managed to enter their souls. That is a characteristic of the evil god in that Plane: eliminating their existence will automatically absorb their soul fragments to become the next them."
"And after I carefully thought about it, the only unknown life form that Albert could have come into contact with is the life form that I suppressed using the Earth ecology back then."
Locke said, "Moreover, I even found information about it in the Yunze Wetland."
Locke held up the magic book in his hand and showed it to Albert and Harlan Vera. On that magic book, there was a ring emitting an eerie blue light. "This is a Disk Creature, something born from our Wizard World."
"This is content researched by Earth Wizards. The Disk Creature is a kind of twisted extreme natural force generated because of violent, large-scale geological catastrophes, which caused natural forces to be in an extreme state for a long time."
Locke said, "Earth Wizards in the Yunze Wetland discovered this thing a long time ago and have been trying to capture this Disk Creature."
"The Disk Creature was born because of a certain geological-scale catastrophe that Earth Wizards could not locate, and at some point later, it was excluded by the life energy of the Wizard World's natural state which had recovered."
Locke flipped through the information in his hand and said, "Natural forces in a normal state will only maintain life, but natural forces like the Disk Creature, which are essentially in an extreme state, are just the opposite: they only want to destroy all life forms in this world."
Locke said, "The Disk Creature is a type of twisted natural life form produced by the Wizard World, which is strange enough even for us wizards. At the very least, One-Ring Wizards have no way to eliminate a Disk Creature."
Harlan Vera asked, "Why is that?"
Locke said, "Because the Disk Creature is essentially a part of the nature of the Wizard World, even if it is that part expelled by the Wizard World. One-Ring Wizards cannot destroy nature itself; this is almost at the level of rules."
"Earth Wizards call Disk Creatures Dark Natural Life Forms. If Dark Natural Life Forms want to descend into this world again, they need to obtain the summoning of the life of this world itself, and use the life forms of this world itself, whether by possessing or combining, anyway, the means are strange and varied, to be able to descend into this world again."
Locke said, "As a Dark Natural Life Form, the Disk Creature naturally hates all life in a normal state. Therefore, it is extremely eager to return to the Wizard World."
"However, the Disk Creature under the land of Liliths Cottage should not have fully descended yet, otherwise the entire Liliths Cottage would have become a dead zone for life."
"Every mortal and wizard in the entire Liliths Cottage could die. Because the Disk Creature is a... extreme Natural Incarnation that has existed for hundreds of thousands of years since the great disaster back then!"
A flash of fear crossed Albert's eyes.
Because the Disk Creature that Locke mentioned was truly too bizarre, so bizarre that it sounded like a state that even a One-Ring Wizard couldn't handle.
Locke said to Harlan Vera, "However, for Earth Wizards, the Disk Creature is dream research material. The Earth Wizards of Golden Crown Mountain have been trying to capture more Disk Creatures to conduct research. Most Disk Creatures are, in essence, incarnations of twisted extreme earth."
"They are mostly inclined towards twisted earth, but there are also some that are twisted sky and twisted ocean, which will also be of interest to the ocean wizards and sky wizards of the Life School."
"Teacher Harlan, if Liliths Cottage finds it troublesome, I can tell Golden Crown Mountain about this matter. I believe the Earth Wizards of Golden Crown Mountain would be very happy to do us a favor and eliminate that Disk Creature."
A flash of interest crossed Harlan Vera's eyes. "So you're saying, because of the Blood Lord, our Liliths Cottage possesses a resource point that wizards of the Life School dream of?"
Harlan Vera immediately refused. "No need. Locke, if that were the case, it would be as if we were sick ourselves and had to find other wizards to treat us."
"But in fact, the fact that we have such a unique life form beneath the land of Liliths Cottage means it is our best research resource. Our Liliths Cottage also has courses for Earth Wizards of the Life School, after all."
"Moreover, our Liliths Cottage also has a bunch of Botanical Wizards of the Life School."
"Breeders, Potion Masters."
"So, let's research it ourselves. Locke, *cough cough*... I still hope you will keep this matter secret from Golden Crown Mountain."
Locke couldn't help but smile wryly.
Indeed, for a wizard, such dangerous things could instead bring huge discoveries; it was both a danger and an opportunity.
What wizard would resist such a hard-won opportunity?
Opportunity always coexists with danger.
Locke nodded: "This is the academy's own business, I won't say anything unnecessary. I only need to focus on the work I am responsible for."
Albert asked Locke: "But, Locke, why did my soul get... invaded by that Disk Creature just because I saved a rabbit?"
Locke looked at Albert seriously and said: "The Blood Curse Court should still be at war with us, right? Then you should understand that for a Curse Master, any form of consent is actively allowing a curse to enter your body."
"It is the same for the Disk Creature. You actively offered help and saved the rabbit that was an incarnation of the Disk Creature, so in its view, you allowed it to enter your body."
"Your soul."
"Responding is consenting."
The expression on Albert's face was one of disbelief; he had not expected that the origin of all his bad luck and suffering over the past two years was simply that he had casually saved a rabbit in the wild two years ago.
Albert said: "But these are two different things, this..."
"I cannot accept this..."
Locke said: "I know what you cannot accept. But this is the essence of the Disk Creature; the Disk Creature is an incarnation of extreme natural power and is naturally hostile to life forms. The morality, laws, kindness, as well as evil and hatred, and extreme emotions of life forms are all tools it uses to eliminate us, and so it utilized the single act of kindness you showed by chance, and then entered your soul."
Locke said: "This world is just that dangerous."
"It is precisely because of this that we wizards need to exist. Exploring the unknown of this world is about ensuring that people like you will no longer be used by some existences that were never human just because you showed a little kindness."
Albert was stunned for a moment, "Locke, you really are like a Wizard Mentor now."
"Thank you for your guidance, I understand now. Please help me become a Formal Wizard. If that is the case, after I become a Formal Wizard, I want to explore these issues, as you said, so that those who come after will never have to suffer this pain again."
Locke held up the materials in his hand and said with a smile: "Actually, you are already one of those who came after, Albert. You have already enjoyed the benefits brought to you by those explorers."
"If it weren't for so many materials, I wouldn't have been able to pinpoint the source of your problem so quickly. Let's start with the magic pressure variation spectrum."
"We must confirm which type of Disk Creature it is, or have actual proof that a Disk Creature has invaded your soul, causing foreign objects to appear in your soul and repel the Eternal Defense Field you inscribed on the surface of your soul."
Harlan Vera looked at Locke silently, and he revealed a gratified smile.
Perhaps he could only be a mediocre One-Ring Wizard for the rest of his life, but he had achieved a new accomplishment in the field of teaching—he had cultivated an outstanding wizard.
At least he had taught him for a period of time.
And this was what he wanted.
Locke discussed with Albert for a while longer in the library, formulated a reading list for studying the Forest Sanctuary for him, and also listed some things that needed to be prepared.
Using the magic pressure mass spectrometer and purchasing Red Earth Holly both required funds.
Fortunately, the Mister Power Research Center of Liliths Cottage had one million magic stones in funding support for this project.
This could also be considered Locke doing a cross-disciplinary project.
It was just collaborating with his old alma mater.
Locke dispelled the grey mist slate, and at the same time, he received a letter sent by an owl messenger. It stated that his application for the third-class True Knowledge Institute fund had been approved, and he had been issued 300,000 magic stones. At the same time, he could use the equipment in the laboratory worth over 30 million magic stones.
For example, the ice magic mirror, sunlight magic mirror, and electromagnetic magic mirror in the laboratory.
If he only needed to verify an already discovered natural magic structural component, he would only need to use the structural comparison machine, or at most use the ice magic mirror again.
Actually, the structural comparison machine was already enough; using the ice magic mirror was just for rigor.
But if he wanted to analyze new natural magic structural components, he would still need to use the two great magic mirrors that came after the Breeder's three great magic mirrors.
Every magic mirror was something that outside wizards found difficult to access.
"I have the synthesis cube to help me determine the research direction; finishing those four projects won't use up 300,000 magic stones at all." Locke thought: "In order to reach a first-class True Knowledge Institute fund project as soon as possible, there is no need to wait for these funds to be approved one by one."
"Using a portion of these 300,000 magic stones, it is entirely possible to continue discovering more relationships between the reproductive capacity of pineapple-type magic plants and avian magic creatures."
"Let's use that one mu of magic field by the Great Red Banyan Tree to discover more symbiotic relationships between pineapple magic plants and avian magic creatures. I will rent a few more mu of magic fields to plant the four pineapple-type magic plants for which I have already designed the research framework, to analyze them as soon as possible and conclude the projects."
After returning all the materials, Locke made a trip to the Dragon Blood Market and once again rented a mu of normal matrix-style magic field at the foot of the mountain from the Fertile Land Pact.
At the same time, Locke purchased a large quantity of Breeding Science items, preparing to plant a large amount of Great Yellow Duck Pineapple and grow more great yellow duck crown pineapples.
By the time Locke finished his busy day and returned to his dormitory, it was already midnight.
In a simple laboratory within his dormitory, Locke looked at a Lightning Bee living inside a great yellow duck crown pineapple inside an isolated ecological bottle; queen bee patterns had appeared on its body.
Locke confirmed the effect of the Royal Lightning Field, which was to cause the Lightning Bee to undergo a bloodline transformation and turn into a Lightning Bee Queen.
What surprised Locke was that he had also placed an Electric Light Ant, an apprentice-level magic creature, on the surface of this great yellow duck crown pineapple. As a result, this Electric Light Ant also underwent some kind of bloodline mutation, turning into an Ant King, and its magic pressure was vaguely between the First Ring and apprent