In the study, Lin Tuo stared at the Sandbox with a grave, focused expression, his brows knitting together.
On the Virtual Panel, although the Aether concentration was still listed as "Low," the blood-red downward arrow at the end was enough to make one uneasy.
Throughout the entire morning, Aether had not been free of dips, but they had never lasted long.
For the vast majority of the time, it had been rising.
But now, something was clearly wrong.
"Where exactly was the problem? Logically speaking, the current social structure should still be in an upward phase. There was no reason for it to decline.
"Don't tell me some once-in-an-age cultivation genius had appeared, absorbing Aether so quickly that it could not replenish itself in time?"
Lin Tuo pondered in confusion as he controlled the Virtual Panel with his thoughts, opened the Operation Log, and began reviewing recent entries in an attempt to find the cause.
At a glance, there were no words such as "war," "famine," or "disease," which only left him more baffled.
After reviewing it several times, Lin Tuo finally fixed his gaze on one entry:
In the 3,652nd year of world evolution, the Northern Church issued the "Heretic Judgment" decree, hunting and killing Wizard groups within the Draile Kingdom.
"Heretic Judgment?" The instant he saw that entry, Lin Tuo caught the scent of something unusual.
This piece of information was not particularly eye-catching amidst the logs. Under normal circumstances, Lin Tuo would likely have regarded it as merely another form of religious war or power struggle.
But coupled with the decline in Aether, it was worth his careful attention.
"Could the drop in Aether be caused by the slaughter of Wizards?"
If he had guessed correctly, Wizard groups referred to the descendants of Evolvers with Extraordinary Abilities,