Geniuses and Madmen

Wizards truly deserved their status as a profession with a transcendent power system. Even though Taylor was only a wizard apprentice, he already had one foot firmly planted in the true transcendent ranks.

Before his solid foundation of knowledge and powerful ability to comprehend through mental strength, the writing of this plane was completely defenseless, laying itself open before Taylor.

During the three days and nights spent traveling to the city, Taylor had fully mastered this plane's language and script. In addition, he had obtained a large number of Zombie Crystals.

Through his research on Zombie Crystals, Taylor could now confirm that these things were highly beneficial to magical beasts and even ordinary animals.

With certain potions and herbs attached to them, these crystals could even produce stronger effects. However, since such crystals were born from zombies, Taylor could not yet determine whether they benefited humans or what harm they might cause them. Therefore, he had not used the crystals on himself.

Watching Dom bury his entire head in his little bowl and gulp down some low-quality Zombie Crystals, Taylor sensed the magical elements within Dom's body slowly rising and could not help scribbling notes in a notebook.

The innocent little Dom had no idea that he had somehow become an experimental guinea pig.

Right now, he only felt that his master was far better than ordinary humans. Not only did Taylor treat him especially well, but he also fed him those delicious transparent candy beans every day that could increase his strength.

Outside a grand city, billowing dust rose along a ruined road. A Granite Carriage pulled by two brown earthen steeds arrived at the city, escorted by a pack of Earth Element giant wolves.

Looking at the enormous sign erected at the city entrance, Taylor could now understand the triangular script of this plane. He looked at the huge sign and softly read aloud.

"The greatest magical scientist of this century, Mr. Lunna, has successfully invented the powerful Magic Mech. World peace requires these mighty steel warriors to defend it..."

Magic Mech?

Was it a puppet system unique to this plane, or a simplified version of wizard Construct Puppets?

The greatest magical scientist of this century—what an impressive title. A great reputation was seldom without merit. He had to be one of the most outstanding talents on this plane.

After putting away his Elemental Golems carriage, Taylor left only four Earth Element giant wolves around him as guards and stepped into the ruined, desolate city.

Once inside, it was just like the villages and towns he had encountered before. Desolation and decay filled every corner. Dust had accumulated into thick layers, all facilities had stopped operating, and aside from zombies wandering through the streets and alleys, there was no trace left of intelligent life.

Entering a newsstand, Taylor opened the most recent newspaper available. Its headline went on and on about the most evil magical genius, but what truly caught his attention was the following passage.

"He is an absolute madman, a madman whom only Mr. Lunna and his Magic Mech can defeat. That madman actually claims that he can make dead corpses move again!"

"This madman has decided that the human body has been shackled and cannot be strengthened any further. He actually wants to combine the living with the dead!"

Taylor ignored all the denials, ridicule, and abuse aimed at this research result below. His attention settled on this magical genius hailed as the most evil of the century.

He seemed to be an opponent of the genius Lunna mentioned on the billboard outside.

As for his name, no one knew it. Everyone used "the most evil magical genius" both to condemn him and acknowledge his talent.

Could he make dead corpses move again? Could he be the culprit who had plunged this plane into disaster?

Taylor felt that this plane was gradually becoming interesting. There was a good genius and an evil genius, standing in direct opposition to each other. Their research represented the conflict between flesh and machinery.

It was just as a Brief History of Wizards in the Apprentice Library had described. Long ago, there had not only been wars between Black Wizards and White Wizards. An even more terrifying and direct war had been waged between Flesh Wizards, Mechanical Wizards, and Elemental Wizards.

If the conflict between the black and white wizard philosophies was merely a dispute over their attitudes toward their own kind and certain methods of conduct, then the latter conflict had been the most fundamental and direct clash of ideals—a conflict over their very paths.

Setting aside the minor wizard branches in obscure corners, only Elemental Wizards, such as Taylor; Flesh Wizards, such as Taifas; and the mechanical branch of wizards he had never encountered were the three major mainstream pillars of modern Wizard Civilization.

Elemental Wizards were the oldest and longest-lasting school of wizards, and could be said to be the origin of all wizards. Both Flesh Wizards and Mechanical Wizards had branched off from Elemental Wizards.

As their name suggested, Flesh Wizards used all their magical power and even developed spell models to strengthen and modify their own bodies, making their flesh comparable to powerful magical beasts. Their primary methods were close combat, blood curses, and physical enhancement.

Mechanical Wizards were the latest school to emerge. They focused on mechanized production, forming terrifying mechanical tides. They drew inspiration from Construct Puppets and even modified their own bodies, becoming half-human, half-machine beings. Many such wizards no longer possessed normal emotions, leaving them with only absolute rationality.

However, the experimental modifications Mechanical Wizards performed on their bodies and minds, along with the resulting losses, also made further advancement exceedingly difficult for them.

Still, the early stages of being a Mechanical Wizard were truly simple and required little investment. Yet they were not accepted by mainstream Wizard Civilization and were even suppressed for a time. Now, mechanical wizards were rarely seen.

Through what he had learned, Taylor also noticed that the two geniuses of this plane had each chosen one of these paths. One combined machinery with magic, sweeping aside all enemies with a body of steel. The other strengthened the flesh, and after finding that path impassable, began manipulating corpses and playing with flesh.

Both were geniuses, but unfortunately, this plane had locked away their potential.

Taylor roughly guessed that the conflict between these two geniuses, and the eventual victory of the so-called evil genius, had turned this plane into such a chaotic mess.

That was truly regrettable. The magical elements of this plane were extremely active, but the result of that activity was the evolution of beasts and magical beasts, along with the shackles imposed upon humanity.