Geniuses and Madmen

Wizards truly deserved to be called a profession that possessed a supernatural power system. Even though Taylor was merely a Wizard apprentice, he already had one foot firmly planted within the true supernatural ranks.

Before his solid foundation of knowledge and powerful capacity for comprehension through mental strength, the writing of this plane lay completely open before Taylor, as though utterly undefended.

During the three days and nights spent traveling to the city, Taylor had completely mastered this plane's writing and language. In addition, he had obtained a large number of zombie crystals.

Through his research on zombie crystals, Taylor could now say with certainty that these things were greatly beneficial to magical beasts and even ordinary animals.

When combined with certain potions and herbs, these crystals could even produce more powerful effects. However, since such crystals originated 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 several ordinary-quality zombie crystals, Taylor sensed the magical elements within Dom's body gradually rising. He could not help scribbling notes in a notebook.

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

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

Outside a grand city, billowing clouds of dust rose along a ruined road. A Granite Carriage pulled by two brown earth steeds arrived before the city, surrounded by a pack of earth-element giant wolves.

Taylor could now recognize the triangular script of this plane. Looking at the enormous sign erected at the city entrance, he softly read it aloud.

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

Magical automatons?

Was this a puppet system unique to this plane, or a simplified version of Wizard construct puppets?

The greatest magical scientist of the century—what an enormous title. A great reputation was never without substance. He must be one of the most outstanding talents on this plane.

After putting away his elemental puppet carriage, Taylor kept only four earth-element giant wolves at his side as guards and strode into the desolate, ruined city.

The moment he entered, he found it much like the villages and towns he had encountered before. Ruin and desolation filled every corner. Dust had accumulated in thick layers, every facility had stopped functioning, and aside from zombies wandering through the streets and alleys, there was no longer any trace of intelligent life.

Entering a newsstand, Taylor opened the newspaper published closest to the present time. Its front page 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 magical automatons can defeat. That madman actually claims that he can make dead corpses move again!"

"This madman has concluded 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, mockery, and insults directed at this research result below. Instead, he focused on the man hailed as the most evil magical genius of the century.

He seemed to be an existence opposed to the genius Lunna mentioned on the billboard outside.

As for his name, no one knew it. Everyone simply called him the most evil magical genius, both to condemn him and to 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, perfectly opposed to each other, and their research represented the conflict between flesh and machines.

It was just as described in a brief history of Wizards from the Apprentice Library. 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 Black Wizards and White Wizards was merely a dispute over their attitudes toward their own kind and certain differences in conduct, then the latter conflict was the most fundamental and direct clash of ideologies—a conflict over their very paths.

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

Elemental Wizards were the oldest and longest-lasting Wizard school. They could be said to be the origin of all Wizards. Whether Flesh Wizards or mechanical Wizards, they had all branched off from Elemental Wizards.

As their name implied, Flesh Wizards used all manner of magic power and even developed spell models to strengthen and modify their own bodies, making their flesh comparable to that of powerful magical beasts. Physical combat, blood curses, and enhancement of their own bodies were their mainstream methods.

Mechanical Wizards were the latest school to emerge. Their focus was mechanized production, forming terrifying mechanical tides. They drew inspiration from Construct Puppets and even modified their own bodies, turning themselves into half-human, half-machine beings. Many such Wizards no longer possessed normal emotions; they had only absolute rationality.

However, the experimental modifications they performed on their bodies and minds, along with the resulting deficiencies, also made further progress extremely difficult for them in the later stages.

Still, the early stages for mechanical Wizards were truly simple, and the investment required was low. Yet they were not accepted by mainstream Wizard Civilization and had even been 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 taken different paths. One had chosen to combine machinery and magic, sweeping aside all enemies with a body of steel, while the other had strengthened the flesh—and after reaching the limit of that path, had begun manipulating corpses and playing with flesh.

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

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

It was truly a pity. The magical elements of this plane were extremely active, but the result of that activity was the evolution of animals and magical beasts, as well as the shackles imposed upon humanity.