Chapter 57
Until the year-end research conference, as the speaker of the Magic Council, I was required to attend as an observer. There, I saw that gentle-looking young mage again; he was speaking...
Well, he talked about some research that sounded pretty useless, but his voice was nice, and I started to have an idea. If he's so well-behaved, I think I could teach him properly when I get back. After all, not every mage can compare to Mephistopheles. I was really...
Bang!
My train of thought was interrupted.
The entire audience gasped in surprise. Even I stared in disbelief at my hand—the cell phone in my hand was emitting a wisp of smoke, and there was as many cell phones hissing and smoking as there were people in the hall.
In the dead silence, the monk on the stage spoke in a gentle and melodious voice, "It seems my speech isn't as captivating as your cell phones, so I won't waste your time."
After he finished speaking, he turned and left.
The boiling roar nearly lifted the roof off.
Hmm... that's interesting.
The brilliance of that moment was truly... I tossed my phone aside, signaling to the host not to pursue the matter further, and moved on to the next speaker.
That was the moment I decided to start pursuing him.
It was only much later that I realized the tears I shed now were the result of the foolishness I had years ago... If time travel really existed, I would definitely go back and beat my younger self to a pulp!!!
Chapter 57
Just then, another lone android walked right up to them.
"Still trying to run?"
I heard Mel laugh, and then an invisible hand grabbed him. The cyborg was lifted into the air by the unseen Mage Hand, his limbs flailing futilely, as if he were learning to swim but had accidentally drowned.
Mel pulled him in front of us, and Reynold, who was most knowledgeable about current affairs and politics, turned pale and solemnly explained to us—this is the standard model cyborg of the military enterprises of the Norinco industrialized countries, and the standard model military cyborgs have nanorobots in their bodies to regulate emotions. These robots can release hormones to relieve tension, so even new recruits will no longer vomit from the tension of going to the battlefield for the first time.
He said that the Federation is divided on whether to approve the use of these cyborgs by domestic Magitech Corps, and I know this—because two mages in our research institute are involved in the development of magical nanobots, but they haven't been able to bring them to market for a long time...
--Yes, because Reynold and his Magic Council strongly opposed it. Reynold once told me that the military is the guardian of the nation, and being a soldier is one of the noblest professions. Therefore, what we should do is treat them well from a welfare perspective and train them to improve themselves, instead of learning from those mercenary companies that are only after profit and using nanobots to suppress a person's normal emotions.--
Speaking of this, I quite admire Reynold, because for those two years he insisted on preventing the Magitech Corps from using nanobots. Every congressional proposal was vetoed by him, which caused the stocks of many nanobot manufacturers to plummet. Political opponents accused Reynold of being responsible for the economic turmoil and stock market slump. This pressure made me spend a whole month developing potions for my graduate students.
--Speaking of which, Reynold was losing hair due to too much stress... no, the way he looked with his hair falling out was truly horrible, too painful to recall. Thinking about it, I don't think I can use Reynold for Transformation Spell experiment to shave his hair. When his hairline receded, it scared me so much that I didn't do anything else for a month, I just focused on making potions (he was so ugly, really so ugly. Reynold's face is actually not bad, but his face is particularly unsuitable for baldness, it's as disgusting as a green slime). If I shave all his hair off, I'm afraid I'll be unable to resist beating him up when he reverts to human form.
Therefore, Reynold suggested we dispose of the cyborg directly. While Mel's attempt to interrogate him was commendable, with nanobots persistently functioning in his nervous system, any torture would be largely ineffective, or even completely useless... However--
I've said it more than once: Reynold is a terrible mage.
The mage has many methods. He said you should feel fear, then nanobots will be useless against you.
I looked quietly into his eyes, even smiling. His struggles slowly subsided, and I saw my own silver eyes deep within his pupils. A vortex began to swirl within his consciousness... A moment later, the cyborg unexpectedly lost control and screamed—
"A magical teleporter! We entered the mine directly using a magical teleporter! Our captain bribed a miner who brought in the locating beacon, but the miner thought it was just a rival mining company trying to steal intelligence! It's right ahead! The instrument is right ahead! I'm not lying! Waaah..."
Okay, I originally thought nanorobots would be more effective than this.
It's all Reynold's fault for deliberately exaggerating the facts.
I quickly withdrew my mental pressure to prevent overexertion from causing an unpleasant scene—like some kind of yellow liquid flowing from my lower body—a common scene in the horror movies Moli loves to watch. To be honest, I think that scene is far more terrifying than a bloody mess.
The cyborg confessed everything in detail, but when asked why he attacked the mine, he was only vague and unclear. This wasn't because he was able to resist my mental pressure, but because, as a mercenary, he might not have been told the purpose of the attack. They were just cannon fodder paid to die; they would do whatever their employer told them to do, even if the employer's request sounded absurd, they couldn't ask for a reason.
However, since they are selling their lives for money to do illegal things, they should be mentally prepared to lose their lives.
Mel threw him in front of me, lifted his upper body to make it easier for me to cast my spell.
I touched his forehead with my finger, and the evil spirit surged forth from my consciousness. A moment later, the cyborg collapsed at my feet. I chanted an ancient incantation, and a purple flame flashed in his eye sockets. He silently got up and stood before us, motionless. Meanwhile, Reynold was shouting and jumping around. Before Mel could turn him back into an alpaca, Luolan cast a silencing spell on him.
"It's just the simplest way to control corpses," Luolan said. "A basic necromancer spell, what are you yelling about!"
Yeah, I just pulled out my demonic servant puppet. Is it really worth making such a fuss over something as disposable as this corpse?
... Should I suggest to the Federation that they strengthen the magical education of the members of the Magic Council? Why do they always make such inappropriate noises over trivial spells...? Is this the real reason why Reynold didn't want to spar with me before?
Hmm... if I had discovered earlier that his magic was so weak, maybe... um...
Reynold leaned against the wall, and Luolan dispelled the spell. His face was deathly pale as he replied, "I'm sorry... I didn't mean that. I... I just wanted to ask if you have enough corpses for your spell? If not, you can request some from the Magitech Corps..."
While I'm certain Reynold wasn't making pointless noise for that reason, the topic he brought up certainly piqued my interest.
"You can apply for this too?" I was very surprised. Based on my past experience, necromancers who manipulate corpses weren't wanted because they hid well. But thinking about it, my past cases were all based on my second teacher and his accomplices. Now it turns out they are perfect and classic examples of modern-day wanted criminals. So the lessons I learned from them were ridiculously wrong... I guess if I had said I was a black mage earlier, I might have gotten more funding from the academy!
--But I still didn't expect that now that necromancers don't have enough corpses, they can ask the relevant government departments for one, just like applying for welfare?
Good heavens! You know how difficult Necromancy Spells is to practice! I can't just go around digging up people's graves like my teacher, nor can I just walk down the street, kill whoever I like, and bring them home...
... Therefore, of all my Black Magic, Necromancy Spells is the worst, because I hardly ever get any practice opportunities! The best practice material is actually enemies, but the problem is that my control wasn't good enough in my early years. My enemies usually died in bizarre ways after fighting me, so they were unusable for practice.