Chapter 183: Garden of Eden (3)
"What do you want to do?"
"I plan to create an Imaginary Space that can accommodate many people."
"An Imaginary Space?"
"Yes. I believe the universe is founded on the concept of time, and it is our lives themselves that define time. I think there should be a special space with no past and no future.
"Time has no meaning in an Imaginary Space. Time will not stack or accumulate there.
"As long as humans remain in the Imaginary Space, they will not age as time passes."
"Stripping away the existence of time?"
Angeli took a deep look at Lynn. "You have a lot of nerve."
"In the Imaginary Space, everyone can live exactly the life they want.
"They won't have to worry about making a living or carry any burdens. They only need to do what they want according to their truest desires."
"It's a good idea," Angeli said. "If you can pull it off, it really will be a massive piece of the pie."
Angeli did not object, nor did he offer any suggestions.
Because in the Wizard Civilization, every great experiment began with an outrageous idea.
Since Lynn was willing, Angeli decided to let this idea grow wild.
If it could succeed, perhaps that wouldn't be bad at all?
The significance of the Imaginary Space went far beyond what Lynn had described. If such a space could truly be created, it would be endowed with a much more important purpose.
"Do you also think this project is quite good, Teacher?" Lynn smiled slightly. "Since there are so many wizards who cannot bear to part with their loved ones, and what that wizard did could be tolerated, it proves this is a massive market. If others can take a slice of this pie, then so can I. But I can't do it alone, so I need your help, Mentor."
Angeli stood rooted in place. "You pulled me into this so I could hold the fort for your project."
"But this benefits us both," Lynn said.
Angeli smiled, remaining noncommittal.
"There have actually been similar experiments. I remember the wizards in the Psionic Cult seemed to have run some kind of psionic ascension experiment. They uploaded everyone's consciousness into a psionic consciousness universe. As long as their original bodies within that universe weren't destroyed, they could achieve immortality and exist forever."
"What is the name of this project of yours?" Angeli asked.
"The Garden of Eden!"
"Are you really going to take everyone in Bangor Port away?" Angeli gave Lynn a deep look.
Lynn looked surprised and spread his hands. "Isn't this a good thing? If they can enter my Garden of Eden, that means gaining eternal life. Inside, they can perfectly pursue their ideal lives."
"It does have a bit of that flavor," Angeli chuckled. "The flavor of those psychotic wizards."
Angeli laughed softly.
If the wizard profession had a color, it would definitely be gray—or perhaps black.
Wizards had never been a kindhearted group.
They pursued truth—stubborn, paranoid, and mad.
In the pursuit of truth, it was inevitable that stumbling blocks would occasionally appear.
A kind person would step around the stumbling block, while a saint would erect a warning sign in front of it.
A neutral person would move the stumbling block to the side of the road. Those in the evil faction would use a chisel to smash through it, while those in the chaotic faction would pick up the stumbling block and smash it into someone else.
The behavior of the first two factions absolutely had nothing to do with wizards, but the latter three were entirely possible.
"I will report your idea on your behalf. But before that, you should complete your routine task," Angeli said mildly. "All the Apprentices on the ship must safely reach the Welcoming Island, and you cannot disembark halfway again. Even though the Lower Wizard Council is full of entitled old masters, we still have to give them some face in the end."
In Bangor Port, it was dinnertime. Hamilton's family was sitting around the dining table when footsteps rang out outside the house.
This was followed by a polite and rhythmic knock on the door.
Borg glanced at his father at the table, then at his older brother and younger sister, who showed no intention of getting up. He had no choice but to stand and open the door.
When the door opened and he saw the woman outside, Borg froze in stunned silence.
The figure squeezed through the half-open door, blocking out the setting sun and dragging a long shadow across the floor.
Clatter.
A fork dropped to the floor.
Sitting at the dining table, Hamilton stared blankly at the person who had entered the room.
Hamilton's voice trembled. "Anika, is it really you?"
"Hamilton, you've grown thin." The young woman who had walked in looked deeply at her lover—at his aged face, his graying hair, and the deep wrinkles etched into his skin.
"I..." Hamilton was at a loss for words.
"You promised me you would take good care of yourself."
"Mom, after you were gone, no one in this house could keep Dad in line." Eva stood up in sheer joy, running over to eagerly hug the woman.
"Eva!" Hamilton coughed a few times and glared at her.
Then he looked toward Lynn, unsure whether this was a magic trick or reality.
"It's Mom," Lynn nodded.
After resurrecting his mother a few days ago, Lynn had kept her inside his wizard tower for observation to prevent any lingering complications. Only after confirming there were none did he let her return home, which also served to give his family a surprise.
Watching his family's excitement and happiness, Lynn inexplicably felt quite good. Perhaps this was the true meaning of becoming a wizard.
He stayed at home for some time after that.
One dusk following a rain, a set of bowls and chopsticks was missing from the dining table.
Amid the misty drizzle, a large ship sailed out of Bangor Port under the cover of night.
Lynn returned to the ship without a sound. Aside from the sea monster that had been following underwater, no one knew that the wizard Lynn had ever left and come back.
The Apprentices, including the ghost captain, simply felt that the wizard Lynn was much more of a shut-in than the previous wizards.
After casually visiting the dining hall once upon his return, Lynn continued to stay secluded inside the cabin. Aside from meditating, he spent the rest of his time perfecting his wizard tower.
Under his continuous refinements, his wizard tower had nearly reached the standard of a Rank 2 Wizard Tower. At the same time, Lynn's mental energy also met the requirements to break through and become a second-level wizard.
However, he had not yet gathered all the materials required for the Transformation Ritual needed to break through.
He already owed Maesys a considerable amount of divine power, and as for High-Tier Demon bloodline essence, he needed nine hundred and ninety-nine different types this time. Even in the Abyss, gathering so many varieties of High-Tier Demon bloodline essence would not be an easy task.
Most importantly, he needed time!
Therefore, after perfecting his wizard tower, Lynn continued doing daily experiments to obtain Universal Experience Points.
He planned to advance his Alchemy by another level, ideally reaching Level 5.
Level 4 Alchemy was considered a standard tier among official wizards; it was quite normal for a typical, hardworking wizard to reach the standard of Level 4 Alchemy. But if he could reach Level 5 Alchemy, Lynn figured that even among official wizards, there wouldn't be many who possessed that level of skill.
This way, he could earn a massive amount of Magic Stones through Alchemy, which he could then use to buy High-Tier Demon bloodline essence.
After all, he couldn't rely entirely on other people's investments. Once his Alchemy improved, his mastery over materials would advance as well. The quality of the weapons he traded with Dyo would naturally increase, providing her with considerable help.
However, a substantial amount of Universal Experience Points was needed for this upgrade. It was a slow, grinding process that demanded time.
Following Lynn's modifications, his wizard tower was now equipped with new defense and Attack Modules. Although the quality of the Attack Module and defense module from that Rank 2 Wizard Tower was average, they were still quite good for padding out the baseline performance of his own wizard tower.
In Lynn's opinion, the best way to face an enemy was to open with an ultimate move, immediately follow up with ultimate move two, ultimate move three, and finish with a final ultimate strike.
Probing back and forth with basic attacks was far too unreliable. However, if he faced weaker enemies, using these standard Attack Modules would still be a decent choice.
After all, the true deterrent power of an ultimate move lay in the time before it was cast, and the very first time it was unleashed in front of an enemy.
Otherwise, if used recklessly and often, it would be easy for others to see his true depth.
Because no matter how powerful a spell was, it would always have flaws.
Regardless of the spell, they were all constructed from spell frameworks.
The spell framework was their absolute foundation.
But even the most complex framework had vulnerabilities!
As long as a flaw was found, a method to crack it could also be found.
Busy with his studies and immersed in his experiments, Lynn failed to notice the passage of time as the ship slowly approached the shore.
Lynn also finally understood why, back when he was first on the ship, Harlin had always stayed locked in his room without ever coming out.
An ambitious wizard was incredibly busy. Between daily experiments, studies, and a mountain of research tasks, if one was a bit more dedicated, they would even personally participate in nurturing followers.
Modifying followers, conducting bloodline experiments... Lynn wished he could split himself in half and create a few clones.