Chapter 244 - 161: Illuminati, Dark Undercurrents
The Eye of Truth continued its steady analysis, delving deeper into the Dream-Recalling Meditation Method and the Flame Demon Witchcraft School.
As Wang Ya recorded the Extraordinary Knowledge from the Dark Wizard Mark into the Eye of Truth, its analytical Ability increased at a speed that was almost visible to the naked eye.
Specifically, the time required to analyze both targets, which had originally been a month or half a month, had now dropped to under fifteen days.
This rate of improvement was so staggering it made Wang Ya’s eye twitch.
It was High-tier Extraordinary Knowledge, after all, and had cost Wang Ya three-quarters of his Dark Points. Accumulating that many again would not be so easy.
It was all worth it. Having mastered this High-tier Extraordinary Knowledge, Wang Ya could now extrapolate from it to create High-tier Witchcraft for the Nightmare Witchcraft School.
It would also have a tremendous effect on his understanding of Particle Energy Property Changes.
He would be able to grasp a part of the fundamental nature of Particle Energy Property Changes.
Time passed slowly. While Wang Ya was immersed in creating and refining High-tier Witchcraft, the Magic Plant Fusion experiments in his laboratory were also accelerating.
Inside the cultivation pod, the once-green Blood-sucking King Vine Sub-body was now covered in strange, deep-red markings. Small, dot-like bumps had appeared on its tendrils, giving its surface a rough, grooved texture that resembled living flesh and looked utterly bizarre.
The transformation was still ongoing. The small dots turned black as a constant supply of nutrient solution provided the Biological Energy needed to sustain the mutation.
In another laboratory.
A scarlet, fleshy ooze—the result of a consciousness co-existence experiment, which Wang Ya had named ’Chaotic Consciousness Flesh’—began to merge with a drop of Harak’s black blood.
It began to transform in a way Wang Ya had never anticipated.
Had he been there, he would have discovered that the two were merging—no, it was more like assimilation. They were becoming intertwined, each a part of the other.
The dominant consciousness of the Ras Parasite claimed the majority of the physical matter from the drop of blood. The other parasitic consciousnesses took the leftovers, using them to strengthen their own portions of the Chaotic Consciousness Flesh.
......
"There’s nothing we can do. That Wang Ya Harak just stays inside the Illusory Dream Tower, and we have no idea what he’s up to."
"I’m starting to think this whole thing is incredibly foolish. All he has to do is block his Wizard Mark, and he won’t be able to receive or see any of the messages."
In a consciousness projection room—unlike the ones used by the Wizard Clans—this one was simple and rather cramped.
The room contained only a single large, round table, around which sat a few scattered figures.
Out of twelve seats, only about nine were occupied.
The one who had spoken was seated in the fifth seat at the round table.
They all kept their faces concealed, and their bodies were shrouded in shadow. Their voices were raspy and hoarse.
It was as if they were wary of one another, with little trust to be found.
"Number Five, you have a point. This approach does seem rather foolish," came the hoarse voice of the figure in the fourth seat.
He continued, "The Illuminati was founded to prevent our mutual interests from being harmed. As you all know, we’ve now lost nearly everything. And it’s all because of a Heritage Wizard named Wang Ya Harak."
"Everyone here holds a position of high rank and great power. I’m sure none of you are willing to accept this, and neither am I... But our only choice is to let go. We must completely sever all ties with our past dealings and wipe the slate clean. Only then can we stay in the clear and safely weather this great internal purge."
Number Four continued, "Originally, our best choice would have been to lie low and wait for the great purge to blow over..."
Number Five said, "Number Four, just get to the point. Numbers One, Two, and Three are still tied up with matters related to their posts and couldn’t make it to this Illuminati meeting. You’re in charge here."
Number Four nodded slightly, his hoarse voice echoing through the projection room. "Wang Ya Harak is a Heritage Wizard. He should be focused on studying the knowledge of his Inheritance Lineage, not stirring up trouble and dragging us into this mess. Everything we accumulated over the years, all our power, it’s all gone."
"I can’t stomach this," Number Four’s tone grew heavy, his emotions threatening to boil over. ’Evade the great purge? It’s not that easy. This is an initiative decided upon by the Official Wizards at their highest council.’
No matter how covert they had been over the years, their actions had inevitably left traces.
To erase those traces, they would have to give back everything they had gained and destroy the very systems that benefited them. Even then, the positions that allowed them to profit in the first place might be stripped away.
They would be thrown all the way back to where they started... and all of it was because of the fallout from a single, minor Wizard Task accepted by Wang Ya Harak.
It wasn’t just Number Four; the others were also seething with resentment and hatred.
Why should they lose so much while Wang Ya Harak gained everything and continued his meteoric rise? ’He has to pay a price for this.’
"Using public opinion to influence Wang Ya Harak was something we all agreed to. It was also carried out by those idiots under us on their own initiative. It has nothing to do with us, so the great purge won’t be traced back to our door."
Number Four sighed. "But clearly, Wang Ya Harak’s Wizard’s Heart is exceptionally strong. He isn’t falling for it, and it’s having no real effect."
"But I refuse to believe Wang Ya Harak has no friends, no one he’s close to. They are his vulnerability."
Number Four’s tone grew more animated, piquing the interest of the other Illuminati members.
The actual plan was simple: guide the idiots below them. All they needed was a nudge in the right direction to turn the tide of public anger.
Of course, they wouldn’t dare provoke Extreme Wizard Apprentices like Kelan Wizard, or even other Level 3 Wizard Apprentices.
Their targets would naturally be the young Wizard community in the Lower House.
There is a world of difference between manufactured outrage and genuine, widespread resentment directed at Wang Ya.
The corners of Number Four’s mouth curled further upward.
"That’s not a bad idea at all," Number Five nodded slightly.
The top three members were the most powerful, their identities extremely sensitive. They were the Illuminati’s greatest source of confidence.
The others nodded in agreement as well.
The members of the Illuminati failed to see what was wrong with them or their methods. A Wizard with a true Wizard’s Heart would never resort to such uninspired, low-brow tactics.
It seemed that over their long careers, they had lost their ambition, allowing outside influences to corrode their original Wizard’s Hearts.
......
「One month later.」
Wang Ya received some good news.