The Wizard's Pursuit of Truth

At the counter, Mona settled Wang Ya’s Magic Stone account with a complex expression on her face.

As she handed the Wizard Card to Wang Ya, she couldn’t help but say, ”Wang Ya, every choice has its price. Please don’t go down the wrong path. Even if we’re lagging behind the other Wizard Freshmen right now, we can always make it through in the end.”

Wang Ya: ”...”

Mona, however, believed that Wang Ya had gone astray. She thought he had signed a Wizard Contract with some Wizard, selling his body to become an experiment subject in exchange for a large amount of Magic Stones.

While things might seem good in the short term, the drawbacks would become apparent over time.

Usually, the Wizards who used these kinds of contracts to bind freshmen for experiments were testing unstable, immature, special substances that required trials to determine their effects.

Or they might be testing newly concocted Extraordinary Potions to determine their properties.

Some would even implant an immature Extraordinary Cultivation Bloodline into a Wizard experiment subject via Wizard Surgery to verify the results.

Wang Ya guessed Mona’s thoughts. He shook his head and said, ”I know, Mona. I have it under control. I haven’t signed any Wizard Contract.”

A while ago, he had genuinely refused the Wizard Support Contract offered by Denno Wizard. He hadn’t signed it.

And that special Sheepskin Scroll from Kelan Wizard didn’t contain a Wizard Contract either.

Wang Ya really wasn’t lying.

Mona’s face was still filled with worry. She clearly didn’t believe him but felt it wasn’t her place to say more. She could only silently watch the figure in the black Wizard Robe walk out the shop door to the sound of a wind chime.

...

Back at his Wizard’s Residence, Wang Ya checked his remaining Magic Stones. He had 2,600.

For the first time, he experienced the wonderful feeling of having plenty of Magic Stones. He didn’t have to worry about them, and for the next year or two, at least, he could carry out his Wizard Experiments with peace of mind.

Harak came flapping its wings through the Ancient Castle’s special entrance. It was already familiar with the various environments inside, navigating them with ease.

It soon arrived at the laboratory and landed on the shoulder of its most familiar and beloved master.

Wang Ya reached out with his pale fingers and tapped Harak’s small forehead.

It had grayish-black pupils, a streamlined body, and smooth feathers. But removing a piece of its flesh would still take some effort.

The piece of flesh to be taken from Harak wasn’t just any random piece. It was from an area Wang Ya had determined to be optimal for the ’Source of Life’ and ’Core of Death’ Wizard Experiment.

Two of these three research directions aimed to acquire the Traits possessed by Gundas’ Dog.

Its powerful Recovery Power allowed it to take root in other hosts. No matter what kind of damage they sustained, they could recover instantly. As long as the supply of Biological Energy was sufficient, this represented life.

But was such recovery normal? Or, with each successive recovery, would the flesh of Gundas’ Dog gradually replace that of the original host? In the end, only Gundas’ Dog would remain, and the host could no longer be considered a living person. This represented death.

This involved many aspects: physical, psychological, and even concepts touching on the very definition of existence.

By partially fusing Harak’s flesh with the flesh of Gundas’ Dog, he could determine the outcome.

Would it bring life, or would it bring death? This Wizard Experiment would be what distinguished reality from illusion.

The words of Gusai Wizard surfaced in Wang Ya’s mind.

’To achieve Balance, I’ll also need the illusory aspect of the Spirit...’ Wang Ya’s eyes flickered. ’This part will require real human experimentation.’

He would need to prepare multiple variables: ordinary people, Wizards, and even other humanoid species.

The human host he had captured before had already died in his Wizard’s Ring and held no further experimental value.

Wang Ya’s gaze gradually turned cold. ’There’s no reason to be squeamish or hesitant. It’s just a matter of buying some slaves for human experiments, as long as it adheres to the principle of equivalent exchange.’

’If I can achieve a Balance between the illusory and the real through experiments on Gundas’ Dog... it could be immensely helpful for my future Wizard Path.’