I Arrived At Wizard World While Cultivating Immortality Chapter 665: Another Wizard and the Notebook

In the heart of the city, atop a towering skyscraper, a figure of diminutive stature clad in black stood poised at the precipice of the rooftop. This was the same individual who had previously engaged in discourse with Professor Victor within an alternate dimension. A gust of wind swept back his hood, unveiling a visage that defied any attempt to ascertain its true age.

With hands clasped upon the railing, he leaned forward, his gaze penetrating the wisps of mist that were slowly re-coalescing above Mist Capital. His focus was fixed upon a colossal, circular anomaly in the clouds.

The circumference of this celestial void was as smooth and precise as polished glass. Within its bounds, a segment of uninterrupted azure sky was revealed, resembling a perfect blue disc meticulously excised from a tapestry of grey.

He continued to observe this phenomenon for an extended period.

Abruptly, a smile graced his features, his eyes alight with unfeigned admiration. His expression softened, the corners of his eyes crinkling into arcs, and faint dimples materialized on his rounded cheeks.

“Such an exceptional mastery of power,” he murmured, his voice barely audible above the wind’s symphony atop the edifice. “To have precisely calibrated the deployment of force to the utmost limit permitted by that eighth-ring wizard, whilst ensuring not a single iota of energy impacted the surrounding environs.”

He continued his quiet contemplation of the cloud-borne aperture, as if appreciating a masterpiece of art. His commendation was eminently justified.

As the aggregate quantity of power escalates, so too does the complexity of containing it within a specific boundary. The finer the control required, the more challenging the feat becomes.

The ability to unleash dissipated fragments of power is a trivial pursuit for any adept wizard. However, to harness an energy potent enough to obliterate an entire structure and dissipate the pervasive fog blanketing the metropolis, and then to meticulously stabilize it at a prescribed level—ensuring not the slightest deviation beyond that threshold…

The sheer computational effort and energetic expenditure involved might very well surpass the energy required to unleash such a force in the first place.

“Verily, a remarkable talent from the younger generation. It is no wonder he is a wizard capable of securing an entry pass with mere fifth-ring strength.”

The diminutive sorcerer in black withdrew his gaze. He pivoted, leaning back against the railing with his hands tucked into his pockets, and directed his attention upward to the expanse of the overcast heavens.

There could be no doubt: this short, robed individual was the wizard who had been discreetly observing Professor Victor all along.

Casting his eyes toward the now-deserted psychiatric hospital situated below the circular opening in the clouds, a flicker of wistfulness crossed his countenance, as if recalling an unfortunate memory. “To think, I maintained rather amicable relations with that professor,” he vocalized, his tone deepening, almost as if conversing with himself. “His technical prowess was considerable, as well. With but a modicum of assistance, he achieved such significant transformations.”

“Though he may have pursued his path with undue haste, the trajectory was undeniably sound. A great pity.”

He lowered his head, his gaze falling upon the extinguished kerosene lamp resting near his feet.

This lamp had served as his conduit for entering the alternate space. Now, with the dimensional fabric irrevocably breached, the lamp had fulfilled its purpose.

With a casual flick of his foot, he nudged the lamp. It tumbled from the rooftop’s edge, plummeting to the street below where it met its end with a sharp, percussive shatter.

“For this engagement, I shall concede it as a loss.” He then turned, orienting himself towards the north.

The sky in that specific direction was characterized by a denser concentration of clouds and a heavier shroud of fog.

His gaze lingered in that direction for a few moments, as if performing a final assessment, before he regretfully inclined his head.

“Very well. I shall entrust this city to the endeavors of that young individual.”

With that pronouncement, he advanced a single step.

His foot met not solid ground, but empty air. Translucent undulations bloomed in the atmosphere, mirroring the unfurling of an invisible staircase beneath his feet. He ascended, step by deliberate step, his gait unhurried, his bearing utterly relaxed, akin to an elder taking a leisurely promenade through his familiar gardens.

“A regrettable loss, this newly established faction of mine, dissolved just like that.” He mused aloud as he ascended, his tone betraying little genuine sorrow—more akin to the closure of a settled ledger. “Perhaps if I venture to another locale, I should emulate that young prodigy’s strategy and seek affiliation with the officialdom?” He paused, tilting his head in contemplation.

“It does possess a certain appeal. Based on the circumstances of that youngster’s situation, it appears to be a rather effective approach…”

His form diminished progressively against the vast canvas of the sky, eventually dissolving into the ethereal clouds until he vanished entirely.

The residual ripples in the air propagated outwards in successive rings, gradually attenuating until no trace remained.

Jie Ming stood at the threshold of an aged bookshop, one hand gently nudging the wooden door inward while the other maintained its grip on the doorknob.

Suddenly, his movement halted momentarily. He turned his head northward, his gaze traversing the street and settling upon the dense agglomeration of high-rise structures in the city’s core. A transient gleam of dark golden light flickered deep within his pupils as various advanced detection methodologies were instantaneously engaged and disengaged.

Yet, Jie Ming perceived nothing out of the ordinary.

The sky in that particular sector appeared indistinguishable from any other. All seemed utterly normal, devoid of any discernible anomalies.

Nevertheless, Jie Ming possessed an unshakeable certainty that he had detected something. It was a “disruption,” an anomaly registered at the very stratum of fate itself.

It was as if a finger had traced a single strand within the intricate tapestry of fate, only to retract, leaving the thread to hum with residual energy.

The vibration lingered, yet the hand that plucked it had already vanished.

“Well now… It appears this wizard elder is quite the accommodating sort.”

Jie Ming offered a slight nod towards the doorway before stepping inside.

The wooden door swung shut behind him, accompanied by its familiar, resonant creak.

Moving with an ingrained grace, he approached the rocking chair and settled into its embrace.

A soft groan from the aged wood marked his weight, and the chair rocked gently twice before finding a steady rhythm.

First, Jie Ming carefully extracted the collection of Strange artifacts he had previously secured, drawing them from his spatial pouch. He then released the Strange from their sealed test tubes, allowing their newfound limbs to guide them towards the subterranean laboratory, where they were to be meticulously organized.

With that accomplished, he withdrew a notebook bound in dark leather from the depths of his inner world's cave-heaven. Opening it to the very first page, he began to read.

Jie Ming had already conducted a preliminary scan of the notebook's contents using his spiritual power.

However, the notebook was imbued with the residual spiritual will of Professor Victor, and the deeper information concealed within this essence could not be unlocked by a mere superficial scan of spiritual power.

True comprehension, harboring the hidden knowledge, was only attainable through diligent reading and by meticulously tracing the professor's own thought processes.

The professor's handwriting was remarkably precise, each stroke clean and deliberate, with scant evidence of corrections.

Every entry adhered to a consistent structure: date, experiment designation, objective, methodology, observed results, subsequent analysis, and the plan for the next phase. It possessed the intimacy of a personal journal, yet also the rigor of a technical treatise.

Jie Ming purposefully bypassed the earlier sections detailing the analysis of Strange fragments, skipping over the data and conclusions he had already validated through his own independent research. His focus shifted directly to the final third of the notebook.

In this latter portion, the professor had ceased recording empirical data and had transitioned to more introspective musings.

【……What precisely constitutes the essence of the Strange?】

【This is a question that, while deceptively simple, has remained perpetually unanswered.

The Spirit Medium Association defines them as “supernatural occurrences that pose a threat to human existence.”

This definition, though remarkably practical, is framed entirely from a “human standpoint,” failing to capture the “fundamental nature of the Strange” itself.

But what if we were to invert our perspective? From the Strange’s own viewpoint, what then, are humans?】