Chapter 287: Calm
When Witte woke up, he found himself lying under a warm cotton quilt. He let out a heavy cough, enduring a headache as he slowly opened his eyes.
In the pitch-black room, Witte recalled the structural model of the Lesser Light Spell. Slowly, he used his Mental Power to outline the Spell Model for the Light Spell.
A soft, small ball of light appeared. With the aid of the magical glow, Witte saw his surroundings clearly.
It was a simple bedroom, fully equipped with a bed, desk, chair, and washbasin. Witte got up barefoot and stepped onto the wooden floor; it was unexpectedly warm.
The walls and ceiling were made of wood, featuring faintly visible mysterious patterns and a slight Mana reaction.
“Is this a Magic Ship?”
At that moment, Witte noticed a pair of new boots beside the chair. On the desk lay a brand-new magic robe, a six-pointed star badge, his Grimore, the small conch, and Ms. Turtledove’s head.
With a faint smile, he cast the Lesser Organ Preservation Spell on Ms. Turtledove’s head. He changed into the new magic robe, put on the warm calfskin boots, pinned the six-pointed star badge on his chest, packed his belongings, and pushed the door open to leave the room.
There was a curved corridor with doors on both sides. On the ceiling of the corridor, small controllable light orbs were spaced every three meters.
Pop!
A round, wooden figure jumped out from the floor, bowed somewhat comically, and said, “Respected Mr. Witte, I am the wooden crewman No. 330 of the Magic Ship Quest for Knowledge. Welcome aboard the Quest for Knowledge.”
Witte looked at this round wooden man, which reached about his knees. His ashen face showed a sorrowful smile as he asked, “Do you know who saved me?”
No. 330 spun around and said happily, “I know, I know! It was the great Lord Torch-Bearer. My Lord ordered me to take Mr. Witte to the dining hall for a meal first, and then go find him.”
Witte forced a smile and said, “Then let us follow Lord Torch-Bearer’s arrangement. I will trouble Mr. No. 330 to lead the way.”
“You actually addressed No. 330 as ‘Mister’! No. 330 feels terrified and excited! No. 330 will take Mr. Witte to the dining hall right now.” As soon as he finished speaking, No. 330 tugged at Witte’s trouser leg, pulling him along the corridor.
Witte had heard of this kind of life form—creatures with a certain degree of intelligence created through Activation Spells and Awakening Spells. However, this kind of awakening had great limitations; they could only execute orders and lacked flexibility and creativity.
“Dead objects can be activated to gain life. I wonder if it’s possible to resurrect Misha and Mr. Turtledove?”
Witte murmured.
He followed No. 330 to the dining hall on the second basement level of the Magic Ship. The entire second level was over five meters high, with hundreds of controllable light orbs emitting soft light. Nearly two hundred Wizard Apprentices were bustling about, happily enjoying a feast.
Witte looked at these relaxed and composed Wizard Apprentices with envious eyes.
“How wonderful it would be if I, Misha, and Mr. Turtledove could all have arrived on the Magic Ship alive.”
After the meal, led by No. 330, Witte met the legendary Torch-Bearer, the Chairman of the Magic Council, and the only Formal Wizard, Ace.
“Respected Lord Torch-Bearer Ace, you are the pioneer of the magic path, the only light in the long night, and the guide for all Wizards. Advanced Wizard Apprentice Witte pays his respects to you!”
Witte, whose face remained ashen even after eating, bowed and spoke. The six-pointed star badge on his chest glittered.
“Witte, I have learned of your situation through the Milne Branch. I am very sorry for what happened to Misha and Rita. By the time we investigated the truth, Misha was already dead. I only managed to kill the direct murderer, Goll’s uncle Gosa. Perhaps out of excessive anger, I attacked the Punishment Office and was chased by Karim, forcing me to flee in a sorry state.”
Ace said to Witte with a look of sorrow and a bitter smile.
” Was Mr. Turtledove’s real name Rita?” Witte asked with a dim expression.
After Ace nodded, Witte continued, “Lord Ace, you have done your best. Everything is my own fault, which caused the current situation. If I hadn’t fallen in love with Misha, perhaps she would still be alive and well. If I had left with Mr. Turtledove, perhaps Mr. Turtledove would also be alive.”
“We all feel regret for them, but Witte,” Ace said solemnly, “The fault for all this does not lie with you, but with this current system that offers no way out! We do not want war; we also yearn for peace, and we want to live in harmony with the Divine Descendants!
“But, they do not agree!
“The Deities have never issued an oracle forbidding mortals from researching the supernatural.
“We just want to study supernatural power, we just want to get closer to the truth. We don’t want to threaten anyone. We respect the Deities just the same. What did we do wrong?
“On what basis do the Divine Descendants slander us as Desecrators! On what basis do they punish us?”
Ace’s demeanor shifted from peaceful to gradually angry, his calm tone filled with rage.
“Yes! We are not wrong. The ones who are wrong are the Divine Descendant Nobles; the wrong one is the system they established. Why is it that only they can have supernatural power? Why is it that only they can be high and mighty!
“We gain power through our own efforts; we are not wrong!”
Witte, looking sorrowful, had his inner resentment and unwillingness ignited, and he roared in agreement.
“Yes, Witte, we are not wrong, nor have we desecrated anything. It is the corrupt Divine Descendant Nobles who have monopolized supernatural power. They vainly attempt to monopolize all channels of ascent, wanting mortals to quietly remain their cows and livestock!
“But, we cannot sink because of this. We mortals can also achieve supernatural power. Since we Wizards have appeared, it proves that the world allows us to have it, and the Deities do not oppose us to have a supernatural power!
“Our existence is reasonable. The Divine Descendant Nobles are the greatest Desecrators!
“You are the only person to become an Advanced Wizard Apprentice outside the High Tower Territory. Welcome to the High Tower. We will walk the path of truth together and overthrow the corrupt rule of the Divine Descendant Nobles!”
Witte looked at Ace’s outstretched hand. Like a drowning man clutching at a straw, he tightly grasped Ace’s hand and asked, “Respected Lord Ace, on the road to truth, is it possible for us to resurrect those who have passed away?”
Hearing Witte’s words, Ace spoke softly, “I cannot make any guarantees about things not yet discovered. But according to my existing research, the deceased do not vanish into nothingness from that point on. As long as the True Spirit of the deceased still exists, there is a possibility of retrieving it.”
He didn’t care about the truth, but he wanted revenge. He wanted to retrieve the lost Misha and Mr. Turtledove.
Ace looked at Witte, his eyes revealing complexity. He slowly said to the hopeful Witte: “There is one more situation. Your body and soul have been eroded by Negative Energy and Pain Flames. The situation is very serious and perhaps irreversible.”
Ace looked into Witte’s eyes and cruelly stated the probable judgment.
“In other words, you will die.”
Advance chapters at Nightjar Reads · nightjarreads.com