Chapter 412: Departure
Bayen looked at Demigod Thoth, who was radiating white light all over his body, and felt his mouth go dry. He asked softly, “Then, what is the price?”
Thoth smiled at Bayen and said, “The logic and mathematics you discussed with me are the price. I find you wizards to be a very interesting group. Simply put, you have won my goodwill. I look forward to you discovering more knowledge.”
Bayen gazed at Thoth’s calm face. He thought slowly, then boldly asked Him, “Your Majesty, is your path related to knowledge?”
An almost irresistible pressure instantly paralyzed Bayen on the ground, unable to even resist. It was like an ant looking up at a giant dragon; the gap was too wide.
Thoth slowly retracted his aura, helped Bayen up, and said in a commanding voice, “Do not pry into the path of a Demigod. That is a very dangerous thing. If necessary, I will tell you, but if not, you must not speculate presumptuously.”
Cold sweat poured down Bayen’s back. He said in a somewhat trembling voice, “Your Majesty, I had no intention to offend or pry. I hope you can forgive my ignorance.”
Thoth smiled warmly and brightly at Bayen, saying gently yet majestically, “Tell me honestly what you are thinking.”
Bayen did not hesitate this time. He said clearly, “I want a leap in life level. I want my life level to advance to a level similar to a Hero, but I hope to continue advancing on the path of a wizard and do not want to change my path.”
Hearing Bayen’s request, Thoth’s eyes burst with brilliant light. Bayen felt as if he were completely seen through and shivered subconsciously.
After a long time, Thoth nodded and said, “The path you walk is very immature, but indeed very interesting. I agree. You do not need to switch paths. You will be a Favored One, and even more so, a wizard.”
After speaking, Thoth placed his hand on the top of Bayen’s head. Light blossomed. When the light disappeared, Bayen had returned to his residence, and Thoth had vanished.
Inside the mental imagery dream world, Bayen revealed his back. A complex and holy pattern was there—the mark left by Thoth. He continued to say to Ace:
“He bestowed favor upon me, but unlike ordinary favor, this favor is not the main body of my power. It only helped my body and soul advance to the Level 1 state. If I stabilize my state, I can strip the power of favor from my body.”
Having said that, the holy pattern on Bayen’s back fluctuated violently. Beads of sweat appeared on his body. Under the observation of Ace’s Eye of Truth, the holy pattern on his back slowly detached, gradually condensing into a small, crystal-clear white bead.
Bayen held the bead in his hand. His physical intensity and soul intensity began to decline, eventually stabilizing around 15 units.
Bayen said to Ace, “This is a special favor. It can permanently enhance my physical and soul quality by about 5 units. Relying on the blessing of the favor, I became a Level 1 Life.”
Ace was thinking. Tapping his fingers rhythmically, he said, “Can we assume that after failing a life level transition, even a Demigod cannot make someone directly achieve a life level transition? At least, at my level, I can’t do it, and a Level 3 existence may not necessarily be able to do it either.”
Bayen nodded and said, “It’s possible. But it’s also possible that this method saves the most time and effort. Compared to this, what does Lord Ace think of Him?”
Ace narrowed his eyes slightly and whispered, “I think He might be a force we can strive for. But our current strength is too low. If I can advance to Level 3, perhaps there is a possibility for a talk.”
Hearing Ace’s words, Bayen asked somewhat confused, “If I understand correctly, Lord Ace thinks we can strive for Him to be our reliance? That He might protect wizards?”
Ace nodded and said:
“You have been away for too long, so you are not very clear about many things. I have already defeated the Five Northern City-States and concluded a thirty-year truce with them. Alex in the south has also been defeated. Within these thirty years, the High Tower’s development in Salia will have no shackles.
“But the Divine Descendants will not let the matter drop. Unless there is a Deity protecting us, making us a city-state guarded by the gods, we cannot integrate into the existing order of this world.”
Bayen seemed to have his mind opened. Recalling his own experiences, he whispered, “Perhaps we really have a possibility to integrate into the existing order. The attitudes of the gods towards non-Divine Descendant supernatural beings are not the same. The attitude of the vast majority of Deities is indifference. A few Deities are disgusted, and occasionally some Deities find it interesting.”
Ace replied, “Exactly. Moreover, a Demigod should need us the most. He needs a city-state to provide him with the power of status, allowing him to better comprehend the domain path and advance to a Deity. We need a Demigod compatible with us to achieve mutual benefit!”
While the two were chatting, Bayen’s disciples had also woken up. Most of them had consolidated the state of intermediate wizard apprentices, and one person had even communicated with the Soul Sanctuary, becoming an advanced wizard apprentice.
Ace said to Bayen, “I am preparing to return to the High Tower territory. Will you go with me, or continue traveling here?”
Bayen said without hesitation, “I came here wanting to return to Salia, then find a way to take them to the High Tower. To be able to go back with you is, of course, the best thing.
“However, I want to hold a free clinic here for a few days. I shouldn’t leave too hastily.”
Three days later, amidst the reluctant farewells of the residents of Tidecaller Harbor, Bayen and the others boarded the brig and sailed towards the boundless ocean.
When the ship reached waters rarely visited by humans, Ace opened the door to the mental imagery dream world, guiding Bayen and his disciples into it. The crew all fell unconscious and lost their memories.
A few days later, the ship returned. The mysterious disappearance of Bayen and the others became a major urban legend in Tidecaller Harbor.
On the other side, Ace used the Flight spell to move rapidly at high altitude. He didn’t use Blink because continuous blinking consumed too much mana, which even he couldn’t handle.
Inside the mental imagery world, Bayen was explaining magic knowledge to everyone, including Aleias. Aleias played with the crystal hammer in boredom. Compared to magic knowledge, Aleias preferred to directly swing the crystal hammer to forge wonders.
Bayen also noticed that Aleias wasn’t focusing at all. He didn’t interfere much. If not for Lord Ace asking him to teach everyone magic knowledge, he wouldn’t want to bother with these things at all.
After all, Aleias wasn’t Bayen’s disciple. Whether she learned or not, the exams would give her the best answer.
Thinking of this, a smile appeared at the corner of Bayen’s mouth. These warlocks should be properly tempered by exams to truly grow. People who haven’t experienced exams are not worthy of saying they walk the path of magic.
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