Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 706

Uuuuuung…!!! A massive spirit stone, tilted and embedded in the center of the orchard, emitted a strange vibration. The height of the spirit stone, towering like a giant tree, easily exceeded several tens of meters even with a rough estimate. The surface of the monument, standing like an obelisk in the orchard stained with a strange color, was covered with haphazardly engraved characters that were impossible to read properly. The shapes of the characters, written in a crude yet powerful hand as if hammered and forcibly engraved, were a testament to a language no longer used on the continent. ‘I’ve had a few opportunities to study ancient texts and books, but…’ Lenox had encountered and investigated traces of ancient civilizations through contact with Ascendants [beings who have transcended human limitations] or through ruins. However, even knowing this, Lenox had never delved deeply into the history or ancient civilizations of this world. After realizing that this world was the third one created, he had focused on finding traces and knowledge of the old world that had already disappeared. But if the three worlds had each pioneered their own futures in different times and spaces. Wouldn’t the world Lenox was standing in now have also built and circulated its own unique history, different from the first and second? Before all the languages of this continent were unified into one, what was the world like back then? What existed in the hundreds or thousands of years before the third world was born? The transcendent beings who were born in this world and earned the right to challenge ascension would know. “…” Even as Lenox was lost in thought, the number of people coming and going along the orchard path continued to increase. People desperately tried to avoid looking at the fruits of the orchard, yet they twitched as if unable to resist the aroma. Those who couldn’t resist the temptation and rushed to consume the fruits began to pour out fluids and bow towards the spirit stone without exception. “Gruk, grrrk!!” “I understand… I understand now…!!” They cried out, seemingly moved by some great realization, while spitting out fluids from their mouths. As they prostrated without controlling their strength, the joints in their limbs collapsed, and their foreheads cracked and bled from hitting the ground. Soon, their words turned into a bizarre language that could not be understood, echoing in the air. They could only bow their heads strangely with their limbs broken. Lenox watched the prostrators, then shifted his focus to examine the trees in the orchard. What were they made of that caused people to become obsessed and start prostrating after eating them? The moment he looked at the trees and their fruits hanging over the prostrators turning into grotesque monsters. “…A book?” Lenox realized that the inside of the fruit’s peel was made of dozens of layers, like the pages of a book. The fruit’s peel was like the cover of a book, and the flesh was a strange sight, as if dozens of pages had been stacked together. On the flesh made of dozens of layers of paper, unknown characters writhed like flowing water. It was a strange sight, as if a book with ancient characters had been forcibly processed into the form of a fruit. “Delicious!! It’s delicious…!!” “I need more!! Give me more!!” They ate it and, as if they had gained some unknown enlightenment, they endlessly prostrated and went mad. Only after properly seeing the appearance of the fruit and the people did Lenox understand why they had become like this. The fruits that grew in this orchard did not satisfy the consumer’s appetite. They only provided forgotten knowledge that no longer existed on this continent. They simply forced ancient information, no longer existing in language, in the form of consumption. Those who ‘consumed’ knowledge through the fruit all offered fanatical worship towards the spirit stone. They completely submitted, destroying their own minds and bodies. As if they had recognized the existence of a god and begun to worship it. “…” He took his eyes off the trees in the orchard and slowly approached the spirit stone. Kuooh…!! Although the spirit caster Sabrina had shown him a spirit stone before, it was only about 2 meters in size. It was only enough to cover a secret room where several people gathered. However, the size of the spirit stone here was several tens of meters. The range of its power covered a vast area with a diameter of several thousand meters. Just by the spirit stone being in place and emitting power, it would not be strange to call the surrounding area a dominion under the control of a specific will. Throb. Something pulsated like a blood vessel on the spirit stone, which trembled as if it were alive. A will that went beyond representing power and knowledge, someone who wanted to make the orchard itself a dominion at their own discretion. Giving knowledge, enlightening humans, becoming an object of worship. A bizarre and eerie cycle that ultimately made them serve the owner of the spirit stone as a god. Lenox already knew about this being. He might have sensed it the moment he recognized the existence of the spirit stone. Why other forces were so wary of the fifth lighthouse peering beyond the outer curtain of the central front. Why the Deadrise Command was trying to create a satellite to look at the central front in order to check the Azure’s eyes. Why the fact that the outer curtain of the central front was breached was so significant. The owner of this orchard that covered the outer plains of the front was not a powerful superhuman or an incomprehensible monster. An Ascendant who had gained a transcendent rank through language and letters. A great researcher who unified all the languages of the continent and established a common language. And now, a turncoat who was trying to become a god by following the ways of the outer gods and creating his own apostles. The owner of this eerie spirit stone erected on the outer edge of the central front. Ascendant Jinwa (陳蝸). That transcendent being, one of the most respected figures in the history of the continent, was now greedily devouring that reverence. Using fruits that spread knowledge as a medium, increasing the number of believers who worshiped him. A recklessness that did not consider the human nature stained with madness and corruption at all. Perhaps it had already reached a point of no return. ‘Daimus said that the Deadrise main force couldn’t move due to some reason… There’s a very high chance that the command knew about this.’ They were checking the Azure’s eyes using the lighthouse to look beyond the curtain, and conversely, they were trying to create a satellite to look directly at the front line. Their interests aligned with the Blaber Magetower Master, and they were planning to build a factory in Vulcan and use the Phoenix War as an engine. However, if the reason why the main force could not move in that process was related to Jinwa’s work. “…” Did Deadrise and Jinwa join hands? But Lenox thought that the possibility itself was low. Jinwa was an Ascendant who had reached a transcendent rank through spirit magic, and a great being who had established the common language of the continent. If they had joined hands with such a being, Deadrise’s actions would not be so quiet or passive. Rather, wouldn’t they be wary of Jinwa or be cautious not to cross the Ascendant’s territory? Thinking that, the moment Lenox turned the lighthouse’s focus towards the people quickly moving around the spirit stone. He discovered a line of soldiers trying to get out of the orchard’s outer edge. Clank, clank!! The soldiers were carrying something, loaded onto trucks and armored vehicles, and they moved without paying any attention to their surroundings. The uniformity of their uniforms, the position of their epaulets, and the firearms they were handling were familiar. Were the equipment of the Cerberus Slaughter Corps mercenaries like that? Restrained emotions and disciplined movements. An organizational power that maintained and kept formation without a single command. If soldiers trained to that level were collectively carrying supplies and leaving the front line from the outer edge of the central front. Wouldn’t they be the soldiers of the Deadrise subordinate corps transporting supplies for satellite production? Thud! Thud!! Considering their route to go around the orchard, they must have stayed in this area for quite a long time, but there was not a single sign of agitation. At the end of the trees that reached the edge of the garden, the corpses of the worshipers who had died while prostrating madly were lying down in strange shapes. Lenox tried to follow the soldiers silently by moving the lighthouse’s gaze, but stopped. “…” Dozens of corpses of worshipers visible in his gaze. The postures of the corpses that had lost their human form reminded him of something strongly unsettling. The appearances of the corpses that had lost their human form were varied, but their bizarrely twisted postures reminded Lenox of the knowledge he knew. ‘Common language?’ The common language of the continent created by the Ascendant Jinwa. It felt somewhat similar to those characters, but with a distinctly different shape. After briefly comparing the postures of the corpses with the common language characters in his memory, Lenox belatedly realized their true nature. ‘They reversed it. Could it be…’ A left-right reversal, as if looking at letters written on the other side of a glass window in a mirror. The corpses visible in his gaze were drawing the shapes of letters in that reversed state. The moment Lenox reversed the appearance of the corpses in his mind and converted them into letters to read. [The meddlesome old ones are still wandering in the afterlife] “…!!” He involuntarily stopped his gaze at the eerie sentence. Because the corpses, already dead and stiff, were forming a message that was as clear as could be. Every time he turned the lighthouse’s focus to look at other corpses, they naturally became letters, and their meaning was hammered into his mind. [Did you come to laugh at me?] “This is…” Thud…!! At the same time, the huge spirit stone that stood tall on the other side began to emit an intense purple glow. With a thick pulsation that sounded like a heartbeat, those who were going around the orchard were startled and crouched down in alarm. Even in the meantime, every direction Lenox’s gaze pointed to, new messages were being created. A manifestation of will, personally delivered to a mortal, using the bodies of those who worshiped him as letters. [You believed you loved humans, but you shouldn’t have] Even though the corpses were clearly dead and stiff a long time ago, the message seemed to be pointing directly at someone. The old ones wandering in the afterlife. The meaning of laughing at the Ascendant. Wasn’t it pointing out Lenox’s situation of looking into Jinwa’s domain by combining the functions of Thousand Eyes and True Perception? It was not a delusion. The Ascendant, who was not present at this place, was accurately recognizing Lenox’s existence and speaking to him. When he moved his gaze to the side, messages made of dead corpses came into view sequentially, as if the conversation was continuing. [Abandoning duty and mission would have been the most hated thing] “…” The powerful wave of the spirit stone felt behind his gaze. The eerie message spread out below his eyes. Although he was recognizing Lenox and sending a message, the message was not actually directed at Lenox. Jinwa’s spirit magic, as if speaking on behalf of someone who was not present at this place. Every time a new message was created, the spirit stone standing far away shone brightly. Soon, it seemed to have lost its will and slowly began to calm its thoughts. [I don’t have much time to listen to the ramblings of the dead] The pulsation of the blood vessels weakened on the spirit stone where the light was fading, and the scenery of the orchard returned to its original appearance. Still in the middle of a demonic realm where mad believers, merchants, soldiers, and all sorts of people were fleeing. As if the fruits were popping, the dead corpses drew the last message with their bodies and showed it to Lenox. [Go and enjoy the ending you gave up on] The corpses that had been dying and turning into the Ascendant’s messages without rest lost their speed and stopped. A silence that had sunk as if dead. From the other side of the purple thought that had sunk so deeply that emotions could not be read. He felt as if Jinwa was sneering. [I will bloom flowers with the resentment you never finished] Paah!! At the same time as those words, the spirit stone, which had completely stopped resonating, returned to its original form. Only after seeing that did Lenox realize that this orchard was one of the many vessels that contained Jinwa’s power. Since Jinwa himself could not come here directly, he must have sent the message in this crude form. However, even the way he delivered the message was far beyond the realm that ordinary humans could imagine. A distortion that went beyond the level of mastering language and being enlightened in spirit magic, turning those who worshiped him into the message itself. From that creaking way of thinking, it was already far from that of a normal mortal. “…” The corruption of the Ascendant Jinwa that he had vaguely heard about. It meant that the words that he was following a god and creating apostles to crave that belief were not just empty words. He wanted to investigate Jinwa’s condition right away, but Lenox tried to suppress such thoughts. It was only a coincidence that he had cast his gaze on the domain ruled by the Ascendant Jinwa. In the first place, they were opponents that he should not have encountered at this point, that he should not have encountered. Jinwa also understood that he would not be a threat to him right now, and he must have left him alone even though he recognized his existence. Then, there was no need for Lenox to provoke Jinwa at this point and create trouble. Before the power of the lighthouse, which was looking beyond the curtain of the central front, was completely exhausted. He had to achieve his original goal before the Deadrise transport unit, which was going around the orchard, left. Paat!! In an instant, he narrowed the focus and dug into the departing transport unit. Beyond the level of observing the supplies and the soldiers escorting them in detail, he found the commander leading the group at the front. A powerful observation ability temporarily obtained by borrowing the power of the lighthouse. A function that could even see through obstacles, including the curtain, if he concentrated his mind and thoughts beyond the level of looking far and precisely. Through that, Lenox quickly found the item he needed by looking through the belongings in the commander’s possession as if they were his own. A small terminal located closest to the heart. It was not in the form of a cell phone, but judging from the fact that there was a screen and a connector, it was definitely a terminal used for communication and information exchange. ‘Dabi.’ [Terminal code confirmed. Network packet interference.] Dabi, who understood Lenox’s words, immediately began to interfere in the cyber space, but soon flapped his tail as if in trouble. [It’s an isolated terminal that has built its own independent network. It will take some time to hack.] Lenox was not surprised by Dabi’s words. Guileon and Kaise, whom he had met in the past decades, were also using independent network terminals for security back then. It was not strange that the Deadrise members who had branched out from them were using the same method for security. To break through this, he would have to directly break through the firewall with the transcendent computing power of a strong artificial intelligence, just like Dabi had done before. It was difficult at this point when the power of the lighthouse was running out. However, Lenox nodded even though he knew that fact. ‘I’m going to break through. Get ready.’ [Master?] The fifth lighthouse was a power created by assembling the function of Thousand Eyes on top of the labyrinth of True Perception. Although it was said that he was borrowing the functions of dead transcendent beings, if he could combine and wield two different functions. And if Lenox was directly manipulating that concept, the story was different. Even if it was only a temporary authority, only for a moment while borrowing the power of the lighthouse. If it was now, when his senses had been sharpened by the encounter with Jinwa, he would surely- Beep!! […Connection complete. Did you break through the firewall entirely?] ‘I didn’t break through it.’ Lenox replied. ‘I just looked through it.’ -He could see through the firewall itself and forcibly access the system inside. It was possible because the firewall of the independent network of the Deadrise transport unit was not that thick. Nevertheless, it was certain that he had greatly shortened the hacking work that would have required time. Dabi grumbled as if he was dumbfounded, but quickly began to search through the information inside the terminal. [They’re thorough. The files stored inside the network are also encrypted one by one.] ‘Will it take long?’ [Of course not. Once I’m connected to the network, there’s no system smarter than me. Huh?] Dabi, who had been speaking confidently, tilted his head. ‘There’s a problem.’ [No. It’s not a problem, but…] Dabi answered, and shared the file as if he was going to show it directly. Beep beep beep!! Dabi quickly began to display the files he had decrypted on Lenox’s vision. [Material organization database.] [Food supply aid schedule] [Front line movement plan 3rd revision] [Front line movement plan final revision] [Front line movement plan final final revision] [Front line movement plan Final revision] [Front line movement plan completed version] [Front line movement plan last completed version] ‘……’ While Lenox was speechless, Dabi whispered as if he was impressed. [These days, organic beings hide the completed version of files like this. Is this a tactic to prevent them from knowing which one is the completed version?] ‘No, this is…’ Lenox tried to explain, but soon gave up. It seemed that Dabi’s contempt for organic beings would only increase if he told him the truth. Lenox, who smiled bitterly, selected one of the files that Dabi had listed and pushed it in. ‘This must be the final completed version.’ [(True) Front line movement plan last completed version]