Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 170

Floating Island Archipelago (3)

As soon as Lenok picked the flower, he reached for the sapling next to him without hesitation.

Two flowers, three flowers, four flowers, five flowers… In less than five minutes, Lenok held more than thirty flowers in his hand without a single failure.

At this display that defied common sense, Weizen stammered and reached out his hand.

“…W-wait a minute. This is…”

“You have an incredible skill in handling magic power! You’re by far the most outstanding among the people I’ve seen recently,” the old man, who had been explaining things to the mages earlier, said, looking down at them.

Was he patrolling this area?

The old man’s expression softened instantly as he looked at Lenok.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a flower maintain its vitality so well after being plucked from the living tree. Young man, you’ve learned very well. Would you be interested in working on my farm for just one more day?”

Lenok straightened his back and answered.

“I’m fine. I have a few more places to visit besides here.”

“Don’t say that… With your skills, you wouldn’t have to bow down to anyone.”

The old man’s eyes gleamed greedily as he rubbed his palms together.

“If you fulfill just two requests for this old man, I might show you my secret seedlings… Are you interested?”

“…”

Lenok didn’t answer and just stared at the old man.

Weizen was anxiously watching the two of them, a frustrated expression on his face.

After a moment of silence, Lenok chuckled and shook his head.

“I’m sorry. My schedule is tight, so I don’t think I can stay long.”

“…Is that so? Then there’s nothing I can do. It’s a shame. I wanted to show a rare item that recently came in to someone with your skills.”

“A rare item, you say?”

“Yes. Thanks to a person who has been sponsoring the autonomous territory recently, I’ve been able to get my hands on rare seeds.”

Sponsorship… It wasn’t strange that there were people supporting the plant beyond just using the floating island archipelago.

If it was that rare, it might be worth taking a look, but… Lenok didn’t like the old man’s gaze, so he refused.

He wasn’t good at hiding his true intentions.

When someone like that makes such a meaningful statement, it usually means there’s something fishy going on.

He had no intention of doing freelance work here either.

When Lenok refused indirectly, the old man smacked his lips with a regretful expression.

“Well, if you’re not interested, then so be it. If you ever think about it later, come visit again.”

“Alright. Let’s finish up today’s work here.”

When Lenok held out a handful of the Night Bloom Tree flowers he had harvested, the old man nodded.

“Good. Follow me. I’ll prepare a sample that suits you right away.”

Weizen, who had been blankly watching the scene, hurriedly held out the flowers he was holding and said,

“H-hey!! Could I possibly see those seeds?”

“Hmm? What did I just say?”

“…”

Weizen was speechless at the old man’s brazen attitude of playing dumb right in front of him.

The old man looked down at Weizen with a cold gaze, snorted, and turned his back towards the other side of the plant.

“He was a parasite… It’s a shame, but I like talented guys. You’ll have to try harder to please me.”

Weizen stared blankly at the old man’s receding figure, then clenched his teeth.

Lenok ignored the scene and immediately started walking.

* * *

After purchasing a sample of the Basilisk Mushroom from the plant, he was on his way back to his lodgings.

The sunset had long since disappeared beyond the sea, and the sky had darkened.

He boarded the wingboat that was stored at the settlement on each floating island and grabbed the steering wheel.

The island where Lenok had booked his lodgings was more than 200 meters below this point.

A quiet means of transportation that made no noise until the moment it rose into the sky after starting the engine.

While using the wingboat for the past few days, Lenok had been thinking a lot about the updraft that enveloped the Philemon Autonomous Territory.

There were many suspicious aspects to this updraft, which seemed to be more than just giving buoyancy to objects imbued with magic power.

This overwhelming efficiency, which allowed for powerful levitation with almost no consumption of magic power, even if it was only possible in a limited environment.

Rather than a natural phenomenon that had existed from the beginning, wasn’t it a convenient environment created for those living on the floating islands?

Were the countless floating islands drifting in the Sea of Understanding really staying in place because of this unknown updraft?

If these massive islands were being lifted by only the trace amounts of magic power mixed into the ground of the floating islands, was there something special imbued in the Sea of Understanding?

Or was it perhaps the intention of the Ascended [beings who have transcended mortal limitations] who built the lighthouse here and observed the outer sea?

“…”

Lenok knew that the Ascended were transcendent beings who had shed the shackles of life, but he couldn’t gauge the extent of their power.

Monsters who had grasped immense power and yet challenged fate by imposing restrictions on themselves for the sake of ascension.

If they were to exert their full power, would it be possible for them to permanently reverse the laws of physics in an entire area?

The fact that this impossible feat could not be dismissed as impossible was what demonstrated the caliber of the Ascended.

Challengers who transcended humanity. Although they did not appear in the mortal world, the fact that no one dared to utter their names carelessly was proof of their achievements.

If he continued to grope along this invisible path, would he ever be able to reach them?

He thought he had passed through many moments, but Lenok still couldn’t give himself a definite answer.

“Hoo…”

Let’s stop thinking about complicated things.

Now that he had obtained the desired item from the plant, the task of searching around was mostly finished.

From now on, he would have to start the exploration in earnest and fulfill the promises he had put off.

With that thought, Lenok slowly turned the steering wheel of the wingboat downwards.

Just as he was about to descend smoothly through the clouds, two wingboats emerged from the thick fog right next to him.

Whoosh-!

“Where are you going in such a hurry?”

Weizen was grinning, and there was a young mage with a somewhat vague impression.

Lenok shook his head as he looked at the two people who had blocked his path without a word.

As if Lenok’s reaction didn’t matter, Weizen grinned and leisurely turned the steering wheel.

“That’s the good thing about wingboats. No matter how much they move, there’s no sound or any other sign of movement.”

“…”

“All sounds are buried and disappear in the wind blowing from that beautiful sea. In other words, if you hide your own magic power and life reaction, anyone can follow you without being noticed.”

As Weizen said that, he shook something he was holding in his hand as if to show it off.

Lenok realized that the artifact had a very familiar amulet shape and clicked his tongue.

An artifact that used the druid’s natural magic.

Lenok had also received one from Mila during the subjugation of the contaminated creatures and had used it a few times.

It had the disadvantage of having a limited number of uses and requiring the caster to remain still for a certain period of time, but if those difficult conditions were met, it was an excellent item that could blend into the surrounding scenery enough to confuse even Lenok’s senses for a while.

‘But in the end, it’s an amulet that doesn’t help with surprise attacks or preemptive strikes. The fact that they revealed themselves must be because its limitations are clear.’

Just following him while holding the steering wheel was enough for the pursuit, but the moment they moved to launch a surprise attack, the stealth would be broken.

There was also a time limit for how long the amulet’s effect lasted, so they must have revealed themselves here instead of following him all the way to his lodgings.

However, Weizen was smiling triumphantly as if that was enough.

“I’ve been holding back because there were too many eyes watching, but now I can finally talk about my true intentions.”

“You mean how good of an artifact the Nick’s insignia is?”

“…”

The smile slowly disappeared from Weizen’s face.

The expression on his face as the pretense and deception he had built up until now were stripped away in an instant was quite a sight.

He lowered his head and pushed up his glasses, slowly meeting Lenok’s gaze.

His face, revealed again under the moonlight, was filled with a completely different emotion of contempt than before.

“You lowly magic user… You knew everything and were playing with me, weren’t you?”

“I’m more confused by you.”

Lenok chuckled and said to Weizen.

“Did you really believe that I, who have an artifact good enough for you to covet, would be so clueless as to carry around a treasure so openly? I can’t believe you never once doubted that ridiculous fact.”

He was unbelievably greedy, and yet, compared to that greed, he was ridiculously naive.

It was not good to have prejudice against the mages of the Magic Tower, but it was too obvious what kind of environment he had grown up in.

Weizen’s face contorted at Lenok’s mockery, but he couldn’t find a suitable excuse and shouted.

“Shut up!!”

Whirr-!

At the same time as he raised his magic power, a long flame that erupted from behind him painted the night sky chaotically.

Considering that he could produce such a flame without chanting even in his irrational state, Weizen’s talent was also quite outstanding.

He was probably almost unmatched among the mages of his age.

Otherwise, it was hard to understand how someone with such talent could be so immature.

Weizen glared at Lenok with gleaming eyes and muttered.

“If I have that insignia… I can live freely without being disturbed by anyone. I can use it much better.”

“…”

“I’ve been patient for a long time. That’s all I have to say. The items from Duris Workshop are not for bugs who have only learned crude magic. Give it to me.”

Instead of answering, Lenok took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.

He didn’t even get angry at such ridiculous nonsense anymore.

Rather, he was a little surprised that he was experiencing such familiar things even after leaving Balkan.

“Okay.”

Lenok smiled as he exhaled smoke.

“If you want to take it, try to take it.”

At the same time, he tore off the insignia and threw it into the air, causing Weizen’s mouth to drop open.

“Y-you crazy bastard!! What are you doing!!”

He stretched out his body to grab the insignia that Lenok had dropped, maneuvering the wingboat with all his might.

The insignia was caught in his outstretched hands, and at that moment, as joy filled Weizen’s face.

Like a lie, the insignia reappeared in Lenok’s hand.

The transfer ability using the compassion of the archangel. Moreover, it was an item that had been restored to its original form, further enhancing its existing transfer ability.

Lenok smiled as he looked down at Weizen, who was staring at him blankly.

“Did you believe that? You’re naive.”

“You son of a bitch!!!”

[Intestinal Fire Suppression]

The long flame that Weizen had thrown up while shouting at the top of his lungs turned into a spear and began to follow Lenok.

Whoosh!

It evaporated the fog rising from the sea below and heated the surrounding air in an instant.

Instead of directly confronting the obvious attack, Lenok focused on maneuvering the wingboat here and there.

‘Wingboats are almost useless in areas other than the autonomous territory. But it’s not often that I get a chance to do aerial combat with a ship like this.’

There was no other small airship that could move with so little magic power.

In other words, it meant that there were not many opportunities to handle such a personal airship outside of the autonomous territory.

Although it was borrowing the power of a unique updraft, the principle by which the airship operated did not violate the laws of physics.

That meant that if it wasn’t now, there would be no opportunity to obtain data on the high-speed maneuvering of the airship.

‘What if I had Davi learn the driving data of a small airship and complete the automatic flight magic… Just imagining it makes my heart race.’

It was a distant goal for now, but if Lenok ever succeeded in creating a personal airship that could be used even in Balkan.

The flight data he obtained against Weizen at this moment would be of considerable help.

Lenok had no interest in dealing with the mage in front of him and was instead making an investment for the distant future.

For a future so distant that even the person watching right next to him couldn’t fathom it.

“Davi, how much time do you need?”

[I have collected enough samples of data for normal flight for three days. It is predicted that the algorithm for high-speed flight and combat flight can be constructed in about 2 minutes in this state.]

“Good. Let’s do our best until then.”

Lenok abruptly turned the steering wheel completely in the opposite direction.

“I think I can roughly follow along if I watch a little more.”

The cigarette in his mouth. The flame burning at the end was flickering with a strange light.