Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 352 The Illusion Returns
"Today has been very fruitful, on various levels..."

The astrologer's job change brings not only attribute enhancements, but also a fundamental shift in perspective.

Now he can observe the world from a higher dimension and perceive the deep patterns hidden beneath the surface.

But those memories of timeline correction and the destruction of civilizations still weighed heavily on his heart like a boulder.

"Anomaly Catcher..."

He repeated the word to himself, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

If the wizarding civilization is indeed under some kind of surveillance, then every choice becomes crucial.

Cassandra's path of conquest, Yutel's conservative strategy, and the entirely new direction she is exploring...

Ron walked heavily down the corridor.

The terrifying knowledge about the destruction of civilizations and the reset of timelines placed an unprecedented burden on his mind.

Every step felt as unsteady as walking on cotton, and the cold images of those abnormal hunters “correcting” civilization lingered on the edge of my mind.

The workshop door slid open automatically as he approached, and warm magic crystal light shone on his pale face.

Dyer was leaning against the crystal pool, her silver hair flowing like moonlight under the lamplight.

She keenly sensed the abnormality in her master's state.

Her emotional perception, inherited from her siren bloodline, allowed her to clearly perceive the deep-seated weariness in Ron.

That wasn't just ordinary fatigue, but something deeper.

It's as if the soul has been scrutinized by some immense being, leaving a mark that is difficult to heal.

“Master…” Dale called softly, her golden eyes filled with concern.

She wanted to stand up, but worried that being too proactive in showing concern would make the other person uncomfortable.

After her bloodline awakened, her understanding of the relationship between herself and her master became more complex.

That vague emotion surged in my heart like a tide, yet I didn't know how to express it.

"You look very tired, how about tonight..." Her voice was barely audible, but she stopped mid-sentence, unsure how to continue.

"I'm fine." Ron's reply was still concise, but the fatigue in his voice was undeniable.

He walked to his workbench, instinctively wanting to continue his research, but found it difficult to even concentrate.

Those terrifying images from the information dimension are still flashing through my mind:
A collective malfunction in mechanical civilization, a server crash in virtual civilization, and the wizarding world corrupted by the abyss...

A wisp of orchid drifted from the depths of the workshop, its verdant branches trembling slightly.

As a tree spirit, she has a more direct perception of life energy.

In her perception, Ron's life force had dimmed considerably, as if something had drained a large amount of his essence.

“Master, your life force fluctuations…” Ailan said worriedly, “are like you’ve experienced something extremely mentally taxing.”

She recalled Ron's condition after each all-night research session in the Black Mist Forest, but his exhaustion back then was nowhere near as profound as it was now.

Dale and Alan exchanged a glance, both seeing the same worry in each other's eyes.

Although they had followed Ron for slightly different periods, they could all sense the recent changes in him.

The change was subtle; it wasn't just simple fatigue or stress, but something deeper... a sense of heaviness.

It was as if some invisible burden was weighing on him, preventing him from truly relaxing.

"Owner."

Ailan's voice became even gentler, like a spring breeze caressing new leaves:
“You have been working for more than ten hours straight. Even a wizard with strong mental fortitude needs proper rest to recover his mental energy.”

She gently swayed the branches, and the surrounding air began to fill with the unique fragrance of the forest:
"Let me prepare a restful environment for you tonight. You need real rest, not the kind of fake rest where you meditate while processing research data."

Dyer immediately understood and slowly stood up:

"Let me sing you a lullaby, a soothing song passed down for thousands of years by the Siren people."

The girl began to display the siren's naturally alluring voice, but at this moment it carried no seductive meaning, only pure care:

"It can calm even the most restless mental fluctuations and allow you to truly enter a deep sleep."

Ron saw the concern in his two companions' eyes.

In the current situation, the existence of someone who genuinely cares about him is indeed a comfort to him.

"...Thank you."

The black-haired youth finally nodded, his voice tinged with an unusual weariness:
"I really need to get some rest."

He was used to bearing everything alone, but at this moment, his exhaustion had exceeded the limits of his willpower.

………………

Ron lay down in the sleep pod and activated all its functions.

The purified air began to circulate, the protective runes were activated, and the mental stabilization field slowly started.

As he lay completely down, Dal began to hum softly.

That was an ancient sea creature lullaby.

The melody rises and falls like the tides of the deep sea, and every note contains the power to soothe the soul.

Her singing voice was like moonlight spilling across the sea, like a mother's hand stroking a baby's forehead, carrying the tenderest part of her racial memory:
"...Let weary souls return to a peaceful harbor..."

The lyrics are in the ancient siren language, but the emotions they contain can transcend language barriers and directly soothe the listener's soul.

At the same time, Ailan lit a specially made calming incense.

It was made from herbs she cultivated with the essence of her own life, exuding a fresh fragrance from the depths of the forest.

A faint green glow filled the air; each droplet of light was a condensation of her life force, capable of calming even the most restless mental fluctuations.

"The lullaby of the forest, the dream of the ancient trees... all the turmoil returns to tranquility..."

Ailan softly chanted ancient elven incantations.

The emerald green branches swayed gently in the air, as if weaving an invisible dreamcatcher for Ron.

Ron felt a surge of warmth in his heart as he experienced this care from his partner.

Dyer's singing voice is like the embrace of the ocean, and the fragrance of orchids is like the shelter of the forest.

Two completely different forces merged perfectly, creating an unprecedented sense of security for him.

Those terrifying images from higher-dimensional information gradually receded in the face of this gentle power.

His breathing began to become deep and regular, and his tense mind gradually relaxed.

After confirming that their master had fallen asleep, Dale and Ailan exchanged a glance, both seeing the sorrow in each other's eyes.

"Mother Ailan..." The siren girl's voice was choked with emotion:

"Is Master... carrying something very heavy?"

As her thinking matured, she gradually became able to sense the immense pressure Ron was under.

It wasn't a threat from the outside world, but rather a much heavier sense of responsibility.

"I feel it too."

Alan's branches gently brushed against Dale's silver hair, her voice filled with heartache:
"Since arriving in the Central Lands, Master has changed. Although his strength and status are constantly increasing, and his knowledge is becoming more and more abundant, that sense of urgency..."

She paused, a hint of worry flashing in her emerald eyes:

"It's like there's something terrifying chasing you all the time, and you can't stop for a moment. It's as if if you stop, some irresistible force will catch up with you."

Dyer nodded, her golden eyes filled with longing:
"I miss the days in the Black Mist Forest. Although it was dangerous, at least my master could relax occasionally."

They would chat with us, care about our progress, and show a satisfied smile when their research was successful.

Her voice became softer:

"He's always thinking about things we can't understand, and there's always a sense of worry in his eyes."

"I wish Sister Lily were here too."

Dale said softly, her voice tinged with melancholy:

"She can make her master show that... gentle expression. That completely relaxed, genuine smile."

Hearing that name, Ailan's branches trembled slightly. She certainly remembered the burning desire and longing in the girl's eyes when she looked at Ron, and she also remembered the earnest expectation Ron sometimes showed when he looked at her.

Both women fell silent, understanding that Ron was carrying a burden they could not comprehend.

All they can do is offer this simple and pure care when he needs it.

Dai'er gazed at that sleeping face, her heart filled with sorrow.

Bloodline awakening brings not only an increase in strength, but also emotional maturity.

She is now able to clearly recognize her feelings for her master.

That feeling that transcends dependence and gratitude... something more complex.

But at the same time, she also understood that this feeling might never be reciprocated.

It wasn't because the owner was indifferent, but because what he was carrying was too heavy, and he no longer had the strength to bear the emotional entanglements between people.

“At least…” Dale murmured to herself.

"At least I can still be by his side and offer him some insignificant help."

She continued to hum a lullaby softly, the melody as gentle as ocean waves, enveloping Ron's consciousness in deep tranquility.

………………

As Ron was about to enter a deep sleep, that familiar feeling of lucid dreaming returned.

The last vision before falling asleep began to distort and warp like a melting candle.

The metal bulkheads became soft and pliable like liquid, and the rune circuits began to twist and turn wildly, like a swarm of living snakes struggling desperately.

The air itself became viscous, and each breath felt like swallowing some kind of living liquid.

"here we go again……"

Ron remained calm and observant, displaying the composure characteristic of a researcher.

As a wizard who has experienced many unusual phenomena, he has learned to maintain rational analysis in such supernatural experiences.

This feeling of being passively pulled into a dream clearly came from an existence far beyond his current level.

Meanwhile, at the observation station's monitoring center, Yutel's ethereal projection suddenly appeared in front of the complex monitoring array.

Silver light weaves through the dense array of monitoring screens, each displaying a different area inside the observation station.

As the phantom passed over Ron's rest area, the old professor keenly sensed something amiss.

"This kind of mental fluctuation..."

Yutel's phantom trembled slightly, and a look of alertness appeared in its silver eyes.

It was an energy disturbance from an extremely high dimension, with obvious cross-dimensional characteristics.

Throughout his thousands of years of life, he only felt this sense of oppression when facing certain high-ranking figures.

He was preparing to activate the observatory's emergency intervention system to forcibly cut off any possible external contact.

But the next moment, a mysterious message seeped into the depths of his consciousness like flowing water.

It was not sound, nor image, but a pure flow of information that acted directly on the soul.

The old professor's expression shifted from alertness to surprise, and then to a kind of realization.

"I see……"

Yutel murmured to himself, his phantom trembling slightly:

"It seems that some people are more concerned about this child than I thought."

He slowly put away the intervention program he was about to activate and chose to wait and see.

Few things in his long life had made him so cautious.

But the source of this message... even a great wizard like him must show sufficient respect.

………………

On the other side, Ron's consciousness was once again pulled into that familiar yet eerie space.

But this experience was completely different from the previous ones.

The iconic floating islands of Fairy Village appear and disappear in the mist, like watching a distant drama through a thick fog.

The once clear and strange landscape became blurry, as if affected by some kind of interference signal.

Those breathing, skin-like islands can only be seen as blurry outlines at this moment;

The once vibrant rainbow light has now been reduced to a few dim hues;

Even the strange liveliness in the air was replaced by a heavy sense of oppression.

“A young…seeker of the Way…”

The King of Illusions' voice came through intermittently, like a communication device with a poor signal:

"Your progress...is...impressive..."

The voice still carried that timeless majesty, but it was clearly more strained than before.

Each syllable seemed to be fighting against some kind of interference in order to barely reach Ron's consciousness.

"I'm sorry... the special environment of the Abyss Observatory... interfered with my projection..."

The image of the King of Illusions is sometimes clear, sometimes blurry, like the reflection of a broken mirror:
"The... ethereal anchoring network there... and the... monitoring array of the Crystal Spire... are all suppressing external... mental projections..."

Ron tried to concentrate, attempting to hear what the other person was saying:
"What are you trying to say? Is there something important you need to tell me?"

For someone at the level of the King of Illusions to make contact at the risk of interference from the observation station's protection system, there must be an extremely important purpose.

"Your virtual world... research... I've been keeping an eye on it..."

The image of the King of Illusions struggled to solidify, and the surrounding space began to show some blurry images:

That was a scene in Ron's lab, where his adaptive chaos simulation device was running, and the complex neural network was shimmering with life.

"If we could publish a paper in... a core journal... we might reap unexpected... rewards..."

This suggestion made Ron raise an eyebrow slightly.

Based on his current research findings, he certainly has the potential to be published in a top-tier journal.

But the King of Illusions specifically mentioned this point, which clearly indicates a deeper consideration.

"You mean... gain more resources and support through academic reputation?"

"Not only that……"

The King of Illusions' voice carried a certain deeper meaning:

“A true wizard… always expands his influence through the dissemination of knowledge… When your theories are accepted by enough people… they become part of your power…”

The surrounding scenery began to change:
In countless laboratories, different wizards are conducting their own research and writing.

Every successful case reinforces the "authenticity" of the original theory.

This is not a simple technology transfer, but a deeper process of shaping reality.

"Knowledge changes reality..."

Ron repeated the concept thoughtfully:

"When enough people accept and practice a theory, it can be driven by some higher-dimensional force."

"That's exactly right... and your current research... is standing at such a critical juncture..."

Despite the intermittent communication, the next message from the King of Illusions still made Ron's heart race:
“Lance’s true bloodline inheritance… I can give it to you…”

The surrounding space suddenly revealed a huge library scene.

Countless ancient books floated in the air, each radiating a dangerous yet alluring light.

One entire row of bookshelves was marked with Lance Hewitt's unforgeable circular markings.

"And my own...secret techniques...transformation of reality and illusion...contract reversal..."

More bookshelves appeared, displaying some extremely dangerous-looking books.

(End of this chapter)