Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 364 The Forgotten...

Deep within the Forest of Flesh and Blood, the "Explorer One" golem is slowly advancing in autonomous mode.

Its black and gold metallic body stood out starkly against the distorted jungle of organs.

Each step stomped on the wet, bloody ground, producing a nauseating crunching sound, like stepping on a fresh corpse.

Ron was monitoring the golem's movements through the mental link, but his attention was being diverted by something else.

His conversation with Maxim during the dive had sent a chill down his spine.

"Master Maxim, do you still remember your mentor, Corinna?"

He asked tentatively, trying to keep his tone casual.

"The silver-haired school mentor, a young witch who always wears a mask."

Maxim's reaction at the time is still vividly imprinted in Ron's memory.

The wizard first frowned.

The fine scales twitched slightly as it thought, making a soft rubbing sound, like the sound of a snake shedding its skin.

His expression shifted from confusion to deep unease, and finally to a bewilderment bordering on fear.

“Corinna?” Maxim repeated the name, his voice hollow.
"This name... is completely unfamiliar."

A painful struggle flashed in his eyes, which had become cloudy from the pollution of the abyss.

It was as if something was struggling desperately deep within his memory, trying to surface, but was being suppressed by some indescribable force.

“Silver hair, a mask, my colleagues from the Black Mist School…” Maxim’s voice began to tremble:
"I should know people like that, I should remember them... but... but..."

He suddenly stopped talking and clutched his head tightly with both hands.

The silver scales began to writhe violently, as if some living creature was crawling frantically under the skin.

"Damn it! Why does this name sound so familiar, yet I can't remember it at all?!"

Maxim's voice was filled with despair and anger:
"It felt like someone used red-hot iron pliers to forcibly snatch something important from my brain!"

His emotions were so intense that even the abyssal aura outside the Void Shield began to stir.

The distorted faces outside the barrier turned toward them, emitting silent mockery.

Yutel frowned and glanced over, but seeing that it was someone Ron knew, he didn't say anything more.

“Master Maxim, calm down.” Ron’s voice remained steady:

"The abyss environment amplifies negative emotions; you need to control yourself."

"I'm sorry... I lost my composure." Maxim took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down.

But in his gaze towards Ron, there was a hint of unspoken suspicion:
"Ron, that person you just mentioned...did she really exist? Or...or are we all experiencing some kind of collective illusion?"

“Of course she existed.” Ron’s voice was firm, but a slight wavering crept into his heart:

"Mentor Corinna, a rising wizard dispatched by the Crystal Spire to the Black Mist Forest."

She was the one who brought me from the Kingdom of Farouk to the School, and later became Trish's mentor.

“Tracy?” Maxim’s expression became even more confused. “Another completely unfamiliar name…”

“You and Instructor Corinna should be quite familiar with each other.” Ron’s voice carried a certain seductive quality:
"You two were once members of the same exploration team, and together you ventured into the sixth level of the abyss."

“No…impossible…” Maxim’s voice was hoarse:

"I have never explored the Abyss in a party with any female wizards. My teammates should all be... all..."

He suddenly stopped, a more terrifying expression appearing on his face.

"I...I can't remember any of my teammates' names!"

His words were filled with despair:

"I remember having teammates, fighting side by side, sharing life and death... but their faces, their names, are all blank!"

That deep-seated fear made this seasoned wizard, who had faced countless life-or-death trials, tremble like a child.

It was as if something had erased some important people from his memory!
Maxim's mood had sunk to its lowest point:

"I can remember the techniques, the knowledge, the details... but those people, those important memories, are all gone!"

Ron looked at the gray-haired, prematurely aged man in front of him, whose emotions were on the verge of collapse, and felt a deep sense of empathy for him.

"The influence of the Forgotten Lands extends far beyond what Professor Utter described," he silently analyzed to himself.
"Not only will those who are directly devoured be erased, but also the memories of those closely related to them will be affected."

This is a chilling discovery.

If the Forgotten Lands truly possess such a powerful ability to rewrite reality, then the history of the entire Wizarding World may contain significant gaps.

How many important figures, events, and even important knowledge legacies have been completely erased by this force?

These survivors were unaware of what they had lost.

“Master Maxim,” Ron finally spoke, his voice carrying a hint of relief.

"Perhaps I've misremembered something; the abyss environment does indeed easily produce false memories."

This is a white lie.

Although Ron was convinced of this, he didn't want Maxim to suffer any more pain.

After all, what good does knowing the truth do?
Those who were erased may never return.

"The abyss environment can indeed easily cause hallucinations; perhaps you've confused other people's memories."

Maxim loosened his clenched fist, shook his head with a wry smile:

"That's true... If I really had such a companion, how could I forget? We went through life and death together, and faced those indescribable horrors together..."

His voice grew softer and softer, as if he were trying to convince himself:

"Memory is indeed unreliable. Especially after spending too much time in the abyss, many things become blurred and unclear."

But Ron could tell that Maxim didn't actually believe him.

There was deep confusion and fear in the other person's eyes.

It's like someone who has lost a crucial piece of a memory puzzle; they know what's missing, but they can't find it.

Now, back in the Forest of Flesh and Blood, Ron can still feel that bone-chilling cold.

Corinna, Trish...did they really exist?
Those memories of them are so vivid:

Corinna's untimely sense of humor beneath her cold exterior, and the face that is distorted beyond recognition by the abyss after she takes off her mask;
The cheerful smile that Trish occasionally showed when they met in private, the longing on her face when she talked about the future and the wider world, and the smug look on her face when she showed him the pointy ears of the forest elf...

But if everyone forgets them, how can the authenticity of these memories be verified?
"This is the most insidious part of the Forgotten Lands," Ron thought bitterly.

"It not only took away lives, but also the meaning of existence; those who were erased do not even have the right to be mourned."

However, as a rational researcher, indulging in such emotions would not help him at all.

The important thing is to extract valuable information from this phenomenon.

"At least now I know that my special soul structure does indeed possess a certain resistance."

He quickly adjusted his mindset: "This resistance is not only effective against abyssal erosion, but also provides protection against reality-rewriting attacks."

This is an important discovery, meaning he would have an advantage over ordinary wizards when facing similar threats.

Pulling these thoughts back, Ron began to focus on the task at hand.

Through the mental link, he could sense that "Explorer One" was approaching an area where the abyss atmosphere was becoming more intense.

“Captain Miller.” He turned to the veteran who was on guard duty:

"I need to have a divination done to determine the direction of my next steps."

A hint of worry flashed in Miller's single eye.

As a seasoned explorer, he was well aware of the risks of performing divination in the abyss. "Understood, Wizard Ralph." Without further ado, he immediately began directing his team to establish a defensive camp:
"Listen up, guys! Set up the protective perimeter according to standard procedures!"

The experienced exploration team demonstrated remarkable efficiency.

Blake cursed the disgusting environment around him as he skillfully set up warning runes around him.

These runes are active runes drawn with the blood of special abyssal creatures, capable of sensing and issuing early warnings of any approaching hostile presence.

“Damn forest of flesh and blood,” Blake complained in his distinctively rough voice.

“Every time I come here, I feel like I’ve crawled into the belly of some giant monster.”

Camilla rolled her eyes at him as she helped set up the physical barrier:
“Blake, watch your words. In this situation, your complaints might be heard by something that shouldn’t be heard.”

"Ha! Bring on those monsters!" Blake scoffed, patting the battle axe at his waist.

"My axe is eager to taste some fresh flesh and blood!"

Despite his bold words, his hands moved swiftly, and he arranged the protective runes to be airtight.

The other two team members were responsible for setting up a temporary shelter.

They used specially made soundproofing materials to construct a relatively enclosed space that effectively blocks various mental disturbances in the abyss environment.

Finally, Miller personally retrieved a sophisticated device that Ron had never seen before.

This device looks like a hybrid of some kind of living organ and mechanical part.

The most bizarre thing is its "eyes".

Those were dozens of observation devices of varying sizes that could rotate autonomously and scan the surrounding environment.

"This is the 'Silent Box' that the observatory has just developed."

Miller carefully adjusted the equipment while explaining:
"The abyss environment is filled with all kinds of mental interference, including the whispers of ancient beings, the wails of the dead, and the disordered signals emitted by chaos itself."

Once the device is turned on, the surrounding environment immediately undergoes subtle but noticeable changes.

The faint, distorted whispers disappeared, and the nauseating feeling, as if countless insects were crawling inside my eardrums, was greatly reduced.

The maddening sense of oppression in the air seemed to be separated by an invisible barrier.

"I don't quite understand how this thing is made."

Miller continued, a hint of the pragmatism characteristic of a veteran gleaming in his single eye:
“But I know it has saved many lives. Ordinary divination rituals are almost impossible to perform in the Abyss environment; those interferences not only affect the accuracy of the prophecy but may also attract some… unwanted attention.”

His voice was very low:

“I’ve seen diviners perform rituals in the abyss, which resulted in the summoning of ancient, wandering spirits. Those things are particularly sensitive to prophetic activities; once they’ve set their sights on you…”

Miller made a throat-slitting gesture, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Ron nodded in satisfaction.

This level of professionalism is precisely why he chose Miller's team.

In such extreme environments, the importance of experience and equipment goes without saying.

In a fully equipped protective environment, he began to take out his divination tools.

However, unlike the horoscopes he usually uses, he cannot see the stars in the abyss environment, so he needs to use other divination methods.

As a qualified astrologer, Ron naturally possesses a variety of divination techniques.

While astrology is the most accurate method, it is by no means the only option.

"We need to think carefully... about which approach is most suitable in this environment."

First is blood divination, which is one of the oldest and most dangerous forms of divination.

Through the life information contained in blood, prophets can glimpse fragments of destiny.

However, this method requires the use of the diviner's own blood, and there is a high probability that it will attract the attention of related evil entities.

Secondly, there is bone divination, which uses specially made bones for divination.

The bones of different races contain different prophetic properties.

Human bones represent wisdom and death, animal bones symbolize power and wildness, while the bones of abyssal creatures can sense the changes in chaos.

There is also rune divination, which uses combinations of ancient runes to predict the future.

This method is relatively safe, but requires a deep understanding of runic literature.

Moreover, prophetic results are often obscure and difficult to understand, requiring a lot of time for interpretation, which is clearly not the case now.

Finally, there is dream divination, which is the most mysterious and uncontrollable method.

The diviner needs to enter a special meditative state, allowing their consciousness to reach the boundary between dreams and reality, and obtain prophetic information from it.

However, this method is extremely dangerous, especially in the abyss environment.

A slight misstep could leave one's consciousness forever lost in the depths of nightmares.

Considering the current environment and mission requirements, Ron ultimately chose the Blood and Bone combination divination.

This is a combined technique that integrates the advantages of blood and bone, and although there are still risks, it is relatively controllable.

He took out a carefully prepared set of divination tools from his storage bag:

Seven finger bones from different abyssal creatures, each of which has undergone special treatment;

A divination disc carved from obsidian, its surface covered with vein-like patterns;
And seven specially made candles that emit a special fragrance that guides the soul when burned.

The number seven is a special number that is destined to be associated with mystery.

"The core principles of blood and bone divination are..."

As Ron arranged the tools, he reviewed the key points of the theory in his mind.

He lit the candles, and each candle emitted a different scent as it burned:

The sweet, pungent smell of decay, the acrid stench of rust, the rich fragrance of flowers…

These smells blend together to create a strange aroma that is somewhere between sweet and foul.

"The bones of abyssal creatures are particularly well-suited for predicting future events related to chaos, because they are naturally able to sense energy fluctuations in the abyss."

He gently pricked his left middle finger, letting a few drops of blood fall onto the center of the divination plate.

The moment the blood touched the surface of the obsidian, the vein-like patterns immediately lit up, emitting an eerie red glow.

This light was unstable, flickering rhythmically like a heartbeat, as if the inanimate object had come to life.

Next, Ron held the bone in his right hand, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.

He needs to infuse his spiritual power into these bones to awaken the dormant fragments of memory within them.

As he deepened his meditation, he felt his consciousness begin to split.

Some of them remain in reality, feeling the surrounding temperature, humidity, and the breathing of their teammates;
The other part sank into a deeper level, touching upon the ancient memories contained within those bones.

At that level, Ron saw a disturbing vision:
The decaying insects crawl through the underground labyrinth, their compound eyes reflecting countless possibilities of death;
The Shadow Spider weaves a web of prophecy at the top of the Flesh Forest, each thread connecting to the fate of a creature.

When the Blood Tears Flower absorbs pain, it briefly glimpses the future of the sufferer…

Fragments of memory began to merge in his consciousness, forming a completely new way of perceiving.

He can "see" the hidden dangers in his surroundings and feel the fluctuations of the threads of fate.

As the visual transformation ended, he threw the bone into the divination plate.

From this point onward, you will no longer be under his magical control.

The bones in the dish begin to align automatically under the influence of blood.

They seemed to be performing some kind of strange dance, sometimes gathering together, sometimes dispersing...

(End of this chapter)