Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 423 Reincarnation of the Dirty Land
"Let me think... When was the last time you contacted me? Was it during the investigation of the abyss anomaly two hundred years ago? No, that should be..."

“Two hundred and thirty-seven years ago,” Yutel corrected gently.

"Your memory is still so precise, it's just that your sense of time is a bit confused, which is normal."

"Ha, it's easy to get confused about time when you're sleeping in a specimen storage room."

Gould shook his head with a wry smile, but his eyes were unusually sharp as he carefully observed the phantom state of Yutel:
"However, old friend, you don't look too good right now. Given your current vitality..."

“That’s true,” Yutel readily admitted.

"So let's get straight to the point. I need your help, Gould."

"Tell me the situation first," Gould said, his expression turning serious.

"Regarding a very special treatment case."

The patient is Eve of the Crown Clan, Cassandra's daughter, suffering from an extremely rare form of demonic possession…

Yutel described Eve's condition in detail, as well as the upcoming treatment plan.

Gould listened quietly, occasionally nodding or frowning.

His expression became even more serious when he heard that multiple historical projections needed to be summoned for joint treatment.

"Demonic Devouring... a backlash at the level of rules..."

Gould pondered, his fingers lightly tapping the parchment book in front of him, producing a soft "tap-tap" sound:

"This is indeed a case worth studying. If an effective treatment method can be found, it will be of great significance to the development of therapeutics."

“But,” he changed the subject, looking at Ron through the mirror, “then…”

“I’m more interested in this young man beside you. Let me see… a primordial wizard? And one who follows the true path at that? In any era, there aren’t many who would dare to do that…”

His tone was filled with curiosity.

“Exactly.” Yutel nodded in confirmation, then explained their treatment plan in detail, concluding with:
"Ron will play a key role in this treatment; his grace is of extremely high purity."

"Interesting...very interesting..."

Gould was like a collector who had discovered a rare specimen:

"Come here, young man, let me take a good look at you."

Ron walked up to the mirror and immediately felt a sense of oppression, as if he were being deeply scrutinized.

"The purity of the soul is indeed very high... and..."

Gould's eyes suddenly widened, and a look of surprise appeared on his face:

“What is this? There are some qualities in your soul structure that I have never seen before… like some kind of natural balancing mechanism…”

He paused for a long time, seemingly trying to comprehend the scene before him:
“It is extremely rare, even in my thousands of years of experience.”

This trait allows you to maintain relative stability when facing various forms of erosion...no wonder you possess such a high degree of spiritual purity despite following the authentic path.

Upon hearing this assessment, Yutel's eyes revealed a look of understanding.

Gould had clearly noticed the very quality that allowed Ron to maintain his rationality throughout his training in "The Star Eater's Whispers".

"Okay, I think I understand now."

Gould withdrew his scrutinizing gaze and sat up straight again:
"Regarding the treatment plan, I agree in principle to participate. The research value of Demon Devouring is indeed very high, and..."

He glanced at Yutel, his tone softening:

“Since my old friend has made this request, I really have no reason to refuse.”

“However…” Gould’s tone shifted, and his voice became serious:

"Before we begin, I'd like to learn about this young man's...historical background."

"Historical literacy?" Ron was somewhat puzzled.

"Yes."

Gould spoke as if he were a teacher imparting an important lesson:

"The path of a wizard is full of choices, and history is the best teacher."

Only by truly understanding past successes and failures can we make wise judgments at future crossroads.

He paused and added:
"This understanding is especially crucial for a primordial wizard like yourself."

The authentic path means greater freedom, but also greater responsibility.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy.

The runes flickered at a slower frequency, as if even the walls were listening to this important conversation.

“I will tell you about three true historical events,” Gould began.
“Each of these involves a major choice faced by the great wizards. You need to tell me what you’ve gleaned from these histories.”

The mirror began to show some blurry historical images, which were visual records from the distant past.

"The first event: The final experiment of the Lady of Blood, Selna."

The image shows a tall, slender woman standing in the center of a huge laboratory.

There were countless sophisticated alchemical devices and many glass containers filled with unidentified liquids all around.

"You should know about Selna's achievements from the classics—a pioneer in the fields of bloodline studies and organ transplantation, who saved countless lives."

Gould's voice deepened:

"But the last part of the historical record is often intentionally ignored."

In the final stages of her life, Selna attempted to create a perfect artificial bloodline to resolve the bloodline conflict.

The scene shifts to a huge culture tank deep inside the laboratory, where a creature that is neither human nor inhuman floats.

"The experiment was indeed a success."

She created an artificial life form with perfect bloodlines, a being compatible with the bloodline characteristics of any race, theoretically a solution to all bloodline conflicts.

Gould's tone became heavy:

"But the problem is that this artificial life form possesses intelligence and abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and... it has its own ideas."

The artificial life form in the picture opened its eyes.

"It believes that as a 'perfect life form,' it has an obligation to transform this imperfect world. So it began to secretly spread its bloodline, attempting to transform all living beings into beings like itself."

“By the time Selna discovered it, it was too late. The bloodline that existed had already infected the entire biome of the region. Animals, plants, and even microorganisms began to undergo terrifying mutations…”

The image shows a bizarre scene:

Trees sprouted blood vessels, animal bodies exhibited unnatural fusion features, and even the air reeked of blood.

"Selna eventually sealed away her creation completely, but the infection could not be completely eradicated."

Gould said calmly:

"An experiment intended to save the world ended up creating a disaster that lasted for thousands of years."

Ron felt a chill run down his spine.

"The second event: the extinction of Lance's lineage."

The scene shifts to another time and space, showing a cozy-looking laboratory.

“You also know Lance’s reputation; he always tried to minimize the suffering during experiments. But few people know about the choices he made in the final stages of his life.”

A blurry female figure appeared in the scene, surrounded by dazzling illusions.

"Lance established contact with the 'King of Illusions' and obtained the technology to conduct experiments in virtual environments."

From then on, his research no longer required real lives as a price.

Gould's tone turned somber:

"But the price of cooperating with the great is far heavier than Lance imagined."

Not only did he suffer misfortune, but his lineage almost died out after his death. I heard you've read Lance's notes and learned some things about them.

The image shows some scattered scenes:

Scholars died suddenly in the laboratory; some were torn apart by some unseen force, while others committed suicide due to mental breakdown.

"The third event: Alexander's self-destruction."

The final scene shows a white laboratory and a young-looking man with a weary look in his eyes.

“Alexander King’s ‘benevolence’ was real; he did indeed experiment only on his own body. After hundreds of self-modifications, he successfully transformed himself into a living alchemy factory.”

Alexander in the picture has completely lost his human appearance. His body is semi-transparent, and various complex alchemical devices can be seen operating inside.

"But the side effects of the transformation exceeded everyone's expectations. In order to maintain this form, Alexander needed to constantly absorb the essence of life. Not the life of others, but the life force of the entire environment."

The image shows changes in the surrounding environment:

The once lush forest is withering away at a visible rate, and animals are fleeing the area in terror.

"The problem is that this absorption is uncontrollable. Alexander's very existence is a huge vortex of life force that will continue to expand its influence."

Gould's voice grew heavy: "He tried various methods to control this absorption, including sealing himself away. But the loss of life force was passive and could not be completely stopped."

"Ultimately, the entire northwest of the main world became a wasteland of life."

The screen shows the final scene:

Several powerful wizards joined forces to attack an almost transparent humanoid figure, which did not resist and quietly accepted the seal of the void.

"A kind wizard who chose to experiment on himself in order to avoid harming others eventually became a huge threat to the entire world."

After all three cases were presented, the ceremony room fell into a deathly silence.

"Now, the young primordial wizard."

Gould's voice echoed in the mirror:
Tell me, what do you glean from this history?
What went wrong with the choices made by these ancient great shamans?
In your eyes, are they a success or a failure?

Ron could feel that Gould and Yutel's gazes were focused on him, and the pressure was as heavy as a mountain.

He closed his eyes, allowing his mind to completely calm down, and began to sort out the commonalities among these historical events.

The historical runes within the room seemed to be holding their breath in anticipation.

Those timelines that were originally flowing slowly like water have now almost frozen into a still, amber-like state.

"Three cases, three different path choices..."

Ron slowly began to speak:
"But I don't think we can judge the lives of these predecessors by simple success or failure."

Gould raised an eyebrow slightly in the mirror, clearly finding the opening remarks somewhat unexpected.

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

"Because history is far more complex than a simple binary judgment."

Ron walked to the Time Mirror, and through the fine cracks, he seemed to see the interplay of light and shadow from countless eras:
"If we only look at the results, we can indeed say that Selna's experiment caused bloodline pollution, Lance's lineage was almost cut off, and Alexander became an environmental threat."

He paused for a moment, his gaze becoming even more profound:

"But this assessment overlooks a crucial issue—everything we have now is built upon their exploration."

Yutel's phantom nodded slightly, a look of satisfaction in its eyes.

This is exactly what he hopes to see: deep thinking that is not misled by superficial appearances.

"The alchemist Lance did not die because of the mediocre people he researched."

Ron continued, his voice filled with respect:

"He is the creator of the autophagy slime and the true founder of modern bloodline science. Without his pioneering work, we would not have our profound understanding of bloodline modulation today."

Gould's expression in the mirror began to change, the scrutinizing look gradually turning into interest.

"The same applies to the Great Wizard of Selna."

Ron's tone became more solemn:
"Her achievements in biology and variation are unparalleled to this day."

Some of the strange life forms she created still thrive in certain hidden dimensions.

"more importantly."

His eyes showed admiration:

"Even after that failed experiment, she remained conscious and created more stable and successful bloodline fusion cases in later research."

The atmosphere in the room began to subtly change.

The historical runes began to flow again, but at a more leisurely pace than before, as if annotating Ron's words.

"As for the alchemist Alexander."

Ron recalled the figure he had seen in the records on Scholar's Star:
His spirit of self-sacrifice is admirable.

His contributions to the fields of 'flesh runes' and 'living modification' have saved the lives of countless others.

Many of the fundamental theories of modern medical witchcraft originate from his pioneering work.

Gould gently stroked his chin in the mirror.

Ron noticed that besides satisfaction, there was also a certain...pleasure in the recorder's eyes?
"So, what is your conclusion?"

Gould asked, his voice tinged with amusement.

My conclusion is...

Ron took a deep breath, organizing his thoughts:
"True wise people should not judge their predecessors by the simple standard of success or failure. Instead, they should learn from their achievements and draw lessons from their mistakes."

His gaze shifted between the two senior figures:
"Inheriting their wisdom and avoiding their tragedies is what future generations should do."

Instead of adopting the perspective of a so-called "later generation," standing on a moral high ground, and making simplistic judgments of success or failure regarding those predecessors who paid a huge price for the advancement of knowledge.

Gould chuckled softly in the mirror:
"You cunning little fellow, you're trying to please both sides."

This way, one can both avoid offending the deceased and demonstrate one's own judgment.

Ron did not deny it, but simply nodded quietly.

"but……"

Gould's tone became more cheerful:

"It was this 'cunning' that made me decide to support you."

True wisdom lies in learning to make balanced judgments in complex situations, rather than indulging in emotional judgments of right and wrong.

"By the way."

Several figures projected onto Gould's fingertips:
"As the recorder, I have an obligation to truthfully convey the evaluations of them by posterity."

I will relay your words verbatim.

Ron was startled.

He suddenly realized that the three cases Gould had just recounted might not have been chosen randomly.

"Senior Gould, you wouldn't be planning to..."

"Brilliant!" Gould nodded in satisfaction.
“That’s right, I’m preparing to summon the historical projections of Selna, Lance, and Alexander to assist Eve’s treatment.”

Their expertise in bloodline science and life modification is exactly what we need right now.

Gould's expression became even more serious:

That's why I need to find out your opinion on them first.

After all, even a historical projection retains the original owner's basic personality.

If you have a prejudice against them, they will likely notice.

"And now it seems," a look of satisfaction appeared in his eyes:
"Your understanding of them is objective and in-depth enough."

A brief silence fell over the room, but this silence was quite different from the tension that had followed.

The flow of those historical runes became more active, as if excited for the impending recurrence of history.

“However,” Gould changed the subject:
"I still need to remind you that these three are extremely powerful beings, and even in their projection state, they retain a considerable degree of autonomy."

His tone became increasingly warning:

“Especially for Selna, if she makes some…unconventional suggestions during treatment, you need to have enough judgment to weigh the pros and cons.”

Yutel's phantom trembled slightly, clearly aware of the risk:

"Indeed, we need to maintain control over the entire process while receiving their help."

Gould looked at Ron:
"Therefore, you need to carefully observe the words and actions of each historical projection and record their suggestions and methods."

“I understand, senior.” Ron nodded solemnly.

"I will maintain an objective record-keeping attitude and conduct independent risk assessments on all recommendations."

“Very good.” Gould’s projection began to blur even more:
"According to the plan that Yutel just told me, the treatment should only begin after you have fully met the requirements for Moon-level advancement."

"It just so happens that I also need to prepare some ritual props."

Once the two parties agreed on a specific time, Gould's projection completely disappeared, and the Time Mirror returned to its calm state.

Only Ron and Yutel remained in the room.

"How are you feeling?" Yutel asked, his silver eyes filled with concern.

"Nervous, but also a little excited," Ron answered truthfully.
"The opportunity to access the thoughts and wisdom of those legendary figures is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

“That’s true.” Yutel nodded in agreement.

"But we must also be prepared that while the historical projection retains the original owner's knowledge and some of their personality, it may also carry some... limitations of the era."

Ron nodded in agreement, suddenly feeling a sense of déjà vu.

On the other hand, this kind of thing involves pulling someone who has been dead for a long time out of their coffin to help.

He remembered that something similar had happened in a comic he had read in his previous life.

It seems to be called... Edo Tensei?
(End of this chapter)