Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 471 The Era of Regression

Edwin dusted himself off, the lingering heat of the lava armor causing the surrounding air to distort slightly.
"Ralph, how's your harvest? We've collected twenty-three basic crystals and one chaos crystal."

His voice was tinged with satisfaction, but the vigilance in his eyes did not wane in the slightest.

In such an environment, any lapse in vigilance could be fatal.

Patricia descended slowly from the sky, its wind membrane wings emitting a soft whistling sound as they retracted.

"I scouted the surrounding area and found that at least three teams were converging on the central area."

If we delay any longer, we may be besieged.

Her expression was unusually grave; as the team's scout, she knew better than anyone the urgency of the situation.

Laku squatted on the ground, his hands pressed against the earth, feeling the tremors of the earth.

Under his manipulation, the sand and soil constantly changed shape, eventually forming a three-dimensional topographic map:
"Based on the vibration transmission analysis, there is large-scale elemental activity in the central area. We must choose the safest route."

He pointed to several curves on the sandy land map:
"These red areas represent high-intensity elemental conflicts; entering them could result in being torn apart by elemental storms."

While the blue area is relatively safe, movement speed is significantly restricted.

Ron also displayed his haul, his storage bag filled with crystals of various colors that shimmered like stars:

"My haul here is also quite good, enough for us to meet the points requirement. The key now is how to safely reach the central area."

………………

"I propose that we adopt a layered defense strategy going forward."

After exchanging intelligence, Ron synthesized all the information and began to formulate a specific action plan:

"Laku was in charge of creating sand golems as advance scouts. These golems didn't need to have very complex functions; their main purpose was to trigger traps and attract attention."

"Patrick provides early warning and fire support from the air, but maintains sufficient altitude to avoid being targeted by ground attacks."

If faced with a threat that cannot be dealt with, evacuate immediately; preserving strength is more important than individual heroism.

"Edwin's lava traps were placed at key points, not to kill the enemy, but to delay the pursuers."

Remember, our goal is to arrive safely, not to prove ourselves.

The three exchanged glances, and each saw agreement in the other's eyes.

This kind of tactical arrangement based on realistic considerations is more likely to gain the wizard's trust than any grand and impassioned mobilization.

Just as the team began to move according to plan, Azalea let out a contemptuous sneer in Ron's mind:
"The tactics of these modern wizards... are like playing house."

"What do you mean?"

Ron asked himself the question, while outwardly nodding in agreement to one of Edwin's suggestions.

“In my time, even teams of Morning Star Wizards would use the ‘Elemental Resonance Network’ for real-time communication.”

Acelia's voice was filled with longing for the past:
"Configure an 'adaptive shield array' to automatically adjust protection parameters based on the attack type, and also 'spatial anchor points' to prevent teleportation attacks or spatial blockades."

"Your current primitive gesture communication and mental commands are just like primitive people fighting with stones and sticks."

As Ron manipulated the magic sword to transform into a bow and arrow, he asked himself:
Was your era really that advanced?

"Advanced? Child, you can't even imagine the prosperity of the Second Era."

Acelia's tone grew even more proud, as if she were describing a great civilization from a golden age:

"When I was a young dragon, the sky was full of floating cities."

Each city is a complete ecosystem, self-sufficient and beautiful.

"Ordinary people can travel between different cities on the 'Magic Rail,' just as easily as you walk now."

Those orbits, composed of pure, condensed magic, wove a dazzling web of light among the clouds.

The longing in her voice grew even stronger:
"Even farmers can use 'growth-promoting arrays' to make crops ripen in a day and use 'weather control towers' to control rainfall and sunshine in specific areas."

Illness? Aging? Those are minor problems that can be easily solved with conventional methods.

"Everyone can access the 'knowledge sharing network' from birth, and any skills and experience can be directly transferred and learned."

A brilliant discovery can spread throughout the world in minutes, allowing ordinary people to grasp complex theories.

This description deeply shocked Ron.

He thought of the Kingdom of Farouk.

Ordinary people were still living a life close to that of the Middle Ages, with even the most basic medical and educational resources being extremely scarce.

As he was immersed in this historical information, the team began to advance towards the central area.

Laku's sand golems scouted ahead; though rudimentary, these structures were extremely adept at sensing danger.

Patricia hovered thirty meters away, her magically enhanced eyes able to detect any subtle changes in the ground.

Edwin laid lava traps along the way.

Each one was meticulously designed to inflict effective damage without revealing the team's true route.

"A very interesting cooperation model."

Acelia commented in her consciousness:
"Although the technology was primitive, the tactical thinking was still relatively clear."

They're at least much better than my dragon companions back then who only knew how to charge head-on.

Ron frowned and continued to ask for information that interested him:

"Then how come it's...so backward now?"

Azalea sighed softly, her voice growing heavy and leaden:
"The core of the Second Era civilization is the 'concept-sharing network' that I just mentioned."

It was a massive structure that covered the entire main world and even extended into parts of other worlds.

All knowledge, skills, experience, and even personal insights and intuitions can be shared in real time through this network.

"But the problem lies in this network."

Acelia continued to explain:

"It is precisely because everyone's consciousness is partially connected."

Horrifying knowledge, possessing polluting properties and originating from higher dimensions, is also spreading uncontrollably through the internet.

"That kind of knowledge is not ordinary information; it's more like a conceptual virus that can directly change cognitive structures."

Those who come into contact with the infected person will have their thinking forcibly distorted, and their entire personality may even be alienated.

Ron felt a chill run down his spine as he recalled the various alienation tendencies in "The Star Eater's Ramblings".

"So the entire civilization was destroyed just like that?"

"To be precise, it's self-destruction."

Acelia's tone was filled with pain:
"When knowledge about pollution spreads through the internet, countless wise men lose their minds at the same time and begin to conduct all sorts of crazy experiments and rituals."

Their attempt to 'improve' reality itself triggered a disastrous chain reaction.

Ron nodded knowingly:

"This is why later wizards began to follow the principle of secrecy, insist on the equivalent exchange of knowledge, and treat all information beyond their comprehension with caution."

Laku's sand golems sent back an alarm, reporting suspicious activity ahead.

While directing the troops to adjust their formation, Ron continued to ask questions:
"Since you have such a deep understanding of that era, you must know many legendary figures from that time, right?"

For example… that being you've been mentioning?

When he carefully avoided directly mentioning the King of Illusions' true name, Azalea was taken aback at first:
"Are you talking about Pandora? Why not just call her by her name?"

“Because she is now…” Ron hinted in his mind:

"They became the kind of great beings whose true names could be given a sacred title, and whose true names possessed the quality of projecting power."

Acelia immediately understood the meaning, and her spirit trembled violently:

"She...she really became the Witch King?"

The dragon soul remained silent for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh:
"Pandora became the Witch King? Ha... I'm not surprised at all. That woman was extraordinary from the very beginning."

"Why isn't it surprising?" "Because she was already capable of 'concept shaping' before she was even five hundred years old—do you know what that means?"

Acelia's tone became a mixture of awe and resentment:
"She can turn pure imagination into objective reality! It's not illusion, not delusion, but a power that truly rewrites the fundamental laws of the world!"

Dragon Soul's voice grew even deeper:
"You must understand that even in the Second Era, an era of frequent miracles, there were very few beings capable of 'concept shaping'."

Most top-tier wizards cannot achieve this level of control over reality.

"If she didn't possess such terrifying talent, how could I, a noble descendant of the Thunder Dragon Clan, willingly serve a human wizard?"

Ron recalled the King of Illusions he had seen.

The idea that legends could turn falsehood into truth had already begun to emerge back then.

"Since she was so powerful and valued you so much, why did she end up like this..."

"Because to her, the whole world was just material in a laboratory."

Azalea's anger burned like a raging fire:
"Dragon blood, dragon scales, dragon bones, dragon soul—these are the very essence of my life, but to her they are merely precious alchemical materials."

"When she killed me, there wasn't even a flicker of emotion on her face."

It's as natural as dissecting a frog in a lab, as natural as picking flowers from a garden.

At this point, Dragon Soul sighed again:

"But I must admit that her choice was correct from a purely self-interested perspective."

Raising a young dragon to maturity is too much work; it's better to just kill it and turn it into pure resources.

Dragon Soul calmly concluded:
"This is the 'wisdom' of you humans—always being able to make the optimal choice from a global perspective, even if that choice seems cruel and heartless."

"However, you don't need to worry too much about her name,"

Seeing Ron's still tense posture, Azalea explained simply:

"This area is deeply shielded by the Dragonbone Network, and with the special environment of the triple lunar eclipse, even the Witch King's power projection would have difficulty penetrating here."

At this point, she suddenly chuckled softly:
"Let me show you what she looked like when she was young. You must be curious too."

A gentle stream of consciousness flowed in, constructing a clear image deep within Ron's mind.

She was a witch who looked no more than twenty years old, and when he saw her face, he felt as if he had lost his ability to speak for a moment.

The beauty of the King of Illusions is not human beauty, but a transcendent beauty that is closer to that of fairies or demons.

Just like her title suggests, she is like a mirage, capable of captivating the mind of any observer.

Even Ron, who considered himself to have seen many beauties, was captivated by the image.

No wonder the legendary Queen of Illusions was hailed as the most beautiful woman in the wizarding world; she truly lived up to her reputation.

But in the blink of an eye, Ron forced himself to adjust his mindset and refocus on the task at hand.

Azalea admired this quick self-control even more:

"Very good. Being able to remain rational in the face of that level of beauty shows that your willpower is indeed extraordinary."

Most male creatures, including the males of our dragon race, lose their ability to think when they see her.

“However, unlike Pandora, you have a quality that she doesn’t have.”

Acelia's tone suddenly became serious:
"What trait?"

“True wisdom is not merely cleverness,” she explained in detail:
"Although Pandora is powerful, her way of thinking is essentially still the traditional mode of 'might makes right'."

When faced with a problem, her first reaction is always to solve it with even greater force.

"And your performance in answering Sir Soul's three questions reminded me of the true sages of the Second Age."

You didn't use brute force or luck, but wisdom to overcome every trap.

"After acquiring the powerful ability of Dragon Language Pressure, you were not blinded by the power. Instead, you immediately analyzed its limitations and side effects."

"A thirst for knowledge that surpasses a greed for power is an even more precious quality," she continued her analysis:

"Most wizards, after gaining great power, become lost in the pleasure of power itself."

But your continued curiosity about the underlying principles is the true mark of a wise person.

Just then, Edwin, who was not far away, whispered a warning:

“The combined forces of those natives are only 200 meters ahead. We need to decide whether to go around them or confront them head-on.”

Ron quickly analyzed the situation:

“Taking a detour would waste time, but the risk of a direct confrontation is too great.”

We employed a feint attack strategy, creating a diversion to attract their attention, and then quickly advanced from the flank.

While directing the tactics, he continued his conversation with Acelia:

"I'm going to tell you a secret, a secret that even Pandora doesn't know."

Acelia's voice suddenly became mysterious and serious:
"I have the 'perfect preservation' feature."

This unexpected information stirred something within Ron:
"What does it mean?"

"The Thunder Dragon Clan has a hidden talent that only one in ten thousand individuals might possess."

Acelia's tone became proud:
"Dragons with this talent do not have their souls gradually dissipate after death like ordinary beings."

Instead, they will be completely preserved in one's remains, including all memories, knowledge, and abilities.

“I can use bloodline resonance to pass on these abilities accumulated over hundreds or thousands of years to future generations or individuals with compatible bloodlines.”

Ron immediately understood the value of this ability.

This is equivalent to a complete inheritance system, which can directly infuse the entire essence of the dragon race into the successor.

"But why choose me?"

He cautiously inquired that in the wizarding world, any seemingly free gift always comes with a hidden price.

"Because I admit that we dragons have a fatal flaw—we are too straightforward."

Acelia's tone was tinged with self-deprecation and reflection:
"We believe that the strong should fight honorably, and that scheming and trickery are despicable means used by the weak."

And the result? We were completely outmaneuvered by you 'weak' humans.

"For example, how did Pandora deceive me in the first place?"
She said she would build me the most comfortable nest, provide the most nutritious food, and let me grow up happily in the safest environment. And I actually believed her!

Her voice turned somewhat angry:
Anyone with even a little bit of sense could see the trap in her words.

But that's how we dragons are—when others show us kindness, we trust them wholeheartedly.

"Now I understand that in your human-dominated world, pure power is not as important as wisdom."

Force can solve immediate problems, but only wisdom can anticipate future crises.

Acelia paused for a moment, then her tone became firm:

"So, I want to follow you."

It's not because you're powerful enough, but because you're smart enough to survive in this complex world for a long time.

"In exchange, I can offer you three things."

She began to explain in detail the specific help she could provide:

"First, fragments of my remains are still hidden somewhere in this area."

Although Pandora has taken most of the useful stuff, some bloodline essence can still be extracted.

"Secondly, through the bloodline fusion ritual, I can use this bloodline essence to evolve your Crimson Dragon bloodline into the 'Thunderfire Tyrant' bloodline."

This will not only greatly enhance your existing abilities with light and fire, but will also grant you the power to control lightning.

"Third, and most importantly—I can be your advisor."

Although I am not as cunning as you, I personally experienced the prosperous era of the Second Age and possess much precious knowledge that has been lost.

(End of this chapter)