Comprehensive network wizard, magic emperor.

Chapter 221 The Characteristic "Torrent", Official Investigation
Dark, blood-like mercury pierced the heart of the giant's corpse. The unparalleled dragon language enchantment tore apart the iron-hard, sandalwood-tough organs. The corpse, deprived of its source of life, took two steps and then froze, instantly dead.

The ethereal mercury, swaying like a ribbon, returned to the thin tube behind the mage, and Lin Bo casually pressed the stopper on it.

[Skill judgment successful, [Mantra Control - Flow] basic proficiency +2]

【…】

Mantra Control - Flow: Lv2 (3004.8/3000) Basic Mantra Control, by speaking the mantra, control the inner strength of all things

The winding waters of the Nine Bends are turbulent and ever-changing. —Proverbs

The players on the ground cheered.

Another Purgatory quest completed. To advance to the next job level, I only need to clear [Giant's Field] two or three more times, depending entirely on whether the dungeon affix multipliers I get are sufficient.

Lin Bo landed on the ground and reunited with his companions and allies. The city occupied by the necromancers was now a ruin. All evil had been killed or wounded. It was empty and desolate, with the sunlight shining down on the deserted streets and old graves.

Many players came to say goodbye to the leader of the Elf faction, as they were heading to their next destination.

Lin Bo was already used to people coming and going in the team, and he was also used to some teammates staying by his side all the time. After all, not every player in the game could find higher-level Echo Relics smoothly, and staying for a long time was a common phenomenon in the current version.

The players who said goodbye opened a time portal to leave the instance, while the rest went to the underground home of the spirits to attend the triumphant banquet.

Lin Bo found a quiet corner, opened the player panel, and stared at the flashing professional skills.

"upgrade."

Ding--

[A significant transformation in professional skills has been detected... Upgrade path being explored...]

Based on your career path, the skill [True Word Control - Flow] has two development branches. Please choose between the following two characteristics.

【1. Shadowless: Advanced Mantra Technique, chanting the true name, exerting all force to propel all things to their maximum flight speed】

[2. Torrent: An advanced incantation technique, invoking the true name to control the inner force of all things, causing them to split to the maximum extent.]

The upgrade of the True Word Control Technique surprised Lin Bo slightly. This was quite different from the upgrade of the True Word Illusion Technique to Lv3. Now, the advancement of the Flowing Control Technique had two characteristic branches for him to consider and choose from.

"The Shadowless attribute is about pursuing speed, while the Torrent attribute is about pursuing change."

"One is to bring the true essence of the Flowing Technique to its extreme, which is equivalent to a further elaboration of the Lv1 Flowing Technique."

"One is to integrate the essence of the Life Control Technique, focusing on the precise control of force, which is equivalent to an advanced version of the Lv2 Flow Control Technique."

Lin Bo pondered silently; both traits were extremely helpful in combat.

The Shadowless Blade's special ability eliminates the need for charging time, allowing his weapon to reach maximum speed immediately after being unleashed.

The Flow property, combined with the Life Control Technique to split objects, can imbue each component with force in different directions and forms, making it ever-changing and difficult to defend against. Even without splitting the weapon, simply imbuing a single object with multiple forces, layered upon each other like a raging torrent, can unleash tremendous power.

After a moment, he made a decision.

[Features selected, upgrade complete!]

Mantra Control - Flow: Lv3 (4.8/8000) (Knowledge Fragment 0/1) Advanced Mantra, unlocks the trait "Torrent", chants the true name, controls the inner power of all things, causing them to split to the maximum extent.

A single drop of power can create a vast ocean. — Proverbs

The power of the incantation seeped into the spinal cord, as if light signals were refracted along glass, rapidly reaching every nerve ending.

"Hoo—" Lin Bo stood still, unconsciously exhaling. His chest contracted, his muscles rubbed together, his bones moved, his blood flowed, and the subtle power flow within his body became clearly discernible.

Through synesthesia of touch and sight, he saw the intertwined energy within his body, like the roots of a tree.

Everything possesses an ever-changing internal force, not just when it gains speed. Even a stationary object has undercurrents surging beneath its surface.

By organizing and utilizing these latent forces, they can unleash tremendous kinetic energy.

Lin Bo clearly understood what it meant to have "a single drop of power, yet a vast ocean within a small space".

He took out an iron ball and rubbed it in his hand. Through the resonance of his words, he projected his perception into the steel and felt the hidden force within it. The force countered each other, causing the metal's microstructure to become tense and damaged.

Lin Bo manipulated these subtle internal forces, pushing and splitting them, causing hundreds of undercurrents to surge at high speed and fight against each other.

The iron ball twisted and deformed in his palm, as if many tiny mice were crawling inside. The metal vibrated and emitted a dull hum. Finally, unable to bear the weight, the iron ball shattered into a puddle of fine sand.

This is one application of the Flowing Technique.

The sorcerer took out another iron ball and gently placed it on the heavy rock, then activated his magic. The steel, which was pressed against the rock surface, suddenly trembled, as if an invisible hammer was hammering it, causing it to sink an inch and create a shallow pit in the rock surface, revealing fine cracks.

The iron ball vibrated continuously, its internal surging force swirling and accumulating like a vortex, then suddenly surged in one direction, unleashing a torrent of power, thus penetrating the rock inch by inch.

This is yet another application method.

Lin Bo formed the Ruyi Seal, integrating all his internal strength, gathering it layer by layer, accumulating it section by section, and then throwing it all at the edge of his fist towards the rock.

With a deafening roar, the ancient igneous rock, as tall as a person, shattered and collapsed under the fist encased in star steel.

Unlike the "lightness," "speed," "delicacy," and "sharpness" of previous Flow Control Techniques, after unlocking the Torrent characteristic, the power of this Control Technique is incredibly strong, truly as unstoppable as a mountain torrent or a vast ocean overturning.

A thought flashed through his mind: perhaps he could finally clash with the fist power of the dungeon boss, the Giant Undead.

If you can overpower the undead giant in terms of strength, then this dungeon will be relatively easy.

However, the various equipment that Lin Bo usually uses are all designed for lightness and agility, and the maximum force that can be carried is not powerful enough, so he probably can't fight against the giant.

As for manipulating hundreds of tons of metal or rock, while he could do it, it wasn't convenient enough to use them as weapons. The real solution would be to find time to forge some heavy alchemical products.

After briefly familiarizing himself with the effects of the new skills, Lin Bo continued to study them until he ran out of time in the dungeon.

After returning from the map exploration, it was already night.

The central control computer on the third floor of the lighthouse is always on, and the application program automatically runs the switching and rotation of the Fresnel lens. This lighthouse can operate continuously for decades even without anyone watching over it.

Lin Bo used deep resonance to communicate with intelligent life forms and seek prophecies from them. Although the accuracy rate was not high, there were a large number of intelligent life forms in the electronic world that Lin Bo created. If he asked several times, he would eventually get the correct prophecy. Moreover, these intelligent life forms would never refuse the Creator's visit.

This is why his proficiency with the "Machine Soul Destiny Calculation Manual" improved quite smoothly. After all, he had already overcome many of the difficulties ahead of time.

The only thing that can limit the progress of the "Mathematical Classic" is still the level of intelligence of the machine spirit. As the questions and predictions become more and more detailed, the difficulty of the calculation will inevitably increase dramatically, and the requirements for computer hardware and software will also increase.

When Lin Bo was communicating with many intelligent beings, a crow-shaped machine spirit issued him a warning prophecy.

After hearing this sudden prophecy, Lin Bo nodded slightly to indicate that he understood.

In the dimly lit room of an old apartment building on the outskirts of Jinbei City at night, field agents from the Hongdu Defense Intelligence Bureau gathered.

"Gentlemen, the situation is probably more critical than we imagined." The deputy director frowned, glancing around at his subordinates who were either sitting or standing in the room. "The Duke, the governor of White Stone Island, is turning Jinbei City into a block of steel. From the city guards to the gangsters, his words are more effective than imperial decrees."

“Sir, but we can’t find any evidence against him. We can’t conclude that he’s a traitor just because Cotchen Ancher likes to make friends,” the lean detective said.

"This just proves his intelligence. Kochen Ancher is a shrewd strategist who doesn't get bogged down in one corner. Instead, he lays out his plans in multiple directions. He's consolidating social resources in Kimberley City, so where is he cultivating the main force of the rebellion?" The deputy director pointed to Stone Tower Town in the corner of the map, signaling the agent in charge of investigating the area to report.

"Stone Tower Town, the place where the heretical incident first broke out, saw the governor forcefully obstruct the internal review process of the Five Gods Church. This heretical sect believed in a new order, considering the Father to be subordinate to the Elder.

The agents compiled the information they had gathered over the past week: "The high-ranking members of the cult are Priest Hugh Norway, Mayor Locken, newspaper editor Furman, local lord Viren Pearl, and a figure behind the scenes known as the Miracle Walker, whose identity is unknown. In addition, there is a lighthouse keeper and doctor who is suspected to be a high-ranking member, but he is an unnamed person."

A murmur rippled through the room.

The deputy director let out a slow laugh.

"Look at your ideas, Governor! You've placed the patron nobles and His Majesty's Holy Father behind the patron merchants. Don't forget what those merchants did during the Naval Wars. Are you trying to complete their unfinished business? Will the Sail Islands become a capitalist empire in the future?"

As secret police, the Defense Intelligence Agency's field agents have the authority to temporarily arrest, detain, and interrogate any suspicious persons within the Empire.

The deputy director gave the order to arrest high-ranking members of the heretical sect.

At this moment, an agent in charge of investigating Shita Town suddenly presented new intelligence.

“That heretical church seems to be something special. There have been frequent supernatural sightings in the area. Wouldn’t it be risky to just barge in like this?” He tactfully advised everyone to postpone their actions.

"Have you been in contact with heretics?" The deputy director stared at his subordinate.

"I...I was doing this for an investigation. Sir, I assure you I didn't say anything I shouldn't have. We are still 100% safe."

Tell me, what did you see?

The detective rambled on about the iron walls that protected the town from hurricanes and floods, the agile elderly people in the town, the girl with metal eyeballs, the deaf-mute who could speak, the shimmering light blue banner, the strange printing press hidden in the newspaper office, and so on.

“Hmm. Supernatural phenomenon…” The deputy director’s heart skipped a beat. After thinking for a long time, he cancelled the previous arrest warrant.

“I will write immediately and have an expert come over. We will soon have a conclusion as to whether it is a real supernatural force or a religious performance. You continue to lie low and gather intelligence. The focus of our work from now on is on that town.”

The agents accepted their orders and left the apartment one after another. On the streetlights along the road, a few seagulls silently perched, their three eyes gleaming like the city lights in the night.

(End of this chapter)