Comprehensive network wizard, magic emperor.

Chapter 284 New Echoes

"Upgrade." Lin Bo looked at the integrated network panel and silently murmured to himself.

Ding--

Mantra Transfiguration: Lv2 (12.4/3000) Basic Mantra. Recite the true name to transform yourself into a large-sized creature.
Transform the mind and open the heart; stabilize the spirit and change form. — Proverbs

Lin Bo closed his eyes and concentrated, immersing his thoughts in the spiritual field. He looked up at the sky above the runes of his true name, Copper Moon, which hung high, radiating a gentle magical power.

He had already discovered the true names of many creatures: parrots, baboons, galloping horses, brown bears, whales, and humans. These true names shone especially brightly at this moment, manifesting the infancy of all living beings: fledglings, little monkeys, foals, bear cubs, whale babies, and infants.

These beings continued to grow in his mind, transcending their respective life cycles.

Animals such as birds, monkeys, horses, brown bears, humans, and dolphins manifest their entire lives, from infancy to maturity and old age.

Giant creatures, such as orcas, remain only as calves.

And even the calves of colossal creatures like blue whales are indistinct.

The definition of body size for the Mantra of Transfiguration depends on the various stages of the target species' life. If the species' maximum body size does not exceed the scope of the skill's effect, then each stage of its life cycle can be selected by Lin Bo as the target for transformation.

If the target's maximum size exceeds the skill's range, then a target can be selected from the early, immature stage of its life.

At the Lv1 stage of the Mantra Transformation Technique, when Lin Bo transforms into a human, his maximum size can only be a teenager or a thin old man. But now, he has no such restrictions and can choose any developmental stage.

This skill is derived from the illusion of true words. The most important principle is to keep one's true name and not forget one's original self, otherwise one will be trapped in the illusion forever.

When casting Mantra Illusion, Lin Bo can disguise inanimate objects as living things, and can also transform living beings into wood and stone, making it far more flexible than Mantra Transformation.

However, he would never rashly attempt to transform himself into a non-living object, as this would only cause him to lose consciousness and be unable to turn back. If no other True Name Mage came to break the illusion, he would be as good as dead.

After a moment, the restless magical power gradually subsided. In the sky above the mind, the runic constellations of the true names of the creatures still remained as illusions, and all the spirits and beings quietly evolved their respective developmental cycles, with the old and new changing endlessly like flowing water.

Lin Bo opened his eyes. It was evening, and it was time for his daily map-running and work. He spent some time and energy as usual, staying until the dungeon countdown sounded to complete his study plan.

After completing the great feat of enchanting and ascending, Lin Bo devoted more of his time and energy to studying classical texts related to natural philosophy. He has recently been pondering computer-related topics.

It's not just about enchanting and modifying spirits to create magical computers; it's also about upgrading brain-computer interface technology, which has been stagnant for a long time.

Having the experience of sculpting 30 trillion chromosomes, Lin Bo no longer felt at a loss when he revisited his original plan to transform mycelia into biological computers.

The two projects, the mycelial biocomputer and the spiritual and magical energy computer, have complementary and commonalities, and Lin Bo plans to advance them simultaneously.

That night, a ship sailed across the strait, returning to White Stone Island from the most remote island of the Kening Empire, circling the north side of the island and heading towards Jinbei City.

On the deck, the lighthouse apprentices gathered under the gaze of the stars and the moon. Before them were several teenagers, the youngest no more than five or six years old and the oldest no more than twenty. They were all recipients of the gift of magical affinity.

During a journey around the Sail Islands, the disciples found these hidden gems in the vast world. They were all ignorant and had not received systematic spellcasting education. Some of them did not even know what kind of talent they possessed.

Last winter, the light of the Dao Fire that swept across the universe suddenly awakened the talents of the dormant recipients. Their physical and mental development was far faster than that of their peers, and they showed signs of premature aging. They also developed an instinctive craving for whale oil and mushroom oil. All these changes made them feel anxious all day long.

So they prayed at the church, consulted doctors, and sought help from the miracle saints who had come from afar.

The grocer was most concerned about the children's situation, and it was he who suggested to his companions that they take the bewildered recipients back to Stone Tower Town.

The shepherd remained silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, while the barber said that the high priest would not teach children. "But their situation is not good. Think about it, if we hadn't been led by a guide when we were young, how could we have lived to see the high priest? Their lives are like a fiercely burning wick; without external oil to replenish it, it will soon be exhausted."

After hearing what the grocer said, the barber fell silent.

The mechanic's expression remained calm. "Galini has been guiding that child in town. She's probably willing to take on a few more apprentices. But in any case, we need the Archmage's approval before we can bring these undetermined recipients back to Stone Tower."

The shepherd finally spoke: "Those who have come to the lighthouse on their own initiative are all mature individuals. The Archmage will not allow the wicked and treacherous to remain by his side to listen to the secrets of arcane magic. These children may be good in the future, or they may be evil. When that time comes, will you be able to make up your mind to expel some of them?"

The grocer pursed his lips for a long time, then said in a low voice, "Although the children I adopted have different personalities, they are all kind-hearted. I think this is the effect of education. By guiding these children onto the right path, perhaps one day they will be the ones to impart wisdom to us. This is the meaning of education."

“The Great Master never imposes his ideas on his disciples, while we voluntarily abide by the precepts, which serve as the standard. If younger disciples stray from the path, we will guide them to correct their ways in time; if that is not possible, then we will have no choice but to…”

The grocer gritted his teeth and pointed to his temple.

His companion was stunned: "Execution? Is it that serious?"

"No, no!" The grocer was taken aback and hurriedly waved his hand. "It's about erasing some of their memories. We absolutely cannot let them retain their arcane knowledge and go out to do evil."

"Alright then. But you need to figure out how to settle them; leaving them on the cape won't work." The shepherd had no further objections.

“Let them live in town, with my children. The dorms are quite spacious.”

They pleaded with the three-eyed seagull, calling upon the figure of the Grand Master, and then asked him if they could bring back the young recipients they had encountered on their journey to Stone Tower Town.

As expected, the Grand Master did not interfere with their actions, but simply let them decide for themselves.

So now, with several hours' sailing still to Jinbei City, the four formal apprentices gathered these novice disciples on the deck.

"There is only one place in the world that can save our short lives. You are about to meet the greatest sorcerer of all time, the one you call God. Yes, do not be afraid, you are about to meet the miracle worker." The barber said solemnly.

After he finished speaking, the teenagers in front of him trembled uncontrollably, like reeds swaying in the wind.

Until dawn, the children returned to their cabins, and none of them could fall asleep.

The sun rose, and the ship had docked.

The expedition landed at the port of Jinbei and then headed towards Shita Town.

The cauldron of medicine that fed the empire's twenty million people also returned to the lighthouse before noon.

Its radiance was bright, and the surrounding air resounded with a hazy, distant, and long cry, as if the lingering echo of a hymn reverberated through the valley.

As the crucible passed through the town's streets, the crowds in its path all knelt down and refused to rise.

Now it has returned to its creator.

Lin Bo gently stroked the pot and took out the solid panacea from the bottom. The reverberation of the crucible was suddenly damaged, but fortunately it did not decrease in rank.

[Historical reverberations detected, sacrifice relics to retrieve the space-time slice collection.]

"Confirm the sacrifice."

(End of this chapter)