god of tomorrow

"No, it's not him..."

Gawain muttered to himself, "Vanwich is a powerful magician. If the murderer is a student, the possibility of him committing the crime under his nose is very low. On the contrary, if Vanwich commits the crime himself, the students will not even notice."

At first glance, it seems to have many advantages, but in reality, it has huge flaws and cannot withstand any scrutiny. VanVleet couldn't possibly be unaware of such a simple and easy-to-understand principle; there are many ways to distance himself from the situation, and he shouldn't have acted so unwisely.

unless……

Of all the archaeologists, only Van Vich was able to return alive.

Thinking of this, Gao Wen's eyelids twitched, hoping that he was just overthinking things.

"What do you mean by 'yes' or 'no'? If you already know the truth, don't pretend."

The wizard had sharp ears and eyes, and Holden heard Gawain's whispers clearly. Once again, he reconnected with his buddy and whispered, "Junior, please put in a good word for me with Professor Vanwich, so I can get more credits. Come to me with any academic problems you have in the future, let's help each other and improve together."

You really want to improve!

And you want me to put in a good word for you?

fart!

They clearly came to probe my past and used me as a pawn!

Gawain was too familiar with office politics, and Holden's empty promises were mediocre and didn't whet his appetite, but this time he didn't refuse. The company's future was uncertain, and he was worried. It was time to let his colleague explore the way.

It's just empty promises. Someone, feed Young Master Huo some cake.

"It's not that I can't help you; only by helping each other can we go far, but..."

"How to say?"

"You'll have to pay more."

Chapter 2 Dual Path Sacrifice

"Money or not..."

At the mention of money, Holden immediately frowned and said some things about how talking about money would hurt their brotherly relationship. He suggested that Gawain change his request, such as offering to sell his labor and do all the work that Gawain was supposed to do, leaving Gawain with no work to do.

"Then there's no need. My strength is not insignificant, and everyone else is busy while I'm idle. If word gets out, it won't be good for Professor Vanvich."

When you're out in the world, you give yourself your own identity.

Gawain gave an ambiguous answer, saying that the sentence could be interpreted in any way, leaving Holden to guess.

Holden thought it made sense; people of status care about their reputation, and Professor VanVision had to create the illusion of fair competition for the same number of credits.

Before Holden could even consider what use he might be, Gawain said bluntly, "Well then, the senior said he could offer some academic assistance, so I'll have to test you. Let me be clear: if your grades are just average, these credits will only benefit someone else, like that senior Juno. A beautiful senior like her tutoring you is more cost-effective, isn't it?"

With his arguments presented logically and clearly, Holden was unable to refute them, completely losing the initiative, and obediently sat down to wait for Gawain to ask his questions.

"Senior, tell me about magic first, um... just the most basic stuff, let me see your background."

"What's there to say about basic theory? Everyone knows it... Oh, you're still a freshman, so you're definitely lacking in theoretical knowledge."

Without Gawain needing to explain, Holden had already prepared his own reason. He cleared his throat and began by recounting the history of magic on the continent of Universal: "This begins in the first year of Universality, and it's currently 2016..."

In the first year of Universal Age, the Temple of the Gods descended, and the gods bestowed magic, officially ushering in a glorious and splendid magical civilization.

Universal churches and universal empires were established one after another.

Two tigers cannot share one mountain. Power has no left or right side. The conflict between the empire and the church has become increasingly acute until it is irreconcilable and a life-or-death struggle must be decided.

On a dark and stormy night, the Empire and the Church both made a big move, resulting in a fierce battle that ended in mutual destruction. This sparked a global upheaval, with numerous kingdoms and churches of all sizes taking to the table, where the game has continued ever since.

Holden veered off-topic, but Gawain didn't interrupt. Understanding history is about facing the world squarely, and this knowledge is crucial.

Holden realized he had gone off-topic, and after a couple of brief, somewhat rambling remarks, he abruptly steered the conversation back on track: "On the continent of Universal..."

In the universal continent, magic is the highest form of knowledge. Knowledge has a price, and magic is not as freely available as air; magic is a product of 'trade'.

To master extraordinary power, one must undergo a specific ritual and offer a price to a certain being in exchange for the right to perceive and use magic.

In short, there is no such thing as a free lunch.

The magic system of the universal continent has a collective name—Dual Path Sacrifice.

Magicians have two ways of acquiring magic.

Orderly offering of sacrifices.

Chaos sacrifice.

Through the ritual of offering sacrifices of order, one can obtain the magic of order, a gift from the gods.

A magician only needs to swear an oath to a specific deity in a temple, becoming its follower or servant, and offering sacrifices for the corresponding magic. The deity will then bestow a wisp of divine power to guide the magic circuits within the magician's body to take shape, thus granting them mastery of the corresponding magic.

It's simple and easy to do; just follow the steps. As long as the ritual steps are correct, the success rate is 100%, and it's safe, painless, and has no side effects.

If the magic of order is a gift from the gods, then the magic of chaos is an extreme form of gamble, also known as a life-or-death game.

Chaos represents madness and is the opposite of order. No one knows what is hidden in chaos; all that is known is that it is an ocean unmanaged by the gods, full of disorder, the unknown, and... infinite possibilities.

Chaos does not respond to prayers, but only to sacrifices. Magicians must offer precious things as offerings and then wait for Chaos's 'return'.

The more precious the offerings, the greater the probability of disrupting the chaos.

However, performing a chaotic sacrifice ritual is like opening a blind box; it rarely ends well.

At best, the offerings are swallowed up by chaos, He burps or farts, and the magician gains nothing, suffering a complete loss.

Chaos takes the offering and randomly bestows a bizarre spell upon the mage. The mage wants to learn a forbidden spell to destroy the world, but ends up learning a spell that allows taste buds to grow at the end of his large intestine, becoming a laughingstock and a weirdo in the eyes of his colleagues.

Both of them were unlucky, but at least they survived.

The worst-case scenario involves immediate mental confusion, physical mutation, and death. In severe cases, it can even cause a catastrophic spread, creating a chaotic contaminated zone that harms unrelated passersby.

Of course, for every unlucky one, there's a lucky one.

If Chaos Sacrifice were truly just a bizarre phenomenon, the magical system wouldn't be called Dual Path Sacrifice, having been lost two thousand years ago.

Rumor has it that magic in chaos is knowledge that even the gods have not mastered. Once a magician learns powerful magic through a chaos sacrifice ritual, he will become the only true master in that realm, and from then on, his path in magic will be clear.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he achieved instant success.

The allure is immense, which is why there are no shortage of people willing to take the risk.

"Dual Path Sacrifice..."

Gawain murmured about the new knowledge he had acquired, his database was refreshed, and his understanding of the world had been further enhanced.

Beside him, Holden was still cultivating his academic genius persona, stating that both Order and Chaos magic did not require a staff for casting and were instantaneous.

The power of magic depends on the magician himself. If everyone is taught by the same teacher and starts from the same point, the influencing factors are magic power reserves, spellcasting experience, magical proficiency, and so on.

These profound subjects were not taught in school, nor were they something Holden could access. He only briefly touched on them before talking about a few spells that could be mastered without sacrifice.

For example, Cleanse, Illuminate, and Gentle Breeze are simple and practical support spells with little offensive power.

It's called magic, but it's actually just basic magical manipulation. It's one of the criteria for magic apprentices, as they haven't yet stepped into the halls of magic.

"These spells can be learned without any rituals. I'll teach you when we get back to school. With your looks, you'll definitely master them easily..."

Just then, Vanwich, sitting sideways on his horse, frowned slightly, his displeased gaze fixed on the last carriage, stopping at Holden's face.

In just a moment, Holden was like a drowning fish, unable to breathe.

Van Welch did not make things difficult for the talkative student. After giving him a slight warning, he quickly looked away.

Holden felt like he'd been granted a pardon; his pale face was covered in sweat, and he took several deep breaths to recover. Looking at Gawain, who seemed completely unharmed, he was even more certain that the latter had gotten in through connections and was related to VanVleet.

Since they are related, why did the professor glare at him so fiercely? Did he misunderstand something?

Holden couldn't understand it, and under the pressure of that glance, he stopped talking, much to Gawain's regret.

We were getting really into the conversation, and then this lull in the flow is really frustrating.

Say a couple more lines, I feel like ants are crawling on me.

……

After about three days, the convoy arrived at a secluded canyon, and the wheels finally came to a stop after rolling over the last stretch of rugged mountain road.

Ahead, jagged rocks, like the fangs of a giant beast, stood interlocking, completely blocking the road.

Holden was intimidated by Professor Vanvich's gaze and obediently stopped chatting with Gawain. However, Gawain pestered him, trying to get information out of the chatterbox while also building relationships with his colleagues, hoping they would come in handy at a crucial moment.

Stand tall, for you carry the company's future on your shoulders!

Professor Vanvich checked the map and ordered the students to move the archaeological equipment to the center of the canyon and set up camp before nightfall.

The female trainees received preferential treatment, only needing to set up tents, while the male trainees suffered, being put to work on new oxen and horses, carrying heavy archaeological equipment, supplies, and tent frames, traversing back and forth on rugged mountain roads.

That night.

Darkness descended, and dark clouds obscured the star chain above the canyon.

The trainees completed their tasks on time. The tents in the middle of the canyon were arranged in a circle, with a campfire in the center for lighting and heating. Sparks crackled and popped, like scattered stars, dispelling the darkness within a ten-meter radius.

A group of people sat around the campfire eating dinner, chatting and laughing, completely ignoring the mournful cries of an unknown creature in the darkness.

The terrifying upright ape and the magician—it's not them we should be afraid of.

Gawain sat on the edge of the crowd, holding half a biscuit in his hand, looking at the towering rock walls on both sides of the canyon, and then at the depths of the canyon swallowed by the thick night. The eerie screams in his ears made him feel that this place was a place that would be lost by any military strategist, a place of great misfortune. Only the pistol in his arms brought him a little warmth.

On the other side, Van Vich had no intention of resting tonight. He lifted the tent flap, called over a few male trainees, and had them carry boxes containing measuring instruments straight into the depths of the canyon.

Holden was among them.

Not long after, Vanvich returned to the camp alone, saying that there had been a major discovery and that they were short-handed, so all the trainees had to set off together.

In the firelight, his gloomy face appeared slightly distorted, his eyes filled with a suppressed, cold excitement.

No one suspected anything amiss. The professor might be ugly, but his character was decent. They took out their lighting equipment and followed him in twos and threes.

No, you just went in like that?

Who raids tombs at night? Don't they know that the yang energy is stronger during the day?

Or is this the bond between the professor and the students, and Gao is a villain?

Gao Wen mingled in the crowd, exclaiming that he couldn't understand anything, and his heart grew increasingly uneasy. He shone a beam of light from his flashlight and in a few breaths, he landed at the end of the line, protecting the senior students in front of him.

As a freshman, I respect my teachers and this standing position is perfectly acceptable.

Speaking of which, where did VanVleet go?