The Wizard of Truth: Starting with Analyzing All Things

A brief silence filled the cold reporting room of the Discipline Tower. Rowe could feel the unwavering gaze of the prospective wizard deacon pressing down on him like a tangible weight. To accept or to refuse? It seemed like a choice, but in reality, every step might be part of the Discipline Tower's calculations.

Refusing, while safe, would definitively confirm suspicions of cowardice or a guilty conscience, making future life under the watchful eyes of the Discipline Tower even more difficult. Accepting, though risky, is the only chance to break the current impasse, access external information, and even verify the resonance of the stone tablet. The Discipline Tower may be using this opportunity to observe his reaction in a "relatively free" environment, assessing his value and threat.

In a flash, Luo Wei made his decision. Hesitation and timidity would only lead to his death in prison. Only by seeking survival in danger could he have a glimmer of hope.

He raised his head, his face displaying a mixture of caution and eagerness, and replied respectfully, "Thank you to the Discipline Tower for giving me this opportunity to redeem myself. I am willing to accept this task and will certainly be careful and cautious in completing it, and will not act without authorization."

A fleeting, almost imperceptible glint flashed in the deacon's eyes, a look that seemed to be either satisfaction or something else. He nodded. "Very good. The mission details have been entered into your identity token. Tomorrow morning, gather at the east gate of the academy. Someone will escort you to the outskirts of the mission area. Remember, your activity is limited to the designated mission area, and the mission lasts for three days. All actions must be based on the instructions of the remote monitor." He emphasized the words "remote monitor."

"Student understands." Luo Wei bowed, his heart filled with trepidation. Special escort, limited area, three-day time limit, and clear monitors... the Discipline Tower's control was indeed airtight.

Upon leaving the Discipline Tower, Lowe immediately used the "Silent Heart" to transmit a brief message to Barton and the others at a specific frequency: "Mission, Southeast, Three Days, Surveillance." He couldn't elaborate, but it was enough for his companions to know his whereabouts.

Upon returning to his lodgings, he immediately began preparations. Under the watchful eyes of the Discipline Tower, he couldn't carry anything that might arouse suspicion. The improved "Silent Heart" beacon had to be left behind, and the gray stone tablet was absolutely essential to his possession. He carefully examined the several commonly used potions (healing, antidote, and energy restoration) given to him by Master Field, and also took the relatively "ordinary" bright light dust and paralyzing powder that Lilith had previously given him. Finally, he devoted most of his energy to repeatedly refining the incomplete "information camouflage layer" model. This was perhaps the only method he could secretly employ under surveillance.

Current status: Rowe (Late-stage Intermediate Apprentice)

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Strength assessment: Stable realm, high precision in energy manipulation, basic (proficient) information weaving technique, and mastery of the incomplete "information disguise layer" theoretical model (not yet put into practice).

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Mission objective: Clear the Void Worm nest at the Ancient Observatory and retrieve the Ancient Star Map fragments (replicas).

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Potential risks: The Discipline Tower is under close surveillance, unknown ruins pose dangers, and there may be traps or tests.

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Opportunity: Temporarily escape the academy's core monitoring area and come into contact with ancient relics that may be related to the secrets of the stone tablet.

The following morning, at the east gate of the academy, a closed carriage, pulled by two docile scaled beasts and bearing no markings, was already waiting. The driver was a middle-aged man with an expressionless face and restrained aura (peak advanced apprentice level), clearly a member of the Discipline Tower. Luo Wei silently boarded the carriage. He was alone inside; the furnishings were simple, with no windows, only a faintly glowing magic array, clearly used to isolate him from internal and external detection and location.

The vehicle traveled smoothly for most of the day, and when the carriage door opened again, a desolate and strange scene came into view.

This is a vast, crater-like depression, with rolling, colorful, broken mountains in the distance. The air is thick with the faint smell of ozone and dust. In the center of the depression stand several half-collapsed towers and arched structures built of some kind of dark silver metal, their style ancient and bizarre, completely different from the architecture of the Dark Moon Academy. This is the ruins of the "Starfall Observatory." Even more peculiar is that although the spatial structure here is relatively stable, Luo Wei's Void Affinity allows him to faintly sense extremely subtle, transparent jellyfish-like vortices of Void Energy drifting in the air—traces of Void Worm activity.

"Your mission area is the ground floor of the main observation tower and a 500-meter radius around it. This is a communication runestone; the monitors will use it to contact you. Meet here three days from now." The driver finished speaking succinctly, handed Luo Wei a gray runestone, and drove away without stopping, leaving him alone in front of this desolate ruin.

Luo Wei gripped the runestone tightly, sensing a cold, lawful monitoring mark within it. He took a deep breath, concentrated his mental energy, and began to cautiously explore it.

The observatory ruins were in a state of disrepair, with collapsed metal components and thick dust everywhere. Following the mission prompts, he quickly discovered the nest of void worms in a huge, cracked circular hall at the bottom of the main observation tower. Dozens of translucent void worms, resembling enlarged slugs, their bodies constantly flickering between the solid and void spaces, had gathered there. They survived by devouring the void energy floating in the air and trace elements in the metal. Sensing Luo Wei's presence, they immediately hissed and wriggled around him.

These worms are individually only as strong as low-level apprentices, but they are numerous and their attacks have a slight spatial corrosiveness that can erode energy shields.

In the past, dealing with this might have been a bit troublesome for Luo Wei. But now, his perception of spatial fluctuations is extremely keen. Under his precise control, the optimized [Miniature Blazing Flame Technique] transforms into condensed fire arrows, always predictably striking the energy core exposed by the worm during its transition between reality and illusion. At the same time, his footwork is agile, always managing to dodge the worm's transparent acid spray and spatial distortion tentacles at the last second.

The battle was thrilling but ultimately harmless. Lowe deliberately controlled the pace, showcasing his steadily improving strength after being "monitored" without displaying any extraordinary abilities. He even caused the shield to fluctuate violently when a small amount of acid splashed onto it, making him appear somewhat "disheveled." He needed to present a "hardworking, promising, yet still under control" apprentice to the monitors.

After clearing out the worms, Rowe began searching for the mission objective—an ancient star map fragment (replica). According to the clues, it should be hidden in a metal cabinet half-hidden under ruins in the corner of the hall.

Just as he approached the metal cabinet, the gray stone slab in his arms suddenly emitted a clear and warm resonance! This resonance was different from the cold vigilance he felt when sensing anomalies in the information stone or the Discipline Tower; it carried a sense of... intimacy and guidance!

The source of the resonance was that metal cabinet! Moreover, it wasn't just the star chart fragments inside the cabinet; the entire abandoned observatory, especially the huge, shattered main mirror base in the center of the hall, seemed to resonate with the stone slab in some subtle, timeless way!

Luo Wei suppressed his excitement and calmly opened the metal cabinet. Inside, there was indeed a palm-sized thin plate made of some kind of white jade. On it, an unfamiliar starry sky pattern was carved with extremely fine lines, and there were faint energy lines connecting the stars—it was the ancient star map fragment (replica).

He picked up the star map fragment, its surface warm to the touch. Simultaneously, he diverted a sliver of his attention to fully activate the Information Weaving Technique, attempting to guide the incomplete "Information Disguise Layer" model to form an extremely weak barrier around himself, distorting his own energy responses and mental fluctuations. He had to take the risk! He had to explore as many secrets as possible within the "eyes" of the monitors!

In his special perception, the fragment of the star map in his hand seemed to come alive! The lines of stars glowed faintly, resonating with the remaining runes on the shattered observation mirror base in the center of the hall! A fragmented illusion of information spanning countless years flooded into his mind:

...A massive observation mirror, aimed at the starry sky, guides the immense stellar energy, channeling it into a core array buried deep beneath the base... The array's function is not attack or defense, but rather... reception and filtering... capturing starlight containing special information from the endless sea of ​​stars... and storing this information... in a specially crafted crystal resembling a black information stone... This observation station is actually a small-scale information receiving terminal, a "source library"!

The illusion abruptly ended. But the resonance of the stone slab grew stronger, even conveying a vague guiding message, pointing to a buried area beneath the hall's foundation where the energy response was extremely weak—there, it seemed, lay an undiscovered, broken storage crystal!

Just as Luo Wei was filled with excitement and hesitating whether to risk digging—

"Quest items confirmed. Rest here for half an hour, then return to the rendezvous point." The monitor's cold, emotionless voice came through the communication rune.

The surveillance from the Discipline Tower, like a sword hanging over his head, instantly extinguished his impulse.

Luo Wei took a deep breath, suppressing his turbulent emotions. He couldn't take the risk. The Discipline Tower had brought him here for more than just cleaning up the insect hive. This star map fragment, the secret of this observatory, might very well be a trap, a test.

He sat down as instructed, seemingly to recover his strength, but in reality, he was frantically memorizing all the information he had just sensed, especially the possible location of the storage crystal and the energy operation mode of the observation station. At the same time, he maintained his "information camouflage layer" to shield himself from the mental fluctuations caused by discovering the secret as much as possible.

Half an hour later, he got up on time, holding a fragment of the star map, and walked calmly toward the rendezvous point.

The return journey was silent. Luo Wei closed his eyes, but his mind was as clear as a mirror.

The mission appeared to be completed smoothly, but beneath the surface, turbulent undercurrents ran deep. He confirmed the connection between the ancient observatory and the "Library of Source Matter" (or rather, the stone tablet), obtaining crucial information. However, the intentions of the Discipline Tower remained a mystery. Were they truly unaware of the deeper secrets of this place? Or were they deliberately testing his reaction to such relics? Did the remote monitor notice his momentary unease?

Back at the academy, he handed in the mission items and completed the report; everything seemed to have returned to its previous state of supervision. But Luo Wei knew that some things were different. On the map in his mind, a new coordinate had been lit up—a coordinate that might be closely related to the origin of the stone tablet and the "Source Library."

The cage of the Discipline Tower remains sturdy, but the bird within has already caught a whiff of the world outside. He needs more patience, a more sophisticated disguise, and… a suitable opportunity.

The broken storage crystal buried beneath the ruins of the observatory is like a silent treasure, awaiting the day it sees the light of day again. Perhaps, that will be the key to changing the entire situation.

In the darkness, Luo Wei stroked the stone slab in his arms, feeling a lingering warmth. The road ahead was still dark, but the star map had already illuminated his heart.