Wizards begin with Occlumency.

Chapter 424 The Riddle

Some people and events, once they're over, are over.

Some people and events, however, will remain deeply etched in your memory for a lifetime, and you will think back on them from time to time.

That's what happened between Link and Iris Clark.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, memories of those events and those times always pop into Link's mind.

Therefore, in response to Iris's question, Link nodded slightly: "I remember, of course I remember."

"It's a pity you didn't understand my hint back then."

Iris sighed, then changed her tune, saying, "It's not your fault. I had a split personality back then, and I acted erratically. Many times I didn't even know what I was doing."

"A hint? What hint?"

Link was very puzzled and asked directly.

"As expected, you didn't understand it either!"

Upon hearing this, Iris sighed deeply again. "Do you remember how I reacted the first time you gave me 'Brown Sugar Deer Ball Milk Tea'?"

The eight characters "Brown Sugar Deer Ball Milk Tea" are pronounced in standard Mandarin Chinese.

Link didn't rush to answer, but instead began to carefully search his memory.

Although the "pay-to-win gacha system" cheat code is long gone, "Occupy Central" has become Link's instinct.

Even without the learning card's bonus, Link can still use Occlumency, access the mental palace built on the memory palace theory, and recall the past in great detail.

Add a touch of wizardry.

The scene of giving Iris the brown sugar deer roe milk tea for the first time, including but not limited to the environment, furniture, tea set, aroma of the brown sugar deer roe milk tea, and Iris's emotional reaction, is presented in the form of a light screen.

It's as if Link's eyes are a projector, his brain is a film reel, and his memories are the film content, all playing out a movie.

Iris took a small sip, a complex expression flashing in her eyes.

It was bittersweet, wistful, and painful.

Fragments of images flashed before my eyes.

There was laughter and joy, some people sat alone by the window, and others strolled down the street with a cup in their hand.

He shook his head, dismissing the fragmented, disjointed images.

Iris lowered her head, sipping the milk tea, which tasted familiar yet strange, and chewing on the bittersweet, slightly burnt deer balls.

Seemingly affected by the steam from the milk tea, Iris's eyes became misty and watery.

"It tastes good."

Sniffing, Iris let out a soft sigh of admiration.

It's been a long time since I've had this.

The other Iris, residing in her heart, sighed aloud.

All of Iris's expressions and movements at that time, those that could reflect her emotions and will, were magnified and slowed down.

In addition, Link's reaction was then slowed down and magnified, revealing every detail.

Looking at the content displayed on the screen, Iris recalled the scene and emotions at that time more clearly.

What were you thinking at the time?

To quickly break free from the effects of the memory boomerang, Iris asked softly.

"I was thinking, 'He really is half a fellow townsman.'"

Link replied truthfully.

"A fellow townsman? Why would you think that?"

Iris was a little curious.

"intuition."

After frowning and pondering for a moment, Link said, "It's just a gut feeling. Even if you and I are both 'strangers,' our true spirits can't possibly come from the same homeland."

Why?

Iris asked again.

Link thought for a moment and gave an example: "In my past life, there were obvious differences between people who shared the same language and culture but received different ideological educations from childhood. It's like the saying, 'Oranges grown south of the Huai River are sweet, but those grown north of the Huai River are bitter.' There is also this kind of difference between you and me."

"Yeah?"

Iris declined to comment on Link's statement, instead saying to herself, "I was emotionally charged at the time, and remnants of my past life's personality surfaced, disrupting my thinking. I thought I had given enough hints."

"What hint?"

With a slight frown, Link asked in confusion.

He genuinely didn't understand what Iris meant by "hint".

Even the exact nature of this "hint" is unclear.

"Never mind if I don't know, it's not important."

Iris waved her hand, sighed, and a hint of melancholy crept into her tranquil and elegant demeanor.

Seeing Iris's condition, Link frowned even more deeply.

Today, Iris seems strange, neither like the crazy Iris of the past nor like the Iris who later severed her personality split.

She's more like the one whose last name is Iris.

But didn't Iris Clark already purify all the remnants of her past and previous incarnations?

Link was there too.

The White Lotus Mother, whose Dharma body is immense, encompassing countless worlds of life and binding countless sentient beings, left a very deep impression on Link.

To this day, they dare not die.

and many more!

White Lotus Holy Mother?

Could Iris Clark's previous incarnation, who was named Iris, have been the White Lotus Mother or the White Lotus Mother incarnate from some universe?

Link couldn't help but have such doubts.

"What are you thinking about?"

At this moment, Iris Clark asked in a soft, gentle voice.

"I'm wondering, are you Iris Clark now, or 'Iris,' or are you just the White Lotus Saint Mother?"

Link did not hide anything and truthfully expressed his doubts and speculations.

When talking about "Iris" and the White Lotus Mother, Link also spoke fluent and standard Mandarin.

Iris Clark smiled and winked playfully with her left eye: "Guess."

"I won't guess."

Link shook his head. "I never try to guess what women are thinking."

"Boring."

Iris Clark curled her lip, a hint of sarcasm in her voice, and said, "Was your time with Jasmine this boring too? What exactly did Jasmine like about you? Not only was she willing to bear you a daughter, but she also endured the pain of separation and loneliness to look after you!"

"I asked you to meet today to talk about things between us, it has nothing to do with Jasmine, so don't drag her into this."

Link's expression and tone were calm, yet he drew an undeniable line.

Iris Clark could sense the unwavering resolve in Link's demeanor, and thus refrained from making any inappropriate jokes.

But girls always have their little quirks, and quite a few at that.

Iris Clark immediately frowned and said coldly, "Link Grand, you're very good, you really are a good husband! Jasmine made the right choice marrying you!"

"Thanks."

Link thanked her without batting an eye, then steered the conversation back on track, saying, "Enough with the small talk and angry words, let's get down to business."

"hehe……"

With a few cold laughs, Iris Clark's demeanor instantly changed; she was no longer serene and composed, and a hint of melancholy crept into her demeanor.

After going to a parallel universe, the ruthless and decisive Iris Clark has returned.

The aura of a sixth-level sage is fully unleashed.

The lake, which was originally slightly rippling, became as still as stagnant water under the pressure of this aura, without any waves.

Faced with the aura impact from the sixth-level sage Iris Clark, Link remained unmoved and made no move, silently dissipating the attack.

In this brief and simple clash of auras, Link discovered some of Iris Clark's secrets, and Iris Clark also discovered some of Link's secrets.

Or rather, Link revealed some of his own insights, and Iris Clark also revealed some of her own insights.

After exchanging their secrets, the two concluded their roundabout and somewhat tedious "small talk."

"Let's go somewhere else. I don't want to talk about those petty, despicable things here."

Before getting down to business, Iris Clark made a request.

"it is good."

Link agreed without hesitation.

Memories may have faded, but the beauty of the past should not be mixed with anything else.

That would not only taint the beauty of the past, but could also corrupt it, or even turn it into something disgusting!

The two teleported away from the lakeside lawn of Rivoss Academy and arrived at a villa that Iris Clark had acquired at some point.

This villa is located deep in the mountains, and the scenery is truly beautiful, but it lacks a certain magic.

Therefore, not many wizards, especially mid- to high-ranking wizards, own villas or settle here.

Living here, or occasionally coming here for a break, can bring a sense of peace and quiet.

Sitting down in the living room, Iris instructed the smart butler to bring two cups of brown sugar deer antler milk tea and asked directly, "So, what's the important matter that you asked me to meet you here for?"

Link glanced at it; it was quite different from his version, closer to the original brown sugar deer antler milk tea, and had no intention of picking it up to drink.

Upon hearing Iris's question, Link calmly replied, "I've discovered something that concerns you, and I'm here to tell you, and also to hear your thoughts on it."

"Um."

Iris nodded slightly, waiting for Link to continue.

Link continued, "The Elemental Saint took a bit of my life force from me, and Celestial Master Xu Jing took me to the River of Time to activate my life force. Both of them wanted to use this to find a light, or rather, to determine the state of that light. Forty-five days ago, based on the word 'ruins' whispered from my life force in the River of Time, and my intuition, I found the original coordinates of the special ruins world. There, I activated my life force and heard a new whisper, 'Iris.'"

When Link finally used the word "Iris," he used his native language from his previous life, Mandarin Chinese.

This is also the original whisper of the Light of Life that Link heard at the original coordinates of the special ruins world's core.

After a brief pause to give Iris time to think, Link continued, "According to the ancestral master of the Celestial Master's Mansion of the Immortal God Civilization, at the source of the river of time in the Immortal God Civilization universe, he discovered two beams of light traveling from other universes, passing through the Immortal God Civilization universe, and landing in the Wizard Civilization universe. One beam of light has a clear destination, and it carries my true spirit; the other beam of light is missing, and we are still searching for it."

"So, based on various clues and your own discoveries, you believe that the other beam of light carries my true spirit?"

After listening to Link's words, Iris smiled and said this.

"No, I don't think so."

Link refuted Iris's statement without hesitation.

"So what do you think?"

Iris was somewhat surprised and asked in confusion.

"I don't really think so, I just feel I need to meet with you and have a talk."

As Link spoke, his expression suddenly changed, and he said, "Perhaps I have some thoughts, but I haven't clearly realized them yet. Asking to meet you was an instinctive act. After all, I spent forty-five years of my lifespan to hear the whispers of the Light of Life clearly."

"Is that so?"

Iris believed Link's words and seemed to be deep in thought.

However, she did not immediately tell Link what she was thinking. Instead, she picked up the brown sugar deer milk tea and took a small sip.

Even though her own adjusted recipe was closer to the original taste in her memory, at this moment, Iris suddenly felt that the brown sugar deer roe milk tea that Link gave her tasted better.

Or rather, it's not that it tastes better, but rather that it suits her taste better.

I'd really like to have another drink.

With that in mind, Iris took the opportunity to make a request.

Link didn't refuse and agreed immediately. He followed the smart butler into the kitchen and began to brew milk tea.

While Link was in the kitchen, Iris took a long time to think.

She knew that, in Link's opinion, she had heard something about the two beams of light.

She might even know the secret of how the great sage Michelle was frozen in time by a beam of light the moment she converted to Buddhism and ascended to the rank of Celestial Venerable.

The Celestial Court of the Immortal Civilization and the Supreme Council of the Wizard Civilization jointly determined that Link Grand's true spirit was carried by the light that clearly tracked its movements in those two beams of light, and there was absolutely no way it could be wrong.

The other beam of light was nowhere to be found, and it must have been truly nowhere to be found, with no clue what it carried.

Now, the Heavenly Court and the Supreme Council have joined forces to use the "shell" of the second beam of light to fix the fate of Celestial Master Michel. They are still searching for what is carried in the second beam of light, which shows how much importance they attach to it.

Link Grand's true spirit is the object carried within one of the beams of light. The mysterious connection that his life light can generate, and the resonance between his life light and the river of time, must be highly related to the object carried within the second beam of light.

Whether it was the "observation" of the Elemental Saint and the Celestial Master Xu Jing, or the whispers that Link heard at the original coordinates of the special ruins world's core, at the cost of forty-five years of his lifespan, they all pointed to her, Iris Clark.

Coincidentally, Iris Clark was a "strange guest" whose true spirit came from outside the wizarding civilization. She was the special "strange guest" prophesied by the Saint of Nostrodam before his demise, and indeed, the passage between the two universes was opened with her as the core.

Given these unique characteristics, to say that she is not the true spirit contained within the second beam of light, or that she has no connection with the second beam of light, is something that Link wouldn't believe, and even she herself wouldn't believe.

The truth is, she does have a very deep connection with the second ray of light!

After Iris finished her long deliberation, Link walked out of the kitchen with a cup of brown sugar deer antler milk tea.

Iris took a small sip of Link's brown sugar deer antler milk tea. The taste matched her memory, and she felt satisfied. She casually said, "You're right about one thing: I am indeed only half a fellow townsman of yours. And, strictly speaking..."

"I am not a 'stranger'!"

(End of this chapter)