Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Thanks for your hard work.

These words almost brought Christo to tears. A feeling of being recognized filled his chest. He held the wine glass given to him by the scholar, gently swirling it and watching the liquid inside swirl, just like his own moist eyes.

"So... Teacher, you were paying attention to me. I... I thought I was just a free-range laborer, a tool for doing chores."

The scholar frowned, disgusted by Christo's humility. He stood up, walked over to the blue dragon, and placed his hand on the dragon's shoulder.

“I am indeed strict with my students, but I regard you as my precious offspring. Why do you think this way, Christo? You are a proud dragon, the son of a noble dragon father. No one, and I will not allow anyone, to use you as cheap labor.”

“Really? But Alcaron said that the Black Dragon Priest always made him dig holes, hunt, and do all sorts of undignified chores. I thought, I thought you two old... old dragon priests had started some strange competition, like whose dragon was more miserable or something.”

The truth is, in his spare time from his busy work, the Blue Dragon would occasionally confide in the eldest son of the War God. Alcaron, having just inflicted psychological damage on the ancient human tribes and established his authority, also happened to hear his brother's amusement. The evil Black Dragon laughed inwardly, but outwardly feigned pain. "Brother, I'm in a terrible state too, reduced to like a caveman. We're the same kind of people, good brothers," he'd say, then they'd embrace and weep. At least Alcaron's tears were genuine.

Moroki, unaware of the truth, was also puzzled by his companion's actions, but as a member of the Dragon Priests, he decided to uphold the dignity of the Dragon Priests.

"Don't let your vision be limited to the surface, Christo. The Black Dragon Priests worship strength as everything; their warriors' thoughts and actions differ somewhat from ours as spellcasters. Regardless of the process, we Dragon Priests will regard you dragons as irreplaceable treasures. We Dragon Priests will never squander your talents..."

An unusual spark suddenly ignited in my mind.

"But it's hard to say about Omhead, well... he's never been very bright. You know, people from primitive tribes actually behave and think a bit like monkeys."

"Don't say I told you."

Chapter 779 Demonic Network Avatar

“I have educated many students, not only because it is the duty of an educator, but also because I have my own selfish motives: to cultivate a successor…”

"instigate--"

"Many of them are exceptionally talented, but none are as outstanding in magic as I am. Although diligence is a quality I advocate, I am able to stand at my current level because my talent is one in a million; I am the best spellcaster..."

"instigate--"

"But you, Christopher, you have also shown amazing talent in the path of magic. You are the student most similar to me! Your talent is on par with mine!"

"instigate--"

"I am so lonely, and even immersing myself in academia cannot numb that loneliness. Fortunately, I have found you. I will tell you about our mission and take you to appreciate the mysteries that only we can witness!"

"instigate--"

"..."

"instigate--"

"Enough! Put the cup down, you unfilial son!" The scholar could no longer tolerate it.

Christo smacked his lips, put the wine glass down from his lips, savoring the taste, and apologized to his teacher, "I'm so sorry, teacher. I just wanted to finish your reward, but the unique taste of this magic wine made me unable to stop. I promise I won't make a sound next time!"

“There won’t be a next time. Your reward time is over. Give me back the glass.” The scholar held out his hand. “This prize is engraved with spatial runes. The space inside the glass is connected to my private wine cellar. Can’t you see that? You won’t be able to finish my wine anytime soon. None of your seniors have ever accomplished this either. The magic wine inside isn’t the most important thing. What’s important is this wine-giving ceremony, my tradition.”

Blue Dragon raised an eyebrow as he looked at the glass in his hand. In those few brief seconds, the liquid level had returned to its original position, and a rich aroma wafted out. He obediently handed the glass to the scholar, watching as his slender fingers gripped the glass, just as the scholar had done when he gave it to him.

Christo's expression turned strange. "My teacher," he said, "this special wine glass, could it be a reused one?" Christo's stomach ached slightly from the indirect kisses with his seniors.

The scholar glared at him coldly, then flipped the glass into a small crystal bead and tucked it into his sleeve. "I'm not so stingy as to let you share a drink. Taking back the glass is my insistence. It's risky to let the spatial coordinates related to me fall into the hands of some liches without any moral bottom line. I don't want to be affected by those troubles."

"I've heard that some of the senior students still have integrity."

"They're all the same."

The scholar, unwilling to delve deeper into the topic, opened a magical portal, gesturing for the blue dragon to follow. Christo stretched his shoulders, recovering from his brief rest. He could sense the unusual insistence in the scholar's words; this dragon priest valued this inheritance, which was why the blue dragon had tried to make the conversation less serious. He disliked being entrusted with heavy responsibilities, even though he would undertake them himself, and he disliked the resolve in Moroki's words, which sounded like a sorrowful deathbed testament.

From the moment I hatched, our fates were intertwined. Dragons sacrifice themselves to create dragon priests, so dragon priests should repay with their all. Christo loathed all of this.

"I wasn't created to repeat the same mistakes." The Crystal Dragon flicked its sleeves to shake off the dust, stepped into the portal, its eyes gleaming with a lazy yet languid light.

The place he was teleported to was familiar to Christo; it was the foundation of the Wandering City, the altar of the Dragon Priest Council, and the place where he had first been educated by the scholars. A pillar of light extended from the central magic well, powering the Arcane Eye and the entire city. The surrounding steps were inscribed with dragon runes, which he could now recognize clearly—a map, a world map.

"Put your hand into the well." The scholar stood beside the blue dragon, the magical glow reflecting off his mask.

"Are you sure?" Blue Dragon did as instructed under the scholar's silent gaze. "Next, rub your hands together to clean the area between your thumb and forefinger, rinsing each scale clean..."

"Let your consciousness sink into the magic, and don't let your eyes look foolish. Neufael won't evaporate your consciousness; it will guide you to observe the real world..."

Excessive magic can break down any matter into its basic units—that's what the book said, and Christo remembered it clearly. Closing his eyes, the blue dragon inhaled, tightening its scales and closing its pores, embracing the pillar of light. He felt no pain on his skin; at least the magic beam hadn't breached the dragon's magic resistance. Before Christo could even catch his breath, his consciousness was pulled closer by the suction to a river—a rushing, powerful, yet comfortably gentle river. It flowed through mountains, connecting valleys, reflecting the clouds, and nourishing the soil beneath the forests. The river dispersed into droplets, like light, adorning every living thing.

The Magic Web, a magical network connecting the entire world. A cyclical system of magic, circulating throughout the world. Magic entwined Christo's consciousness, transforming his spirit into a bird overlooking the mountains, instantly bringing rain that dripped onto leaves, animal fur, seeping into the crevices of the soil, and flowing into streams. An indescribable emotion surged into his chest, overwhelmed by the overflowing magic, and he was immersed in the entire cycle, feeling himself split into millions, moving throughout the world, until finally his consciousness reunited, and Christo awoke anew by the Magic Well.

He looked at the scholar, his body surging with magical power, becoming another being who could rival the humanoid magic network node, Morokui. Christo understood that his inner self had been completely changed. He was a dragon, and also the consciousness of the magic network. His spirit was permanently integrated into the magic network of this world; he was the magic network, and the magic network was him. Now, the blue dragon possessed the right to borrow all the magic power in the world. He looked at his kind, his predecessors, his teachers.

“You are all in that water, teacher.” The scholar must have performed this ritual as well. When Christo was immersed in the magic net, he felt that Morokui’s consciousness was everywhere. He also divided himself into countless parts, becoming one with the magic.

Feeling a closer connection, the scholar seemed to understand Christo's sense of humor.

"Now you're here too. Congratulations, new magic network node, Christo. How does it feel? What do you see?"

Christo was as excited as a child.

“Everything! Teacher. I saw everything, the whole world. I could feel the magic connecting me. I climbed mountains, crossed rivers, became a breeze, and played with the clouds at will. You’re right, it was truly beautiful, a beauty that only the two of us could understand.”

The scholar removed his mask, and Christo saw his gentle gaze and a relaxed sigh.

"It's good that you saw it."

"Do you think I can't see it?"

The scholar initially wanted to conceal the truth, but he understood that he and Christo had already established a certain level of conscious connection, so he ultimately told the truth.

“We have similar qualifications, so we saw the same scenery. But before this, I brought your senior to perform the same ceremony.”

“He is the Apocalypse. I asked him, upon his return, if he had seen the mountains and rivers.”

He said…

I saw a vast sea of ​​stars, a beauty far more magnificent than anything you could describe.

[Magic Network Nodes? Just web crawlers trapped on the ground!]

I will forge my own path, teacher. You and the future you envisioned for me seem pathetically insignificant in my eyes.

“We had a huge fight. At that time, I still had the controlling nature of a monarch or elder, and I used magic to put Apocalypse in confinement.”

"He ran away, disappeared for a month, and then came back with destructive power to beat me up."

Chapter 780 World Construction

The scholar's arrogant magic was shattered; his defiance of the student's rebellion was not a blow that could be easily ignored. Although the scholar appeared calm on the surface, Christo could sense the deep-seated depression within him. Perhaps he should say something to comfort him, to express his concern as a student.

“At least you taught him very well.” Too well, so well that he could beat up his master. “You fulfilled the responsibilities of a teacher… So that’s why your relationship has remained strained until now, even escalating into a rivalry between clubs? I’ve heard similar rumors from the Andre News…”

“Actually, some processes were skipped.” The scholar, who had opened up about his own wounds, appeared quite open-minded. He didn’t mind using his painful experience as temporary teaching material to help Christopher learn something.

"After defeating me, Apocalypse proudly explained the concept of annihilation to me, as well as much knowledge about the heavens that I had never touched before. Our relationship was reversed; he became my mentor in high magic, filling the gaps in my knowledge of astronomy. I could tell that he was looking for my approval, approval of his efforts, and approval of the concepts behind him."

“I guess he was disappointed, otherwise you should have maintained a more amicable relationship.” Christo sat on the edge of the magic well, waving his arms to make the magical water droplets dance in the air.

“I cannot condone the actions of the proxy. I cannot accept my student entrusting everything to a concept whose source he cannot find. He willingly becomes a puppet of a set of rules, even if his ‘master’ lacks a brain in the biological sense. A powerful force that dominates you will change its proxy as your knowledge falls short. I teach them to be masters of power, yet they grovel for even greater power. Posuwa’s downfall has proven my point, and his stubbornness… is as hard as his fist.”

"If it were me, I wouldn't listen to the loser's lecture either. Senior Tianqi is just as stubborn as you. You are a traditional old mage, my teacher. I can only see your discord as inevitable, like a father-son conflict."

“I can’t defy the power of concepts, but someone else has. I thought the duel with Raymond would bring him back to his senses, and Mr. Raymond did indeed fulfill the responsibility of the ceiling, making the high jumper hit his head.” Christo thought he had misheard; he heard schadenfreude in the scholar’s ​​tone.

The Dragon Priest's disciple was also defeated by the Holy Light; the Holy Light's justice overwhelmed advanced physics.

The scholar's tone became dejected again. "Tianqi continued to do things his own way, which made me somewhat frustrated. And a series of teaching sessions that followed made me realize that I was still lacking in education. My students all deviated from my expectations."

"Leaning towards the good, or the bad?"

"Do you think the example of Apocalypse is good or bad?"

"It's hard to describe."

The scholar scoffed and introduced his students one by one, the most outstanding group, with a complaining tone.

“The next apprentice after Apocalypse was Mirror. He had a natural inferiority complex, so I encouraged him to learn more from outstanding predecessors. Then, he became Mirror, a copy of a genius, an excellent imitator. He hid his true self behind the mask of imitation.”

“I told the law to be followed and to put it into practice. He created laws and regulations to make everyone obey the laws he set, but he exploited loopholes and became a lawbreaker. He was biased as a law enforcer, which was not conducive to his growth.”

"Next, Miracle. Miracle's talent is actually not outstanding. When I discovered that his focus was on external power, I warned him that all power comes at a price. I thought I could help him establish the right values, but instead, he started playing fraudulent agreements with various demons, using means to steal power and evade the consequences. I have to say, in the way that frustrates me, he is indeed a miracle."

"Inspiration... He and Miracle were born at the same time. While I was cleaning up Miracle's messes, I didn't pay much attention to him. I'm not even sure if what I taught him helped him. His spellcasting methods are completely different from mine. He's a student I can't figure out."

"The Plague Doctor Lyle, oh my God, he is an accidental child, I shouldn't force anything. I don't need to introduce him, you should know this well. His talent is the result of something going out of control."

"Finally, it's you, Christo..."

Blue Dragon subconsciously raised his head and stared straight at the teacher.

"You brilliantly carried out all my instructions, becoming a node in the magic network just like me, a sorcerer. If I had known you before the Apocalypse, I would have been grateful for your appearance. But after these students, do you understand that feeling? You're acting strangely normal. I was always prepared for you to cause me some trouble, and now, I feel a morbid sense of loss."

Christo smiled and rubbed his stiff neck.

"Then I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, teacher. I don't like causing trouble."

“I hope so.” The scholar released his staff and, together with Christo, immersed their consciousness into the magic network. “You have gained the magic network’s approval. Now you need to learn how to become a magic network administrator, that is, a world builder.”

Within the magical network of convergent consciousness, Christo "sensed" the scholar's actions as if he were sensing his own automated body.

"My clever student, can you discover anything within these tributaries of the magic network?"

"Of course, the flow of magic follows the direction of the mountains and the rivers. Magic accumulates in the basins and radiates on the hills. The magic net you set up has a sense of harmony with nature. If the magic net were a painting, you would definitely be the best painter."

The scholar refuted Blue Dragon's flattery, but he was in a good mood.

"No, it's not that I used the magic net to depict mountains and seas, but quite the opposite. The earth's crust moves, rivers change course, vegetation flourishes and withers, and animals migrate. This planet is alive; it changes its terrain according to the energy of the magic net, choosing the shape most suitable for being irrigated by the magic net. The magic net is like the nerves of this planet, able to guide its physical movements."

"You mean, we can..."

"We can summon wind and rain, raise the seabed, and smooth out rugged terrain. The landscape of this world will be altered by our magic network. You can control the changes in every mountain and river as easily as manipulating every cloud. We are the world builders, and we have the ability to coordinate this world. Once you master these powers, you will not need a magic well; you can easily change the terrain at any time, just like being in your own mage tower."

"Such powerful strength..." The blue dragon was a little excited, and a familiar feeling arose spontaneously, "It's so similar to the administrator privileges in the dream game."

"But you are in charge of reality, changing the climate, changing the landform, giving sunshine and rain or storms and torrents. If you want, you can even draw meteorites from the sky and bring down heavenly fire. You have great power and heavy responsibility. You must be careful with every change you make, as countless lives will be affected by you."

Christo rubbed his temples. "With great power comes great responsibility? I don't understand. If I can easily overturn their lives, why should I care about their blame? Because, teacher, we are more powerful than you can imagine." Like gods of the world.

The scholar did not criticize Christo's audacity; when the magic network was first constructed, the scholar was even more arrogant than him.

"Because someone cares. Not to mention others, if you accidentally cause the extinction of some animals, your father, the dragon, will come after you. So be serious, and don't be blindly arrogant, my student."