The Most Arbitrary Wizard

Chapter 21: Chapter 12: Encirclement and Suppression (2)

The tying up was, literally, just tying her up.

Poor Konina had wanted to use her body to keep Sean from leaving on his risky venture. She was confident in her practiced moves, certain she could leave him helplessly captivated. But to her surprise, after Sean finished tying her up, he did nothing at all. He simply left her there and walked out of the tent.

Konina: "???"

"Sean, get back here!"

Sean: "No thanks. I’m already finished."

Konina: "???"

"But I’m not satisfied yet!" ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

"That’s your problem."

Genduo, who was smoking under a tree, was taken aback when he saw Sean emerge. "That fast?"

He pulled a pack of Wild Horse-brand cigarettes from his pocket and offered it to Sean. "Want one?"

"Thanks," Sean said, politely declining. "Are you coming with me?"

Genduo said nothing. He gazed out at the woods, dotted with fireflies, and took a deep, harsh drag on his cigarette. It was so forceful that even a veteran smoker like him couldn’t help but cough. Then, with a look that was both frustrated and relieved, he dropped the cigarette butt and crushed it out with the sole of his shoe. "Forget it," he said. "I’m not going."

He gave a slight smile. "My husband’s waiting for me at home. This life now... it’s pretty good."

"You made the right decision," Sean said, glancing toward the tent. "Take her and leave this place at dawn. Don’t talk to anyone you meet on the road, and forget what happened today."

"Okay." Genduo seemed to have guessed something. His gaze swept over Wild Bird Forest before landing back on Sean. He said solemnly, "Good luck to you all."

"Take care."

"You too."

Genduo watched Sean walk away, his straight back resolute as he moved forward, slowly disappearing into the small woods.

...

「Meanwhile.」

A light mist filled the forest.

Wilson and the others had already found the Spring of Enlightenment.

The spring itself wasn’t hard to find.

They were all experienced in outdoor exploration; as soon as they heard the sound of water, they were able to follow it to its source.

It was an exceptionally beautiful place. Though there were no signs of fantastical creatures like Unicorns or Elves, there were butterflies, birds, innumerable fireflies, and the ground was covered in fragrant flowers and plants. Complemented by the swirling mist, it looked exactly like an enchanted realm from a fairy tale.

The center of the grassy clearing dipped into a natural hollow, which was filled with clear spring water.

It was now dawn, and the moon had long since disappeared from the sky. And yet, submerged at the bottom of the spring was a full moon, emitting a faint radiance that made the entire pool of water glow.

"This is amazing."

Johnson said excitedly, "Do you guys think there’s really a moon hidden under the water?"

Jim joked, "Why don’t you go try and fish it out?"

"I’d better not," Johnson said. "I’m too filthy, I don’t want to pollute the spring water."

"So what should we do now?" Wilson asked expectantly. "Do we just drink it straight?"

Johnson nodded. "Yep, just drink it straight."

"My uncle said that as long as a person isn’t an idiot, drinking the spring water will immediately awaken their perception, grant them Magic Power, and let them see the world in a different light."

As he spoke, he took out a disposable plastic cup, squatted down, filled it, and handed it to Jenny.

"Here, babe."

You could tell he really loved the girl, always giving her the good things first.

"Thanks, Ah Qiang." Jenny gave him a sweet smile and suggested, "Why don’t we drink it together?"

"I think that’s a great idea," Wilson said, raring to go. "We can even make it a competition to see who awakens first."

"That would be me," Johnson said, brimming with confidence. He filled another cup and called over to Jim, "Come on, let’s have a toast."

"Cheers!"

After touching their cups together, the three of them downed the spring water in one gulp.

The Spring of Enlightenment, a Holy Water that had helped countless mortals become Wizards, had an immediate effect. The moment the clear, sweet liquid flowed down their throats, Johnson’s and Jim’s consciousnesses blurred. Their eyes closed unconsciously and their muscles relaxed. The cups fell from their hands, and their bodies swayed as if drunk, sinking into a peculiar state.

Seeing that they had both drunk it and that it really seemed to be working, Jenny steeled herself, summoned her courage, and drank the spring water.

Sean arrived a little later. By the time he followed their footprints and found his way over, the four of them were already beginning to have their perceptions reshaped by the Spring of Enlightenment. Clearly, they were all quite clever—or at least not dumb—otherwise drinking the spring water would not have allowed them to enter a state of "Meditation."

The fact that their eyes were closed meant their awakening was guaranteed.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

Sean sighed softly.

He hadn’t brought a cup, so he had to use his hands.

He glanced up at the black crows still circling overhead like a dark cloud, his expression once again becoming calm. He walked to the edge of the pool, squatted, and scooped up the spring water with his cupped hands, bringing it to his mouth.

The next moment.

The scene before Sean’s eyes changed.

Everything in his vision began to fade rapidly, as if an invisible eraser was wiping away the green shade of the forest, erasing the budding branches from the trunks. The world turned from verdant green to withered yellow, from withered yellow to ashen gray, and finally dissolved into heaps of yellow earth. It was as if, in the blink of an eye, hundreds of seasons had passed, washing everything away until only a boundless desert remained.

Sean had been to this desert before.

He saw the cactus again.

This time, the cactus was even more anthropomorphic than before. Its head even bore a human face—not the face of Quill from his imagination, but his own. ƒreewebɳovel.com

Sean’s pupils constricted. As if possessed, he looked down and was horrified to discover that his own body had also taken the form of a cactus!

They were two identical beings.

To eat the cactus was to eat himself.

In that instant, Sean understood.

"Cellular autophagy!"

’So that dream in the car wasn’t a dream at all. It was Meditation.’