The Most Arbitrary Wizard

Chapter 27: Chapter 15: Carl Black

"Wait... how could this be?"

Every Witch Hunter from the Florist Family receives professional training. Their ranks include vicious criminals, battle-hardened mercenaries, and even retired soldiers. How could a team of such formidable combatants possibly be wiped out so easily?

"What on earth happened?"

"I don’t know."

The man had been stunned when he first heard the news. His immediate thought was that a colleague had used the Spring of Enlightenment as bait, setting an ambush to turn the tables on Vincent and his men. But according to his contacts on site, there were no signs of a fierce struggle. And the most baffling part of all was the cause of death for Vincent’s group.

"They were all killed by bullets," the man said.

Some were shot in the head, some had their necks pierced through, and others were riddled with holes, a mangled mess of flesh and blood, their bodies practically torn to shreds. And all the bullets that killed them came from their own guns.

The Flame Crow Maiden: "?"

The woman beside her wondered if she had misheard. "What do you mean?"

"Are you saying they killed themselves?"

"It sounds absurd, but for now, it’s the only explanation that makes sense," the man said.

Perhaps Vincent and his men had some "internal strife" during the mission.

This strife might not have been their own doing. It’s possible they were manipulated. Certain types of Mind Magic can achieve that.

But that just raised another question—who was capable of such a feat?

For a Wizard, casting Mind Magic has stricter requirements than casting Illusionary Magic. Even if someone among the group who drank from the Spring of Enlightenment awakened a Talent for it, they wouldn’t be able to master it instantly.

A Tier One Wizard’s Magic Power and Spiritual Strength can’t support the cost of Mind Magic.

What’s more, the Hunter team had over twenty members. Controlling just one wouldn’t have been enough; they would have had to control at least half. And manipulating multiple targets simultaneously is a feat even many High-tier Priests skilled in toying with minds can’t achieve, let alone a Newborn who has just learned Meditation.

The man believed that the Wizard who killed Vincent and his men had to be someone else entirely.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." The maiden didn’t deny his speculation, following his train of thought. "Raising Smell Crows is not cheap, and with so many men dead, the Florist Family is bound to investigate this thoroughly. Keep a close watch on any related news. If you find any loose ends that weren’t cleaned up, do your best to take care of them for him."

"Understood. I’ll be heading back then." The man nodded, and his illusory figure gradually faded until it vanished completely.

Throughout the entire conversation, Sean hadn’t interjected once, acting as if it had nothing to do with him.

The man and the maiden seemed to have overlooked him, which was a good thing. He didn’t want to expose his own strength just yet.

But after the man left, the maiden fell silent for a moment, then suddenly turned back, raised her eyes to him, and asked, "You killed them, didn’t you?"

Sean: "..."

Yes.

Oh, no.

"No."

"I’m just a mere Tier One Wizard. How could I possibly defeat so many Witch Hunters?"

He deliberately brought up their past conversation. "Didn’t you say it yourself? That I have little potential, and what little Magic Power I have came from the Spring of Enlightenment. How would I know any Mind Magic?"

"I never said it had to be Mind Magic." Although she hadn’t contradicted the man earlier, it didn’t mean she agreed with his assessment. She looked Sean in the eye and said, "While I can’t guess what method you used to make them kill each other, I’m certain it was you."

This wasn’t some kind of woman’s intuition. She simply refused to believe it was such a coincidence.

She recalled meeting Sean in the Void Technique Space that morning. He hadn’t seemed panicked in the slightest and had even said he wasn’t there for help. At the time, she’d assumed he was just too proud to ask for her assistance, putting on a brave face. Looking back now, Sean wasn’t just putting on a brave face; he genuinely had the confidence to back it up.

He knew the Black Fruit Rainforest was a trap and chose to beat them at their own game.

Therefore, even if the Wizard who wiped out Vincent’s squad wasn’t Sean, they had to be inextricably linked to him.

However, she didn’t press him further.

Everyone has their secrets, and her relationship with Sean hadn’t reached the point where they could talk about anything and everything. All she needed to know was that an entire squad of Witch Hunters had been annihilated and Sean was still alive. That was enough. Nothing else mattered.

The woman at her side clearly noticed that the maiden’s mood had improved considerably.

Sean took the opportunity to change the subject, winking at the maiden. "Miss Flame Crow, this is the third time we’ve met. Surely you can tell me your name now, right?"

She had promised Sean this and naturally wouldn’t go back on her word. She sized up the man before her for a moment, let out a soft huff, and replied, "Elvire."

Elvire Nix Seraphina.

Sean very conscientiously made up for the praise he hadn’t been able to give the maiden last time.

"A fine name," he praised. "In the old tongue, Elvire represents beauty, kindness, and purity, while Seraphina means Blazing Angels, symbolizing Power and strength. Most people couldn’t live up to a name with such deep meaning, but on you, Miss Flame Crow, I can only say... it’s perfect."

"No one could be more suited for this name than you."

Sean’s explanation sounded so well-reasoned and professional that the woman beside the maiden couldn’t help but giggle.

"As expected of a novelist. Such a silver tongue."

Instead of complimenting her directly, he praised her name, which allowed him to be sufficiently complimentary without seeming abrupt or presumptuous.

Clearly, the guy knew how to talk. He was handsome, too. Thrown into a circle of wealthy women, he’d be quite the social butterfly.

No one dislikes a compliment, especially one delivered so subtly. It was far more palatable than crude, over-the-top praise. Elvire found it pleasant to hear, but she wouldn’t let it show. She wasn’t some shallow girl who could be won over with a few flowery words. With a straight face, she asked, "Are you trying to cozy up to me?"

Sean spread his hands in a gesture of honest defeat. "Well, it’s mainly because I don’t know anyone else here..."

To him, the Void Technique Space was still a completely foreign place, like arriving in a city he had not only never set foot in, but had never even heard of. The surrounding mirage-like, ethereal scenery subtly amplified the confusion in his heart, leaving him unsure of what he should do.

He needed a "guide."

And he needed some friends.

The woman, understanding his plight, extended a hand to Sean and introduced herself with a smile. "Hello, Mr. Sean. It’s a pleasure to see you’re still alive. I’m Elise, Elvire’s friend."

Sean politely shook her hand. "Hello, Miss Elise."

The woman teased, "After listening to you two chat for a bit, I think I finally understand why our dear Miss Flame Crow is so interested in you."

Interested?

What do you mean, interested?!

Elvire shot her a glare. "Stop spouting nonsense."

She admitted she had underestimated Sean before. The handsome man was more than just a pretty face. But that didn’t mean she was interested in him.

Elise wore an innocent expression. "I was talking about his potential."

Elvire: "..."

"Oh."

It was true they were cultivating promising Wizards.

When Sean first arrived in the Void Technique Space, he thought any Wizard could enter, but that wasn’t the case. freewebnovёl.ƈom

The Void Technique Space is an illusory world built purely from Mental Power, with the help of the Original Consciousness Riverbed. It has no direct connection to Magic Power. Therefore, simply learning Meditation isn’t enough. Ordinary Novice Wizards often can’t even find the entrance to the Void Technique Space. One’s Spiritual Strength must reach a higher level to gradually perceive its existence.

But Sean, having only just become a Wizard, could enter the Void Technique Space directly. This completely contradicted Elvire’s initial assessment of him. Sean wasn’t without Talent; on the contrary, his Talent was immense. Even setting aside the matter of him wiping out over twenty Witch Hunters, in terms of Mental Power alone, he had already surpassed the vast majority of Wizards.

The requirements for entering the Void Technique Space were quite strict; correspondingly, the benefits it offered Wizards were enormous.

It wasn’t just a simple meeting place for Wizards being hunted all over the world. Its greater purpose was to accelerate a Wizard’s Cultivation speed.

One could also perform Meditation in the Void Technique Space; the two activities weren’t mutually exclusive.

In essence, both are activities based on the spiritual plane, similar to dreaming. If Meditation in the Real World is a dream, then Meditating in the Void Technique Space is a dream within a dream.

Controlling the second layer of the dream is undoubtedly harder than controlling the first, but the Wizard doesn’t feel this difficulty. They just need to enter a state of Meditation as usual, and they can naturally hone their Spiritual Strength and control over their body. This allows them to meticulously alter their cellular autophagy to increase their Magic Power conversion rate.

And that was only one of the benefits of the Void Technique Space.

Beyond that, at the center of this illusory city stood a seven-story-high edifice called the "Hall of Truth," also known as the Holy Sanctuary. It housed countless powerful Magic and Magic Potion formulas left behind from the Era of Polymath, a true treasure trove of knowledge.

It was rumored that the top floor held clues about the Path of Divinity, the ultimate mystery that even Grand Mages above Tier Seven longed to glimpse.

Unfortunately, no one had ever set foot on the top floor of the Holy Sanctuary.

—Forget entering; simply talking about it would make them seem rather conceited.

Because as things stood, they couldn’t even get past the third floor. At most, they could only enter the second floor—and even that was limited to a very small number of powerful Wizards. The Dawn Conference itself was held on the second floor of the Hall of Truth.

"Anyway, the Void Technique Space is a great place. You should come here more often, provided you ensure your own safety," said Elise. "Even if you’re too tired to Meditate, it’s good to exchange experiences with other Wizards. But you must remember, never easily reveal your location in the Real World to anyone."

Sean’s focus was on the deep meditation. He clicked his tongue. "It can even accelerate Cultivation? That’s amazing."

He gazed at the illusory streetscapes and the walking silhouettes around him. ’Being able to create a pocket dimension like this is already incredible enough. But to also give all Wizards a cultivation cheat and leave behind a hall of knowledge... Just how powerful must the creator of this Void Technique Space have been?’

’A Tier Ten?’

"More than that."

Elvire glanced at him and added, "It’s someone you know."

"Hm?" Sean froze, not comprehending for a moment.

’I know them?’

’When did I meet them? How come I don’t know about it?’

Elvire answered, "The protagonist of your book. The legendary Grand Mage, Carl Black."

Sean: "Huh?"

...