Wizard: Starting With Synthesized Gems

Chapter 650: Obtaining the Formula for the Zero Potion!

King Otto straightened his crown and robes. "At the very least, I solved the problem of the undying serving as kings. The undying who had accumulated over thousands of years in the Era of Stars were swept away by me in a single era. I completely cut off the original plans of those lich wizards. They once dreamed of converting the entire wizard civilization into the dead, bringing time to a complete standstill, and using that to maintain their rule.""You can erase this history, but you cannot erase the changes I made to this world."

"I solved one of the four great problems for this world. That is enough."

King Otto said, "Only, facing death... I ended up making the same mistake as them."

King Otto snapped his fingers, and before a magic mirror in the golden hall, his physical body dissolved into ash and vanished, revealing a skeletal frame beneath.

He had used necromancy to keep himself alive in this way.

The Loom Princess covered her mouth in shock. "Otto, you..."

King Otto lowered his head. "Faced with the pressure of death, I finally made a compromise. Of course, there is also another reason. I wanted to confirm something."

He raised his head and looked toward Locke.

Of course, Locke understood that he was only looking at the Black Sun Tower wizard who had historically stood before him.

King Otto said gravely, "There is one thing I still want to confirm, which is whether the immortality created by necromancy is truly immortality. And the moment I converted myself into a lich, I immediately understood the true reason the Black Sun Tower had prohibited necromantic immortality."

"Death will always carry something away. That is the fundamental principle of necromancy. So the moment I converted myself into a lich..." The soul fire within King Otto's eye sockets flickered. "I discovered that I had lost my empathy for other people. This is wrong. It proves a point, though the method of proving it was not rigorous. But from a practical standpoint, I believe it is already sufficient."

"The liches have never truly escaped death. Death still took something from them, drew something out of their souls. This caused them to remain frozen in a single moment forevermore, and to become accomplices of death itself. Every lich, in essence, is nothing more than a puppet of death."

"The liches escaped death? Heh heh heh... the liches are only being manipulated by death in a different form."

"The immortality created by necromancy is flawed. You must have already known this."

Locke heard himself saying, "Yes. What the Black Sun Tower truly refused was not immortal rulers, but the liches produced by an imperfect necromancy."

King Otto walked back up the steps toward his throne. "If that is so, there is no need for you to kill me. Give me the dignity befitting a king. A king's death should not be carried out by another's hand."

He sat upon his throne, crown on his head, and the soul fire flickering within his eye sockets gradually extinguished.

"Death wants to make me its puppet... that is absolutely impossible."

"For at least half of my life, I was someone else's puppet. And so I never want to be anyone's puppet again. An immortal existence like this so-called eternal life is worse than ceasing to exist."

King Otto died completely.

The princess collapsed to her knees before the throne and began to weep.

At the same time, the scene shattered like a mirror.

In the darkened space, the young wizard stood before Locke, frowning. "It failed. The final secret, the one the princess wanted to convey to future generations on behalf of the Nameless King, was the formula for the Zero Potion, which the Nameless King only completed just before his death. But just now, all the way until the historical phantom ended, you still did not receive the formula for the Zero Potion."

Locke frowned and noticed that he had not yet left the special space created by the Historical Milestone Curse. "Then, founding ancestor, is there any other way?"

If possible, he did not want to come to a sudden stop when the end was finally within reach.

Only one final step remained, and he could obtain what the princess had wanted to tell him.

The young wizard appeared to be deep in thought. "Let me ask you. In your era, has my archaeology become a major field of study?"

Locke thought for a moment. "It is a first-tier discipline. It is indeed a prominent field, the most important magical force among black wizards."

The young wizard said, "Black wizards? Never mind that. If that is the case, then the first condition for lifting the Black Sun Tower's Expungement Curse has already been met."

"My archaeology, at the high-circle stage, can reconstruct the past and reclaim time. But has any wizard elevated ten thousand times ten thousand magical kingdoms to the level of demon gods? And has the wizard world conducted a great exploration of the Great Void?"

Locke thought of the Star Domain Sea's Demon Elevation Plan and the era of Great Void exploration, and said, "Indeed, both have happened."

The young wizard's lips curved upward. "No wonder the Expungement Curse's reaction this time was so weak. Only four First Circle archaeology wizards, and they managed to unravel part of the Expungement Curse."

"It turns out the three conditions that sustained the Expungement Curse have, by now... ceased to exist. Seventy thousand years have passed and the world has transformed completely. What was once impossible has all come to pass."

"You are genuinely fortunate to be living in a later era." The young wizard said, "There is one final method. I can use the entirety of this memory avatar's spiritual essence as the price to exchange for one more opportunity. But there will only be one chance. You will be able to ask King Otto, within the historical phantom, for the specific formula of the Zero Potion."

"This is the princess's final wish. And it would benefit you greatly as well. The Zero Potion formula is that King Otto's final achievement as a potion master."

"Though because of the Expungement Curse it disappeared from history and has never appeared in the history of wizard civilization, that does not mean it is without value. If you can obtain it, you will receive King Otto's inheritance in potion studies. Before his death, he was a Third Circle wizard, and a Third Circle wizard at that close to the Fourth Circle."

Locke nodded. "If possible, as a potion master I am certainly interested in receiving King Otto's inheritance. That blank spiritual energy is truly fascinating."

"But how do I obtain the formula?"

The young wizard smiled and said, "You really do enjoy playing dumb. I will not answer that question for you. Locke Augustine... you are an archaeology wizard, and a potion master, and a botany wizard as well. You understand the answer to this better than I do. I am only an archaeology wizard. I know nothing of potions."

"Anything I say would be useless."

"It would only mislead you."

The young wizard's figure began to dissolve. "Locke, this time you truly are on your own. My spiritual essence is about to disappear."

"Locke, seize this final opportunity. This is your last chance to obtain the Zero Potion formula. Once it is missed... the Zero Potion will truly and completely vanish from history. That would be a tragedy for civilization, and a tragedy for you."

In the next instant, the young wizard's figure shattered completely. "I leave all of this to you."

…

At Golden Crown Mountain, in the Origin Academy, Witch Yekaterina looked at the people from the Storm Tower standing before her with undisguised impatience, a faint contempt in her eyes.

Wizard Smith bowed politely to Witch Yekaterina and said, "Your Throne, as you can see, this is the wizard from the Thunder Demon Society, who is also a victim in this incident. We have come to Golden Crown Mountain seeking an explanation."

Witch Yekaterina raised an eyebrow. "An explanation? What explanation?"

Wizard Smith's face stiffened. "Your Throne..."

Witch Yekaterina ignored him and looked instead at a Third Circle wizard from the Smith Family. "If you truly wanted an explanation, you should not have come to Golden Crown Mountain empty-handed."

"What you want is not justice. It is an excuse."

"State clearly what it is you actually want. If an arrangement can be reached, let us conduct a proper transaction. If it cannot, you are welcome to see yourselves out. There is no need to sour the relationship between our two academies."

The Third Circle wizard of the Smith Family immediately bowed to Witch Yekaterina. "Your Throne, you speak plainly and get straight to the point."

"The younger generation does not understand how the world works and assumes everything is simply black and white. Please forgive them. What we actually want is..."

The Third Circle wizard cleared his throat and ordered Wizard Smith to take the Thunder Demon Society wizard outside first.

Wizard Smith immediately showed a dissatisfied expression, but had no choice except to take the Thunder Demon Society wizard out with him.

…

In the abyssal ruin, within the space of the Historical Milestone Curse.

Locke found himself walking into the golden hall once more, and King Otto rose from his throne and resumed the exchange that had begun before.

'Has the time within the Historical Reconstruction been reset?' Locke immediately understood what the founding ancestor had meant by the final opportunity he had exchanged at the cost of his avatar's spiritual essence.

Locke spoke directly. "King Otto, I would like to ask about the formula for the Zero Potion."

King Otto seemed not to hear those words at all, and instead spoke as before, unprompted. "I know what the Black Sun Tower fears... you planted those flowers of destruction on my land..."

Locke furrowed his brow. 'This is bad. If things continue this way, it will only repeat the same outcome as before. King Otto will choose to end his own life.'

'And the founding ancestor's hard-won final chance for a do-over will be squandered for nothing.'

Locke frowned and spoke to King Otto. "King Otto, I am not Ezra Clarkson."

King Otto pointed at the Bronze Cauldron before him and lifted its lid. "I have a new vision... this blank spiritual energy..."

Locke furrowed his brow further. "There is no way to have a real dialogue with him? No matter how I try to engage, he is only speaking with the Ezra Clarkson from history."

"But the founding ancestor dared to send me back here, which means this situation is not a dead end. There is something on my person that can still change the history of the past!"

"What is it? There is no time to waste."

Locke watched King Otto, who was still speaking, and used the botany magic spell Shared Branch to attempt to link his own spiritual essence with King Otto's.

But the spell failed.

The two of them appeared to be standing in the same place, yet it felt as though an infinite distance separated them. Shared Branch simply could not be achieved.

Locke frowned. "Wait. Let me think about this from a different angle. I was chosen by the Historical Milestone Curse to take the role of Ezra Clarkson in this history because my magical composition is similar to his. So where do I differ from Ezra Clarkson?"

"What do I have that he did not..."

Locke reached into his astral ring and brought out the iron ball he had obtained.

King Otto immediately stopped. His gaze fell on the iron ball in Locke's hand.

"The royal instrument. This is the royal instrument I created."

"If you are truly a wizard of the Black Sun Tower, how could you possibly be holding the royal instrument I made?"

"You..." King Otto said, "You are not a wizard of the Black Sun Tower. Are you?"

"It seems there is a vast expanse of time separating the true you and me. It would take an enormous force to break through it."

Locke furrowed his brow. "So that is how it is."

Locke exhaled a long breath. "I do not know if my magical power will be sufficient."

He summoned the Golden Palace Legacy Branch and used the Peach Bow Thorn Arrow, while a full moon rose behind him, amplifying the Peach Bow Thorn Arrow in his hands.

He released the arrow, and the Little Diamond Jujube Pendant fell toward King Otto.

Locke felt the magical power of this arrow was still insufficient.

The vast distance between them remained, and his magical power had not managed to break through it.

King Otto looked at Locke with puzzled eyes and stepped back twice.

Locke raised the Peach Bow Thorn Arrow and summoned two Abyssal Devourer Body Sea Gold Sands. Both were amplified with Myst's Power and combined together, transforming into a fern spear.

The Tyrant Fern Spear!

The Tyrant Fern Spear landed on the peach bow and became an arrow, drawing in moonlight. This was Locke's most powerful offensive magic in that moment without resorting to ritual magic.

Locke released the bowstring, and in the next instant the Tyrant Fern Spear shot toward King Otto.

But the arrow too disappeared into the vast distance between them and vanished without a trace.

Locke furrowed his brow. In that case, there was only one method left, using ritual magic.

Drawing on the power of the Jade Dream!

But at that very moment, King Otto suddenly extended his palm forward, and seemed to grasp something. "I have it."

The Tyrant Fern Spear appeared in his hand. "Hmm? An unfamiliar magical pressure?"

"It seems there is a great expanse of time standing between us. If that is so, I will lend you the use of my kingdom's domain."

"Although this kingdom's domain is now shattered and diminished to the Second Circle level, it should be able to amplify your power to some degree, and perhaps allow us to truly meet face to face."

In a moment of stunned surprise, Locke suddenly felt the kingdom's domain within the golden hall, which had been rejecting him, accept him once more.

Locke immediately seized the opportunity and used the Porcelain Moon. A full moon rose within the golden hall, while Locke, as the bearer of the demon dragon bloodline, took on the nature of the dark sun.

Within the golden hall, the sun and moon moved in dual motion.

Locke's magical pressure broke through once more from 9999 to 10000.

This time, Locke did not place the Golden Palace Legacy Branch atop the Porcelain Moon. Instead, he chose a Tyrant Sea Gold Sand. The Tyrant Sea Gold Sand took root upon the Porcelain Moon and became a lunar fern.

At the same time, Locke aimed at the Porcelain Moon and attempted to use Scorching Gold Sand Flow!

The spell model enveloped it instantly, and a vast quantity of golden spore powder appeared. A celestial-scale Scorching Gold Sand Flow materialized!