Chapter 63 Arrival on the Island (1)

“How do you feel now?” Lynn noticed Lauren’s unusual state and inquired.

“I don’t know, but this crystal has a strong attraction to me. I feel like my entire body is calling out,” Lauren said breathlessly.

“Well, let me study this thing thoroughly first,” Lynn replied.

Lauren closed his eyes, suppressing the inner craving.

Lynn turned his head, observing the scales on Lauren’s chest that slightly raised. It seemed that this crystal, filled with divinity, had a strong attraction to beings with bloodlines like Lauren.

But why didn’t he feel that attraction himself?

His slender fingers casually played with the crystal of divinity. In the candlelight, the divine crystal reflected a deep gold in Lynn’s dark eyes.

Divinity was a rare material, and even though Lynn currently lacked the qualifications to research it, it didn’t mean he wouldn’t in the future.

Although his understanding was limited, Lynn knew that directly bestowing divinity upon someone was the most rudimentary use.

Five fingers closed, and a silver glow emanated from the silver-gray ring on Lynn’s index finger, causing the crystal of divinity to disappear into his palm.

In the following days, Lynn, aboard the ship, entered Wizard Harin’s room daily to collaborate on experiments. Perhaps intentionally cultivated by Harin, Lynn sometimes assisted in minor auxiliary steps, such as peeling off certain materials.

Unfortunately, this level of participation in experiments didn’t count as part of his daily tasks, which Lynn found regrettable. It seemed that only experiments he personally led would be considered daily tasks.

Upon learning that Lynn had become Wizard Harin’s assistant, many wizards on the ship bombarded him with temptations, invitations, and even threats.

However, the temptations from these people were too low-level, and Lynn expressed that any seasoned public servants wouldn’t succumb to such tests.

He neither explicitly rejected anyone nor clearly accepted the solicitation from any faction. With the support of the current most influential figure on the ship, Wizard Harin, Lynn didn’t need to worry about pleasing others.

This rhythm made Lynn quite comfortable.

Collaborating with Harin on experiments, Lynn discovered that Harin was researching an experimental potion related to the bloodline mutation of lizard-men.

This bloodline mutation potion could be directly consumed, causing the body to undergo mutations and transform into a lizard-man upon ingestion. Similar to the potion that caused Lauren’s mutation into a lizard-man, Harin was currently researching an advanced version.

Building upon the formula used for Lauren’s potion, Harin aimed to create a more diverse range of mutated lizard-men. For instance, there were aquatic lizard-men capable of breathing underwater and lurking in depths of hundreds of meters. There were also gliding lizard-men with thin bat-like wings between their arms and torso, allowing them to glide from high places.  

In addition, there were stone-skinned lizard-men with tough skin and resistance to low-level spells, as well as stealthy lizard-men capable of simple optical invisibility.

These diverse variations of mutated lizard-men were also cost-effective to produce, giving Lynn the impression that Harin wasn’t just creating a cheap war weapon—he seemed to be attempting to establish a species with a rich and varied lineage.

However, Lynn felt detached from these developments. He didn’t probe into Harin’s intentions in creating mutated lizard-men—he was just an assistant, focusing on his assigned tasks.

During the experiments, Harin didn’t withhold information from Lynn. As Lynn assisted Harin in the experiments, he inadvertently grasped the intricacies of creating these mutated lizard-men.

Harin praised Lynn for his natural talent in the field of mutation studies.

“I have to admit, you’re truly a genius. Your talent in mutation studies exceeded my expectations. Students with talent can thrive anywhere. If you specialize in something, you’ll find it easier to earn magic stones than ordinary people. Many aspects of life in the academy require magic stones—whether for advanced courses, purchasing experimental materials, cultivating familiars, or obtaining opportunities to explore other planes. Don’t underestimate the importance of magic stones,” Harin advised.

“Cultivating familiars?” Lynn was confused.

“Yes, cultivating familiars. Whether developing other planes or conquering them, you’ll need a sufficient number of familiars or servants,” Harin explained. “Are you planning to manage a country or even a world all by yourself?”

Lynn understood Harin’s point. Even wizards, on the path of learning and research, wouldn’t have enough time to manage territories or resources. At such times, reliable subordinates were crucial for wizards to delegate responsibilities.

For wizards dedicated to exploring the mysteries of reality, cultivating subordinates happened to be a task that wasn’t overly challenging. Sometimes, incidental experimental results could yield powers that others could only dream of.

Bringing Lauren and Bowa along had been somewhat accidental, but Lynn considered it a stroke of luck. Trust, after all, was elusive and ephemeral. Lynn never believed in love-at-first-sight loyalty, he believed that time alone could prove everything.

Through the months of interaction with Lauren, Lynn felt that, for the time being, Lauren was worthy of a certain degree of trust. A person who treated his wife with such kindness couldn’t be all bad. Lynn also understood why he saw many noble wizard apprentices accompanied by their own entourages.

These attendants were likely to become the backbone or confidants of these wizard apprentices in the future. Many of them were professionals, nurtured from a young age, wielding extraordinary abilities. Before the wizard apprentices matured, they might even serve as bodyguards or sworn protectors.

Granting power wasn’t difficult, considering potential and lifespan weren’t taken into account. This was Lynn’s insight after continuous learning and research. What was challenging was how the beings wielding that power would remain loyal to the wizard who bestowed it upon them.

Thus, wizards devised master-servant contracts and other similar abilities to address this issue.

“The ship is about to arrive. We have at most two days before reaching our destination,” Harin remarked, gazing out of the window.

Lynn nodded, his eyes flickering subtly.

He thought about the deal he made with Angley. “I understand.”

Over these past few months, Lynn persisted in daily meditation, making significant progress in the Hellfire Meditation technique. Unlike the straightforward progress of the Earth Ring Meditation, the Hellfire Meditation didn’t manifest its advancement as directly. However, this wasn’t a major issue for Lynn—he could visually observe the specific progress through his attribute panel.

In his mind, the vague outline of a greenish mountain range gradually took shape.

“Actually, I wasn’t planning to reveal my identity at the beginning,” Harin suddenly said, still gazing out the window.

Lynn stood in place, listening to Harin’s soliloquy.

“But your talents and intelligence showed me more possibilities. So, I marked the subsequent price for this gift of destiny,” Harin murmured to himself. “Sometimes, choices are more crucial than efforts. Good luck. I hope to see you at the Abyss Wizard Academy.”

——