The Wizard's Pursuit of Truth

The Illusory Dream Wizard’s build was neither tall nor slight, but perfectly average and well-proportioned. He usually gave off the impression of a learned research scholar.

At the same time, because he always kept his back to people, he was shrouded in an aura of mystery that made one eager to probe deeper.

He now slowly turned to face Wang Ya.

”Is your curiosity satisfied?” the Illusory Dream Wizard asked with a smile.

Wang Ya was speechless.

Through the Eye of Dreams, he had indeed seen every part of the Illusory Dream Wizard’s body clearly, his face included.

But a cyan, wooden mask covered the Illusory Dream Wizard’s face, concealing even his eyes. The mask’s material was extraordinary, possessing a distorting quality. Painted on its surface was a single, colorful eye that appeared to blink as the colors swirled.

Wang Ya fell silent. It seemed the Illusory Dream Wizard’s true appearance really was one of the Dark Land’s great unsolved mysteries—and one of the most difficult to solve at that.

”Come with me. I know you have many questions, but now that you’ve mastered three Witchcrafts, it’s time to tell you about Dream Wizards and my Inheritance Witchcraft. Then, you can make your choice.”

The Illusory Dream Wizard turned his back to Wang Ya again, his figure gradually heading deeper into the Maple Forest.

Keeping his Eye of Dreams active, Wang Ya quickly followed.

Strangely enough, once the Eye of Dreams was activated, it would remain so unless he actively deactivated it. This was true even if his Spiritual Power was completely exhausted.

As if he knew what Wang Ya was thinking, the Illusory Dream Wizard explained as they walked, ”Whether it’s the Eye of Dreams, the Heart of Dreams, or the Dream Sword, all three Witchcrafts are based on the fusion of your consciousness and Spiritual Power. When you cast them, they become an extension of your own consciousness.”

”Dream Witchcraft is different from the Witchcraft of other Wizard Systems. It relies more heavily on consciousness and Spiritual Power and seldom requires Particle Energy. To a certain extent, your Spiritual Power takes the place of Particle Energy.”

”But the most peculiar thing about Spiritual Power is that it can never be truly exhausted in the conventional sense. Even when you feel your Spiritual Power is depleted, some still remains. As long as you possess even a sliver of Spiritual Power, you can maintain those three Witchcrafts.”

”Of course, there’s no reason to maintain them to that point. The worst-case scenario would be a collapse of your Spirit, leading to brain necrosis.”

The Illusory Dream Wizard’s words echoed throughout the Maple Forest.

A thoughtful expression appeared in Wang Ya’s eyes.

They stepped onto the familiar stone path.

The Illusory Dream Wizard asked another question. ”What do you believe Spiritual Power is? And what is consciousness? In your opinion, what is the fundamental nature of a Dream Wizard?”

Wang Ya thought for a moment before answering, ”Consciousness and Spiritual Power are inextricably linked. It’s about influencing reality from the realm of the illusory. Whether we’re talking about Elemental Wizards, Bloodline Wizards, or Mechanical Wizards, their ultimate source of power is a Wizard’s Extraordinary Spiritual Power. As long as one can influence reality, one can be considered Extraordinary.”

”By that same logic, the same should be true for Dream Wizards. But what I don’t understand is, if Dream Wizards can only influence the illusory, how are they supposed to deal with an enemy in the real world?”

Wang Ya voiced his confusion. The Witchcraft of other systems could all produce Extraordinary effects in reality. If Dream Witchcraft could only affect the spiritual plane, attacking an enemy within their Dream Realm... or perhaps attacking their Spirit and consciousness directly...

If that were the case, Dream Wizards wouldn’t be much weaker than the other systems.

Heart Dream Lake’s surface was still blanketed with maple leaves. As the two walked along the stone path, colorful and bizarre aquatic creatures rose to the surface, blowing bubbles.

This, too, was different from reality.

In fact, everything Wang Ya had seen on their walk had been peculiar. It was all abstract and distorted, yet in the next moment, it might snap back into a solid, real state.

’It must have something to do with the Eye of Dreams, or maybe this place itself.’

A maple leaf appeared in the Illusory Dream Wizard’s palm. He handed it to Wang Ya, saying, ”You’re not wrong. The depth of your knowledge far surpasses that of an ordinary Level 2 Wizard Apprentice. Even some Level 3 Wizard Apprentices fall short of your understanding and insight.”

”But that’s only a small part of what being a Dream Wizard entails,” the Illusory Dream Wizard continued. ”What do you think this maple leaf is?”

Wang Ya paused, stunned. ’A maple leaf is just a maple leaf, isn’t it? Could it possibly turn into...?’ He watched as the maple leaf in his palm transformed into a butterfly and fluttered away, its body a swirl of colorful, graffiti-like lines. He was at a loss for words.

Wang Ya had never set foot on the platform in the center of Heart Dream Lake, and the Illusory Dream Wizard seemed to have no intention of leading him further, stopping at its edge.

With a wave of his hand and a light tap of his finger, the Illusory Dream Wizard summoned a cascade of maple leaves, which swirled together to form a table and two chairs.

Of course, this was just its superficial appearance. Wang Ya, however, saw the leaves’ original forms and structures dissolve into basic, twisting lines of color. Under the influence of some unseen Power, these lines were then redrawn into the shape of a table and chairs.

The colorful lines were crude, their edges and corners rough. Sitting on the chair, Wang Ya felt a strange sense of unease.

The Illusory Dream Wizard waved his hand again, and two cups of chocolate-colored liquid materialized on the table. A pair of eyes opened on the surface of each drink, as if they were living liquid creatures. The eyes were wide and innocent, full of curiosity for the world.