Saul didn’t dig too deeply into what Little Algae ant by the “big tree.”
Given Little Algae’s current ability to express itself, “big tree” could refer to roots, sothing tree-shaped, or sothing else entirely. The emotions it conveyed to Saul were nervousness and confusion, but not much fear.
Saul comforted Little Algae and had Marsh drive them away from the area.
The process of moving into the new residence went very smoothly, and no one noticed anything unusual.
Saul’s temporary lodging was on the top floor of a 33-story building. The entire floor was his, and he could use the rooftop area free of charge.
The floors below were occupied by regular people.
According to the agent, John, there was a radiation isolation plate between the top floor and the floors below. Saul would use a private elevator pod separate from the ones used by ordinary residents, so there would be no interaction. Ordinary people would never disturb Saul.
After moving in, Saul spent so ti on the rooftop observing the surroundings. He noticed that the rooftops of the surrounding buildings were all set up in similar fashion.
Raising the wizard’s residence to the top floor did make sense to avoid disturbances. But with a wizard—especially a True Wizard—living overhead, would that really have no effect on the people below?
He thought of the magical tools scattered everywhere, the apprentices whose heads could turn into surveillance disks, and the giant tree growing under the ground…
Saul shook his head and instead used a vigilant spell formation to secure the entire residence. He also had Little Algae plant its clones both inside the building and on the rooftop.
After spending a full day organizing the new temporary ho, Saul began to plan his outings.
His reason for temporarily staying in Caugust City was to take advantage of this prosperous tropolis to gather certain materials and tools, and also to improve his own knowledge and re-solidify his foundation.
Back at the Wizard Tower, his advancent had been rapid. Though enviable, it was inevitable that he had missed or rushed through so things.
“First, the ditation technique. The Erosion Diagram still suits well, but it’s no longer sufficient for my current usage environnt. Ideally, I need an advanced ditation thod similar to the Erosion Diagram.”
Saul was speaking to Agu, as well as the three consciousnesses still housed in the diary.
As for Lokai, who was about to dissipate, and Gudo, who had barely been used, Saul had filtered them out for now.
“Next, I need to collect other Third Rank spells. Agu, I’ll leave this task to you. Go search around and see if there are any places similar to a Wizard Tower registry. Also, get a sense of the market prices.”
Agu nodded.
“Also, I need to continue researching Soul Fishing and the ntal Battlefield. These two ntal spells are my trump cards, and my biggest confidence when entering the Borderland. But right now, I have two problems—Soul Fishing is no longer able to instantly kill True Wizards, and ntal Battlefield requires to be physically safe while using it, which places severe restrictions on when it can be cast.”
“Then there’s the issue of the four consciousnesses. Though they have deep theoretical knowledge, they’re starting to fall behind in real combat. While the corpses they inhabit allow them to cast magic, those corpses have low magic reserves. And the spirit bodies of the consciousnesses are not as stable as they were when alive.”
At this point, Morden offered a suggestion from inside the diary.
[Morden: Master, you don’t necessarily have to focus so much on finding bodies for us to fight in. I still rember so of my ti as a wraith. Even though I couldn’t use magic then, the chaotic mix of grudges I carried made it easy to kill even Third Rank apprentices.]
Morden’s words gave Saul a sudden revelation.
“That’s right. The reason I’ve been letting the consciousnesses live inside vessels is mostly due to influence from the resurrection experints. But vessels place many restrictions on them. They’re helpful for daily living, yes—but when it cos to battle, they’re always being held back.”
Saul recalled the research idea he’d co across earlier—arming soul bodies. If he could ensure that the consciousnesses remained uncorrupted, while granting them the combat power of wraiths, wouldn’t that make him a master of souls?
And compared to carrying around bulky vessels, soul bodies were much easier to conceal and transport.
“Alright, Agu, let’s keep an eye out for any spells or knowledge related to ard soul bodies.”
“Got it.” Agu nodded without hesitation.
Herman chid in from the diary to reaffirm his loyalty.
[Herman: Master, no matter what experint you wish to do, I will fully cooperate with you!]
[Morden: No—this ti, let do it. I’ve been a wraith before, so I’m more familiar with the warning signs of losing control.]
Saul tapped the table with his fingers a few tis but didn’t make a decision right away. When it ca ti to actually experint on one of the consciousnesses, he’d choose whoever was most suitable.
Aside from upgrading the consciousnesses, Saul also needed to work on improving himself.
That was the foundation of all else.
He looked at his hand resting on the table. Ever since he had neutralized the soul toxin last ti, his skin had gone from gray to a normal flesh tone—though still sowhat pale.
“I need to increase my defense. If I can place my body into a state of absolute defense for a certain period, then even in the presence of others, I could use ntal Battlefield without worrying about getting ambushed.”
Having laid out both short-term and long-term developnt plans, Saul stood up and said, “Alright, let’s head out. Nothing will co from sitting around indoors.”
Before leaving, Saul used his ntal realm to summon the most clever of the consciousnesses—Ann.
Most of the materials from the carriage had already been moved into the new residence. He needed soone to stay behind and watch over everything.
However, just as Saul reached the entrance, ready to begin his outing, sothing interrupted him.
Next to the dedicated elevator pod for his new ho was a tightly sealed stairwell. If soone else wanted to reach him, they would have to take a different elevator to the 32nd floor and climb the stairs.
As Saul approached the elevator and pressed the button to open the door, footsteps suddenly echoed from the stairwell.
Agu imdiately moved toward the door and stood behind it. “Who’s there?”
The footsteps paused, then quickened.
“My lord, I’m a courier. I have a letter for you.”
Saul and Agu exchanged a glance. They had just moved in. As far as they knew, only that agent, John, knew where they lived. Had John sent him a letter?
But what could a regular person have to say that required contacting a wizard?
Agu scanned the person ntally and confird it was just a normal human. With Saul’s permission, he opened the stairwell door.
Outside stood a teenage courier, cautious but curious. He gave Agu a brief, nervous glance, then quickly looked away and handed over a thin envelope sealed with wax.
Agu took it. “Who sent this letter?”
“Sorry, my lord,” the courier said with his head bowed. “This letter was dispatched automatically from the post office system. I don’t have any information on the sender.”
Agu inspected the letter. There didn’t seem to be any traps or magical devices. On the wax seal was a single small line of text:
“To my little brother—personally.”
“Could this be a mistake?” Agu frowned. He was a dead man, and to his knowledge, his master was an orphan. He had no brother.
“It’s unlikely. The letter was sent based on your residence permit information. Maybe you should open it—if it’s not yours, I can return it to the post office.”
Agu was about to open the letter when Saul suddenly reached out and snatched it from his fingers.
His expression had grown serious as he turned and walked back inside, letter in hand. “I know who it’s from. You may go now.”
Given permission, the courier imdiately bowed and left.
He clearly knew the resident here was a wizard. Aside from his brief curiosity at the beginning, he’d been cautious and respectful the entire ti.
Once the door was closed again, Agu caught up to Saul in the living room. “Master, you know who sent the letter?”
“Who else could it be?” Saul had already opened the envelope and was shaking out the letter. “Kist.”
(End of Chapter)
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