Exploring Technology in a Wizard World-Chapter 587 - 585: Recognition of Identity

In a flash, several days had passed.

The center of the Dark Forest Gathering Place was bustling.

The public trial was being held here once again.

Richard sat surrounded by a multitude of wizards, feeling no fear. After scanning the entire venue, his eyebrows twitched. He keenly noticed that this public trial was different from the previous ones.

Firstly, the wizard named Van Helsing, who had always suspected him to be a spy, was not present. Moreover, the chair he was sitting on had been raised, or rather, it wasn’t deliberately lowered as before. This put him at roughly the same height as the other wizards, eliminating the sensation of being interrogated like a criminal.

Finally, the two wizards who had been seated close to him and guarded him had now moved away, sitting with the rest of the wizards as if they were no longer wary of him.

Seeing this, Richard realized and looking directly at Wizard Eva, he spoke, "Master Eva, this assembly seems rather special."

"Indeed, it is special," Eva looked back and responded openly, "This time, instead of calling it a public trial, it might be better described as a recognition meeting."

"A recognition meeting? What do you mean by that?"

"After our investigation, we’ve confirmed your innocence, so we are prepared to recognize your status and grant you freedom."

"That is indeed good news," Richard smiled.

"It certainly is," Eva continued, "However, while recognizing your status, you also need to make a choice."

"A choice? What kind of choice?" Richard asked.

"Well, this choice is related to your deceased mentor, Master Guluo," Eva said gravely, "As you know, you were a student of Master Guluo, at a student level. However, since Master Guluo has passed away, maintaining her student status hardly makes sense anymore. Here, you are presented with two options: first, you can choose another powerful wizard from the Gathering Place as your new mentor who will continue to help you progress on your wizarding path. Second, considering the strength you demonstrated at the previous meeting, which is close to a First Rank Low Order Wizard, you might also opt to become an independent wizard and live within the Gathering Place as such.

"Out of goodwill, I’d like to remind you. While the second option might seem more appealing, it comes with some drawbacks. Once you choose it, it means that you are equal to the other wizards in the Gathering Place, and thereby, you will not be able to receive help from them without offering something in return, in a manner of equivalence. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Richard nodded, indicating his comprehension.

"So, what is your choice?" Eva looked at Richard, waiting for his response.

"I choose to live in the Gathering Place as an independent wizard," Richard declared.

Eva raised an eyebrow and asked, "May I know the reason for your choice?"

"It’s simple, I am confident in my own abilities, and I don’t believe that progress is impossible without gratuitous help from others," Richard said, pausing before continuing, "Besides, having Master Guluo as a mentor is enough for me; I do not wish for another mentor besides her. In my view, no other wizard could ever replace Master Guluo."

"Ah, well then," Eva found herself unable to refute Richard’s words. The next moment, she stood up and walked towards Richard.

Approaching him, she extended her hand with a smile, "Then, welcome to our midst, Wizard Richard Austin!"

Richard stood up as well and shook hands gently with Eva, "It’s an honor, Master Eva."

The sunlight streamed through the window, bright and dazzling.

...

Subsequently, Richard began his life at the Dark Forest Gathering Place as an independent, official wizard.

During this period, Richard invariably encountered some troubles, such as various provocations from Wizard Van Helsing, but he cleverly resolved them.

Van Helsing, however, was relentless and became ever more resilient, constantly finding new ways to provoke Richard.

Over time, the other wizards could not stand by any longer and intervened to stop him, causing many to denounce Van Helsing. Embarrassed, Van Helsing had no choice but to leave and hide.

Richard finally had some peace and chose a corner on the outskirts of the gathering place to build a two-story wooden building. He usually conducted experiments in the wooden building and occasionally went out to interact with other wizards.

During this process, "Death Finger" was continuously improved, striving towards "Death Two Fingers". As for "Yatis", the last secret keyword of Black Spirit King, Richard was also gathering more information, hoping to make a breakthrough one day.

Time passed in this somewhat boring yet comfortable manner, until...

...

December, Snow Moon.

This was the last month of the year, but according to the calendar traditions of the East Coast, it was just the first month of winter, followed by Ice Moon in January and Frost Moon in February.

The temperature began to drop, nearing below zero, but because it was close to the ocean, influenced by the sea, it mostly did not drop below zero.

Thus, although called Snow Moon, snow was rarely seen, with cold rain being more common, different from Richard’s previous stay on Smans Island. On the vast Smans Island, especially deep into the island far from the sea and due to its undulating terrain, the continental climate was more pronounced and snow was frequent.

In comparison, December on the East Coast seemed incongruous.

And in this incongruous month, some long-brewing plans reached a timing node, and some astonishing events began to unfold.

...

Somewhere on the East Coast.

A hidden underground hall.

Housekeeper Muse lay on a special seat resting with eyes closed, while Franklin reported a series of matters on the side. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

Only after Franklin finished speaking did Muse finally open his eyes, glanced at Franklin, and asked, "So, you’re saying the initial setup of the plan has been completed and it will proceed as anticipated."

"Yes."

"That’s good, it looks like we can finally leave the mess on the East Coast behind," Muse sighed with relief and then cursed, "Damn it, before coming to the East Coast, I was always in charge of crisis management, never responsible for overseeing the whole situation. This kind of work is both tedious and annoying, truly infuriating. Fortunately, it won’t be long before we’re completely done with it."

"But—" Franklin began, hesitant to continue.

"What’s the matter? Speak!" Muse asked frowning.

"Yes," Franklin answered truthfully, "Housekeeper Muse, indeed there is no problem with implementing the plan, but according to the plan, you’ll need to personally engage in the next phase of the operations."

"I know."

"However, when that time comes, what you’ll be facing isn’t just any ordinary enemy, but..." Franklin paused, swallowing his saliva, despite his great faith in Muse’s abilities, he couldn’t help but feel that Muse would not have an easy time, for even great strength has its limits.

Within the Supreme Order Divine Society, the limits are very clear, defined by the rank of the ring worn. He wore a Black Iron Ring, Muse wore a Silver Ring, signifying Muse was a level higher and could easily defeat him a hundred times over.

But as powerful as a Silver Ring is, it cannot match the level of a Golden Ring.

Franklin believed that according to the current plan, only deploying a Golden Ring could guarantee absolute success. Although using Muse was much riskier.

Follow curr𝒆nt nov𝒆ls on freew(𝒆)bnov𝒆l.(c)om