Chapter 128: 128 - Virtual Domain
Over the next two days, the entire Iyeta Harbor was in turmoil.
The tragic events in the South District had spread throughout the port District, and despite the efforts of Tike and his group to intervene, they were powerless to stop it.
After all, the impact of this incident was too widespread. Thousands of destitute people who had fled the South District and witnessed the inexplicable deaths of their loved ones, their souls harvested, were plagued by rumors of all kinds.
Some suspected that it was a forbidden soul-harvesting research being conducted by some magical workshop, while others believed it to be an omen of a dark curse. There were even rumors that the malevolent dark wizard Merk was hiding in the port District.
However, Phillip, Kevin, and the others no longer had time to pay attention to these endless rumors, as a strange situation had arisen at the Iyeta Academy.
Every night, when the campus was quiet, a faint, eerie whistling sound would emanate from the academy, as if it could condense a person's soul, terrifying the aspiring wizard apprentices.
Even someone like Pierce, who had spent over a decade as a wizard apprentice, began to recall the past. This phenomenon dates back to before the Psychic School was disbanded, and many students had heard this eerie sound back then. It was why the tower was named the "Screaming Tower."
(TL/n - Screaming Tower = Howling Tower = Wailing Tower)
"Can someone tell me what's inside that tower?" Tike, who had endured sleepless nights due to the whistling sound, finally couldn't help but question.
"It's the Screaming Tower, the former research institute of the Psychic School. Since the school's dissolution, the tower has been abandoned," explained Phillip, but he remained tight-lipped about the details, unwilling to say more.
(TL/n - Some may be confused but at Iyeta Academy there are various schools such as Potion, Morphology, etc. Before Soul/Psychic magic was banned by the Wizard Council it was taught in other academies and at Iyeta Academy they also had a separate building where Psychic magic was taught but after the Wizard Council banned it now the Psychic School was abandoned.)
"For the specifics, let's wait for Master Herlram to come back and explain to you," added Kevin.
Tike and Rol didn't push too hard, as they were still within Iyeta Harbor, and provoking a conflict might make it difficult for them to leave.
As for entering the Screaming Tower to investigate the situation? That was simply risking their lives. Tike suspected that the souls that had been drained were likely all congregated inside the tower, and the interior might be filled with undead creatures. Venturing inside could pose a life-threatening danger.
Given this, the two of them had no choice but to wait for the support of the council while trying to gain the alliance of Lynn, a potential ally.
If their speculations were correct, the tragedy in the South District was likely connected to Herlram, so Phillip and the others had a chance of getting involved. Compared to them, the newcomer to the world of wizards, Lynn, who had only been here for a short time, was the one with slightly fewer suspicions.
With this in mind, Tike and Rol inexplicably dragged Lynn into a secret discussion, where they deliberated on various possible scenarios.
When Lynn emerged, his expression was rather strange. Unlike the two others, he believed that not too many people would be involved in this matter.
After all, the reputation of the Soul-Devouring Array was too notorious; it was a forbidden taboo in the world of wizards. Once exposed, even if Herlram was a Grand Wizard, he might not escape being hunted down.
That's why they had created an organization called the "Faceless" – an organization where no one knew each other's identities. The whole Blood-Red Thorn was probably the only one who knew who their behind-the-scenes leader was.
Because of this, before the news of Herlram's death was exposed, Lynn didn't think they would encounter any attacks from remnants of the organization. Taking advantage of the school closure due to the riots, he began researching the virtual domain that had been seized by the AI.
After two days of familiarity, Lynn had already made some modifications to this realm, which was composed of magic and soul power. It was no longer a chaotic space with nothing but darkness.
Now, it resembled a universe, glittering with countless stars. Here, you could see massive celestial bodies orbiting around stars due to gravitational forces, witnessing the magnificent phenomena of stars collapsing and expanding into red giants.
Lynn was completely immersed in this god-like experience. Although most of the work was completed by the AI, this sense of participation was a unique and extraordinary feeling.
"Let's try recreating a black hole," Lynn pondered, accessing the AI's database about black holes. However, when he was about to proceed with the replication, he received a notification of insufficient energy.
Lynn was momentarily perplexed, and then he asked, "071, how much energy do we have left?"
[Remaining energy, 8.4%. Would you like to replenish it by absorbing stored soul power?] the AI replied.
"Go ahead and absorb," Lynn hesitated for a moment but ultimately nodded.
From what he had observed in Iyeta, reviving a person in this world was not an easy task. Those whose souls had been devoured and transformed into soul entities had lost their past memories, only retaining the most profound memories from before their deaths. There was no possibility of recovery.
"Oh, and please keep White Dove's soul entity for me. Don't convert her," Lynn suddenly thought of something and voiced his request.
Different from the other soul entities he had encountered, White Dove was a rare soul entity that could maintain her sanity and communicate. She held great research value, and besides, he had made a promise.
However, in the eyes of the AI, White Dove's soul had a strength several times higher than that of an ordinary wizard apprentice. She was like a big gift package, capable of restoring 12% of the energy reserve. So, whenever the AI faced an energy shortage, the suggestion to offer White Dove in exchange for energy would always be the first to pop up.
Seeing the energy reserve in the AI quickly replenish to 100%, Lynn didn't appear too cheerful because there were just too many places where energy was needed.
After Herlram's death, this virtual domain lost its energy supply. Lynn had no choice but to rely on the AI to provide magical power, and the consumption was horrifying. It would take 15% of the energy reserve each day.
"Forget it, let's leave the black hole for now. A simple simulation of all the celestial bodies within the visible range will do. We shouldn't waste too much computing power on this," Lynn decided after some contemplation and mentally relayed his request.
After the words were spoken, the distant stars dimmed slightly. The daily magical power consumption also dropped to 5%. If there were no people inside the virtual domain, the consumption would decrease to about 1%.
Lynn had put so much effort into creating this virtual realm, not just for the sake of enjoyment. It had a much greater purpose.
After witnessing the darkness in Iyeta Harbor and Herlram's dual identity, Lynn understood that outsiders could not be relied upon. He needed to establish his own school of thought to avoid being manipulated by others once again.
TL/n -
Read up to chapter 270+ on p@treon
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