Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

The hustle and bustle of the banquet gradually subsided, and the guests left in twos and threes.

But for some, the real business tonight is just beginning.

In the reception room, Salamanda leaned back on the sofa, holding a glass of strong liquor in her hand.

His enormous body almost deformed the entire sofa under his weight.

"Kid, you've really offended those old guys this time."

Salamanda's voice, though tinged with laughter, carried a hint of seriousness:

“Celes, Alvin, Nitil…”

“You crushed three great wizards in public, without even giving them a chance to fight back.”

"Do you know what this means?"

Ron picked up his teacup and took a small sip.

The aroma of tea lingers in the mouth, with a slightly bitter aftertaste.

"It means their prestige has been destroyed, which is exactly what Eve and I wanted."

“From now on, no one will take their words seriously.”

"And their former followers, allies, and even disciples..."

"They will all begin to reconsider which side they are on."

"Yes."

Salamanda nodded:
"Your move is tantamount to uprooting their foundation."

"The result of the collision of the virtual bodies does not lie—strong is strong, and weak is weak."

"Everyone has seen with their own eyes how fragile their 'essence' is."

"From now on, who would dare to bet their life and fortune on them?"

He took a big gulp of wine:
"But then again, aren't you afraid they'll resort to desperate measures?"

"A beast driven to the brink of destruction is often the most dangerous."

"They no longer have the means to jump over the wall."

Ron put down his teacup:

"Celes's ethereal body is severely damaged and cannot be fully restored without decades of recuperation."

"Although Elwin's injuries were relatively minor, his 'Scales of Reason' has been proven to be 'incapable of measuring true strength'."

“For a great wizard whose core values ​​are ‘assessment’ and ‘arbitration’, this is more fatal than damage to the ethereal body.”

"As for Nitil... she should already understand her place."

Salamanda looked him up and down.

"Let's get down to business."

He put down his wine glass:
“Edwin already told me.”

"He wants to stay with you."

Ron nodded: "I really need him here."

"The environment of the Chaotic Blood World is unique, and Edwin can make the most of his value there."

"Moreover, he has made great progress in the decades he has been learning fire forging from Gaetano."

"I know."

Salamanda waved her hand and stood up to indicate that there was no need to see her out:

"So I agreed."

"Following you is more promising than coming back."

"What I can give him, you can give him too."

"But the opportunities you can give him are ones I can't."

Shortly after Salamander left, another visitor arrived.

Unlike Salamanda's rugged and direct style, Vinard's entrance was much "quieter".

His mechanical projection appeared silently in the center of the reception room, its blue light eyes shimmering slightly in the dim light.

"Ron, congratulations."

Vinard's voice still retains that distinctive metallic quality:
"It's not just the wedding, it's also your breakthrough as a great wizard."

"Thank you, Professor Vinard."

Ron nodded slightly, gesturing for the other person to sit down.

Even though it's just a projection, basic etiquette is still necessary.

"I heard that you plan to officially take over as the governor of the Chaotic Blood World?"

Vinard's mechanical body sat down in the chair, the gears and pipes making a slight whirring sound.

"Yes."

Ron did not hide anything:

"The alliance of schools of thought has approved the appointments."

"Starting tomorrow, I will be the highest administrative officer of the Chaotic Blood World."

"That position..."

Vinard pondered for a moment:
"It's not a comfortable place to sit."

"The infighting among vampires, the interests of the Industrial Alliance, the potential threat from the Blood King..."

“Each one is a thorny problem.”

"Moreover, you also have to deal with the undercurrents in the main world."

"Today's 'collision of the undead' may have shocked some people, but it will also make others more vigilant."

Ron nodded. "I know."

"So I need allies."

This statement is very direct, with almost no preamble.

Vinard's blue eyes flickered a few times, as if processing the information.

After a moment, he spoke:

"If you need technical support, or manpower..."

"I can provide some."

"Of course, it's not free."

He smiled, a smile that appeared somewhat stiff on his mechanical face:

"You know me, I never do business at a loss."

"I see."

Ron smiled too:

"So, what does Professor Vinard want?"

"Mining rights for the Stoker Star".

Vinard's answer was concise and to the point:

“The ‘new order’ you established there is interesting, but the workers’ committee is, after all, just a group of ordinary people.”

"They may be able to manage daily production, but they cannot handle more complex technical challenges."

“I can send people over to provide technical support and help them improve their production efficiency.”

"It's a pleasure working with you, Professor Vinard."

Vinard's projection also reached out and gave him a light handshake.

"Pleasant to work with."

"I hope our cooperation can continue."

………………

Late at night.

The starry sky, "folded" by the King of Illusions, is now slowly dissipating.

The nebula turned into tiny specks of light, drifting in the air like countless fireflies performing their final dance.

The guests had already left, leaving only a few servants cleaning up the mess.

In the private bedroom, candlelight flickered.

Soft light fell on the wall, casting a pair of shadows embracing each other.

"Are you tired today?"

Ron's voice was soft, tinged with heartache.

His fingers were gently unraveling the intricate hair ornaments on the black-haired princess's head.

The exquisite ornaments, woven from silver wire and gemstones, are beautiful, but frighteningly heavy.

"Kind of."

Eve nestled in his arms:
"But I'm very happy."

She slightly raised her head, her amethyst eyes gleaming in the candlelight:

"Finally... I've truly become your wife."

The last hair accessory was removed.

Her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, falling over her shoulders and back, carrying a faint fragrance.

Ron gently stroked the soft strands of hair, a mix of indescribable emotions welling up inside him.

how many years?

From their first meeting at the college to now officially becoming husband and wife.

How many storms and how many partings have we endured during this time...

"The days ahead may be even busier."

His voice was somewhat low:

"There are still many things to deal with in the Chaotic Blood World—the threat from the Fang Clan, the integration of the Industrial Alliance, and the advancement of the Daywalker Project..."

"The academic alliance also needs stability—those people we offended today won't let this go so easily."

"And there's the abyss beyond... Although Mother is currently asleep, she will awaken sooner or later..."

"At that time, I may not have much time to spend with you."

Eve didn't say anything.

She simply listened quietly, letting her husband's fingers run through her hair.

"I know."

She turned to face Ron:

"The chaotic world needs you, the stoker planet needs you, the observatory needs you..."

You can't stop.

"Stopping means being overtaken."

"Being caught up means failure."

"In the wizarding world, failure... often means death."

"so……"

Eve reached out and gently stroked her husband's cheek:
"Go do what you're supposed to do."

"Leave the affairs of the main world to me."

“I will look after the Crown Clan and your businesses in the Central Lands.”

"I will deal with those scheming villains and keep those half-hearted allies in check for you."

"We're already husband and wife, aren't we?"

The corners of her mouth turned up slightly:

"Husbands and wives should support each other."

"Thank you."

Ron lowered his head and placed a light kiss on her forehead:
"My lovely wife."

Eve smiled.

"Don't think you can get away with this."

She glared at the other person, feigning displeasure.
"You owe me a date, and you'll have to pay it back double."

"Once things stabilize in the chaotic world, you have to play with me properly."

"Let's go see that 'Time Painting' exhibition, go eat at that newly opened dessert shop, and..."

Her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible:

"There are so many more..."

Ron chuckled and pulled her into his arms.

Outside the window, the dreamlike sea of ​​stars that had been replaced had finally completely faded away.

Instead, there is a true night sky—deep, vast, and filled with countless stars.

"Look."

Ron pointed out the window:

"The King of Illusions' spell has ended."

"This is the real starry sky."

Eve followed his gaze.

The starry sky there wasn't as "spectacular" as before; there were no colorful nebulae, and no points of light within reach.

But it is real.

Every star is burning real, countless light-years away, and every ray of light has traveled through vast stretches of time and space to reach us.

………………

What does the universe actually look like?
Cassandra had never thought about this question.

At that time, she was the tower master of the Crystal Spire, the most dazzling top wizard in the Alliance of Schools, and was hailed as "the most likely to become the Wizard King in this era".

At that time, her ethereal body [Abyss of Greed] was complete and powerful, capable of devouring an entire celestial body without changing its expression;
At that time, she thought she was invincible, and the expedition to the Vital Starfield was just the beginning of another glorious journey.

Then, everything changed.

There was no sound in the void.

This was the first lesson Cassandra learned during her long journey.

At that moment, the "Star Domain Lord" tore through her defenses, and her own ethereal body was as fragile as paper in the face of that terrifying power.

The moment she realized she was about to be "formatted"... the power of the King of Absurdity descended.

That was an "insurance" left by her bloodline ancestors to outstanding descendants—[Random Teleportation]

It sounds simple, but it can actually teleport a target to any corner of the universe, ignoring distance, spatial barriers, and all obstacles. The only cost is that no one knows where the destination is, including the caster himself.

Cassandra clearly remembers the moment the teleportation occurred.

The Star Lord's attack was like a burning star, peeling away her shield, her wizard's robe, and her flesh layer by layer, the excruciating pain almost causing her to lose consciousness.

Then, a twisted force swept her into the endless void.

Upon her first "landing," she arrived in a world composed entirely of pure light.

There is no matter, no time, only an eternal, blinding white.

Light surged in from all directions like a tide, attempting to "bleach" her existence—erasing her memories, her will, and her self-awareness.

Cassandra had no idea how long she had struggled in that sea of ​​light.

It might take a few hours, a few years, or even centuries.

When she finally managed to tear open a rift and escape that world with the remaining power of her ethereal remains, she was utterly exhausted.

Worse still, she discovered that her power... was slowly but irreversibly draining away.

"We must find our way back."

This was Cassandra's first goal for herself.

On her second "landing," she arrived at a planet covered in machinery.

The entire surface of the planet was made of metal—iron, copper, steel, and many other alloys she couldn't name.

The "residents" there are highly intelligent mechanical life forms.

They replace the heart with gears, the blood with steam, and thought with programs.

When Cassandra appeared, the mechanical lifeforms regarded her as "abnormal data" and attempted to "format" her.

It was a tough battle.

Although the individual mechanical lifeforms are not strong, their numbers are almost limitless.

What's more troublesome is that they can share information via networks, and any defeated individual will transmit the combat data to other members of their kind.

This means that with each enemy killed, the remaining enemies become even more difficult to deal with.

Cassandra had to use a great deal of magic to barely escape the planet.

However, the cost was that her ethereal state deteriorated further, and her power was reduced by another ten percent.

The third "landing" was an eternal darkness.

There, Cassandra couldn't even see her own fingers.

Her magical detection, mental perception, and all her sensory means failed in that darkness.

The only thing I can feel is my own heartbeat.

And... the breath of something lurking in the depths of darkness.

That "thing" had no form, no sound, yet it instilled in Cassandra a fear that came from the depths of her soul.

Perhaps it's a fragment of consciousness left behind by some ruler, perhaps it's a primordial life form that existed since the beginning of the universe, perhaps it's a "conceptual entity" that she simply cannot comprehend...

Whatever that thing is, Cassandra doesn't want to confront it head-on.

She used the last of her strength to activate "random teleportation" again.

Time and time again, one world after another.

Cassandra drifts through the universe like a small boat tossed about in a storm.

She has seen dimensions composed of pure emotion.

There, "anger" is red mountains, "sorrow" is blue ocean, and "joy" is golden sun.

She has seen galaxies where time has reversed.

There, stars go from death to birth, life goes from aging to youth, and cause and effect go from result to cause.

Every world has its own rules, its own intelligent races, and its own forms of civilization.

Some intelligent races were hostile towards her, while others were filled with curiosity about her;

Some parts of the world brought her new pain, while others gave her precious respite.

Cassandra's ethereal remains, the Abyss of Greed, also silently withered away during her wanderings.

She even had a conspiracy theory in mind, wondering if this was something her ancestors did on purpose.

Each time a [random teleport] occurs, it draws upon one's own ethereal essence.

The once gaping maw that could devour planets is now just a shallow indentation.

That suffocating suction force has now become extremely weak.

As her power waned, she found that her thinking was also changing.

The "fervor" that once drove her to conquer the other world at all costs is gradually fading.

Those emotions she had suppressed deep in her heart—guilt towards her daughter, longing for her mentor, and yearning for her homeland—began to surface little by little.

She remembered why she had to cultivate "The Star Eater's Ramblings".

In order to stand out among her many peers in the family, she resolutely chose this path.

She succeeded.

She became the most powerful war machine in the Alliance of Schools, the conqueror most feared by her enemies.

But she also lost a lot.

She lost the ability to interact normally with her daughter, lost the tenderness that a "mother" should have, and lost... the real "Cassandra St. Menzies".

Today, as its power wanes, the influence of this meditation method is also diminishing.

Suppressed emotions begin to awaken, and distorted perceptions begin to recover.

This should have been a good thing.

But Cassandra felt an unprecedented fear.

Because she began to recall the things she had done in the past:
Those brutal conquests carried out in the name of "for the sake of wizard civilization," those otherworldly civilizations she destroyed with her own hands, those countless lives lost beneath her ethereal remains...

And then there's her daughter, whom she treated with indifference and harshness for over a decade.

"Eve..."

Cassandra muttered to herself.

She must have uttered that name countless times during her years of wandering.

………………

Cassandra activated "Random Teleport" once again.

This was the time when his strength had declined most severely.

She could almost feel that force struggling and tearing inside her body, then, like an old man choking on his breath, it barely managed to expel her.

When she landed, her knees hit the ground directly.

Cassandra pushed herself up and looked up at the sky.

The bow of Orion, the threads of the Web Weaver, and the single, eternally blinking red eye left in the starry sky after the King of Laughter's failed attempt to seize the throne from the "End of Death"...

This is a star map she began to identify during her apprenticeship, and it is also a unique celestial projection of the wizarding civilization of this era within the radiation range of the main world.

She has come back.

After countless falls and traversing worlds that are even indescribable in words—he has finally returned.

This realization brought her to tears of joy.

In the days that followed, Cassandra began to cautiously approach the main world.

She dared not use "random teleportation" anymore.

While this spell allows her to move quickly, it could also throw her back into some corner of the universe.

She can only travel in the most primitive way:
Find planets with teleportation arrays, pay the toll, and jump from one planet to another.

Throughout this process, she tried to keep a low profile.

With her current strength, although she is still a great wizard, she no longer possesses the power she had at her peak.

Those true old rivals—the other top wizards—probably don't have the time to specifically target a down-on-his-luck individual who has been "out of contact" for many years.

As for illusion or disguise?
Cassandra shook her head.

Her strength reserves were almost depleted.

Rather than wasting time on such pointless pretense, it's better to save it for dealing with potential dangers.

"Moreover……"

Cassandra made a self-deprecating remark:

What was I like before?

"Even if someone has seen me before, they might not recognize me now."

This judgment is correct in most cases.

Until she arrived at a border transit station near the main world.

………………

"Red Anchor Station" was a small commercial transit point located at the intersection of two main shipping lanes.

Every day, a large number of merchants, explorers, and solitary wizards come and go from here.

Cassandra stood in a corner of the teleportation hall, waiting for the next teleportation to the Inner Ring Starfield.

Her gaze swept casually over the surrounding crowd:

There were merchants' representatives dressed in gorgeous robes, mercenary teams in full armor, and apprentices whispering in small groups... They were all ordinary people.

She looked away and closed her eyes to rest.

Just then, a voice came from the side:

"...You are, Lord Cassandra?"

Cassandra's body tensed up.

She opened her eyes and saw an old wizard standing a few steps away, his face filled with disbelief.

The wizard looked to be about sixty or seventy years old, with a white beard, and was wearing a research coat from the observatory.

His eyes were wide open, and his lips trembled slightly, as if he had seen a ghost.

"You got the wrong person."

Cassandra said calmly, then turned to leave.

"impossible!"

The old wizard's voice was somewhat agitated:
"I won't admit my mistake!"

"More than 80 years ago, you hosted an academic conference at the observatory, and I was there!"

"You were talking about research on deep-sea ecology."

“I remember it clearly! Someone raised a question during the meeting, and you shut them up with just one look.”

"That look, that aura... I'll never forget it in my life."

Cassandra stopped and snapped her fingers, shutting out all the noise around her.

She turned her head and took a closer look at the old man in front of her.

An academic conference from over 80 years ago?
I have indeed hosted many similar events.

At the time, she was at the peak of her career, frequently touring various schools of thought and research institutions to give lectures and assert her authority.

Those conferences usually have dozens or even hundreds of wizards in attendance.

She couldn't possibly remember every face, but this man clearly remembered her.

"What's your name?"

“...Wayne Winter”.

The old wizard answered somewhat nervously:

"The station's senior researcher and ecological project manager... is now semi-retired."

"Back then, I was just a newly promoted official wizard, and I wasn't qualified to speak to you at all..."

Cassandra listened quietly, her face expressionless.

After a long silence, she finally spoke:
"what are you doing here?"

"I...I'm here to purchase some research materials."

"I'm currently working on a project about energy fluctuations in border regions of stars, which requires some special measurement tools."

"There are several good suppliers around the Red Anchor Station..."

He suddenly realized he had gone off-topic and quickly stopped talking:

"Master Tower, what is this...?"

“Don’t call me Tower Master,” Cassandra interrupted him.

"Let's find a place to sit," she said. "I have some questions for you."

………………

In a small tavern near Red Anchor Station.

The two sat facing each other in the cubicle, separated by a rough wooden table.

"Let me first tell you what has happened over the years."

After setting up a soundproof barrier, Cassandra got straight to the point: "Starting from the time I lost contact."

"You...you don't know?"

Wayne paused for a moment, then realized how stupid the question was.

A person who has been out of contact for more than 60 years would naturally not know what happened during that time.

"Then let me start from the beginning..."

He composed himself and began to speak.

His narrative was unsystematic, consisting of disjointed sentences and a somewhat chaotic timeline.

But Cassandra had enough patience and experience to piece together a complete picture from these scattered pieces of information.

She had been out of contact for a total of sixty-three years, a number that was both surprising and not surprising to her, given that the flow of time in different star regions of the universe is extremely chaotic.

So much has happened in the main world over these sixty-three years.

After she went missing, the academic alliance fell into brief chaos.

The Crown Clan was once in dire straits, and some even proposed to "redistribute" the resource quotas she left behind.

Then Eve stepped forward.

“Your Highness Eve, you are truly… already exceptionally talented.”

Wayne's tone was full of admiration as he said this:

“When you went missing, she wasn’t even a certified wizard.”

"Later, she broke through to the Moon-level and became the official successor to the clan chief..."

"Then came that big event." (End of Chapter)