Chapter 200: 199: There's Something Called the Iris
Chapter 200 of "Exploring Technology in a Wizard World" kicks off with action-packed scenes: Chapter 200: Chapter 199: Thereâs Something Called the IrisâStop, stop, stop!â the Black Robed Man... Discover more!
Chapter 200: Chapter 199: Thereâs Something Called the IrisâStop, stop, stop!â the Black Robed Man raised his hand, blocking Richard from asking new questions, and said, âAlright, lad, youâve asked enough questions. Now, according to the principle of equivalent exchange, itâs your turn to answer mine, and I hope you can give me an honest answer.â
âFirst, state your question, so I can hear it.â Richardâs eyes flickered, he spoke up.
âFine then.â The Black Robed Man looked at Richard, his gaze fixed, his eyes burning with ghostly flames, his expression extremely serious, âMy question is⊠who exactly are you? Donât try to be evasive. Although I havenât unraveled all your secrets, your actions aboard the ship alone are not those of an ordinary person.
âResearching spells, inscribing magic runes, concocting potions⊠Heh, many of these things are beyond what real wizards can do. And sometimes the things you write on scrolls truly baffle me, yet if looked at closely, they seem to make some sense. Tsk tsk, who are you, really?â
âIf you get down to the root of it, I am just a Prince from the Blue Lion Kingdom.â
âThen how do you have so many abilities?â
âI have a Wizard Book, I learned it all from there.â
âJust a Wizard Book isnât enough, right? Your performance, some of your actions and behaviors â even ten Wizard Books wouldnât be sufficient.â
âWhat if we add my intelligence?â
âIntelligence?â
âI think intelligence is enough,â Richard said. âOf course, a more accurate explanation is a kind of wisdom, a scientific way of thinking.â
âScience?â the Black Robed Man uttered, as though he had never heard the word, unclear about its meaning.
âScience,â Richard repeated, explaining, âyou can think of it as a kind of persistence. For example, when a normal Wizard Apprentice learns a spell, thatâs it, theyâve learned it, then they look forward to learning the next spell, a more powerful spell. They hope for continuously increasing strength, ultimately becoming a powerful wizard.
âI am different. After learning to cast a spell, I try to think, research, and analyze the principles behind the spell, and then go further to understand the entire Magic System, the mechanisms behind all spells. I want to know why a certain action can release such a spell, while another can release a different spell. What rules and logic are there in between? Then, I find the logic, the pattern, and make use of it.
âOf course, the process is very difficult, but its effects are significant. If successful, I would need to master only a few spells to effectively command all spells. I could change a spellâs power at will, even control to make an enemyâs spell fail completely, making the enemyâs Wizard Level meaningless.â
âYou can do all that?!â the Black Robed Man was somewhat astonished.
âI obviously canât do all of that now, itâs just how I explain science, to answer your question â why I behave differently from the others,â Richard said. âCome to think of it, if I really could do all that, then now, it wouldnât be you sitting and me standing, it would be me sitting in the chair and you standing and talking.â
âHa!â the Black Robed Man couldnât help but laugh, âSo youâve been keeping tabs on that sort of thing, huh? Well then, why donât you sit down? I donât mind at all.â He said this but made no move to stand.
Richard couldnât be bothered to really fuss over such matters and turned towards the Black Robed Man, âYou keep sitting, itâs fine. But, now itâs my turn to ask questions.â
âGo ahead,â the Black Robed Man lifted his hand.
âMy question isâŠâ Richard paused slightly, looking at the Black Robed Man and spoke, âWhy havenât you killed me?â
âWhy havenât I killed you? Hmm, that questionâŠâ
âItâs something Iâve been wondering about. Consider it from another perspective, if I was in your position, facing someone strange, unexpected, I wouldnât assassinate them, nor would I interact with them, let alone approach with a benevolent attitude. Curiosity alone is hard to justify, unless⊠there is some special reason.â
âThatâŠâ
âI hope you can answer seriously.â
âAlright,â the Black Robed Man exhaled, âI might as well tell you, there are mainly two reasons why I treat you this way.â
âTwo reasons?â
âTwo reasons,â the Black Robed Man nodded. âThe first reason is, I have a liking for you.â
âA liking!â Richardâs eyes flashed, his expression somewhat odd.
âWhat are you thinking?â
âI am thinking, the liking you mentioned isnât some kind of taboo or abnormal affection, is it?â
âHmm? Ha! What do you take me for! Wizards might be strange, but not everyone is a deviant. Kid, I like women! Even though Iâm older now, and donât feel much for women anymore, but I used to like women!â
âThat simplifies things.â Richard spoke, his eyes shining, âA liking canât just appear out of nowhere, at the very least, we must have had some interaction before. Or to put it more straightforwardly, I must have helped you â directly or indirectly did something that benefited you.
âFor instance, Luther, the direct Apprentice of a wizard you killed on this great ship â I previously gave him a Gold Coin, so he felt goodwill towards me and helped me out with little things on board. And youâŠâ Richard turned towards the Black Robed Man, then suddenly raised his eyebrows, âWait a minute!â
âWhat now!â
Richard stared at the Black Robed Man and slowly repeated his earlier words, âI previously gave him a âGold Coinâ⊠a Gold Coin?â
âAh, is the keyword a Gold Coin then?â Richard saw the Black Robed Manâs subtle reaction and confirmed, âWe had some connection regarding a Gold Coin, right?â
The Black Robed Man sat motionless in the chair.
Richard quickly reasoned out something, âIf thereâs a connection with a Gold Coin, then we must have met face to face, after all, a Gold Coin is something that can only affect you if thereâs direct contact. Otherwise, a Gold Coin I spent a month ago ending up in your hands wouldnât make you react at all. SoâŠâ
Richard looked at the Black Robed Man, probing, âIs there a chance you could let me see your face?â
âKid, you really are clever, guessing weâve met before.â The Black Robed Man took off his hood generously, revealing his entire face, unafraid, âBut I donât think you can really recognize me, because my appearance has been altered, I am no longer the person I was.â
âThen, could you let me see your eyes?â Richard asked again.
âMy eyes?â The Black Robed Manâs burning green eyes extinguished, revealing a pair of ordinary eyes, still without much concern, âWhat can you guess by looking at my eyes, kid?â
âI can guess your previous identity,â Richard said calmly.
âOh?â The Black Robed Man was evidently incredulous.
âYou said your appearance has been changed, I believe it. Muscle stretching, slight deformation of the bones, skin regeneration, all can quickly alter a personâs appearance. But I donât believe that you also changed your eyes. And as long as you havenât changed your eyes, then I can recognize your identity.â
âWhy?â
âBecause in the eyes, thereâs a part called the iris.â
âThe iris?â
âYes, the iris.â