10: Witchcraft seminar

In the blink of an eye, it was time for the seminar to begin.

Glynn arrived early at Classroom 8.

He took a central seat in the front row, directly facing the podium—the best spot for asking questions and the exclusive throne of a good student.

Time passed bit by bit.

Glynn organized the questions he planned to ask while keeping an eye on the arriving Apprentices.

They were all from the same batch; after ten years, most recognized each other, and he would greet those he knew well.

Glynn counted silently in his heart.

Sixty-three classmates had arrived, a few more than expected.

In the first five years, Glynn's batch had one hundred and forty-eight people, divided into five classes... Soon.

A tall, thin man with a pure white, square pointed Wizard Hat walked in.

He looked about thirty, with a neatly trimmed mustache, appearing exceptionally sharp and energetic, clearly having tidied his appearance beforehand.

“Good morning, everyone...”

“I am the main speaker for today’s discussion.”

“I entered Plant Heart Wizard Academy two batches before you. I have only a negligible accumulation of knowledge regarding low-level Wizard runes, and I hope to provide some inspiration during our exchange.”

“Oh, you can call me Senior James...”

“Good morning, Senior...”

“Alright, please take your seats...”

“Now, let’s first discuss the basic principles of constructing 0-ring low-level Wizard runes...”

The Senior on the podium spoke eloquently, effortlessly citing classic examples and explaining everything thoroughly.

Glynn listened intently, taking notes rapidly.

He felt that the Senior truly lived up to his title; his skill was almost on par with a mentor.

Moreover, the Senior held nothing back, analyzing some crucial points and difficult concepts with piercing insight, captivating Glynn completely... Two hours passed, and Senior James finished his lecture.

After a brief ten-minute break.

The seminar entered its second segment: the Q&A and exchange session.

Glynn seized the opportunity and was the first to raise his hand to ask a question.

Senior James was also very accommodating, allowing Glynn to ask. Glynn immediately brought up the biggest problem that had troubled him for over a month:

“Senior, why do all Wizardry require the blessing of incantations?”

“This is my understanding...”

“An incantation is an act of designation. Low-level incantations invoke a faint natural force by using the names of existing things, while high-level incantations directly invoke forces that have been named or inscribed within the world’s rules, and this name is a vague, rule-based language not found in everyday speech.”

“And Wizardry, when blessed by incantations, can draw upon the corresponding power, imbuing Wizardry with unparalleled might.”

“This phenomenon of incantation blessing has appeared multiple times throughout human Wizard history, from the Ancient Wizards era right up to the present.”

“From vague Wizardry incantations to the unspeakable Cthulhu Gods, this unspeakable power, a blend of terror and sublimity, profoundly influences us humans (in the Ancient Wizards era, Cthulhu Gods represented terror as the unspeakable, while avoiding the taboos of Morning Star Wizard represented sublimity).

“Borrowing the viewpoint of a certain Ancient Morning Star Wizard—Ralphcon, this infinitude is actually an unavoidable residue in the process of symbolizing the rules of the Wizard World.”

“I can use a sufficient number of symbols to describe a red-fleshed, green-skinned melon: it is round, green, thirst-quenching, sweet, even life-like, and so on.”

“However, if you ask a person walking in the desert, ‘What is a red-fleshed, green-skinned melon?’,

He will answer: ‘All your previous descriptions are correct, but a red-fleshed, green-skinned melon is far more than that.’ It is this ‘far more than that’ that represents the infinite possibilities inherent in the thing itself, and this is also the infinitude that cannot be captured by the violence of symbols.”

“So...”

“We now see the second action of this activity of chanting Wizardry incantations, which is to say, how to designate a universal ‘this’ through many ‘thises,’ which corresponds to the mysterious power in Wizardry.”

“Borrowing a discourse from another great Ancient Wizard—Hegel Siren: the me of now writes ‘it is night,’ the me of tomorrow writes ‘it is day.’ Both are very confident in their respective knowledge, but one truth disappears within another truth.”

“In this situation, what does not disappear is a universal me. This universal me, through this act of designation, negates every specific ‘this,’ thereby sublating a universal other.”

“Therefore...”

“The act of designation performed by low-level incantations is precisely by negating the unspeakable common to the specific incantations you chant, to sublate a mysterious power with universal meaning.”

... After Senior James finished explaining his understanding, he did not end it there but encouraged other classmates to share their own interpretations.

Immediately, various different opinions rang out, and the atmosphere became lively.

Glynn found that everyone had their own unique insights.

Some, though one-sided, felt refreshing, prompting Glynn to think more comprehensively and deeply. The questions he had accumulated earlier also found answers through repeated exchanges and debates.

Glynn also seized the time to speak enthusiastically, brainstorming with his classmates... For a full three hours... Glynn's mind remained in a state of high excitement.

Sparks of thought occasionally flashed in his mind. Through collisions with various different viewpoints and ideas, Glynn's understanding of this course deepened significantly, and he gained a great deal.

Even after the seminar ended, Glynn did not stop thinking.

He stayed up all night in the library on the fourth floor with his notebook, finally organizing all his notes and knowledge points.

Now Glynn could confidently say that he would definitely pass the course assessment and even achieve a good score... On the third day.

Glynn also spent a full day reviewing his existing plans.

He raised the importance of seminars by two levels.

From now on, whenever there was an opportunity to attend a seminar, he would definitely go.

Glynn deeply realized that working in isolation was not viable.

To go further on the path of a Wizard, the power of community and collaboration must be utilized effectively.

Glynn had only attended one seminar, but the gains he received exceeded the results of ten days of solo research.

Not to mention certain critical junctures; without the guidance and direction of predecessors, Glynn might have been stuck in place for a very long time, or perhaps never understood in the correct direction, instead going further and further down the wrong path.

This was also the advantage of White Wizards.

In the Wizard World, the ratio of scholars and high-level secondary professionals produced by White Wizards far exceeded that of Black Wizards and Grey Wizards... Half a month later.

Glynn took the assessment for the course on the thirty-six phenomena of 0-ring low-level Wizardry rune construction and passed with a high score.

At this point, Glynn had been transmigrated for just over two months.

He had passed the second five-year grand examination of Plant Heart Wizard Academy half a year ahead of schedule, earning the title of Junior Magical Plant Cultivator.

He had fulfilled the decade-long fervent wish of the original Glynn, who had pursued it tirelessly, forgetting sleep and food.

Sadly, he had fallen on the path of pursuing truth and dreams... Glynn stood at the window of the Wizard Tower's fourth-floor library.

Through the thick crystal window, he overlooked the vast Mist Forest.

The colorful Demonized Plants Botanical Garden, like a giant vibrant canvas, stretched all the way to the edge of the Hexagram Protection Wizard Array before abruptly stopping. The distant sunlight, cast upon the layers of clouds shrouding the entire forest, refracted into various dazzling and magical colors.

The scenery of this other world also possessed a unique charm.

In the various Botanical Gardens, large and small.

Figures, some young, some old, were busily tending to all sorts of strange Demonized Plantss.

The diligent labor they put in now would be richly rewarded in the future; the entire Wizard Academy was filled with an atmosphere of peace and tranquility... Just then.

A team of figures rushing by.

Caught Glynn's eye.

Leading them was a tall, burly man, wearing tattered chainmail, covered in knife marks and scorched black traces from fire.

The burly man carried an unconscious green-robed Apprentice on his back.

Glynn, from his elevated position, had a very clear view... He immediately saw that the right arm of the green-robed Wizard Apprentice was being held by the second Wizard Apprentice in the team. That severed arm still tightly clutched a small staff inlaid with green gems.

Glynn was deeply shocked by this scene... Putting himself in their shoes.

He couldn't imagine what kind of misfortune he would have encountered if he were that green-robed Apprentice, and how he would face the future path of his life.

It turned out.

In the Wizard World, there was both peaceful and stable study and research, and also naked slaughter and bloodshed.

And this was happening in different worlds, separated only by a wall.

Praise the great Formal Wizard—Heart of Plants—the protection of Lord Joyce, Glynn silently thanked in his heart.

“Later.”

“Once I have enough self-preservation ability, then I will go out and face life and death,” Glynn prayed to The Crown of the Scales of Truth.

“I'm not afraid of death; I'm just cautious.”

“The Crown of the Scales of Truth, I promise you, I will absolutely do my best to improve myself, learning and fighting—both hands must be strong.”

First, set a small goal.

Five years later... I, Glynn, will still be watching the scenery from this crystal window.