"Lord Colin is being modest."
"Researching witchcraft does indeed require inspiration, but it requires even more a solid understanding of knowledge, and courage not to fear corruption and transformation!" Mayer couldn't help but praise again.
"Although creating new witchcraft is commendable, in most cases it's an unrewarding task."
Sovoc suddenly shook his head, his expression calm as he declared,
"Lord Colin, using this witchcraft is probably just a temporary measure... because you've only just advanced and haven't acquired an appropriate witchcraft, right?"
Before Colin could respond, Sovoc changed the subject with a sigh,
"After all, the witchcrafts that exist in the School were all developed through the painstaking research of countless wizards. To create something superior by oneself is even more challenging... I have deep personal experience with this."
"Lord Sovoc, have you also created witchcraft before?" Mayer asked in surprise.
Sovoc paused slightly and answered without changing his expression, "I was close to succeeding."
He added, "I was researching a completely new witchcraft related to bloodline transformation. It was extremely difficult; had I succeeded, I would have at least reached the middle of the first rank!"
"I see." Mayer nodded, intending to shift the conversation to Colin who had been quietly practicing on the side, but then he heard Sovoc emphasize again,
"Had it not been for almost undergoing transformation and corruption, that witchcraft would have definitely been developed by me.
And if I had developed that bloodline transformation witchcraft, I wouldn't still be stuck at a first rank intermediate wizard... I would have advanced to the late first rank and prepared to break through to the second rank."
Sovoc's tone became subtly excited when he mentioned this matter.
If it hadn't been for that, he wouldn't have stayed at the first rank intermediate for so long!
"Ah, such is the world; although pursuing knowledge may bring power, it ultimately comes at a cost..." Mayer sighed softly, muttering.
"Mind your words, Lord Mayer!" Sovoc frowned and interrupted Mayer, emphasizing,
"Pursuing knowledge does not come at a cost; this is a fact always stressed by the Supreme Council!"
"What leads us to transformation and corruption is the excessive pursuit of knowledge and the incomplete mastery of it!"
"I spoke carelessly... I hope both of you will pretend you didn't hear anything."
Mayer's expression changed.
The Supreme Council had long forbidden the propagation of the theory that researching knowledge is harmful—though this is generally accepted among mainstream wizards.
After all, what the Supreme Council says isn't wrong—
As long as one restrains oneself from overly pursuing knowledge and thoroughly understands what one studies, there indeed isn't a risk of transformation and corruption.
But in reality, how many can fully achieve this?... Researching knowledge and witchcraft is inherently fraught with danger.
However, if everyone feared researching new knowledge and only repeated the old knowledge of others, without innovation,
Then the Wizard Alliance would just stagnate like still water, without progress... without a future.
Mayer understood this principle too; although he himself would not attempt to research knowledge, that did not stop him from admiring those wizards who dared to risk their lives researching knowledge.
Thinking this, he couldn't help but want to turn the conversation back to Colin.
"Lord Colin..."
Bang.
An orange-yellow fireball hit the target and exploded.
Colin pulled back his arm, calming the Magic Power within him, but he did not respond to Mayer and instead quickly opened the Golden Paper.
The next moment, his expression brightened.
The Fireball Technique after Limit Breaking thrice finally reached its peak again!
"What's the matter..."
He put away the Golden Paper and turned to respond to Mayer.
But just at that moment!
Red light suddenly illuminated the training room...
No! The entire steamship, the entire fleet, was abruptly enveloped in a fog-like red light!
Immediately after, a voice as ordinary as any old man, completely devoid of fireworks, resounded in the hearts of all the wizards on the fleet.
He said, "Ignorant gods have arrived, go, it's time to counterattack."
His tone was unhurried, as if he were merely stating something utterly commonplace.
But as Colin listened, his heartbeat inexplicably sped up, and his blood seemed to gradually boil!
The next moment,
with the help of the Witch Array on the ship, they distinctly sensed a nauseating and chilling presence coming from the direction they had come from that day.
Normally, this mysterious presence would at least cause their bodies to stiffen slightly.
But now, after hearing the words of the unknown High Rank Wizard who seemed like an ordinary old man, Colin and the others felt not a trace of chilliness but instead, spurred on by this nauseating presence, felt their blood boil even more!
This boiling blood, the surging fighting spirit, did not affect their rationality but instead made them more focused and calm.
"What a strong auxiliary witchcraft..." Mayer muttered, raising his arm and turning it over to examine.
Colin nodded in agreement... Such auxiliary witchcraft, in terms of calming the mind, almost had half the effect of his use of the Mechanical Mind!
The rumbling of thunder.
Click—
The steam engine started, and the sound of gears meshing and turning faintly transmitted.
"The ship has started," Sovoc muttered under his breath, exhaling gently, "If we proceed as on the way here, we will return to Gubier Island in about half an hour..."
"I've practiced enough; I plan to go back to my room to restore my Magic Power to prepare for the upcoming battle," Colin appropriately remarked.
"I'll go back too," Sovoc followed, glancing at Colin and couldn't help saying:
"I noticed that you've been maintaining the same method, the same power in your casting... that hardly counts as practice; real battle won't be so rigid..."
"It's just familiarizing myself with the witchcraft," Colin replied with a smile, then continued walking towards his room.
With only half an hour left, aside from Limit Breaking, he still needed to engrave the Fireball Technique into his Spirit Sea, and there was no time to delay.
Sovoc shook his head secretly, initially thinking Colin's witchcraft casting movements were very proficient, but now it seemed... could it be that he only knew that one kind?
If so... when it came down to real combat, he would just be a stuffed pillow.
"Only half an hour left..." Mayer suddenly muttered.
"It's just us, the High Rank Wizard lords have probably already reached Gubier Island by now," Sovoc gathered his thoughts and responded offhandedly.
As if to echo his words,
Boom!
A deafening noise suddenly came from the direction of Gubier Island!!
At this moment, they had already left the training room and reached the corridor of the cabin, and simultaneously, those round portholes suddenly emitted a dazzling White Light!
The next second, a shock wave hit, waves surged, and the massive steel ship also shook!!