The next morning, the sun was bright.
Around nine in the morning, Colin arrived at Darren's Commission.
He wore a simple white mask that covered only his eyes and nose; an invisible force enveloped his entire body, preventing others from discerning his true appearance and aura.
The witch at the commission led him outside to a black carriage.
The meeting location wasn't at this base but somewhere else.
It wasn't particularly for secrecy, as Colin, sitting in the carriage, could still clearly sense the direction and distance it traveled.
It was merely a change of meeting place.
About ten minutes later, the carriage slowly stopped, and Colin stepped down to see an ordinary residence... perhaps temporarily rented?
The witch from Darren's Commission did not enter with him; under the guidance of a maid, Colin walked through the front yard and finally met the client of this exclusive mission in the living room.
"Mr. Sylvan," greeted the commissioner, who wore no mask and appeared as a middle-aged man whose eyebrows and hair were both white.
This white resembled that of Shelley but was far less smooth and glossy, much duller.
"Just call me Isidore," the white-haired wizard continued, then cut straight to the point:
"This invitation was ostensibly for a custom witchcraft, but the actual situation is somewhat different."
As he spoke, he took out a confidential contract.
"Please sign this contract, and then I'll explain in detail."
Colin behind the mask couldn't help but frown slightly.
"Rest assured, the contract only requires you to keep our following conversation confidential, nothing else."
Isidore explained, noting Colin's hesitant expression, and continued:
"Don't overthink it; it's not anything dangerous, just involves my personal privacy."
Colin relaxed his furrowed brows slightly and took the contract from Isidore to examine carefully.
If it was for personal confidentiality, he could understand; some people indeed value their privacy.
Of course, if it were just a typical commission paying around a hundred thousand Magic Stones, Colin would have left already, but since it was five hundred thousand Magic Stones, he was willing to exercise a bit more patience.
After thoroughly checking that there were no issues with the contract, Colin nodded slightly and signed.
"Now you can tell me what exactly this task involves."
Isidore nodded but didn't answer directly, instead asking, "I wonder, Mr. Sylvan, are you familiar with the Ice Element?"
"I know a bit," Colin replied.
"You're being modest," Isidore smiled, "The Elemental Life Enhancement witchcraft you submitted last time was a marvel!"
Colin smiled and thoughtfully said, "According to Darren's Commission, this commission should also relate to Elemental Life, and you mentioned the Ice Element…?"
"It is indeed related to the Ice Element, but the specific situation is a bit complicated," Isidore smiled again, then slowly stood up, "Please follow me, you'll understand once you see."
Together, they walked along the corridor towards the deeper part of the residence.
Before long, they arrived at a black iron door; Isidore pushed open the door in front of him.
A passage leading underground was revealed.
Isidore led the way downstairs, and one by one, Bright Crystals on the walls lit up, illuminating the gray-white stone staircase descending.
The light was not strong, and the basement remained somewhat dim.
Colin watched Isidore's figure ahead, his mind alert, continuously speculating,
"Related to the Ice Element…"
However, before Colin could figure anything out, he had already descended the stairs. His footsteps paused slightly, his azure eyes filled with surprise.
In the spacious basement illuminated by the Bright Crystal, a huge blue ice pillar approximately four meters tall stood alone. Its top almost touched the ceiling, and white frost approached, a thin layer adhering to the grayish-white floor.
Isidore slowly turned around, and as he waved his hand to disperse the white frost, the surprise in Colin's eyes instantly turned to disbelief.
Within the huge ice pillar was a small human figure!
A little girl of about three or four, with her eyes slightly closed as if in a deep sleep, her small frame, semi-translucent skin akin to a layer of white frost covering it, and aside from her facial features, the rest of the body was just a rough human shape without details.
At this moment, she was clearly inside the solid ice pillar, yet she seemed to be in water, her tiny body gently swaying as if she could freely navigate through the ice.
"This is... some kind of special Ice Element?" Colin hesitated for a moment before speaking, his gaze still fixed on the ice pillar.
"Yes, but also no," Isidore walked beside the ice pillar, lightly caressing it for a moment and murmured in a low voice, "I prefer to call her a miracle, a miracle that witchcraft brought to me."
Colin was puzzled and looked at Isidore, whose next words made his jaw drop.
"She is alive, a truly independent life," Isidore said as he gazed at the ice pillar, where the 'miracle' inside seemed about to awaken.
Isidore quickly moved his palm away and gently waved his hand.
Whoo—
Suddenly, the corners of the basement lit up with the faint glow of a Witch Array, a burst of frost injected into the ice pillar in front of them, allowing the miracle within to subside once more.
Isidore sighed in relief and turned to Colin, saying,
"I know what you're wondering. Indeed, thousands of years ago, wizards lost the ability to summon true life, and today's witchcraft used to summon elements should really be called Puppetry Technique.
We are creating elements, not summoning them from somewhere."
"But the 'miracle' is indeed a truly independent life, born from an ordinary experiment of Summoning Ice Element. I was studying the witchcraft of summoning the Ice Element, using hard-earned Blue Cold Crystal, and the witchcraft was just the most common Ricker's Summoning Ice Element…cough, in any case, it was unexpected, and no matter how I replicated it later, I could never recreate it…
But regardless, I am absolutely certain that 'miracle' is an independent life! When I created her, she showed amazing learning ability and self-awareness, yes, she possesses self-awareness! True self-awareness, and not just a pre-set Element Core!"
Isidore's tone became somewhat fervent, his white hair fluttering with his head's shaking.
"Do you mean to say, she has a soul?" Colin paused, asking half in belief and half in doubt.
It was truly astonishing; creating life had always been more of a sensational idea than a substantial reality.
Wizards had long since realized that, although they could create life that could move freely and even think, they could not truly create a soul.
To create a life with true self-awareness, the materials must necessarily include a soul, just like those Silent Shadows, which are, in the strictest sense, each a separate life with a soul.
"I don't know." Isidore heard his question, subdued his expression, and after a long pause, shook his head honestly, "I can't observe her soul, it's like a fog, uncertain whether it exists or not."
"So, she having a soul is just your conjecture?" Colin felt slightly relieved.
Compared to creating a real life, it was easier to accept accidentally creating a more special Ice Element.
Isidore looked at Colin, opened his mouth, a hint of annoyance flashing in his eyes, but ultimately, he did not argue.
Colin was not the first wizard he had sought, nor the first to question whether the miracle had a soul... He did not want to waste more energy arguing.
Isidore looked at the ice pillar beside him, believing no matter what, that miracle was indeed a true life, definitely possessing a soul!
The basement fell silent for a moment.
"As you can see, Sir Wood Sprite," Isidore continued,
"Although the miracle is an independent life, she cannot sustain her existence. I have been seeking ways, but still can't prevent her dissipation, only managing to slow her disappearance through the Witch Array coupled with some rare Frost treasures."
"But this is merely a temporary measure," Isidore turned back, "In fact, if it weren't for the Elemental Life Enhancement witchcraft you performed, she might have already dissipated."
"It is precisely because the effects of the Elemental Life Enhancement witchcraft were remarkable that I entertained the idea of whether it was possible to thoroughly solve the problem of the miracle's dissipation through witchcraft."
"So, Sir Wood Sprite, the commission's request is to solve the problem of the miracle's dissipation...by any means necessary."