Exploring Technology in a Wizard World

The Guard couldn't help but wryly smile internally upon hearing the old man's words.

Indeed, at his level—a Level 4 Wizard—he could maintain his activities for a long time without eating. This was mainly because, as one of the top existences among the Wizards of the Main Continent, Level 4 Wizards had an essential difference compared to Wizards of other levels.

First-level Wizards, Second-level Wizards, and Third-level Wizards, in some sense, had no significant gap from a Wizard Apprentice. They were all still mortal flesh, albeit with higher Spiritual Strength, greater Mana capacity, capable of Casting more complex and powerful Spells.

Level 4 Wizards, however, were different. After crossing the threshold at the Third-level Wizard Peak, they truly entered another entirely new domain.

In this domain, the body of a Level 4 Wizard underwent a complete transformation, a type of "Life Remolding" similar to that from an ordinary person to a Wizard Apprentice.

Through this Life Remolding, Level 4 Wizards' Casting abilities far exceeded those of Level 3 Wizards, and they could sustain their bodily functions purely through Energy. This was what the old man referred to as the reason Level 4 Wizards didn't need to eat.

However, it must be said there's an essential difference between not needing to eat and not being able to eat.

Even if they didn't need to eat, many Level 4 Wizards still chose to consume food normally, partly to satisfy their palate and partly to avoid being too different from ordinary people.

The reason the Guard declined the old man's offer wasn't that he didn't want to eat, but because what the old man offered was merely soaked, mushy black bread.

That was food only the poorest of the lower class would eat. Even slightly better-off craftsmen and artisans would choose to buy white bread.

Given the old man's status, he could have dined on food a hundred times more exquisite, yet he insisted on a coarse diet—not just this time, but consistently.

The old man's reason was that it helped prevent his mind from being eroded by various desires, ensuring he could think clearly at all times.

The Guard was somewhat taken aback by this and also felt a degree of respect. Regardless, he would never follow the old man's lead and eat such coarse food. If coarse food was the only choice available, he'd rather go without, for he had his own thoughts and his own pride.

At this moment, as the old man continued to eat his bread, the Guard waited patiently, his thoughts drifting slightly.

Blinking, the Guard pondered his future path.

Now that he had achieved the strength of a Level 4 Wizard, he was not to be underestimated on the Main Continent, but this was far from the end.

At least according to many books and records, above Level 4 Wizards there were Level 5 Wizards, Level 6 Wizards, Level 7 Wizards, Level 8 Wizards, and even the highest Level 9 Wizards.

Each promotion in Wizard Level would be the unfolding of a brand new world.

After undergoing Life Remolding, Level 4 Wizards possessed the Energy circulation necessary to survive without eating. But Level 5 Wizards were even more spectacular and desirable.

As recorded, Level 5 Wizards could obtain a deeper Life Remolding, thereby achieving a perfect Balance with the external environment, reducing the meaningless loss of life, and significantly extending longevity.

Generally, even a Level 4 Wizard lived to a little over a hundred years at most, but Level 5 Wizards could easily live for several hundred years.

As for Level 6 Wizards, they were more potent.

Not only would their lifespan be greatly extended again, but their bodies would also tend toward a state of absolute perfection, becoming the legendary "perfect beings." Disease would no longer be a concern, pathogens would be automatically isolated, and death would become a distant notion. Most of these beings would only die at the end of their life. Any injuries suffered from accidents, no matter how severe, could be healed through hibernation.

Breaking through Level 6 Wizards to reach Level 7 Wizards, or even higher realms, was almost unimaginable.

According to records, at such a level, the body was no longer the focus, for these Wizards had gained the ability to freely remodel their bodies to fit their environment. If necessary, they could arbitrarily add or remove organs, adjusting their state at will.

Such beings pursued the secrets of the Soul and the ultimate essence of life, striving for immortality, undying, eternal youth.

But records are merely records, or in other words, unachievable rumors.

This was what puzzled the Guard the most and left him bewildered.

No matter how powerful the Wizards at Level 4 and above were in the records, the reality was that there were no Wizards above Level 4 on the Main Continent.

Or perhaps there really were a few Level 5 Wizards, but they had never shown their faces, existing only in rumors.

What did this resemble? It was as if someone had drawn a line over the heads of the Level 4 Wizards and installed a transparent glass pane. Thus, every Level 4 Wizard could see the existences above through the glass, but they could never reach them.

Sometimes, the Guard couldn't help but doubt that maybe everything written in the books was fabricated and there were no Wizards above Level 4 in the world—the journey of a Wizard ended at Level 4.

Such thoughts made him feel a little arrogant, yet also somewhat disheartened.

For he would lose his goal to continue striving forward.

As the Guard pondered this, the dark-faced elderly man next to him had already finished his bread.

The elderly man stood up, nimbly cleaned up the tableware, and placed it in the cabinet on the side. Then he took out a silver coin and placed it next to him, looked at the Guard, and said, "Let's go, Zong Hu," before stepping out the door.

The Guard snapped back to reality, interrupting his train of thought, and quickly followed the old man to leave.

...

Several hours later.

During the middle of the night.

A few hundred meters from the Tomb Guardian's cottage under a tree, a man fainting slowly came to.

He was a slovenly man in his forties, his clothes stained, his fingernails filled with black dirt. Upon waking up, he rubbed his eyes, looked around, and it took him a while to recognize where he was, then he couldn't help but feel puzzled.

"Huh?" The man muttered to himself, "Wasn't I sleeping in bed? How did I end up outside the house? Could I have been sleepwalking? Damn it, that's not a good sign. I've heard from several Tomb Guardians that sleepwalking is caused by possession by Evil Spirits, what should I do?"

The man thought hard about how to deal with this problem but couldn't come up with anything. As his stomach growled, he decided to give up for now and said, "Alright, I'll go back in the house to eat something first."

After speaking, the man jogged back to the Gravekeeper's Cottage and walked toward the cabinet. He remembered he had left a piece of black bread on top of it, but the next moment, he saw that there was nothing on the cabinet.

"Huh?!" The man's eyes widened, and he broke into a cold sweat, "This... this, could there really be Evil Spirits? Not only did it possess me, but it also stole my bread?"

"Damn it, this Evil Spirit, how shameless can it be to steal bread?" After the initial shock, the man felt dismayed, "That was my food for tomorrow, gone, what will I eat now?"

"Eh? What's this?" The man suddenly noticed a shiny object on the cabinet, quickly picked it up, his eyes lit up when he saw that it was indeed a silver coin.

A silver coin!

Although it wasn't much money, it was enough to buy several dozen pieces of black bread.

Could this have also been left by the Evil Spirit?

"Well, maybe this Evil Spirit has some conscience after all," the man thought aloud to himself.

...