Chapter 380 Destiny

Holding the seemingly simple substitute doll in his hand, Jemin suppressed the urge to immediately examine and play with it.

The wizard Norn was standing right in front of him; he couldn't be impolite.

As Wizard Norren watched Jemin carefully put away the substitute doll, his eyes showed even greater approval.

He slowly began to speak: "Everyone chooses a different path. Sometimes, what seems like a remote trail may hold unexpected scenery. Since you have chosen this path, then stick to it and walk on it steadfastly. Even the 'fictional laws,' when studied to their fullest extent, have unfathomable potential."

These words, filled with encouragement and expectation, warmed Jemin's heart. He bowed respectfully and replied, "I will remember your teachings, Your Excellency. I understand."

Wizard Norn said no more and turned back to his seat.

His departure immediately eased the oppressive atmosphere in the hall, and murmurs of discussion resumed.

However, the gazes directed at Jemin still carried an inescapable curiosity, occasionally sweeping over his location.

Just as Jemin was about to find a corner to continue studying his spatial knowledge, a silver-gray figure suddenly darted in front of him—it was Viola.

Her beautiful eyes gleamed, and she asked impatiently, "Jeming! Tell me quickly, what are the specific special properties of your 'imaginary element'? For example, its energy conduction efficiency? Elemental inertia? Its affinity for living organisms? Or does it have any peculiar phase attributes?"

Jieming was taken aback by her barrage of professional questions and instinctively asked, "Senior, what are you trying to do by asking these questions?"

Viola, with a "doesn't that even need asking?" expression, said matter-of-factly, "Of course, we want to see if we can use it to make new kinds of potions! Different imaginary elements have all sorts of strange properties. Some can greatly improve the stability of the potion's effects, some can cause unknown benign mutations, and some can even give potions temporary law-like properties! These are the new materials that we potion makers dream of!"

As she spoke, she gestured around with her eyes, "It's not just me who thinks this way, look at them."

Following her gaze, Jemin saw that, sure enough, the wizards around them, who seemed to be talking, regardless of their seniority, were all glancing at him intentionally or unintentionally.

The look in those eyes lacked the previous astonishment and inquiry; instead, it was a mixture of trepidation, anticipation, and even commercial consideration. There was none of the contempt or disdain he had anticipated.

Jemin understood immediately.

For these wizards who transform knowledge into power, the value of a new and unique "fantasy element" lies first and foremost in its practicality as a "rare material".

They don't care whether the law is "fictional" or whether the combat power is "average". What they care about is what kind of experiments this new "thing" can be used to make witchcraft artifacts and potions!

In the eyes of these research fanatics, a "supplier" that consistently produces special fantastical elements may be more valuable than a mere combat genius.

Having figured this out, Jemin felt a bit amused and exasperated, but also quite relieved.

He thought for a moment and said to Viola, "Senior, to be honest, my 'Fiction Laws' are still in their early stages. The 'imaginary elements' that I've generated so far are still somewhat lacking in stability and their properties are rather... rudimentary. They may not be as magical as you expect."

This wasn't entirely an excuse.

While spiritual energy is indeed wondrous, when taken out directly, its most basic characteristics of "nourishing all things" and "energy transformation" seem "ordinary" to well-informed wizards, far less impactful than some fantastical elements with extreme characteristics.

Viola blinked upon hearing this, clearly not entirely convinced, but still insisted, "It's alright! Whether it's unstable or simple, we need to get a sample to study it first! I'll order one, the price is negotiable!"

Her words seemed to flip a switch; the wizards who had been observing immediately surrounded her, all expressing their intention to buy.

“Wizard Jemin, I also hope to purchase some for rune base testing…”

"I'm very interested in energy compatibility, please sell me some!"

"Judging from its previous performance, this stuff might have miraculous effects in alchemical catalysis. Count me in!"

Their reasons were similar: even if the specific uses were not yet clear, the very existence of a novel, imaginary element "fictitious" by a promising new star held immense research value.

For wizards with a strong thirst for knowledge, having an unknown new material in front of them and not studying it is worse than killing them.

From his high position, Anton Buchanan, the advisor, looked down at the scene that had instantly turned into a "materials procurement meeting" and couldn't help stroking his non-existent beard (because he was in the shape of a child).

He chuckled and said to Wizard Norn, "Mentor, I never expected that in this day and age, someone would still be studying the 'Laws of Fiction,' and causing such a stir. I remember that this thing was most popular back in your time, wasn't it?"

The other high-ranking wizards also looked at Wizard Norren with expressions of reminiscence or curiosity.

Wizard Norren slowly shook his head, correcting in a calm voice, "Strictly speaking, it reached its peak in my mentor's era. By my generation, the research craze for 'fictional laws' had begun to decline and was almost eliminated."

Anton Buchanan, the advisor, looked down at Jemin, who was surrounded by the crowd, and a hint of regret flashed in his eyes. He sighed:

"Alas, what a pity for such a promising talent. With his talent and temperament, if he had focused on a powerful existing law, his future potential would undoubtedly have been even higher. Taking the path of 'fictional laws' is ultimately... a case of diminishing returns."

The other high-ranking wizards nodded slightly, clearly agreeing with this view.

After all, it seems that none of the brilliant and talented masters of fictional laws in history ultimately achieved the heights that their original talents should have given them.

However, the wizard Norn simply smiled noncommittally.

His attitude immediately piqued everyone's curiosity. Wizard Augusta couldn't help but ask, "Lord Norren, do you perhaps believe... there's more to the 'Law of Fiction' than meets the eye?"

Wizard Norren glanced down at Jemin, who, despite being surrounded, remained calm and had not been blinded by the adulation.

He glanced around at the younger colleagues who were listening intently and had even temporarily stopped "purchasing," and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Although so far, no wizard has been able to advance to level nine purely by relying on the 'Fictional Laws'—but then again, those who can advance to level nine are extremely rare, and we cannot completely deny a path because of this. In fact, the upper limit of the 'Fictional Laws' may not be as low as you think."

He paused, and under the focused gaze of everyone, continued, "If you have enough ability and good luck, you might be able to achieve even greater success by continuing down this path."

"Oh?" Master Anton Buchanan became interested. "Mentor, what makes you say that? Does the 'Fictional Law' have other potential besides helping us discover unknown true laws and producing special materials?"

“Of course.” Wizard Norn nodded affirmatively. “Besides those laws that were ultimately proven to be ‘real discoveries,’ there have indeed been some laws in history that were successfully ‘fabricated’ in a true sense, and because they were extremely useful and irreplaceable, they were passed down and even widely promoted and applied.”

He glanced at the entire room, looking at the surprised faces: "In fact, it was precisely because there were successful 'fictional laws' that demonstrated great value that the 'fictional law' path was so popular back then."

"Is there really such a law?" Dionysius Spencer couldn't help but ask, as he was particularly sensitive to such matters as a wizard of fate.

Wizard Norren nodded, his tone carrying a profound meaning: "Not only does it exist, but many branches of the current wizarding system are using it, or even relying on it."

He didn't keep them in suspense; he simply revealed the answer:

"For example—fate."

"What?!"

"hiss!!!"

Upon hearing this, not only the lower and middle-level wizards below, but even the several level-seven wizards present couldn't help but gasp!

Fate! It was actually fate!

Everyone present was aware of the enigmatic, powerful, and unfathomable nature of the Fate Wizard.

Their methods often involve causality, probability, and prophecy, making them extremely difficult to defend against and incredibly cunning. They are widely recognized as one of the most troublesome factions.

Who would have thought that the origin of such a powerful and mysterious "law of fate" might actually have been "fabricated" by one or more genius wizards?!

Upon careful reflection, knowledge about fate does seem to fit some characteristics of "fictional laws"—it is not an element that exists directly in the material world like fire, water, earth, and wind, but rather a conceptual law "set" based on complex calculations, logical deductions, and a high degree of abstraction of the laws governing the world's operation!

Viola's eyes lit up instantly, and she abruptly turned to look at Jemin, her gaze so intense it almost set him ablaze: "Could your imaginary element also be related to fate?!"

Jemin felt a chill run down his spine from her gaze and immediately shook his head vigorously, clarifying, "Senior! Calm down! I think you're overestimating me! My fantasy element has absolutely nothing to do with fate! It's just... just a bit of a 'jack-of-all-trades' thing!"

While spiritual energy does indeed have applications in destiny, Jemin can't reveal it so soon.

After all, in terms of "setting", at this stage, he has only just begun to study and design fictional laws.

When Viola saw that he denied it so readily, the excited look on her face immediately fell. She gave a somewhat disappointed "Oh" and reluctantly withdrew from the encirclement.

However, after Norren's earth-shattering explanation, the surrounding wizards looked at Jemin with even greater fervor.

The desire to buy the "fantasy element" in his possession for research instantly soared to its peak!

yes!

Jemin is a genius who has shown such amazing potential at the third level of wizardry!

What if... what if this "fantasy element" he concocted turns out to be the prototype of some kind of law with infinite potential, like "fate"?

Investing a little in research now is an incredibly profitable business!

Even if it turns out not to be true in the end, the research value of a new type of imaginary element itself is enough to recoup the investment!

Suddenly, the atmosphere of "purchasing" around Jieming became even more enthusiastic.

(End of this chapter)