[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-diary-of-a-dead-wizard":3,"chapter-diary-of-a-dead-wizard-diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-23":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Diary of a Dead Wizard",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1380394,1828,"Chapter 23: The Replaced Visualization Diagram","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-23",23,"\u003Cp>Saul’s enthusiasm for academic discussion vanished completely. He directly took Keli’s meditation book, fighting off his dizziness, and flipped through it from beginning to end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sequence and content were all the same—except page seventeen. He had the Human-Monster Movement  Diagram instead of Keli’s Ten Thousand Serpents Diagram.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Keli leaned in for a look as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why is this page different for us? Hmm…” She only glanced at it before tightly shutting her eyes and turning away. “Ugh, so dizzy… I feel like throwing up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It took her a long while to recover enough to open her eyes again. They were red, on the verge of tearing up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This diagram… probably only someone with your kind of mental strength could handle it. I can’t even look at it for a second.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul pulled his meditation book back and stared intently at the monster on the page.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only someone with strong mental strength would choose this diagram. Then, conversely, is this the only diagram that wouldn’t make someone with strong mental strength dizzy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced again at the Ten Thousand Serpents Diagram in Keli’s book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A string of questions surged through Saul’s mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did someone deliberately swap out the content on his page?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who would do that? Could it be that Sid again?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did he know he’d pick this Human-Monster Movement Diagram? Did he tamper with it somehow?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would continuing to use it put his life in danger?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this thought, Saul glanced at his left shoulder. The hardcover book lay there silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Okay, no immediate danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the meditation books and other teaching materials had been delivered to his door by a maid. Could Sid have made the switch somewhere in that process?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though this diagram had saved him twice, Saul wasn’t confident enough to keep using it for meditation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, kid, your name’s Saul, right?” A First Rank apprentice sitting on Saul’s other side suddenly leaned over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked to be around seventeen or eighteen, towering over Saul by a full head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where’d you get that meditation diagram?” He had clearly overheard Saul and Keli’s conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior, have you seen it before?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior? Heh, I like that.” The boy grinned. “I once saw it in a book. First and Second Rank apprentices use different meditation books. If I remember correctly, that diagram should only appear in the Second Rank edition.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He licked his lips, eyes practically glowing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll give you one credit—let me make a copy of it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted a copy of this mysterious diagram?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul’s hand rested on the back of the book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought of how the diagram had helped him in the lab and of the maid lying on that cold conveyor belt yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I mean, I could, but aren’t you worried it might be dangerous? It is a diagram meant for Second Rank apprentices, after all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The senior licked his lips again. “That’s none of your business. So, are you selling or not?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sell it, of course.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After class, the three of them went to the ninth floor of the East Tower library. There, the senior found someone to help copy the visualization diagram.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul had him transfer the one credit directly to Keli’s account at the registry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The First Rank apprentice didn’t know about Saul and Keli’s agreement. He just gave the two of them a meaningful glance and said with a sigh, “Ah, youth… spending money on a girl.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Keli was so furious she nearly charged over to kick him in the nuts, but Saul held her back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is his brain waterlogged? I’m only twelve!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, clearly,” Saul replied, calming her down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that guy left with his freshly copied diagram, Saul left Keli behind and returned to the library to extend the loan on Grimm's Understanding of Sorcerous Body Modification by a day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of yesterday afternoon’s unexpected trip to the morgue, he hadn’t finished transcribing it. But now that he had income, he didn’t mind keeping it another day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Book renewed, Saul returned to his dorm for lunch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The maid delivering his food this time wasn’t the same one as before—obviously, since the last one had been stuffed under the workbench.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The new maid looked older, and her hands trembled as she handed Saul the food—almost spilling it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her face was pale, and she kept bowing in apology as if afraid Saul would take her life any second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul’s expression was cold as he waved her off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe she’d been scared by her predecessor’s death—or maybe she knew something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul decided to take his meditation book and go find Mentor Kaz.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kaz wouldn’t want the new assistant he just hired to die the next day, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that in mind, Saul glanced at the food on the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they could tamper with his book, then what about his food?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they’d wanted to poison him, they probably would’ve done it earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, once suspicion sets in, everything becomes nerve-wracking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at the food again but couldn’t summon the appetite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m still too weak. I need to buy myself time. At the very least, I can’t let Sid do whatever he wants like before.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Starving, Saul rushed to the second floor of the East Tower to the morgue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were no customers today. The candleholders on the conveyor belt platform flickered dimly as if they might go out at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul stood near the conveyor and listened carefully. He could hear a faint rustling from the other room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked softly, “Senior, no work today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A loud thud came from the other side. After a while, a voice finally responded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can’t you see the damn lights? Talking all of a sudden in a place like this, trying to scare someone to death?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh… sorry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul thought about it. If he suddenly heard a voice in a place like this, he’d probably jump, too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior, if there’s no work, are we just supposed to sit here and wait?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What else do you think we’re supposed to do? If you dare sneak off and screw up Mentor Kaz’s tasks, you’ll be the one lying on the conveyor belt tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul glanced at the dark, stained conveyor belt and obediently sat back down at the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The smell in here was awful, the atmosphere creepy, but at least there were desks, chairs, and writing materials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>S,o Saul continued transcribing Grimm's Understanding of Sorcerous Body Modification.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When you focus, time flies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he knew it, it was nearly 7 PM, and Kaz still hadn’t shown up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rubbed his belly. A twelve-year-old could eat from dawn till dusk. Especially after two days of relative comfort, Saul found himself totally unprepared for hunger again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was already dizzy and seeing spots. If Kaz didn’t show up today, was he supposed to go hungry again tomorrow?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should he go find Kongsha?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then he shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t want to be entirely at her mercy. If he couldn’t prove his worth again, she’d probably make him take that potential-draining potion again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No corpses today?” Kaz’s voice suddenly came from the doorway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul turned around in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kaz’s expression was calm. He didn’t seem annoyed at the lack of harvest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mentor!” Saul rushed over, holding the meditation book that had been sitting on his lap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you have questions, ask fast. I’m in a hurry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mentor,” Saul said, flipping open the Human-Monster Movement Diagram, “this is my meditation book.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kaz glanced at the diagram, his interest clearly piqued. “An Erosion Diagram? You’re just a First Rank apprentice, and you’re using that to meditate?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1265,"2026-06-05T22:22:08.591Z",1,"novelbin.me","ffad38a71fdc0fd0f9921b71c8722b64da6abd79a0d6a48f42ffaa77e48b3346","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-24","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-22",1037,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdiary-of-a-dead-wizard-cover.jpg"]