[{"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-537":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},1380858,1828,"Chapter 537: Do You Need Me to Examine Your Body?","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-537",537,"\u003Cp>Saul wrapped his mental power around the dream bell, but it didn’t show any changes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He closed his eyes, activated his meditation technique, and then slightly opened a slit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, he finally saw something different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Compared to the Erosion Diagram, the new meditation technique enhances my ability to observe non-spiritual entities. But I still haven’t figured out whether the dream bell is observed through the monster's abilities or the abilities associated with the twisted light.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Morden: “Judging from Penny’s reaction, I’d lean toward the twisted light.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the meditation technique, he saw some tiny shimmering specks on the shell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, he thought it was a kind of pearlescence. After careful observation, he concluded it was probably scale dust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could it be butterfly scales?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Morden: “But Master, your Nightmare Butterfly doesn’t produce scale dust.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Penny finally popped up at this moment. “Actually, I do. It’s just that after entering the diary, my form underwent some changes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Penny sounded a bit shy. “I think I became the diary’s bookmark.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bookmark?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was indeed the case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since Penny tried to peek into Saul’s lost memories and was taken away and saved by the diary, her form had been fundamentally different from a regular Nightmare Butterfly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Penny, why are you afraid of this dream bell?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t really explain. Just… seeing it irritates me. Hearing it makes me anxious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herman: “Do you even have a heart?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Penny snapped, “I do have a heart!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul put the dream bell into the storage device. “How about now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, Penny finally flew out from the diary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a bit better… but I still feel uneasy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, Saul noticed the dream bell in the storage device was growing unstable, as if it had sensed Penny’s presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could Wizard Dodge have also noticed Penny’s existence? He didn’t react much at the time, just left in a hurry… But that lack of reaction is the most suspicious part.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Penny, go back to the diary. Don’t come out until I uncover the dream bell’s secret.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay!” Without any hesitation, Penny dove back in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, she loved flying around, but now she was so scared that she retreated immediately—this only made the dream bell’s peculiarity more evident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ann: “The dream bell’s owner is Third-Rank Wizard Clark. His title here is the Dreammaker. Maybe the ‘dream’ also refers to the Nightmare Butterfly’s dream.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herman: “That’s troublesome… What if the reinforcement Dodge went to fetch is Clark himself?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that moment, Saul and the consciousnesses in the diary all fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a Third-Rank Wizard really was coming…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knock knock knock!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, someone knocked on the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that steady rhythm, Saul didn’t even need to guess—it had to be the butler, Hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon receiving permission, Hope entered with a tray in his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord Tower Master, it’s time for your meal. This dinner is tailored to your physical condition.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The utensils on the tray were exquisite, though the food looked… unappetizing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More like dark cuisine, really.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Saul stare at the dinner without picking up the utensils, Hope smiled and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Apologies, Master. Cooking isn’t my strong suit, but I’ll select a proper chef for you as soon as possible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forget it.” Saul picked up the bowl and plate and shoveled the food into his mouth in two swift bites. The taste was as strange as expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He placed the empty dishes back on the tray, moved his throat to send the food straight down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need to bother with cooking—just extract the nutrients and energy directly. I’m not picky.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noticing Saul’s reluctant expression, the butler bowed slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My sincerest apologies. If we turn it into a nutrient potion, what flavor would you prefer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul opened his mouth, paused for two seconds, then said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Preferably something like plain water.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hope straightened up, as if receiving a solemn and difficult task, and placed a hand on his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I shall do my best.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The food came from me, but where did these utensils come from?” Saul asked, interested in the bowls and tray before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d wandered the tower earlier and hadn’t seen miscellaneous items like these.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hope bowed again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re made from excess materials generated during the growth of the wizard tower. I simply refined them a bit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he glanced around the empty room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If Lord Tower Master does not mind, may I tidy up this room for you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul stood up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This room had nothing in it—how would one even tidy it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could ask, he suddenly sensed a mental power ripple coming through the fog from afar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone was sending him a request for an audience from outside Lake Rhine?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be Dodge returning?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, the mental ripple was very stable, and seemed deliberately transmitted using witchcraft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t sense hostility from this mental presence… Could it be a client of Dodge’s?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul had only taken over Lake Rhine less than a day ago. Even if Dodge had spread the news after leaving, few would know about the change this soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Night had fallen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The once gray fog now looked almost pure white under the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul put on his wide cloak and stepped onto the black raft, gliding forward in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The deep lake waters occasionally washed over the raft’s surface, bringing a chill that pierced to the bone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lakeshore gradually came into view—a short man, likely less than 1.2 meters tall, stood by the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On his back was a massive bundle of luggage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The luggage was twice the man’s height and three meters wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It consisted of several parcels and wooden boxes, tightly bound together with ropes as thick as a forearm. The whole thing looked precariously close to falling apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man initially looked at the lake with a smile, but his expression changed the moment he saw someone other than Dodge approach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That change, however, lasted only a blink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next second, he wore an enthusiastic grin once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know your name yet, but I have a feeling we’re going to be good friends.” The short man tightened the straps on his shoulders, causing the massive luggage to sway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m Saul. I just bought all of Lake Rhine from Wizard Dodge. If you’re here to see him, I’m afraid you’ve made the trip for nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The short man gripped his shoulder straps tightly and beamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whoever owns Lake Rhine, that’s who I’m here for. Oh! I haven’t introduced myself—my name is Jiajia Gu. I’m the most renowned traveling merchant in the Borderland. I came to Lake Rhine to purchase a few complete soul bodies. I wonder if Lord Saul is willing to sell the wraiths in the lake, like Wizard Dodge did?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Jiajia Gu posed the question, deep down he didn’t think Saul would say no.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every wizard who claimed Lake Rhine did so for the wraiths within and the materials they could be exchanged for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, this isolated, resource-lacking place would never attract so many wizards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Saul’s reply left Jiajia Gu momentarily stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry, I’m afraid you really did come for nothing. I have no intention of selling the wraiths in Lake Rhine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiajia Gu’s smile grew a bit forced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you sure you won’t sell? But if not, what would you do with them? Even if you're a dark-element wizard, you can’t use that many wraiths. The pollution buildup from such use isn’t easy to manage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Saul were a wizard nearing the end of his life, using vast numbers of wraiths to quickly boost mental and magical strength in a bid to delay death…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That Jiajia Gu could at least understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Saul clearly had strong life force, and didn’t show obvious signs of pollution—a young wizard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why sit on such a treasure trove?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What, was he going to just look at the wraiths every day to grow stronger?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Jiajia Gu still wore a smile, he was already pondering whether to rally other dark-element wizards to seize Lake Rhine and reopen the market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Jiajia Gu mentally pronounced a death sentence on Saul, the man across from him suddenly spoke again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though I won’t be selling wraiths, since you’ve come to the Purifier Wizard Tower, would you like me to examine your pollution levels?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul smiled warmly, launching the first marketing pitch of his newly opened business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul: Never miss a marketing opportunity!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1405,"2026-06-05T22:22:21.061Z",1,"novelbin.me","20a4856449f660400d24a30b39c1858d87aac0975d8ce7b2d1be63ef0ef7f0da","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-538","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-536",1037,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdiary-of-a-dead-wizard-cover.jpg"]