Chapter 165: 169. Chapter 169: I've laid my cards on the table, just like this

169. Chapter 169: I've laid my cards on the table, just like this.

Laboratory.

Lin Ke strode in.

He ignored the Benevolent Brother Group and Social Anxiety Group, which appeared as busy as a raging fire and never stopped.

Nor did he notice Mo Li, whose mood had suddenly improved, smiling softly, closely following behind him.

He went straight into the office, shut the door, and focused on reviewing the relevant materials and documents concerning experiments and techniques for enhancing witch aptitude.

After winning first place in the freshman Two Districts Grand Comparison, Lin Ke's 'hidden' permission was somewhat increased.

Whether in the advanced archives or the 'credits' redemption page, the accessible materials and documents were far richer and more advanced than before.

A simple search brought up a long list of catalogs on the smartbrain screen.

Lin Ke skimmed quickly, not seeking deep understanding, only aiming to memorize.

One morning passed quietly, and Lin Ke went through nearly a thousand articles and documents.

Even though he was a first-rank witch, with his mental power transformed and his brain further developed, and with the aid of the Brain Seal Technique, he still felt somewhat fatigued.

He rubbed his eyes, Lin Ke set down the smartbrain, paced in the office, and pondered.

To solve Mo Li's problem, merely understanding the various principles of different experiments and techniques for enhancing witch aptitude was still lacking.

After all, doctors treat illness; relying solely on the 'cause' is not very reliable.

One must also start from the 'symptoms' to be comprehensive.

Lin Ke opened the door, had Mo Li pack him a lunch, then sat back down and continued reviewing the documents.

This time, Lin Ke reviewed the causes of disharmony between soul and body and the corresponding solutions.

Materials and documents concerning the soul were much fewer.

With Lin Ke's current permissions, he could see fewer than three hundred.

For the time being, he ignored the permission issue and continued to speed-read.

He paused to rest awhile and ate the lunch Mo Li had brought in.

Hungry?

Actually, not hungry.

Lin Ke can now go ten days or even half a month without eating, relying on magic power to sustain himself.

He's just accustomed to eating on schedule.

People should still maintain some human habits.

Among the people Lin Ke knows, even strong ones like Paro Witch and Selin Witch still retain the habit of eating, without abandoning it.

He called Mo Li in to clear the knife and fork plate, and also asked for another hot drink; Lin Ke ignored her coquettish annoyance and enjoyed being served with a clear conscience.

He does these things not just to wipe Mo Li's bottom.

Now that he's tired, what's wrong with enjoying himself?

"Hmph."

Mo Li bustled back and forth, coming and going, attending to him very thoroughly.

She gently set down the hot drink she had personally brewed, perhaps to regain some dignity.

She pursed her lips and let out a muffled grunt, indicating she was not a maid.

She seemed unhappy, but in fact her heart was blooming with laughter.

The blockhead not only didn't ignore her, but actively sought solutions to her problem.

How nice!

Lin Ke glanced at the smiling Mo Li at the corner of his eye, feeling quite helpless.

He couldn't fail to know that it was his own rapid progress, exerting too much pressure, that drove Mo Li to take risks.

Doing these things, not for anything else, but seeking peace of conscience.

He sipped a mouthful of sweet hot drink, and Lin Ke continued the unfinished speed-reading 'task'.

Soon, he finished reading the fewer than three hundred articles and documents.

Lin Ke closed the smartbrain, took a sip of hot drink, then leaned back, found a more comfortable posture, closed his eyes, and pondered deeply.

His consciousness entered the Sea of Consciousness, the Memory Palace.

The over thirteen hundred articles and documents from two different fields scrolled through one by one.

A quick review deepened the impression.

Afterward, Lin Ke activated the Multithread Thinking state card, limited to 25 seconds!

The computational focus was precisely those over thirteen hundred articles and documents.

With limited time, no matter how superb the computational power, it was impossible to fully integrate and comprehend them in such a short span.

Lin Ke's goal wasn't set that high either.

He merely wanted to gain a decent understanding of the principles behind experiments and techniques for enhancing witch aptitude, and of the causes and solutions for disharmony between soul and body.

Thus, when communicating with Selin Witch, he could speak with substance.

Moreover, he could learn even more knowledge during the process in which Selin Witch resolves the issues appearing on Mo Li.

Speaking of learning knowledge.

Lin Ke's diligence also has another reason.

This sudden promotion, after two stages of life essence transcendence, especially the abnormality of the final stage, sparked Lin Ke's interest in the soul and the connection between soul and body.

Now it's a perfect opportunity to borrow Mo Li's case to gain some understanding.

When the Multithread Thinking state ended, Lin Ke gained a more comprehensive and profound understanding of Mo Li's condition.

He no longer hesitated and sent a communication request to Selin Witch.

As a fresh recruit of the Paro Wizard, Selin Wizard line, Lin Ke ought to have reported to Selin Wizard yesterday after leaving the secret realm and reported his promotion.

However, Lin Ke was too sleepy, planning to postpone the report until today.

But then Mo Li's matter came up, delaying it until now.

Selin Wizard quickly agreed to the call.

A strikingly beautiful face full of mature womanly charm appeared on the smartbrain screen, giving Lin Ke a sideways glance and chiding, "Yo, who's this? You actually remembered to contact your sister—truly feeling startled by unexpected favor."

Right off the bat, she mocked him with sarcastic, backhanded remarks.

Obviously, she didn't consider Lin Ke's contacting her only a day and a half after leaving the secret realm to be disrespectful.

If she were truly angry, she wouldn't speak in that tone.

Lin Ke managed his expression, putting on a placating smile, and explained: "It's not that I was off yesterday—I felt wooden, afraid I'd speak without thinking and ruin your mood. I just got up today and ran into something. As soon as I sorted things out, I hurried to contact you. I certainly wouldn't dare neglect you."

"You pass."

Selin Wizard's lips curled into a smile, she let Lin Ke off the hook, then asked, "You deliberately brought up what happened—surely it's not simple. Tell me, what's the matter, and what do you need me to do?"

Lin Ke immediately turned serious and said solemnly, "Selin Wizard, I discovered this morning that Mo Li is experiencing a mismatch between her soul and body. After questioning her and consulting materials and literature, I found that perhaps her body underwent a drastic fundamental alteration in a short time, causing this…"

"Wait."

Selin Wizard raised her right hand to stop Lin Ke, her tone stern as she asked, "Have you been promoted?"

Obviously, perceiving the relationship and issue between soul and body is beyond what a wizard apprentice can do.

No matter how gifted or brilliant a wizard apprentice is, they couldn't manage it!

Lin Ke replied, "This is the second matter I was about to report to you—my promotion came very suddenly, with some changes along the way."

"Hmm."

Selin Wizard nodded, then decided, "I'll send a vehicle to pick you up so we can talk in detail."

After saying that, Selin Wizard hung up, made some arrangements, and dispatched an armed hovercar to fetch Lin Ke and Mo Li.

After careful thought, Selin Wizard took out an encrypted contactor and contacted the sole party recorded on it.

"What's up?"

The call connected quickly, transmitting Paro Wizard's voice against a noisy background.

"Linke Grand has been promoted to full wizard."

Selin Wizard didn't beat around the bush, directly stating the key information.

"That fast? What happened?"

Paro Wizard was quite surprised and hurriedly asked.

"He himself said his promotion came suddenly, with some changes occurring in between."

Selin Wizard confirmed Paro Wizard's guess, then said, "I've sent a vehicle to pick him up; I thought it necessary to let you know this first."

"Hmm. I'll follow up on this promptly." Paro Wizard first expressed his stance, then added, "He's important to our cause—please look after him more."

"Hmm."

Selin Wizard agreed, then remained silent without hanging up.

Paro Wizard's side also, for some unknown reason, stayed silent.

Perhaps some matters, when you see each other often, can be tacitly set aside.

But since they aren't in the same place, it's not easy to keep ignoring them.

Thus each remained silent, waiting for the other to speak first.

After a long while, seeing that Paro Wizard's background remained noisy yet still no word came, Selin Wizard let out a soft sigh, glanced at the hovercar's location nearing the villa, and said, "They're about to arrive—let's leave it at that."

Finally, Selin Wizard added, "Just leave it at that."

Once her words fell, she didn't care whether the other side felt anything or would respond, and hung up directly.

Putting away the contactor, a flash of vexed anger crossed Selin Wizard's face.

Must she merely stay safe in the homeland, unable to go to the front lines?

Forget it, no anger!

You can't reason with this kind of male-chauvinist wizard.

Selin composed her emotions, opened the villa's gate, and let the hovercar into the courtyard.

Soon after, Lin Ke and Mo Li entered the villa's first-floor hall.

"Good afternoon, Selin Wizard."

"Hmm, you too."

After the pleasantries, they got straight to the point.

Selin Wizard focused her gaze on Mo Li, examined her closely, then nodded, saying, "The connection between soul and body is indeed problematic; fortunately we caught it early, and handling it poses no difficulty or obstruction."

Saying that, Selin Wizard turned to ask Lin Ke, "What do you think should be done?"

Lin Ke had pondered this issue and immediately replied, "We should approach it from two sides: first, eliminate the rejection, clearing the abnormality causing soul and body to separate; second, nourish the soul, boosting its slightly lagging strength to keep it in harmony with the body."

Selin Wizard gave a half‑smile and said, "Looks like you've done a lot of homework. Are you feeling sympathetic?"

Lin Ke, for the first time, did not evade the question, answering frankly, "Indeed, I do. There's no need to suffer this at all."

Selin Wizard glanced at Lin Ke, then smiled at Mo Li and said, "Congratulations."

Mo Li's face flushed crimson, her lips pressed tightly together; she couldn't let herself laugh, let alone worry about propriety, and didn't speak in reply, merely nodding repeatedly.

Having undergone the experiment, she hadn't yet felt any improvement in her wizard aptitude, but instead gained an unexpected delight.

That blockhead actually admitted in front of Selin Wizard that he felt sorry for her; thinking of that, Mo Li felt delighted inside.

Effort eventually brings reward, doesn't it?

"All right, stop clinging around here—let's get back to business."

Selin Wizard gave Mo Li, whose eyes were sparkling, another glance, then led the way down to the basement.

Visual estimation can detect problems, but to confirm the severity and specific details, instrument testing is still required.

Lin Ke and Mo Li closely followed and entered the underground laboratory.

You wait here for a moment.

Considering that during the examination Mo Li needs to be completely undressed, Selin Witch specially arranged for Lin Ke to wait in a small compartment.

Lin Ke directly followed Selin Witch's instructions and sat down peacefully.

Such an arrangement naturally has its reason.

Selin Witch led Mo Li into the experimental area, instructed Mo Li to remove her clothes, and then began adjusting the instrument parameters.

After a period of busyness, the comprehensive and detailed examination ended.

The bodily data came out immediately.

As for the soul's condition, we still need to wait a bit longer.

You also go wait outside.

Selin Witch, while examining Mo Li's bodily data and comparing it with the previous test results, gave an order.

Hmm.

Mo Li obediently agreed, immediately bowed, and said, "Thank you, Selin Witch, for causing you trouble again."

It's fine. Not a bother.

Selin Witch focused on the data and casually replied.

Mo Li tidied her clothes, left the experimental area, came to sit beside Lin Ke, and they waited together.

Shortly after, Selin Witch came out holding two test reports.

Your two solutions can proceed in parallel.

Selin Witch handed the two reports to Lin Ke, then immediately told Mo Li, "You can go receive treatment yourself, or in the form of an immersion bath."

Okay, thank you, Selin Witch.

Not long after Mo Li put on her clothes and sat down, she had to go in again to undress for treatment.

This process seems unnecessary.

Actually, it is very necessary.

Accepting examination and treatment in the nude is psychologically acceptable.

However, unless one has a special fetish, most people cannot accept conversing while naked.

This shows that Selin Witch does not look down on Mo Li's dignity just because she is only a second-rank witch apprentice, but instead maintains respect in the details.

Come on, tell me what's going on.

After resolving Mo Li's issue, Selin Witch turned her attention to Lin Ke's situation.

The situation is like this……

Lin Ke set down the two reports in his hands, sat upright, and spoke solemnly.

He briefly recounted the process after he completed the imprinting of his innate witchcraft, achieving a life essence transition in a short time, advancing to an official witch, and the two changes involving the soul.

After listening to Lin Ke's account, Selin Witch furrowed her brows.

The "Foreign Guest" soul has a certain advantage in the second stage of life essence transition, where the soul is condensed.

This is consensus.

In the third stage, where the soul and flesh reintegrate, it is at a great disadvantage.

This is also consensus.

It makes no sense that 'soul condensation' conforms to consensus while 'reintegration' contradicts consensus.

There must have been some changes that occurred, which Lin Ke himself overlooked.

Selin Witch told Lin Ke her doubts, letting him think carefully about whether he had any experience of enhancing the soul.

Lin Ke's consciousness sank into the sea of consciousness, quickly flashing back to this year's experiences.

Indeed, it let him discover two segments possibly related to the soul, as well as one matter that might have an influence.

The two segments are, respectively, the "touch and insight" when the Silver Star Flower sprouts, and the feeling akin to being reborn that the Paro Wizard experiences at his promotion ceremony.

One thing that might have an effect is the change in the "seed's" licensing rights, along with Flandre's change.

Lin Ke, not being sure exactly how this happened, did not tell Serlin Wizard.

He merely conveyed those two segments.

After hearing the account, Serlin Wizard was shocked, her alluring red lips slightly parted, and she remained silent for a long time.

Is this talent, or luck?

The reason such a promotion ceremony for sages, which confers no benefit on the participant, exists is that when observers witness the descent of the World Will, they have a chance to attract its attention.

Lin Ke is no longer simply gaining attention; he has directly gained its favor!

This gain is no less than that of the Paro Wizard himself.

One in a hundred thousand.

Enviable.

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