OBS Chapter 148 The Ambitious Plan to Reach the Heavens in One Step!
Chapter 148 The Ambitious Plan to Reach the Heavens in One Step!
Chapter 148 The Ambitious Plan to Reach the Top in One Step!
Deep within the Silent Forest, the dark canyon remains shrouded in an unsettling stillness, with twisted branches and pervasive negative energy forming its unchanging backdrop.
The air seemed to be thick with some kind of viscous malice, and ordinary creatures would never dare to set foot here.
Suddenly, a thick shadow seemed to come alive, and began to twist and stretch unnaturally.
Sean's figure seemed to be woven from the shadows, silently coalescing and appearing without stirring a wisp of wind.
He faced Hick, who stood silently before him, bowed slightly, his posture respectful yet revealing a certain indifference, and began to give a clear and detailed report on everything that had happened in the city of Sel.
His narrative is well-organized, from how Lilith and Hughes successfully succeeded and escaped safely, to how quickly the Tower of Eternity reacted, and how the wizard Holm was cleverly misled, unleashing his deadly rage entirely on the completely unaware and ignorant Eddard family.
Every detail is depicted with crystal clarity and meticulous care.
"That's roughly how things went, Lord Hick."
After completing his report, Sean summarized it with a single sentence. His pale face remained devoid of any emotion, as if he were wearing a meticulously crafted mask.
"That thing" has been safely taken away by the people of the Sanctuary. The Ed family is now deeply embroiled in the vortex, and the entire attention of the Tower of Eternity has been successfully diverted in a completely wrong direction.
It is foreseeable that for a considerable period of time, they will be too preoccupied with other matters to possibly connect any clues to us.
Hick listened quietly throughout, his eyes calm and undisturbed.
He nodded almost imperceptibly only after Sean had finished speaking.
"very good."
His voice was unusually flat, without a trace of joy or praise, as if all the current developments were entirely within his expectations and a matter of course.
"Pass on a message to the old man, telling him to seize the opportunity and expand the scale of the business as much as possible. Join forces with the Moreno family and take advantage of this opportunity to grab a share of the pie left behind by the Ed family after their downfall."
Hick's instructions were concise and clear.
"Understood, sir!"
Sean immediately agreed.
But then, as if struck by a thought, he hesitated for a moment before finally voicing his question: "Sir, what if they—refuse to deliver what they promised us?"
He was referring, of course, to Lilith and Hughes, who had already left.
Once the people have left, if the other party intends to renege on their debt, they indeed won't be able to find them.
"fine."
Hick waved his hand casually, seemingly unconcerned.
"It would be best if they could deliver on time. But if they don't, it doesn't matter."
He paused, his tone remaining calm.
"We weren't on the same path to begin with. If they break the contract, I'll settle accounts with them later. Oh, by the way!"
He seemed to suddenly remember something, and his tone changed.
"Sean, come and meet an old friend."
With a wave of his hand, Hick's shadow rippled again, and a figure slowly emerged from it—it was none other than Sean's former captain, Thore.
At this moment, the faint energy fluctuations emanating from Sorey clearly indicated that he had successfully advanced and entered the level of a formal wizard!
"Sorry! Congratulations! You've finally succeeded in your advancement and become a full-fledged wizard!"
Upon seeing Sorey appear, Sean was slightly taken aback at first, then a perfectly timed smile appeared on his face as he offered his congratulations.
"It is all thanks to Lord Hick's appreciation and cultivation that I have the strength I have today."
Sorey looked at Sean and nodded in response, his tone filled with undisguised awe and gratitude towards Hick.
"Afterwards, Sorey will be fully responsible for the sales channels of all our potions and other special items."
The enormous funding needed for future development will depend on him! Sean, you need to work closely with Tharey, understand?
Hick looked at the two of them and explained the arrangements succinctly.
With a series of near-mad experiments recently underway, especially the almost unlimited energy supply to the dragon egg, Hick himself has fallen into a predicament of dwindling resources.
Although he had almost exhausted all the legacy left by his mentor, he couldn't stop the terrifying rate at which he consumed it!
Not to mention the massive resources invested in the large-scale transformation of his subordinates, the materials he personally consumed in his various experiments were astronomical!
The key issue is that Hick's experiments were far too efficient!
Before consuming precious resources, ordinary wizards always conduct repeated theoretical verification and calculations to ensure that nothing goes wrong before taking action.
Although Hick was undoubtedly far superior to ordinary people in terms of experimental efficiency and success rate, he couldn't compete with the sheer number and frequency of the experiments he conducted simultaneously!
If he didn't find a way to open up new resource channels, Hick felt he might really have to consider becoming a bandit—although that might not be too difficult for him.
And this is one of the core reasons why he instructed Sean to devise a plan to bring down the Eddard family!
Once the Ed family falls, the Evans family, which he represents, and the Moreno family, to which Nia belongs, will be able to rise to power and seize the vast market and resources it leaves behind.
As for why it has to be these two families, and not other forces—as long as others can withstand the same treatment as the Ed family.
Moreover, Hick had already sent someone to deliver a bottle of a brand-new medicine that he had personally prepared to the old man.
He believed that it wouldn't be long before the old man would be able to successfully advance to the level of a second-level wizard with the help of this potion.
At that time, they will barely have a say in the realm of top-tier military power.
Sorey's line is dedicated to selling various enhancement potions he personally manufactures and providing certain special modification surgery services!
As long as the client can afford it, Hick doesn't even mind personally handling the customization.
"Alright, go now. Sorey, please communicate the detailed plan I discussed with you to Sean and get it implemented as soon as possible."
Hick waved his hand and gave the order.
"Understood, sir!" Sorey and Sean bowed respectfully at the same time, then quietly left the room.
Feeling the surging, almost bursting power within him, Hick's lips curled into an uncontrollable smile, revealing an ambitious grin.
"Mentor, your groundbreaking experiment from back then will soon be realized in my hands. But what I want is not your steady, step-by-step approach—I want to achieve it all in one leap!"
Ever since learning of his mentor's groundbreaking ultimate experimental idea, Hick has been working tirelessly in that direction.
What he was waiting for was for the dragon egg to hatch, and forcibly stimulating its growth with almost unlimited resources!
As long as this dragon can meet the minimum standards required for the experiment, Hick has absolute confidence that he can turn his mentor's crazy ambition that he failed to achieve back then into reality!
With that in mind, Hick didn't delay any longer and turned to walk towards the room that Ginny was strictly guarding.
He needs to personally guard the dragon egg and wait for the moment it hatches.
Deep inside, in Hick's laboratory.
The air here is perpetually filled with the strong smell of magical solvents, mixed with a strange, sweet, and fishy odor that is difficult to describe precisely and belongs to the essence of life.
The surrounding crystal vessels quietly soaked various awe-inspiring biological tissue samples, which varied in shape and mostly exhibited unnatural twisting or proliferation.
On the large experimental workbench, draft papers covered with complex energy formulas and bizarre circuits were scattered haphazardly.
In the very center of the laboratory, a sophisticated magic array, constructed from countless intricate runes, was continuously operating, emitting a faint glow.
A magic circle surrounded a constant-temperature platform, on which rested quietly the enormous dragon egg, its shell covered with mysterious dark gold patterns.
It continuously absorbs the pure energy extracted from the surrounding high-purity magic crystals at an extremely slow but stable frequency.
Occasionally, a brilliant but fleeting halo of light would flow across the surface of the eggshell, as if a powerful life was breathing inside.
Ginny stood motionless in the shadows of the corner of the laboratory, like the most loyal and tireless guard.
Her gaze was fixed on the dragon egg for most of the time, and she would only slightly move her eyes and bow when Hick entered the laboratory.
Hick walked slowly to the constant-temperature platform, stretched out his finger, and gently touched the warm yet hard eggshell.
He gathered the powerful energy belonging to a third-level wizard at his fingertips, but then restrained it to the extreme, transforming it into countless extremely tiny energy sensing tentacles, which carefully probed into the inside of the eggshell.
In his "perception," the powerful life inside the eggshell was rapidly taking shape. Although its consciousness was still in a chaotic state, it was already filled with a greedy desire for energy, instinctively absorbing all the nutrients around it.
An ancient, majestic, yet violently potent life force is growing stronger and clearer.
"Still not fast enough—" Hick muttered to himself, his brows furrowing slightly.
Even though he had spared no expense and supplied energy almost extravagantly, the hatching and growth cycle of the pure-blooded dragon still exceeded his initial estimate, making him feel impatient.
He straightened up, walked to the worktable to the side, and picked up a sealed crystal test tube.
The test tube contained a dark, viscous liquid that was almost like a living thing.
This is the "catalytic elixir" that he finally refined by using a variety of high-energy materials, including some of the essence of the previous "young dragon corpse", combined with some magical plants with strange properties in the Dark Canyon.
This primordial fluid can greatly accelerate the life process and shorten the growth cycle, but at the same time, it comes with extremely high risks: energy runaway, genetic collapse, and morphological mutation.
He had previously conducted extensive tests on some lesser dragonborn creatures, with remarkable results but also an alarmingly high failure rate.
Hick's gaze returned to the dragon egg that held all his ultimate plans, a resolute glint in his eyes.
Should they continue with a steady and cautious approach? He's starting to get impatient.
High risk often means high reward.
As long as the core can be preserved and the experimental subject's fundamental potential remains intact, then in his view, any changes in appearance or even the temporary loss of some functions can be compensated for or replaced by other technological means in the future.
He carefully took out a small portion of the "catalytic slurry" and, using sophisticated instruments, slowly incorporated it into the basic energy solution that sustains the dragon egg's life.
Almost instantly, the dragon egg's energy absorption speed increased dramatically! The dark gold patterns on the eggshell surface suddenly lit up, like an activated circuit, and even emitted a slight "humming" sound, like a heart beating too fast!
The life force inside the eggshell grew stronger and more powerful at a speed that could be perceived by the naked eye. However, at the same time, there was also a subtle sense of anxiety and chaotic fluctuations, as if the young dragon inside was under some kind of immense pressure.
Hick observed the fluctuating data on the instrument with a blank expression, while simultaneously concentrating his mental energy to detect the most subtle changes in the life field within the egg.
He constantly fine-tuned the frequency of energy input and the dosage of catalyst, precisely walking on the dangerous edge of promoting growth and triggering complete collapse.
Time ticked by amidst the intense, frantic activity. The energy fluctuations within the laboratory grew increasingly unstable, as if the very air itself was trembling.
suddenly!
The dragon egg shook violently!
A very faint but clearly audible "crack" sound came from the surface of the eggshell—a hair-thin crack suddenly appeared!
Ginny, who was in the corner, suddenly raised her head, her eyes flashing red, and she went into a state of high alert.
Hick's eyes narrowed suddenly. Without the slightest hesitation, he stretched out his hand and pressed his palm directly onto the newly formed crack.
The purest magic, yet carrying the suppressive properties unique to the Fire of Death, surged forth!
Instead of forcibly repairing the eggshell, it precisely penetrated inside, using a gentle yet irresistible domineering method to quickly soothe the violent agitation and discomfort in the life field of the young dragon inside caused by the sudden surge of power, forcibly stabilizing its life field that was about to go out of control.
This process was extremely meticulous and consumed a tremendous amount of mental and physical energy. Fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on Hick's forehead, but his eyes remained calm and focused to the extreme.
After a long while, the violent shaking of the dragon egg finally subsided. The crack did not expand further; instead, it began to slowly heal under the continuous nourishment of energy, eventually leaving only a faint trace that was slightly lighter in color than the surrounding eggshell.
Although the life force inside the egg was still surging and turbulent, it had stabilized again, and even appeared more condensed and powerful than before the catalysis.
Hick slowly withdrew his hand and gently exhaled a long breath.
The first forced catalysis, the most dangerous stage, was finally passed without incident.
He glanced at the pile of high-purity magic crystals next to him, which was nearly half-used, without any change in his expression.
Resources are meant to be consumed.
Any price is worth paying as long as the goal is ultimately achieved.
He could now clearly sense that the little creature inside the eggshell was now much closer to hatching than expected.
Turning to leave the lab, Hick instructed Ginny, "Maintain the energy supply, and strictly adhere to the dosage I've adjusted. Notify me immediately of any abnormalities."
"Yes, sir." Ginny's voice was still hollow and devoid of emotion, yet it carried absolute obedience.
Hick strode out of the laboratory. The dense negative energy permeating the canyon seemed to have a life of its own, automatically surrounding him, yet it could not harm him in the slightest.
He looked up at the perpetually dark sky, obscured by twisted branches and leaves, his gaze sharp, as if he had pierced through layers of obstacles and seen a more distant and grand future.
The ambition his mentor couldn't fulfill back then, that path leading to a higher level of life—he will definitely make it happen.
Everything that dares to stand in this way, no matter who it is or where it comes from, will eventually become the fuel needed for the fire of death to burn.
The chaos in the city of Sel, the downfall of the Ed family, and the deal with the Holy Temple —
In his view, all of these were merely insignificant episodes on this ultimate path.
His experiments, his power, and the future he seeks will all be rooted in this silent forest, built upon the dragon that is about to hatch!
Everything is just beginning! And he, Hick—is destined for greatness!