Magician in Type-Moon

Page 491

If she misses this opportunity, she may never have such intelligence channels again.

"So, what are we betting on?" she finally asked, her tone cold but revealing a hint of eagerness.

Just as Luvia was about to agree, Matou Ike seemed to have noticed the 'secret conversation' and directly spoke up to prevent the 'gambling incident' from happening again.

He blurted out the information as if no one else was around.

Just as Luvia was about to nod in agreement to the bet, a calm voice interrupted the impending transaction.

"The rule governed by the Fourth Law should be consumption."

——Matou Pond.

He stood there, expressionless, his tone calm, as if stating a perfectly ordinary fact. But his words exploded in Luvia's mind like a thunderbolt.

Fourth method... consumption?

Her pupils contracted sharply, and she almost instinctively held her breath.

As a magician, she understood the concept of magic all too well—it was a miracle that transcended magic and went above and beyond common sense.

Even throughout human history, it was a forbidden realm that only a handful of people could tread, and now, someone was revealing its true nature to her in such a casual tone.

Her thoughts were in complete disarray.

She naturally knew what magic meant to a magician.

Even the conditions for acquiring magic are closely related to the ultimate ideals of magicians.

Only those who venture into the source and return safely can become magicians.

Consumption?

This is not just ordinary magic theory, but one of the fundamental rules of magic.

If this is true, what does it mean? What is the true purpose of the Fourth Law? And what does it have to do with the rituals being performed by Kiz's disciples?

In an instant, countless questions surged through her mind.

But she couldn't ask anything; she just stared wide-eyed at Matou Ike in disbelief.

Beside him, Van Fem's smile faltered slightly, then he shrugged helplessly, a hint of amusement still playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Oh dear, how boring. I was hoping to see her reaction, but you just bluntly stated it."

Chapter 551 The Vision of a First-Class Magician (4k)

Matou Ike ignored Van Fim's grumbling. His gaze, like a cold blade, was fixed intently on the ring that Marisbury had conjured.

The radiance emanating from the ring appeared as nothingness to him. He knew perfectly well that the principle of consumption and the Fourth Law were not in a one-to-one correspondence.

Although they both originate from the same source, they are not deeply intertwined.

Recalling the past, Matouchi frowned slightly—the principle of consumption did not just emerge today.

Once, that human king also used the rule of consumption.

Although he hadn't witnessed it firsthand, the incantation, like a forbidden spell, was still vivid in his mind:

"Reverse Journey Along the Canal: The Genesis of Light Years"

It left a deep mark on his memory.

And that person's Noble Phantasm—"The time of birth has come, so let us correct all things"—is inextricably linked to the principle of consumption.

This is a true power capable of manipulating time and space, and even reversing the laws of the real world.

He recalled the description of the Noble Phantasm—

—A band of light that heralds the end of humanity.

These light bands are not ordinary rays of light; they are an entity that has transformed the entirety of human history into heat. If hundreds of millions of these light bands were gathered, accelerated, and converged, they could even reverse time and alter the course of history. This is the power that once swept across an entire era.

Matou Ike nodded slightly, already having guessed what was going on in his mind.

However, to everyone's surprise, the other party actually had the ability to manifest this "forbidden" power through magic.

"That's quite unexpected," Matou Ike said softly, his voice calm and even, without the slightest fluctuation.

But this isn't a bad thing. On the contrary, it's exactly what he gets out of collaborating with the other party.

—To be precise, it was the "cooperation that wasn't really cooperation" that was reached with Melvin in the second game.

The reason it is said to "not be considered a collaboration" is because there was no clear agreement between the two parties. In fact, strictly speaking, this "collaboration" was entirely driven by Matouike unilaterally.

He simply went with the flow, guiding Melvin's thoughts in the direction he desired, so that Melvin would inadvertently provide the information he wanted.

And all of this stemmed from a secret that Melvin revealed to him after losing to him—an alternative use for the Matou family's magic crest.

Anchor point.

The so-called anchor point is not a magic concept in the traditional sense, but a special means of positioning in space and time.

The way this magical crest is used far exceeds Matou Ike's original understanding. It is not only a family heirloom crest, but can also become a mark pointing to the future.

In other words, its function is to pinpoint the future of this world under specific conditions.

In other words, it can locate the pan-human history in which the Chaldeans exist even when time and space are disordered.

The moment he heard this information, Matou Ike understood some of Melvin's intentions.

Although Melvin did not directly reveal their true plans, Matou Ike, relying on his future vision ability and the existing information, was still able to deduce their purpose.

Since that white storm swept the world, the Mage's Association will inevitably investigate it.

Whether driven by self-interest or a desire to control the world of magic, the Magic Association will not allow such an abnormal phenomenon that is affecting the rules of the world to go unchecked.

Once they have the idea to investigate, the vast resources of the entire Mage's Association will surely allow them to detect it—

This world does not exist in the same time and space as pan-human history.

It's likely that the Spiral Pavilion behind Ye Sizhen has already reached some kind of deal with the Clock Tower, and their ability to become Kiz's disciples is probably also related to the Magic Association.

It's simply the result of an equivalent exchange.

Just as Matou Ike was pondering these tangled clues, Luvia's voice abruptly interrupted his thoughts.

"How do you know so much?" Her gaze was fixed on Matou Ike, her tone carrying a hint of scrutiny.

Matou Ike glanced at her indifferently, his expression so calm that it was impossible to guess what was going on.

“The Fourth Mage’s sister, that Grand Puppeteer, is my friend,” he replied casually, his tone as if he were discussing a trivial matter.

Luvia's brow twitched violently.

What kind of answer is that? She thought she had gotten used to Matou Ike's half-serious, sometimes teasing attitude, but these words almost made her laugh in anger.

"Don't try to fool me." She snorted, but only briefly expressed her dissatisfaction before pressing, "What I mean is, when exactly did you get involved with them?"

In fact, given the current situation, even if Luvia were stupid, she could clearly see Matou Ike's attitude, not to mention that she is a talented person.

Despite Matou Ike's elaborate scheme, he only managed to trap the strange spaceship and remained indifferent even after Kiz escaped his control.

Moreover, Ye Sizhen's arrival was too coincidental, as if Matou Ike and they were on the same side.

He was fighting tooth and nail with the magician Kiz from the other side of the sea before, but now he seems to be plotting with Kiz's apprentices.

In her eyes, Kiz, as a magician from the Age of Gods, was certainly not the kind of fool who couldn't see through others' schemes against him.

It's impossible that someone would be betrayed by their disciple after teaching them divine magic.

Based on her understanding of this man, there was definitely something strange about it.

Previously, there were some things that were unclear, simply because too much information had been missed.

Matou Ike remained silent for a moment, then looked back at the ritual platform, her tone still calm: "Don't put it so harshly, this is just a point where our needs meet."

Luvia crossed her arms, turned slightly to look at him, and gritted her teeth slightly: "So, just how much do you know?"

"Actually, it's nothing serious." Matou Ike spoke slowly, his tone calm, as if stating a perfectly ordinary fact. "As far as I know, the Mage's Association has reached some kind of deal with the Wandering Sea, which involves cooperating with Kiz to complete their experiments. As for the reward, it should be this ritual."

Luvia frowned, clearly still having many questions about this explanation. "Then why...?"

Before she could finish speaking, Matou Ike interrupted her: "Don't rush. As a magician of the Clock Tower, you should know that complex magic experiments usually have a strict order of assignment."

Luvia was taken aback, then realized the deeper meaning behind it.

She immediately understood the meaning behind Matou Ike's words: this cooperation was not a simple agreement, but had a more complex structure and purpose.

Within the Clock Tower, many magical families, due to limitations in their own abilities and resources, have had to seek cooperation from other magical families when conducting certain experiments.

Each family has different goals and desired outcomes, so they will allocate tasks at different stages of the experiment.

For example, family A might want to achieve a specific result in the first phase of the experiment, while family B might only be interested in the results of the second phase.

Since a single family cannot fulfill the prerequisites for these experiments independently, cooperation becomes inevitable.

Composite experiments are a product of this collaborative model.

Luvia's expression softened slightly. She understood what Matou Ike meant. This kind of cooperation seemed simple, but in reality, it hid huge risks and entanglements.

Each participating family needs to accurately calculate and allocate the results they want to obtain; otherwise, the results of the experiment may be biased or even fail completely.

But even with this kind of cooperation, it won't become like this...

Luvia hesitated, a look of doubt in her eyes.

Just as she was about to press for more information, Matou Ike interrupted her once again.

"However, the deal between Kiz and the Magic Association will likely be more extreme."

Luvia raised an eyebrow, unable to hide her unease. "Extreme? It can't be..."

Matou Ike nodded slightly, his tone like an undercurrent beneath a calm sea: "That's right. The Clock Tower's pursuit of that stage of achievement can only proceed to the next stage after Kitz's experiment completely fails."

Luvia frowned, clearly not understanding the deeper meaning. Her mind raced, trying to find more specific clues, but Matou Ike's words only deepened her doubts.

“Order is always key,” he continued, speaking calmly as if stating a self-evident fact. “In these kinds of deals, ‘who goes first’ determines the balance of power. The Clock Tower, despite its seemingly vast resources, is clearly not in a stronger position in its deal with Kiz.”

The order is a very important issue.

This indicates who will be in a dominant position in a transaction.

Due to the unequal contributions from both sides, Kiz's turn clearly takes precedence over the Clock Tower's.

Upon hearing this, Luvia's doubts became even clearer—the structure of this deal was far more intricate than she had imagined.