I, a cultivator, have ended up in the wizarding world

Chapter 540 News of the Fall and the Plan

After the kneeling crowd dispersed like the receding tide, the area around the teleportation array finally quieted down.

David glanced around at the dozen or so wizards and broke the silence:

"Ladies and gentlemen, before we officially begin our work, there is something I need to remind you of."

Everyone looked at him.

David pointed to the departing figures of the crowd, his tone earnest:

"You can't be too gentle when talking to these people."

He paused, then explained:

"They've been ruled by the Chaos Cult for three hundred years. That rigid hierarchy is ingrained in their very bones. If we try to communicate with them using the 'equal' approach of the Norn Workshop, they'll be bewildered, and might even..." He shook his head, "develop inappropriate thoughts."

Someone frowned: "What do you mean?"

"They just think we're easy to bully," a wizard who looked somewhat experienced chimed in. "Don't laugh, I've really encountered that. If you speak politely, they think you're weak and start to outwardly comply while inwardly defying you, even secretly causing trouble. But when you show your true colors, they're terrified and beg for mercy on their knees." David nodded. "So, in the initial stages, maintaining appropriate authority is necessary. It doesn't need to be menacing, but you must make them understand that we are the rulers, the rule-makers. It's not too late to gradually adjust after they've adapted to the Norren Workshop's methods." Everyone nodded in agreement.

Next, based on their respective areas of expertise, the dozen or so wizards quickly assigned tasks.

Some were responsible for investigating the overall structure of the plane, some for drawing detailed maps, some for compiling population distribution statistics, and some for detecting residual magic arrays and spell traces.

Jemin and David were tasked with investigating the current situation in this core city.

After receiving their orders, the others each used their own methods and dispersed in a chaotic manner.

Jemin and David then stepped into the city side by side.

The city is quite large, housing approximately half a million people.

The streets are lined with houses made of stone and wood, the tallest of which is no more than three stories high.

The road was paved with rough stone slabs, and there were simple drainage ditches on both sides.

The air was filled with a faint smell of animal manure mixed with cooking smoke—a typical scent of agrarian civilization.

As they walked, the two scanned their surroundings with their mental energy.

"Speaking of which," Jemin suddenly spoke up, "how are the others?"

David paused slightly.

After a two-second silence, he sighed:

"Rex is dead."

Jemin frowned.

Rex... I once worked with him in the Fair Dimension; he's a person who seems cold on the outside but is warm on the inside.

"How did you get there?"

"He was planning to go out and scout during the war," David said. "He was targeted by a level 5 wizard from the Chaos Cult, who used a sacrificial curse. He didn't survive until he was rescued."

Jemin paused for a moment.

That smiling face always comes to mind.

"...What a pity."

David nodded and continued, "The others are fine. But..."

He gave a wry smile: "They're all like me, forced to reach level five out of necessity for survival."

Jemin looked at him.

Level five is already a pretty good achievement for most wizards; even the core wizards at Norren Workshop are only at this level. "Can't keep up with the knowledge?" Jemin asked.

David's wry smile deepened: "Yes..."

"Haha, it's okay, you'll get used to it... just like me."

David sighed, "My physical and mental strength have barely reached the fifth level, but my knowledge is still at the fourth level of wizarding. I can't use any of those spells that require advanced knowledge."

Jemin patted him on the shoulder without saying a word.

The two walked in silence for a while.

David suddenly spoke, his tone carrying a hint of complexity:

"Speaking of which, you're doing quite well."

Jemin raised an eyebrow: "Hmm?"

“I heard,” David said, looking at him. “They took down at least four level six wizards. Two of them were titled wizards… [Hand of Annihilation] and [Illusion], right?”

Jemin paused for a moment, then shook his head:

"Good luck."

He meant it sincerely.

In the battle of [The Hand of Annihilation], he was supposed to be the one to die, but neither of them expected that he would survive.

In the [illusionary] scene, if Augusta hadn't arrived in time to buy him that extra second, his ending wouldn't have been so pleasant.

"It really was luck," Jemin emphasized again.

David looked at him and suddenly smiled:

"You know what? You're just asking for a beating."

Jemin was puzzled.

"He's ridiculously strong, yet he seems oblivious to it." David shook his head. "He took down four Level 6 enemies on the battlefield, one of whom was a [Phantom] who could single-handedly wipe out an entire area during Dimensional Conquest, and you're telling me it's just luck?"

Jemin opened his mouth as if to explain, but then closed it again.

Forget it, it's hard to explain.

David didn't press further, but simply remarked:

"Forget it, you can't compare people. With my level 10 talent, I thought I could level up smoothly all the way, but I got stuck at level 5." Jemin frowned: "You... you call level 10 talent 'only'?"

David shook his head:

"The higher the level of innate talent, the less of an advantage it provides." He pointed at Jemin. "By the time I was advancing from level four to level five, my talent was practically useless. Do you know what that means?"

Jemin didn't say anything.

"It means that my path from now on will only be one of hard work and perseverance," David said. "Knowledge, understanding, and comprehension—talent can't help with these things. Even if I really catch up on my knowledge, I don't think I can beat a level six wizard, let alone those titled wizards."

Jemin remained silent.

He knew that David was telling the truth.

As one progresses on the path of a wizard, the weight of talent decreases while the weight of wisdom increases.

Level 10 talent only allows you to progress faster than others at lower levels.

Once you reach the intermediate or advanced levels, everyone starts on the same footing.

"Take your time," were the only three words Jemin could say in the end.

David smiled and didn't continue the topic.

"Alright, let's split up." He pointed to the towering building in the distance.

It was a typical religious temple, with its spire piercing the sky and its exterior walls carved with intricate runes of the Chaos Mystic Church.

"I'm going to the temple to talk to some of the city's higher-ups. What about you?"

"Let me see the magic array setup in this city," Jemin said.

The two nodded and parted ways.

Jemin ascended into the sky above the city, overlooking the city's layout from above.

Then, he began to use his mental power to perceive the magic array patterns hidden in buildings, roads, and deep underground.

His brows furrowed quickly.

The Chaos Cult's array system in this city is quite sophisticated.

Moreover, its functions are very clearly defined.

Aphrodisiac spell array.

Midwifery magic circle.

Cognitive modification array.

The three elements work together to form a complete "production line" for the population.

Jemin closed his eyes and expanded his perception to include the surrounding cities.

Then it was expanded to the entire province.

The result was the same.

Similar magic circles can be found everywhere.

He opened his eyes, a complex emotion flashing within them.

It seems that the Chaos Cult is the kind of force that only regards wizards as "intelligent beings of the same civilization".

As for ordinary humans... in their eyes, they are no different from native creatures from other planes; they are all resources, all tools. The aphrodisiac array ensures the birth rate.

Midwifery arrays ensure newborn survival rates.

The cognitive modification array ensures that the people will always remain in awe and obedience.

With ample supplies and various extraordinary medical technologies provided by the "Temple," it can be said that the Chaos Cult's population production system operates very efficiently.

Jemin couldn't help but think of the practices of the Norren Workshop.

The workshop also hopes that its human population can multiply as much as possible.

After all, in those planes where everyone has not yet achieved superhuman abilities, the birth of a wizard depends entirely on luck.

Moreover, even in a world where everyone is extraordinary, whether a genius can emerge depends on luck.

With a large enough base, a few super geniuses are bound to emerge.

But the workshop never uses this method.

Instead, a meticulously designed policy system and broader environmental influences have emerged, taking a very roundabout approach to guide the natural reproduction of human populations.

For example, they are well aware of a basic biological principle: when resources are too abundant, the reproductive desire of a group will actually decrease.

Therefore, the workshop carefully adjusts the total amount of resources for each human race under its command, so that they have "just enough" but "not too much," in order to maintain a moderate level of reproductive pressure.

It sounds like it's under very strict control.

But compared to the Chaos Cult's practice of directly using aphrodisiac arrays to force childbirth, it's as gentle as a spring breeze.

In terms of effectiveness, the advantage of the Chaos Cult's approach is that it leads to rapid population growth, resulting in a naturally large absolute number of wizards being born.

But the quality...

Jemin recalled the data from that war.

The combined number of wizards of level three or above from the Chaos Cult and the Tower of Silence is only 50% more than that from the Norn Workshop.

Leaving aside the Tower of Annihilation, considering the Chaos Cult's population is at least several times that of the workshop, this "fifty percent" seems pitiful. "Trading quantity for quality," Jemin muttered to himself, "not entirely wrong..."

He didn't finish speaking, but he already had a conclusion in his mind.

He took out his magic network terminal, briefly explained what he had discovered, and sent it to all his colleagues who were carrying out missions in this dimension. Soon, replies began to arrive.

The findings of others were consistent with his.

This arrangement is found throughout the entire plane.

Finally, after a discussion in the channel, the dozen or so wizards reached a consensus:

Since all the cities in this plane are built according to this "breeding factory" model, why not just tear them all down and rebuild them from scratch? Jemin originally planned to use his alchemy to create a new city for the people.

In his view, this is the simplest and most efficient method.

With his current capabilities, a fully functional and well-planned new city can be built in just a few minutes.

But David offered a different opinion.

"Don't rush," he said. "The process of rebuilding the city is also the process of rebuilding their worldview."

Jemin paused for a moment, then understood what he meant.

If you directly use alchemy to create a city, the people will simply passively accept it.

They might think, "The saints are indeed all-powerful," but they won't understand why the city was built the way it was, much less change their way of thinking in the process.

But if we let them do it themselves...

"That makes sense. Let them tear it down and build it themselves," Jemin said on the communication channel. "We'll only provide guidance and necessary assistance. Let them see with their own eyes that a city can exist without temples, without those statues for them to kneel before; let them build schools, hospitals, and council halls with their own hands; let them gradually understand the value of 'human beings' in this process."

There was a few seconds of silence in the channel.

Then someone replied, "I think it's good, I agree."

Another person said, "But that will take longer."

"It's a mission that's been going on for decades anyway," Jemin said. "A few more years won't make a difference."

Looking down at the city that existed entirely for "reproduction," an idea suddenly came to him.

Decades later, when the city's residents build their own new homes, they will likely look back and reminisce about the past.

Then they will understand...

What are the things that are truly worth protecting?