Chapter 736: Chapter 624: Aberrations and Restrictions (Part 2)

But what truly caught Jeming’s attention was that, unlike other Eighth Level Wizards he had met, he could not sense this person’s presence at all.

Oston was clearly standing on the platform, only a few dozen meters away, yet Jeming couldn’t capture any information about this person.

No, it’s even more thorough than that.

"Power projection, or perhaps a clone?" Jeming thought to himself, "Seems like there’s something keeping him occupied temporarily."

An Eighth Level Wizard’s power level is well established; unless there are specific hidden laws or deliberate concealment, their presence could never reach such an effect.

Jeming couldn’t even confirm whether Oston was looking at him.

The man’s gaze was as bland as a glass of water, lacking any focus, yet seemingly observing everyone present simultaneously.

"Ladies and gentlemen."

Oston began to speak.

The voice wasn’t loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of every Wizard present, as if he were speaking right next to you.

The platform instantly fell silent.

"Thank you all for responding to my bounty." Oston’s tone was very flat, without courtesy or small talk, as if stating a fact unrelated to himself, "Before I explain the mission, I need to confirm one thing..."

He paused, his light blue eyes sweeping across the room.

"You should all have noticed, my plane is rather... exquisite. In the upcoming task, I hope everyone will remember this."

These words were spoken lightly, but Jeming keenly caught the implicit warning within.

Oston said nothing more, but an Eighth Level Grand Mage standing there was the strongest deterrent in itself.

No one would be foolish enough to cause trouble in a private plane of an Eighth Level existence.

"Now, to the main topic."

Oston raised his hand with a wave, a massive three-dimensional projection appeared above the platform, showcasing the structure map of a certain plane.

"A few years ago, while I was campaigning in a plane, a little incident occurred."

He spoke lightly, but something that an Eighth Level Grand Mage would describe as an "incident," Jeming didn’t believe was truly so simple.

"That plane was pierced open creating a breach, which should have quickly repaired itself. But in the brief time the breach existed, several special rule phenomena seeped through, infecting my... backyard."

When Oston mentioned "backyard," Jeming clearly sensed a subtle change in his tone.

If earlier he had been stating the task background as a matter of routine, then mentioning "backyard," this Eighth Level Grand Mage finally showed a hint of... heartache.

"It’s the plane we are currently in."

Oston’s gaze swept over the crowd, his tone remained calm, but what was hidden beneath that calm caused all present Wizards to instinctively tighten their spirits.

"What I need you to do is, without damaging this plane and without affecting the normal survival of creatures on it, to find those special rule phenomena that seeped in and deal with them."

The projection screen switched, displaying several twisted, indescribable strange forms.

Those things had no fixed shapes, with colors constantly shifting beyond the visible spectrum, and just by glancing at the projection, Jeming felt his Spiritual Power slightly itch.

"These special rule phenomena are the native products of the plane I am currently campaigning. They are deeply linked to laws, and to some extent can be viewed as ’animated pathological rules.’"

"According to the local natives’ nomenclature, this special phenomena are called ’strangeness’."

Oston’s explanation was concise and precise.

"They possess research value themselves—this is one of your rewards. The strangeness you manage to resolve can be kept as trophies. Besides that, upon task completion, I will open the entrance to the strangeness plane. You can go there under the premise of not disrupting the overall structure of the plane to capture, handle, and study those strangeness."

Jeming sensed a slight commotion in the surrounding air.

To Wizards... especially High Tier Wizards, an unknown special existence deeply connected to laws is irresistibly alluring.

Wizards are inherently researchers and seekers of knowledge, driven by a desire to unravel mysteries, a passion ingrained in every Wizard’s Soul.

"However."

Oston spoke these two words lightly, like a cold shower on everyone’s enthusiasm.

"I have three restrictions."

He raised one finger.

"First, no large-scale destruction of my plane is allowed. The flowers, plants, trees, mountains, and rivers here, I’ve meticulously cultivated over a long time. Whoever blows a crater into my garden..."

He didn’t say what the consequences would be, merely smiled lightly.

That smile left the Wizards present collectively silent for a moment.

"Second, this plane is inhabited by many ordinary people. When resolving the strangeness, you must spare their survival as much as possible. I do not accept reports of massive civilian casualties."

Oston’s tone became more serious here.

"I know many of you here might be accustomed to giving free rein on the battlefield, but this is not a battlefield, it’s my home."

"Though they may lack power, these ordinary people are still citizens of Wizard Civilization. Should your actions lead to their mass death, even without me intervening, the public contract will have consequences for you."

These words were straightforward, but none of the Wizards present voiced any objections.

The public contract is not a joke.

It’s the bottom line rule that has sustained the Wizard Civilization for countless years, and anyone who breaches it shall face penalties.

Even an Eighth Level Grand Mage wouldn’t dare challenge the authority of the public contract.

"Third." Oston raised a third finger, "Considering the first two limitations, the energy output during your mission will be greatly restricted."

He snapped his fingers.

Jeming immediately felt an invisible force envelop the entire plane.

It seemed to be a kind of... "constraint."

Like a room with a "no loud noise" sign, not pinning you down preventing movement, but making you realize there are certain things you can’t do here.

"Specifically, any single output exceeding the Third Level upper limit of witchcraft will be automatically intercepted by rules I’ve set." Oston explained, "Of course, I hope you all understand, this isn’t targeting anyone, but to protect this plane."

A low hum of discussion arose across the platform.

Jeming could understand the reaction of those High Tier Wizards.

For beings accustomed to "rule cleansing, evaporating continents," restricting output to below the Third Level feels like an experienced Star Destroyer pilot suddenly made to tweeze ants.

Frustrating.

Very frustrating.

Yet, looking at the surreal beauty of this miniature glass garden, and the Eighth Level Grand Mage standing there, no one dared utter "no".

Jeming felt nothing about it.

One could even say that having energy output limited was an advantage for him.

Those High Tier Wizards accustomed to grandiose gestures would find it considerably uncomfortable even employing modified physical strength, they’d be restrained.

Thanks to the Cultivation Immortality System, Jeming excelled in self-control, which allowed him to leverage his advantages.

Oston waited a few seconds for the Wizards to digest this information before continuing.

"If you have no objections, the task begins now. I will send detailed maps of this plane to your private channels, with suspicious strangeness regions already marked. You can freely form teams or act alone. Trophies belong to the discoverers, I won’t take a cut."

He paused, corners of his mouth slightly upturned in a semblance of a "smile."

"Good luck to you all."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Wizards on the platform dispersed.

Some immediately formed teams and left, others turned into streaks of light flying towards the distance, while some remained to study the map leisurely.

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