Due to Marco's recent attempt to harm him, Lynn decided to move to the fifth level for a while at least until he obtained citizenship.
After all, both Martha and Darwin were already citizens of the Mechanical City and owned their properties.
Between the two, Lynn naturally chose to stay with Darwin, who seemed simple-minded and somewhat naive.
Darwin's residence was enormous and spacious, with multiple floors and an endless number of rooms.
However, to Lynn's surprise, apart from the vast hallways and countless empty rooms, the house was completely devoid of furniture.
There were no servants, no attendants, not even a single robot or puppet.
Darwin spent almost all his time in the basement, immersed in his research on mechanics. He didn't even cook for himself whenever he got hungry, he would simply go next door to Martha's place for a meal.
Now that Lynn had moved in, Darwin even offered him the master bedroom without hesitation. After all, Darwin never used it himself he lived in the basement.
Lynn didn't decline and gladly accepted the master bedroom. He only planned to stay for half a month, and by then, he was confident he would obtain citizenship in the Mechanical City.
The master bedroom was spacious, decorated simply yet warmly, without any unnecessary ornaments.
Meanwhile, Bethany was busy organizing the bedding with practiced ease and meticulous care.
Having accompanied Lynn for two months now, she had already become familiar with his habits and knew how to tend to his needs with thoughtfulness and efficiency.
Lynn quietly observed her as she worked.
Bethany was slender and graceful, her movements elegant, exuding a gentle charm.
His gaze fell upon her delicate wrist, where she wore a brass-colored bracelet a seemingly ancient artifact that emitted a faint glow.
He suddenly asked, "Bethany, after putting on this bracelet and staying by my side, has the dizziness disappeared?"
"Yes, Master," Bethany replied respectfully, gently touching the bracelet on her wrist. "Since wearing this, I've felt no more discomfort. On the contrary, being near you, I feel more energized and clearer in my mind than ever before."
Lynn nodded. "That's good. Fortunately, I found a way to neutralize the radiation I unconsciously emit. Otherwise… I might have had to send you away."
He had no desire to inadvertently harm Bethany, who had remained loyal to him.
Bethany continued adjusting the bedding, her delicate hands smoothing the blankets with care.
Yet, her beautiful eyes trembled slightly, betraying a hint of fear.
She knew that her best fate was to serve a relatively kind master.
To her, Lynn was just that a suitable choice.
With her appearance, even if she were freed, she wouldn't truly gain her freedom. More likely, she would end up captured by someone else and turned into a mere plaything.
So when she heard Lynn mention the possibility of setting her free, she panicked.
She tried to remain calm, but the flicker of fear in her gaze revealed her inner turmoil.
Fortunately, Lynn hadn't decided to send her away, and she silently breathed a sigh of relief.
In truth, when Lynn had initially purchased Bethany and the other maids, it was merely to preserve key evidence.
With the help of Darwin and Martha, he reported the case, drawing the attention of the Mechanical City.
Now that the mastermind behind the incident had been identified albeit untouchable for the moment those other maids no longer served any purpose. Lynn had simply burned them to death.
Bethany, however, had remained loyal to him, so he had originally planned to grant her freedom to prevent her from suffering due to his passive radiation.
After all, as an official wizard, Lynn's body constantly emitted radiation.
Bethany, being little more than an ordinary person, would have faced severe health consequences or even an early death if exposed to it for too long.
Fortunately, Darwin was also an ordinary person.
To protect him from being harmed by the radiation in a wizard-dominated environment, his teacher had prepared various protective measures.
Among them were protective bracelets, available in multiple designs.
Lynn had obtained one from Darwin, which happened to be a perfect fit for Bethany.
Now, she could continue serving him without issue.
Since he had no immediate plans to leave the Mechanical City, having a trusted and experienced attendant by his side would certainly make life more convenient.
It was said that in the territory of the White Wizards, they installed various intricate devices to subtly neutralize the powerful radiation waves emitted by wizards.
These devices not only helped maintain the secrecy of the wizards but also allowed countless ordinary people to live peacefully in a world filled with magic gradually blurring the line between the magical and the mundane.
The great wizards, who ruled the entire wizarding world, explored endless planes, and delved into the mysteries of the unknown…
Yet, they had never completely severed their connection with ordinary humans.
Every officially recognized wizard underwent a fundamental transformation in their very being.
They were no longer mere "humans," but they could not fully detach from humanity either.
The root of this contradiction could be traced back to ancient times.
The highest-ranking wizards, those who had touched the very essence of the wizarding world itself…
They had once modified the very laws of the world, ensuring that wizardly talent was not inherited through bloodlines, but instead determined by innate potential.
This meant that those born without the gift of wizardry would never be able to practice magic, no matter how noble their lineage.
In this world, the child of a third-level Grand Wizard had about the same chance of possessing wizardly talent as the child of a commoner.
Unlike other supernatural races, where bloodline inheritance was paramount, in the wizarding world, lineage meant nothing.
While powerful wizards could still establish great families, their descendants had no guarantee of inheriting magical abilities.
To find a qualified successor, they had to go through countless trials, continuously reproducing and selecting offspring with the potential to become wizards, guiding them onto the path of sorcery.
This system maximized the prevention of social stagnation in the wizarding world.
No matter how powerful a wizard was, their children were never guaranteed to inherit wizard talent, preventing the "first-to-become-powerful" wizards from ruling the entire continent.
It ensured the development of the world, avoiding a system where the strong would dominate, and preventing the early powerful wizard families from monopolizing the fate of the entire continent.
Although the path of wizardry often distanced wizards from familial bonds and their offspring, their focus remained on knowledge, truth, and the pursuit of immortality.
However, there were still some immensely powerful wizards who, despite possessing boundless knowledge and strength, could not shake their concern for their descendants.
They longed to pass on their bloodline, hoping to see their offspring secure a place in the wizarding world.
These wizards were not content with relying solely on natural inheritance. They searched far and wide for ways to grant their descendants wizard talent.
Be it through secret arts, ancient rituals, crossbreeding with other extraordinary races, or even more extreme measures, they spared no effort in trying to defy fate.
However, the fundamental laws of the wizarding world could not be easily altered.
Unless someone could break the shackles imposed by the Supreme Wizards, no one could change this iron rule.
Gradually, those who attempted to alter the inheritance of wizard talent realized that their efforts were in vain.
No matter what they did, their offspring could not gain the talent required to walk the path of wizardry.
As a result, some powerful wizards chose to take a different approach. Rather than forcing their descendants to become wizards, they allowed them to pursue other extraordinary paths.
This way, even if they could not become wizards, their families could still establish a legacy.
However, this seemingly feasible path was soon blocked as well.
The Supreme Wizards, who stood at the pinnacle of the wizarding world, would not allow anyone to disrupt the established order.
Their vision was not limited to a single lineage or individual but encompassed the entirety of the wizarding world.
For a civilization to thrive, it must maintain constant fluidity and prevent the stagnation of social classes.
If a loophole appeared that allowed the inheritance of wizard talent or the development of other extraordinary paths, it would inevitably lead to social stratification, enabling certain families or factions to seize control of the world once again.
Thus, the Supreme Wizards revised the world's fundamental laws once more, forcibly preventing the growth of alternative extraordinary paths.
From that moment on, the rules of the wizarding world became even stricter.
Only those with wizard talent could gain longevity and an unending lifespan.
Other extraordinary paths might grant great power, but they could not defy death.
Immortality became the sole privilege of wizards only by stepping onto the path of wizardry could one reach the shores of eternity.
With layer upon layer of regulations, the path of wizardry became the only true choice for those with exceptional talent!
As the wizarding continent expanded, along with the countless beings in its conquered subordinate planes,
The status of wizards continued to rise, and their civilization shone ever brighter, eventually securing its place among the infinite realms.
...........
In Lynn's bedroom, under the dim yellow light, he sat quietly on his bed, holding a deep blue token in his hand.
The token was not large, about palm-sized, but it felt unusually heavy in his grip, as if it contained an invisible force, weighing more than ten pounds.
It was forged from deep-sea ironstone, an incredibly hard material, and its surface faintly emitted a soft glow.
Around the edges of the token, energy particles surged like tides.
These energy particles varied in nature some flickered like flames, some were as light as the wind, and some crackled like lightning. They swirled around the token like fireflies, radiating a mystical brilliance.
Each energy particle intertwined with the others, seemingly resonating with the token in some mysterious way.
Upon closer inspection, the intricate patterns etched into the token were lines of wizard script.
As Lynn focused on them, the characters slowly arranged themselves into a single phrase before his eyes.
"What you hold in your hands is the future of the wizarding world."
The words carried a grand and boundless power.
Lynn couldn't help but think of the "Creator" of the Nightmare Rift that terrifyingly powerful wizard.
According to what he had learned, the so-called "neutral" cities within the Nightmare Rift were all vassals of that wizard, including the City of Machinery.
As far as Lynn knew, both the City of Machinery and the other neutral cities granted a similar token to their citizens.
"Did that terrifying wizard personally leave behind these words?"
Lynn murmured, a thought surfacing in his mind.
He recalled how, when Darwin handed him the token, he had worn a mysterious smile and deliberately said:
"Lynn, this citizen token will surprise you."
And a few days prior, Martha had also mentioned that this token was the most important symbol of citizenship in the City of Machinery.
With all this in mind, Lynn's anticipation had reached its peak, and he subconsciously tightened his grip on the token.
If a person were a true citizen, their token would be bound to them, making it impossible for outsiders to use.
For example, Martha's token could only be used by her.
Even if Lynn or Darwin held it, they would not be able to activate its functions.
However, Darwin was a special exception.
Although he was a citizen of the City of Machinery, he was not an official wizard.
Thus, by standard rules, he did not meet the criteria for token binding and theoretically should not have been able to use one.
However, Darwin's case was different.
His mentor the Warhammer Master was one of the high-ranking figures in the City of Machinery and had played a crucial role in the early development of the citizen tokens.
As a result, Darwin's token was specially modified, allowing him to bypass the binding restriction and use it freely.
Lynn couldn't help but marvel:
"Every time Darwin uses this token, he has to rely on some special method to attach his mental energy to it. That must be quite troublesome."
He shook his head, pushing aside his scattered thoughts.
Then, in an instant, his mental energy surged from his mind, swiftly enveloping the citizen token.
The token emitted a faint glow, and as Lynn infused his mental energy into it, a subtle ripple spread through the air, as if some hidden force had been activated.
Suddenly, Lynn's expression shifted at that moment, he felt a unique wave sweep across his entire body, an indescribable energy stirring within him.
Before he could react, his vision blurred.
The world around him began to twist and distort, and the objects in his bedroom flickered before his eyes, shifting erratically as if everything was pulsating.
A strange sense of disorientation overtook him.
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