21st Century Necromancer

Chen Yu's words startled Misumi Mikoto, but she asked him doubtfully, "But Teacher, shouldn't a mage crave the truth?"

"Craving the truth also requires restraining one's desires," Chen Yu sneered coldly at Misumi Mikoto, evaluating her with a chilling gaze. "Those who do not know how to control their desires will only fall into the path of wickedness. Or perhaps you would like to try what it feels like to become a Corpse Witch, or even just turn into a Lich directly? If that's the case, as your teacher, I can offer some help, such as making you into a mummy. Trust me, with my current skills, you would still be alive even if you turned into a mummy."

"Thank you, Teacher, but there's no need!" Misumi Mikoto quickly shook her head. As a girl who loves beauty, even though her chosen profession does not allow for makeup, Misumi Mikoto was not ready to turn herself into a mummy.

Especially since Chen Yu deliberately projected an illusion of her becoming a mummy right in front of her.

"If you don't want to become a mummy, then control your desires!" Chen Yu became stern, seriously reprimanding Misumi Mikoto. "If you wish to advance further on the path of a mage, then you must learn to control your desires. Anyone who does not understand restraint is either already dead or on the path to death."

"I understand, Teacher! I'll correct it!" Misumi Mikoto had not expected that her relentless pursuit of knowledge would instead earn her teacher's rebuke. Although disheartened, she understood Chen Yu's point.

Just as Chen Yu had said, she was now thinking of concocting Potions to stay awake so she could read more books. It was easy to imagine that if such thoughts continued, she would inevitably feel her physical body was a nuisance and opt to become a Corpse Witch or even turn into the Lich her teacher mentioned, so she could have endless time to study and research. However, if she continued this way, she might entirely lose what it means to be "human."

Perhaps feeling that he had been too harsh and didn't want Misumi Mikoto to think he was making a mountain out of a molehill, Chen Yu then spoke to her in a softer tone, "I'm not against your quest for knowledge, but I hope that you learn to control it in addition to seeking it. A mage's craving for knowledge is endless; we are always probing into the unknown. But the road to knowledge is full of hardships and dangers, and if you cannot exercise restraint and learn when to stop, the consequences are often unimaginable."

I suggest you read the section in the Book of Inheritance about why Necromancers are not welcome in the Multiverse. It details the terrifying deeds of those mages who failed to control their desires.

Turning oneself into a Corpse Witch or a Lich is a minor matter, but to experiment with Spells and acquire corpses, they have committed mass murder, spread plagues, and even provoked wars between two countries, causing countless people to become the victims of their desires – these are the things Necromancers who couldn't restrain themselves have done."

Chen Yu's words truly frightened Misumi Mikoto. She thought about her own possible actions of experimenting on living people to test a drug's effects on the human body and then dissecting these people alive after the experiment, or spreading a virus or plague throughout a city's corners to observe its transmission, resulting in everyone's infection and death...

Misumi Mikoto shivered, hugging her shoulders and rubbing them.

She dared not imagine what it would be like if she became like that, but she knew if she couldn't control her desires as Chen Yu said, she might very well end up that way.

"I'm sorry, Teacher, I was wrong! I shouldn't have indulged myself so much," Misumi Mikoto apologized sincerely to Chen Yu.

Seeing Misumi Mikoto's apology, Chen Yu finally nodded in satisfaction, happy that his disciple understood his point so quickly.

"It's good that you understand this, Meiqin. There is nothing wrong with craving knowledge, but one must be mindful of the means and methods," Chen Yu still affirmed her learning attitude, offering her guidance, "Like your idea of creating Energy Potions to replenish your energy and give yourself more time to study, that is a fine endeavor in itself, but only if you plan and regulate it well, not blindly pursuing it."

"The unknown knowledge is infinite, and while we pursue knowledge and seek the truth, the goal is to make knowledge serve us, not to become slaves to it, blindly pursuing the unknown. Such knowledge is useless because you will never apply it; you just greedily accumulate, becoming a miser of knowledge.

"Just like your question about how to obtain materials for Magic Potions, if you had seriously studied the relevant knowledge and contemplated how to apply it, you wouldn't have come to ask me this question because you would have found the answer yourself."

"Finding the answer myself? But I didn't find the answer in the Book of Inheritance!" Misumi Mikoto responded perplexedly, clearly confused.

She had meticulously perused her Book of Inheritance, and although she had not read the section on Potionology too carefully, she felt she had studied the part about Potion materials rather thoroughly. However, there was nothing in it about how to solve the problem of obtaining materials.

"Is that so? I think your Book of Inheritance should have detailed descriptions of each material's characteristics and habitats, right? Not just that, but also the effects and methods of using each material. If you've truly studied these contents carefully, why not emulate the habitats of these materials to cultivate them yourself?" Chen Yu spread his hands out towards Misumi Mikoto, intentionally saying, "You see, you haven't fully grasped the knowledge you've learned. And have you ever seen mages go out to gather herbs and look for materials? As a mage, you either cultivate them yourself or hire others to obtain them, but hardly ever do it personally."

"Ah!" Having it put to her this way by Chen Yu, Misumi Mikoto felt a sense of sudden enlightenment.

"Now that you understand, you should know how to acquire the materials, right?" Seeing that Misumi Mikoto had understood, Chen Yu nodded approvingly. "Don't say that your teacher is being too hard on you. Go to Ryosen-kun, tell him what materials you need, and have him help you purchase them from other Transcendents. As for what you can't buy, think about setting up a cultivation greenhouse and grow them yourself."

"Yes, Teacher! Thank you, Teacher! I understand," Misumi Mikoto said, smiling happily upon hearing Chen Yu's words.