After waiting so long, Xu Zhi was finally ready to integrate his first gene.
He skipped Gilgamesh's gene from before, uninterested in its brute strength. Although powerful—far surpassing the witches' current abilities—it was also monotonous and impractical for his needs.
But sorcery was different. He was particularly intrigued by the strange mental powers, especially the Eldritch Eye's unique charm and seduction ability, which would prove extremely useful in modern society.
Xu Zhi clearly understood that the witches' current power was nowhere near Gilgamesh's, but their potential for diverse future development vastly exceeded his.
The hive mind's mechanical voice resonated within his mind:
"Integrate Eldritch Eye gene?"
"Yes!" Xu Zhi inhaled deeply, expression grave.
"Integration commencing. Prepare yourself."
Without hesitation, Xu Zhi lay back onto his bed. A sudden, violent pain tore through his body.
Truthfully, that ridiculous player AutumnMountainSpeed deserved immense credit this time.
After all, he had evolved the Eldritch Eye in the sandbox—a creature that had become the cornerstone of the witches' extraordinary civilization. Based on the Eldritch Eye gene, countless forms of sorcery and meditation had emerged, including Cersei's infamous dark practices with its tentacles for private satisfaction. It was indeed versatile.
And now, Xu Zhi himself was integrating this Eldritch Eye gene into his own body.
AutumnMountainSpeed had truly opened up a brand-new age of civilization. Xu Zhi had even considered removing a certain grudge from his little notebook against that absurd player.
Half an hour later, Xu Zhi finally sat up, breathing deeply. His spirit felt extraordinarily powerful, yet dangerously volatile. The newly adjusted genetic chain appeared clearly in his mind:
1.Human Gene (Cancerous Cells)
2.Eldritch Eye Gene
3.Empty
4.Empty
5.Empty
"Is this the Eldritch Eye's side effect? A darkness that awakens evil impulses..."
Xu Zhi fought to calm his surging heart, suddenly understanding how Cersei must have felt. His lower abdomen was aflame with desire, so intense he could hardly control himself around any female presence.
Suppressing his urges, he began practicing the witches' meditation methods.
"A Wizard's Basic Meditation and Entry-level Techniques."
He sat cross-legged on the bed, breathing evenly and sinking into meditation. Despite repeated attempts, he initially failed, frustrated by a lack of guidance.
He realized the problem immediately: without a teacher, meditation was nearly impossible to grasp. The witches always had personal guidance from their mentors, yet he had no one to guide him and dared not consult the Three Witches in the sandbox, leaving him helplessly stuck.
"Guess I'll have to learn secretly."
After nearly half a day of bitter trial and error, Xu Zhi finally stumbled into the correct approach.
After successfully meditating, he discovered something incredible. Having absorbed the spiritual power released from three cataclysmic mass-extinction events—the deaths of countless creatures—his own spiritual energy was unimaginably potent. The strength of his foundation was unparalleled, and his progress felt extraordinarily rapid.
"At this rate, within three days I'll reach the apprentice-wizard stage and can begin practicing the simplest spells."
He breathed a sigh of relief, excitement stirring within. "Soon, I'll truly become a wizard—the first wizard in the real world!"
Ordinary people could never cultivate magic, since they lacked the corresponding genetic basis. Xu Zhi, however, had integrated the specially evolved Eldritch Eye gene, opening the door to this extraordinary path.
He—just a simple farmer tending his orchard—was pioneering humanity's first path toward transcendence. The sandbox worlds were merely laboratories to test new possibilities, and once successful, he would follow in their footsteps.
It was still unclear how powerful he might become, but his future was undoubtedly bright.
"Earth has never known true supernatural powers or cultivation methods. I'll be the one to slowly establish it step by step, right here in my orchard yard." Xu Zhi smiled calmly, adjusting his plans accordingly. "Next, I'll introduce new transcendent species to further enrich and complete the sandbox's wizard civilization."
If AutumnMountainSpeed's Eldritch Eye alone had already produced so many surprises, what wonders might other extraordinary species yield? Xu Zhi eagerly anticipated it.
Early the next morning, around six o'clock, Xu Zhi glanced toward the main sandbox. Another fifty years had passed, and several major events had unfolded, giving him a complicated and troubled expression.
In Babylon Year 146:
The two guardian witches, Medeia and Cassandra, discovered traces of Cersei's dark coven deep within the Balchik Mountains. They mobilized the entire kingdom, attacking fiercely in an attempt to eradicate her. The resulting war severely weakened both sides.
In Babylon Year 154:
Cassandra's voice of ecstatic realization echoed from Babylon's royal palace, reaching every river and mountain:
"So that's it! That's the secret—the miraculous fusion and equivalent exchange! One substance delights another, one counters another, one dominates another—this is alchemy's ultimate truth!"
Cassandra, the Spring Witch, mistress of herbs and alchemical mysteries, finally produced several foundational alchemical medicines. Most significantly, she created the "Witch Compatibility Potion," significantly reducing rejection rates and mortality among women ingesting Eldritch Eye blood. This led to an explosive increase in witches, ushering in the "Golden Age of Witches."
In Babylon Year 167:
Medeia and Cassandra again hunted Cersei but returned empty-handed. That same year, they both showed signs of aging, leaving them deeply shaken.
In Babylon Year 171:
Following ancient records in the Epic of Genesis, Cassandra successfully recreated the longevity potion originally devised under Gilgamesh's reign, extending their lifespans.
In Babylon Year 198:
Despite their best efforts, Medeia and Cassandra succumbed to the ravages of time. At the advanced age of 243, their lives were drawing to a close.
On the grand, sunlit stone plaza before Babylon's royal palace stood a towering statue, carved to honor the great god of wisdom, Hermes—a faceless yet perfect male figure, upon whose shoulder perched a mysterious three-eyed black raven gazing into the distance.
Engraved nearby were ancient inscriptions narrating history:
"The great Mercury, divine being incarnate as a strange three-eyed raven, descended from heaven and granted the Babylonians three profound truths—Meditation, Sorcery, and Alchemy. The God of Wisdom was henceforth honored as Hermes Trismegistus, the Thrice-Great, the legendary Mercury-Thoth."
Two majestic black Alara-beasts stopped in front of the statue, pulling an ornate black carriage. From it emerged two beautiful women carrying ancient wooden staffs. Their beauty remained youthful due to sorcery, yet their eyes revealed deep sorrow. Though physically young, they could not escape inevitable death.
The two legendary witches, who had opened an era, approached the temple dedicated to Hermes. They halted their steps, tears filling their eyes, trembling with emotion as they gazed upon the statue of their great benefactor.
"Great Hermes, God of Wisdom, we've come to see you again."
Their voices were soft, carrying gratitude and profound respect, tinged with an unspoken sadness of farewell.