Jolod didn't stay long. After catching up with Richard about recent events, he hurriedly left.
Richard walked out of the laboratory and saw Munin wandering around the Wizard Tower. He began pondering his next steps in educating the boy.
Munin was undoubtedly a gem in the rough. Those who could become a Third Circle Wizard were never lacking in talent.
But how to refine this gem into a masterpiece depended entirely on Richard's skills.
After thinking for a while, Richard returned to the laboratory, took out a notebook, and began designing an educational plan.
First, he needed to ensure Munin's body could grow naturally—or at least appear to grow naturally.
This would help maintain his mental health, making future education more effective.
Second, he needed to organize a knowledge system to serve as Munin's daily curriculum.
Looking at the "knowledge system" he had just written down, Richard couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
He knew a lot, but translating that knowledge into a coherent, sequential plan was proving to be quite challenging.
But challenging or not, it had to be done. This was an inevitable part of mentoring a student.
However, this only applied to Richard's own knowledge.
The materials Jolod had given him back then were already well-organized, and Richard planned to use them directly.
Having settled on a short-term plan, Richard closed the notebook. Then, from his Magic Pocket, he pulled out a stack of thick papers.
These papers were filled with geometric shapes and Rune Arrays.
They were Richard's drafts from the past few years of optimizing the Nightmare Gate. After absorbing the Nightmare rules extracted from the twisted flesh sphere, Richard's Nightmare erosion ability had become even more terrifying.
He could now infect beings with higher spiritual power than his own.
Beyond the evolution of his abilities, the influence of the rules Ulysses had mentioned was indeed manifesting in Richard.
While optimizing his spells, Richard would occasionally feel an inexplicable discomfort when looking at certain Rune Arrays.
This discomfort drove him to optimize those specific Rune Arrays.
And the areas he optimized were often the most critical parts of the Nightmare Gate spell.
Richard used his Magic Hand to spread out the papers. As he looked at the Rune Arrays, that same sense of discomfort arose again.
"Rules are truly unreasonable," Richard sighed as he stared at the papers.
While this ability didn't directly help Richard complete his optimizations, it did help him identify the flaws in his spells.
For optimizing a complex spell, this was nothing short of a divine tool.
Soon, Richard became fully immersed in the world of runes and geometric shapes.
Outside the laboratory, Munin, who had been causing a ruckus earlier, finally tired himself out and approached the lab. Seeing Richard deeply engrossed in optimizing his Spell Model, Munin immediately quieted down.
He knew his teacher couldn't be disturbed at this moment.
Ulysses, noticing Munin, flew from Richard's shoulder and landed in front of the boy.
"Caw caw caw, little Munin, what are you up to?"
Munin thought for a moment before replying honestly, "Not much. I just finished exploring the Wizard Tower."
"So, you're free now?"
Munin nodded.
"Good," Ulysses said with a serious tone. "Since you're free, let me help your teacher test your mastery of spells.
If you perform well, I'll teach you something even your teacher doesn't know. How does that sound?"
At this, Munin's eyes immediately lit up.
"Sure, Teacher Crow! How will you test me?"
"It's simple," Ulysses replied with a sly smile. "We'll head to the backyard, and you'll just need to follow my instructions."
"Okay!"
…
A week later, Richard stretched and put the papers on his desk back into his Magic Pocket.
Glancing at the time, his expression changed.
"Oh no, I got so absorbed in my research that I forgot to prepare food for Munin."
Although Munin's soul quality was high, its quantity was still at the level of an apprentice. Thus, the body Richard had created for him was also at an apprentice level.
An apprentice-level body still required regular meals to sustain itself.
Richard rushed out of the laboratory, immediately spreading his spiritual power to locate Munin.
But soon, his expression turned odd.
He arrived at the Wizard Tower's backyard, both amused and exasperated. Ulysses was lounging on a recliner, basking in the sun, while Munin was constantly casting a gentle breeze to keep him cool.
"Munin, what are you doing?"
Hearing Richard's voice, Munin was startled, and the airflow he was controlling became chaotic.
A few small wind blades cut into the neatly trimmed grass of the backyard.
"Teacher, I'm practicing spell control," Munin replied loudly.
Richard, with a dark expression, walked over to Ulysses. "Ulysses, you've got quite the life here!"
Ulysses flew up from the recliner, defending himself with a righteous tone. "Enjoyment? I'm helping this kid practice spell control.
Didn't you see he can use the gentle breeze spell to create wind blades?"
"Really?" Richard continued with a stern face. "I think you're just indulging your god complex and found yourself a free fan servant."
Ulysses chuckled but didn't argue.
Richard glared at him before turning to Munin. "Don't listen to him. He just wanted a free servant."
"Huh?" Munin's eyes widened. "What about the things Teacher Crow promised me?"
"Promised things?"
Richard turned his glare back to Ulysses. "Where's the promised reward? My student's been fanning you for a week. He can't have done it for nothing!"
Ulysses grinned and spat out a wisp of blue-black flame.
"Here, take this and study it."
Richard glanced at the blue-black flame and was instantly captivated.
"Did you completely merge that blue flame with your Dark Extinguishing Flame?" he asked, unsure.
"More or less. The rules within that blue flame were quite fascinating. I only grasped part of it and integrated it into my Dark Extinguishing Flame."
"Rules?"
Richard was slightly shocked. When he had sealed this flame earlier, the Miracle Furnace had shown no reaction.
Could the Miracle Furnace not refine this flame? Or was there something special about it?
Ulysses, as if reading Richard's thoughts, added, "Don't think about using your furnace just because you heard the word 'rules.' This flame is an external manifestation of rules—a pure form of rules itself.
It's already a pure substance. How could your furnace refine it?"
After Ulysses' explanation, Richard nodded in understanding.
Indeed, if something was already pure, the Miracle Furnace would naturally be of no use.
"I see."
Richard summoned several rune chains, sealing the blue-black flame into an icy block before handing it to Munin.
"Here's your reward. Don't let him trick you again."
Munin looked at the icy block in confusion.
"Teacher, what is this?"
Richard explained, "That thing is harmful to your current body, so I've sealed it for now.
When you're strong enough to break the seal, you'll be ready to study it."
Munin shook his head, somewhat disappointed. After a week of fanning, all he got was this? It didn't seem like a fair trade.
"Alright, you haven't had a proper meal in days. I'll take you to the commercial district to pick out a couple of demi-human servants. They'll handle your meals from now on."
"Okay," Munin nodded obediently.
Soon, they arrived at the demi-human slave shop.
Richard draped a Wizard Robe over Munin and led him inside.
Seeing the demi-human servants being traded like commodities, Munin was deeply shocked.
Weren't these all Wizards?
In Munin's mind, most Wizards looked bizarre and grotesque. So, he naturally assumed demi-humans were also Wizards.
Seeing so many "Wizards" being bought and sold freely left a profound impact on his young mind.
Noticing Munin's unease, Richard explained, "These demi-humans aren't Wizards. They're born this way. The Wizards you've seen are the result of post-birth modifications.
In a couple of days, I'll take you out to the Tower of Truth so you can see what normal humans look like."
Munin nodded, though he still felt a lingering confusion.
Why were those born with strange forms slaves, while those who became strange later were Wizards?
But Munin didn't ask this question outright.
Somehow, he sensed the answer might not be pleasant.
After browsing the shop, Munin picked three catgirls with ample bosoms.
Richard couldn't help but share the same aesthetic preference.
Leaving the demi-human shop, Richard also purchased some magical ingredients and basic Alchemy Materials.
Back at the Wizard Tower, Richard handed the materials to Munin.
"Keep these safe. I'll give you a basic Alchemy book in a couple of days. These materials are for you to practice with."
Munin nodded eagerly, tying the Magic Pocket to his waist.
Next, Richard briefed the demi-human servants on the rules of the Wizard Tower before returning to the laboratory to begin compiling teaching materials.
Wizards had excellent memories. Richard could still recall most of the materials Jolod had given him years ago.
Even if there were gaps, he could fill them in with his own knowledge.
At over four hundred years old, he was now a seasoned Wizard.
…
It took Richard nearly two months to compile the teaching materials. In addition to Wizard Alchemy, he also wrote a textbook on Dragon Alchemy.
Dragon Alchemy had unparalleled advantages in material processing. If Munin excelled in Alchemy Machinery, Dragon Alchemy would become a powerful tool in his arsenal.
Once the materials were ready, Munin's life settled into a routine of constant study.
Perhaps because he was once a Third Circle Wizard, Munin showed no impatience with learning.
He quickly grasped and applied the knowledge Richard gave him. In just seven years, Munin had completed all the materials Richard had compiled.
Most Wizard Apprentices would take twenty years to cover the same content.
Richard couldn't help but marvel—even after a reset, a genius remained a genius.
During these seven years, Richard's optimization of the Nightmare Gate was nearing completion. Once as complex as a Sixth Circle Spell, the Nightmare Gate had been simplified to the level of a Fourth Circle Spell.
At this level, even Alchemist Wizards could use it with ease.
Moreover, after completing the optimization, Richard discovered he could enhance the spell's effects using Nightmare rules.
With the rules in place, the spell no longer required a ten-year cooldown for a month of use. Instead, it could be used for one day every week.
Looking at the two-meter-tall, one-meter-wide black door before him, Richard couldn't suppress his smile.
"Finally, I can replenish my spiritual power!"
(End of Chapter)