In the dense forest after the great fire, Crispin looked at the charred wooden house with a gloomy expression.
Just as Richard had guessed, the Meteor Academy quickly located his hiding place based on Lycat's movements.
Looking at the house that had turned to charcoal and the ground flattened along with the vegetation, Crispin understood that the Wizard he was facing was a cautious person.
Beside him, several black-robed Wizards were investigating every corner of the area.
These Wizards wore different insignias on their Wizard Robes, representing various schools from the five major schools of the Wizard World, ranging from the School of Plasticity to the School of Alchemy, with only the insignia of the School of Curses missing.
Aside from the issue of schools, these Wizards moved with a uniformity that kept their feet off the ground, and they wore gloves that fit snugly on their hands.
They looked somewhat like forensic investigators examining a crime scene.
Suddenly, one Wizard exclaimed in surprise:
"Come over and take a look at this."
The other Wizards gathered around the one who spoke, and they saw him holding a piece of stone about the size of a thumb, which appeared unremarkable. He exclaimed excitedly:
"This stone has a trace of Magic Power! That Wizard ultimately overlooked something!"
Upon hearing this, the faces of the others brightened with joy.
A Wizard took out a box from his Magic Pocket and carefully placed the stone inside.
Then they approached Crispin and respectfully said, "Vice Dean, we have found the medium."
Crispin nodded, his expression softening slightly.
"Thank you all for your hard work. Whether we can wash away the shame of the academy this time depends on your methods."
After saying this, Crispin cast a deep glance at the wooden house that had turned to charcoal.
No matter how well it was cleaned up, there would always be a flaw.
That trace of Magic Power was enough for the Cursing Wizard to cast a major curse.
Suddenly, a wave of Magic Power emanated from Crispin's pocket.
He pulled out a Crystal Ball equipped with a device resembling an antenna and found a new message on it.
"The identity of the Wizard has been revealed; it is Richard, the president of the Jorod Trading Association. I personally suggest not to kill him; he released Lycat, and we should show some response."
Looking at Ziqi's message, Crispin couldn't help but frown.
"Reciprocity?"
He stared at the message for a long time.
Without a doubt, Ziqi's idea was indeed correct. Richard had shown his goodwill, and they should respond in kind.
Richard did not want to escalate the war, and they did not want that either.
But he still did not fully agree with Ziqi's idea.
Because he was quite displeased!
After blowing up the Meteor Academy and capturing their Third Circle Wizard, he now had to owe a favor in return.
After thinking it over, Crispin's expression soured, and he turned to the Wizards present, saying, "Everyone, I have received news that the identity of the Wizard who captured Lycat is not simple. When you curse him, do not kill him; just make him lose his combat ability."
Rationality ultimately triumphed over personal feelings; he was the Vice Dean and could not act solely on his own temperament.
The Wizards were slightly taken aback, wondering what kind of big shot could make the Vice Dean hold back.
But they quickly responded; they were merely subordinates and would follow orders.
...
Stepping out of the newly built temporary laboratory at his new hiding place, Richard looked at the gem-like lake not far away and couldn't help but exclaim.
So damn beautiful.
Richard had moved several hundred kilometers away from the wooden house.
He was well aware that his Soul Contract would not prevent the Wizards of the Meteor Academy from guessing his identity.
After all, Lycat would surely clarify that the Black Tower Wizard Academy had not violated the tacit rules between them.
As long as this point was made clear, guessing Richard's identity would not be a difficult task.
After all, among the Second Circle Wizards participating in the battle from the Black Tower Wizard Academy, only Richard could capture Lycat.
Although Richard felt that as long as he did not act recklessly, the Meteor Academy should not kill him, it was still just a guess.
Richard did not intend to base his life safety on an uncertain guess.
This lake was located at a node of the ley lines, and the massive Magic Power overflowing from the ley lines caused the concentration of Magic Power in the lake and its surrounding environment to soar.
Based on this environment, Richard, as an Alchemist Wizard, set up some energy-consuming Magic Arrays.
These Magic Arrays could perfectly cover his laboratory and a large portion of the lakeshore.
Moreover, under such high concentrations of Magic Power, the freshwater in the lake could almost be used directly as a medium-concentration Magic Power solution.
Additionally, due to the concentration of Magic Power, the lake was home to numerous high-level magical beasts.
These magical beasts not only provided Richard with a continuous supply of research materials but also an endless source of meat.
For a being undergoing physical evolution, consuming a large amount of fresh, high-quality flesh was very beneficial for enhancing their physique.
Studying the newly acquired magical beast specimens and enjoying some delicious grilled fish, Richard's current life was even more comfortable than when he was at the Tower of Truth.
At the Tower of Truth, the high-quality flesh he consumed was only the Flame Giant Beast Jerky from New World Island.
Although the Flame Behemoth was a half-elemental, half-flesh creature, it still possessed some flesh.
But in terms of taste and efficacy, it was far inferior to the high-level biological pure flesh.
Even Fire Lizards, which were used to eating Flame Behemoths, lamented that these magical beasts were much tastier.
Splash! A ripple broke the calm surface of the lake.
Kava emerged from the water, holding a fish nearly as long as he was.
Following him, other members of the Wizard Hunting team also surfaced from the lake, each cradling magical fish almost the same size as themselves.
Kava, holding the still-struggling magical fish, leaped from the lake to the shore, grabbed a Chainsaw Sword lying on the ground, and swiftly decapitated the fish.
"Haha, my lord, you are in for a treat!" Kava exclaimed excitedly.
The remaining Fire Lizards followed Kava's lead, jumping to the shore and dispatching the magical fish they held.
The Fire Lizards broke off a few tree trunks as thick as water buckets from the forest and used the dining knives Richard had made for them to fashion them into skewers that could almost be called stakes.
Makar moved the stove used for roasting wild boar to the shore and then placed a few pieces of Magic Essence he had picked from the lake bottom onto it.
In the next moment, golden flames blazed brightly.
The Fire Lizards skewered the magical fish on the sticks, placing them by the stove to roast, occasionally flipping them to ensure even cooking.
Before long, an enticing aroma wafted along the shore.
"Haha, my lord, I'll share half of one with you."
Kava handed Richard a skewer with half a grilled fish, while he himself took a skewer with a three-meter-long grilled fish and began to munch on it.
Richard accepted the grilled fish without hesitation and sat on the shore, eating heartily like the Fire Lizards.
The fish meat was tender, with a faint sweetness; with each bite, Richard felt warmth spreading through his body.
High-quality flesh was transforming into nutrients, nourishing his body.
This nourishment effectively alleviated fatigue and various minor injuries.
After eating for a while, Richard stuck the grilled fish into the ground and rubbed his belly, letting out a satisfied burp.
"Ah, that feels good. This meat is just delightful!"
Digesting high-quality flesh was much more challenging than regular food, so Richard found it difficult to keep eating continuously; he had to pause occasionally to digest.
"Haha, my lord, your appetite is too small. When I was at the second level, I could eat much more than you." Kava laughed heartily while gnawing on the grilled fish.
Richard waved his hand, saying, "I'm a Wizard; how can I compare my appetite to you Fire Lizards?"
"My lord, you are not purely a Wizard, though." Mishan said, her words slightly unclear as she chewed on the grilled fish. "Your Dragon Eyes are not inferior to ours.
Including that scent on you, it's somewhat similar to ours.
My lord, we Fire Lizards are born this way, but how did you manage it?
Dragon Blood is quite ferocious."
Mishan had once been a doctor and had a deep understanding of the structure of Fire Lizards. Richard's modifications could not escape her keen eyes and nose.
Richard scratched his head, "Well, I can't tell you about that."
After saying this, Richard stood up from the ground, preparing to stretch and digest a bit.
But before he could take a few steps, he suddenly froze in place.
He felt a sudden chill run down his spine, as if something terrible was about to happen.
...
In the hall on the twenty-fifth floor of the Core Wizard Tower of the Meteor Academy, a secret had always been kept.
This hall was not open to the public; even Third Circle Wizards could not enter without permission.
Many Wizards suspected that this hall sealed the enemies of the Great Wizard.
The Great Wizard intended to imprison them forever.
But those who truly knew the secret of this hall merely laughed at such claims.
Creak!
The door to the twenty-fifth floor hall was pushed open.
Thirty-one masked Wizards slowly entered the hall.
These Wizards included First Circle, Second Circle, and Third Circle.
But the Wizard Robes they wore all bore a single insignia on their chests—a blood cross.
On the floor of the hall, there was a massive pentagram array. Among the thirty-one Wizards who entered, twenty-five First Circle Wizards divided into five groups, standing at the five corners of the pentagram.
In the center of the pentagram, five Second Circle Wizards formed a smaller pentagram.
At the center of this smaller pentagram stood the only Third Circle Wizard among the thirty-one.
The Third Circle Wizard took an ancient altar from his pocket and respectfully placed it in front of him.
Then, all thirty-one Cursing Wizards took out their own cursed Magic Equipment.
Some of these Magic Equipment were desiccated arms, some were blood-stained slaughter knives, some were rough scarecrows, and some were simply twisted tentacles.
The Third Circle Wizard spoke first, reciting an ancient language. Under his lead, the other Wizards began to chant the same incantation.
They waved their cursed Magic Equipment, their bodies twisting as if they were performing a ritual dance.
As they chanted, a thin mist began to fill the entire hall, seemingly out of nowhere.
Countless fragmented voices emerged from the mist, sounding like the ramblings of madmen or the wails of ghosts in hell.
These voices carried a terrifying mental erosion; an ordinary person hearing them would succumb to madness within a minute.
The Wizards remained unfazed, their voices unchanged.
As the mist thickened into a dense fog, the fragmented voices began to roar.
In the center, the Third Circle Wizard took a piece of stone and a Curse Worm covered in segments from his pocket.
He placed both on the altar.
In the next instant, the dense fog in the entire hall surged toward the Curse Worm.
Under the infusion of the fog, the Curse Worm gradually grew larger, soon reaching the size of a human head.
It slowly crawled beside the stone and then swallowed it whole.
Afterward, its body curled up and became completely still.
The Third Circle Wizard took the worm in hand and put away the altar.
He yawned lazily and said, "That's it, the curse is complete."
(End of Chapter)