Chapter 407 The Value of the Star Map (Patreon)

Chapter 407 The Value of the Star Map

"Light of Equilibrium..."

Upon hearing the missing material Richard mentioned, Jimmy fell into silence.

He pulled out a Magic Book from his pocket and wrote down the name "Light of Equilibrium" with a quill.

After a while, Jimmy looked up and asked, "How much Light of Equilibrium do you need?"

Richard made a rough estimate in his mind. "I'm not sure. But I’d guess around a thousand units."

"A thousand units..." Jimmy frowned slightly. "That’s too much. Even if you add up the value of all these puppets, it still wouldn’t cover the cost of a thousand units of Light of Equilibrium.

"This thing is a specialty of the Balance Dimension and the source of the Libra Lord’s power. A thousand units is almost equivalent to a minor Libra Lord.

"Besides, you don’t just need the Light of Equilibrium—you also want to trade for the Great Wizard’s opportunity to craft a staff.

"Change your terms, or come up with a different plan."

"Change the terms..." Richard pondered for a moment before shaking his head slightly. "Other than this, I don’t have any other plans for now.

"But if I were to alter my plan and settle for something mediocre, I’d probably regret it for ten thousand years."

"Then this is quite the dilemma."

Jimmy scratched his head in frustration. When it came to negotiations, he hated dealing with people like Richard, who weren’t short on funds.

If Richard weren’t a faculty member of the academy, Jimmy might have resorted to some underhanded tactics to close the deal.

But Richard was one of their own.

When dealing with insiders, one couldn’t use shady methods—it was a matter of principle.

Violating that principle would mean expulsion from the academy, no matter how much Grand Wizard Galon favored him.

"How about this—what if I lease it to the academy?" Richard suddenly suggested. "That way, the academy would only need to pay in Magic Essence."

Jimmy was taken aback, then immediately brightened. "That could work."

If outright purchase wasn’t feasible, leasing was a viable alternative.

After all, what the academy needed was its combat capability. As for research, the Alchemist Wizards of Galon Wizard Academy were all from the Flesh Faction—studying this would be a sheer waste.

Seeing Jimmy’s approval, Richard smiled. "Shall we discuss the specifics of the lease contract back in the Wizard World?"

"Agreed," Jimmy replied.

Richard clapped his hands. "Then it’s settled for now. Actually, this is a good opportunity—I also have something else I’d like to trade with the academy."

"Oh? What is it?" Jimmy asked curiously.

Aside from these Lost Ones puppets, he couldn’t imagine what else Richard had that would be valuable enough for a trade with the academy.

Richard placed a projection Crystal Ball on the table and flicked his finger, causing the ball to project a three-dimensional image.

Within the image were several bright points that, when connected, resembled a simple rune.

Jimmy stared at the image, baffled.

"What is this? A rune? A Magic Array?"

Richard shook his head. "Master, if you can’t make sense of it, perhaps we should have the Dean take a look."

"Oh? Is this thing so profound that only the Dean can decipher it?" Jimmy’s interest was instantly piqued. "Think carefully—though the Dean is easygoing, he’s not someone you can summon and dismiss at will.

"If you’re just bluffing, you’re in for a world of trouble."

Richard gave a mysterious smile as he leaned back in his chair, exuding absolute confidence.

"Just call him, Master. You’ll see."

Jimmy didn't waste any words upon hearing this and immediately took out the Communication Crystal Ball specially used to contact Grand Wizard Galon.

"Dean, are you free right now? Richard has something interesting here that I can't quite figure out. I was hoping you could take a look."

"Take a look?" Grand Wizard Galon's voice carried a note of confusion.

In the next instant, his figure materialized within the room.

"What's this interesting thing that even you with your alchemy encyclopedia can't figure out..."

Grand Wizard Galon's voice suddenly trailed off as his gaze shifted from Jimmy to the projection displayed by the Crystal Ball.

"You rascal, this war hasn't been wasted on you after all."

The reason Jimmy couldn't discern the meaning behind these light points wasn't just because the object was severely fragmented—the main reason was his limited perspective.

He still viewed things through the lens of an ordinary person.

Had his vision been broader, he would have realized that these light points in the projection weren't runes at all.

These points clearly represented individual worlds—this projection was the fragmentary star chart Richard had obtained!

Grand Wizard Galon turned to Richard. "Is this all? Or..."

Richard stood up and gave a slight bow. "This is half of it."

"Fine, I'll take this." Grand Wizard Galon declared. "After you become a Great Wizard, I'll give you an undeveloped micro-world."

"...How much?" Richard's voice trembled as he asked.

He thought he must have misheard. Otherwise, how could Grand Wizard Galon be offering him a micro-world in exchange?

"A micro-world," Grand Wizard Galon said calmly. "If there's a medium-sized world in this, I might even consider giving you a small world."

Jimmy, who had been standing to the side, finally caught on. Pointing at the projection on the table, he exclaimed in disbelief, "This thing is a star chart! You found a star chart!"

Grand Wizard Galon shot him a displeased glance. "Jimmy, do you want the entire Floating City to know about this?"

Jimmy immediately clamped his mouth shut, but his wide eyes still betrayed his astonishment to Richard.

The value of a star chart was immense.

Richard took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

"Dean, you're too generous."

Grand Wizard Galon raised an eyebrow. "I assume that's meant as a compliment?"

Richard stiffened slightly and quickly replied, "A compliment! Of course it's a compliment!"

"Good." Grand Wizard Galon smiled. "The value of this is almost too much even for a Great Wizard. I feel giving just one world might still be somewhat stingy."

With that, he declared magnanimously, "Do you have any other requests? Feel free to ask. If it's within my power, I'll agree to anything."

Richard's eyes lit up at this. "Dean, could you get me a Golden Star Medal?"

The Golden Star Medal, also known as the Wizard World's First-Class Honor Medal, granted its bearer exemption from the Archmage Trial, directly qualifying them for promotion to Great Wizard status.

"Uh... That's actually beyond me." Grand Wizard Galon sounded slightly embarrassed. "Although this medal nominally comes with trial exemption privileges, in reality, it's only awarded to Great Wizards.

Not even I could get you one of those. Ask for something else."

Richard felt somewhat disappointed upon hearing this, never expecting that even Grand Wizard Galon couldn't obtain the Golden Star Medal.

"If the Golden Star Medal isn't possible, then I'd like to request your help in crafting a staff," Richard said.

As he spoke, Richard pulled out a metal box from his pocket. Inside the box was none other than the Arm of the World Master, obtained years ago from the Black Tower Great Wizard's treasury.

"Heh, you've got quite a collection of treasures, kid," Grand Wizard Galon remarked as he opened the box and took out the arm.

After examining it carefully, he expressed surprise: "Though it's just the arm of a fourth-level creature, the rules contained within are quite remarkable, with great developmental potential.

What design do you have in mind? If you don't have a plan, I can design it for you."

"I do have a plan," Richard quickly replied, then explained his idea for the Hand of Equilibrium to Grand Wizard Galon.

The Grand Wizard chuckled upon hearing this. "That's quite an interesting concept—using the Light of Equilibrium to achieve four-element amplification.

I approve of your request. After the war ends, I'll ask an old friend to craft your staff. I'll take care of obtaining the Light of Equilibrium and the universal crystal for you.

Do you have any other requests?"

"Uh..." Richard thought for a long moment but couldn't think of anything else he needed.

"If not, then I'll take my leave. Once you've merged the two star charts completely, just hand them over to Jimmy," Grand Wizard Galon said, preparing to depart.

Suddenly, Richard remembered something important and called out anxiously, "Dean! Do you have a method to bring items back from other dimensional worlds?"

"Bringing things from other dimensions?" The Grand Wizard paused. "That's no trouble for me.

But if you want to retrieve items from other dimensions yourself, it becomes more complicated.

I recall having a Ritual Magic in my repository that can retrieve objects from other dimensions, though the cost for each use is quite steep."

Richard bowed respectfully. "Just being able to bring them back is enough for me."

"Very well, I'll look for it when I return," the Grand Wizard said before vanishing.

Jimmy approached Richard, his face full of envy. "Richard, you've hit the jackpot this time—an unexplored world is an unimaginable fortune."

Richard shook his head with a smile. "Not really. The Dean promised it to me only after I become a Great Wizard.

The Archmage Trial is so perilous—no one can guarantee a hundred percent success rate."

Jimmy waved his hand dismissively. "Ah, don't say that. Once your staff is completed, passing the Archmage Trial won't just be likely—it'll be practically assured.

In a few thousand years, I'll probably be calling you 'Lord Richard.'"

"Haha, Master Jimmy, don't tease me. It couldn't possibly happen that fast," Richard laughed.

...

After organizing the star charts, Richard handed them over to Jimmy, who promptly delivered them to Grand Wizard Galon. Once the Grand Wizard confirmed everything was in order, the transaction was complete.

Richard then gave the Hand of Earth to Jimmy and settled into a leisurely life.

With the war over, the Black Wizards no longer had missions. While some novice Black Wizards chose to stay in the frontier zones for research, most ventured back into the uncharted Wilderness beyond Wizard expansion.

Due to the final battle, the danger level in the jungles of the Green Forest World had dropped significantly.

This also stirred the thoughts of many old Wizards.

The jungles of the Green Forest World weren't just filled with biological weapons—many dangerous plants themselves were rare resources.

If tamed, these plants would become living Magic Essence mines.

As a Third Circle Black Wizard, Richard naturally wouldn't stay in the development zone to conduct research.

After handing the star chart to Jimmy, he immediately returned to the jungle to track down the remaining World Tree Sub-bodies and the fragments left behind from the battle between the World Tree and Grand Wizard Galon.

Research could be conducted back in the Wizard World too, but once leaving the Green Forest World, re-entry would be difficult.

(End of chapter)