Chapter 430: Annihilation Bomb (Patreon)

Chapter 430: Annihilation Bomb

"How did you know about the Wizard World Ecological Restoration Plan?"

Great Wizard Bronze Spear looked somewhat surprised. Since its proposal, this plan had remained in the preparation stage.

After all these years, apart from the Wizards who originally drafted the plan and the relevant staff, almost no one remembered it anymore.

It was too long-term—so long that the original staff had died of old age and been replaced by new personnel.

Richard answered truthfully, "I once communicated with the Magic Dwarves inside the Mirror of the World. They even entrusted me with bringing some of them back to the Wizard World."

"Then how did you guess the plan was about to be implemented?"

Richard was momentarily confused—he hadn’t guessed that the plan was about to be executed. However, Great Wizard Bronze Spear’s words reminded him of something from before.

"Because the Magic Power concentration in the Wizard World has dropped again," he stated firmly.

A glimmer of approval flashed in Great Wizard Bronze Spear’s eyes. This young Wizard’s insight was indeed remarkable.

Though wisdom itself couldn’t be quantified, the ability to analyze information could serve as a substitute for it.

A Wizard who excelled at gathering and analyzing information would undoubtedly possess considerable wisdom.

Since the Council of Truth had already formulated the Wizard World Ecological Restoration Plan, it meant they were indeed working to restore the Wizard World.

Yet, under these circumstances, the world’s energy concentration had still declined.

As an outsider, there were only three possible explanations:

Either the Council had already initiated the plan but failed; or the current situation was precisely the result of the Council’s manipulation. Alternatively, the plan might still be in the preparation phase and not yet executed.

The likelihood of the latter two possibilities was significantly higher than the first.

Of course, Richard hadn’t thought this far. He had simply reasoned that, with a great war imminent, failing to repair the world now would cause problems with future troop production.

Cultivating a qualified Wizard took no small amount of time.

"Your deduction is correct. The current situation is indeed the result of the Council’s manipulation," Great Wizard Bronze Spear said with a hint of praise. "If nothing unexpected happens, the Wizard World will enter an era of magic depletion a thousand years from now.

"At that time, the Magic Power concentration across the entire Wizard World will drop to negligible levels, and the world’s essence will fall into dormancy.

"This phase is estimated by the Council to last about a hundred years.

"After this century, the tide of Magic Power will return to the Wizard World, which will then gradually recover to its state before the Enlightenment War."

Richard was startled. "Then isn’t this timing for a civilization war incredibly awkward?"

Launching a war now, only for the 'barracks' to be sealed soon—how was that supposed to work?

"Such is fate. No one could have predicted that a civilization war would break out at this time," Great Wizard Bronze Spear sighed.

Then, shifting the topic, he brought up Richard’s affairs.

"If nothing goes wrong, Alchemist Wizards will shine brightly in this war. I heard from Garon that you’ve developed a Magic Support Vehicle."

"Yes, my lord."

Great Wizard Bronze Spear nodded. "I think your abilities are quite impressive. I happen to have some blueprints for Strategic Magic Gear whose creators have already passed away.

"You can take them back and study them—see if you can reduce their production costs or gain some inspiration."

"Of course, these matters must not be disclosed. It's best if outsiders remain unaware."

As he spoke, he pulled out a crystal ball from his pocket and handed it to Richard.

Richard was stunned—was this the kind of resources the Minister of Military Affairs had access to? The blueprints for Strategic Magic Gear, given away just like that.

The effects of his exaggerated claims had been far better than expected.

"Thank you, my lord!"

Snapping out of his daze, Richard hastily performed a Wizard Salute, unable to suppress the wild excitement on his face.

The Great Wizard Bronze Spear chuckled and patted Richard's shoulder.

"Just a trifle. Those blueprints are of no use lying around with me. In your hands, they might actually shine.

Go back and study them thoroughly. Try to come up with something worthwhile."

With that, the Great Wizard Bronze Spear flicked his fingers, and Richard vanished from the council chamber.

...

In the palace complex, Third Circle Wizards were engaged in discussions, occasionally arguing heatedly over certain issues.

Suddenly, Richard's figure materialized in the center of the grand hall, drawing the attention of all the Third Circle Wizards present.

Seeing that he had returned to the palace complex, Richard smiled at his surroundings before exiting the palace.

He couldn't wait to examine the Strategic Magic Gear blueprints given to him by the Great Wizard Bronze Spear.

Once outside, Richard found a quiet spot and took out the crystal ball, using his mental energy to absorb its contents.

Richard remained silent with his eyes closed for a long while. When he finally opened them again, a glimmer of delight flickered across his brow.

"These are all excellent."

The Council of Truth's criteria for Strategic Magic Gear were somewhat vague but could generally be divided into two standards.

First, immense destructive power with the potential for mass production.

Second, versatile applications, capable of delivering remarkable performance from logistics to the frontlines.

Meeting either standard was enough to qualify as Strategic Magic Gear. As for cost-effectiveness... it was preferable but not essential.

Back then, Richard's Annihilation Bomb had barely met the first criterion. Its simple structure, when slightly enlarged, could surpass the limits of a First Circle Wizard's spells. Moreover, its simplicity allowed for mass production without much difficulty.

However, the Annihilation Bomb had only scraped the edge.

When he had registered it at the Tower of Truth, its rating was Level Five—the lowest tier of Strategic Magic Gear.

The purchase price for the knowledge had been a mere five hundred Magic Essence.

At the time, Richard had considered reducing its production cost before reapplying for a rating, but as other matters piled up, the idea slipped his mind.

His power had grown too quickly—now, even his dragon scales could withstand the blast of an Annihilation Bomb.

But now, he had an idea for improvement.

Among the design blueprints given to him by the Great Wizard Bronze Spear, there happened to be a weapon based on the Annihilation Reaction of water and fire elements.

This weapon was called the Obliteration Bomb, and its method of compressing water and fire elements far surpassed his own. If he applied this compression technique and then modified the Annihilation Bomb using Dragon Alchemy...

A faint smile crept onto Richard's lips, but it soon faded.

In its place came a slight frown.

He suddenly realized that even with reduced costs, the Annihilation Bomb wouldn't be of much use on a Wizard's battlefield.

The energy dispersion of the Annihilation Bomb was too rapid—its lethal radius was only one meter. Even with increased elemental volume, the range would at most double.

Compared to the concentrated barrage of a Wizard's spells, this thing's area of effect was far too small.

Its only advantages were its long range and the sheer destructive power within that limited area.

"Ah, what a headache."

Richard sighed. He had initially thought he'd stumbled upon something extraordinary, but now it seemed the Annihilation Bomb was still just a gimmick.

However, Richard didn't dwell on it for long. After all, the blueprints given to him by Great Wizard Bronze Spear contained far more valuable items than this.

Among these designs, he'd discovered an exoskeleton armor system called 'Thunderbolt'.

But unlike the Mechanist Type-I armor, this exoskeleton took an extreme approach—it completely abandoned physical plating in favor of energy barriers for defense.

The remaining structure was almost entirely dedicated to enhancing a Wizard's physical capabilities.

In fact, one could say this wasn't armor at all, but rather a combat suit.

"This framework is excellent. With some simplification applied to either 'Mechanist' or 'Artisan' models, the armor's performance would see tremendous improvement."

The Personal Armor Richard currently worked with leaned more toward traditional protective plating, with user enhancement being secondary.

But incorporating this design would allow him to achieve both objectives simultaneously.

Of course, this also meant the armor would become more expensive. But when pursuing performance, one couldn't be overly concerned about costs.

"This trip wasn't wasted after all," Richard murmured to himself.

Having satisfied his curiosity, Richard didn't immediately dive into the Secret Realm like some mad scientist to refine his new ideas.

Refinements could wait, but the Wizard Gathering only came once every thousand years—an opportunity not to be missed.

Moreover, now that Richard had become a Military Department Officer, there was no guarantee he'd even receive future invitations.

So he intended to use this occasion to network with fellow Wizards and establish connections.

Having more options available for future contingencies never hurt.

Additionally, these Wizards possessed considerable knowledge—perfect for discussing some of the challenges he'd been facing.

...

The Wizard Gathering lasted a full month. During the first week, Wizards mingled freely regardless of origin.

But by the second week, they naturally divided into five groups based on their respective Towers of Truth.

The distances between Towers of Truth were so vast that traveling to another dimension proved easier than reaching a different Tower.

Thus, casual acquaintances sufficed—no need for deep friendships.

Once these smaller groups formed, discussions among Wizards flowed much more smoothly.

The Third Circle Wizard community was tight-knit. Within a single Tower of Truth, most Third Circle Wizards knew each other to some degree—except for newly promoted ones like Richard.

For newcomers like him, the Gathering presented the perfect opportunity to integrate into these circles.

Though in Richard's case, it was less about him joining the circle and more about the circle adapting to include him.

In an opulent palace chamber, several Alchemist Wizards gathered in a corner, debating recent developments.

"Master Richard truly possesses remarkable talent. To have such profound insights into Alchemy at such a young age," an Old Wizard marveled.

Moments earlier, Richard had effortlessly solved a problem that had perplexed the elder for decades.

"You flatter me, Master," Richard smiled. "I merely approached it from a different perspective, thus noticing an oversight that escaped your attention."

As the gathering progressed, the Third Circle Wizards from the Tower of Truth naturally divided into five smaller circles based on their respective schools.

Richard, being the rising star of the Alchemy School, naturally became the focal point of his circle.

Many legendary old Wizards whose names Richard had only heard of came to discuss problems with him.

"Ah, it truly is necessary to converse with others," the Old Wizard sighed. "Locking oneself in a Wizard Tower all day turns the brain into a lump of rusted scrap metal."

Richard wholeheartedly agreed with the Old Wizard's sentiment.

Mental rigidity was a challenge all Wizards had to face.

"Speaking of which, Master Richard, you've been discussing all this time but haven't raised any questions yourself," one of the Alchemist Wizards nearby suddenly remarked.

Richard paused, then nodded slightly. "Indeed, I haven't. My questions lean more toward practical applications, which might not be entirely appropriate here."

"What's inappropriate about that?" the Old Wizard, whom Richard had enlightened earlier, laughed. "If theoretical problems have been solved, would anyone dare demand a share of profits from you over an application issue?"

The surrounding Wizards chimed in:

"Exactly!"

"Theory is what truly matters."

"As long as you're not directly asking for blueprints, hahaha..."

Seeing their encouragement, Richard proceeded to explain the issue of the annihilation bullet.

No sooner had he spoken than a Wizard whose entire body had been transformed into an Alchemy Machine interjected, "The lethal range is too small... Could we instead reverse the approach—reduce the elemental quantity, make the energy even smaller and more concentrated, then apply constraints?"