Wizard: I Can Refine Everything

Chapter 138: Chapter 38: Back to the Ground

Following the complex and twisted underground passages upwards, Richard and his two companions quickly left the middle layer of the Insect Nest and arrived at the upper layer.

Feeling the sudden drop in temperature and humidity around him, Richard took a deep breath and said with relief,

“We’re finally about to get out. If we kept killing like this, I felt like I was going to start growing mushrooms.”

Beside him, Ali nodded in agreement, “Indeed, the lower Insect Nest is no place for humans.”

Lawrence, as an experienced wizard, was well-traveled and did not have any particularly strong reactions to the harsh environment of the lower Insect Nest.

“It’s bearable. These conditions are not particularly bad in a Plane War. If you’re not adapting well, I recommend getting a body modification like me, turning into an undead basically makes you unresponsive to any environment.”

“…I think I’ll pass on that.”

Although the undead are unresponsive to the environment, they also lack sensation in other aspects, and unless one is an Undead Wizard, few wizards are willing to undertake such body modifications.

Over two years, the upper Insect Nest had undergone many changes.

As Richard ascended, he continuously saw White Wizards and Logistic Wizards working, destroying small caverns and narrow tunnels and then solidifying them with spells. Those larger caverns were modified into strongholds with the deployment of Magic Arrays and Alchemy Weapons.

It seemed that the command had decided to thoroughly clean out the caverns and instead fortify based on the terrain.

Richard asked a Logistic Wizard, and it turned out that the command thought the remaining number of insects was too few, and using Black Wizards to clear them out would be a waste of forces. They preferred to destroy their paths to the upper Insect Nest instead, blocking them below until they could deal with them later in the Plane War.

…

Emerging from the Insect Nest and seeing the long-missed horizon, Richard was filled with emotion.

The feeling of returning to the surface was fucking great!

Back at the Floating City Fortress, the fortress now had drastically changed, with the wizard residences completed. These buildings encircled the Floating City Fortress, forming a ring that would serve as the first line of defense if the Black Crystal Insect swarm counterattacked.

According to headquarters’ orders, all wizards emerging from the underground Insect Nest were granted a one-month leave for recuperation.

After one month, new assignments would be given to them.

…

After receiving the keys to his house from a Logistic Wizard, Richard found his home in the residential ring.

Although one month wasn’t long, it was enough for him to catch his breath.

His mission of hunting insects this time had been very profitable, catching many Spider Knights and Warrior Worms, besides the World Mushrooms. The initial planting insects he had discarded entirely.

Not that it mattered, Richard believed that with the World Mushrooms, growing some fungi would be a piece of cake.

Having sorted through his gains, Richard went to the Wizard Commerce at the fortress to sell them.

Yes, a commercial hub accompanies every Plane Expedition.

Each Plane Expedition would be accompanied by several Wizard Commerce associated with the Academy, each carrying a large amount of Magic Stone Magic Essence. Although they would depress the prices during the trading process, for wizards needing to clear their inventory, this slight depreciation was no big deal.

Moreover, these spoils of war didn’t provide any combat strength to the wizards; turning them into Magic Stones also made it convenient for wizards to replenish their Magical Power or to trade resources with other wizards.

Thanks to his knowledge of anatomy, Richard knew the weaknesses of the Spider Knights, so the ones he captured in the Underground Insect Nest were in excellent condition, which increased his profits to nearly 300,000 Magic Stones.

For a One Ring Wizard participating in his first Plane War, this amount was astounding.

After selling the spoils of war, Richard found a wizard market in the residential area. This market mainly sold items that were hard to price or undervalued by stores.

The market was bustling, and because of the command’s instructions, all One Ring Black Wizards were rushing towards the Floating City, making the market thrive.

“Special fungi, special fungi, these fungi have extreme neurotoxic properties, perfect for making Alchemy Poisons!”

“Starlight Stone, Starlight Stone, mined from the top of the Insect Nest, capable of absorbing starlight, which might reveal the secrets of starlight after research!”

“Variant Transport Insect, these mutated Transport Worms have strong load capacity and defense, ideal for making mobile Alchemy Weapon bases!”

Walking through the market, Richard felt like he was back on the commercial street of the Academy.

Back then, wizards seemed unattainably high and mysterious to him.

Now that he was a wizard, and surrounded by wizards, they seemed as common as Apprentices.

Richard browsed the market and, with his keen eye, noticed that most of the items the wizards were selling were junk.

For instance, the special fungi he first heard being touted for their strong neurotoxic properties—the seller didn’t mention one important detail: this neurotoxicity was almost ineffective against Black Crystal Insects.

Feeding this mushroom to any Level 1 Creature among the Black Crystal Insects would more likely cause them to burst than die from the poison.

As for the Starlight Stone, although it could attract starlight, its effectiveness was very weak, and it was used merely as an aid by the Black Crystal Insects. Although the wizard claimed it could be used to unlock the mysteries of starlight, studying it with Sacrificial Insects would obviously be better.

Moreover, these were not the major issues.

Although the wizards selectively highlighted some features of these items, there indeed were some points worth studying or using—if priced correctly, Richard wouldn’t mind buying some.

But these wizards had set their prices sky-high, hoping some enamored wizard would spend foolish money on their wares.

Just like the apprentices Richard had encountered during his apprenticeship.

Looking around at the shouting wizards, Richard shook his head helplessly.

The system at the Wizard Academy apparently did no better at weeding out fools, at least not in the business sense.

However, just as Richard was about to leave, something on the street caught his attention.

“Friend, how much for this?”

Richard approached a stall and pointed to a fist-sized black crystal stone on the ground, asking aloud.

The selling wizard glanced at it and said lazily, “One hundred thousand Magic Stones, non-negotiable.”

“One hundred thousand Magic Stones?” Richard’s heart skipped a beat, not because the wizard’s price was too high, but because it was too low.

If he wasn’t mistaken, this black crystal stone should be a Nomi Crystal Stone. This item had been harvested by wizards during the Enlightenment Period, and he had only seen it mentioned in Encrypted Notes.

He hadn’t expected to encounter one at the Wizard Market today.

“No bargaining,” the selling wizard repeated his terms.

“Deal, I’ll take it.”

With that, Richard pulled out a bag of Magic Essence from his pocket, counted out the amount, and threw it to the vendor.

After receiving it, the vendor scanned it with his spiritual power and then produced a contract.

Once the contract was signed, the transaction was complete.

Richard casually asked, “Friend, where did you get this from?”

The wizard looked up at Richard and uttered a phrase.

“No comment.”

“…”

Having hit a wall, Richard could only leave in frustration. Although the wizard hadn’t said anything, Richard guessed that some unfortunate wizard had probably died, and this one had picked up the leftovers.

After the Nomi Crystal Stones had been completely mined in the Wizard World, wizards had explored many conquered worlds but failed to find these crystals.

This Insect Nest World was unlikely to be the lucky exception.

Back from the market, Richard immediately started crafting his magic wand’s headpiece.

Although Richard’s Magic Wand had performed exceptionally well in the Underground Insect Nest, effective in both melee and spellcasting,

a magic wand ultimately needed a headpiece.

Moreover, the Nomi Crystal Stone was tremendously beneficial to Richard’s combat capabilities.

Although the Nomi Crystal Stone only slightly amplified the spells, it had a powerful feature—it allowed for magic casting without magic flares.

This feature did not mean that the wizard didn’t need Magic Power, but that a wizard’s casting would not emit Magic Fluctuations.

The Nomi Crystal Stone could significantly shield the Magic Fluctuations during a wizard’s casting, its effect almost akin to a silencer (film and TV version).

For Richard, a Black Wizard, this was nothing short of a divine weapon.

Even the most cautious spellcasting by a wizard released some Magic Fluctuations, which could become quite noticeable to the sensory-keen Alien Natives, thereby revealing the wizard’s location.

But with the Nomi Crystal Stone, Richard no longer had to worry about that.

Installing a headpiece was not a difficult task, and Richard finished it in less than an afternoon. After completing the crafting, he found an empty spot to test the spells, using the Heart of Annihilation, known for its prominent Magic Fluctuations.

Buzz!

Richard was pleasantly surprised by his Magic Wand, as the Magic Fluctuations from the Heart of Annihilation’s spell were almost indistinguishable from trickery. If he had used a spell with even less Magic Fluctuation, those would be virtually negligible.

Holding the Magic Wand, Richard returned to his room in a cheerful mood, but the moment he entered, a lovely figure pulled him into the bedroom.

“Whoa, Ali, calm down, I just made a magic wand, and it’s incredibly effective…”

Before Richard could finish, a pair of red lips sealed his.

Soon after, the room filled with the sound of fabrics tearing and some decidedly adult moans.

A wizard’s physical condition was stronger than an Apprentice’s, their spiritual power stronger, but this also made their desires more intense and their endurance greater.

Desire suppressed for too long was like a volcano on the verge of eruption, needing only the slightest trigger to explode.

“Listen to me, Ali, that magic wand of mine is really powerful,”

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