After leaving the library, Jimmy took Richard around the academy, giving him a general understanding of its layout.
From a spatial perspective, Galon Wizard Academy was divided into four levels.
The lowest level was the apprentice dormitory area and the Apprentice Arena. Wizard Apprentices could go to the arena for a couple of matches to relax during their breaks.
The next level up was the teaching and experimental zones, which didn't require much explanation.
Then came the most important third level.
This level was the heart of Galon Wizard Academy, as it housed the library and the cafeteria.
Since almost all the Wizards at Galon Wizard Academy focused on physical evolution, the act of "eating," which was often overlooked in other Wizard academies, held exceptional importance here.
In the academy's cafeteria, Richard even saw dishes prepared from Level 3 creatures, and their prices were even lower than the cost price.
Jimmy explained, "The dean has a dedicated Ingredient World for breeding, so the prices of these magical beasts are much cheaper than outside."
Richard swallowed hard. Using an entire world as a breeding ground—was this the grandeur of a top-tier Great Wizard? Finally, there was the fourth level, a small Wizard Tower at the mountain's peak.
This was Grand Wizard Galon's daily residence, though it served no purpose for the academy's teaching.
After touring the entire academy, Richard, having confirmed there were no other areas, finally voiced his confusion.
"Master, doesn't our academy have a place for Wizards to live daily?"
Jimmy nodded, "That's correct. The academy indeed doesn't have designated living quarters for Wizards. However, many Wizards stay in the experimental zone year-round, which could be considered a semi-residential area."
Richard nodded thoughtfully.
"So, apart from staying in the experimental zone long-term, my only option is to build a Wizard Tower in the wilderness?"
"Exactly, but the academy offers subsidies for building Wizard Towers. The dean has connections with many established Wizard Chambers of Commerce, so purchasing materials through the academy's channels will be significantly cheaper than market prices."
"That's good news," Richard smiled.
"Oh?" Jimmy looked at Richard with interest. "Most Wizards, upon hearing this, choose to live in the labs. Few opt to build a Wizard Tower. But from the looks of it, you've already planned to build one here?"
Richard explained, "Ah, Master, you see, my partner is the grand-disciple of my old dean. With her status, it wouldn't be appropriate for her to stay long-term in another Wizard academy, would it?"
"Well, well! You've got it made," Jimmy said, somewhat surprised. "If I remember correctly, the Black Tower Great Wizard only has one student and one grand-disciple—Susanna. You've hit the jackpot… wait, no, you're already quite wealthy yourself. But alas, no matter how good a Wizard partner is, it can't compare to the pursuit of truth!"
With that, Jimmy chuckled and patted Richard's shoulder.
"Feel free to speak up about the Wizard Tower. Pick any plot of land you like, and let me know what materials you need. I'll make sure you get them at the lowest price. With such connections, and yet you left the Black Tower Wizard Academy, our academy certainly won't treat you poorly."
Richard bowed slightly, "Thank you, Master."
...
In the snowy plains of the far north, vast stretches of wilderness stretched endlessly. Human tribes were scattered across this vast land like stars in the sky.
Richard bent down, brushed away the snow, and gently pinched a bit of lichen.
The tundra was one of the few places in this far northern region where plants could grow.
When summer arrived, this currently desolate and pale land would transform into a paradise for hundreds of species.
"This is the spot," Richard said as he turned around.
Behind him, Jimmy and Toshio were discussing the climate and ecological distribution of the area.
"Here?"
Toshio gave Jimmy an apologetic smile, then walked over to Richard and surveyed the surroundings.
"Tundra, permafrost—building a Wizard Tower here wouldn't be a problem."
Richard turned his head and asked, "What about building a human city, or even a human nation?"
"Ah?" Toshio was somewhat surprised. "This isn't a good place to build a city. There's no land for farming here; it would rely solely on primitive foraging and hunting.
If we had to depend on external supplies, this isn't along any airship trade routes, so transportation costs would become prohibitively expensive.
If you're planning to build a city, it would need to support at least tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of ordinary people.
Their food, clothing, shelter, and transportation would all have to be supplied from the outside. Even your wealth couldn't sustain such a drain."
"What if we could farm here?" Richard smiled as he pulled a mushroom from his pocket.
When he learned that the Garon Wizard Academy was built in the far north, he had already thought of this.
To that end, he had recently asked the World Mushroom to cultivate a type of mushroom that could grow in cold climates and store a significant amount of heat.
The mushroom in his hand was the result of the World Mushroom's efforts.
"This mushroom can survive in temperatures as low as minus forty degrees Celsius and doesn't require much to thrive. It can be cultivated on a large scale even in the tundra."
Toshio took the mushroom, examined it for a moment, and then handed it back to Richard.
"With this, it's indeed possible to consider building a city here.
However, I've never built a city on the tundra before, so there might be some unforeseen issues. I hope you'll understand."
Richard waved his hand dismissively. "We can start with a small city of a few thousand people and gradually expand.
I'm in no rush with this."
Toshio gave a slight bow. "Thank you for your understanding. Then let's discuss the construction plan for the Wizard Tower. Are you planning to build it as a conventional Wizard Tower, or would you prefer the specifications of a Small Sky Citadel?
Over the years, I've made many improvements to the design of the Small Sky Citadel and have developed several versions. You can take a look."
"Hmm?"
Richard was momentarily taken aback but quickly realized.
He was Toshio's academic patron.
He had been so busy with his own research these past years that he had almost forgotten about funding Toshio's work.
"Money sure speeds things up. It's only been three hundred years, and you've already optimized several versions," Richard joked.
Toshio sighed deeply at this. Indeed, money made things faster.
With ample funding, his progress over the past three hundred years had far surpassed what he had achieved in the previous seven or eight hundred years.
Ten thousand Magic Essence was nothing to Richard.
The Richard Jolod Trading Company had already expanded several times over its original scale.
Every day, a large number of Magic Support Vehicles were produced in the Alchemy Workshop.
Not a single mistake, not a single word, not a single detail was out of place in this content!
Even so, their production speed couldn't keep up with the orders pouring in from the White Wizard Legion.
The reputation of the Magic Support Vehicles had even spread to other Towers of Truth, and a steady stream of Magic Essence flowed into Richard's pockets.
This also made Richard less sensitive to the numbers of Magic Essence than he once was.
Even though Richard's share had changed, from earning three hundred Magic Essence per vehicle to now earning only thirty per vehicle.
Including the income from the spell components, ten thousand Magic Essence was merely a year's income for him.
For an ordinary Wizard, however, it would take several Plane Wars to accumulate such a fortune.
Richard flipped through the blueprints, each design different with varying focuses.
After a quick glance, Richard stroked his chin and selected one to hand to Toshio.
"This one, it's more balanced."
Toshio took the blueprint, "This design is indeed more balanced, but it also demands more from the power core.
Later modifications to the Wizard Tower can be quite troublesome, you should think carefully."
Richard waved his hand dismissively, "This one it is. If modifying the Wizard Tower is troublesome, I can always build another one."
Toshio was stunned by Richard's boldness.
A Small Sky Citadel was not something that could be managed with a few hundred Magic Essence like an ordinary Wizard Tower; the cheapest one would cost over twenty thousand Magic Essence to build.
But after considering Richard's income, this amount of Magic Essence was indeed nothing to him.
"Alright, then I'll proceed with this blueprint for construction."
Richard asked again, "How long will it take to build the Wizard Tower?"
Toshio smiled confidently, "Two years will be enough."
Richard nodded slightly; considering the construction difficulty, this time frame was indeed not long.
"Alright, I'll leave this to you. I'll come to see my Wizard Tower in two years, don't delay it."
"Don't worry, Master, the Wizard Tower will only be delivered early, never late."
...
The construction of the Wizard Tower was entirely entrusted to Toshio.
During this period without a Wizard Tower, Richard, like any ordinary Wizard, chose a laboratory in the experimental area as a temporary residence.
In the laboratory, a pitch-black door suddenly opened.
Richard's soul flew out from the door and landed in the body standing in front of the experimental table.
He opened his eyes, a flash of excitement on his face.
"The far north is indeed a good place; there isn't a single Nightmare Lord in the corresponding location of the Nightmare World."
Nightmare creatures rely on humans to survive, and the far north has long been without large human cities.
Although there are a large number of apprentices in the Wizard Academy, firstly, Wizard Apprentices rarely sleep, mostly using meditation to relieve mental fatigue. Secondly, their numbers are insufficient to support the emergence of a Nightmare Lord.
A Nightmare Lord requires at least a mortal nation, supported by tens of millions of mortals.
Without a Nightmare Lord, it means there is no competition.
Over the past few hundred years, Richard has accumulated enough Nightmare Power to advance to a Nightmare Knight.
If he wishes, he could be the sole ruler of the far north.
Setting aside the matters of the Nightmare World, Richard turned his gaze to a blue-black flame sealed within a Crystal Ball on the experimental table.
This was the new version of Annihilation Flame created by Ulysses. It retained the special attack capability against flesh-based creatures that the blue flame possessed.
Richard unsealed the flame and placed it on a rune pedestal, using his Magic Power to sustain its continuous burning.
Next, he took a crystal dome and covered the flame. On the crystal wall of the dome, there was an unusually prominent diamond-shaped crystal.
He then took a piece of flesh from his pocket and placed it in front of the diamond-shaped crystal before activating the crystal dome.
In the next moment, faint runes began to appear on the Crystal Ball, and within seconds, a faint blue light shot out from the diamond-shaped crystal on the wall.
This was one of Richard's achievements over the past three hundred years—a Radiation Constraint Rune Array developed based on the Aurora Spell.
The blue light emitted by the diamond-shaped crystal was the special radiation from the blue-black flame that had a specific attack effect on flesh.
When the blue light shone on the flesh, the cells quickly began to disintegrate. Richard, however, ignored this and inste
ad started using mutation rules to induce variation in the flesh.
He was attempting to mutate a type of cell capable of resisting this radiation, thereby verifying whether Ulysses' speculation from years ago was correct—
Whether cells that could resist this radiation were indeed more robust.
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