Wizard: I Can Refine Everything-Chapter 470 - 15: Specialization in a Professional Field

Fortress 394 was not in good shape, something Richard knew before he arrived. But what he hadn’t anticipated was just how dire the situation at the fortress actually was.

Despite its critical position in the Carol Mountain Range pass, which ordinarily warranted an additional thousand soldiers, the current garrison of Fortress 394 only totaled two thousand men. Among them, there were only forty-two Second Ring Wizards, the most experienced of whom had only fought in five Plane Wars.

As for Mila, acting as the temporary commander, she had only seen three Plane Wars herself. Most of her time had been spent as part of the garrison troops, quelling resistance forces in the Otherworld.

With such a scant number of soldiers, even a legend like Delis would have to abandon the fortress.

The numbers were too few; there wasn’t even enough manpower to operate all the Alchemy Gun Towers.

Fortunately, Richard was not only a formidable Black Wizard; he himself was an army on the move.

In the warehouse, Richard looked over the remaining reserves and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Though the garrison numbers were disappointing, the stores of Fortress 394 were exceptionally well-stocked. Moreover, due to the previous commander’s requests, the fortress’s warehouse held a large quantity of Alchemy Potions.

These potions were all incredibly powerful explosives, seemingly intended by the former commander to set off a spectacular firework display as a funeral for the fortress should it fall.

Regrettably, after a soul-crushing attack by a mayfly swarm, he had been shipped off to the headquarters’ hospital for treatment.

He would not live to see his fireworks.

However, those reserves were quite the boon for Richard, who had taken over.

The Magic Power properties of these Alchemy Potions were incredibly stable, which meant mayflies’ keen perception of energy was ineffective against them.

Realizing this, the former commander had stockpiled such an amount of Alchemy Explosives.

Therefore, these explosives were excellent materials for setting traps.

A simple Elemental Spell of the Wind Element and an Optical Invisibility Enchantment were all that was needed, and these Alchemy Explosives would transform into Deception Mines, creating a minefield high in the skies.

Of course, Richard didn’t expect these devices to cause much harm to the mayfly swarms.

Their primary function was as alerting alarms.

According to intelligence from the command center, a significant portion of the Galaxy Mayfly subspecies possessed the capabilities for both optical and mental invisibility. Adding to the fact that mayflies were masters of manipulating energy, these creatures were formidable in stealth attacks.

Currently, the fortress was severely understaffed and lacking suitable Reconnaissance Wizards, so they would have to make do with the Deception Mines for the time being.

In addition to the explosives, the warehouse contained a vast array of alchemy materials. These were used to repair the fortress and, in times of parts shortages, enable Alchemy Wizards to conjure parts for maintaining the alchemical equipment within the fortress.

Naturally, once Richard arrived, these items would not simply gather dust in storage.

The materials were comprehensive, and a fair share of them possessed exceptional qualities. When given to Fire Lizard Craftsmen, they could upgrade the Single Soldier Armor of Fire Lizard Warriors and produce some handy tools to aid the Wizards.

Although there was a hint of self-interest in this endeavor, the Fire Lizard Warriors were indeed integral to the fortress’s defense.

After familiarizing himself with the foundational state of the fortress, Richard planned to modify the defense layout of the fortress.

The positioning of the Alchemy Gun Towers was currently quite haphazard. As slave reinforcements from the command center would not arrive at the fortress in the short term,

the fortress continued to suffer from a shortage of hands.

The original layout of the gun towers was designed to enable the two sub-castles and the Main Castle to conduct a linked defense, but with the current situation demanding that the two sub-castles be temporarily abandoned, this layout had become inappropriate.

Although not a White Wizard, Richard was a bona fide Alchemy Master and a Master of Plastic Energy.

He definitely had his own ideas about the layout of the Alchemy Gun Towers.

Standing atop the fortress, Richard surveyed the mountain ranges on either side and an idea struck him.

"Mila, what if we were to establish positions inside the mountains on both sides?"

By carving out enough shooting chambers along the rock walls on both flanks to support the main castle’s gun towers, they could form a thunderous barrier in the skies.

"My lord, that certainly is a strategy,"

Mila well understood the art of communication, so she refrained from outright dismissing Richard’s suggestion.

After all, Richard was the fortress’s commander, and angering him meant sending all the fortress’s wizards plummeting into the abyss of death.

"But there is a slight issue with that approach, my lord; we’re not facing enemies from just one side.

If you deploy the gun towers on one side, covering the other side with sufficient firepower in time should a mayfly appear would be difficult.

Moreover, the construction of such an arrangement is problematic. Building shooting chambers would inevitably require Enchantment, otherwise a mere strike from the mayflies could destroy our positions.

And our current gun towers are not equipped with flying capabilities."

Mila’s words left Richard stunned. Indeed, they weren’t defending a rear position; in the Star River World, there simply was no rear to speak of.

Anywhere could be a potential point of enemy emergence.

He hadn’t even considered construction enchantment.

"What are your thoughts on the arrangement of the gun towers?" Richard asked Mila.

As a Black Wizard, he admittedly lacked expertise on the frontline.

"My lord, my suggestion is to make no move," Mila replied respectfully. "We only need to withdraw the turrets from those two sub-castles.

At present, this is the best defensive state for our number of people."

"This number of people?" Richard activated the Secret Realm Rift, "No, no, no, there are not only you wizards defending. I have some additional help here."

As soon as the Secret Realm Rift was opened, a dark light flew out from it.

"Gaah, what’s happened now?"

Ulysses came out, immediately engulfed in roaring blue-black flames. The terrifying pressure turned Mila’s face pale as she stood by Richard’s side.

She watched Ulysses, thinking in shock: "Is this the magic pet of Master Richard? Such a fearsome creature, which Great Wizard’s student is this master?"

"Calm down, Ulysses, there are no enemies."

Ulysses glanced around, and the flames on his body dissipated suddenly, and his beast-like form also changed back to that of an ordinary crow.

He looked around curiously and asked, "Have you arrived at the place?"

Richard shook his head: "The Great Wizard of Twilight gave me a new task, to guard a fortress. This is Mila, my secretary for the upcoming period."

Ulysses glanced at Mila, his eyes slightly brightening.

"Do you have a Soul Talent?"

Upon hearing Ulysses’s question, Mila quickly replied, "Yes, my lord, I possess a Soul Talent called Super-speed Calculation."

Hearing Mila’s response, Richard was slightly surprised; he had not expected that the young Soul Wizard beside him would have a Soul Talent like his.

And most likely, Mila’s Talent was innate.

"Impressive ability, very suitable for the battlefield."

Ulysses took an interested look at Mila before turning around and flying back into the Secret Realm.

Since Richard did not require assistance, then the Snake King was more pressing.

He had been helping to stabilize the Snake King’s injuries during this time.

The self-destruction of the Mayfly swarm had caused tremendous damage to the Snake King. For the next three to four years, it was highly unlikely for the Snake King to return to its previous state.

However, finding fortune amid disaster, the Snake King planned to use this opportunity to reshape its body using its Talent Ability.

Subspecies Giant Dragons like the Snake King possess a Metamorphosis Talent similar to one Richard had once had.

With enough collection of powerful Bloodline essence, the Snake King could strengthen its own body through a shedding. With its body now virtually destroyed, it intended to use this ability to directly reshape a new body.

This was a delicate task, the first of its kind for the Snake King.

Therefore, it needed the guidance of Ulysses, the World Master well-versed in recovery—from his years of extensive body reshaping experience.

Seeing Ulysses’s hasty departure, Richard did not deliberately interrupt him. He entered the Secret Realm and led out the Fire Lizard Warriors who had already regained their mobility.

Although the combat strength of Holy Tree Elves was not high, their healing abilities were second to none. With the help of the World Mushroom’s power, the Fire Lizard Warriors’ severe injuries recovered in just over a day to the point where they could move.

As Mila watched the continuous stream of Second Level Aliens walking out of the Secret Realm Rift, she unconsciously held her breath, her energy fluctuations beginning to withdraw.

The fierce aura emanating from these Fire Lizards triggered her instincts.

As a wizard who had spent years in the rear clearing resistance forces, Mila had a keen perception of the strength of Aliens.

She was certain that she would need to flee if just five of these Fire Lizards attacked her together. And if there were the ones wearing Alchemy Power Armor, even three would be enough to prevent her from escaping.

You must understand, she was an elite among the Second Ring Wizards; otherwise, she would not have been temporarily chosen to take command among the remaining Second Ring Wizards.

"What does the master need so many Alien Slaves armed for?" Mila couldn’t help but complain inwardly.

Being around Alien Slaves made her feel uncomfortable all over.

Richard glanced at Mila and said indifferently, "These Fire Lizards will help us in defending. If everything goes as planned, the reinforcements from headquarters will likely be these Aliens. You’ll need to get used to them."

Mila’s aversion to Fire Lizards was all too evident.

"Using Aliens as reinforcements?" Mila couldn’t help but retort angrily, "This isn’t an offensive operation; what use are Alien Slaves? They’re not even qualified to be cannon fodder... Of course, your Aliens are an exception, master."

Richard patted Mila’s shoulder: "It’s simple, because even slaves can operate Alchemy Gun Towers. Moreover, the Spells they cast are no worse than those of wizards."

After hearing this, Mila fell silent for a moment and then said reluctantly, "My lord, I will draft a plan. I’ll have to..."

"You’re mistaken," Richard interrupted, "these Fire Lizards are not my slaves; they are my soldiers. They are different from those slaves."

Richard’s tone of correction was very serious, leaving Mila no room for further questions as she hurriedly changed her wording: "Alright, my lord. Since your soldiers can operate gun towers, then I plan to pull some White Wizards away from the gun towers to form a fire-fighting team. The reason for this is..."

"You don’t need to explain so much, Mila," Richard interrupted again, "I am a layman in matters of war. You White Wizards understand it better than I do.

Just proceed with your ideas."

Finding the right people to do the right work was a necessary skill for a qualified leader.

Hearing these words, Mila internally sighed, recognizing she would have to do the work herself, but she also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It was good for everyone that Richard wasn’t meddling unnecessarily.

"Yes, Commander."