Wizard: I Can Refine Everything-Chapter 472 - 17 Battlefield Life

The appearance of the Mayfly Gem gave this war a new significance for Richard.

The process to create the Mayfly Gem was not complicated—it only required collecting enough Mayfly corpses and extracting the body fluids from them. Then, the fluids were concentrated, solidified, and finally, Star Power was introduced to elevate their form.

Even a One Ring Wizard could complete this whole process effortlessly.

However, Richard noticed something peculiar about the Alchemy Array used to create these gems. The final elevation process used in the array was not complex, but the technology provided by the Mayflies involved a three-dimensional Alchemy Array.

This behavior was very much like a reverse technology adaptation, where the technology of one civilization was manipulated to display through the tech of another.

This led Richard to a speculation.

These Mayflies were not without something akin to Alchemy Machines; it was just that for some reason, these devices had not been deployed into the Star River World until now.

And the Mayflies now being deployed were like stones thrown to test the road.

Richard reported this discovery to the command center; they affirmed his findings but did not award him any additional military honors.

It seemed that the command center had already known about this technology possessed by the Galaxy Mayflies.

On the third day of Richard’s arrival at Fortress 394, he faced his first Mayfly attack since taking over as the Fortress Commander.

Boom!

The sound of an explosion in the distance instantly put the fortress’s wizards on alert.

Five kilometers from the fortress, a red firework exploded in the sky, and then one after another, new fireworks burst forth seemingly out of nowhere.

Standing at the edge of the fortress, Richard watched the distant fireworks and muttered to himself, "It seems the Deception Mines are effective."

These fireworks were Alchemy Explosives mixed with various metal fragments by Richard, divided into small portions and placed inside a special metal container.

On the metal containers, Fire Lizard Craftsmen had engraved optical camouflage patterns and simple triggering devices using Giant Dragon Alchemy.

These specially crafted Deception Mines were levitated in the air by the wizards using a spell called the Wind Ring.

This spell was very enduring, and since the Deception Mines were not heavy, a single cast could keep them afloat for twelve hours.

Moreover, there was no energy fluctuation after the spell had been cast. If it were not for its lack of killing power, this spell would have been absolutely the best trap spell to use against the Galaxy Mayflies.

The explosion of the Deception Mines gave the wizards time to react.

Over a thousand wizards orderly entered the gun emplacements, ready to counter the incoming Mayflies.

But this time was different; aside from having a formidable commander, Fortress 394 also had a group of Fire Lizard Warriors as their comrades.

As the wizards took their positions, they began to establish the Mind Network.

Honestly, this was Mila’s first time using a Mind Link on aliens. In the past, she had mostly used Mind Control, Spiritual Shock, or Soul Storm on them.

This was her first time using a Mind Link, and she was unsure if it would be successful.

Though it felt irresponsible to think it, Mila still hoped there would be issues with the Mind Link, keeping the aliens isolated from the Mind Network.

Once connected to the Mind Network, their inner thoughts would be transmitted through it.

Mila could not imagine how many curses and insults would flood the Mind Network if these aliens, with their hatred for wizards, were connected.

But reality dashed her expectations—the Mind Network successfully connected with the Fire Lizards.

To Mila’s surprise, the mental network of the Fire Lizards was extremely quiet.

There were no curses, no insults, and no obsequious flattery either. Their mental network was like a black hole, without any thoughts leaking out.

"Can you hear the commands?" Mila couldn’t help but ask.

She had never encountered such a situation before; these Fire Lizards seemed not to be living beings but mechanical puppets disguised as aliens.

"We can hear you," replied a Company Commander.

After the response, the Mind Network returned to its eerie silence.

Mila controlled her impulse to criticize these aliens. Although the response of the Fire Lizard Warriors was somewhat abnormal, it was good enough that they could hear the commands.

Soon, the Mayfly Army approached.

This was a swarm of emerald-green Mayfly Subspecies, numbering at least two hundred thousand. Their bodies, like emeralds, scattered a faint scent into the air as they flew.

Richard commanded through the Mind Network, "Hold your breath, activate the defenses, there’s poisonous gas in the air."

He activated his Energy Vision and saw a misty layer of energy in the air, like an emerald river, slowly but unstoppably flowing towards the fortress.

Richard’s commands were quickly responded to; the wizards started their Magic Barriers and held their breath. The Fire Lizards’ eyes suddenly brightened—a sign they were actively stimulating their Dragon Blood.

Richard stood amidst the emerald sea, neither holding his breath nor conjuring an Energy Barrier.

On the contrary, his body suddenly swelled, pulling in the emerald energy mist like rivers flowing into the sea.

This energy fog was nothing more than a mixture of special energy and some toxic substances.

For Richard, neither was effective against him.

His formidable physique and his control over radiation made this energy fog excellent nourishment for his body.

The fortress’s wizards saw their new commander swelling as if inflated. The movement of the energy in the air indicated that the toxic mist they needed to defend against was being continuously absorbed by Richard.

"Is this toxic energy ineffective against him?" a Shaping Wizard wondered in shock.

"Very strong!"

"Is this the power of a top Black Wizard?"

Cries of astonishment echoed through the mind link, but only the Fire Lizard’s mind network remained silent.

They were all too aware of the strength of their leader.

During the Fire Lizard Battle Group’s training, Hog often acted as a sparring partner. Hog’s robust physique allowed him to easily handle a team of Fire Lizards.

And yet, such a formidable Hog appeared like a mere pet in Richard’s hands.

They had witnessed Richard honing his skills and testing his spells in the Secret Realm. Those terrifying scenes had profoundly intimidated every member of the Fire Lizard Battle Group.

Initially, they had thought it was a display of intimidation, but later they discovered,

it was merely Richard’s daily routine.

These individuals had no need for Richard to intimidate them.

As the Mayfly Army drew closer, Richard gestured, and immediately a thousand bolts of thunder streaked across the sky.

The silver lightning nearly illuminated half the sky.

Links of lightning connected with each other, weaving an insurmountable net of thunder in the air.

Confronted with this, the Mayfly Army instantly deployed a defensive formation.

Layer upon layer of Mayfly structures firmly protected the Mayfly General at its center.

It was a very prudent strategy, evidently, this Mayfly General was an experienced veteran.

Separated by layers of Mayflies, and towering like a giant, Richard locked eyes with the Mayfly General. In that gaze, the Mayfly General saw a hint of mockery in Richard’s eyes. freewebnoveℓ.com

The next moment, a pitch-black beast, ablaze with black flames, emerged from the Void and viciously tore a piece from the Mayfly Ball formed by the Mayfly Army.

Simultaneously, the Wizards replaced by Fire Lizards on the fortress swung their Magic Wands.

Under Mila’s command, a downscaled Legion Magic appeared in the sky.

"Cloud Piercing Arrow!"

In the next instant, a frenzied Wind Element followed the giant gap torn by Ulysses, ripping the Mayflies attempting to fill in into shreds.

At the same time, a brilliant aurora followed the Cloud Piercing Arrow, piercing through the core of the Mayfly swarm.

Richard, standing opposite the Mayfly swarm, slowly drew back his outstretched fist. He didn’t bother with the remaining Mayflies; such small fries were not his concern.

The Wizards at the fortress were stunned as they watched Richard slowly land. Although they had already witnessed Richard beheading once, such a clean and efficient battle still left them appreciating the elegance of his skill.

Precise coordination, concise and effective methods, the starkly different combat styles of Black Wizards and White Wizards had astonishingly converged in one battle, in one Wizard.

This gave many present Wizards a feeling,

perhaps, this was the future combat mode for Wizards.

After beheading the Mayfly General, the remaining Mayflies retreated under the command of the Mayfly Captain, heading back in the direction they had come from.

The Wizards pursued victoriously, reducing the Mayfly Army, which originally numbered two hundred thousand, to nearly one hundred thousand.

The Mayflies were veterans in battle. After their General was beheaded, their retreat was orderly and their coordination flawless.

This phenomenon gave the pursuing Wizards a jolt.

The elite nature of the Mayflies was not good news.

They only hoped that these Mayflies were elites forged in the battlegrounds and not veteran Mayflies deployed by others. Otherwise, they could only pray that the Wizard World regained air control over the Star Realm as soon as possible.

...

Reinforcements from headquarters arrived at Fortress 394 one month after Richard’s arrival, totaling five hundred Wizards and ten thousand slaves.

These slaves were a humanoid species named by the Wizards as devil-pigmen, who were taller than regular people but with lower intelligence. Through simple brainwashing, the devil-pigmen had become loyal slaves to the Wizards.

With plenty of slaves, Fortress 394 immediately became as secure as Fort Knox.

Mayfly swarms numbering less than four hundred thousand dared not assault the fortress, only daring to traverse the mountains for movement.

As time passed day by day, Richard gradually became familiar with and adapted to the civilized battlefield.

In one year, Richard had encountered over ten subspecies of Mayflies. Some were powerful in combat, some had bizarre abilities, and some were incredibly cunning. Under their rigorous challenges, Richard gradually mastered the conventional battlefield.

Now, even the White Wizard Army, Richard could briefly command.

Boom!

A huge Light Spear pierced the Mayflies’ defense, and immediately afterward, a dazzling aurora followed the breach in the Mayfly’s defense, reducing the core Mayfly General to nothingness.

Seeing this, the remaining two Mayfly Generals immediately began to regroup their forces for retreat.

With the loss of their General’s command, the Mayflies did not panic; they orderly joined the nearby Mayfly Army, and those who couldn’t join initiated suicide attacks on the Wizards.

Within three minutes, the invading Mayflies had securely retreated out of Fortress 394’s attack range.

Richard stood in the air, watching the retreating Mayflies, a trace of solemnity flashing across his face.

These Mayflies were becoming increasingly seasoned.