Wizard: I Can Refine Everything-Chapter 473 - 18 Strategic Contraction

Richard landed on the ground and resumed his normal appearance. Just in time, Mila stepped forward and draped a Wizard Robe over him.

Such battles had taken place dozens of times over the course of the year. Every wizard at the Fortress was intimately familiar with the procedure.

"Mila, the mayflies have grown stronger again."

Richard, watching as the mayflies vanished from his sight, revealed a solemn expression in his eyes.

The maturation of the Galaxy Mayflies was both a good and a bad thing for the wizards. On the positive side, the elite nature of the Galaxy Mayflies possibly indicated that their cannon fodder had been completely deployed. What they were facing now were the elites; eliminating these mayflies was where the real weakening of the Galaxy Mayflies’ strength lay.

But the downside was also clear.

These elite Galaxy Mayflies would definitely not be sacrificed as cannon fodder. Since the Galaxy Mayflies had committed them to the battlefield, this would inevitably lead to an escalation of the war.

The war had been raging for over a year, and yet the World Master Level forces of the Galaxy Mayflies had not shown themselves.

If the war escalated, World Master Level Galaxy Mayflies would surely descend upon the Galaxy World. At that time, they, as minor wizards, would have to rely on luck to survive.

In battles at the level of a World Master, even the aftermath would be enough to annihilate a Three Rings Wizard.

"Sir, you need not trouble yourself with these matters."

Mila stood beside Richard, carefully adjusting his Wizard Robe.

"As a Three Rings Wizard like you, if the situation in the war escalates, you’ll surely be withdrawn to the rear. The higher-ups sent you to the battlefield to use it as a whetstone. Now that this whetstone has become a Melter, you will surely not stay."

Mila possessed a Soul Talent known as Super-speed Calculation, which always enabled her to see the information hidden beneath the surface when analyzing situations.

She had witnessed Richard’s combat prowess too many times over the years. Such a formidable Three Rings Wizard would certainly not be the same as these little pawns.

If they could survive this war, perhaps they would one day work under Deputy Minister Richard.

"That’s not entirely true," Richard said, shaking his head slightly. "Advancement to Great Wizard requires more than just combat ability; spiritual cultivation is also crucial.

The kind of wizard I am appears every year in the Wizard World. But have you ever heard that a Great Wizard is born every year in the Wizard World?

Besides, the Command Headquarter’s strategy regarding the war on the mayflies is still confusing. It’s hard to determine when the mayflies will launch their general offense.

Under such circumstances, even if the command wants me back, they’ll have to wait for these Galaxy Mayflies to cooperate."

Mila finished arranging Richard’s Wizard Robe and stood beside him with a lovely presence.

She smiled and said, "Sir, we’re just some small pawns—our job is to obey orders. If the mayflies have grown stronger, we’ll figure out a way to deal with them. Worrying about the rest is meaningless to us. freewёbnoνel.com

Instead of fretting about the big picture, wouldn’t it be better to consider what we should request from logistics?

Your Fire Lizard Craftsmen have sent up another list of requests."

"Ah?" Richard was somewhat surprised. "Didn’t I just send them a batch of materials? Why are they sending up requests again?"

Mila pulled out a notebook from her pocket, flipped through it for a moment, and then looked up to answer Richard:

"Sir, you remembered incorrectly. What you provided last time were supplementary materials. The actual supply of materials was given three months ago."

"Is that so." Richard scratched his head with an embarrassed smile.

"Then just submit their requests. Military Department isn’t short of a bit of this stuff."

Upon hearing this, Mila helplessly shook her head, "Sir, though our logistics are well-supplied, they still need to be accounted for. The materials you’ve submitted could rebuild half a sub-castle.

If you continue to apply for materials in this manner, you’ll definitely end up in a military court after the war ends when they review the expenses."

Richard was impeccable in his defense of the Fortress, but in some of the finer details, his approach was not at all like that of an upcoming Great Wizard and star of the future.

Which future star would be as skilled at grabbing wool from logistics as he was? This was clearly something they, well... cough cough, in any event, Richard’s behavior was starting to be excessive.

If he doesn’t stop, there would definitely be problems when accounts are settled later.

"That so." Richard continued to smile awkwardly, "Then have them rejected and just apply normally. The accounting issues, you’ll have to take the burden and smooth them out for me."

Mila nodded. Balancing accounts was an almost essential skill among the wizards of the Military Department.

While the wizards in the Military Department had ample resources, many needed to be exchanged for military merits. Their everyday allocations were sufficient but hardly bountiful, especially for White Wizards.

Thus, virtually every White Wizard Army would take the opportunity during war to secure some logistical resources to pad their own purse.

Such actions fell into a gray area in the army’s regulations—a matter of "not tipping the scales with an ounce, but perhaps tipping with a pound." As long as it wasn’t excessive, no one would inquire too deeply.

After all, material consumption in war was an everyday occurrence.

So long as the accounts were balanced well and logistics had their explanation, no one really cared about these affairs.

Reporting it might result in the loss of some military merits, but unless one became a Great Wizard, they would still have to follow orders in the lower echelons of Military Department. No wizard would be foolish enough to tarnish their reputation over such a trivial amount of merits.

Having returned to the Fortress, Richard entered the Command Room as usual to monitor the surrounding environment.

But it didn’t take long for his Crystal Ball to light up.

"Operator Richard, Third Battle Zone Command Center orders you to abandon Fortress 394 and have all Wizards retreat to Fortress 194."

The chill female voice of the Command Center sent a jolt through Richard’s heart.

Abandon Fortress 394, was this the makings of a final showdown?

Richard didn’t know how much information was concealed behind the Command Center’s orders, but he knew that once the Command Center issued an order, they must carry it out.

At the same time, the door to the Command Center was abruptly pushed open, and a flustered Mila hurried into the Command Room.

"My lord, you..."

"I received it."

Richard stood up from his chair, his face grave as he commanded, "Organize the Wizards to dismantle any usable facilities inside the fortress. In half an hour, everyone must evacuate from Fortress 394."

"Yes!"

Half an hour later, the Wizards who had divvied up the fortress’s equipment gathered at the base of Fortress 394.

Thanks to the Command Center’s reinforcements over the past year, the number of Wizards at Fortress 394 had reached three thousand. Aside from these Wizards, the fortress’s magic pigman slaves were also assembled into a formation.

As for these slaves, Mila’s thought was to ignore them outright, but Richard felt they still had some use, so he let them enter his Secret Realm.

Of course, this was not his main Secret Realm, but the one he used for deception.

With the subsequent entry of the last magic pigman into the Secret Realm, Richard glanced at the map and issued his orders, "Depart!"

...

As the full withdrawal from Fortress 394 was underway, the outlying fortresses had already started their retreat.

At Fortress 495, Delis looked at the information within the Crystal Ball, and his face couldn’t help but turn solemn.

He commanded the White Wizard beside him, "In ten minutes, everyone gather at the fortress gates. Slave equipment, dispose of it as you wish. In ten minutes, we will evacuate the fortress."

The White Wizard heard the command, not showing the slightest hesitation. He gave Delis a Wizard’s Salute, then transformed into a whirlwind, rushing out of the Command Room.

Delis unfolded the map. Throughout the year, he had established connections with several fortresses surrounding Fortress 495 through various channels.

And during that year, three of these fortresses had been breached, all recently, and the intervals between them extremely brief.

Taking the Command Center’s retreat orders into account, the implication was self-evident.

"The Mayfly’s major offensive is about to begin."

He looked at the remaining fortresses on the map. According to his information, the Fortress 395 behind him had already been breached. If he were to retreat into Fortress 195, the safest route would be through Fortress 394 and then proceeding from Fortress 194 towards Fortress 195.

"But Fortress 394... The Wizards holding this fortress are unlikely to be any pushovers," Delis murmured as he looked at the location of Fortress 394 on the map.

But before he could further ponder his next action, he saw the Crystal Ball suddenly light up, and a panicked voice came through.

"My lord, the Mayflies have arrived! This time, there might be as many as eight hundred thousand!"

Upon hearing this number, Delis’s pupils abruptly contracted. A second later, he spoke calmly, "Organize the slaves for defense."

All Wizards to assemble on the fortress platform.

After speaking, Delis put away the map in his hands and in a flash, appeared at the top of the fortress.

Watching the swarming Mayflies like a dust storm, he commanded his deputy, "Abandon all turrets, leave ten Wizards to maintain the psychic network. The remaining Wizards, follow me in retreat."

Delis’s voice was tranquil, like a serene pool in the mountains.

The deputy beside him understood what this command meant.

The ten Wizards maintaining the psychic network were certain to be sacrificed. So, he had to find a few who had soul boxes to undertake the task.

The deputy quickly reviewed a list in his mind, and soon determined who to choose.

"Gian Hood, Balt Rickett, Seth Morley..."

He rapidly completed the list of ten names. Most of these Wizards had soul boxes, but three of them did not.

Those called out silently stepped forward from the ranks of Wizards, knowing full well what they faced.

"You ten will be responsible for maintaining the psychic network of the slaves, and you must delay for as long as possible."

The Wizards had already anticipated this command, but the three without soul boxes still went pale.

Without soul boxes, death was inevitable.

But what of it? Their fate had been sealed the moment they joined the Military Department, or even when they became Wizards.

There were always sacrifices to be made on the battlefield.

Yet at that moment, Delis suddenly spoke.