"Wouldn't it have been better to do this earlier?"
Richard smiled as he handed the Soul Contract to Kallion, who immediately trembled and signed his name upon receiving it.
As the contract turned to flames and vanished into the air, Kallion's fearful heart finally settled a bit.
At least he wouldn't have to be tortured in that room for thousands of years now.
"Since you've signed the contract, we are all on the same side now. Master Kallion, I've heard that your Alchemy skills are quite high, almost comparable to the ancient Alchemy Masters. I wonder if that's true."
Looking at the smiling Richard, Kallion dared not hide anything and replied honestly, "My skills are indeed among the top in the current Alchemy Masters, but if compared to those ancient Alchemy Masters, I am certainly far inferior."
"Haha, Master need not be so modest. I believe your talents are not any less than those of the ancients."
With that, Richard shifted the topic and began to inquire about the Morik Shield.
"Master Kallion, you must have worked on the Morik Shield for quite some time. Surely you know some internal matters. Is there anything interesting you can share with me?"
Looking at the smiling Richard, Kallion felt as if this Wizard was a devil from hell. He could almost conclude that if what he said did not satisfy Richard, his future days would definitely not be pleasant.
The terms of the Soul Contract stipulated that Richard could not kill these Fire Lizards at will. But sometimes, being alive could be worse than death.
"My lord, I am just a logistics personnel and do not know much about their tasks. If I had to say something interesting, a few years ago, the Morik Shield asked me and a few other old fellows to create a big thing. Although they only provided me with the blueprints for the parts I needed to make, I could still tell it was likely a component for a ship."
"A ship?"
Richard stroked his chin, deep in thought.
The only place in the Crimson Sun World that could use ships was probably the Sea of Lava on the outskirts of the continent.
What would the Fire Lizards be doing in the Sea of Lava? Richard mentally noted this information, thinking that he could check out the Sea of Lava when the opportunity arose.
The Sea of Lava was home to a large number of Flame Behemoths, which were also a type of resource.
The semi-elemental active flesh Richard obtained from the Dragon Beast Breeding Base required a large amount of semi-Elemental Creature flesh.
With that in mind, Richard took out a few design blueprints from his pocket and handed them to Kallion.
"Master's information is very interesting; I have noted it down. This is what you will need to produce in the future. I have already given you a sample; I hope you can study it well. If the masters have any questions, they can write them down, and I will answer them all later."
After saying this, Richard opened a rift and left the Secret Realm.
Kallion looked at Richard's design blueprints, which depicted a three-view drawing of an armor plate.
"This is... a shield?"
Kallion made a judgment based on his experience and then approached a few other Fire Lizards.
"Show me that thing."
A few Fire Lizards handed the armor plate to Kallion, and as he looked at the intricate golden patterns on it, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
"This is what we are going to make in the future?"
Kallion's tone carried some uncertainty; although he had just been awakened, many things were still unclear to him. Now, seeing the armor plate up close, Kallion finally realized what kind of extraordinary item they were about to create.
Wasn't this the armor plate from the Sacred Armor? "Yes, that's what the Wizard said."
Kallion looked at the armor plate and recalled the scene he had just seen, shivering involuntarily.
If they couldn't meet this Wizard's demands, their fate would likely not be much better than that of the Fire Lizard.
He sighed, his tone resigned, "Old buddies, let's bring out all our skills. If we can't complete this Wizard's task, we might as well wait to go to hell."
"Go to hell?"
Kallion said gloomily, "Yes, hell, and we would be going in alive."
...
Richard, who had just exited, was unaware that he had already become a great demon in Kallion's mind. Of course, even if he knew, Richard wouldn't bother to explain.
The Fire Lizards worked hard, which was exactly what he wanted.
After leaving the Secret Realm, Richard moved all the supplies from the lava lake into the Secret Realm.
While the World Mushroom could fill a few Fire Lizards' stomachs, that was about it.
After all, the World Mushroom originated from the Insect Nest World. Although it could meet the basic living needs of a few Fire Lizards, its offerings were certainly not comparable to the native foods of the Crimson Sun World.
His past experience as a worker taught Richard that a good meal could make life much better for workers.
And for the Fire Lizards in the Secret Realm, they were Richard's workers.
A happy Fire Lizard would not only work harder but also significantly reduce the chances of slacking off.
To achieve this, Richard only needed to spend a little time tossing food into the Secret Realm.
Richard was a person who pursued efficiency; why not spend a little to achieve great results?
After leaving the mine, Richard joined the Crimson Sun World's slave-hunting army, beginning to hunt Fire Lizards on the land.
Talented individuals were hard to come by, and Richard needed a large number of slaves for future mining of Red Sun Gold-Vein Stone, as well as for the Fire Lizard Alchemy Workshop.
Yes, Richard planned to organize a Fire Lizard Alchemy Workshop centered around Kallion and these Fire Lizards, specifically to produce dragon alchemical creations.
Dragon Alchemy was quite niche among Wizards, but that didn't mean it had no market.
The super metals produced by Dragon Alchemy definitely had a vast market waiting to be developed within Alchemy Machines.
If he could tap into this market, the future would undoubtedly be bright.
With hopes for the future, Richard began his slave-hunting life in the Crimson Sun World.
...
Boom! In the cave, a black fireball suddenly exploded, instantly sealing off the escape route of the Fire Lizard.
A ferocious beast clad in steel pounced on the Fire Lizard the moment the flames disappeared, its drooling maw aimed at the Fire Lizard's neck, ready to snap shut.
Bang.
The steel beast was suddenly knocked away by a black metal rod, and a black figure appeared beside the Fire Lizard.
"I've told you so many times, don't bite the neck, don't bite the neck! Where are your claws? Can't you just cut through its muscles?"
The black figure scolded the armored beast, casually driving a two-inch-long nail into the Fire Lizard's chest.
"Awoo."
The steel beast let out a pitiful cry, and seeing its state, the black figure could only sigh.
"You stupid dog, after all this training, you still bite the neck when you're anxious."
The black figure bent down and grabbed the struggling Fire Lizard, ignoring its resistance, and forcefully stuffed it into a bag with an opening barely big enough for a head.
Before long, a white-robed Wizard arrived beside the black-robed Wizard.
"Master Richard, has that Fire Lizard been dealt with?"
Richard nodded, "Dealt with."
The white-robed Wizard respectfully performed a Wizard salute to Richard, "Thank you for your help, Master. If it weren't for your assistance, I might have been killed by that second-level Fire Lizard."
Richard waved his hand casually, "It's nothing serious. But I suggest you travel with other first-ring Wizards; capturing Fire Lizards alone is still a bit too dangerous. The Fire Lizards that have survived these years are all powerful and cunning; even we Wizards can easily fall into their traps."
The white-robed Wizard nodded, "What you say is true. I will team up with the other members of my squad to capture slaves when I return."
Richard nodded, then put the armored hound into his pocket and flew out of the cave.
It had been nearly twenty years since Minal was sealed, and during these twenty years, Wizards had run rampant in the Crimson Sun World, causing the number of Fire Lizards above the first level to dwindle.
The remaining Fire Lizards were all experienced fighters against Wizards.
The days when one could easily catch a Fire Lizard slave by just taking a few steps in the Crimson Sun World were long gone.
After leaving the cave, Richard continued flying with the newly captured Fire Lizard.
Three days later, he arrived at the Red Sun Gold-Vein Stone mine he had applied for.
The once cramped cave had now transformed into a spacious mining tunnel.
From time to time, a cart of Red Sun Gold-Vein Stone was brought out from the tunnel.
Ten years ago, the portal between the Crimson Sun World and the Wizard World had opened, allowing a large amount of supplies and equipment to be transported to the Crimson Sun World, and resource development naturally moved up the agenda.
The Red Sun Gold-Vein Stone mine Richard applied for was approved under Gano's operation.
Richard landed on the ground, and a Fire Lizard spotted him and immediately approached.
"Master Richard, what brings you here?"
"Heskan, nothing has happened in the mine, right?"
This Fire Lizard was one of the Fire Lizard slaves Richard had captured over the years, but he was different from the average Fire Lizard. Upon being captured, he immediately showcased his talent for being a sycophant.
Since the war in the Crimson Sun World had not yet ended, and to protect the interests of the Wizards participating in the war, the portal had not yet been opened to the outside.
Wizards involved in the war were allowed to leave, but those not participating were not allowed to enter.
To smoothly develop the mine, Richard thought of using Fire Lizards to manage other Fire Lizards.
Thus, the sycophantic Heskan became the overseer of the mine.
"Nothing, the mine is doing great. Everyone is very motivated; just look at the warehouse, and you'll know."
Heskan beamed as he led Richard to the side of the warehouse.
The Fire Lizards guarding the warehouse immediately saluted respectfully upon seeing Richard.
"Master Richard!"
Richard nodded and entered the warehouse. Inside, several Fire Lizards were using machines to cut the Red Sun Gold-Vein Stone brought from the tunnel into neat cubes, which were then neatly stacked into boxes.
Boxes filled with Red Sun Gold-Vein Stone were piled in the back half of the warehouse, and at this moment, the back half was already stacked halfway full.
"Good, very good." Richard nodded in satisfaction, "Tonight, let the kitchen prepare extra meals; unlimited Flame Behemoth meat."
Heskan's face lit up with joy at this, but he quickly grew a bit worried and asked, "My lord, isn't this a bit too generous? Acquiring this meat isn't easy for you; I think giving them a piece of meat each would be enough."
Richard shot him a glance and calmly said, "Heskan, just do as I say. You don't need to worry about resource matters."
Heskan looked a bit anxious, "I spoke out of turn."
Leaving the warehouse, Richard casually tossed the Fire Lizard he had caught on the way to Heskan.
"The usual rule: execute those who are incorrigible."
"Yes, my lord!"
Watching cart after cart of Red Sun Gold-Vein Stone being transported from the tunnel, Richard's heart was filled with joy.
These carts were all filled with Magic Essence.
Suddenly, a strong spatial fluctuation swept through Richard's perception.
A Spatial Rift opened in the sky, and a familiar figure, exuding a domineering aura, burst forth from it.
"Wizards! I have returned!"
(End of Chapter)