Repairing the ship was not difficult for Richard.
He didn't even need to lift a finger; he simply fished out two Fire Lizard Alchemy Masters from the Secret Realm to fix it.
"My lord, it has been repaired."
Kallion and another female Fire Lizard Alchemy Master named Sulina respectfully reported to Richard.
Sulina was a new addition to Richard's team of Fire Lizard Alchemy Masters over the past twenty years, and she had also participated in the construction of the long-range ship.
"Good, thank you both for your hard work."
Richard nodded and opened the Mystic Realm Rift to let the two return to the Secret Realm. Meanwhile, Captain and the First Mate stood by, dumbfounded.
They were not shocked by Kallion and Sulina's betrayal; after all, Richard had done the same, so it was only logical that other Fire Lizards would follow suit.
"What is this thing? How can it... store living beings?"
Richard glanced at him: "This is a Secret Realm Fragment, which I mentioned in the contract. If all goes well, many of you will also enter it."
"Secret Realm Fragment?"
The Captain recalled the terms of the contract, which indeed mentioned this item, but at the time, he had been distracted by other clauses and had not paid it much attention.
"Set sail," Richard commanded.
The Captain nodded slightly and then called the other crew members to start the ship.
The power for this long-range vessel came from four alchemical engines installed at the stern. These alchemical engines were not purely Fire Lizard creations; their design referenced many Wizard Alchemy Weapons.
The "fuel" for the alchemical engines was Fire Elemental Gems, which coincided with the power sources of many Wizard Alchemy Machines. However, the Fire Lizard's technology was relatively primitive, with a crude utilization of elements and a high demand for fuel.
But all technology begins from the primitive; based on these prototypes, the Fire Lizard could potentially develop new branches in Alchemy.
Driven by the engines, the ship began to sail across the surface of the sea.
To be more precise, it was flying just above the water.
At the back of the ship, several exhaust ports shot out blue flames that were four to five meters long. Under this propulsion, the ship barely touched the Lava Sea, moving at incredible speed.
Richard looked around the ship and had to admit that the Fire Lizard's integration of Wizard Alchemy and Dragon Alchemy was indeed quite innovative.
Moreover, since Wizard Alchemy had developed from Dragon Alchemy, there were indeed similarities in certain aspects.
This reminded Richard of the alchemical ink that Tarhe had created.
"Why didn't I think of this before? Wizard Alchemy developed from Dragon Alchemy, so there must be commonalities between the two. Tarhe must have activated the Wizard Alchemy Array using Dragon Alchemy techniques, which should be the reason for the mutation of the alchemical ink."
Having figured this out, Richard took out a metal plate from his pocket and drew a very simple Alchemy Array on it, then attempted to activate it using Dragon Alchemy methods.
One second, two seconds...
Soon, ten minutes passed, and the Alchemy Array remained motionless.
During this time, Richard had tried all the Dragon Alchemy techniques he knew, but the Alchemy Array could not be activated.
Richard put away the metal plate and pondered for a moment: "...Perhaps the issue lies in the bloodline."
There exists a certain connection between the body and the soul, and this connection creates a feedback effect.
But the role of this connection is not limited to that.
While researching the compression of mental messages, Richard learned a lot about soul studies. In the research of the soul school, the connection between the soul and the body is much closer than one might imagine.
According to their joint research with the shaping school, the energy environments of most worlds in the Astral World are basically the same, meaning that the energy in most worlds is not different at all.
Whether Wizards or natives, they can utilize this energy without barriers.
However, after living beings absorb this energy, it transforms into different types of energy with different properties.
The magical power of Wizards is not the same as the energy within Fire Lizards.
Once this research was published, it was widely disseminated to dispel Wizards' fears about expeditions to other worlds. After all, the idea that a Wizard could not utilize the local energy of a world during an expedition was quite terrifying.
Based on this research, the soul school concluded after studying various natives that:
The body, or bloodline, affects the soul. And the soul further influences the properties of the energy within the living being.
This conclusion also explains why many Wizards undergo drastic personality changes after merging with the bloodlines of other beings.
Taking note of this idea, Richard continued to wander around the ship's cabin.
The collision of different cultures produces products that can inspire him greatly.
...
One month later.
At the port of the New World, long-range ships returned one after another, but the No. 13 long-range ship had not returned.
In the port office, Azuhan looked grimly at the several Captains before him.
"You say the No. 13 was blown off course by a Fire Elemental Storm and may not return."
Although Azuhan's voice was calm, the Captains could all hear the anger hidden beneath it, like a volcano about to erupt.
The materials for long-range ships were irreplaceable for the current New World, and most of the craftsmen who made them had died in the Old World.
At this moment, losing one long-range ship meant losing a precious asset for the entire New World.
"My lord, it is indeed true. I saw with my own eyes that they sailed off course to avoid the eye of the Fire Elemental Storm."
Azuhan's fierce gaze swept across the faces of the Captains before he finally spoke:
"Alright, I understand. You may go back now, and don't forget to maintain the ships."
The Captains felt as if they had been granted amnesty, nodding in agreement and fleeing the office.
Once they left, Azuhan's expression finally broke.
He was furious, his neck bulging thicker than his head.
He had never been a good-tempered Fire Lizard; in the past, he had Harash watching over him, so he rarely had to unleash his temper.
But now, as he stood alone, shouldering the responsibility of the entire Fire Lizard legacy, the overwhelming pressure nearly suffocated him.
"How could one be destroyed!"
Azuhan angrily swept everything off the table, but halfway through, he stopped.
The resources in the New World were extremely scarce; many things, once destroyed, could never be replaced.
He looked at the cups and documents on the table, realizing that if this had happened in the past, even destroying them for fun wouldn't have cost much.
But now, he treated these items with utmost caution.
Azuhan slumped helplessly into his chair, the faces of Harash, Maihan, and those Fire Lizards he regarded as elders constantly flashing before his eyes.
In the past, Morik's Shield had never worried about resources; his resource allocation priority even surpassed that of the Fire Lizard army.
At that time, he had not yet realized how difficult resource allocation could be.
Now that he thought about it, how had his elders managed to provide him with so many resources while the army was retreating?
"Father, I miss you," Azuhan whispered weakly.
Knock, knock, knock! The office was suddenly filled with urgent knocking.
"Come in."
A Fire Lizard pushed the door open, his face beaming with joy.
"My lord! The No. 13 has returned!"
Azuhan was taken aback, then immediately overjoyed.
The No. 13 had actually returned!
He rushed out of the office like the wind and quickly arrived at the dock.
In the distance, a long-range ship was rapidly approaching the dock.
"Thank goodness it's back, thank goodness it's back."
As Azuhan watched the ship draw closer to the dock, his heart ached, and tears nearly welled up in his eyes.
There were only a few long-range ships, and each one was dear to him. Now that the No. 13 had returned, it felt like a lost child coming home.
But soon, Azuhan sensed something was off.
According to the descriptions from the Captains, the long-range ship should not have returned. These Captains were seasoned veterans who had sailed since the exploratory period and had a deep understanding of the ship's structure. It was unlikely they would make such a mistake, especially not as a group.
Furthermore, the long-range ship before him showed no signs of damage; its structure was intact, and even the external deck was undamaged.
This hardly resembled a ship that had experienced a Fire Elemental Storm.
But Azuhan didn't think too much about it; after all, they were deep in the Lava Sea, and what other problems could arise?
Surely, there wouldn't be a Flame Behemoth lurking on the long-range ship, ready to launch a surprise attack.
Soon, the No. 13 long-range ship docked, and once it stabilized, the cabin door opened.
Azuhan smiled as he looked at the open cabin, already thinking of the praises and commendations he would give.
In the terrifying Fire Elemental Storm, a great Captain had done everything in his power to protect the last assets of the Fire Lizard and had even returned it unharmed.
What a magnificent feat! If this had happened in the past, such a feat would not need to be kept secret; it would be rehearsed in the theater the next morning and performed that evening.
The Captain would appear as the star of the Morik's Shield commendation ceremony.
Then... a black-robed Wizard stepped out.
Richard smiled as he looked at the island before him, addressing Azuhan on the dock with a grin:
"This is your New World; it looks quite nice."
...
The appearance of the Wizard detonated the Fire Lizards on the shore like a bomb; combat personnel drew their curved blades, while logistics personnel quickly retreated.
Only Azuhan remained calm, watching Richard.
For he understood one thing the moment he laid eyes on Richard—Fire Lizard was finished.
"There's no need to be nervous, everyone. I'm here to discuss a collaboration with you."
Looking at the Fire Lizards on the dock, Richard stepped off the ship, with the Captain and First Mate closely following him.
"Collaboration? Wizards and Fire Lizards collaborating?" Azuhan coldly stared at the Wizard before him, energy beginning to gather towards his heart.
He had no intention of discussing any collaboration; he was merely stalling for time to self-destruct.
Freemen are never slaves.
"Don't be agitated; take a look at this first. Your old subordinates have all signed it, and I think the terms I offered are quite good."
Richard spoke cheerfully, although his energy vision had already informed him that the Fire Lizard before him intended to self-destruct, he felt no fear with Ulysses protecting him.
Richard handed the Soul Contract to the Captain behind him, who then passed it to Azuhan.
Azuhan coldly regarded the Captain handing over the contract, his voice icy: "How does it feel to be a slave, Makal? Is life more important to you than honor and freedom?"
Makal lowered his head, calmly handing the contract to Azuhan.
"My lord Azuhan, I am not a slave; I am just a native employee of the Richard Jolod Trading Company."
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