By the time Jolod returned to the hall, Richard was still discussing orders with several high-ranking members of the White Wizard Legion.
Facing the senior members of the White Wizard Legion, Richard spoke calmly:
"If the master is not in a hurry, it might be better to wait a few more years. I am about to upgrade the structure of the Magic Support Vehicle.
The upgraded Magic Support Vehicle will perform even better."
"Oh? It seems that the master has gained quite a bit from this war," the commander of the Radiant Legion chuckled.
The power of the Magic Support Vehicle had already spread among the White Wizard Legion with the conclusion of the Crimson Sun World war. This movable spellcasting device, which only required a few hundred Magic Essence to operate, was recognized for its value by any White Wizard Legion.
Especially since this weapon had been tested on the battlefield, its reliability had been witnessed by many Wizards.
Richard humbly replied, "The gains are decent, but they cannot compare to those masters who truly fought on the battlefield."
"Then we shall wait for the master's good news."
As the senior members of the legion dispersed, Jolod conveniently approached Richard.
"Master Richard, you're quite the big shot now," Jolod teased.
Upon hearing this, Richard shook his head repeatedly: "Please don't mock me, teacher. What kind of master am I? I'm just a little Wizard over three hundred years old, and it's just luck that I get to interact with these big shots. In terms of knowledge, I'm just a large apprentice."
Seeing his student being so humble, Jolod waved his hand: "Excessive humility is a form of pride. The popularity of your work is a reflection of your ability. Moreover…"
Jolod squinted at Richard and said, "I was wondering why I couldn't see through you before. When did you quietly reach the Second Circle?
I don't recall holding a promotion ceremony for you."
"Really? Teacher, you must be mistaken," Richard feigned ignorance, "It's normal to forget some things right after your promotion."
Jolod shot him a glare: "Yes, I've become forgetful, not even knowing my own student has been promoted."
"Not at all. It's normal to lose memories after coming out of the Darkness of the Soul," Richard smiled, "You've been promoted to the Third Circle, and at your age, you should be in your prime."
Jolod calmed down upon hearing this and no longer dwelled on the issue.
How Richard advanced to the Second Circle was his own business; as his mentor, Jolod had crossed a line by probing too deeply.
The two of them arrived at the terrace.
"Did that old fellow Vladimir mention anything about resource development when you were over there?"
On the terrace, Jolod asked with a serious expression.
Richard nodded and took out a contract from his Magic Pocket, handing it to Jolod.
"Master Vladimir put in a lot of effort this time. If it weren't for his connections, I wouldn't have gotten my hands on this Red Sun Gold-Vein Stone mine."
Jolod glanced at the contract and looked up:
"Fifty thousand tons? That's a bit low on reserves. From what you're saying, this thing has a good market?"
Richard didn't respond but instead pulled out a bottle of ink that Tarhe had given him.
"Teacher, take a look at this. I made it by accident."
Jolod took the ink, using magic to lift a drop from it.
"Hmm, good quality, Advanced Alchemy Ink. This will definitely sell well."
Hearing Jolod's assessment, Richard smiled slightly and said mysteriously, "Teacher, take a closer look and try writing a rune with it."
"Hmm? What's so special about this ink?"
Jolod took out a feather quill, dipped it in the ink, and was about to write. But as he infused magic into the quill, a flame suddenly erupted from its tip.
"Hmm? This is interesting."
Jolod's expression changed slightly as he drew a rune on the terrace railing. Upon seeing the flame on the rune grow stronger with the infusion of magic, Jolod immediately understood another use of this ink.
"Good, good, good!"
Jolod looked at the rune engulfed in flames, repeating the word "good" three times.
As an Alchemist Wizard, he understood all too well the benefits of ink that could display the wear of runes.
Jolod smiled at Richard: "You still say you're not a master? With just your work, you could support our entire guild."
Richard scratched his head: "But the formula for making this hasn't been fully clarified yet, so I can't sell it for now."
Jolod shrugged: "Then go explore the formula. Right now, it's just the two of us in the guild, and we don't need to pay anyone a salary.
Besides, I have my own alchemy workshop, so I'm not short on Magic Essence. One Magic Support Vehicle is enough for us to make a fortune."
Richard nodded and then brought up a new topic.
"Teacher, how much do you know about Magic Arrays? I plan to customize a long-distance teleportation array to place in the Crimson Sun World."
"A teleportation array? Let me think."
Jolod tapped his head, searching through his vast memories for information about teleportation arrays.
"Oh, I remember! I have a friend in the society who is quite skilled in this area. I'll go find him in a couple of days and see if he's still alive."
"Alive?" Richard exclaimed in surprise.
Jolod stroked his beard, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.
"I haven't been in touch with that old fellow for a while. He's a few hundred years older than me and doesn't have the materials for a Third Circle promotion ceremony. If I calculate the time, he probably doesn't have much left."
Richard fell silent for a moment before suddenly speaking: "Master Vladimir seems to be nearing the end as well."
"Hmm, indeed, that old fellow Vladimir is also nearing death."
Jolod's expression suddenly turned somber, a trace of melancholy appearing on his face.
All of his old friends were dying.
For Long-lived Species, the feelings brought by the death of friends are even more profound.
Wizards often spend a lot of time wandering among the graves of their friends, moving from one grave to another, constantly reminiscing about the past, ultimately dying on the way to the next grave.
These somewhat mad Wizards are referred to as wanderers, also known as living dead.
Knowing that those who understood their past have already passed away, they become increasingly isolated in this world.
However, Jolod was clearly not such a Wizard. He had once spoken to Richard about these Wizards, referring to them as those lacking in conviction.
Wizards should spend their lives pursuing the truth; friends are merely companions along the way. One should not stop moving forward just because a companion has died.
"Alright, then I'll leave it to you, teacher."
Soon, the banquet reached its conclusion.
At the end of the banquet, the Wizards who had come over these days gathered in the hall, and the Great Wizard of the Black Tower personally announced that Jolod would become the Vice President of the Black Tower Wizard Academy.
Jolod stood beside the Great Wizard of the Black Tower, beaming with joy, while Richard took the opportunity to capture this moment with a crystal ball.
…
Three days after the banquet, on the fifty-sixth floor of the Central Black Tower.
Knock, knock, knock! A series of knocks woke Richard from his slumber.
"Who is it?" A lazy female voice came from Richard's arms.
"I don't know, let me check."
Richard gently moved Ellie aside, quickly threw on a Wizard robe, and went to the door.
Upon opening the door, Richard immediately perked up.
Outside stood Jolod, stroking his beard and smiling at him.
"Teacher, what brings you here?"
Jolod, with the demeanor of someone who had been through it all, smiled and said, "It seems I came at a bad time; you just returned from the battlefield."
Richard awkwardly smiled: "Just get to the point."
Jolod waved his hand: "About the teleportation array you mentioned earlier, my old friend is still alive. If you have time in the next few days, we should go find him."
Upon hearing this, Richard immediately returned to his room to change into his full outfit.
"Master Jolod is looking for you?"
Ellie yawned, sunlight streaming through the window onto the bed, her flawless body appearing even more alluring in the light.
"Yes, I need to find an old master who's about to kick the bucket to handle something. If I wait too long, he might be gone."
Richard, unfazed by the scene, finished changing and walked over to Ellie, giving her a gentle kiss.
"You go back first. You haven't lost the key to my Wizard Tower, have you? Tidy up a room; I have some 'ideas' I need your assistance with."
Richard emphasized the word "ideas," causing Ellie's cheeks to flush.
She softly pouted: "Primitive man with body evolution, what ideas do you have now!"
Richard smiled mysteriously: "You'll find out later."
…
Jolod's old friend did not live in the Tower of Truth; in fact, a considerable number of Wizards in the Wizard World do not reside in the Tower of Truth.
After all, the rent of ten Magic Essence a year, while not expensive, is certainly not cheap.
After flying through the wilderness for nearly a month and making several directional adjustments, Jolod finally found the residence of his old friend.
It was a black Wizard Tower standing alone in the wilderness.
Surrounding this Wizard Tower was a small town with a considerable population.
This Wizard Tower was not within the influence of any Wizard academy, existing independently in a human settlement outside the Wizard academy, which Richard had never seen before.
"Nothing special; Wizards also need helpers," Jolod said casually. "These Wizards who settle on Wizard Continent generally build a small town around their Wizard Tower to select Wizard apprentices.
But these apprentices aren't as lucky as you; they basically have no chance of becoming Wizards."
The two landed in front of the Wizard Tower, and Jolod knocked on the door.
Soon, a middle-aged Wizard apprentice opened the door.
Upon seeing Jolod, the middle-aged apprentice immediately bowed respectfully: "You are Master Jolod, right? The mentor has been waiting for you for quite some time."
The two entered the Wizard Tower, and on the first floor, an old Wizard with graying hair and gold-rimmed glasses was flipping through a thick Magic Book.
"Leo, long time no see."
Jolod greeted, and the old Wizard, putting down the book, said helplessly:
"Jolod, you're still the same. Can't you wait a moment while I read?"
Leo stood up and embraced Jolod, then turned his gaze to Richard behind Jolod.
"This is… your student? You old rascal, how come you're always so lucky with students?"
Leo punched Jolod playfully and then returned to his chair.
Only then did Richard notice that this Leo Wizard was actually in a wheelchair. Behind the wheelchair, several Alchemy Machines filled with Magic Potions were continuously operating, with tubes and needles delivering these Magic Potions into Leo's body.
It seemed to be a life-support device.
Leo Wizard's life force had decayed to the point of near extinction.
Leo took out two crystal spheres the size of human heads from his Magic Pocket, within which countless runes seemed to be swirling endlessly.
"These two are spatial beacons. With spatial beacons, any Wizard who understands teleportation arrays can create one.
As for me…"
Leo patted his wheelchair.
"My old bones can't handle the hassle of going to another world."