The mycelium tendrils of the World Mushroom emerged from the ground near Richard's feet and took the crystal ball he handed over.
A faint energy ripple emanated from the mycelium tendrils, and soon, the deep voice of the World Mushroom echoed in Richard's ears.
"My Lord, I sense that these crystal balls contain fragments of secret realms."
Richard nodded. "Yes, you're correct. These should be useful to you."
After a brief silence, the World Mushroom spoke with excitement:
"... Extremely useful. These fragments can expand this secret realm, making it more vast and energy-rich.
Moreover, these fragments contain various rules that can serve as nourishment, enriching the rules of this realm and bringing it closer to becoming a world."
"That's good," Richard smiled. "You should be able to piece them together, right?"
"I can, but during the process of merging the secret realms, all your subordinates must leave this realm."
Richard agreed. "Fine. I'll be heading to the Crimson Sun World in a couple of days and will relocate the Fire Lizard then.
How much time do you need?"
"... Approximately twenty years."
"Alright, it's all yours."
After handing over all the crystal balls obtained from the Black Tower Great Wizard to the World Mushroom, Richard made his way to Ulysses' lair.
At that moment, Ulysses was leisurely basking in the sun, seemingly unaware of Richard's entry into the secret realm.
"What, no welcome for your Chief God?" Richard joked.
Ulysses glanced at Richard, turned his head, and closed his eyes again.
"I've never seen a Chief God who doesn't care about his own church."
"How can you say that?" Richard laughed. "I clearly sent my most capable Subordinate God to manage the church. How can you say I don't care?"
Ulysses opened his eyes and looked at Richard with a hint of helplessness.
"My Chief God, do you know that in our world, it's not uncommon for Subordinate Gods to wage divine wars to kill their Chief Gods and take their place?
And that's with Chief Gods who actually pay attention to their churches.
If they were as hands-off as you, Subordinate Gods wouldn't even need to wage wars. They could just overthrow you from within the church."
Richard chuckled. "Isn't that a sign of my trust in you? Besides, I'm a complete novice when it comes to managing a church. How could I possibly do it well?
My friend, the capable should shoulder more responsibilities."
Ulysses spoke gravely, "Everything has a beginning. I heard you plan to have the old mushroom merge the secret realms and send all these Fire Lizards back to the Crimson Sun World.
This is a great opportunity.
It would be quite embarrassing if a Chief God couldn't even develop a church."
Seeing Ulysses' insistence, Richard no longer evaded and agreed.
"I'll say this upfront: we Wizards don't believe in gods and spirits. Countless so-called 'deities' among the natives have ended up on our dissection tables.
Your methods might feel very awkward to me, or I might not be able to learn them at all."
Hearing this, Ulysses was somewhat angered:
"Don't compare us to those natives! We are a civilization of gods!"
Ulysses emphasized the word "civilization."
"We became gods not because we wanted to, but because becoming gods allows us to better collect the Power of Faith.
Becoming a god is a means, and developing a church is also a means. You can even consider it a discipline, a skill.
Aren't you Wizards the most adept at learning and research? What's so difficult about this for you?"
Richard was stunned by these words.
Ulysses had pinpointed a problem in his mindset.
He had always viewed religion as a deceitful trick, and thus, he held it in contempt.
But the reality was different.
Religion, as the cornerstone of the godly civilization, had been practiced and developed for tens, if not hundreds of thousands of years.
This was enough to make the development of religion a serious discipline.
"I was wrong. My judgment was clouded by prejudice."
Richard sincerely apologized to Ulysses, who didn't hold a grudge and let the matter pass with a couple of hums.
Richard then told Ulysses about Kayan. During this mission, he had seen Kayan among the Wizards, which reminded him of his past promise.
Now that he had learned the Divine Art to dispel curses, perhaps he could take this opportunity to earn some goodwill.
"From your description, this Kayan lad likely encountered a Collector from the Pocket Dimension," Ulysses said with some uncertainty. "Those illusory creatures with sacks love to travel between dimensions, collecting all sorts of 'treasures' they fancy.
Sometimes, they also trade with beings from the material world.
I reckon that Wizard must have cheated the Collector in a deal, earning their grudge that lasts to this day.
But these creatures aren't inherently bad. Dispelling the curse might even attract them here. You might even get some treasures from other dimensions."
Richard was delighted; he hadn't expected such a windfall.
"Let's go find him now."
...
Kayan's residence was not in the Central Black Tower but in a secluded corner of the experimental area.
This wasn't due to any deliberate targeting by the academy but his own request.
As a man favored by the Goddess of Misfortune, he had a deep understanding of his own luck. Staying within the Black Tower would only cause trouble for other Wizards.
Of course, there was also his fear of being beaten to death by other Wizards.
Interfering with a Wizard's experiments was akin to declaring war.
Looking at the sturdy stone house that was perfectly structured and solidly built, even Ulysses couldn't help but admire Kayan's resolve.
Misfortune could make unlikely events happen, but it couldn't make impossible events occur.
By making everything as perfect as possible, misfortune could do nothing.
Richard stepped forward and knocked on the door.
Thud! Thud! Thud... Boom!
Before Richard could finish knocking, a loud explosion came from inside the stone house.
Soon after, thick black smoke billowed from the chimney.
A soot-covered Wizard in black robes opened the door, with smoke pouring out from behind him.
He coughed and asked, "Cough, cough, who is it?"
"It's me, Richard."
Richard frowned slightly and waved his hand, a gentle breeze dispersing the black smoke from the door.
Seeing the visitor, Kayan's face lit up with excitement.
"Master Richard! What brings you here? I heard you've gained many great things from this war, even the Dean praises you highly.
Shouldn't you be researching right now?"
"Do you remember? I promised you last time..."
Boom!
The roof of Kayan's stone house suddenly collapsed, and the entire structure began to sway precariously.
Not a single mistake, not a single detail, the content is at 69 Book Bar!
Richard stared in shock at the stone house. The materials used were undoubtedly solid; how could it have become a dilapidated structure so easily?
"Your house..."
Kayan smiled wryly, "It's fine, I'm used to it. I've lived in this house for three months.
If it didn't have any accidents, I'd start to suspect if a great calamity was waiting for me."
Seeing Kayan's calm demeanor, Richard couldn't help but feel a mix of admiration and pity.
Just how unlucky must one be to develop such a stable emotional state?
Richard continued, "Last time, I promised to keep an eye out for information about the curse on you.
That's why I'm here."
Kayan's eyes sparkled, his voice trembling with excitement, "Master, have you found information about that creature!?"
Richard nodded, "I found a creature that closely matches your description. It's an illusory creature from the Pocket Dimension, known as a Collector.
Moreover, I've found a method that might be able to remove your curse. Would you like to try?"
Kayan was thunderstruck, standing frozen in place.
Soon, his eyelids trembled, and two streams of clear tears rolled down his cheeks.
"Try... I must try! Master, what materials do you need? I'll gather them right away!"
Richard shook his head, "No materials are needed. Just stand still."
With that, Richard's demeanor suddenly changed, a holy light seemingly emanating from his body.
The Power of Faith was stirred by Richard, undergoing a profound transformation within his soul.
This transformation was simple yet intricate, embodying the concept of simplicity within complexity.
Richard pointed at Kayan, and the Power of Faith transformed into a Divine Art, descending upon him.
Immediately, a layer of illusory black gas surged out of Kayan's body and vanished into the air.
Witnessing this, Kayan's mouth trembled as if he wanted to say something.
All the misfortunes he had endured, the pain he had suffered, now surged forth, all stuck in his throat.
Finally, it all turned into a heart-wrenching wail.
It's over, it's finally over.
Richard watched Kayan intently. According to Ulysses, dispelling the curse might attract the Collector who cast it.
Soon, the space behind Kayan quivered slightly.
A strange creature with four arms, six eyes, and a sack emerged from the void.
"Who dispelled my curse! Who!"
"Squawk, it was me. Got a problem?"
The Collector looked up and saw a black crow staring at him arrogantly. Beneath that arrogance was a terrifying pressure that made the Collector shudder.
The Collector immediately submitted, "No problem, no problem. Great World Master, it's his fortune that you were willing to save him."
With that, the Collector hurriedly tried to use his ability to leave the Wizard World.
"Don't be in such a hurry to leave. You need to give me an explanation for what you've done."
Ulysses flew to the top of the Collector's head like lightning, instantly pinning him in place.
"This Wizard has no enmity with you, yet you cursed him without reason, subjecting him to thousands of years of misfortune.
Don't you owe him an explanation?"
The Collector wanted to argue, but by then, Kayan had also recovered from his tears.
He glared at the Collector with red eyes, full of malice.
"You alien freak, look closely, am I the Kujin you speak of!?"
The Collector looked at Kayan, his six eyes all moving, as if searching for some trace.
Finally, he said somewhat sheepishly, "Uh... I apologize, okay?"
Ulysses looked at him with unfriendly eyes.
"What do you think?"
...
After some discussion (extortion), the Collector was forced to hand over three treasures he had collected as compensation for cursing Kayan.
Don't think this number is small; Collectors are all known for being hoarders, never letting go of their treasures.
According to Ulysses, these illusory creatures cannot die. Even if killed, they will be reborn in the Pocket Dimension at some point in the future.
Moreover, their abilities make them extremely difficult to seal.
To get three treasures out of a Collector is already a significant concession, made possible by the Collector's sense of guilt.
After handing over the treasures, the Collector quickly left through a dimensional rift.
Kayan then performed a Wizard's salute to Richard with great respect.
"Master Richard, I can never repay the kindness you've shown me today.
If you don't mind, I would like to follow you as a disciple for the rest of my life."
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