"Mechanist... fine, then it's the Mechanist Type I individual armor."
Richard patted the armor and continued to ask, "How long can it sustain combat?"
Kallion replied, "If the combat mode is not activated, the theoretical endurance of this armor is currently one year.
But if the combat mode is activated, that time will quickly shrink.
According to our estimates, under full combat conditions, Makar will exhaust the armor's energy and the energy within his body in half an hour."
"Half an hour…"
Richard touched the armor, a slight smile appearing on his face.
"Half an hour is enough."
After saying that, Richard turned to the group of craftsmen who made the armor and asked, "Did you leave your names on this? If not, hurry up and do so. I'm taking it out of the Secret Realm next."
Upon hearing this, the Fire Lizard craftsmen around Richard all smiled.
A Fire Lizard Alchemy Master laughed heartily:
"My lord, you don't need to worry about that. This is a prototype; how could we not leave our names?"
Richard was taken aback for a moment, then he laughed along.
Indeed, he didn't need to worry about this; the armor project was proposed by these Fire Lizards themselves.
This was their work to prove their capabilities.
"Alright, I'll take it out for a stroll. You all rest here in the Secret Realm. In a couple of days, I'll bring you back to Crimson Sun World."
Richard waved his hand, signaling Makar to follow him out of the Secret Realm.
Makar felt a bit nervous; so far, none of the Fire Lizards with Richard had ever entered the Wizard World.
Their understanding of the Wizard World was still based on intelligence gathered during the war and their imaginations.
What kind of world could give rise to such terrifying beings as Wizards?
Stepping out of the Secret Realm, Makar instantly felt a sense of suffocation.
This was not because the air in the Wizard World was toxic to Makar.
In fact, Makar's full-enclosure helmet was equipped with an air purification system, ensuring that every breath he took was completely non-toxic and harmless.
The suffocation he felt came from the energy concentration in the air.
The tower of Nine Stars Commerce was not the Tower of Truth; although the energy concentration in the rooms of this tower was higher than that of the outside world due to the extensive Magic Arrays laid out,
this increase in concentration was still quite barren compared to Crimson Sun World or Richard's Secret Realm Fragment.
Makar's body cells instinctively craved more energy, and the energy concentration in the air could not satisfy this craving, which was the source of his suffocation.
"My lord, is this the world you inhabit?"
Makar suppressed the suffocation and respectfully addressed Richard.
"This environment is a bit... too barren."
It was hard to imagine that such a barren world could give rise to such terrifying beings as Wizards.
Richard noticed Makar's discomfort and took out a bottle of Magic Potion from his pocket, handing it to him.
"Drink this, then activate the armor's closed state."
Makar's situation was quite common; the low-energy environment of the Wizard World was practically hell for beings from other realms.
The stronger the otherworldly being, the more intense their reaction to the low-energy environment of the Wizard World.
To cope with this condition, which Wizards referred to as "low magic syndrome," many Wizard Chambers of Commerce had released Magic Potions to alleviate these symptoms.
Makar opened his helmet and tossed the entire bottle of Magic Potion, along with the bottle itself, into his mouth.
He then closed his helmet and activated the closed state as Richard instructed.
Once the closed state was activated, some metallic friction sounds came from within the armor.
Although the armor's exterior did not change, it was now completely sealed.
In this state, Makar would be unable to draw energy from the external environment, and similarly, the energy emitted by Makar's body would also be contained within the armor.
"How do you feel?" Richard asked.
A low voice came from within the armor.
"My lord, it's much better now."
Richard nodded; this closed state was a feature he designed and insisted the Fire Lizard craftsmen equip.
This idea was initially to prevent the Fire Lizards inside the armor from struggling to adapt to a low-energy world during a Wizard expedition, thus losing combat effectiveness.
However, after receiving news about the Academy War, Richard had new thoughts about this feature.
The Academy War not only prohibited the use of strategic-level Magic Equipment and the use of slave legions and synthetic beast legions by Great Wizards, but it also completely allowed the small-scale use of otherworldly slaves.
This time, Richard brought Makar out to see how effective this armor would be against Wizards.
If the effect was significant, Richard would have to consider investing heavily to create a Fire Lizard combat squad as his safety assurance in the Academy War.
After all, Ulysses could not enter the World Mirror.
Without Ulysses as a bodyguard, Richard, as a second-ring Wizard, would not be considered safe on the battlefield.
Richard instructed Makar, "Feeling better is good. Pay attention to the armor's various states over the next few days; when we return, this data will directly influence the armor's subsequent improvements.
Also, you'll likely have a few battles to fight in a few days, so prepare yourself in advance."
Makar's heart tightened, and he knelt on one knee, saying, "Yes, my lord! I will do my utmost."
Richard nodded, telling Makar he could move freely, then he found the equipped laboratory in the room, closed the door, and began to continue optimizing his Spell Model.
After closing the door, Ulysses suddenly spoke up.
"Gah, are you really planning to use him against your own kind? You Wizards are not friendly towards these natives; if this behavior is discovered, it could cause a lot of trouble."
Richard, focused on condensing runes, calmly replied without turning his head, "Without a Soul Contract, this behavior would make me a traitor, viewed as a mad Wizard by the legal department's enforcement Wizards.
But with a Soul Contract, my actions would be seen as an Alchemist Wizard using his experimental creation in battle.
Makar and I have a Soul Contract, so there's no need to worry about that."
After a pause, Richard continued, "I must say, you've been increasingly concerned about my affairs lately, which makes me very happy."
Ulysses was silent for a moment before slowly speaking:
"...Gah, you have great potential, and I have high hopes for you. If you can grow smoothly, your future will be limitless...
I look forward to the day I can stand on your shoulder as the 'Creator' Richard."
Richard smiled and did not continue the conversation.
...
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Richard, wearing a mask, appeared at the auction site with Ulysses and Makar amidst a flash of white light.
Bob and Aimon had been waiting there for a long time.
"Master, you've arrived."
Seeing Richard, Aimon immediately approached him, respectfully welcoming him.
Richard shook hands with Aimon, smiling, "Minister Aimon, there's no need for such formality. I'm just a guest; how could I trouble a big figure like you to come personally to greet me?"
Aimon looked at Richard's smiling face, thinking to himself that at this moment, he shouldn't be acting so humble; he hadn't been that courteous when he took my heart that day.
Bob also came to Richard's side, and seeing the mask on Richard's face that clearly had hidden functions, he felt a bit relieved.
After Aimon brought Richard to the White Tower, he inquired about Richard's identity with Bob. It was only then that he learned Richard was one of the well-known presidents of the Wizard Chamber of Commerce, Richard Jolod.
Upon learning this news, Aimon immediately decided to support Bob in becoming president and quickly sealed off the information that the black-robed Wizard was Richard.
He only released the news that Bob had invited a powerful Black Wizard from the Tower of Truth.
The reason was simple; if this information was not sealed, several Wizards competing with Bob for the position might seek help from other Wizard Chambers of Commerce.
If that happened, regardless of who ultimately became president, Nine Stars Commerce would not benefit.
The demands from other Wizard Chambers of Commerce would be much higher than Richard's.
As the head of security for Nine Stars Commerce, Aimon didn't care who the president was, but he did care about the strength of Nine Stars Commerce.
The stronger the commerce, the more benefits he would reap as the head of security.
...
The guests attending this auction were all VIPs of Nine Stars Commerce.
Seeing that Nine Stars Commerce had sent two minister-level figures to greet a Wizard, they couldn't help but feel a bit curious.
Who was this masked Wizard?
"Is Aimon scared out of his wits?" a Third Circle Wizard disdainfully remarked to the person beside him, "He gets beaten once and becomes so servile."
The person beside him glanced at him and replied unhurriedly, "He's not scared out of his wits; he's making a statement."
"A statement?"
"Yes, the president of Nine Stars Commerce is about to change. I heard his designated successor is a newcomer who was just promoted; Aimon is giving this newcomer a platform."
The Third Circle Wizard was astonished, "A newcomer! Abalo has lost his mind?"
"No, he's not lost his mind; he's unwilling to see reality," the other person said calmly. "He thinks that letting a newcomer inherit the president's position will delay the internal strife of Nine Stars Commerce.
He believes it will save some talents for Nine Stars Commerce.
But none of his subordinates are willing to do that. His thinking is destined to be wishful thinking."
"Delay internal strife?" The Third Circle Wizard said, puzzled, "How can I not see that this delays internal strife?
A newcomer can't suppress these old-timers; the internal strife will definitely not stop."
The other person sighed, "That's why I said he's unwilling to see reality. He thinks that putting a puppet minister, who is controlled by several ministers, in charge will delay the internal strife.
But if you can see this logic, can't he?
He just doesn't want to see it.
He's close to death, so he's escaping reality, wanting to let himself sleep in a beautiful lie."
The Third Circle Wizard looked at his friend, somewhat surprised, "How do you know this so clearly? Are you involved in this matter?"
The other person glanced at him and said lightly, "It's just an observer's clarity. You and I have known Abalo for so many years; a little thought can make it clear what he's thinking."
The Third Circle Wizard was taken aback, then angrily said, "Are you saying I don't think?"
"Cough, cough, don't waste time. The auction is about to start, let's hurry in."
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