After Ulysses devoured the twisted flesh ball, the mental erosion naturally vanished.
The Wizards around the Wizard Tower awoke from their nightmares and immediately activated the laboratory's protective measures.
Centered around Wizard Tower 362, Wizard Towers within a radius of several hundred meters experienced intense fluctuations in Magic Power.
This meant that dozens of Wizards had been affected by the mental erosion.
This could already be considered a small-scale experimental accident.
Soon, upon receiving reports from the affected Wizards, the enforcement Wizards from the legal department arrived at the scene.
...
Kamila frowned as she looked at the Wizard Tower before her.
Ten minutes ago, she had received a report that an experimental accident had occurred at Wizard Tower 362, affecting dozens of surrounding Wizard Towers.
Although the accident seemed to be under control for now, the issue of compensation still needed to be resolved by the enforcement Wizards.
So she came.
But the Wizard Tower before her didn't look like the accident had been resolved at all.
The tower exuded an ominous aura from inside out.
But as an enforcement Wizard, she had to fulfill her duty.
Kamila took a deep breath, landed at the gate of the Wizard Tower's courtyard, and rang the doorbell.
Ding ding ding...
A cacophony of ringing sounds came from within the Wizard Tower.
But Kamila felt no joy upon hearing it.
The screams mixed within the ringing sent chills down her spine.
She had heard of some Wizards with psychological issues who imprisoned alien souls and took pleasure in listening to their screams.
Could she have encountered one today? Kamila pulled out the resident information for Wizard Tower 362 from her pocket.
The information showed that the owner of this Wizard Tower was a Third Circle Wizard, and also a Soul Wizard.
Among Wizards, Soul Wizards were sometimes even more detestable than Curse Wizards.
"Damn it, no wonder those bastards didn't want to handle this," Kamila complained.
As soon as she finished speaking, the door of the Wizard Tower slowly opened.
A black-robed Wizard wearing a silver mask, with a black crow perched on his shoulder, stepped out.
Kamila suppressed her nervousness and spoke with feigned authority, "Are you Wizard Farrett? I am Kamila from the legal department.
Your experiment caused an accident that affected dozens of Wizards in the vicinity. I am here to..."
"Sorry, Enforcement Wizard, I am not Master Farrett," Richard politely interrupted. "If you are here to inquire about compensation, I suggest you ask the Wizards inside."
"The Wizards inside?" Kamila was puzzled.
"Yes, the Wizards inside. I was invited here to clean up their mess."
Kamila feigned understanding, "Oh, I see. How is the situation inside, Master?"
Richard smiled, "The source of the accident has been dealt with, and the effects will dissipate soon."
Kamila nodded, "Thank you for your hard work, Master."
Richard opened the courtyard gate and walked past Kamila. She didn't sense anything amiss.
She scratched her head, feeling like she had overlooked something, but she couldn't figure out what.
"Forget it," Kamila shook her head, "Let's go inside and see what's going on."
...
After leaving Wizard Tower 362, Richard immediately headed to the Nine Stars Commerce shop, ready to continue his cross-regional trade with the caravan.
The Nine Stars Commerce caravan planned to traverse the entire Wizard World, visiting all five Towers of Truth.
By following them, Richard could not only broaden his horizons but also return to the Fourth Circle Tower of Truth.
"Are you sure this won't cause trouble?" Ulysses couldn't help but ask after arriving at the Nine Stars Commerce branch. "Deceiving an enforcement Wizard, even I know that's a serious crime."
Richard innocently spread his hands, "How did I deceive her? I answered all her questions, and she didn't stop me when I walked past her.
Besides, I was here to clean up their mess. The Wizards from the Dreamwalkers Club should be the ones paying for this."
"What about the mental guidance? Using rule-based abilities on an enforcement Wizard is also a serious crime, right?"
A sly smile appeared on Richard's face, "Who can prove I used mental guidance?
This ability isn't a Soul School's mind spell that leaves traces on the soul. Without evidence, even an enforcement Wizard can't do anything to me.
Besides, I've already given her someone to handle the case. She'd have to be really bored to come after me."
After a moment of thought, Ulysses realized Richard had a point.
This wasn't a major case, just a minor experimental accident that led to a financial dispute.
As for Wizard Farrett's matter, the Dreamwalkers Club would surely cover it up neatly.
...
The caravan stayed at the Second Circle Tower of Truth for nearly two months. During this time, Richard wasn't visited by any enforcement Wizards.
This indirectly proved that the Dreamwalkers Club had resolved the experimental accident.
After restocking and making purchases, the caravan set off again, fully loaded.
This time, their destination was the Third Circle Tower of Truth, passing through four worlds along the way, taking about a year. According to the caravan leader, if all went well, they would return to the Fourth Circle Tower of Truth in about five years.
On the airship, Richard browsed through the materials he had obtained from the Dreamwalkers Club.
The Dreamwalkers Club had amassed a wealth of research materials on the Nightmare World over the years. To solve their own issues, they had continuously ventured into the Nightmare World in search of solutions.
After reading for a while, Richard set aside the research materials and pulled out two thick Magic Books from his pocket.
One of the Magic Books looked ancient, as if it had endured thousands of years, while the other was almost brand new.
The ancient Magic Book contained research materials left behind by an ancient Wizard, obtained by the Dreamwalkers Club's Minister. The new Magic Book recorded the ritual Spellcraft required to enter the Nightmare World—the Nightmare Gate.
After flipping through both books, Richard's brow furrowed slightly.
This ritual magic was too troublesome; its complexity had reached the level of a Sixth Circle Spellcraft.
In the Wizard World, a Spellcraft's circle merely represents its complexity, not necessarily its power.
Many modern Spells, whose original Spell Models were Fourth or Fifth Circle, have been simplified to First or Second Circle over time.
Yet their power hasn't diminished; in fact, it has often increased.
"This won't do, this Spellcraft needs improvement," Richard muttered to himself as he looked at the Magic Book.
The ritual Spellcraft was so complex that, under normal circumstances, it required at least five Wizards to cast it simultaneously—a characteristic of ritual magic.
This wasn't an issue for the Dreamwalkers Club, but for Richard, it was a major inconvenience.
He couldn't possibly gather four Wizards every time he wanted to enter the Nightmare World.
So he had to perform this Spellcraft alone.
But he wasn't a Third Circle Wizard from the Soul School, capable of effortlessly handling such complex Spells using Soul School's techniques.
He didn't want to endure three or five Spell backlashes every time he entered the Nightmare World.
Thus, simplifying the Spellcraft was imperative.
"You want to simplify this Spellcraft?" Ulysses, perched on Richard's shoulder, suddenly spoke.
Richard turned to him, "Yes, any thoughts?"
"I think you should deal with that meatball first, then focus on this.
The benefits of mastering rules aren't just about gaining an additional ability. Your Spells, while wondrous, are also an exploitation of rule manifestations.
But when you master a rule to a certain extent, some abilities become instinctual.
For example, if a being masters the rule of fire, even if they previously knew no fire-related abilities, they would instinctively learn to manipulate flames, even performing advanced feats."
"Really?" Richard was surprised. "But I don't feel like I've gained any new abilities."
Ulysses rolled his eyes, "The rule you've mastered, the one that reaches this level, is that mutation rule.
Have you been studying flesh recently? Without studying, how would you notice?"
Richard scratched his head, "True, let's deal with that meatball first."
Ulysses opened his mouth and spat out the twisted flesh ball. After being processed (digested) by Ulysses, the ball had noticeably shrunk.
"I've digested a bit of it," Ulysses said, somewhat embarrassed, "but I haven't touched its rules at all."
With a blank expression, Richard condensed a water sphere and washed the flesh ball covered in dark purple slime. Then, with a light touch, the Miracle Furnace sent him a message.
[Ingredient: Twisted Flesh Ball]
[Extractable Rule: Nightmare Rule (Extremely Incomplete)]
[Extraction Cost: 30 Soul Power]
[Extractable Rule: Dream Rule (Extremely Incomplete)]
[Extraction Cost: 5 Soul Power]
Looking at the Miracle Furnace's message, Richard felt torn.
If he extracted the Nightmare Rule, his mental power would drop back to the level of a First Circle Wizard.
Although this decline wouldn't force him to undergo the Darkness of the Soul again, it would undoubtedly result in a period of physical uncoordination.
"Ah, whatever, if it drops, it drops. I'll just use a wheelchair if I have to."
Richard steeled his heart and chose to extract the Nightmare Rule.
In the next moment, he felt a deep weakness emanating from his soul. His Soul Power was continuously draining into the Miracle Furnace.
Consequently, the Mana Recirculation within his body became difficult to maintain. Most of his Magic Power was absorbed by his body's cells, leaving only a trickle behind.
Soon, the flesh ball reappeared.
Having lost the Nightmare Rule, the ball's twisted exterior began to dissipate, gradually transforming into a human with a terrified expression.
And then... the human moved! "What the hell, how is this thing alive?"
(End of Chapter)