After understanding his abilities, Richard left the ruins of Cross Town with Bones.
According to the map from the tavern, they were now in the wilderness between the rings. If they wanted to attack the Lawless Land again, they would need to traverse this wilderness for a long time.
For Richard, this was clearly a waste of time.
So he refined some of the Nightmare Power he had on hand, restoring his mental strength to the level of a Second Circle Wizard.
Then he condensed another coffin, placed his Nightmare Body inside, and had Bones carry his body across the wilderness.
Meanwhile, he himself opened the Nightmare Gate and returned to the Wizard World.
Back in the Wizard World, Richard's soul re-entered his body, and he stretched lazily, something he hadn't done in a long time.
Over the past few years, his body had been in a semi-out-of-control state, with his movements sometimes too strong and sometimes too weak.
Now, it had finally returned to normal.
Leaving the laboratory, Richard went to the next room as usual to check on Munin's progress.
During this time, Munin had been studying Dragon Alchemy, a technique not created by wizards, which he found quite challenging.
But Richard was a master of Dragon Alchemy, and as his student, Munin was unwilling to settle for mediocrity.
So he had been relentlessly pursuing mastery of Dragon Alchemy.
Richard greatly admired this spirit of learning and didn't stop Munin, only telling him to ask more questions if he encountered any problems.
Although Richard's mastery of Dragon Alchemy was thanks to the Miracle Furnace, a master was still a master, and a master's instincts could solve problems that would stump the average person.
...
In the room, a handsome young man was frowning, intently focused on the metal block in his hands.
Over the past seven years, Munin's body had "grown" from that of a boy to a young man.
Under Munin's manipulation, golden patterns began to snake across the surface of the metal block.
But soon, the patterns suddenly halted.
Immediately after, a chaotic energy erupted from the metal block, instantly twisting the already formed patterns into a tangled mess.
Clearly, he had failed again.
"Don't be too fixated on manipulating the metal, Munin," Richard's voice startled Munin, who had been so absorbed in his alchemy that he hadn't noticed Richard entering the room.
"Teacher," Munin stood up in a fluster and bowed slightly to Richard.
Richard waved his hand, signaling him to sit down.
"Dragon Alchemy is a dragon's technique. You can't approach it with a wizard's mindset."
Munin's face fell, looking somewhat dejected.
"Teacher, I know that. To think like a dragon, I specifically asked Aunt Yelena for a lot of research materials on dragons.
But I still can't grasp the dragon's mindset."
Richard smiled and pulled up a chair to sit in front of Munin.
"What do you think a dragon is like? What do you think their mindset is like?"
"Hmm... well..." Munin thought for a long time before finally speaking with some uncertainty, "Dragons are incredibly powerful. As the former rulers of the Wizard World, they are noble and proud.
So in their daily lives, they should be very arrogant."
Richard shook his head, "Not arrogance, but dominance! Arrogance requires both parties to be within the same social system.
A noble might be arrogant toward a beggar, but they wouldn't be arrogant toward an ant or a hunting dog because it's meaningless.
As the former rulers of the Wizard World, the other races under their rule were just that to them.
And when dealing with these races, they would only give domineering commands.
If you've studied dragon language spells, you'll notice that the incantations are all commands.
Dragons are so domineering that they even command elements and energy.
Their alchemy is the same; they command the metal to change shape according to their will."
Munin frowned. This was all so abstract.
Metal doesn't have intelligence, so how could he command it to change shape? Seeing that Munin still didn't understand, Richard sighed and took out a metal ingot from his Magic Pocket.
"Your approach to alchemy is still too superficial. These skills were created by living beings, so when using them, it's inevitable to incorporate habits from daily life.
For example, the alchemy created by wizards involves exploring the properties of objects and following their grain.
This is the attitude of wizards toward external things; we always explore humbly, trying to bring out the inherent advantages of the materials.
But dragons are tyrannical rulers; they only command the materials. The grain and properties of the materials are irrelevant; what matters is their demands.
Like this," Richard said, as the metal ingot in his hand began to deform.
Under his deliberate control, the transformation of the metal ingot became extremely slow.
Munin could even see the golden patterns gradually appearing on the ingot.
Munin's eyes widened, not wanting to miss any detail of the transformation. As he focused intently, his mental energy began to change unconsciously.
One by one, mental runes appeared in his mind, and then his vision became extremely narrow and clear.
The changes in the metal ingot were now clearly visible to him. He could even observe the subtle changes in the ingot through a sense that transcended human perception.
He could see the internal structure of the ingot being ruthlessly destroyed and then rebuilt according to Richard's will.
From the perspective of wizard alchemy, this process was like a bull in a china shop, using brute force with no technique or elegance.
But this seemingly crude method allowed the structure of the ingot to be reshaped, enabling the golden patterns to grow smoothly.
At this moment, Munin finally understood his problem.
A single word from a true master is worth volumes of false teachings.
Without deliberate guidance, an alchemist accustomed to the mindset of wizard alchemy might never achieve anything in dragon alchemy.
This was a fundamental issue with the underlying logic of alchemy.
Just as Munin had this realization, Richard also noticed the change in Munin.
Munin's mental energy had undergone a complex and subtle transformation, and this change was beyond mere coincidence.
"Munin, what were you using just now?" Richard suddenly asked.
"Huh?" Munin, who had been intently observing the changes in the metal ingot, was startled by Richard's question. The transformation in his mental energy also dissipated.
"Teacher, what did you say?"
Richard frowned slightly, "I asked what you were doing just now. Didn't you notice? Your mental energy underwent a very precise change."
"Oh," Munin suddenly realized, "I don't know. I was so absorbed in watching you perform alchemy that I didn't notice.
Then somehow, this change occurred, like... like..."
Suddenly, images flashed before Munin's eyes—images of... rune arrays!
Munin hurriedly went to the desk, picked up a quill, and started writing, almost knocking over the inkwell in his haste.
Richard walked over to Munin and, upon seeing the rune arrays he was writing, was inwardly shocked.
Having studied some soul theory himself, Richard could understand a bit of what Munin was writing.
If he wasn't mistaken, Munin was writing a spell model for a soul spell.
"Could his memories still be intact?" Richard thought in surprise.
Soon, Munin completed the spell model. He looked at the content on the paper, somewhat bewildered, and turned to Richard.
"Teacher, what is this..."
Richard replied in a low voice, "This is a spell model."
Munin was still confused. He had never learned anything like this before and couldn't understand the spell model.
So why did he have memories of this spell model? "Are you busy later?" Richard suddenly asked.
"No."
"Then come with me to see a wizard. Your soul might need to be examined."
"Alright."
...
Although there weren't many soul wizards at Black Tower Wizard Academy, there were still a few masters who specialized in soul theory.
With the help of Vice Dean Erix, Richard quickly found a peak Second Circle old wizard.
"Master, could you take a look at what's going on with my student?"
In the reception hall of the Wizard Tower, Richard pulled Munin to his side and respectfully looked at the old wizard across from him.
The old wizard opposite Richard looked like a spirited old man. His hair was gray, his beard was full, his complexion was ruddy and vibrant, and his eyes were sharp and bright.
This old wizard was a graduate of the first class of Black Tower Wizard Academy. In terms of soul theory, he was considered one of the best among the wizards at Black Tower Academy.
"Small problem," the old wizard stood up and smiled at Munin behind Richard, "Child, come with me."
Munin obediently followed the old wizard to the laboratory on the second floor.
In the laboratory, Munin sat on an iron chair, and a hemispherical crystal cap was placed on his head.
The old wizard started the machine, and soon, a special wave emanated from the crystal cap.
The old wizard held a crystal ball, quietly watching the data coming from it. At first, he was somewhat dismissive.
But soon, his expression changed.
Ten minutes later, the machine automatically stopped.
The old wizard told Munin to stay put and then left the laboratory.
In the reception hall, Richard was quietly sipping the magic tea prepared by the old wizard. Seeing the old wizard come down in a hurry, he quickly put down his teacup and went to meet him.
"Master, how is it?"
The old wizard looked somewhat serious, "Your apprentice is quite remarkable. Although his soul is fragmented and weak, he actually has the soul strength of a third-level creature."
Richard nodded, "Master, there's no need to be alarmed. He was originally a Third Circle Wizard. But during his research, something went wrong, and most of his soul was twisted by the rules, leaving only this pure part intact.
At the time, I was planning to kill the monster, but I ended up saving him by coincidence.
Later, seeing that he had lost all his memories, I took him in as an apprentice.
Today, I came to ask you to check if his memories might recover because suddenly a spell model popped into his mind."
The old wizard nodded in understanding.
"So that's the case, everything makes sense now. I can tell you with certainty that it's impossible for him to recover his memories.
And the reason a spell model suddenly appeared in his mind is that he modified his soul, integrating the inform
ation of the spell model into his subconscious.
This master must have previously researched anti-meme oddities. Such modifications can effectively prevent the loss of one's research findings."
(End of chapter)