Wizards begin by accessing the Inspiration panel.

Chapter 211 Scorched Earth Secret Realm

Gorkan must be brought along; logically speaking, his water-based magic is quite effective against fire elemental creatures.

Fingart?

Richard shook his head.

The third-level wizard apprentice is still too weak, so let him guard the house.

As for Stephena, although she is only at the limit of an apprentice in terms of strength, we can take her to take care of her daily life. After all, even if we explore the outer perimeter of the Scorched Earth Secret Realm, we probably won't find anything good in less than seven or eight days.

However, some preparations need to be made before going.

Richard did not intend to venture deep into the Scorched Earth Secret Realm this time; he only planned to explore its outer perimeter.

The flame crystals he needed came from first-tier fire elements, an elemental creature that should have existed in the outer reaches of the Scorched Earth Secret Realm.

According to ancient texts, the same applies to Flame Flowers. Although there are more Flame Flowers the deeper you go, there are also a small number of Flame Flowers on the outskirts of the Scorched Earth Secret Realm, and many people have collected them.

Richard doesn't need a large number of Flame Flowers. With his Inspiration Panel, he doesn't need many raw materials to make Fenrir potion.

Because if Fenril is taken in excess, it can also cause the body to develop drug resistance. The first bottle is the most effective, and then the effect gradually decreases until it has almost no effect.

Therefore, after considering this, Richard thought about it and realized that he now had the Blood Bone Puppet and the Wraith Abomination, plus Gorkan, who was proficient in water magic.

In terms of combat strength, killing a lone Tier 1 fire elemental should be quite feasible.

Richard is not considering forming a team!

Because if they team up, not only might the extraordinary combat power of the puppets Richard created be exposed, but also the fire crystals would have to be distributed among everyone based on their contribution when killing a first-tier fire elemental.

In that case, if Richard doesn't reveal his true abilities, it seems like he's just there to do odd jobs.

Other high-level wizards might have already collected two or three pieces before he was able to get one.

After all, those wizards who dared to operate in the Scorched Earth Secret Realm for a long time were not known to be only at the first level of strength.

As for inviting Desol and others?

Richard had considered it.

But Dessall is currently engrossed in brewing a new type of rye beer and plans to apply hops to the brewing process of other beers, and from the Chamber of Commerce's perspective...

The brewing, sales, and promotion of beer must also be handled by one person.

If both I and Desol go to the Scorched Earth, the entire operation of the new beer will be significantly affected.

Currently, it is in the initial stage of new-style beer, and Dessault still cannot do without it.

In addition, although Dissol cannot be called a puppet master, he at least has the strength of a high-level puppeteer and can easily see through the true nature of the blood and bone puppet.

Because the Blood Bone Puppet is a high-level puppet, it is impossible for anyone other than a puppet master to even begin making it.

Moreover, no one has been able to successfully create a blood-bone puppet for hundreds of years.

You have to understand, I came to Tug City at the invitation of Dissol. Before arriving in Tug City, I knew almost nothing about puppetry, but now, in less than a month, I have become a puppetry master.

Obviously, he would be completely unable to explain all of this at that time.

Even though he and Dessall had always had a good relationship, Richard believed that he could not entrust his safety to the conscience of others.

Especially for a race like the Grey Dwarves who are exceptionally interested in puppetry, if the news that they can create blood and bone golems were to leak out, they might be dragged out by a group of old Grey Dwarves to be dissected for experiments.

but

Now we can further upgrade the Bloodbone Puppet.

Richard thought for a moment, then softly chanted the incantation. Instantly, a huge inverted pentagram magic circle appeared on the ground.

With a flash of dazzling green light, a bone demon, three meters tall with an exceptionally large skeleton, was summoned—the Blood Bone Puppet.

Richard laid the Bloodbone Puppet on the ground and began to redraw energy channels on the inside of its ribs and spine.

That's right!

Richard plans to apply the dual energy channel technology he has just mastered to the Blood Bone Puppet.

One hour later

The Blood Bone Puppet, which originally had only one energy core, has now been transformed into two.

After Richard inserted two high-level magic stones, he ordered the Bloodbone Golem to perform a simulated attack.

The blood-bone puppet made two quick, sharp movements against the incredibly sturdy wall of the alchemy chamber.

I felt two strong gusts of wind pass by, and two long scratches, each an inch deep, appeared on the hard quartz wall, forming a large X shape.

This immediately startled Richard. Needless to say, the attack power was immense; to be able to destroy the quartz wall like this, it definitely reached the level of a high-level first-class wizard's magical attack.

But what amazed Richard even more was its speed. The Bloodbone Golem, which was already extremely fast among undead creatures, saw its speed increase significantly after being modified into a dual-channel energy core.

Quantitative change leads to qualitative change!

Now, the Bloodbone Golem's movement speed almost surpasses that of the Night Elf High Spider Woman, who is known for her agility.

However, the Blood Bone Puppet is much larger than the advanced Spider Woman before her transformation. In particular, the arm span of the ogre skeleton reaches three and a half meters. Combined with the bone blades that have mutated and grown from its elbows, it can unleash a more terrifying killing power than the Spider Woman's bladed arms.

Moreover, Richard also calculated that the duration of the Blood Bone Puppet's burst attack had been effectively extended.

If we take into account the increased movement speed and attack speed, he estimates that the Bloodbone Puppet, after being modified with dual-channel energy sources, will see an overall increase in combat power of over 15%.

This made Richard quite gratified.

With so many magic stones spent, it's time to reap the rewards.

-

The next morning, after completing his daily production tasks, Richard went to the Grey Dwarf Brotherhood's mission hall on the first floor.

After showing the mithril insignia, Richard said to the gray dwarf girl behind the counter, "I'd like to hire a few level three wizard apprentices. Do you have a list of them?"

"Yes, Master Levi, do you have any requirements regarding the gender, age, specialization, etc., of wizarding apprentices?"

Richard thought for a moment and said, "The best area of ​​specialization is plant cultivation. If that's not an option, then choose the natural sciences."

"Please wait a moment," the gray dwarf girl said with a smile, as she quickly flipped through the documents.

After breaking down the large-scale cultivation process of hops step by step in the previous few days, Richard discovered that at least two level three wizard apprentices who could use level zero nature magic to accelerate growth, and another level three wizard apprentice who could use level zero water magic to nourish, were needed.

It's important to know that the employment cost for a third-level wizard apprentice is at least ten times cheaper than that for a full-fledged wizard.

If I can recruit suitable wizard apprentices this time, I can not only greatly reduce labor costs, but also lay a good foundation for the next step of production capacity expansion.

A moment later, the gray dwarf girl said apologetically, "Master Levi, I'm very sorry, but the last third-level wizard apprentice specializing in plant cultivation was hired the day before yesterday."

"Then, I checked the number of level three wizard apprentices in the nature department for you, and there are only five left."

After saying that, the gray dwarf girl respectfully handed over a parchment scroll.

This parchment scroll is clearly different from the parchment scrolls usually used for recording. Judging from the faint energy fluctuations it reveals, it seems to be a fluctuation of the plastic energy system.

Richard took a look and found it quite interesting.

The parchment scroll contained two columns, one with three people and the other with two, totaling five resumes. The resumes included names, genders, ages, specialties, and affiliations with families, organizations, or colleges.

These were just ordinary things; what caught the eye most were the five people's appearance sections. In those small sections, about half the size of a palm, were lifelike portraits of heads that looked like dynamic photos from their past lives.

These portraits are so lifelike that they seem to smile and nod at Richard.

Of the five, apart from one lizardman and one fishman, the other three were gray dwarves, but race was not Richard's main concern.

Since there wasn't much content, Richard quickly finished browsing through it, but his brows furrowed afterward.

Richard discovered that whether it was the lizardmen, fishmen, or gray dwarves, their affiliations were all clearly listed as having a wizarding family or wizarding-level power behind them.

This immediately gave Richard a lot to worry about.

The purpose of recruiting level three wizard apprentices was to cultivate hops on a large scale. If the entire cultivation method were leaked, it would undoubtedly impact the profits of the Beer Merchants' Guild.

It's not that Richard believes no one can successfully replicate the new beer he's selling.

Even with the best secrecy, the alchemists among the grey dwarves will inevitably discover the presence of hops in the new beer after some time.

However, the other party also needs a lot of time to adjust the proportion of this ingredient, test the manufacturing process, and so on.

By the time the other party managed to imitate the taste of a similar new beer, Richard had already made a fortune.

However, at this stage, the matter of cultivating hops in large quantities cannot be leaked.

"Thank you! However, none of these five are quite suitable. By the way, did anyone accept the repair task I posted last time?" Richard asked.

Before asking, Richard knew that there was a high probability that no one would answer.

Otherwise, the Grey Dwarf Brotherhood would have contacted him long ago, since the Mutant Summoning Staff was still with him and not stored in the quest hall.

"Master Li Wei, I'm very sorry, but the Inscription Masters are all quite busy, so no one has accepted your task yet," the gray dwarf girl said apologetically.

Richard nodded to the gray dwarf girl and then left the mission hall.

It seems I'll have to go to Desol's place.

Dessall has been busy with his new beer project lately, so it should be relatively easy to find; it's probably in his own home.

Richard arrived at Dessall's villa shortly afterward.

"Hey, Levi, my brother, what brings you to see me today?" Dessall stepped forward and gave Richard a warm hug.

"I heard you've been engrossed in the secret blueprints Lord Hawkins gave you these past few days! How's the research going? Given our relationship, won't you share some inside information with me?" Dessall said, winking.

"Dessol, although I really want to tell you, Lord Hawkins specifically instructed me to keep the blueprints confidential when he handed them to me. Most importantly, I signed a confidentiality agreement!" Richard spread his hands, indicating his helplessness, and said with a smile.

Of course, Richard knew that Dessol was joking.

"Well, that's a real shame! By the way, you've come at the perfect time. You can try my newly brewed oat beer with hops." Dessall warmly pulled Richard into the living room.

Richard had also heard of oat beer; it was another type of beer that could rival rye beer, but with a smoother taste, and its audience was mostly the wealthy and aristocrats.

"Thank you, Dissol, but I came here today to ask about the Scorched Earth Mystery. I plan to try my luck there in a few days."

"Haha, Li Wei, are you joking? Although your talent in alchemy is beyond my reach, your own strength is only at the first level. The Scorched Earth Secret Realm is not suitable for you at your current level."

As soon as Richard finished speaking, Dessol jumped up in surprise and shook his head repeatedly.

"Desol, my brother, is the Scorched Earth Realm really that dangerous?" Richard looked at Desol with considerable suspicion.

The situation regarding the Scorched Earth Secret Realm is not top secret. Not only did Desol briefly introduce it last time, but Richard himself also checked relevant ancient books and materials in the Grey Dwarf Brotherhood's archives.

Richard believed that with the Bloodbone Golems and Wraiths he currently possessed, killing a Tier 1 Fire Elemental should be a piece of cake.

Of course, Richard could understand Dessol's attitude, since he was unaware of his hidden methods.

"Li Wei, the reason for going to the Scorched Earth Secret Realm is either for the Flame Crystals, or for the rare herbs that thrive in scorching environments. Of course, it's also possible that he's going to find special minerals."

"But regardless of the type of resource, after so many years of exploration, the possibility of encountering the aforementioned materials on the outermost edge of the Scorched Earth Secret Realm is extremely slim."

"If you want to gain anything, you must head to the center of the Scorched Earth Secret Realm. However, the number of fire or lava elemental creatures you encounter will increase dramatically there. Therefore, there is an unwritten rule in the Scorched Earth Secret Realm that generally only high-level first-tier wizards will venture in to explore it."

"Dissol, isn't there a locator? Although the strength of a first-level wizard is slightly lacking, if several people team up, even with random teleportation, they should be able to stay together, right?"

Richard pondered for a moment, then asked, still puzzled.

Desol shook his head and said:

"No, the terrain within the Scorched Earth Secret Realm is complex, with not only intricate lava passages but also underground lava rivers running through it. Even if two wizards discover through their positioning devices that they are not far apart, they may not be able to gather together."

Upon hearing this, Richard suddenly understood. The terrain of this Scorched Earth Secret Realm was just like Chongqing in his previous life. The navigation system might show a distance of only five meters, but in reality, one person might be on the eighteenth floor while another person is on the first floor.

"Moreover, on your way to regroup with your teammates, you may encounter an attack from multiple elemental creatures that you cannot resist. At that point, you will have no choice but to forcibly leave the secret realm," Dissol said, glancing at Richard.

However, Dessall seemed to realize that Richard's desire to go was very strong.

"Li Wei, if you don't care about the gains, it's not impossible to go and see it, provided you're well-prepared. After all, you can buy teleportation stones. If you encounter danger, you can crush the teleportation stone and be teleported out of the Scorched Earth Secret Realm."

"A teleportation stone?" Richard asked, puzzled.

It seems that I haven't seen any information about teleportation stones in ancient books.

"I forgot to tell you, the Scorched Earth Secret Realm was sealed by an ancient gray dwarf wizard. After so many years of research, the gray dwarf grandmasters in the field of magic arrays have developed a unique teleportation stone making technique based on the records of their ancestors."

"When explorers encounter unforeseen circumstances, they can crush the teleportation stone and return directly to the teleportation array at the entrance to the secret realm."

Richard nodded, realizing that it had only been discovered in the last few centuries.

"It's a bit pricey, though, costing 20,000 magic stones per stone. But that shouldn't be a problem for a rich man like you," Dissol patted Richard on the shoulder and laughed heartily.

Richard smiled bitterly to himself. Desol obviously didn't know that he had already spent most of the magic stones he had obtained from selling the shares.

If he spends another 20,000 magic stones to buy a teleportation stone, he will basically empty his pockets of the last magic stone.

wrong!

I and Gorkan together got 40,000 magic stones!

It seems this isn't just about emptying the bank; it's about incurring debt.

However, besides inquiring about the situation in the Scorched Earth, he had another matter to discuss with Dissol this time.

It concerns the issue of large-scale cultivation of hops.

"By the way, Dissol, I've run into a little trouble with the mass cultivation of hops," Richard said in a low voice, recounting the trouble he had encountered while recruiting level three wizard apprentices in the Grey Dwarf Brotherhood's mission hall.

(End of this chapter)