Chapter 134: Academic Discussion

The next morning, after nearly ten hours of intimacy, Richard climbed out of bed following a brief rest. For a wizard, the previous night's vigorous activities weren't particularly exhausting.

Ulysses peeked in from the doorway. Seeing Richard awake, he remarked with a hint of amusement, "Caw, your mating is finally over. I must say, your species is peculiar. Shouldn't mating be quick? Yet you always take so long."

Richard shot him a glare. "Don't apply avian logic to humans."

Donning his wizard robe and leaving the bedroom, Richard felt a rare sense of peace without any pressing tasks. He fished a crystal ball from his pocket, infusing it with a touch of magic, which projected a three-dimensional image.

The imagery was of the anatomical diagrams of the Spider Knights.

In the hive, Richard had only managed to identify the weak points of the Spider Knights; he hadn't delved deeply into their other aspects.

Now, with time on his hands, he intended to study them thoroughly.

The Spider Knights' modifications were remarkably intricate. Every time he examined their design, Richard marveled at the technical ingenuity.

Combining two different species isn't particularly difficult; even wizard apprentices can achieve that with chimeric beasts.

But achieving stability is another matter entirely.

For stitched-together chimeric beasts, their life expectancy is usually measured in days, starting from completion. Most stable chimeric beasts are created using active flesh and nurtured with enchanted organs.

At least, that's the current level of chimeric beast technology at the Black Tower Wizard Academy.

But the Spider Knights were different.

Their upper bodies were Black Crystal Insectoids, while their lower halves were a type of spider. These spiders and the insectoids were certainly not the same species.

Typically, such a combination would lead to severe rejection issues due to mismatched muscles, blood vessels, and nerves. Wizards usually use large doses of anti-rejection potions to mitigate these reactions.

However, the Black Crystal Insectoids used neural connections to significantly reduce physical rejection between the two bodies. The physical connection was minimal, involving only nerves, some muscles, and carapaces (which naturally don't react), thus reducing rejection intensity.

If Richard could fully decipher this precise neural connection technique, it would mark a major breakthrough in his chimeric beast technology... but that's contingent on fully deciphering it.

Using the complete Spider Knight body at his disposal, Richard spent half a month in the lab, attempting to unravel the technique. However, his current skill level and lack of innate talent in chimeric beasts left him with no results after all that time.

This forced Richard to consider other options.

...

"Teacher, long time no see. How have you been?"

In the Floating City fortress's Beastmaster Department, Richard greeted Jolord with a bright smile.

They were in a massive underground factory, filled with tanks of green liquid. Inside, various organs floated, occasionally retrieved by passing wizards for chimeric beast creation.

This was the chimeric beast factory of the Floating City fortress, Jolord's workplace, where hundreds of wizards tirelessly crafted chimeric beasts daily, producing thousands of first-tier and nearly a hundred second-tier beasts each day.

Even so, production barely met demand.

The White Wizard Corps had conquered several insect kingdoms over the past two years, extending wizard control to nearly a quarter of the Hive World.

This success was partly due to the White Wizard Corps' formidable combat prowess and partly due to the Black Crystal Insectoids' strategic choices.

Their resistance was minimal, primarily retreating and leaving a few insects to conduct guerrilla warfare in the hives, while the main forces and the mother insect withdrew to other kingdoms.

This allowed the White Wizards to achieve in two years what typically took close to twenty in a war.

"Not bad, the war is progressing smoothly. While there's plenty of work, the rewards are good," Jolord responded, pleased to see his student.

He had been concerned about his students' well-being, but even the most reckless, Chucks, had only sustained minor injuries.

"Are you short on active flesh again?"

Richard shook his head. "No, no, just came by to check on you."

"Alright, you think I don't know you kids?" Jolord laughed, leading Richard to a private room.

Inside was a desk, a bookshelf filled with books and notes, and walls adorned with anatomical diagrams.

"This is my office."

Jolord sat behind the desk, gesturing to a chair in the corner for Richard to sit.

"What's troubling you?"

Richard smiled awkwardly, pulling out a memory crystal from his magical pocket.

"Teacher, take a look at this."

The image played, and Jolord's expression immediately changed.

"Good stuff, such a complete anatomical diagram of a Spider Knight... Did you make this?"

Jolord's gaze was fixed on the image. Although he was the head of the Beastmaster Department, he had only seen a few incomplete Spider Knight bodies.

Those corpses had been blasted apart by wizards, their organs charred or shattered. He had heard that the White Wizards had two complete Spider Knight bodies, but Jolord, as a department head, couldn't get involved and had to piece together diagrams from incomplete corpses.

"I did; I'd say I learned about thirty percent of your skills," Richard replied modestly.

"Thirty percent?" Jolord shook his head. "At least seventy. The completeness of this image is on par with what your senior could achieve."

Shifting his focus from the diagram, Jolord asked again, "What's the issue?"

Richard pointed to the image. "Teacher, I have a treasure trove, but no way to access it. You know my talent in chimeric beasts; even if I study this for decades, I might not make any progress."

"So what's your plan?" Jolord sensed something unusual in Richard's tone.

His student's thinking was always innovative and unconventional.

Perhaps he had a new idea this time.

"My plan..." Richard's eyes gleamed with a hint of mischief. "You might not like it, Teacher."

"Oh?" Jolord raised an eyebrow. "Let's hear it."

Richard sat up straight, speaking seriously, "I want to organize an academic seminar within our teacher-student circle to discuss this Spider Knight anatomical diagram."

"..."

Jolord fell silent after hearing Richard's proposal.

His student had indeed come up with something new.

"An academic seminar," Jolord mused. "Richard, you know the rules among wizards. Research is a private affair, and the knowledge gained from it is a treasure."

"An academic seminar would inevitably reveal a lot of knowledge. You're asking people to give away their children for free."

Richard shook his head. "How is it free? Everyone attending can hear the discussion and contribute their thoughts."

"But what if someone doesn't contribute?" Jolord tapped the desk. "A wizard who only absorbs others' knowledge without sharing their own would be the biggest winner of the seminar."

Richard smiled, a glint of wisdom in his eyes. "That's why I suggested it be within our teacher-student circle, Teacher."

Richard had clearly considered this potential issue.

"With you leading the discussion, as the main speaker, we'd be there to participate and provide ideas. We're all wizards now, and our perspectives aren't as shallow as apprentices'. We might offer some valuable insights."

"Moreover, we're all your students. If no one contributes, the knowledge stays within the group, like a lecture."

Jolord pondered for a moment; Richard's words intrigued him.

Wizards and apprentices were indeed different. His students, some even surpassing him in power, would certainly have unique insights.

Jolord had always seen wizard research as private, even between mentors and students.

But Richard's idea opened a new door for him.

After a long pause, Jolord spoke. "It's a good idea, but it's quite bold. This seminar will only include you, Anna, and Chucks. You three have a good rapport, so discussions should flow smoothly."

Richard nodded. Jolord had a point; involving unfamiliar senior students might lead to awkward silence.

With the seminar decided, Jolord contacted Anna and Chucks via communication crystal.

"Hey, Teacher, your crystal can connect to the communication network and notify other wizards?" Richard asked, surprised.

"This isn't the command's crystal; it's a gadget Anna made. It allows for short-range communication with a set list. Ask her for one when she arrives."

Richard eyed the communication crystal, intrigued.

If its magical fluctuations were subtle, it could be perfect for black wizards infiltrating enemy lines.

Soon, Anna and Chucks arrived.

Anna seemed to have been injured; one arm was now mechanical. Chucks had also modified his body, now sporting four arms, the extra pair quite conspicuous.

"I called you here because your junior proposed an idea I found interesting," Jolord began.

"Oh, junior, what have you come up with this time?" Chucks approached Richard, winking playfully.

"It's simple. I acquired a Spider Knight anatomical diagram and want Teacher to lead a seminar for us."

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