As the two Great Wizards reached a reconciliation, the war between the two academies naturally came to an end.
In this war, the Black Tower Academy lost nearly ten thousand First Circle Wizards and several hundred Second Circle Wizards. The soul vessels of over thirty thousand Wizards were shattered, and the entire academy, except for the Central Black Tower, had to be rebuilt.
The losses of the Meteor Academy were more than double that of the Black Tower Academy, though a significant portion of these were student soldiers who had never seen the battlefield.
All things considered, the Black Tower Wizard Academy seemed to have come out at a disadvantage.
However, on the level of the Great Wizards, the Black Tower Wizard Academy undoubtedly made a huge gain.
Twenty years after the war ended, the Mirror of the World reopened, and the two academies returned to the Wizard World.
...
"It's a bit uncomfortable to be back here," Richard muttered, standing outside the Central Black Tower. The thin energy environment of the Wizard World instantly made his body tense up.
An overly active life core isn't always a good thing. Fifty years had allowed Richard's body to adapt to the high-energy environment of the Mirror of the World. Now, suddenly returning to the Wizard World, his body immediately experienced a series of adverse reactions.
These reactions would likely take two years to subside.
But looking at it from another angle, this also meant that Richard could adapt to other harsh environments in just two years.
"Stop dawdling and come help!" Jolod's voice rang out from a distance. Since materials from the Mirror World would disappear once brought out, the reconstruction of the academy hadn't started there.
Now, back in the Wizard World, the Black Tower Wizard Academy, lying in ruins, naturally began its reconstruction.
And for the reconstruction of the academy, the Alchemist Wizards were the ones who contributed the most.
So, Richard Jolod, the head of the Jolod Merchant Guild and a highly sought-after figure among the upper echelons of the White Wizard Legion, now had to roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty, rebuilding the academy like a construction worker.
But before he got to work, Richard suddenly remembered something.
He took off the pouch at his waist and released the magical dwarves who had been in a state of suspended animation for twenty years.
As the thawing potion was administered, dozens of magical dwarves quickly woke up.
"Sir, is this the real Wizard World?" Bruto shivered as he felt the thin energy in the air.
"Yes, this is the real Wizard World. Disappointed?" Richard asked.
Bruto shook his head. "Not disappointed, just surprised. The High Priest once said that the Wizard World was devastated by a great war. But I never imagined it could be this broken."
"You'll get used to it. In a few days, I'll take you to see your ancestral lands."
"Thank you, sir. But sir, where are our clothes?" Bruto scratched his head awkwardly. Upon waking, he found that his armor, clothes, and even his hammer were all gone.
"Ah... things from the Mirror World are real illusions. They disappear once you leave the Mirror World. Wait here, I'll find you some clothes."
Richard also noticed this and went to Jolod to ask if the academy had any apprentice Wizard Robes left.
"Apprentice Wizard Robes? Let me give you a note. Go ask Ulric. He should have some."
"Ulric?"
Hearing this familiar name, Richard couldn't help but recall some "minor incidents" from his apprentice days.
"Ha! That old man Ulric is going to have quite the expression when he sees you," Jolod chuckled, clearly remembering what Richard had done during his apprenticeship.
"By the way, that Joseph you killed back then? He's a Wizard now, and he's still alive."
Richard smiled. What seemed like a big deal during his apprenticeship now felt like a distant memory, barely worth mentioning after centuries.
"Alright, I'll go find Master Ulric."
"He should be near the old commercial district."
"Got it."
...
In the commercial district, Ulric was directing several alien slaves to move materials. This Second Circle Alchemist Wizard, whom Richard had never met before, had two bald heads, one of which was severely deformed, making him look like an ET alien.
"Are you Master Ulric?" Richard asked.
Ulric turned around and saw a Second Circle Wizard with a life radiation as intense as the sun standing behind him.
"You are..." Ulric's two heads spun quickly, and he soon recognized the face.
"You're Richard, Jolod's student, Richard."
Ulric clearly hadn't expected Richard to come looking for him. But as someone whose grandson Richard had killed, Ulric was momentarily stunned before his face turned sour.
"What do you want from me?"
Richard didn't mind his attitude. Back then, thanks to Jolod's foresight, Richard and Ulric had almost no contact, so there was no real animosity between them.
"I need some apprentice Wizard Robes. I came to you to get some."
"Apprentice Wizard Robes? Do you have a requisition slip?"
Ulric's face was still sour, but he didn't make things difficult. After all, apprentice Wizard Robes were academy property, and a Wizard needed a requisition slip to obtain them.
Richard handed Ulric the note Jolod had given him. Upon seeing Jolod's signature, Ulric's face turned even darker.
He pocketed the note and pulled out a large box of apprentice Wizard Robes from another Magic Pocket.
Richard took the box, gave Ulric a slight smile, and left.
Watching Richard leave, Ulric turned around and looked at a pile of rubble that hadn't been cleared yet.
"How long are you going to hide, Joseph?"
A head peeked out from behind the rubble. After making sure Richard was gone, a double-headed Wizard, just like Ulric, emerged.
Ulric said with a mix of frustration and disappointment, "This is the academy, not the wilderness. What are you hiding for? Do you think he's going to kill you here?"
Joseph hung his head low, not arguing.
He wasn't afraid—just ashamed.
Once, both he and Richard had been rising stars among the apprentices. But after a few centuries, Richard remained a prominent figure in the Wizard World, with the upper echelons of the White Wizard Legion vying for his services, while Joseph was just another run-of-the-mill Alchemist Wizard among thousands.
Wizards are one in a hundred geniuses, and those who survive their first battlefield are one in ten thousand. But unfortunately, the Wizard World is never short of geniuses.
Seeing this, Ulric smacked Joseph's head hard.
"You fool!"
He could tell what his grandson was thinking, but to Ulric, it was just unnecessary self-pity.
Seeing Joseph still unresponsive, Ulric sighed and dismissed him. "Go clear the rubble. When will you ever grow up?"
...
Back with the magical dwarves, many Wizards had already noticed this group of naked, purple-skinned beings.
Those well-versed in natural history recognized them as magical dwarves, a race that had disappeared from the Wizard World and was said to be kept in the Secret Realms of the Great Wizards.
How did the Black Tower Academy get a batch? But when they saw Richard, their questions were immediately answered.
"So they're Master Richard's slaves. No wonder."
"Master Richard sure has wide connections. He can even get his hands on native Wizard World slaves."
"I remember these magical dwarves are quite skilled in forging. I heard Master Richard has an Alchemy Workshop. Could it be..."
Richard ignored the chatter and pulled out the box of apprentice Wizard Robes.
"This is all I have for now. Make do with it."
Bruto took the apprentice Wizard Robe and was instantly amazed by its soft texture and the enchantments woven into it.
"Sir, isn't this a bit too precious?" Bruto stammered.
Though magical dwarves were skilled in forging, they were not adept at weaving. Their fabrics were often rough, something only their tough skin could endure.
Clothing of this quality was something only the High Priest could wear.
Richard laughed. "It's not that precious. Take it and wear it."
The dwarves took the apprentice Wizard Robes, their faces filled with astonishment, especially the female dwarves.
Among magical dwarves, women were usually responsible for weaving, and fabric this soft was beyond their imagination.
Moreover, these apprentice Wizard Robes were enchanted.
The robes were quite loose, but when the dwarves put them on, they fit perfectly.
Seeing the now-clothed magical dwarves, Richard grinned and immediately took them to Jolod.
"Teacher, I've found you some helpers."
Jolod looked down and saw a group of purple-skinned dwarves, neatly lined up behind Richard, all wearing apprentice Wizard Robes.
"Magical dwarves! Where did you get them?"
Richard smiled and selectively recounted his experiences in the Mirror World.
After hearing Richard's story, Jolod frowned slightly.
"So, these magical dwarves are no different from Wizards in the Wizard World? That's quite remarkable."
However, after his experience with the Fire Lizard, Jolod's prejudice against non-human races had greatly diminished. Moreover, the magical dwarves had been granted rights by the Great Truth Wizard, which left him with little to say.
"But you'd better get the Law Enforcement Wizards from the Legal Department to mark them. Otherwise, if they clash with Wizards, things could get messy.
You know what I mean."
Richard nodded. He had already thought of that.
Though Wizard society appeared modern with well-established laws, those laws were for Wizards only.
To outsiders, Wizards were nothing but brutal slave owners.
If an alien slave dared to defy a Wizard, any Wizard would fly into a rage.
And then Richard suddenly remembered that he had a Second-Class Honor Medal of the Wizard World.
"By the way, Teacher, do you know what the Second-Class Honor Medal of the Wizard World is? I got one after killing that Third Circle Mad Wizard."
"...What did you say?"
Jolod rubbed his ears, feeling that he must be getting old and his hearing was failing, because he could've sworn he just heard Richard say he had received a Second-Class Honor Medal of the Wizard World.
That was something even Third Circle Wizards would fight tooth and nail to obtain.
(End of Chapter)