"The Wizard World Second Class Medal of Honor? Teacher, did you get your ears upgraded recently?" Richard repeated.
"... The Wizard World Second Class Medal of Honor, right? Fine, fine."
Jolod suddenly laughed, but Richard could sense a hint of resignation in his tone.
Richard tentatively asked, "Teacher, what's wrong?"
"Haha, nothing, nothing. Just feeling a bit defeated."
Then, Jolod explained the significance of the Second Class Medal of Honor to Richard.
The Wizard World Second Class Medal of Honor, also known as the Silver Star Medal, is awarded by the Tower of Truth to recognize Wizards who have made outstanding contributions to the Wizard World.
Holders of this medal enjoy privileges within the Tower of Truth, including but not limited to free accommodation, free rental of experimental equipment, ten free Wizard recommendation slots, and a 20% discount at all commercial establishments within the Tower, among other miscellaneous benefits.
But the most important privilege is the advantage in the selection process for becoming a Great Wizard.
In the Tower of Truth's Great Wizard selection, those with the Medal of Honor are given priority. If a Wizard obtains the Truth Medal within the Medal of Honor, they can even bypass the selection and trials entirely, being directly promoted to Great Wizard.
For any Third Circle Wizard aspiring to become a Great Wizard, this is an irresistible temptation.
After hearing about the medal's privileges, Richard remained quite calm.
The Silver Star Medal wasn't the Truth Medal, and even if selected, one would still have to go through layers of trials to qualify for promotion to Great Wizard.
"I see. This will save a lot of expenses in the future," Richard joked.
Seeing Richard's attitude, Jolod didn't know what to say.
Richard's achievements were too dazzling; in just a few hundred years, he had become a peak Second Circle Wizard.
This meant Richard had never had to worry about research or promotion.
The Silver Star Medal, something Third Circle Wizards would fight tooth and nail for, seemed somewhat dim in comparison to Richard's brilliant resume.
"Sigh, meeting you is the greatest luck of my life," Jolod couldn't help but lament.
While others are students following their teachers, in his case, it was the teacher following the student.
His only role now was to use his thousands of years of accumulated connections and experience to help Richard handle trivial matters, allowing him to focus on his research.
Richard shook his head, "Teacher, you jest. If it weren't for you guiding me onto the path of a Wizard, I wouldn't have achieved all this."
Jolod smiled and didn't continue the topic.
"Since you have these Magic Dwarves now, I'll allow you to take it easy. You're dismissed; go attend to your own matters."
Richard was delighted and quickly thanked him, "Thank you, teacher."
...
With some free time, Richard immediately opened a Mystic Realm Rift.
In the Mystic Realm, Ulysses was, as usual, lazily basking in the sun. Beside him, several Holy Tree Sprites were slowly fanning him with large leaves.
For a being of Ulysses's level, being unaffected by cold or heat was a basic ability.
Yet, he still enjoyed having the Holy Tree Sprites fan him like attendants.
His explanation was that a gentle breeze was conducive to rest, but from Richard's observation, it was probably just a habit.
When Ulysses was a deity, this might have been his daily routine.
Upon entering the Mystic Realm, Ulysses immediately opened his eyes.
"Ah, my Chief God, you've finally emerged."
Ulysses flew to Richard's side, his voice sounding somewhat sycophantic. But Richard, who was already familiar with him, knew it was just teasing.
Before Richard's strength surpassed Ulysses, he would never hear the title "Chief God" uttered sincerely.
However, Richard soon noticed something amiss.
"Wait, you weren't speaking Wizard language just now. Why could I understand you?"
Richard had once dabbled in learning the "Common Tongue" of the Divine Civilization, but his proficiency was at a level where he could read the text but not understand spoken words.
Yet, Ulysses's words just now were not only in the Common Tongue but also included many unfamiliar terms.
Still, Richard understood everything without any difficulty.
"This is one of your Chief God Authorities—Language Comprehension. Since I am your Subordinate God in status, whatever language I speak, the meaning I convey will be accurately transmitted to you.
In other words, my words are received by you as soul messages."
Hearing this explanation, Richard instantly understood the nature of this Authority.
"Does this mean I can communicate with my believers without any barriers?" Richard asked.
"Of course," Ulysses replied matter-of-factly, "As long as they are part of your Pantheon, whether they are believers, the Pontiff, Heroic Spirits, or Subordinate Gods.
As long as their status is lower than yours, this Authority allows you to communicate with them without any barriers."
"That's quite useful," Richard stroked his chin, then asked, "Do you know its principle?
Such a miraculous ability, if deciphered, would definitely be of great use in the future!"
As a Wizard, Richard had an insatiable curiosity for the unknown.
This was also the source of a Wizard's progress.
"Uh... the principle?" Ulysses hesitated, "There doesn't seem to be any principle.
All deities have this ability; as soon as one becomes a deity, this ability naturally manifests."
"Impossible," Richard firmly stated, "Deities are not like the laws of the world.
Deities, as well as Great Wizards, are merely different paths to higher forms of life.
As beings at the level of World Masters, I have never heard of Great Wizards or World Masters possessing similar abilities."
Ulysses was momentarily speechless.
He had never considered this question before.
Becoming a deity and possessing Authorities were things he knew when he embarked on the path of evolution.
To him, it was as self-evident as one plus one equals two.
But Richard's question lifted the veil from his eyes.
Since other World Masters don't have similar abilities, why do the deities of the Divine Civilization possess them?
There must be something he didn't know.
"I'm stumped; I really don't know," Ulysses honestly admitted, "But now that you're on the path to becoming a deity, you might figure it out in the future."
Seeing that Ulysses didn't know either, Richard was slightly disappointed.
"Alright, I'll study this after I become a Great Wizard."
Putting the issue of Language Comprehension aside, Richard turned to the use of the Power of Faith.
In the Mirror World, Richard had learned from the King of the Magic Dwarves how to use the Power of Faith to dispel curses, but Richard could sense that the potential of the Power of Faith extended far beyond this.
"To be honest, there aren't many ways you can use your Power of Faith right now. The method that rogue taught you is one of the few abilities you can use at this stage.
But his method is too crude and consumes a lot."
Richard raised an eyebrow, "So, I do have a few abilities I can use."
"You do, but what I mean is, you should put more effort into your faith. Those Fire Lizards of yours are excellent evangelistic materials; if you recruit them all, your Power of Faith would grow hundreds of times more than it is now," Ulysses said with some frustration.
Richard's religion had always been managed by him. In the Divine Civilization, handing over a religion to someone else would be unthinkable; it wouldn't be surprising if someone usurped the divine position and took over the status.
"That much!" Richard exclaimed.
"Of course, think about how many Fire Lizards there are compared to these little ones. But these little ones have their uses too; they are natural Zealous Believers. Although the Power of Faith they produce is small, it is of high purity, essential for many important Divine Arts."
Holy Tree Sprites have the ability to inherit memories. A newly born Holy Tree Sprite quickly becomes a Devout Zealous Believer under the influence of inherited memories.
"Purity... does the Power of Faith have purity levels?"
"Of course," Ulysses said with some annoyance, "Doesn't the Magic Power you use have purity levels?"
"... Indeed, go on. What's the deal with the purity of the Power of Faith?"
Ulysses explained, "Believers are divided into Nominal Believers, Devout Believers, and Zealous Believers. The Power of Faith produced by these three types of believers ranges from low to high in purity.
High-purity Power of Faith can be used as a cost for low-level Divine Arts, but low-purity Power of Faith cannot drive high-level Divine Arts."
Richard nodded, then steered the conversation back to the Divine Arts.
"So, how many Divine Arts can I use now?"
Ulysses paused, then said, "Three and a half. One is the Purification Art, used to dispel curses. Another is the Healing Art, used to heal injuries, including those caused by rules.
The last is the Divine Word Art, which is very useful but consumes a staggering amount of Power of Faith. I don't recommend using it unless it's a critical moment.
As for the half, you've already seen it—it's the Faith Armament on your staff."
After hearing Ulysses's introduction, Richard was stunned.
Each of these three Divine Arts would be considered a closely guarded secret in the Wizard World.
A Purification Art would render the abilities of Curse Wizards nearly useless, while the Healing Art, capable of healing injuries caused by rules, would make Necromancers cry unemployment.
Although Ulysses didn't elaborate on the Divine Word Art, just hearing its name was enough to impress.
"Wow, if I could figure out the principles behind these, I'd definitely end up on the Curse School's hit list," Richard marveled.
"Figure it out? I think you're aiming a bit too high."
"Is this also an innate Authority?" Richard asked, puzzled.
"No," Ulysses said flatly, "It's just that every Divine Art you're learning now was created by at least a Chief God, equivalent to a Sixth Circle Great Wizard in your terms.
A high-level Divine Art like the Divine Word Art was personally created by the God King."
Richard's expression turned awkward, "Cough, one must always have goals... let's get back to the Divine Arts themselves.
How do I learn them?"
"Wait a moment."
Suddenly, a soft holy light enveloped Ulysses, then condensed into three black raven feathers, which detached from his body.
Ulysses suspended the feathers in front of Richard.
"The transmission of Divine Arts doesn't involve written words, so it can only be done through this special method."
Richard touched the feathers, and in the next instant, various illusions appeared before his eyes.
In these illusions, he saw an endless expanse of green seawater, receiving the worship of all living beings. As its waves surged, green rain fell, and a great plague vanished without a trace.
A towering mountain, majestic and grand, reached heights beyond measure. A cursed life form set up an altar on the mountain, devotedly worshipping, and holy light descended, dispelling the curse.
A colossal, terrifying being sat on a throne amidst the stars, its words capable of transforming the world.
As Richard watched the protagonists of these illusions, a profound understanding emerged in his heart. Unknowingly, he had mastered these three Divine Arts.
When the illusions faded, Richard exclaimed in genuine awe:
"Such impressive anti-piracy technology!"
(End of Chapter)