Richard stared dumbfounded at the small figure that had transformed from the flesh ball before him.
What on earth was going on?
He was just refining the Nightmare Rule, so how did a living person emerge?
Richard turned to Ulysses, "Ulysses, do you know what's happening here?"
Ulysses was equally stunned. As a World Master who had fought across the civilizations of the gods for many years, he was considered well-traveled and knowledgeable.
But this was the first time he had encountered something like this.
That thing had been inside his stomach for quite some time, and he knew exactly what was inside.
Besides the Rule and a soul twisted by the Rule, there was nothing else in that flesh ball.
Could it be that while refining the Rule, Richard had inadvertently brought someone back to life? However, the two soon realized something was amiss.
Although the small figure was moving, it didn't seem like a Wizard's resurrection but more like a newborn child.
He sat in Richard's hand, looking around in confusion, and then let out a loud cry.
This only made Richard more flustered.
Although he had lived for hundreds of years and accumulated vast knowledge, caring for a child was not within his expertise.
"What do we do with this thing?" Ulysses looked at the small figure, equally at a loss.
Although he was a World Master, his experiences did not include taking care of children.
"What else can we do? Raise him for now!" Richard said irritably.
Enduring the small figure's piercing cries, Richard rummaged through his Magic Pocket and pulled out his Flesh Tentacle.
Having not harvested flesh for many years, the Living Flesh produced by the Flesh Tentacle had reached its growth limit, and the entire tentacle was as thick as a pillar.
Richard cut a small piece from it and quickly shaped it into a makeshift breast, which he then stuffed into the small figure's mouth.
After receiving the "breast milk," the small figure soon calmed down.
"What exactly is going on with this thing?" Richard looked at the now peaceful small figure, feeling a headache coming on.
A glint of light flashed in Ulysses' eyes, "Who knows? But I can confirm that this small figure's soul is not normal.
His soul is fragmented. The twisted soul from the flesh ball still exists within him. The consciousness he is displaying now seems to be a pure fragment split from the main soul.
This must be a remedial measure taken by that Third Circle Wizard when he realized something was wrong.
But I suspect his methods failed, and the part of the soul he preserved was also partially twisted.
If we hadn't arrived just in time, even this remaining soul would have been twisted."
Richard stroked his chin, frowning, "So, this Wizard Farrett didn't completely turn into a monster.
He left a backup, ensuring his soul wasn't entirely twisted.
Right?"
Ulysses nodded, "More or less."
"Is there any chance he could return to his former state?"
Ulysses shook his head, "Impossible. The pure soul he retained is too small and carries almost no memories. Unless someone forcibly implants memories into his soul, he will never return to his former self."
Richard stared at the small figure, who was now eagerly suckling, his expression shifting.
He was now contemplating whether to eliminate the small figure.
Wizard Farrett had already been declared dead by the Wizard World, so even if Richard disposed of the small figure, no legal Wizards would come after him.
But then again, a Third Circle Wizard, even if a fool, could still be somewhat useful.
If the small figure couldn't recover, Richard wouldn't mind having a Third Circle Wizard as his experimental assistant.
After all, the small figure currently had no memories or personality, and Richard could mold him into a capable assistant.
"What about the twisted part of the soul?" Richard suddenly asked.
"Seal it, shatter it, and then gradually feed it back to the pure soul.
The twisted part is beyond saving. Its only value now is as nourishment to strengthen the pure soul.
If we don't seal it, the pure soul will soon be shattered by it."
"Sigh!" Richard sighed, "Then let's proceed with that. I'll destroy the small figure's body first. You keep an eye out and make sure the twisted soul doesn't escape."
He wasn't a professional soul Wizard and couldn't directly extract the soul from the small figure, so he had to resort to this crude method.
There aren't many ways to destroy the body without harming the soul. Poison is one of them.
Richard borrowed ingredients from the caravan and managed to concoct a corrosive poison.
After the poison was prepared, Ulysses slightly enlarged the small figure's body.
Richard injected the poison into the small figure. The massive dose quickly entered the bloodstream and spread throughout the body.
Soon, the small figure's body began to rot.
But the small figure's body was, after all, a third-level organism. Although it had been twisted by the Nightmare Rule, it still had some resilience.
The poison took three full days to completely kill the small figure's body.
After the body died, the soul emerged from the corpse.
A small, pure soul and a soul comparable to Azathoth emerged from the small figure's body.
Richard placed the pure soul into a temporary body made of Living Flesh, while the twisted soul was sealed into a Crystal Ball by Richard and Ulysses together.
After completing all this, Richard collected the ruined body and burned it to ashes with bright flames.
After burning, Richard gathered the remaining ashes and tossed them out of the airship's window.
Although this act was somewhat unethical, Richard believed that the ashes wouldn't pollute the world they were currently in, named Heisen.
After all, bone ash can accelerate growth. (Laughs)
Returning to the room, Richard looked at the small figure, who was now vigorously suckling, and sighed helplessly.
"Ulysses, does this kid have the ability to learn?"
"He does, but I suggest you replace his brain," Ulysses advised. "The body is quite important for learning.
If you give him a better brain, he'll learn much faster."
Richard rubbed his temples, "This brain is the best I can make.
Let's make do with it for now."
With that, Richard sighed again.
Child-rearing wasn't a course he had ever taken.
...
Six years later, the Nine Stars Commerce's inter-domain caravan flew out of the portal, laden with goods.
The entire journey had taken nearly ten years, earning them nearly twenty thousand Magic Essence. While this profit couldn't compare to that of the established guilds, it was still quite substantial.
No mistakes, all contents are at 69shu!
Richard stepped out of the airship and looked at the familiar Tower of Truth, letting out a heartfelt sigh.
"Finally back."
"Teacher, teacher, is this the Fourth Circle Tower of Truth?"
Behind Richard, a boy about a meter tall looked excitedly at the towering structure before him.
Throughout the journey, Richard had often mentioned their return to the Fourth Circle Tower of Truth.
Now, they had finally arrived.
"Yes, this is the Fourth Circle Tower of Truth."
Richard glanced at the boy beside him, grabbed his arm, and flew towards the entrance portal of the residential layer.
Soon, Richard and the boy landed in front of his Wizard Tower.
He pointed at the doorplate and said to the boy, "Remember, this is Wizard Tower number 4523. Don't get it wrong."
With that, Richard opened the courtyard gate and led the boy into the Wizard Tower.
Entering the Wizard Tower, the boy, who had lived on the airship for six years, was so excited he almost forgot himself.
Richard didn't stop him, letting him run around the tower.
His Wizard Tower wasn't heavily fortified, and he wasn't worried about the boy encountering any dangers.
He took out a Crystal Ball from his pocket and sent a message about his situation to his teacher.
Soon, Richard heard the doorbell ring.
Opening the door, Richard welcomed his teacher inside.
As soon as he entered, Jolod immediately asked, "Where's the person you mentioned?"
Tap, tap, tap, tap…
A series of hurried footsteps sounded, and the boy in a black robe appeared in Jolod's view.
Richard called out to the boy, "Muni, come here. This is your grand-teacher."
Upon hearing this, Muni quickly ran to Jolod and performed a Wizard Salute.
"Greetings, Grand-teacher."
Jolod nodded, "Yes, greetings to you too."
With that, the master and disciple headed to the laboratory on the second floor.
Once the laboratory door was closed, Richard let out a long sigh, his expression instantly drooping.
"Teacher, can we keep this kid?"
Jolod stroked his beard, "I asked an old friend about your situation.
According to him, there's no legal issue with your actions. If you're willing, you can take him on as an apprentice.
However, if you take him as an apprentice, you'll need to reissue his identity information, and his old identity must be discarded.
It's essentially a rebirth for him."
Hearing this, Richard felt a slight relief in his heart.
If it were legally impermissible, he would have had a hard time dealing with Muni.
"If we can keep him, that's fine. But the matter of reissuing his identity might still trouble you, teacher."
"That's not a big deal," Jolod waved his hand. "What's urgent now is not to delay this promising seedling.
How do you plan to teach this kid?"
"Well…" Richard scratched his head awkwardly, "I'm not sure. On the way here, I only taught him Wizard Language and some apprentice-level knowledge.
I'm not quite sure how to proceed with his education."
"You need to figure it out quickly," Jolod's expression turned slightly serious. "Since you've taken him as an apprentice, you must fulfill your responsibilities as a mentor.
Although his soul has the strength of a Third Circle Wizard, his memories and personality are still those of an ordinary child.
You must take this seriously."
After hearing this, Richard's expression also turned serious.
The master-disciple relationship in the Wizard World is the most sacred bond, even surpassing blood relations.
If he truly took Muni as his apprentice, he would have to commit fully.
This was the final lesson a Wizard must learn.
"I understand, teacher."
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