Wizard Lord:I can Extract Anything

Although the war fortress had ample magic stone reserves, if the insects continued their attrition tactics, they would be depleted in less than a week. Moreover, the real concern wasn't just the ammunition consumption; it was the relentless assault that tested the durability of the alchemical weapons.

No matter how robust, they couldn't withstand such high-intensity use indefinitely.

Richard entered the command room to find Ivan sitting in a corner, chain-smoking.

Tobacco and alcohol, precious commodities on the battlefield, were valuable even in this world.

Ivan was smoking a type of enchanted tobacco provided by the logistics department, which helped wizards think more clearly and solve problems more easily.

"Thinking about the insect problem?"

Ivan saw Richard and motioned for him to sit beside him.

"What else? These insects have gotten clever. We use synthetic beasts as cannon fodder, and they use small insects the same way."

Ivan stubbed out his cigarette and tossed it aside, then asked Richard, "Got any ideas?"

He still thought Richard was an experienced wizard pretending to be young.

"Me?" Richard laughed, pointing at himself.

"What ideas could I have? You white wizards are supposed to be better at these front-line battles."

Ivan scratched his head.

"True, grasping at straws. We'll have to wait; I've reported this to the command center. The logistics wizards should be working on a solution."

Richard patted him on the back. "With the logistics wizards' help, what's there to worry about? The fortress's magic stone reserves aren't small. Holding out for a week shouldn't be a problem. That should be enough time."

Ivan smiled wryly. "You're really optimistic."

As the commander, he had to plan for the worst.

Even though the fortress's magic stones could last seven days, the magic stone cannons couldn't be used continuously, even with spell-assisted cooling.

Theoretically, a cannon required spell components to be replaced and magic circuits to be rebuilt after six hours of continuous use. Otherwise, it became a ticking time bomb.

While replacing spell components was manageable, rebuilding magic circuits was a skilled task.

A skilled wizard could do it in minutes, while an average wizard might take hours.

Their team's alchemist wasn't bad but lacked the skill in rebuilding magic circuits.

Fortunately, the circuits mainly affected the cannon's energy consumption. In general, they wouldn't cause immediate problems, and the cannons themselves were robust. The six-hour guideline was theoretical, and many cannons had operated for days without issues.

This information was generally known only to white wizards, particularly those capable of repairing cannons.

Ivan recalled Richard's earlier intelligence: a third-circle grand wizard captured alive, an entire hive's black wizards forced into dormancy.

Third-circle grand wizards were battle-hardened, familiar with these cannons' data.

If one had truly defected, then they...

...

Deep in the hive, a moon-white silk-clad priest insect sat at the back of the room, surrounded by several gold-armored warrior insects and two-star priest insects in two rows.

"What's the battlefield situation?" asked the moon-white priest insect.

A gold-armored warrior insect replied, "Those wizard monsters behaved as you predicted, constantly using those 'alchemical weapons' that shoot fireballs to eliminate our cannon fodder."

He spoke awkwardly, as "alchemical weapons" was a wizard term with no equivalent in the Black Crystal Insect language, requiring a phonetic translation.

"Good, keep it up," the moon-white priest insect chirped happily.

"But sir," a two-star priest insect stood and asked, "our cannon fodder is being eliminated quickly. At this rate, we won't last long."

The moon-white priest insect waved a tendril. "Don't worry, our cannon fodder will be gone before the wizard monsters' alchemical weapons 'melt down.'"

Melt down—another wizard-specific term.

"Sir, are you sure?" a gold-armored warrior insect spoke up. "We've had little progress in gathering intelligence on the wizards. We can't get close to their floating city home base, even underground; the wizards always detect us. Where did this intelligence come from?"

This warrior had attempted to infiltrate wizard-occupied areas but failed due to tight wizard defenses, losing many elite Black Crystal Insects.

The moon-white priest insect waved a tendril: "Are you questioning me or the high priest?"

"No, no!" the warrior insect quickly replied.

Insect priests held a status akin to nobility; questioning them could mean demotion to cannon fodder.

The moon-white priest insect glanced at the other insects, noting their doubts. He emitted a beam of starlight from his forehead, spreading into a starlight barrier.

Under this barrier, all eavesdropping and mental probing methods were blocked.

A priest insect's response after black wizards repeatedly stole their intelligence.

Within the starlight barrier, the moon-white priest insect spoke slowly: "I'm not withholding information intentionally. There are still many wizard monsters hidden in our hive. If they learn this intelligence, it could affect the wizards' strategy.

But now that the war has started, some intelligence can be revealed."

The other insects perked up, ready to hear what the priest had to say.

"During the Mother God Temple operation, we captured many wizards. They were tough, with strong souls, but the high priest, with the Mother Insect God's power, gleaned much from their souls.

Some information was fragmented, but it still provided us with valuable intelligence.

All our current intelligence comes from this."

...

The insect harassment was relentless, though in the insect world there was no day or night, only eternal darkness.

To cope, the white wizards were split into two groups, alternating in manning the alchemical magic stone cannons.

While the cannons didn't require the wizards to cast spells, they did require them to guide the spells' trajectories with mental energy. This intense focus could lead to mental fatigue.

Two groups alternating kept the fortress's firepower steady.

During this time, Richard tried sending Ulysses to slaughter the insects. The first attempt went well; the sub-first-tier insects were powerless against Ulysses's flames, all reduced to ash.

But when Richard tried again, the insects had a counter.

Seven or eight two-star priest insects hid in the swarm, simultaneously casting starlight seals on Ulysses, while dozens of two-star warrior insects attacked him.

The ground battlefield wasn't like the narrow confines of the underground hive. There, the insects' movement was restricted, allowing Ulysses to easily kill two-star insects. But on the open plains, the insects had ample space to dodge, with many allies.

Such an assault would have killed even a third-tier creature, had Ulysses not been a world dominator.

"Caw, when I was with the main force, I didn't think these insects were much. But now, alone, their tactics aren't bad," Ulysses said, trying to maintain dignity despite his narrow escape.

Richard glanced at him. "You nearly needed to use faith energy. A bit more caution wouldn't hurt."

Aside from the insects' tactics, Ulysses's arrogance with his new second-tier body contributed to his predicament.

Richard went to the command room, where Ivan sat, eyes fixed on the crystal ball on his desk.

The crystal ball was his communication device. If it lit up, it meant a message from the command center.

"No news from the command center?" Richard asked, sitting beside Ivan.

Ivan pointed at the crystal ball, his expression calm, but his tone like a terminally ill patient.

"As you can see, this ball hasn't lit up in three days. If it doesn't in three more, we'll have to abandon the fortress and run."

Abandoning the fortress was the wizards' last resort. Currently, the command center hadn't ordered them to hold at all costs. Facing overwhelming force, retreat was viable.

But abandoning the fortress would breach the wall of war fortresses in the Third War Zone, potentially triggering a chain reaction leading to the line's collapse.

"Stop being so pessimistic." Richard picked up the crystal ball. "Didn't you smash this in a fit yesterday?"

"Uh..." Ivan looked embarrassed. The pressure of war had made him irritable. Frustrated by the ball's inactivity, he'd thrown it in anger.

But he quickly regretted it, picking it up like a treasured possession.

His actions were laughable.

The crystal ball was well-made; Ivan's throw hadn't scratched it.

Richard tapped it with the universal repair method, but it remained silent.

"What kind of test is that?" Ivan mocked. Alchemist wizards used probes, not casual taps.

But as he spoke, the ball suddenly lit up.

"Wow, masterful touch!" Ivan exclaimed.

Truly a seasoned wizard, even a casual tap held mysteries beyond a novice's grasp.

The crystal ball transmitted the command center's orders.

"A supply convoy will arrive in twelve hours, carrying cursed viruses to counter the insect cannon fodder."