Wizard Lord:I can Extract Anything

The emergence of the war behemoths altered the battlefield dynamics. Faced with these formidable siege engines, the command center had no choice but to allocate resources specifically to deal with them. Otherwise, these colossal insects could breach the entire perimeter defenses of the Floating City.

However, with an overwhelming number of insects, the command center found itself stretched thin.

"Deploy the Great Disintegration Cannon," suggested a third-circle wizard in the command room.

"Without it, there's no way to handle those giant insects."

The challenge of the war behemoths lay not in their size but in the swarm of insects that accompanied them. Amidst the insect horde, no wizard could withstand the attacks to slay these giants.

"What does the curse squad say?" another third-circle wizard inquired.

As one of the five major schools, curse wizards had limited roles on the frontline battlefield. While curse magic was potent, in direct combat, a barrage of spells was the real asset.

Yet, having a limited role on the frontline didn't mean curse wizards were useless. When facing particularly troublesome enemies, the curse squad was the key weapon.

"It's no use. The curse squad has tried multiple times, but these giants are shielded by the world power of the enemy's world dominator. Breaking through this protection would even challenge a grand curse wizard," one replied.

"So, we should still use the Great Disintegration Cannon," the third-circle wizard reiterated.

At the center of these discussions, Suzanna, engulfed in flames, pondered deeply. With the Grand Wizard engaged at the frontline, all command responsibilities fell on her shoulders. This authority was immense, but so was the burden.

Suddenly, Suzanna's flame flared fiercely, and her eyes glowed with a chilling red intensity.

"The Great Disintegration Cannon... remains inactive! All energy in the Floating City must be reserved for igniting the interdimensional portal. Everything else must yield to the portal!"

Suzanna believed that the task assigned by her teacher carried significant importance. Perhaps behind the portal, an entire regiment of white wizards awaited her command.

As the supreme commander, Suzanna's orders, even if contentious, had to be followed.

In discussions, there could be many voices, but once an order was set, only one voice mattered: obedience.

"If we don't use the Great Disintegration Cannon, we should prepare to retreat to the inner circle," a third-circle wizard noted. "Have the logistics wizards ready. I'll command them."

"It's been years since I saw action. Let's hope my skills are still sharp."

The frontline wizards remained oblivious to the command center's deliberations. Until orders arrived, they had to hold their positions.

The directive to not retreat was not a mere jest.

The old wizard glanced at the distant war behemoths, his wrinkles deepening.

"These creatures are troublesome. Kid, take this."

He handed Richard a magic pouch filled with cannon components.

Patting Richard's shoulder, he said, "You've helped repair plenty of cannons with me. It's not hard. The rest is up to you.

Given the current situation, the command doesn't seem inclined to use the Great Disintegration Cannon. Otherwise, we'd feel the magical surge by now.

I need to gather a few old friends in logistics to craft something big enough to tackle these giant insects.

Otherwise, we're all doomed."

With that, the old wizard flew deeper into the Floating City Fortress, leaving Richard standing there, dumbfounded.

At that moment, Richard felt like the mythical figure Bobo Babo from Journey to the West.

"Go eliminate the Tang Monk and his disciples.jpg"

A loud boom echoed nearby as a white wizard dashed toward Richard.

"Master Richard, our magic stone cannon has melted down!"

Nodding blankly, Richard gripped the pouch tighter.

With the order given, he had no choice but to press on.

...

The terror of the battlefield lies in the fact that most cannot control their own fate; often, life and death are separated by a mere step.

Sizzle...

An arc acid sphere broke through the magic barrier, exploding within the residential area. The splattered acid instantly dissolved half of a wizard's body.

Richard stood just a step away from him.

Stepping over the lifeless wizard, Richard entered a cannon room.

Inside, a wizard, half-burned, was receiving treatment from a necromancer. The magic stone cannon he operated had fallen silent.

Noting the cannon's craftsmanship, Richard saw the runes on the components were ornately engraved, aesthetically pleasing. Despite the meltdown, damage was minimal. Reshaping the magic circuits and replacing a spell component should restore it.

"Master Richard, can we entrust this cannon to you?" a white wizard asked respectfully.

Richard's reputation as a battlefield mechanic had spread. With the regiment's equipment chief gathering resources within the Floating City, Richard had become one of the most reliable alchemists on the front lines.

Rumors about Richard quickly escalated. Within hours, tales of him reshaping magic circuits in a minute evolved into claims he could repair any damaged cannon, and finally, that he could conjure magic stone cannons from scratch.

Though exaggerated, these rumors attested to Richard's capabilities.

Touching the cannon, Richard suddenly received a notification.

[Material: Damaged Lavossier Type II Magic Stone Cannon]

[Extractable Information: Lavossier Type II Magic Stone Cannon Blueprint (Partial)]

[Extraction Cost: 10 Mental Energy]

Startled, Richard turned to the nearby wizards, saying:

"This cannon's repair is a bit tricky. Please help fend off any infiltrating insects."

He conjured a fireball, blasting a warrior insect attempting to enter the room.

"Understood, Master!"

The white wizards acknowledged and left the room to guard Richard.

Once alone, Richard chose to extract the information.

After a brief dizzy spell, a white glow appeared above the Miracle Furnace, which Richard absorbed. A partially damaged blueprint manifested before him.

The missing part was the spell component, but Richard found it unimportant.

While other wizards might regard the spell model as the cannon's core, Richard valued the highly refined blueprint more.

The magic stone cannon wasn't battlefield-ready at its inception. It required prototype testing and iterative refinements until it perfectly fit planar warfare.

This process could span millennia.

During this time, components would be streamlined, and structures modified—far more valuable than the spell model.

Crucially, if Richard intended to build his own cannon and the identical spell model was discovered, he'd face the White Wizard Regiment's wrath.

Similar components could be explained as coincidence, given some parts have only one optimal design.

But spell models would never be identical.

Knowledge theft is a serious offense. While the wizarding world lacks patents, the original owner hunting down knowledge thieves is something even law-enforcement wizards ignore.

Extraction complete, Richard repaired the magic component, installed the spell component, and left the cannon. The white wizards at the door saluted him respectfully, unaware that the black wizard had acquired their regiment's cannon blueprint.

The war behemoths were now less than a kilometer from the residential area. Their massive bodies were armored in thick shells. Fireballs, though creating large craters, were quickly healed by the Mother Insect God's golden light. A second fireball wasn't even necessary before the wounds scabbed and visibly healed.

The behemoths' presence created significant gaps in the wizards' firepower, allowing many insects to infiltrate the residential area.

The line was on the brink of collapse.

Suddenly, Richard glanced towards the Floating City.

A massive magical surge emanated from the Floating City, followed by a sky-piercing beam of light.

A behemoth struck by the beam saw its shell disintegrate into the four elements. The chaotic elements formed a small storm, tearing at the behemoth's body, widening its wounds.

Richard observed several old wizards operating a massive alchemical weapon at the beam's source. The weapon appeared crude, exuding a steampunk aura.

"Is this the big gun Master Vladimir cobbled together?" Richard marveled.

But quickly, Richard noticed a problem.

The beam was indeed damaging the behemoths, but their sheer size meant each took two minutes to kill.

With dozens of behemoths in the swarm, this pace was insufficient to prevent them from breaching the defenses.

"Sigh, these insects are shielded by world power. The small disintegration cannon is too slow," an old wizard lamented.

Opposite him, Vladimir glared at the distant behemoths, his anger palpable:

"What the hell is command thinking, not using the Great Disintegration Cannon now! The line's about to break. If they don't use it, we'll be overrun!"

A wizard approached Vladimir, pointing skyward.

"Vladimir, the supreme commander is the Black Tower High Mage's student. You should watch your words."

Yet he too gazed skyward with concern. While not apparent to most, the old wizards could see that the Black Tower High Mage was flagging.

Meanwhile, the opposing insect remained vigorous.

"Are we going to lose this time?"

...

In the sky, the Mother Insect God effortlessly blocked the Black Tower High Mage's spells. The war's scales had tipped in its favor, and it held the upper hand in battle.

Its strategy of remaining constant amidst change left the Black Tower High Mage with limited options.

"Wizards, take your minions and leave!" 

The Mother Insect God issued its first proclamation since the battle began.

But then, a powerful magical surge erupted from the Floating City.

The interdimensional portal, finally ignited by the logistics wizards, came to life.

The logistics wizards watched the colossal portal anxiously. It was large enough for a war airship to pass through.

They hoped an entire regiment of white wizards would emerge and turn the tide. But as the portal shimmered, only a single figure stepped through.

This wizard wore a white robe, his body composed of azure ice.

He looked up slightly, his gaze piercing the Floating City to the battlefield above, where the Black Tower High Mage faced the Mother Insect God.

"Black Tower, you're in quite a predicament."