Wizard Lord:I can Extract Anything

After departing from the White Wizard encampment, Suzanna handed Richard a pouch filled with magic essence.

"Here's a thousand magic stones as your reward for the information you provided."

Richard accepted it with both hands, thanking her without questioning how much Suzanna had obtained from Andrei.

Whatever she gained was Suzanna's accomplishment. Richard merely provided the information, giving her a pretext. Receiving a thousand magic stones was already generous.

Moreover, Suzanna had also ensured that the cowardly deserter faced a military tribunal.

Since Suzanna had other duties, Richard didn't linger. After parting ways, he returned to the White Wizard encampment to find Ivan, his comrade from the battle.

"Hey, isn't this our repair master?" Ivan greeted Richard with a loud jest upon seeing him.

Richard's reputation as a repair master had already spread among the White Wizards. If he continued to work with this White Wizard regiment, he could quickly rise to the position of equipment chief.

A skilled alchemist was invaluable to any White Wizard regiment.

Richard embraced Ivan and then headed to the squad's camp.

Ivan's squad had lost nine members during the war, leaving the camp feeling empty.

Inside, Richard got straight to the point: "I came to tell you that the coward who fled is going to face a military tribunal."

Ivan, about to prepare tea for Richard, spilled water all over the table upon hearing this.

Turning to Richard, he gave him a thumbs-up.

"Quick work!"

Ivan then shared the news with the squad through the mental network. Though Richard couldn't hear their discussion, Ivan's expression showed clear satisfaction.

While Richard saw this as a small favor, Ivan and the squad considered it a debt, promising to help him if needed in the future.

After a few cups of tea, Richard and Ivan exchanged addresses for future meetings.

Leaving the encampment, Richard went to his war-torn house in the residential area. Though under repair by logistics wizards, it wasn't habitable yet.

Out of necessity, Richard built a wooden cabin in the wilderness, much like when he first arrived in this world. The cabin's windows faced the sealed Mother Insect God.

Despite the completed seal, Richard continued to study its energy structure through his energy vision.

Even though each observation hurt his eyes, Richard persisted eagerly.

The sealing spell contained the culmination of Grand Wizard Qingshuang's lifelong research, offering Richard a wealth of knowledge.

Days later, the command held a small commendation ceremony, where outstanding wizards were honored by the Black Tower High Mage. Richard was among them.

Awards varied, with one third-circle wizard receiving a permanent estate in the Insect Nest World, which could be bequeathed to students or descendants—a true legacy.

Richard and Ivan's squad received 500 magic stones, a generous reward for White Wizards but modest for Richard.

Including his previous reward for providing intel, Richard gained a total of 1,000 magic stones from the command. Adding Suzanna's 1,000 and his war spoils, Richard amassed significant wealth from this planar war.

Though he had to surrender half of his spoils, he still profited nearly 3,000 magic stones, not counting the orichalcum in his staff and the knowledge he acquired.

Overall, Richard emerged from the war with substantial gains, effectively hitting the jackpot.

...

"What? You say a golden light flew in from outside the secret realm and entered this insect's body?"

On the fifteenth day after the battle, Richard was deeply engrossed in research in his cabin when a soul communication from the Sacred Tree Spirit reported a problem with the secret realm.

Richard stared incredulously at the giant mushroom before him. "Brother, you've grown so big, yet you couldn't stop that?"

"What good are your space storms if they can't even handle this?"

As one of the wizards witnessing the Mother Insect God's sealing, Richard clearly saw the golden light escaping before the seal was complete.

He hadn't expected it to enter his secret realm instead of the remaining insect nests.

"Apologies, Master. The golden light was too fast," the World Mushroom admitted.

That day, it was leisurely consuming world dust and sipping spatial storms, diligently expanding the secret realm.

Who could have predicted a golden light would pierce the void and dive into the secret realm? By the time it reacted, the light had already entered Bug Inhart's body.

Faced with this situation, the World Mushroom had no solution, leaving the decision to Richard.

Looking at the World Mushroom, Richard realized complaints were futile. He released Ulysses and explained the situation to the knowledgeable world dominator.

"Gah, from what you say, that golden light should be a resurrection mark. This bug is likely a backup for the old insect's revival," Ulysses speculated calmly.

"A resurrection backup?" Richard exclaimed, alarmed. "Does that mean the old bug could revive in this bug at any time?"

His staff instinctively gathered elements, ready to physically eliminate Bug Inhart.

"Relax, it's not necessarily bad for you," Ulysses perched on Bug Inhart, his eyes gleaming. "The old insect isn't dead, so this bug is just a backup.

Only when the old insect dies will this backup activate."

"But it's still dangerous!" Richard insisted.

Who knew when the Grand Wizard would deal with the Mother Insect God? Once it died and the backup activated, wouldn't his secret realm host a world dominator's resurrection?

Suddenly, Richard noticed a shift. He glanced at the World Mushroom, then at Ulysses.

...Reviving a world dominator might not be such a big deal.

"Gah, with me and this big mushroom, what's the danger?" Ulysses eyed Richard, remarkably expressive for a bird.

"Gah, the sooner the old insect revives, the better. Once it does, its rules will infuse this bug's body. Then, the mushroom and I just need to deal with its soul, and you'll have a body rich in rules."

Ulysses didn't finish, but Richard understood.

A body with rules could be refined using the Miracle Furnace.

Seeing Richard's comprehension, Ulysses perched on his shoulder.

"Gah, what did I say? The Chosen's luck is outstanding. As soon as the war ends, he gets a free pass."

Richard gave him a sidelong glance. "If he's the protagonist, what am I, the villain in this drama?"

But wizards as villains... seemed fitting.

Ulysses preened his feathers, speaking leisurely: "Gah, you're an even greater protagonist. Protagonists vary, and look at your current power—does this look like a first-circle being?"

Richard surveyed his surroundings, realizing his setup might rival a Grand Wizard's.

"Gah, so keep this bug around."

"Why are you so keen on keeping it alive?"

"...Gah, I want to taste that old insect's flavor. Its original body was too tough—reviving it will be just right."

Richard: "..."

Though Bug Inhart survived thanks to Ulysses, Richard heightened his vigilance.

The World Mushroom embedded its mycelium into Bug Inhart, inducing deep anesthesia. If it moved, the World Mushroom would alert Richard and Ulysses, restraining Bug Inhart.

If things spiraled out of control, the World Mushroom would exile it from the secret realm to ensure safety.

...

Bereft of its world dominator, the Insect Nest World's resistance quickly crumbled. Led by the Black Tower High Mage, the wizards decimated the insects in battles akin to college students overpowering kindergarteners.

The Mother Insect God's sealing shattered the swarm's faith, leading some insects to surrender and accept enslavement by the wizards.

However, this accounted for only a small fraction; most insects continued minor resistance.

According to intelligence, the swarm's leaders were executing a grand plan to connect multiple insect nations into a super-nest, using its complexity to wage guerrilla warfare against the wizards.

They believed that if they held out long enough, the Mother Insect God would return.

Twelve years after the Mother Insect God's sealing, the last surface nest fell to the White Wizard regiment.

The Black Crystal Swarm's resistance was forced underground.

Thus, the planar war concluded all major conflicts, leaving only black wizards to hunt in the nests, exploit the world's resources, and cultivate slaves.

During the war, the Black Tower High Mage captured and enslaved several mother insects, ensuring a steady supply of slave regiments.

Yet this hardly differed from their usual existence.

Their task remained egg-laying, and their lives continued as before, with no harsh commands from the Black Tower High Mage.

Planar wars couldn't be waged at a Grand Wizard's whim.

All planar coordinates were distributed by the Council of Truth through a lottery, with a five-hundred-year cooldown for each draw.

The Black Tower High Mage's frequent campaigns were due to previous lucky draws, stockpiling coordinates.

The war's uncertainty affected the swarm.

More insects required more resources, so fewer births were preferable.

Post-war, the White Wizard regiment gradually withdrew from the Insect Nest World, leaving black wizards to wrap up the planar war.

Minor resistance needed quelling, and the world's geography needed exploring. Though both black and white wizards could handle these tasks, the White Wizard regiment was hired by the Black Tower High Mage, so it was best left to the black wizards.

Many black wizards were students of the Black Tower Wizard Academy, ensuring the best spoils stayed within the family.