Early in the morning.
Not long after Richard got up, he sat down in the study of the Blue Lake Estate when Jia Lie approached him quietly and reported that a wizard from the Ash Academy was visiting.
"Bobbobovic?" asked Richard.
"It seems to be that name," Jia Lie scratched his head, not quite certain, "I only remember that his name is quite a tongue twister."
"Then it is him," Richard said. "Let’s go out and see what sort of answers this learned wizard has to offer."
With those words, he stepped out.
At the entrance of the Blue Lake Estate, beside a carriage, Bobbobovic and Richard faced each other.
Bobbobovic was the first to speak, unwilling to seem inferior: "Ahem, let me tell you, I’ve found the answers to your four questions, but they aren’t quite accurate, so I won’t tell you them just yet. Instead, I’d like to hear, what insights do you have on those four questions?"
"My insights, Wizard Vici?" Richard said, "Actually, I don’t have precise answers either."
"Ha!" Bobbobovic’s eyes widened, "Turns out you don’t know yourself, yet you ask me!"
"It is precisely because I don’t know that I wish to explore, research, communicate, and contemplate," Richard spoke calmly, "I believe it’s rare for anyone to be all-knowing and omnipotent, so maintaining an open and receptive mindset is the correct approach, isn’t it?"
"This...," Bobbobovic’s mouth opened and closed several times, but he was unable to articulate a response and was rendered speechless.
After a moment of silence, Bobbobovic looked at Richard and exhaled, "Alright, I admit that there’s a bit of sense in what you said—just a bit, but I don’t necessarily agree you’re correct. From now on, I agree to let you continue teaching Harry and Cathy, of course, I will also continue to teach them, and then let them decide for themselves what is right."
Richard listened and frowned slightly: "Wizard Vici, I never applied to you seeking the right to teach Harry and Cathy, did I? It was their father—Marquis Wei’an, who allowed me to teach them, and I don’t believe you have the authority to interfere."
"It’s too late!" Bobbobovic exclaimed loudly, "I’ve already agreed. Goodbye, Wizard Richard!"
With that, Bobbobovic quickly turned around, strode towards the carriage parked aside, sat in the coach, and urged the coachman: "Hurry up, let’s go!"
The coachman promptly got the carriage moving towards the distance, and in no time, they were a hundred meters away.
Bobbobovic carefully lifted a corner of the curtain at the back of the carriage, glanced back, quickly lowered the curtain, and assured himself when he confirmed Richard was not pursuing, "Phew, good that he didn’t follow."
After a moment, feeling that it wasn’t quite right, he looked to the coachman and with a serious expression explained, "You see, actually, I’m not afraid of that guy. Even if he followed, it wouldn’t matter, for I am confident that in the end, he will be the one who’s mistaken. It’s just that I’m a person who dislikes trouble and doesn’t want to make things hard for Harry and Cathy, you know?"
The coachman showed little change in expression, looking as if he had understood this all along, and without responding, he pulled the reins and drove the carriage towards the direction of the Ash Academy.
At the entrance of the Blue Lake Estate, Richard watched the carriage disappear into the distance, shook his head slightly, and turned to walk back into the estate.
Through this contact, his perception of Bobbobovic was further strengthened, realizing that the latter was becoming less and less like the stodgy and stingy image previously thought. However, it was also clear that indeed, Bobbobovic would probably not cause any trouble, and that was enough.
In this matter, the ones most affected were Harry and Cathy.
After Bobbobovic returned, he began to provide specialized tutoring for the two students, hoping to use his profound knowledge to pull them back onto the right path. This significantly increased the learning pressure on Harry and Cathy, making it almost unbearable.
However, Richard maintained his usual demeanor towards Harry and Cathy. Most of the time, he adopted a hands-off approach, occasionally lecturing them on various philosophical schools’ views of the world, prompting the two to think independently.
Even so, running between Harry and Cathy was still excessively strenuous. Nevertheless, they were indeed more excellent than the other students, without any complaints, diligently studying all sorts of knowledge. They strived to remember everything they saw as useful, whether from Bobbobovic or Richard.
And so, a month quietly passed by.
It was now July, the Flame Month.
On that day, Richard wasn’t at the Blue Lake Estate but in Eden.
Eden, Mechanical Processing Sector, the laboratory.
Richard was seated at a table, studying a book—the same book from the novelist on the "Queen Victoria."
After such a long time since obtaining the book, he had practically thoroughly researched it. This book, called "Vaisya Secrets," was similar to the "Monroe Chapter" wizard book. However, it differed in various respects.
In comparison, the "Monroe Chapter" tended towards popular science, comprehensive and detailed, yet not complicated. While it did contain high-end content, it was scarce.
"Vaisya Secrets," on the other hand, leaned towards more taboo content, including deviant, lost, and fear-inspiring advanced spells, among which some were extremely wicked and evil.
Therefore, "Vaisya Secrets" was quite useful to him now. When facing some problems in his research, he would consult this wizard book, searching for methods and ideas to solve the problems.
But now, he wasn’t looking to solve any particular issue but to confirm whether the magic rune of a powerful spell could work.
This was a Third Circle Shaping Energy Fire Magic spell recorded in "Vaisya Secrets," named "Baruch Flame," known for its powerful explosive and destructive power. He planned to inscribe this spell in the form of a magic rune on the warhead of the latest Miniature Magic Tracking Missile, thereby enhancing the warhead’s power and truly perfecting this great weapon of destruction.
Gazing at the content in "Vaisya Secrets," Richard lightly tapped his fingers on the tabletop, his mind tracing the intricate lines of the magic rune.
After a long while, with a "snap," Richard closed the book, placed it inside the Space Iron Ring, steeled his resolve, and confidently walked toward a workbench not far inside the laboratory.
The button was pressed, and the shadowless lamp lit up, brightly illuminating the workbench without being blinding, to ensure comfort during extended work periods.
Another crisp sound echoed as Richard affixed the pre-processed warhead of the Miniature Magic Tracking Missile onto a specially designed iron stand on the workbench. The warhead, the size of an apricot and nearly conical, would soon have intricately detailed Third Circle magical runes inscribed on its surface.
After several deep breaths, Richard adjusted his physical condition to the best possible state, put on the magnifying eyeglasses, and pulled over a mechanical arm embedded with the Space Iron Ring, starting to inscribe the magic rune.