Wizard: I Can Refine Everything-Chapter 457 - 2 Establishing Authority

The military is a place where the hierarchical distinction between superiors and subordinates is crystal clear. As a subordinate, questioning the judgement of a superior is undoubtedly a challenge to their authority.

The wizards of the Military Department couldn’t possibly be unaware of this.

Yet, the old wizard still issued his challenge.

This represented an attitude—he did not believe in Richard’s abilities.

He wanted to seize power!

Therefore, Richard needed to demonstrate sufficient ability to subdue these wizards and thereby establish his own authority as a superior.

Otherwise, his power might very well become usurped by the old wizards in the team and thus become a mere figurehead.

...

Under this oppressive intimidation, the colors drained from the faces of the wizards in the team.

Although Richard had not been promoted for as many years as the ordinary wizard, his power on paper was no worse than those veteran Three Rings Wizards. Coupled with the pressure imposed by Ulysses on his shoulders, the squad’s wizards felt as though they were facing a World Master.

"Answer me, Vlad."

Richard’s low shout made Vlad’s body tremble. As the ringleader, Richard’s pressure bore down upon him first.

Even though Vlad’s power had reached the limit of the Second Ring, he still trembled uncontrollably under this pressure.

There was no helping it, the gap in their power was simply too great.

He said shakily, "No, according to the first rule of the combat code, a battle wizard must never question the decisions of a superior."

"Good."

Richard nodded slightly, but the pressure emanating from him did not dissipate; instead, it grew even more intense.

"Then, what does the code stipulate as the punishment for wizards who break this rule?"

At the mention of punishment, Vlad’s face turned deathly pale.

According to the regulations, a superior wizard had the right to execute any subordinate wizard who questioned his decisions on the spot.

Of course, this was restricted to the battlefield.

Since they were still in the rear, the punishment he was about to face was whipping.

The Military Judge would use a specially made Disciplinary Whip to lash his soul. And the direct pain inflicted on the soul would deter any wizard who had suffered it from ever recalling the experience.

"Sir, for those who violate the regulations, whipping is the prescribed punishment."

The old wizard’s voice was dry, and he now somewhat regretted being the instigator.

He possessed a Secret Technique that could detect a wizard’s age. He had just clearly sensed that this wizard was only a little over a thousand years old and casually thought to contend for power.

In his view, Richard might have been a wizard who was promoted to the Three Rings recently due to good fortune within the Military Department.

After all, the Military Department was currently reinforcing their presence in the Galaxy World, and many other military officers who had been promoted internally had arrived at the same time as Richard and these other new recruits.

But to his misfortune, he had encountered Richard, an outsider and a formidable opponent.

"Whipping, a fine thing indeed."

Richard smiled, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Where is the Military Judge? Don’t tell me this unit doesn’t have one."

Shortly after, an old wizard stepped out from among the wizards and came to stand beside Richard.

This old wizard wore an iron mask, and a large part of his body had been transformed into an Alchemy Machine.

"Sir, I am the Military Judge."

Richard spoke softly, "Vlad has violated the first rule of the combat code, and I sentence him to whipping. There should be no problem with that, right?"

The Military Judge nodded slightly, "Quite appropriate."

"Then let’s proceed."

"Yes."

The Military Judge took a leather whip out of his pocket, which seemed to have been soaked in blood, emanating an ominous dark red color.

And at the sight of this whip, some wizards in the team even collapsed to the ground, their legs turning to jelly.

"Vlad, for violating the first rule of the combat code, you are sentenced to whipping. I am Military Judge Merrill, here to carry out the sentence."

Self-proclaimed Merrill, the Military Judge, spoke with a voice that seemed like steel hardened by winter ice, unyielding and leaving no room for rebuttal.

Vlad shed his Wizard Robe, wishing he could curl up into a ball.

According to the execution code for whipping, a wizard should not make this gesture. But just as Merrill was about to correct Vlad’s posture, Richard suddenly spoke.

"Leave it like that, I am a merciful man."

Merrill, upon hearing this, said nothing and immediately swung the whip in his hand, delivering a lash onto Vlad.

Crack!

The sound of the whip rang out sharply as the Soul Whip struck Vlad’s back with force.

In the next moment, a stifled groan was heard.

Vlad’s body turned red like a shrimp thrown into a boiling pot.

His body, already curled up, now tightened even further into a ball.

The surrounding wizards watched this scene and involuntarily shivered.

Wizards’ tolerance for pain was absolutely extraordinary compared to common creatures. After all, many physical transformations required an extremely painful process and recovery period.

And Vlad, being an old wizard, even more so exceeded the pain tolerance of ordinary wizards.

But even so, under the Disciplinary Whip, he still curled up in pain, resembling a shrimp.

Richard silently watched this spectacle, until Vlad recovered from the pain. He then said,

"Rejoin the ranks, Vlad. If you pull such a stupid stunt again, it won’t just be a whipping you receive."

Vlad draped the Wizard Robe back over himself and shakily returned to the ranks.

With that, Richard’s display of authority was complete.

Through Vlad, Richard had successfully established the commanding presence of an officer.

After establishing his authority, Richard revisited Vlad’s doubts.

"Vlad’s concerns are likely shared by all of you, so let me explain briefly."

Saying so, Richard took out the list again.

"Without a doubt, the items on this list were very useful in the past Plane Wars. Shadow Potion, Quick Recovery Potion, Meditation Potion, Transformation Potion..."

Richard read a long list from the sheet, then smiled at the troops and said, "Honestly, I have never seen such abundant supplies..."

"But the things on this list are no longer as suitable for the battlefield we will encounter.

Our main task will be to scout enemy intelligence, and even if we do engage in battle, escape will be our priority.

So, instead of preparing so many Magic Potions for combat, it would be better to prepare a batch of Magic Equipment for swift movement."

Richard’s explanation put the squad of Wizards into a contemplative silence; if their main task was going to be scouting, then indeed there was a big problem with their usual supplies.

"But now, it’s obviously impossible to arrange vehicles for us on such short notice." Richard sighed slightly, "Fortunately, I’ve made some preparations in advance. You all might have a tough time ahead."

Speaking, Richard casually opened the Secret Realm Rift and entered the Secret Realm.

Soon after, a host of Dragon Beasts was led out by Fire Lizard Warriors.

The cultivation of the Dragon Beasts was conducted alongside the Transformation Surgery on the Fire Lizards, but raising the Dragon Beasts was much faster than the surgeries.

No other reason, the surgeries required data collection for each Fire Lizard and then cultivation of organ glands, whereas with the Dragon Beasts, Jolod got hold of the complete production process, followed by a limitless supply of the semi-Elemental active Flesh from the Red Sun World. Cultivating hundreds of Dragon Beasts was child’s play for the Alchemy Workshop.

Even the Alchemy Workshop that made the Dragon Beasts was so impressed with the performance of the semi-Elemental active Flesh that they were willing to accept it as payment for their work.

"These are the Dragon Beasts that I had cultivated. I will write a booklet later on how to control them.

Until we get the new vehicles, these Dragon Beasts will be your transport."

Faced with the majestic Dragon Beasts, the squad of Wizards was stunned.

The vibrant Life Radiation from the Dragon Beasts signified their incredibly high Physique, and their robust build indicated an extraordinary strength.

Such Synthetic Beasts, even in the Military Department, would be considered as fine works. But their new commanding officer easily led out a hundred of them for their temporary use.

"Good heavens, which Great Wizard’s student is this, to have such a rich background," a Wizard whispered in awe.

The younger Wizards admired the Dragon Beasts, whereas the older, experienced Wizards, after a glance at the Dragon Beasts, shifted their focus to the Fire Lizard Warriors leading them.

They felt a lethal threat from what seemed like ordinary Alien Slaves.

Just what had this Three Rings Wizard raised inside the Secret Realm Fragments? An army?

To manage certain emergencies, tumors had been implanted in the brains of these Dragon Beasts to ensure that they could be ridden by other Fire Lizards, or even other creatures.

After each Wizard received a Dragon Beast, the logistic Wizards arrived with supply equipment.

A large number of Magic Potion Equipment was distributed, and those Wizards who received it, adeptly positioned their gear in the most convenient spots.

On the other hand, Richard looked at the supplies before him with a headache, unsure of how to distribute them.

After distributing the supplies, the logistic Wizards were about to leave, but Richard quickly stopped them.

"Master, please wait a moment."

Richard flashed beside the logistic Wizard and asked amiably, "Master, do we have any Synthetic Beast Pockets left over?

If so, I would appreciate your guidance in obtaining some."

"Synthetic Beast Pockets... we do have a batch in the warehouse," the logistic Wizard thought for a while and respectfully replied, "If the Master needs them, you can contact the logistics department through your Crystal Ball and request a batch."

"I see. Sorry to have delayed you, Master."

Upon hearing this, Richard immediately took the recently issued Crystal Ball out of his pocket and found the contact information for the logistics department.

As soon as the connection was made, an extremely fast voice came from the Crystal Ball.

"Agent Richard, please state your requirements quickly."

"I need a hundred Synthetic Beast Pockets and, if possible, a hundred high-speed vehicles."

"Request received. We will allocate resources based on current inventory; please do not reapply within three days."

With that, the communication was abruptly terminated.

"Jeez, it seems the logistics folks are quite busy," Richard muttered to himself.

Ten minutes later, he received a message on his Crystal Ball. His application for the Synthetic Beast Pockets had been approved, while the request for vehicles was rejected due to insufficient stock.

Richard had anticipated this situation.

A place as generous as the Military Department wouldn’t leave excess Magic Equipment to collect dust in the warehouse.

Since they were not listed in their distribution order, it meant that the Military Department simply didn’t have these items in stock.

Even if he applied, they would have to wait for production.

Soon after, the logistic Wizard delivered the Synthetic Beast Pockets, accompanied by a batch of Fake Death Potions for use on the Synthetic Beasts.

After distributing these items, they began to rest and reorganize on the spot.

There were three Teleportation Gates leading into the Galaxy World, and if nothing went wrong, it wouldn’t be long before they received notice to join the war.