Wizard Lord:I can Extract Anything

"Lawrence?" Richard was taken aback by the figure emerging from the mushroom forest.

Lawrence's entire body was composed of white mycelium, moving with a rhythmic grace that appeared completely natural.

"Don't worry, this body is a puppet controlled by necromancy," Lawrence explained.

Richard eyed him warily. "What kind of deal are you proposing?"

After the warrior insect had informed him about the necessity of sacrifices to enter the Mushroom Field, Richard had given up on Lawrence, shifting his focus to the Mother Insect God's relics. Now that those relics had been destroyed by the fungal creatures, Lawrence somehow survived.

Fate indeed worked in mysterious ways.

"I'll trade you a piece of information and fifty thousand magic stones for a body," Lawrence offered, adding, "The information is related to that amber."

Ulysses twitched at the mention of the amber.

"Information about the amber?"

Richard's interest was piqued. It was plausible that Lawrence, having been with the insects for so long, had acquired valuable intelligence.

"What kind of body do you need?"

"Just a normal first-tier creature. I just need to get out of this damned place," Lawrence replied, gesturing to his fungal body. "This body can't leave this cursed area."

"That's doable."

After a moment's thought, Richard pulled a warrior insect and a Spider Knight from his slave pouch.

Both the fifty thousand magic stones and the information about the Mother Insect God's relics were worth much more than these two slaves.

"Which one do you want?"

Lawrence looked surprised at the Spider Knight. He'd fought them before, and while killing one wasn't an issue, capturing one alive was another matter entirely.

"I'll take the demi-spider," Lawrence decided.

Since he was spending the money, he might as well get the better body.

Without a word, Richard tossed the Spider Knight over.

Lawrence took a contract from his pocket, wrote the terms, signed it, and handed it to Richard.

Richard glanced at the conditions and signed his name.

Contracts were an essential part of wizard transactions, serving as a foundational law in wizard society.

Once the contract was completed, Lawrence immediately used necromancy to transfer his consciousness. Although the Spider Knight's nerves were still severed, necromancy didn't require nerves to manipulate a body; it functioned more like a marionette.

Pointing at Ulysses, he said, "The item sealed in the amber was taken by your crow. That crow was lying to you!"

Ulysses immediately reacted. "Caw! That's slander, pure slander! Richard, don't listen to him. He's been turned into a puppet and is trying to sow discord between us!"

Richard paused, considering Ulysses' agitated denial, which did have some merit. Lawrence had indeed seemed off.

However, Richard noticed that Ulysses' belly appeared swollen, and it seemed to be slowly expanding.

"Ulysses, what's going on with your stomach?" Richard asked, a cold smile on his face.

"Caw? Stomach? What's wrong with my stomach?" Ulysses replied nervously.

Before he could offer more excuses, a blue tendril extended from his mouth.

The Mushroom Field began to tremble again.

"Ulysses, every time I start to think of you as one of us, you pull something like this."

Richard gave him a glance before reopening the rift to the secret realm.

"Lawrence, come hide inside."

Richard called out to Lawrence, grabbing the ballooning Ulysses and retreating into the secret realm.

Though he wasn't sure what the blue tendril was, the Mushroom Field's reaction suggested it was no ordinary substance.

Lawrence was surprised upon seeing the spatial rift.

Secret realm fragments were quite expensive.

Richard was only participating in his first planar war; how could he afford such luxuries?

Once inside the secret realm, Lawrence's surprise turned to shock.

"This... this... where did you get this secret realm fragment?" Lawrence stammered. "The magic concentration, the environment, the harmony of the rules... How does a first-circle wizard possess something like this? Aren't you new to planar wars?"

Shrugging, Richard replied, "Our dean is generous. It's a reward he gave us."

"...A reward?" Lawrence's worldview was shaken. "You're his student?"

"No."

"Then why reward you?"

"It's an exam reward, unrelated to being his student. Speaking of students, look." Richard pointed to Ellie. "This wizard is the dean's grand-disciple."

Lawrence turned to Ellie, eyes wide as saucers.

"You're the grand-disciple of the Black Tower Grand Wizard?"

Ellie nodded nonchalantly. "Yeah, the dean is technically my master's master, but I rarely see even my master, so this connection isn't that useful."

"No, no, no," Lawrence said seriously. "This connection is very important. With it, this war will be much easier for us."

Lawrence never imagined his battle companions included a novice wizard with such an influential connection.

Had he known earlier, he could have leveraged it for more resources from the logistics wizards and gained first-hand information.

This advantage could significantly benefit the war effort.

If they forged a friendship during the war, he could even secure a logistics position at the Black Tower Wizard Academy later.

These thoughts shifted Lawrence's perspective slightly.

"Don't look at me," Ellie said, uncomfortable under Lawrence's gaze, and turned to reveal Richard's connection. "That guy's relationship isn't small either. The head of the Beastmaster Department is his mentor."

"What?" Lawrence turned to Richard. "Your mentor is Master Jolord from the Beastmaster Department?"

Richard nodded. "Why?"

"Nothing. Please invite me to future battles. Fighting alongside you, I feel my survival rate in this war is quite high."

With these two, he wouldn't have to worry about being assigned suicidal missions by the command center.

...

Once they confirmed the Mushroom Field's disturbance was due to Ulysses' theft of the blue fungus spore, Ellie and Lawrence left the secret realm, leaving Richard and Ulysses alone.

Richard dangled Ulysses before him, asking coldly, "Ulysses, do you have anything to say?"

Ulysses' body was sprouting blue tendrils, swollen like a balloon.

A normal creature would have died by now. Only Ulysses, a world lord, could barely survive.

"Caw, my master! I was wrong, I was wrong!" Ulysses wailed.

Just before entering the secret realm, Richard had commanded Ulysses mentally to cease resisting the blue tendrils.

Aware of his misdeed, Ulysses complied, knowing the tendrils wouldn't harm his soul, ensuring his survival.

"Wrong?" Richard smirked coldly. "My dear Ulysses, if someone hadn't told me, you'd have kept this from me."

"This thing, if you digest it, will restore a lot of your power."

"Caw, no! Absolutely not! This thing is useless to the soul. I must have been out of my mind!" Ulysses screeched.

The spore, despite its initial life force explosion, revealed its true nature once consumed by Ulysses.

It began absorbing Ulysses' energy as nourishment. Initially, it was manageable, but it soon grew insatiable, expanding until it nearly drained Ulysses dry.

"No?"

Richard's smirk persisted; he didn't believe a word Ulysses said.

"Caw, my master, if you don't act, my body's ruined, and that'll be your loss."

Ulysses continued wailing, knowing Richard wasn't one to act emotionally.

The potential loss might outweigh any satisfaction from punishment.

But Ulysses miscalculated.

Suspending Ulysses with levitation, Richard said, "No worries, I have plenty of active flesh. I can make you a new body."

"Caw, no! Master! Richard..."

Ignoring Ulysses' pleas, Richard levitated him to the secret realm's sky, adding a soundproof magic barrier.

Ulysses had been too greedy this time; a lesson was necessary.

...

An hour later, Ulysses' body burst into a fungal sphere. A divine light emerged, entering a prepared raven body Richard had ready.

"Ulysses, what exactly is this thing?"

Now perched on Richard's shoulder, Ulysses replied obsequiously, "Caw, I think it's the mushroom seed slain by that golden bug. But it seems to have awakened a soul. You could communicate with it."

The fungal sphere descended as Ulysses finished speaking.

"Mortal, I wish to make a deal with you."

"Mortal?" Richard raised an eyebrow. This mushroom didn't seem to know its place.

"Ulysses, can you destroy it? Do that, and we'll call it even. I'll prepare you a better body when we return."

"Caw, no problem! Had you not wanted to discipline me, I'd have done it already."

With a gleam in his eyes, Ulysses, though an injured world lord, faced an embryonic opponent.

A wounded adult against a fetus? Easy.

The mushroom hadn't realized the danger, continuing, "Mortal, serve me, and I'll grant you power, might, and glory..."

Before the mushroom could finish its offer, Ulysses invaded its mind.

"Caw, power? Might? You think my master should serve a mere mushroom?"

Without the Miracle Furnace, Ulysses dominated the fungal sphere's mental space, forcing it to face reality within seconds.

"Master! I surrender! I serve you! I serve you!"

Seeing the mushroom's submission, Ulysses withdrew, returning to his body and addressing Richard obsequiously, "Caw, my dear master, this mushroom wishes to serve you."

"Serve me?" Richard's smile curved slightly. "And what are you to serve me?"

"Master, I am the World Mushroom!"

--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there 

patreon.com/LegendaryTL

Thanks!