Exploring Technology in a Wizard World

People in the current world had not realized the importance of air supremacy not because of a lack of wisdom but rather, it was an issue of world development.

In this world, akin to the Medieval era, most regions were still embroiled in a struggle for land dominance, and only a few areas had begun to tentatively vie for naval supremacy. As for air supremacy… no one had thought it to be of any use.

Just like during World War II on modern Earth, before aircraft carriers had gained an unimaginable advantage over battleships, no one had felt that air supremacy could be that significant. As a result, the manner of combat changed completely in a very short amount of time.

But to say that no one had thought of any use for it, didn't mean it was truly useless; it was just being used in a distorted way.

For example, wizard battles.

At the First-level Wizard stage, battles mostly took place on the ground. On one hand, a wizard's abilities were relatively weak, and sustained levitation would result in excessive consumption of energy. On the other hand, it is easier to become a target for focused fire in the air and harder to dodge attacks, problems that one does not face on the ground.

By the time of the Second-level Wizard, aerial combat became more common because numerous obstacles on the ground were starting to impose certain limitations on a wizard's strength. Only in the air could a Second-level Wizard have a better field of vision and unleash their power more effectively.

However, such battles were not about the struggle for air supremacy but rather an extension of the struggle for land supremacy.

Most wizards, when engaging in aerial combat, would not float higher than a hundred meters, and once stationary in the air, they wouldn't move much. They were like fixed floating artillery platforms, releasing their firepower and using Magic Shields to fend off the enemy's attacks.

What did all this resemble?

It was like two defensive flying airships with astonishingly slow movement, bombarding each other with extremely primitive cannons.

As for the even higher-ranked Third-level Wizards, aerial combat didn't see much variation.

It was simply a matter of having stronger defenses and sharper attacks, turning into two larger airships with more cannons.

This approach was not necessarily wrong; like the turret-battle mode of the First-level Wizards, it had evolved to conform to the world's mainstream.

However, it must be said, there existed another mode far superior to this one. If pitted against each other, the alternative mode could crush or even slaughter this model.

If this mode were called the Airship mode, then the alternative would be called the Fighter mode.

The fighter, the fighter aircraft, the real weapon for contending for air supremacy.

This is not to say that any fighter jet from Earth could crush the wizards of this world.

It is to say, the thinking represented by the fighter aircraft could crush the current world's way of thinking.

What's the essence of a fighter aircraft's thinking?

Simple: a high-altitude, high-speed, highly maneuverable, aggressively offensive, and low-defense weapon carrier.

The implication is that there's a high chance of death if hit. But, utilizing high altitude, high speed, and high maneuverability, it becomes difficult to be hit. And when attacking the enemy, a successful hit would kill the opponent.

For this reason, Richard wanted to properly research and improve the "Floating Shuttle Deceit Kill" spell.

It was in line with the research direction he had planned. Initially, when he saw the content of the Wind Magic Scroll in the Black Spirit King's ultimate treasure, he had this idea, which he had been continuously refining.

That's why he had been researching Miniature Magic Tracking Missiles.

With Miniature Magic Tracking Missiles, the Magic Fighter could possess an adequate method for long-range attacks.

After all, one could not expect the Magic Fighter to attack the enemy using methods akin to the "Sky Scalpel" every time.

If he really wanted to, he would also need to figure out a way to create a sufficiently sturdy and sharp tailfin like that of a Su-27.

While thinking about all of this, Richard earnestly looked over the contents of "Vaisya Secrets," meticulously studying the execution of the "Floating Shuttle Deceit Kill" spell.

Time passed unknowingly, and before he knew it, his gaze shifted away. Raising a hand, his thoughts stirred, and free energy gushed out from the Magic Origin, releasing a spell.

"Swish!"

His entire arm was enveloped in a layer of gray energy.

This was part of the "Flying Shuttle Killing" spell's effect.

After observing it a few times, Richard controlled the energy to dissipate and, pondering for a moment, looked back at "Vaisya Secrets" to proceed further with his study.

Time continued to flow by...

...

In the blink of an eye, a week had passed.

In the afternoon shade beneath a tree, Richard was sharing new philosophical knowledge with Harry and Cathy.

"Today, I'd like to talk to you about 'Dualism,'" Richard said.

"'Dualism'?" Harry's eyes flickered as he asked, "Teacher, how is this different from 'Monism' you told us about before?"

"It's different, even quite the opposite in certain respects, yet there are aspects where they complement each other," Richard explained, continuing, "In the concept of 'Dualism,' the world is generally believed to be governed by two forces—good and evil.

Good represents our spirit, thoughts, and soul, created by the force of good; evil is material, our physical bodies, created by the force of evil.

These two forces are in opposition to each other, and in their struggle, they reach a sort of balance, jointly influencing and governing the entire world.

In some western schools of thought, you can simply view these two forces as two types of gods. Good is the True God in control of the light, and evil is the Evil God that holds sway over darkness.

Some western schools also view the Evil God as slightly below the True God, a great demon (Gnosticism, which considers that God and Lucifer govern the world)…

And in some eastern schools of thought, the two forces are not completely antagonistic; they call the force of good 'Yang' and the force of evil 'Yin.' Yang and Yin counteract and conquer each other yet can also transform one into the other, fostering mutual growth…"

Richard spoke without stopping, and after a good while, paused to look at Harry and Cathy.

The expressions of both were incredibly confused at this moment, deeply frowning in thought as they tried to digest Richard's words.

Truth be told, with both of them continuously learning a variety of knowledge between Richard and Bobbobovic, many of which sharply conflicted, it was a test of their understanding and ability to accept. Even an adult might crack under such strain, yet they had persevered, showing extraordinary capability.

Seeing this, Richard became interested in exposing them to deeper knowledge and teaching them more.

However, they were now facing a conundrum.

Having thought for quite some time, they were still perplexed. Cathy couldn't help but turn to Richard; her ponytails at the back of her head bobbing she opened her mouth to ask, "Teacher, why is this 'Dualism' you're teaching so different from the 'Monism' you explained before? Isn't 'Dualism' just 'Monism' plus another 'Monism'? With so many differences, which one should we believe in?"

After looking at them seriously, Richard spoke softly, "The answer is that you should not believe in either."

"Ah?"