Exploring Technology in a Wizard World

"Alright then." The Witch Demon Elder took a deep breath and looked directly at Richard, "Since it's like this, don't waste words with me. Just tell me, what exactly do you want from this deal?!"

"What I want is very simple, yet in a certain sense, also a lot. I want all the knowledge in your memory." Richard said seriously.

"After my long slumber, my memory has quite a few fuzzy areas." The Witch Demon Elder frowned.

"No problem, I can give you enough time to recall and organize everything." Richard compromised.

"My body isn't in good shape right now, I'm heavily injured and may not have the energy for that." The Witch Demon Elder proposed a new issue.

"No worries, I'll find a way to heal you as quickly and effectively as possible, ensuring you're full of energy." Richard compromised again.

"Due to the forced resurrection, my soul energy has been greatly depleted and requires many materials to recover. Otherwise, I can't guarantee I can survive long-term in this body that has died once." The Witch Demon Elder raised a third issue.

"Once again, not a problem. I'll acquire all the materials you need, no matter what it takes, and use them on you." Richard compromised a third time.

"I don't want to be constantly imprisoned here. My purpose for resurrection isn't to serve you, but to enjoy life, connect with people, and see the beauty of the world now." The Elder raised yet another new issue.

"Still not a problem, I can send you away from here and arrange a place for you within the range where I can protect you. Even after you've provided me with enough knowledge, I will completely return your freedom." Richard said.

"Uh, that's not quite what I meant." The Elder paused suddenly and said, "While freedom is nice, the premise of enjoyment isn't just about having freedom, there also needs to be..."

At this point, the Witch Demon Elder looked seriously at Richard, rubbing his fingers together.

"Money." Richard realized.

"Snap!" The Witch Demon Elder snapped his fingers, pointing at Richard with an "I like you" expression, "Yes, exactly, money."

Richard found it amusing and said, "Money? That's even simpler. As long as you agree to the deal, I'll provide all the money needed to fulfill your desires."

"Good!" The Witch Demon Elder said loudly, stepping forward to grasp Richard's hand firmly, solemnly announcing, "From now on, we are partners."

"It's my honor." Richard said, looking at the elder.

Richard then spent over ten minutes discussing various details of the cooperation with the Witch Demon Elder, and finally said, "Then Mr. Ah Fu, we've completely reached an agreement. Please wait here for a moment; I have another matter to attend to. Once it's handled, I'll send you outside to enjoy life."

"Alright."

...

"Tap tap tap..."

Richard stepped out of the laboratory and made his way to the main laboratory of Eden.

In the main laboratory, Pandora was crouched in front of a wall, frowning at a half-meter-wide hole—that was the damage caused by her earlier fight with the Witch Demon Elder.

She was holding several pieces of broken wall in hand, pondering how to repair it.

Upon hearing footsteps, Pandora turned her head and saw it was Richard; her eyes lit up first, wanting to approach. But then, thinking of the debris in her hands, she forcibly stopped, cautiously saying, "Um... Richard, I accidentally broke it, is it alright? Can it be fixed?"

"Don't worry, it's fine." Richard smiled and said.

"And that person earlier... I didn't hit the wrong person, did I?" Pandora asked again.

"No worries about that either." Richard looked at Pandora with a smile and continued, "You hit the right person; he's kind of a bad guy, but now he should be somewhat better."

Talking while moving, Richard approached Pandora, helped her dispose of the debris in her hand, and rubbed her hair, saying, "You don't have to worry about anything; I'll handle it all. I'm more interested to hear, what do you remember from before?"

"From before?"

"Yes, from before, as in before you fell asleep this time."

"Um..." Pandora rolled her eyes and frowned as she recalled. After a while, she slowly said, "I remember meeting a purple, very beautiful dragon before. She was badly injured and very sad. Somehow, she turned into a purple mist and floated into my body. After that, I remember flying up and shouting something. Then I got really, really tired and fell asleep.

I felt like I slept for a long, long time and had a very long, long dream. Strangely, after waking up, I couldn't remember what was in the dream at all, just felt it was very important to me. All in all, I woke up like this and then saw that guy from before.

He seemed about to tear down the house you built, so I got angry and fought with him. But I didn't dare use too much strength, fearing it would have consequences. I was entangled with him when you returned."

After hearing Pandora's words, Richard nodded.

He could tell that Pandora retained quite a bit of her previous memory, at least remembering the battle on the East Coast. However, after absorbing the purple dragon's emitting gas and transforming, her consciousness became blurry, leading to her slumber until now.

Looking at Pandora, Richard asked, "Since you woke up, have you noticed any changes in your body or any improvements in your abilities?"

"Ability improvement?" Pandora thought for a few seconds, then, like a student boasting about good grades, she said, "Yes, absolutely! I've changed a lot."

"Better not tell me you've grown taller." Richard recalled earlier events and said.

"No." Pandora shook her head hard, "My change is that I've become stronger."

"Stronger? In what way?"

"Specifically, I'm stronger, faster, and harder to injure. Most importantly... I can transform!" Pandora nearly shouted the last part.

"Transform huh..." Richard murmured, a bit unsurprised since Pandora had transformed before. However, that was probably due to provocation, and now she could handle it skillfully.

Seeing Richard's expression, Pandora thought he was doubtful and immediately said, "Richard, don't doubt it. I can prove it to you!"

The expression on Richard's face shifted instantly. He quickly stopped her, saying, "No..."

But before he could finish saying "don't," Pandora, eager to demonstrate, acted first.

"Rip!"

Pandora's clothes instantly shredded as her body expanded rapidly, transforming toward the form of the purple crystal dragon seen once on the East Coast.

Then, a huge dragon head, as if carved from amethyst, directly poked through the main laboratory roof with a "poof," piercing it effortlessly.

Seconds later, the purple crystal dragon's body left inside the lab swayed slightly, causing the entire laboratory to wobble.

After a brief silence, Pandora's slightly off-pitch voice rang out, "Um... Richard, I can't see you anymore..."

"Because I'm under your feet." Within the lab, Richard crossed his arms, responding in a tone that showed slight annoyance.

"Did I cause trouble?" Pandora asked, suddenly feeling a bit guilty.

"What do you think?" Richard counter-questioned.

"Eek—" came Pandora's reaction.

...

After another silence, Pandora couldn't hold back and whispered again, "Richard, should I just stand here?"

"Transform back! Immediately!" Richard gave the order.

"Ok." Upon hearing this, Pandora dared not hesitate. The body in the purple crystal dragon state quickly shrank. The enormous head withdrew from the outside, leaving a considerable hole in the lab's roof, then morphed back to a regular human form—well, a stark (censored) regular human form!