Wizard: I Can Refine Everything

"Are their bodies entirely Etherized? This is somewhat unbelievable."

Richard found the claim of the matchstick man quite perplexing.

Not to mention whether a Level 8.5 creature's body could be eroded by Ether, even if it could, the process would take a considerable amount of time.

Even an ordinary Dominator's body would take at least hundreds of thousands of years to Etherize in the Star Realm. Moreover, between an ordinary Dominator and a Level 8.5 creature, there are levels like Breaking Limit Sovereign and Civilization Leader.

Richard couldn't conceive why the Civilization Devourer would drift such a long distance in the Star Realm for any reason.

"Indeed, it's quite remarkable, but according to the information we gathered, it should have been a 'baby' at the time. It inherently possessed no knowledge, only basic life instincts, with no inheritance in its Bloodline, and naturally lacking strong Powers.

Of course, it's likely those little fellows at the time weren't proficient enough to detect it."

"A baby?"

Richard displayed a trace of astonishment on his face.

Could it be that the Civilization Devourer was actually a member of a Race?

"Yes, the black mud monster was merely a baby at the time," the matchstick man sighed, "from a strength perspective, any Dominator of that era could easily slay it.

However, who could resist the greed in the face of a baby with Dominator potential?"

Richard was speechless; indeed, confronting such a young creature with Dominator potential, which civilization's Dominator could suppress greed?

Who wouldn't want to recruit a Dominator as a subordinate or a pet?

"So, the Dominator of the World Community subjugated it," Richard said in a somber tone.

"Certainly," the matchstick man said slowly, "the first civilization war emerged within this newborn World Community for its sake.

Initially, the war was just a conflict between Dominators, as the World Community at that time was full of newly born worlds, and civilization war would only disrupt their expansion.

But later, the war escalated to grander scales, increasingly uncontrollable... Alas, you know the ability of that black mud monster."

"...Provoking war." Richard remained silent for a moment before responding.

"Incorrect," the matchstick man shook his head, "it wasn't provoking war; it was war itself. Even if it did nothing, wars would constantly emerge around it.

I refer to this as Fate Pattern, but you could also call it Destiny Talent."

"Destiny Talent?" Richard felt a stirring within him, "Master, could you elaborate?"

Inadvertently, Richard's address to the matchstick man had shifted from blacksmith to Master.

For Wizards, knowledge is akin to treasure. And those forbidden knowledge they have never encountered are rare treasures.

They are willing to show respect to the beings that grant them such treasures.

"Because there is only this one piece of material available, my explanation is only a conjecture."

The matchstick man adjusted his posture, the facial expression like a sketch on his face turned serious.

"In my conjecture, Fate Pattern is an upgraded version of Destiny Entanglement Body. A Destiny Entanglement Body affects the fate of people around it, but the impact is unpredictable. Some may end up with a ruined family and lives, while others might live a long life.

However, a being with Fate Pattern is different.

The impact of a Fate Pattern follows rules; the Fate Pattern of the black mud monster I term as War, even if it does nothing, never appears, hiding in some corner, wars will continuously occur around it."

Richard nodded slightly, familiar with this concept—similar to a dreaded star of malign fate.

However, this Fate Pattern is even fiercer than a star of malign fate. Even if retiring to pure nature, it still leads to turmoil... Hmm!

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Richard's mind.

"Master, have you shared this conjecture with anyone else?"

The matchstick man nodded: "Indeed, over a hundred epochs ago, the three Civilization Leaders who sealed the black mud monster came to me. I shared this conjecture with them.

Why, did they make some discovery?"

Richard nodded, nearby Void suddenly trembled, and an ancient-styled Miracle Furnace slowly emerged from the Void.

"What is this!"

Upon seeing the Miracle Furnace, the matchstick man's simplistic facial expression morphed into extreme shock.

It approached the Miracle Furnace almost instantaneously, its eyes like black dots, intently staring at the fire inside the Furnace.

The strength of the Miracle Furnace, other beings might require investigation, but being an ancient Rule Creature, it needed only a glance to discern its extraordinary nature.

With a trembling voice, it said: "What a profound construction of Rules, no, this surpasses ordinary Rules! It... It is simply a projection of Source Rules!"

"Master, don't just focus on the fire," Richard said somewhat helplessly, "the Miracle Furnace also carries a Thread Of Destiny."

"Hmm? Thread Of Destiny?"

The matchstick man shifted its gaze from the Miracle Fire, subsequently inspecting the Miracle Furnace.

During this process, its eye color transformed, changing from initial black to brilliant hues.

"Hiss... That guy is truly a genius, he actually researched something out."

After observing for a while, the matchstick man returned to its seat.

"Indeed, although you people outside have shorter lifespans, your creativity and insight surpass us old creatures locked in cages.

I mentioned Fate Pattern offhand, never expecting it would lead to actual research."

Richard whispered: "Master, did you discern anything?"

"No," the matchstick man shook its head, "though I'm an old being, my knowledge is confined to that narrow field.

Destiny isn't my area of study; it's too terrifying. Even if we research it poorly, we might meet our ends due to various mishaps."

Hearing this, Richard couldn't help but feel a trace of disappointment.

Destiny is something that few can study, and its knowledge is considered rare throughout the Star Realm.

But just as Richard felt lost, the matchstick man spoke up again.

"However... although I cannot give you any advice regarding destiny, this flame, I do have quite a lot to offer."

"Oh?"

Richard raised an eyebrow and asked, "Master, what do you think about this Miracle Fire?"

"Heh, heh, it seems you haven't studied this thing much." The matchstick man said somewhat mysteriously.

Regarding the matchstick man's claim, Richard did not attempt to disguise anything. In front of such a master, pretending would only lead to self-humiliation.

"Indeed, so what insights might Master have?"

"Insight might be too much to call it, but I would like to propose a trade with you."

A trade?

Richard's mood peaked with interest, and he asked, "Master, what kind of trade do you wish to discuss with me?"

"Just this fire." The matchstick man pointed at the Miracle Fire in the Miracle Furnace, "Give me a blossom of the fire and I shall give you a Supreme Treasure."

"A Supreme Treasure?" Richard smiled slightly, "Master, you should see that I lack no Supreme Treasures. Even if it were the Civilization Treasures, I have two and a half at hand."

"Hah, what's the worth of a Civilization Treasure?" The matchstick man said disdainfully, "I've seen those Civilization Treasures before. Let me remind you, while Civilization Treasures are indeed precious, precious doesn't mean they're useful.

The best is what suits you, and mine definitely suits you."

The matchstick man's confidence sparked an inkling of curiosity in Richard's heart.

What astonishing creation had these ghost craftsmen produced that they dared to downplay even Civilization Treasures?

"Then how about showing me the Master's Supreme Treasure first?"

The matchstick man didn't waste words, immediately drawing a drawer in the air. As it opened, Richard's body was instantly brimming with chills as if the drawer housed some unparalleled monstrous entity.

"Look, this thing took me ten epochs to complete. Last time, that fiery little fellow wanted to exchange his so-called Supreme Furnace Fire for it, and I didn't agree."

The matchstick man took out a piece of darkness from the drawer, yes, a piece of darkness.

In the matchstick man's hand, it was a patch of darkness so profound there wasn't a single speck of light.

"Ghost God Mask, wearing it even if you're just a fool, can transform into a Ghost God comparable to a Breaking Limit Sovereign. After breaking limits, it merges into your dimension, turning your dimension into a Ghost God World.

However, those are secondary functions. Its primary function is the protection of the soul, making your soul unimpacted by external forces like World Origin.

Even that black mud monster can't breach the protection of the Ghost God Cloak."

"World Origin? Has the Master found the secret to the extreme of Spiritual Evolution!?"

Upon hearing the matchstick man's introduction, Richard instantly exclaimed in surprise. The extreme of Spiritual Evolution is to transform the soul into World Origin, and this cloak can make the soul nearly akin to World Origin.

"Nearly, listen closely." The matchstick man repeated, "If I had found that secret, I wouldn't be in this cage now.

The secret of that extreme is like your blossom of flame, beyond the limits of the Dominator boundary."

Richard steadied his heart, smiled somewhat awkwardly, and after a moment of thought, suddenly laughed, "Indeed, Master, this item is extraordinary, yet compared to my flame, it is still a bit lacking.

And fear not, Master, knowing that my furnace is the relic of a previous civilization over a million years ago.

The flame burns with the soul of a Race, and within the flame lies the essence of the King of Titans who broke the Dominator boundary, along with an Anchor of Destiny."

Master, your item is still a bit lacking."

"Lacking? Lacking... no, you are extorting me!"

The matchstick man, initially thinking to add something more, realized something off-base while pondering. This flame, surely spreadable, it's not like it needs fire seeds, why require so much?

Upon hearing this, Richard righteously said, "Fair transaction, Equal Exchange, if you think I'm extorting, we can cancel the trade."

Upon hearing this, a few drawn drops of sweat arose on the matchstick man's head.

Not trading would certainly not work.

To Richard, the Miracle Fire is merely a tool, but to the ghost craftsmen from the Monster World, it's the Supreme Treasure.

Source Rules, the Dao, origin, the genesis of all, all worldly rules are merely a thread of its infinite brilliance.

Even a mere projection of it, if thoroughly researched, is enough to free the ghost craftsmen from this prison.

After much thought, the matchstick man resolutely asked, "What do you want?"

Richard smiled slightly, "Very simple, I'm quite interested in the ghost forging technique of the esteemed Masters."

The matchstick man was stunned upon hearing: "You want to learn the forging technique? That thing... well, you are a Dominator; learning this is certainly feasible.

The forging technique... that's easy."

With these words, the matchstick man walked out of the room energetically, drew a battered gong in the village center, and gathered the ghost craftsmen in the village.

Standing among the ghost craftsmen, the matchstick man shouted excitedly: "Old fellows, that Wizard possesses something highly likely to be a projection of Source Rules, and now, he wants to exchange it with us.

I've already swapped out my Ghost God Mask, now, one more item remains."

Upon hearing about the Rule Fragment, the entire ghost craftsman group instantly erupted. They are the oldest ghost craftsmen in the Monster World, and they know best what a Source Rule projection signifies.

"Boss, quickly tell us what's needed, stop beating around the bush!" shouted a ghost craftsman resembling soft mud.

"Whatever we have, we can give!"

For prisoners, a key to freedom is more important than anything.

The matchstick man chuckled upon hearing this: "Good, you said it yourselves. He doesn't want anything else but our ghost forging technique!"