Having realized that Dr. Duzem was deflecting with Tai Chi, Rat Immortal did not get angry.
He gave the elderly young wizard before him a long look, then stated his purpose directly. "We need a Philosopher's Stone, as well as the 'Artificial God' proposal you completed twenty years ago."
Before Dr. Duzem could speak, Rat Immortal raised a finger and named their price. "We can pay you everything belonging to an Archwizard, to repair your shattered Origin... If you agree to this deal, we can even promise to pay in advance. At any time."
Even though he had prepared himself mentally, Dr. Duzem was still shocked by Rat Immortal's offer.
Everything belonging to an Archwizard naturally did not merely mean that Archwizard's wealth, knowledge, and secret teachings. It also included that Archwizard's life, Origin, and even soul. It could be said that if Dr. Duzem simply agreed, at least one Archwizard's traces would be completely erased from this world.
Archwizards were not just any nobodies. They were the true rulers of the Wizarding World. Ordinary low-level wizards and Registered Wizards focused on practical affairs, while higher-level Legendary Wizards and ancient wizards were more devoted to their journey along the wizard's path. It could be said that Archwizards were the beings who truly held the Wizard Alliance and controlled the Wizarding World.
People often said that even a thousand Registered Wizards might not produce a single Archwizard, and that was no exaggeration. Looking across the entire Wizarding World, there were fewer than a thousand living Archwizards. This included Archwizards born more than a millennium ago, as well as newly advanced Archwizards.
Moreover, many of those Archwizards had long been stationed in the New World or territories of other civilizations, while many others had locked themselves away in Wizard Towers for centuries