Chapter 110: The Infinite Vitality Golden Apple

Chapter 110: The Infinite Vitality Golden Apple

The Base.

In a room that had been converted into a bug nest, various minerals were scattered on the ground. This newly established bug nest was specifically for raising gem bugs. Under the soft glow of the magic stone lamps, three egg-sized bugs were leisurely feeding on the minerals, their nearly formed pure gems on their backs standing out prominently.

After more than two months of feeding, the three once near-death gem bugs had fully recovered and were now in excellent health. They now spent their days happily consuming minerals and forming various pure gems. The type of gem they produced varied depending on the type of mineral they ate.

Thanks to Avigny's notes, Su Nan had avoided many pitfalls in this process. Notably, a single gem bug could produce three standard units of pure gems per month. With three gem bugs, that meant nine gems per month.

To be honest, this yield was quite meager. However, gem bugs could reproduce by splitting themselves, though they needed a special food to do so. According to the notes, this special food primarily consisted of Abyssal Black Copper, Rainbow Iron, Sunfire Gold Sand, Mithril, and high-quality gems.

"None of these are easy to find," Su Nan sighed. However, the thought of the benefits that would come with a larger population of gem bugs rekindled his enthusiasm. With just thirty gem bugs, the monthly gem production would increase to ninety, and annually, it would be over a thousand, enough to craft an additional twenty elite stone golems or over a thousand regular stone golems each year. With a few hundred gem bugs, he would no longer have to worry about low-grade gems.

"Let's collect the materials gradually," Su Nan said to himself, turning his attention away from the gem bugs and leaving the bug nest.

In addition to the gem bugs, Su Nan had also brought back a few Blood Soul Bugs from Avigny's cave. However, considering the massive amount of souls required to raise them, he was reluctant to waste valuable soul crystals on them and ultimately decided to abandon the idea. The only use he had for Blood Soul Bugs was to extract their bloodline to create bloodline marks. While there were not many creatures on the Starlight Continent with ancient beast bloodlines, there were still enough to provide the materials he needed for bloodline marks, so he didn't need to rely on Blood Soul Bugs.

Su Nan had initially planned to extract the Blood Soul Bugs' bloodline for synthesis, but he couldn't solve the soul pollution problem. He suspected that the soul pollution wasn't caused by the Blood Soul Bugs' bloodline ability, which converted soul energy into lifespan, but rather by the act of absorbing souls itself. Without the ability to purify souls, absorbing them would always lead to pollution.

In the end, Su Nan dissected a few Blood Soul Bugs, collected the necessary data, and disposed of the remains.

Leaving the bug nest, Su Nan headed straight to the workshop.

"Teacher!"

"Good day, Teacher!"

On his way, he encountered several groups of apprentices. These young men and women, dressed in gray robes, immediately stopped and respectfully bowed to him when they saw him. Since the implementation of the talent assessment policy in Flashhold, the base welcomed new recruits every few months. Currently, the base had a total of thirty-six students.

With the various creatures Su Nan had summoned from other worlds, the base had become more lively, no longer as desolate as before. Su Nan didn't pay much attention to the students, only assigning them various tasks and providing resources for them to exchange. He mostly let the base run itself.

Thanks to the Dense Forest Cottage, Su Nan had greatly supplemented and improved his foundational knowledge. Nightingale and others had collected a vast array of wizarding texts over the years, covering all the basic knowledge, zero-level potion formulas, and low-tier puppet designs needed for first and second-level apprentice wizards. With this knowledge, Su Nan felt confident in training more apprentices.

The base now had a well-established operational system, and with the help of Gere, Madeline, and other creatures from other worlds, he rarely needed to intervene. Of course, he occasionally offered guidance to the students, which was listed among the resources available for exchange, though the required contribution points were quite high, making it rare for students to afford it.

Upon reaching the workshop, Su Nan approached his workbench. On the large workbench lay an incomplete magic robe. His experience exploring the underground city had reminded him of the need for a magic item that could hide his presence, making future explorations of the underground world easier. After much consideration, he decided to create a magic robe that provided constant invisibility.

The robe he was using was made by a renowned tailor in Flashhold, known for its excellent quality and feel.

Su Nan imbued the robe with Cleanse, Silence, and Invisibility spells.

The first two were relatively easy, being a cantrip and a first-level spell, respectively. However, Invisibility, being a second-level spell, was far more challenging to make permanent.

Even with his Magic Item Creation skill at level 4, Su Nan still failed several times before succeeding.

After that, he enchanted the robe with a Shapeless property, allowing it to change its appearance at will.

He worked on the robe until evening, finally completing it.

Looking at the intricately designed and elegant robe on his workbench, a satisfied smile spread across his face.

Putting on the robe, Su Nan focused, and his figure vanished from sight.

The room fell silent, and after about ten seconds, Su Nan reappeared at the other end of the room.

"Nice."

Su Nan nodded in approval.

The permanent Invisibility spell on the robe could be used twice a day, each time lasting for half an hour.

The Silence spell created a silent zone within a two-meter radius around him, preventing any sounds from escaping.

Additionally, Su Nan added a bit of scent-eliminating powder to the robe, which removed the wearer's scent.

In summary, the robe provided a comprehensive concealment effect, eliminating the wearer's appearance, sound, and scent. While it wasn't as practical as a dragon's ethereal invisibility and couldn't hide soul presence, it was more than sufficient for most situations.

"With this robe, infiltrating places will be much easier in the future."

Su Nan smiled, then headed to the meditation room.

Tonight was the quarterly gathering at the Dense Forest Cottage, his fourth since joining the group.

After a brief meditation, Su Nan sensed the trading house activate and teleported to the familiar small room.

Looking around, Su Nan was slightly surprised.

There were more people at this gathering than usual, a total of seven.

Besides him, Nightingale, Scepter, Skeleton, Rose, and Heart, there was a new face.

The newcomer wore a black wooden mask, with 'Black Forest' engraved on the table in front of him.

"Are you the new member Nightingale mentioned? Sorry, I've been busy and missed the last few gatherings. Welcome to the Dense Forest Cottage," Black Forest said, waving at Su Nan with a friendly smile. Unlike the others, Black Forest seemed more cheerful and less reserved.

"From what I hear, you have some good items. I brought everything I have, ready to trade."

Su Nan replied calmly, "Welcome."

Nightingale cleared his throat and said, "Black Forest, hold on. Let's finish the transaction of the Divine Blood Amber first."

"Divine Blood Amber? What's that?" Black Forest asked, surprised.

Nightingale explained the transaction between Su Nan and the others.

After hearing the story, Black Forest sighed, "If I had known about this, I would have attended the previous gatherings."

"Twenty magic stones aren't a small amount. After this gathering, I'll go collect some Divine Blood Amber myself."

However, before he could finish, Heart said, "You might be disappointed."

His voice was hoarse, showing visible signs of injury.

Seeing everyone's attention, Heart coughed and said, "A month ago, I was ambushed while attacking a Sparkfire Cult branch. I was seriously injured and nearly didn't escape."

Everyone was shocked.

While they didn't know Heart's exact strength, he was at least a third-level wizard apprentice. To almost die at the hands of the Sparkfire Cult was surprising.

"Is the Sparkfire Cult really that powerful?" Skeleton asked, dubious.

Nightingale, Rose, and Scepter didn't speak but looked skeptical as well.

The Sparkfire Cult's displayed power hadn't been enough to threaten their lives before.

"The one who ambushed me was an old man. The other cult members called him Grand High Priest Ovij. He had several strange items, something like the artifacts mentioned in the wizard's texts. They were very troublesome."

Artifacts!

Everyone exchanged glances.

Artifacts were legendary items crafted by deities, possessing immense power.

While they doubted the Sparkfire Cult truly had such items, Heart's account suggested they had items that could seriously threaten a third-level wizard apprentice.

These items were likely rare or had strict usage conditions, explaining why they hadn't encountered them before.

But now, the Sparkfire Cult was clearly desperate and wouldn't be lenient anymore.

Observing everyone's reactions, Su Nan sighed inwardly.

Wizard apprentices were pragmatic. While magic stones were valuable, the risk of potential death far outweighed any gains.

The choice was obvious to everyone present.

It seemed that the operation against the Sparkfire Cult had reached its limit.

Unless he could offer a condition that none of them could refuse, it was impossible to persuade them to take action against the Sparkfire Cult again.

Sure enough, Nightingale said, "Unfortunately, it looks like this will be our last transaction of Divine Blood Amber tonight."

"No way," Black Forest muttered. "I didn't even get a taste, and it's already over?"

Skeleton gave him a sidelong glance and said coolly, "You can continue to take Divine Blood Amber from the Sparkfire Cult. No one will stop you."

Black Forest shrugged and fell silent.

After a brief silence, everyone began to hand over their Divine Blood Amber to Su Nan. Apart from Black Forest and Rose, the others had at least three pieces, with Nightingale, as usual, contributing the most with twelve.

In the end, Su Nan received a total of twenty-five Divine Blood Ambers.

Once the Divine Blood Amber transaction was complete, they moved on to regular trading.

"I'll go first," Black Forest said.

Nightingale, seeing no objections, gestured for Black Forest to proceed.

Su Nan watched with interest, curious about what Black Forest would bring out.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Black Forest produced a golden apple.

"Golden Apple!" Su Nan's eyes narrowed.

Black Forest gave him a surprised look. "You actually recognize this thing?"

"I found it in the inheritance of a wizard's apprentice. According to the notes left by the apprentice, eating this Golden Apple grants the effect of infinite vitality. It can instantly restore one to peak condition, both physically and mentally, for about an hour, regardless of how much energy was spent."

Infinite mental energy!

Everyone sat up straight, their interest piqued.

Any wizard's apprentice who had experienced combat knew that the amount of mental energy was a crucial factor in determining the outcome of a battle.

With sufficient mental energy, one could cast spells without worrying about the cost.

Even if it only lasted for an hour, proper use could decisively influence the battle's outcome.

For a moment, everyone was very interested.

However, they didn't notice the look of excitement on Su Nan's face beneath his mask.

To the others, the Golden Apple was just a powerful consumable that could boost their combat effectiveness. But for Su Nan, it could be a life-saving trump card.

After all, he had the Magic Core, which consumed a massive amount of mental energy.

The power of the Magic Core had been proven in his battle against the Adamantine Golem.

The only drawback was the enormous mental energy cost.

But with the Golden Apple, that drawback would no longer be an issue.

If he could use the Magic Core without any mental energy constraints for an hour, he wouldn't fear even ten Adamantine Golems.

This item was not just useful to others; in his hands, it could be a crucial lifeline in a critical moment.

Sensing the interest of the others, Black Forest said with a hint of pride, "So, does anyone want it?"

Everyone turned to look at Su Nan.

From past experience, they knew that unless Su Nan wasn't interested in something, if he wanted it, it would likely end up in his hands.

There was no helping it; he was just too generous with his offers.

Su Nan didn't hesitate and asked Black Forest, "What do you want?"

"Magic stones," Black Forest replied without hesitation. "Fifty magic stones!"

"That's too much, thirty."

"This is a good thing, forty-eight."

"Thirty-three."

After some negotiation, they finally agreed on thirty-nine magic stones.

Black Forest was very satisfied with the deal; the price for the Golden Apple was quite good.

Su Nan was equally satisfied. For thirty-nine magic stones, he had acquired a powerful trump card, which was an excellent deal.

The trading continued, with Nightingale, Scepter, and Heart each presenting items for trade.

Whenever it came to rare metals or soul crystals, Su Nan always took them, leaving the others no chance to compete.

To Su Nan's surprise, among Nightingale's rare metals was the Rainbow Iron needed to promote the gem bugs' splitting.

When he took the Rainbow Iron from Nightingale, he could feel a resentful gaze from Rose.

Clearly, Rose also wanted the Rainbow Iron to raise gem bugs, but she couldn't compete with Su Nan.

Unless Su Nan stopped attending the Dense Forest Cottage gatherings, she wouldn't have a chance to trade for rare metals like Abyssal Black Copper and Rainbow Iron from others.

At the end of the gathering, when it was Su Nan's turn, he directly asked:

"Does anyone have design plans for special puppet models, preferably flying ones?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end