Chapter 139: The Bellknocker Mark and a Five-Year Ascension

Chapter 139: The Bellknocker Mark and a Five-Year Ascension

Year 1255 of the Starlight Calendar, the Month of Summer Fog.

After more than half a year of rest and recuperation, the Starlight Principality gradually recovered from the shadows of war. Koy’s control over the principality became increasingly stable, and he devoted most of his energy to rebuilding the Frosttouched Province, striving to restore it to its former glory as quickly as possible.

In the same month, the six provincial knight academies officially opened their doors, welcoming their first batch of freshmen.

Month of Burning Flame, the weather grew increasingly hot.

Base 2.

In a spacious and brightly lit laboratory, Su Nan carefully inscribed the last blood-red pattern on the back of his right hand. A flash of bloodlight, and a horn-shaped crimson mark appeared on his hand.

"Done!"

A genuine, heartfelt smile spread across Su Nan’s face.

After the battle at Kasham, he had dedicated most of his energy to researching the Bellknocker. It took him over two months, but he finally succeeded in creating a bloodline mark using the Bellknocker’s blood.

"The concentration of the Bellknocker’s ancient bloodline is still a bit low. I had to synthesize it to increase the concentration before I could create the bloodline mark."

"I’ll call it the Bellknocker Mark."

Su Nan gazed at the mark on his hand, his smile growing wider.

The Bellknocker Mark’s effect was to instantly release a powerful sound wave, which was significantly stronger than the sound wave attacks released by the Bellknocker.

Preliminary estimates suggested that it could easily take down a Second Circle Legendary creature.

Even a Third Circle Legendary would suffer severe injuries, if not death, from a single strike!

If there was any drawback, it was that the mark was a one-time use item. Once used, it was gone, and it was not easy to create.

Without harming the Bellknocker, he could extract a small amount of blood daily, and it would take about fourteen days to accumulate enough to create one Bellknocker Mark.

"Creating four or five for self-defense should be enough."

With another trump card in his arsenal, Su Nan felt exceptionally pleased. He turned and left the laboratory, heading to the containment zone.

This was the most heavily guarded area of Base 2, aside from the storage and laboratory. The former’s defenses were primarily aimed at external threats, while the containment zone’s defenses were designed to keep the threats inside.

The area was fortified with numerous arrays, including but not limited to antimagic, weakening, and heavy pressure effects, ensuring that every creature imprisoned here had its resistance reduced to the lowest possible point.

Magical golems and dual-bladed spiders guarded the area, making it virtually impenetrable.

Approaching the room where the Bellknocker was held, Su Nan peered inside.

The Bellknocker lay listlessly on the ground. Upon hearing footsteps, it looked up and, upon seeing Su Nan, let out a fearful cry and instinctively shrank back, its eyes pleading for mercy.

Its pitiful state was a far cry from the majestic presence of an ancient bloodline descendant.

Anyone subjected to daily blood extractions for over two months would end up like this.

The Bellknocker’s current state of weakness was not entirely due to the containment zone’s array suppression; it was more a result of the continuous blood loss.

Su Nan felt somewhat helpless about the situation.

Both the bloodline mark and divine energy required a significant amount of experimental materials for research. To expedite the process, he had increased the frequency and volume of blood extractions slightly.

But since it was a descendant of an ancient bloodline, it would recover over time.

Unfortunately, the Bellknocker’s ancient bloodline concentration was still too low to awaken divine energy.

Ugo’s desire for the Starfire Church’s divine remains was to extract the divine energy and fuse it with the Bellknocker, allowing it to awaken divine energy and break through to a higher realm.

Fortunately, Su Nan didn’t need to go through such trouble.

He had other means to enhance the Bellknocker’s bloodline concentration.

The Hidden Dragon was a perfect example.

"Too bad your power level is so high. Otherwise, if I contracted you as a magical pet, your bloodline concentration would have increased significantly."

Su Nan felt a bit regretful.

The higher the power level of a creature, the harder it was to contract it as a magical pet.

Unless the wizard (apprentice) had significantly more power than the contracted target.

For a Third Circle Legendary creature like the Bellknocker, at least a fully-fledged wizard would be needed to attempt such a contract, and even then, success was not guaranteed.

Therefore, many wizards (apprentices) preferred to raise their magical pets from a young age.

Not because they disliked contracting powerful creatures, but because it was simply not feasible.

However, while contracting the Bellknocker as a magical pet was out of the question, taming it was not a difficult task.

By implanting a small device within it, this intelligent creature, whose intellect rivaled that of a human, would naturally choose to submit to ensure its survival.

In fact, the Bellknocker already showed signs of submission.

It wouldn't be long before Su Nan could tame the Bellknocker.

"Raising the bloodline concentration to the point where it can awaken divine energy will take quite some time."

"Let's take it one step at a time."

After extracting over ten vials of blood from the Bellknocker, Su Nan left the containment zone, heading for the meditation chamber.

Three days ago, he had already constructed the fourteenth star ring.

To upgrade to the 15th level star ring meditation technique, he needed to accumulate two million proficiency points.

"Currently, I gain around 4,600 proficiency points per day. At this rate, it will take about fifteen months to construct the fifteenth star ring."

"The training for spontaneous spell casting is almost 70% complete. By next year's Renewal Month at the latest, I should have it mastered."

"I still need twenty-eight more types of metals to replace the magic core."

"I now have over eight kilograms of mithril, which is about half of what I need to forge a mithril automaton."

"I still need about two-thirds of the refined magical gold to forge a golden automaton. Most apprentices are busy crafting automatons right now. Once the demand for automatons saturates, I’ll adjust the task ratios and increase the rewards for crafting refined magical gold. That should speed things up."

"I also need to start collecting micro-soul crystals to synthesize small soul crystals, which will be used as the soul cores for the golden automatons."

Su Nan mentally reviewed the tasks he needed to complete in the near future.

"The next step is to establish a new magic plant garden."

The six new knight academies required a large quantity of dragon blood fruits, and a new magic plant garden was necessary to meet the demand.

However, Su Nan had been busy researching bloodline marks and divine energy and hadn't had the time to address this.

Now that his research had reached a temporary conclusion, he needed to get started on this task.

"The available manpower is still too limited."

Su Nan couldn't help but sigh.

If he had even one or two more capable hands, his workload would be much lighter, and he wouldn't have to handle everything himself.

While reviewing the intelligence on wizards collected by the Starlight Royal Family, he had considered recruiting a few second-circle wizard apprentices.

He believed that those who had experienced the pain of resource scarcity would not refuse a resource-rich trading platform.

As long as the base could ensure a steady supply of resources and fair trading, the loyalty of the wizard apprentices would not be a concern.

However, before Su Nan could act, he received some good news from the base.

In the year 1255 of the Starlight Calendar, during the Harvest Month (September), Sheman and Corey both constructed their third star ring, advancing to the rank of second-circle wizard apprentices.

Base 1

Public Rest Area

Sheman and Corey were surrounded by a crowd of apprentices, who showered them with congratulations.

"Congratulations, seniors."

"I knew Sheman and Corey would definitely advance to second-circle wizard apprentices!"

"Advancing to second-circle in just over five years, Sheman and Corey are truly geniuses."

"I’m so envious. I’ve only constructed my second star ring so far."

"Seniors, can you share your insights on advancing?"

Attila smiled warmly at Sheman and Corey, feeling both happy for them and a bit complex.

Her talent was not as great as Sheman and Corey's, and she was still a considerable distance from constructing her third star ring, likely needing at least another two or three years.

Even Ethan from the second batch was forging star rings faster than her and might advance to second-circle before her.

"Thank you all for your congratulations. We need to see our teacher, but we’ll chat about our insights another day," Sheman said with a smile.

Hearing that their teacher had summoned them, the crowd quickly made way.

Sheman and Corey walked through the crowd and headed toward the central area, which was Su Nan’s exclusive zone. His laboratory, meditation chamber, and spell training area were all located there, and no one could enter without his permission.

Two elite stone golems stood guard at the entrance.

As they approached, the golems turned their massive heads, their dark eyes pausing on the two apprentices before emitting a mechanical, monotonous voice.

"Target identified. Entry permitted."

With that, their heads returned to their original positions with a series of clicks.

Corey gave the elite stone golems a heated glance.

These were legendary-level puppets, far more powerful than clay golems and stone golems.

If he could one day forge such a puppet, that would be truly impressive.

Year 1255 of the Starlight Calendar, the Month of Summer Fog.

After more than half a year of rest and recuperation, the Starlight Principality gradually recovered from the shadows of war. Koy’s control over the principality became increasingly stable, and he devoted most of his energy to rebuilding the Frosttouched Province, striving to restore it to its former glory as quickly as possible.

In the same month, the six provincial knight academies officially opened their doors, welcoming their first batch of freshmen.

Month of Burning Flame, the weather grew increasingly hot.

Base 2.

In a spacious and brightly lit laboratory, Su Nan carefully inscribed the last blood-red pattern on the back of his right hand. A flash of bloodlight, and a horn-shaped crimson mark appeared on his hand.

"Done!"

A genuine, heartfelt smile spread across Su Nan’s face.

After the battle at Kasham, he had dedicated most of his energy to researching the Bellknocker. It took him over two months, but he finally succeeded in creating a bloodline mark using the Bellknocker’s blood.

"The concentration of the Bellknocker’s ancient bloodline is still a bit low. I had to synthesize it to increase the concentration before I could create the bloodline mark."

"I’ll call it the Bellknocker Mark."

Su Nan gazed at the mark on his hand, his smile growing wider.

The Bellknocker Mark’s effect was to instantly release a powerful sound wave, which was significantly stronger than the sound wave attacks released by the Bellknocker.

Preliminary estimates suggested that it could easily take down a Second Circle Legendary creature.

Even a Third Circle Legendary would suffer severe injuries, if not death, from a single strike!

If there was any drawback, it was that the mark was a one-time use item. Once used, it was gone, and it was not easy to create.

Without harming the Bellknocker, he could extract a small amount of blood daily, and it would take about fourteen days to accumulate enough to create one Bellknocker Mark.

"Creating four or five for self-defense should be enough."

With another trump card in his arsenal, Su Nan felt exceptionally pleased. He turned and left the laboratory, heading to the containment zone.

This was the most heavily guarded area of Base 2, aside from the storage and laboratory. The former’s defenses were primarily aimed at external threats, while the containment zone’s defenses were designed to keep the threats inside.

The area was fortified with numerous arrays, including but not limited to antimagic, weakening, and heavy pressure effects, ensuring that every creature imprisoned here had its resistance reduced to the lowest possible point.

Magical golems and dual-bladed spiders guarded the area, making it virtually impenetrable.

Approaching the room where the Bellknocker was held, Su Nan peered inside.

The Bellknocker lay listlessly on the ground. Upon hearing footsteps, it looked up and, upon seeing Su Nan, let out a fearful cry and instinctively shrank back, its eyes pleading for mercy.

Its pitiful state was a far cry from the majestic presence of an ancient bloodline descendant.

Anyone subjected to daily blood extractions for over two months would end up like this.

The Bellknocker’s current state of weakness was not entirely due to the containment zone’s array suppression; it was more a result of the continuous blood loss.

Su Nan felt somewhat helpless about the situation.

Both the bloodline mark and divine energy required a significant amount of experimental materials for research. To expedite the process, he had increased the frequency and volume of blood extractions slightly.

But since it was a descendant of an ancient bloodline, it would recover over time.

Unfortunately, the Bellknocker’s ancient bloodline concentration was still too low to awaken divine energy.

Ugo’s desire for the Starfire Church’s divine remains was to extract the divine energy and fuse it with the Bellknocker, allowing it to awaken divine energy and break through to a higher realm.

Fortunately, Su Nan didn’t need to go through such trouble.

He had other means to enhance the Bellknocker’s bloodline concentration.

The Hidden Dragon was a perfect example.

"Too bad your power level is so high. Otherwise, if I contracted you as a magical pet, your bloodline concentration would have increased significantly."

Su Nan felt a bit regretful.

The higher the power level of a creature, the harder it was to contract it as a magical pet.

Unless the wizard (apprentice) had significantly more power than the contracted target.

For a Third Circle Legendary creature like the Bellknocker, at least a fully-fledged wizard would be needed to attempt such a contract, and even then, success was not guaranteed.

Therefore, many wizards (apprentices) preferred to raise their magical pets from a young age.

Not because they disliked contracting powerful creatures, but because it was simply not feasible.

However, while contracting the Bellknocker as a magical pet was out of the question, taming it was not a difficult task.

By implanting a small device within it, this intelligent creature, whose intellect rivaled that of a human, would naturally choose to submit to ensure its survival.

In fact, the Bellknocker already showed signs of submission.

---

It wouldn’t be long before Su Nan could tame the Bellknocker.

"Raising the bloodline concentration to the point where it can awaken divine energy will take quite some time."

"Let's take it one step at a time."

After extracting over ten vials of blood from the Bellknocker, Su Nan left the containment zone, heading for the meditation chamber.

Three days ago, he had already constructed the fourteenth star ring.

To upgrade to the 15th level star ring meditation technique, he needed to accumulate two million proficiency points.

"Currently, I gain around 4,600 proficiency points per day. At this rate, it will take about fifteen months to construct the fifteenth star ring."

"The training for spontaneous spell casting is almost 70% complete. By next year’s Renewal Month at the latest, I should have it mastered."

"I still need twenty-eight more types of metals to replace the magic core."

"I now have over eight kilograms of mithril, which is about half of what I need to forge a mithril automaton."

"I still need about two-thirds of the refined magical gold to forge a golden automaton. Most apprentices are busy crafting automatons right now. Once the demand for automatons saturates, I’ll adjust the task ratios and increase the rewards for crafting refined magical gold. That should speed things up."

"I also need to start collecting micro-soul crystals to synthesize small soul crystals, which will be used as the soul cores for the golden automatons."

Su Nan mentally reviewed the tasks he needed to complete in the near future.

"The next step is to establish a new magic plant garden."

The six new knight academies required a large quantity of dragon blood fruits, and a new magic plant garden was necessary to meet the demand.

However, Su Nan had been busy researching bloodline marks and divine energy and hadn’t had the time to address this.

Now that his research had reached a temporary conclusion, he needed to get started on this task.

"The available manpower is still too limited."

Su Nan couldn’t help but sigh.

If he had even one or two more capable hands, his workload would be much lighter, and he wouldn’t have to handle everything himself.

While reviewing the intelligence on wizards collected by the Starlight Royal Family, he had considered recruiting a few second-circle wizard apprentices.

He believed that those who had experienced the pain of resource scarcity would not refuse a resource-rich trading platform.

As long as the base could ensure a steady supply of resources and fair trading, the loyalty of the wizard apprentices would not be a concern.

However, before Su Nan could act, he received some good news from the base.

In the year 1255 of the Starlight Calendar, during the Harvest Month (September), Sheman and Corey both constructed their third star ring, advancing to the rank of second-circle wizard apprentices.

Base 1

Public Rest Area

Sheman and Corey were surrounded by a crowd of apprentices, who showered them with congratulations.

"Congratulations, seniors."

"I knew Sheman and Corey would definitely advance to second-circle wizard apprentices!"

"Advancing to second-circle in just over five years, Sheman and Corey are truly geniuses."

"I’m so envious. I’ve only constructed my second star ring so far."

"Seniors, can you share your insights on advancing?"

Attila smiled warmly at Sheman and Corey, feeling both happy for them and a bit complex.

Her talent was not as great as Sheman and Corey’s, and she was still a considerable distance from constructing her third star ring, likely needing at least another two or three years.

Even Ethan from the second batch was forging star rings faster than her and might advance to second-circle before her.

"Thank you all for your congratulations. We need to see our teacher, but we’ll chat about our insights another day," Sheman said with a smile.

Hearing that their teacher had summoned them, the crowd quickly made way.

Sheman and Corey walked through the crowd and headed toward the central area, which was Su Nan’s exclusive zone. His laboratory, meditation chamber, and spell training area were all located there, and no one could enter without his permission.

Two elite stone golems stood guard at the entrance.

As they approached, the golems turned their massive heads, their dark eyes pausing on the two apprentices before emitting a mechanical, monotonous voice.

"Target identified. Entry permitted."

With that, their heads returned to their original positions with a series of clicks.

Corey gave the elite stone golems a heated glance.

These were legendary-level puppets, far more powerful than clay golems and stone golems.

If he could one day forge such a puppet, that would be truly impressive.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end