Chapter 147: Combined Spellcasting and Spell Construction

Chapter 147: Combined Spellcasting and Spell Construction

In the meditation chamber.

Su Nan sat cross-legged on the ground, absorbing the divine energy he had just extracted into his body. He then closed his eyes and began to meditate.

After more than three hours, when he finished meditating and opened his eyes to check his interface, he noticed that his mental energy had increased by 0.25.

"Not bad."

Su Nan nodded in satisfaction.

"By the latest, the Blaze Moon next year, I should be able to construct the sixteenth star ring."

He got up and left the meditation chamber, heading toward the city of Flashlight.

Since being designated as the new capital, Flashlight had undergone a round of expansion, becoming even more spacious and bustling.

As he walked through the city, he saw caravans and travelers from all over, the streets teeming with activity and noise.

The expanded Flashlight was divided into the Royal City, the Inner City, and the Outer City.

The Outer City was where the commoners and farmers lived, while the Inner City was mostly inhabited by nobles and the middle class.

The Royal City, located at the center, was home to a grand palace, visible from a distance.

Upon reaching the Royal City, Su Nan headed straight for the palace.

As he entered the front courtyard, he saw two maids leading a small, cherubic boy toward him.

"Lord Su Nan!"

Seeing Su Nan, the maids quickly bowed.

The little boy, however, opened his eyes wide, curiously observing Su Nan.

Recognizing the boy's face, which strongly resembled Kui, Su Nan immediately understood.

This little one was Kui's son, his nephew, Yabei Yanest.

This was the first time Su Nan had seen the boy since his birth.

He felt a bit guilty for not being a more attentive uncle.

Su Nan walked over and gently patted the boy's head.

The little boy, not afraid of strangers, stared with bright, black eyes and asked, "Who are you?"

Su Nan smiled but didn't answer, walking straight inside.

Once he was far enough, the maids straightened up, and one of them explained softly, "Young Master Yabei, that was Lord Su Nan, your uncle."

"Uncle?" The little boy didn't quite understand the term and tilted his head in confusion.

But children are easily distracted, and he was soon drawn to the flowers outside, giggling as he ran off.

"Young Master Yabei, be careful."

Reaching the study, Kui was busy with state affairs. Seeing Su Nan, he stopped working with a smile.

"What brings you here today?"

"Met Yabei just now; the little guy is quite robust," Su Nan said casually as he sat down.

Kui smiled. "He's doing well, though not as strong as Vess."

Vess was Kui's second son, who had just turned two.

Being born after Kui's ascension to Legendary Knight, Vess had a naturally stronger physique.

"When do you plan to start their training?"

"Once they turn six."

After a bit of small talk, Su Nan got to the point and proposed separating the base's and the Starlight Principality's finances.

Kui didn't seem surprised, smiling as he said, "Actually, I've been wanting to discuss this with you."

To be honest, Kui naturally hoped that the base and the Starlight Principality could merge and grow together.

However, he was also very clear that this was impossible.

Initially, the partnership was balanced, with both sides benefiting equally. But as the base began to develop the underground world, this balance was disrupted.

Now, the Starlight Principality was in a weaker position in the partnership.

The most obvious point was that the base no longer needed to rely entirely on the Starlight Principality for funding.

Even without the principality's financial support, the profits from the Star Alliance mines were enough to sustain the base's development.

On the contrary, the Starlight Principality still heavily relied on the base's resources, such as Dragon Blood Fruit, puppets, and magical weapons.

This was the current situation, and as the base grew stronger, the power dynamics would only become more pronounced.

If they were to force a merger, the likely outcome would be the Starlight Principality becoming a vassal of the base.

After much consideration, Kui believed that separating the finances and maintaining a mutually beneficial trading relationship would be better for both sides.

Hearing Kui's thoughts, Su Nan was slightly surprised, not expecting his brother to have thought so much about it.

But this saved him the trouble of persuasion.

They quickly agreed and began discussing the specific details.

The conversation continued until dusk.

"Oh, by the way," Kui suddenly remembered something, "I heard the base has developed a new type of equipment called the Magic Pattern Construct, which is very powerful?"

Su Nan had never intended to keep the Magic Pattern Construct a secret, so it wasn't surprising that Kui knew about it. He briefly explained its effects.

Upon hearing this, Kui's eyes lit up, and he eagerly asked, "How much does it cost?"

Such powerful equipment, if mass-produced and armed to the military, could instantly form an invincible army!

Su Nan, guessing Kui's thoughts, poured cold water on them. "The lowest-grade Magic Pattern Construct costs more than eighty gold coins, and currently, only I can forge it. Mass production isn't possible, and most of them are supplied to the knight guards. If you want some, I can give you about a dozen."

Chapter 148: The Return and the Dragonkin

Kui was a bit disappointed but, considering the base's growing strength, he realized the Magic Pattern Constructs would eventually benefit the Starlight Principality's army as well.

In the year 1257 of the Starlight Calendar, during the Blaze Moon (July).

Two black rock leopards stopped at the base's entrance.

Xie Man jumped off the black rock leopard's back, looking at the familiar base gates, feeling a bit nostalgic.

Even though he had only been away for about a year, it felt like a long time.

After Old Roger's passing, the base had become a place like home to him.

"Stop daydreaming and go report to Master."

Korei led the black rock leopards into the base, not looking back as he spoke.

As soon as they passed through the gates, a few students approached, quickly noticing Xie Man and Korei. Their faces lit up with surprise.

"Senior Xie Man, Senior Korei, you're back!"

Xie Man smiled and greeted them.

Korei, who rarely showed emotion, managed a slight smile.

Though he didn't say it, being back in the familiar base improved his mood significantly.

After a brief chat with the younger students, Xie Man remembered their main purpose and asked, "Where's Master?"

"Master went back to Base 2."

Xie Man and Korei exchanged a glance, handed the black rock leopards to the younger students, and instructed them to return the animals to the warehouse. Then, they hurried to Base 2.

The Dark Lake City was as gloomy and damp as ever.

Quickly passing through the dirty and chaotic lower district, Xie Man and Korei soon entered the clean and tidy upper district.

However, they were surprised to see many more human figures in the upper district.

As they walked down the streets, they frequently encountered groups of young men and women chatting and laughing together.

These people were roughly between sixteen and eighteen years old, wearing finely crafted leather armor.

Xie Man immediately recognized that the leather armor had been enchanted, making it magical armor.

Additionally, the knight longswords hanging from their waists were mostly magical weapons.

After a moment's thought, both Xie Man and Korei understood who these people were.

"It looks like the Knight Guard has welcomed its first batch of members," Xie Man said with a smile.

"I wonder how strong they are?" Korei examined the young knights nearby with a critical eye.

The Knight Guard was initially created to support them, the wizard apprentices, during their missions outside.

Their strength was naturally a crucial factor.

"Since they passed Master's test, their strength should be fine," Xie Man replied with a smile.

The young knights, seeing the two wizard apprentices in their long robes, stopped and bowed slightly in respect.

Xie Man and Korei continued toward the towering stone pillar at the city center.

From a distance, they could hear a series of roars coming from the direction of the stone pillar.

The roars seemed to come from some fierce beasts, carrying a bone-chilling power.

Xie Man and Korei exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with uncertainty.

They quickened their pace and soon reached the source of the sounds.

In front of the base, on an open ground, dozens of large metal cages were placed, each containing a fierce and terrifying beast.

These beasts varied in shape, some resembling snakes, others like lizards, and even some made entirely of rock.

The only common feature was their large and powerful jaws, claws on their fore and hind limbs, and a thick layer of scales covering their bodies.

"Dragonkin!"

Xie Man immediately recognized the creatures, his face showing surprise.

Where did they catch so many dragonkin?

Korei was also shocked.

Dragonkin were extremely rare creatures. How could so many appear at once?

If not for the fact that the dragonkin were caged and injured, he would have thought the Dark Lake City was facing a beast tide.

Carolina was standing at the entrance, directing clay golems to move the metal cages. Noticing Xie Man and Korei, she nodded slightly and said, "Master is waiting for you in the study."

Upon hearing this, Xie Man and Korei didn't hesitate, suppressing their curiosity, and quickly entered the base.

Reaching the study door, they hadn't even knocked when they heard Su Nan's voice from inside.

"Come in."

Xie Man and Korei took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and walked in, immediately seeing Su Nan sitting behind his desk.

"Master!" They bowed in unison.

Su Nan observed them for a moment.

After a year of hard work, they had shed much of their naivety, their faces now more composed and steady, appearing more mature.

Su Nan nodded inwardly and said, "Have you taken care of the matters at the Magic Plant Garden?"

Chapter 148: The Return and the Dragonkin

"Yes, Master," Korei replied respectfully. "We've completed the establishment of the three Magic Plant Gardens, and they are all running smoothly. The personnel have already taken over the gardens."

"Great job. Go to Gleri to settle your contribution points."

Su Nan smiled in approval. Before the two could show their joy, he continued, "Take five days to rest, then go to the Knight Guard to select your team. You two will join the exploration mission to assist Carolina and the Red Widow in investigating the areas around the Star Alliance."

"Yes, Master!" Xie Man and Korei responded without hesitation.

"Alright, you may go." Su Nan waved them off.

Once they left, he got up from his desk and headed to the laboratory. The operation to capture the dragonkin had made significant progress. Carolina and the Red Widow's team had successfully found and captured a large number of dragonkin. However, when the investigation team tried to delve deeper, they were attacked by a Crystal Sword Dragon.

A Crystal Sword Dragon is an extremely powerful and rare type of dragonkin. An adult Crystal Sword Dragon possesses the strength of a 2nd Circle Legendary creature, and those that live longer can even reach the 3rd Circle Legendary level.

Faced with such a formidable adversary, the investigation team had no choice but to retreat.

Su Nan had initially planned to assign the investigation task to Xie Man and Korei upon their return, but it seemed he would have to reconsider that plan.

"It looks like I'll have to take a trip myself."

Given the potential to enhance the Hidden Dragon's bloodline and the high value of the dragonkin's blood and organs, Su Nan was quite serious about this matter and was determined to find out the source of these dragonkin.

The captured dragonkin had been transported to the containment area. Under the suppression of the containment array, the already injured dragonkin were no longer as aggressive and fierce as before. They lay listlessly on the ground, barely glancing at Su Nan as he entered.

Su Nan inspected the area, his expression growing increasingly surprised. There were a total of twenty-five dragonkin, representing eighteen different species. Among them were three high-tier, Legendary-level dragonkin.

Apart from deliberate intervention, Su Nan couldn't think of any other reason why so many different species and ranks of dragonkin would live in the same area. This only heightened his curiosity about the underlying cause.

However, his curiosity was mixed with a sense of excitement. With so many dragonkin, the Hidden Dragon's bloodline concentration would surely increase at a much faster rate.

Taking a deep breath, Su Nan cast a Ray of Enfeeblement on the nearest dragonkin and began extracting its blood.

Time flew by, and soon it was the Frostfall Moon (November). After three months of bloodline fusion, the Hidden Dragon's bloodline concentration successfully broke through the 45% mark. Its body had grown larger, and its scales had become even more vibrant.

At the same time, his training in Combined Spellcasting had finally reached 100%. Su Nan had successfully mastered his third Metamagic Technique.

After practical testing, Su Nan discovered that he could simultaneously cast up to three different types of spells. For example, he could cast Levitation, Elemental Protection, and Magic Missile at the same time, but he couldn't cast Scorching Ray, Magic Missile, and Shatter simultaneously. The latter would conflict due to their similar spell mechanics, causing the spells to fail.

Despite this, Combined Spellcasting was still a powerful technique that significantly enhanced Su Nan's combat capabilities.

"Combined Spellcasting, along with Instant Spellcasting, will allow me to easily handle opponents below the 3rd Circle Legendary level using spells alone."

A smile flickered across Su Nan's face.

"For the next Metamagic Technique, I'll choose Spell Construction."

Spell Construction allows for greater control over spells, maximizing their effectiveness. For instance, a wizard (apprentice) who masters Spell Construction can significantly increase the power of Magic Missile and change its shape to a spear or arrow, controlling its flight path to make it harder for enemies to predict. If applied to Shield, it could transform an invisible tower shield into a full-body armor, increasing the area of protection.

In short, mastering Spell Construction would make many spells more powerful and flexible, significantly enhancing combat abilities.

"Spell Construction is less challenging than Combined Spellcasting and Instant Spellcasting. I should be able to master it within two years."

Su Nan immediately initiated the training for Spell Construction and then looked out the window at the sky.

"Next, I need to head to Rian City."

If not for the training in Combined Spellcasting, he would have already set out for Rian City. Now that he had mastered it, it was time to address the issues there.

There were too many distractions, and he had to delay the extra updates. He would ensure a daily update of 8,000 words and add more if he had the time. The second update tonight would be a bit late, and he apologized to everyone for the inconvenience.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end