Chapter 199: The Key is Still Su Nan

Chapter 199: The Key is Still Su Nan

With the fall of Spider City, the southeastern region of the underground world was completely under the control of the Star Alliance.

The war in the southeastern region had come to an end, and the focus now shifted to development and exploitation.

In the entire southeastern region, the Star Alliance faced almost no external threats. Therefore, aside from leaving a small number of troops for defense, the majority of the military forces were gradually transferred to the northwestern front.

In the Dragon Skeleton Tower, in the study, Su Nan was reviewing the latest battle reports.

The war in the northwestern region was progressing smoothly. After a series of devastating defeats, the Fallen Star Alliance had essentially disintegrated, existing only in name, with each faction fighting for its own survival.

The next step was to clear out each of these factions one by one.

At most, it would take four to five years to completely conquer the northwestern region.

By then, the entire underground world would be within the Star Alliance's grasp! The thought of this brought a smile to Su Nan's lips.

In his plan, the underground world was a crucial element, perhaps even more important than the surface world.

The underground world was rich in resources, especially various mineral metals, which were essential for building a Wizard Tower.

A Wizard Tower, in essence, was a massive fortress capable of housing and training thousands of people. The amount of basic construction materials required was enormous.

Materials like stone and metal were measured in tens of thousands of tons.

Without sufficient financial backing, even the 'shell' of a Wizard Tower couldn't be constructed, let alone the various large-scale facilities that followed.

During the Wizard Era, any wizard capable of building a Wizard Tower usually controlled at least one private base or a colonized plane.

Su Nan's intention was to transform the underground world into his private base, providing various resources and materials for his future development.

As for the surface world, it currently served as a market for the Star Alliance's goods and a source of fresh talent for the Starlight Academy.

It's worth noting that the war on the surface was also progressing smoothly.

The Starlight Empire's unification war was in its final stages, with only a few countries still holding out, but their defeat was only a matter of time.

According to the battle reports, the Starlight Empire would end the war in the southeastern region within two years at most.

After a period of rest and recuperation, they would likely launch a campaign to conquer the northwestern region.

Closing the battle report and setting it aside, Su Nan looked up at the secret doll maidens standing on either side of his desk.

The battle against the half-spider god-touched had proven the combat capabilities of the secret dolls.

Despite being at a disadvantage throughout the fight, the opponent was a powerful god-touched capable of facing a wizard in direct combat. Honestly, the secret doll maidens had performed admirably.

After all, even he had to use an engraved gemstone and Black Thunder to defeat the half-spider god-touched.

However, this battle also exposed a weakness in the secret dolls—insufficient defense.

Their diamond-constructed bodies were virtually indestructible against opponents below the wizard level.

But when facing higher-tier beings, they fell short.

Otherwise, the secret doll wouldn't have lost an arm to the half-spider god-touched.

He needed to find a way to strengthen the secret doll's defenses. Otherwise, the next time they encountered a similar opponent, the lack of defense would still be a fatal flaw.

"Creating magic diamonds with higher hardness to replace the current body materials is inefficient and would significantly increase costs."

"Increasing defensive enchantment runes? No, the current enchantment runes are already at their limit. Unless we find materials superior to mithril, we can't add more enchantment runes."

Several ideas flashed through Su Nan's mind, but he quickly dismissed them.

The necessary condition to realize these ideas was an upgrade in materials.

With the synthesis cube, achieving this wasn't difficult, but the cost would skyrocket.

In the end, the cost might reach a million gold coins, which Su Nan couldn't accept.

Even with control over half the underground world, he couldn't afford such extravagance.

He needed to save resources to build the Wizard Tower and couldn't waste too much on this.

Of course, the main issue was the low cost-to-benefit ratio.

After much contemplation, a sudden idea struck Su Nan.

If he couldn't improve the body structure, he could think of external solutions.

For example, magical items.

The secret dolls lacked spiritual energy and couldn't activate magical items, but he could embed magical items into their bodies and modify the activation method so that they could be triggered by energy particles.

To put it simply, it would be like external equipment for a robot.

In fact, both secret doll maidens already had the Ring of Ultimate Protection embedded in their bodies.

If not for the fact that artifacts were too high-level to be embedded, Su Nan would have installed a Forbidden Zone, which would have significantly boosted their defenses.

However, the Forbidden Zone is out of the question, but the Magic Pattern Core can be attempted.

The Magic Pattern Core is a powerful magical item with both offensive and defensive capabilities. If the puppet can integrate the Magic Pattern Core, it would not only significantly enhance its defensive power but also diversify its offensive methods.

Originally, the biggest difference between puppets and wizards in terms of combat power was the lack of innate abilities. The Magic Pattern Core can undoubtedly make up for this, narrowing the gap between puppets and wizards.

The more Su Nan thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

The only issue was that the Magic Pattern Core heavily relies on the consumption of mental energy. Its energy source would need to be altered for the puppet to use it.

Achieving this would not be easy.

However, if successful, the puppet's combat strength could likely be enhanced to a level comparable to that of a half-spider deity.

Without hesitation, Su Nan added the Magic Pattern Core improvement plan to his future arrangements.

This was bound to be a lengthy research project.

Afterward, Su Nan looked at the jet-black branch in his hand.

This branch was called the Black Key, which, as the name suggests, was the key to opening the Black Forest.

Through his research, Su Nan had already grasped the basic usage of the Black Key.

He also discovered that the Black Key was continuously absorbing energy particles from the surrounding air at a slow pace.

It was estimated to take about three years to fully charge.

Based on this, Su Nan speculated that the Black Forest, like the Tower of the Many Stars, might only open at specific intervals.

The next opening of the Black Forest was likely to be in three years.

"I hope it gives me some surprises," Su Nan muttered, his eyes flickering.

After the incident at the Tower of the Many Stars, he no longer harbored any romantic notions about the so-called wizard legacies.

The Black Forest was likely a facility used by a wizard faction to forcibly recruit people, laying the groundwork for their eventual return and building their influence.

To obtain the resources inside, another major battle would likely ensue.

Despite having advanced to the rank of a wizard and being much stronger than he was at the Tower of the Many Stars, Su Nan would not underestimate the Black Forest.

After all, it was a wizard legacy, and anything involving wizards was not to be taken lightly. No one knew what dangers lay within.

More importantly, the Black Forest might be connected to the Spider Goddess.

The Filier family had held the clue to the Black Forest for so many years, and Su Nan found it hard to believe that the Spider Goddess would be completely indifferent.

She might have already extended her influence into the Black Forest.

Even more so, the Spider Goddess's ability to interfere with the Starlight Continent might be linked to the Black Forest.

Although it was just a guess, Su Nan would not ignore any potential risks.

"I need to be fully prepared before entering the Black Forest," Su Nan thought deeply.

In just three years, without a large amount of divine energy to absorb, his mental refinement would not improve significantly. He would have to seek external solutions.

"Once the research on the Magic Pattern Core is complete, I should refine more puppets."

"I should also prepare more gemstones for engraving. With my current mental refinement, I should be able to try increasing the synthesis quantity to twenty."

"I also need to manufacture more Black Thunder weapons."

The power of Black Thunder, as demonstrated in the battle against the half-spider deity, had left Su Nan very satisfied.

At this stage, Black Thunder was arguably his most powerful offensive tool.

Even liquid metal, in terms of instantaneous damage, could not match Black Thunder.

Such a powerful trump card was naturally better in greater numbers.

However, Su Nan currently had only two Black Thunder weapons.

To manufacture more, he would need a large amount of Thunderstones.

"It seems I need to make a trip to the Lightning Elemental Plane soon."

Among the many elemental planes, the Fire Elemental Plane and the Lightning Elemental Plane were the most dangerous and the least hospitable to life.

For example, the Fire Elemental Plane was filled with fiery seas, where the terrifying heat could instantly turn a knight to ashes upon entry.

The Lightning Elemental Plane, on the other hand, was filled with countless layers of storm clouds, with a dense barrage of lightning striking from the sky every second. One could easily be struck by lightning while walking.

Without sufficient protective measures, one would likely be reduced to ashes by lightning before getting far in the Lightning Elemental Plane.

Additionally, the elemental spirits of the Fire and Lightning Elemental Planes were extremely troublesome.

If it were just after his ascension, Su Nan would never have set foot in the Lightning Elemental Plane.

However, now with the Forbidden Zone, Black Thunder, and other trump cards, his mental refinement exceeding 40%, he had the strength to attempt exploring the Lightning Elemental Plane.

As long as we don't venture into the core territories, being cautious should keep us safe.

Aurora Kingdom, Capital: Aurora City.

Trevor Jangi entered the council chamber to find the spacious hall already filled with people. Besides the royal family, the kingdom's most prominent nobles had gathered here as well.

"It seems the pressure from the Starlight Empire is immense."

Trevor's eyes flickered. Among these people were many who were usually bitter enemies, always ready to draw their swords at the slightest provocation. Now, they sat calmly, a clear sign of the immense pressure the Starlight Empire was exerting, forcing them to temporarily set aside their enmity and unite against a common threat.

Trevor understood the situation. The Aurora Kingdom was situated on the northwestern edge of the domain, bordering the southeastern territories. It was the closest nation to the rising and powerful Starlight Empire. In the event of war, the Aurora Kingdom would be the first to face the brunt of the attack, and it wasn't an exaggeration to say that the kingdom was at a critical juncture.

"Trevor, thank you for coming personally."

Upon seeing Trevor, King Aurora, seated at the head of the table, rose to greet him. The nobles, who had been bickering loudly, fell silent and stood to welcome him.

As the only third-level wizard apprentice in the Aurora Kingdom, Trevor Jangi held a position of great respect, even the king treated him with the utmost deference.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Trevor took his seat next to the king. As soon as he was seated, King Aurora wasted no time in speaking.

"Trevor, I'm sure you've heard about the situation in the southeastern domain. What are your thoughts?"

Trevor carefully chose his words before responding, "Your Majesty, every action the Starlight Empire has taken so far proves that they have grand ambitions. They won't be content with just the southeastern domain. Once they consolidate their new territories, they will undoubtedly set their sights on the northwestern domain."

"Indeed, that's what I feared." King Aurora sighed, his face clouded with worry.

In truth, anyone with clear eyes could see the Starlight Empire's intentions. If any nation were in the Starlight Empire's position, possessing the power to conquer the Starlight Continent, they would make the same choices.

"Trevor, what do you think we should do?" King Aurora asked, his voice tinged with anxiety.

The royal family and nobles in the room also looked to Trevor with hopeful eyes. They had been arguing for hours but could not come up with a viable solution. Now, they could only hope that this wise and resourceful man would provide them with a clear path forward.

Under the expectant gazes of the assembly, Trevor fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly, "Your Majesty, I believe surrendering to the Starlight Empire is not a bad option."

His words caused a ripple of shock among the attendees.

Trevor remained unperturbed and continued, "The Thornflower Duchy in the southeastern domain surrendered to the Starlight Empire, and its royal family members were not purged. Instead, they were granted the status of a ducal family, and most of the lower nobility retained their lands. I think our kingdom can follow a similar path."

The hall fell into an eerie silence.

King Aurora and the royal family members wore expressions of uncertainty. While the status of a ducal family was respectable, it paled in comparison to ruling a kingdom. Surrendering would inevitably lead to a significant loss of power and status, which they found hard to accept.

The other nobles also looked hesitant. While most of the Thornflower Duchy's nobles retained their lands, no one could guarantee they would be among that majority. Moreover, there was no assurance that the Aurora Kingdom would receive the same treatment as the Thornflower Duchy unless the Emperor of the Starlight Empire personally guaranteed it.

After a long pause, King Aurora broke the silence, his voice strained, "Is there any other option?"

Trevor sighed inwardly, knowing that the king was still reluctant to give up his power and status. He had anticipated this and was ready with a second plan.

"The Starlight Empire has a formidable military, but if the northwestern nations unite, we might have a fighting chance."

"The key is Su Nan!"

The name "Su Nan" seemed to carry a certain magic, causing the expressions of those in the hall to change instantly. By now, Su Nan's reputation had spread across the entire continent, especially among wizard apprentices, royal families, and the upper nobility.

Everyone knew that the Starlight Empire had produced a full-fledged wizard. Upon ascending to that rank, Su Nan had swiftly and decisively eliminated over a dozen third-level wizard apprentices from the Council of Truth, showcasing the overwhelming power of a true wizard to the entire continent!

When this news reached the northwestern domain, it caused a significant stir!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end