Chapter 214: Building a Foundation

Chapter 214: Building a Foundation

"Meow, Su Nan!"

Ami's perception was as sharp as ever, immediately sensing Su Nan's arrival.

The little cat vanished from her spot and reappeared on Su Nan's shoulder in an instant.

"Meow, did you go to the Wizard Tower again?" Ami licked her paw and asked.

Su Nan smiled. "I just activated the elemental pool today. The energy there is more abundant than in the Dragon Skeleton Tower. You and Hidden Dragon can rest there in the future."

Hidden Dragon, hearing this, immediately let out an excited call.

Since evolving into a dragon, it had become extremely sensitive to the concentration of energy particles, especially intolerant of staying outside. It rarely left the Dragon Forest now.

When Su Nan wasn't using the control center, it would often run to the nearby elemental pool to enjoy the high concentration of energy particles.

Now, hearing about a place with even higher energy particle concentration, it was naturally thrilled.

Ami, on the other hand, didn't have high requirements for energy particle concentration. After all, its power level was far from reaching the energy particle concentration limit of the Starlight Continent.

Still, Ami was very happy.

"Yay, we can finally move into the Wizard Tower, meow!"

Before it went into hibernation, Ami had always lived in the Wizard Tower and missed the living environment there.

While the Dragon Forest was also a good environment, it couldn't compare to the Wizard Tower.

Su Nan also became interested and asked Ami about its former master's Wizard Tower.

"Your master's Wizard Tower?"

"I remember it was a large one, meow. It was very big and spacious!"

True to its heritage as a descendant of a True Spirit, Ami's master had a large Wizard Tower.

Suddenly, Su Nan remembered something and asked, "What level of wizard was your master?"

"Meow, my master was a third-level wizard."

"But before I went to sleep, my master seemed to be pushing for a promotion to a True Spirit Wizard, meow."

A True Spirit Wizard! Su Nan inwardly marveled.

Due to their genetic inheritance, True Spirit descendants had a much higher chance of advancing to True Spirit Wizard compared to ordinary wizards. Combined with their deep backgrounds, abundant resources, and guidance from family elders, about two or three out of ten could advance to True Spirit Wizard.

This might not seem like a high number, but it was actually quite remarkable.

For ordinary wizards, out of a thousand, it was unlikely that even one could advance to True Spirit Wizard.

After over a thousand years, Ami's master might have already become a True Spirit Wizard.

"I want to go see the Wizard Tower!"

Ami, with a childlike nature, didn't chat for long before dragging Hidden Dragon toward the Wizard Tower.

Su Nan chuckled, shook his head, and then teleported to the laboratory.

With the assistance of Tower Spirit 1, the research on the talent crystal model should proceed much more smoothly. He could try referencing more literature to increase his inspiration.

As for the type of the second talent crystal model, Su Nan had already made a decision.

The first talent model, 'Liquid Metal,' was a versatile type, suitable for both offense and defense.

Therefore, the second and third talent models should ideally be one for extreme defense and one for extreme offense.

Su Nan had many attack options already, so the second talent crystal model would prioritize defense.

After much consideration, he chose the magical artifact, [Forbidden Zone], as the original model.

The intangible force field of [Forbidden Zone] not only provided all-around, unbreakable defense but also exerted gravitational pressure on approaching enemies—reducing the enemy's strength was another form of defense, after all.

Due to material limitations, [Forbidden Zone] could only achieve this level of power.

However, if it were improved and converted into a talent crystal model, its power could be further expanded and enhanced.

Su Nan was very much looking forward to the final product.

Time flowed like sand through the fingers, quietly slipping away.

In the year 1291 of the Starlight Calendar, during the month of Blossoming Flowers (May).

It had been ten years since the Starlight Empire unified the continent.

The wounds of war had long been healed, and people had returned to their peaceful and tranquil lives.

Under the emperor's ambitious reforms, the entire empire was thriving and developing rapidly.

The common people, who lived at the bottom of society, felt the change most acutely. A more prosperous life made them genuinely support the empire's rule.

To those with a keen eye, the most noticeable change was the increased number of knights they saw in their daily lives.

In the past, knights, even if not nobles themselves, were often followers of nobles and held a much higher status than ordinary people.

Now, there were many more knights from humble backgrounds.

This change was even more apparent in the military.

In the past, a talented apprentice knight could serve as an officer. Now, even the lowest-ranking officers must be knights.

Knights were becoming increasingly common.

If the observations of the keen-eyed were just vague speculations, the detailed data in the report in front of Su Nan was concrete evidence.

Over the past four years, more than twenty thousand knight cadets have graduated from knight academies across the empire. The number of apprentice-level cadets is even more staggering, reaching into the hundreds of thousands. If we include the seven knight academies under the Star Alliance and the over a dozen royal knight academies of the empire, the total number of knight cadets approaches forty thousand. Remarkably, the seven knight academies under the Star Alliance alone have graduated over ten thousand knight cadets in the past four years.

In the past, this would have been unimaginable. But now, it is quite common. In fact, if the Star Alliance didn't allocate most of its Dragon Blood Fruits and Dragon Blood Elixirs to the Magic Rune Knights, the seven knight academies, and the royal knight academies, the number of knights trained each year could have doubled.

Shifting his gaze, Su Nan turned to another report. The report, written by Rose, detailed a new type of magical plant she had recently developed. This plant, which enhances physical constitution, is much weaker than the Dragon Blood Fruit, with an effect only about one-fifth as strong. To be honest, it barely qualifies as a magical plant. However, its weak effect is offset by its low requirements for growing conditions. It can thrive in the current environment of the Starlight Continent without the need for energy-gathering arrays.

To Su Nan, this was the most valuable aspect. It meant that this fruit could be grown outside of magical plant gardens and even by ordinary people. If this fruit could be widely promoted and cultivated throughout the empire, it could help alleviate the shortage of Dragon Blood Fruits and Dragon Blood Elixirs.

Without hesitation, Su Nan wrote his approval on the report, recommending that it be handed over to the emperor for widespread cultivation. He then awarded Rose a significant amount of contribution points as a reward. It's worth noting that Rose named this fruit the Star Fruit.

The significance of the Star Fruit is clear. With it, the Starlight Empire can train more knights. Su Nan never believed that focusing solely on his own strength or the development of the Star Alliance was enough. While such an approach might yield short-term benefits, it is shortsighted in the long run. The Starlight Continent is his foundation. Strengthening and developing this foundation also increases his own power. With a solid base, he can achieve greater things in the future.

That's why he has been supporting Koi's reforms wholeheartedly. Promoting basic education, establishing knight academies, and implementing more reform policies are all ways to subtly enhance the strength of the Starlight Continent. The stronger the Starlight Continent becomes, the more benefits he, as its de facto ruler, can reap.

"Unfortunately, there are no mana stone veins on the continent. Otherwise, we could develop mana technology and improve our basic technological level."

Mana technology refers to the application of technology powered by mana stones, including mana lamps, mana carriages, mana ships, and mana weapons, among other machines used in both civilian and military fields. To develop mana technology, two prerequisites are needed: abundant mana stone veins and a thriving wizard civilization (with a sufficient number of wizard apprentices and full wizards). Currently, the Starlight Continent lacks both.

The latter can be gradually achieved over time, but the former can only be realized if the elements awaken and the continent undergoes a long period of recovery and accumulation. As for synthesizing mana stones with the cube, Su Nan has never considered it. Once mana technology is widely adopted, the demand for mana stones on the Starlight Continent would be astronomical, far beyond what he could provide alone.

After approving the documents, Su Nan stretched and left the study. He was currently in the still-under-construction wizard tower. Since the creation of the elemental pool, he has been using the wizard tower for his training, studies, and administrative duties. The concentration of energy particles here is more comfortable than in the Dragon Bone Tower.

The spatial planning of the wizard tower is still being refined, with only about a third of the work completed. Notably, during this period, Su Nan attempted to build another elemental pool and merged it with the original one. The merged pool's effects increased by about 1.2 times, much to his delight.

"Based on this, four to five small elemental pools should be enough to create a medium-sized one with similar effects."

As he pondered, Su Nan arrived at the experimental area. The vast experimental zone contains over two hundred laboratories, each equipped with arrays to prevent energy explosions from destroying the lab and affecting other areas.

Just this task alone would take no less than seven to eight months to complete.

And this was just one part of the spatial planning.

"Long road ahead."

By the time Su Nan finished his work, it was already evening.

Looking out at the sky, he suddenly felt hungry.

Since becoming a wizard, Su Nan had largely eliminated the need to eat.

Even if he went without food for centuries, he wouldn't feel hungry.

Simply by absorbing the energy particles from the air, he could maintain the necessary life functions.

However, although he didn't need to eat, Su Nan occasionally indulged in a meal.

It was one of his few remaining pleasures.

Of course, the food that could pique his interest was the kind served at the Starlight Academy and the Dragon Skeleton Tower's cafeteria—daily specials made from rare ingredients, containing special effects.

For this reason, Carolina had specially prepared a private dining room for him at the Dragon Skeleton Tower's cafeteria.

As usual, shortly after Su Nan entered the private room and sat down, Carolina glided in, her tail swaying, followed by a team of water sprites carrying trays.

As the water sprites placed the trays and lifted the lids, a rich and mouth-watering aroma immediately filled the room.

Su Nan's gaze fell on one of the trays, and his expression shifted slightly.

"Is this... an Emperor Shrimp?"

"Yes, Master," Carolina smiled.

She knew that the origin of the dish wouldn't be a mystery to her well-versed Master.

The Emperor Shrimp was a fierce marine creature, capable of growing up to five meters in length. Its claws were strong and sharp, its diet varied, and it had few natural predators. Its lower limbs were powerful, making it a formidable fighter.

In the ocean, even a novice knight wouldn't dare face an Emperor Shrimp head-on.

As far as Su Nan knew, Emperor Shrimps were deep-sea creatures, found only in the Rainbow Sea.

He scanned the other dishes.

Sure enough, the Seven-Colored Fan Shrimp, Rainbow Clam, Coral Fish, and Dragon Whale Meat were all specialties of the Rainbow Sea.

The Rainbow Sea was incredibly rich in resources, boasting the world's largest coral reefs and a vast array of delectable seafood.

Today, Carolina had arranged a grand seafood feast from the Rainbow Sea for him.

Su Nan smiled, waved the water sprites away, and gestured for Carolina to sit down.

"Let's eat and talk."

Carolina was momentarily taken aback, then overjoyed, barely containing her excitement as she took her seat to Su Nan's left.

Su Nan tasted a few bites of the Emperor Shrimp, nodded in satisfaction, and then got to the main topic.

"How is the exploration of the Rainbow Sea going?"

Carolina respectfully replied, "We have already built five city-states in Rainbow Bay. We're also reclaiming land from the sea to build three islands as bases for deep-sea exploration and transit points for the city-states. However, due to the interference of deep-sea Naga, Sirens, and sea monsters, progress has been slow."

As she spoke, Carolina cautiously glanced at Su Nan, relieved to see him calmly enjoying his meal, showing no signs of displeasure. She continued:

"I've already dispatched more troops to Rainbow Bay and issued a task to the Starlight Academy to commission magic ships capable of sailing on the sea and special puppets that can operate underwater. Sir Sheman and Sir Cole are also preparing to lead expeditions to the Rainbow Sea. With their assistance, I believe the exploration will soon make significant progress."

The deep sea was the domain of marine races and sea monsters. No matter how sturdy or grand the ships, they were no match for these creatures on the open sea.

Thus, humans had always been confined to the land, and no nation had ever attempted to claim the Rainbow Sea.

Even the powerful Star Alliance had faced numerous challenges and resistance in exploring the Rainbow Sea, and until now, they could only linger in its outer regions.

However, Carolina believed that if the Star Alliance increased its resource investment, the current predicament of the Rainbow Sea could be resolved.

She had prepared this feast today, partly to request more support from her Master.

She was confident that he would understand her intentions.

Sure enough, after hearing her, Su Nan gave her a half-smile and said:

"I will have the academy support you, and you can use the Star Alliance's resources as needed. The only requirement is to make progress in the Rainbow Sea as quickly as possible."

There were only about four years left before the Starfall City would be opened. Before then, they needed to establish a presence in the Rainbow Sea.

When the time came to search for Starfall City, they might need it.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end