Chapter 217: Spell Turrets II and Magical Machinery

Chapter 217: Spell Turrets II and Magical Machinery

New puppets!

Everyone was intrigued by the announcement.

Fleming couldn't contain his curiosity and was the first to step forward to open the compartment.

As the metal door hissed open, the scene inside the chamber was revealed to everyone.

In the spacious hall, rows of massive puppets stood in perfect formation, immobile, exuding a sense of orderly beauty.

These puppets resembled metallic octopuses, with bulky bodies encircled by over a dozen long, coiled tentacles that ended in sharp, blade-like points, glinting with a cold, menacing sheen.

"Octopus-shaped puppets, huh."

Xie Man felt a mix of surprise and understanding.

The Rainbow Sea was home to octopus-type sea monsters, and the octopus form was highly suitable for underwater movement.

Moreover, those tentacles clearly had formidable offensive capabilities.

In essence, the octopus form was one of the best designs for both underwater movement and combat.

"There are a total of five hundred octopus puppets here, each with the power of a First Circle Legendary, and ten Elite Octopus Puppets with the power of a Second Circle Legendary."

"Additionally, the other two Level Two Magic Ships have the same number of puppets."

In total, there were one thousand five hundred octopus puppets and thirty Elite Octopus Puppets.

Xie Man nodded in approval.

This number was sufficient for the current stage.

Once the three artificial islands were built, they could construct a golem factory and transfer the octopus puppet production line there, enabling mass production on-site, ensuring a steady supply of troops.

"Since reinforcements have arrived, we should set out for the artificial islands without delay."

Inside the wizard tower's plantation.

Su Nan used the Mage's Hand to meticulously draw the final line of a special liquid composed of rare metals and gems on the ground.

As the lines connected to form a closed loop, the entire array flashed with a silvery glow, exuding an indescribable and mysterious aura.

"Done!"

Su Nan let out a long breath, a smile crossing his face.

The plantation's array was complete, and now all that was left was to plant the magical flora.

In terms of growing conditions, the energy particle concentration and the array-enhanced wizard tower plantation were clearly superior to the Dragon Forest Zone 2.

The only advantage of the latter was its larger area.

"Rare magical plants can be moved to the plantation, while those of lower value can remain in the Dragon Forest Zone 2."

Su Nan turned and beckoned to Tiya, who was wandering nearby.

"Tiya."

Hearing Su Nan's call, the elegant and beautiful Flower Fairy Queen flew over happily.

"Su Nan, are you done with your work?"

"Yes, the array is set up. Once the magical plants are transplanted, it'll be complete."

Su Nan extended his index finger, gently caressing Tiya's tender cheek, and the young girl savored the moment.

"Tiya, you'll need to summon another batch of your kin."

"No problem," Tiya replied with a grin. "Many of my kin want to come here."

Most Flower Fairies dream of having a garden they can tend to, and the plantation fulfilled that wish.

Additionally, Su Nan was generous with his rewards, making the Flower Fairies' lives here very happy and enviable to those still in their homeland.

After playing with Tiya for a while, Su Nan left the plantation and returned to the control center.

"Unit 1, scan the current state of the wizard tower."

[Command received, initiating scan.]



[Scan in progress... Scan complete.]



A three-dimensional, panoramic model immediately appeared before his eyes.

[Wizard Tower: Starlight]



[Level: Small (Construction Progress: 37.22%)]



[Current Energy Remaining: 93.82%]



[Intelligent Auxiliary Life: Tower Spirit 1]



[Facilities: Elemental Pool (Small/Enhanced), Central Crystal Energy Transmission System, Residential Area, Storage Area (Construction Progress: 76.22%), Laboratory, Practice Area (Construction Progress: 46.91%), Meditation Area, Plantation]



[Servants: Clay Golems × 130]



[Defensive Equipment: Mists Lock Protective Energy Field (Small)]



[Offensive Equipment: None]



"The progress is satisfactory."

Su Nan nodded in approval.

The Mists Lock Protective Energy Field had been manufactured, and he could consider creating more for synthesis.

The Elemental Pool was currently at Enhanced +1 and could be further synthesized.

The spatial planning was only halfway complete, with several areas still needing work.

It's worth noting that Su Nan had recently manufactured Spell Turrets.

The first batch served as practice and was equipped on the Magic Ships.

Subsequent productions would be synthesized before being installed on the wizard tower.

"Starlight Continent currently lacks the resources to manufacture Plasma Cannons and Pulse Cannons, and even if they were produced, the small Elemental Pool couldn't support the energy consumption of these weapons."

Su Nan shook his head.

Pulse cannons were out of the question, and even the slightly less powerful plasma cannons consumed an enormous amount of energy. He estimated that even a +1 reinforced elemental pool could only manage two plasma shots at most.

For a small wizard tower, plasma cannons and pulse cannons were overkill. Those were standard equipment for medium and large wizard Towers. Small Wizard Towers could only afford to equip Ion Cannons.

However, while he couldn’t equip plasma or pulse cannons, enhancing the Spell Cannon Towers and Ion Cannons through synthesis wasn’t a problem. Although increasing their firepower would also increase their energy consumption, reinforcing the elemental pool would solve that issue.

After multiple experiments and firepower tests, Su Nan settled on synthesizing five Spell Cannon Towers. This number of towers would roughly multiply the original firepower by seven to eight times.

With the assistance of the Secret Automaton Maiden, a single shot from the enhanced Spell Cannon Tower nearly destroyed her. If not for the Magic Core absorbing most of the impact, she would have been reduced to a pile of scrap.

"This power is almost on par with an Ion Cannon!" Su Nan marveled.

Even a Level 1 Air Wizard would suffer severe injuries, if not death, from a few hits from these enhanced Spell Cannon Towers. However, the cost of this increased power was a fourfold increase in energy consumption.

Su Nan calculated that only by reinforcing the elemental pool to near-medium levels could he sustain the energy demands of using the Spell Cannon Towers as regular weapons. This was precisely why he had limited the synthesis to five towers. Continuing to reinforce them would only increase their firepower further, but they would lose their practicality as regular weapons.

For high-end weapons, he planned to reinforce the Ion Cannons.

"Since it's a new version, let's call it the Spell Cannon Tower Mark II."

Su Nan decided to equip the Wizard Tower with a hundred Spell Cannon Towers Mark II, with the possibility of adding more later. The cost for just this would exceed fifteen million gold coins. However, the benefits were clear: the Starlight Wizard Tower's firepower would far surpass that of most small Wizard Towers. If he also equipped reinforced Ion Cannons, the firepower would be on par with a medium Wizard Tower.

"Once the Spell Cannon Towers are set, I'll research the Ion Cannons next. And then there's the Magic Golem Army and the High-Grade Puppets to consider."

Currently, Su Nan had designs for Adamantine Golems and Secret Automatons. The former could be reinforced to the level of a Third Circle Legendary and serve as the main force of the Wizard Tower's Golem Army. The material, magical Adamantine, was not a concern.

The problem lay with the latter. Typically, small Wizard Towers would equip high-grade puppets at the level of a Formal Wizard for their final combat lineup. In other words, these puppets needed to be at least as powerful as a Level 1 Air Wizard. The Secret Automaton Maiden certainly met this requirement.

However, the cost of creating a single Secret Automaton was a staggering 480,000 gold coins. Equipping a hundred would require nearly fifty million gold coins. Even if Su Nan were willing to spend that much, the materials were scarce. Creating a Secret Automaton required a large amount of Mithril, and the current Mithril production in the Star Alliance was mostly allocated to Wizard Tower construction. Over the next century, there wouldn’t be enough Mithril to mass-produce Secret Automatons.

Of course, he could wait a hundred years after the Wizard Tower was built to accumulate enough Mithril. However, considering the wide range of uses for Mithril, using it to mass-produce Secret Automatons seemed wasteful.

The best approach would be to find a design for a Wizard-level puppet and manually create it. As for the materials, he could research alternatives or synthesis methods. The most critical component, the Soul Crystal, wouldn’t be a problem.

"There are quite a few issues to resolve."

Su Nan rubbed his temples. Building a Wizard Tower in the Elemental Wasteland, with its planar lockdown, was indeed a daunting task. But compared to the benefits of having a completed Wizard Tower, these issues were minor.

Leaving the control center, Su Nan returned to his study. He had been immersed in building the Wizard Tower for the past few months and hadn’t reviewed the recent reports. The Star Alliance and the Starry Empire were likely fine, but he wondered about the Rainbow Sea.

However, as soon as he entered his study, Su Nan sensed a powerful energy surge.

"That direction... it's the Starlight Academy!"

Su Nan vanished from the spot and reappeared above the Starlight Academy. The students, being too weak to sense the energy fluctuation, continued their peaceful day as usual.

Soon, the mentors, including Rod, Rose, and Farkas, joined Su Nan.

Under the introduction of the Warden and Rose, Starlight Academy recently welcomed three more third-tier wizard apprentices as instructors.

With the addition of Xie Man and Cole, who had already accepted their teaching positions, the number of instructors at Starlight Academy has now reached double digits, significantly easing the strain on the faculty.

"He should be the Traveler," said the Warden. "He's been in seclusion for several years, and it's about time he emerges."

Rose added, "If that's the case, his semi-elemental transformation must have been successful."

Sure enough, not long after, a figure shot up into the sky, swiftly flying toward the group.

It was none other than the long-absent Traveler.

Compared to before his seclusion, the Traveler's aura was now more serene, yet brimming with a vitality reminiscent of a lush forest.

When he paused and hovered in the air, it seemed as if he had seamlessly melded with the entire world.

This was a clear sign of a successful semi-elemental transformation.

Moreover, from the aura, it was evident that the Traveler had chosen the Wood element.

"Congratulations," Su Nan said with a warm smile.

The others soon caught on and came forward to offer their congratulations.

The Traveler accepted their well-wishes with a beaming face.

After a brief exchange, Farkado and the others took their leave, leaving only Su Nan, Rose, and the Warden, who were more familiar with the Traveler.

"How does it feel?" Rose asked with keen interest.

She was planning to pursue the semi-elemental route herself, and the Traveler's experience could provide valuable insights.

The Traveler didn't hold back and replied honestly, "It's quite good. My perception and manipulation of plant energy particles have significantly improved. I'm not sure about the exact increase in lifespan yet, but it's definitely several decades more."

Among the many semi-elemental routes, the Wood element, due to its nature, provides the greatest increase in lifespan.

However, the choice of semi-elemental route must align with one's physical constitution. If it doesn't, the failure rate is extremely high. Otherwise, most wizard apprentices would likely choose the Wood element.

The Traveler was fortunate, as his constitution matched the Wood element.

"However, after the semi-elemental transformation, I sense a kind of restraint. It feels like taking another step forward will bring me up against some kind of boundary," the Traveler said, frowning.

"That's the constraint of the Starlight Continent's environment."

Su Nan explained the limitations of the energy particle concentration.

After hearing this, the Traveler and the others finally understood.

"No wonder the wizards of a thousand years ago left. Staying here is indeed unbearable."

"Not only that, but in this environment, wizards' cultivation is significantly hindered."

Rose couldn't help but glance at Su Nan.

She couldn't fathom the depth of Su Nan's power or his exact level.

Su Nan had always been a mystery to her, often acting in ways she couldn't predict.

Perhaps Su Nan had a way to overcome the harsh environment of the Starlight Continent.

After a bit more conversation, Su Nan returned to the wizard tower.

Seeing the Traveler's successful semi-elemental transformation, Rose was clearly eager to try it herself.

She would likely begin her seclusion soon and, like the Traveler, probably choose the Wood element.

In fact, for wizard apprentices, the impact of semi-elemental transformation is minimal compared to elemental knights.

After all, wizard apprentices can meditate and absorb any type of energy particle without restriction.

In contrast, elemental Knights can only absorb specific types of energy particles to enhance their strength, making them more susceptible to the energy particle concentration ceiling of the Starlight Continent.

This was why Su Nan had suggested that Koi choose the Bloodline Knight path.

Back in his study, Su Nan sat down to review the reports.

The Starlight Empire's reports primarily detailed the progress of the reforms.

Due to the lack of magic stone veins, Su Nan had rejected the idea of promoting magic energy technology. However, he then conceived the idea of popularizing secondary magic energy technology, which uses secondary magic stones as energy sources.

Only Su Nan could synthesize the primary magic stones, but secondary magic stones could be manufactured by second and third-tier wizard apprentices.

Although the quantity was insufficient to supply the entire continent, it could still meet the needs of smaller regions.

So he handed over the design plans for magic energy technology to Starlight Academy, instructing them to develop corresponding secondary magic energy technology based on these plans.

Since it was downward compatible, the research progressed quite quickly.

Just three months ago, a magic energy machine powered by secondary magic stones was born.

This magic energy machine was somewhat similar to an internal combustion engine but with higher energy efficiency, suitable for various production fields.

However, due to the limited number of secondary magic stones, the magic energy machines were currently only being promoted in the capital region of the empire.

Even so, it was a good start.

With the increasing number of wizard apprentices at Starlight Academy, the production of secondary magic stones would grow annually, promoting the spread of secondary magic energy technology and expanding its application range. More secondary magic energy products would be born.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end