Chapter 221: The Wizard in the Book

Chapter 221: The Wizard in the Book

October 8, 2024

Su Nan had personally crafted no fewer than ten thousand puppets. He was intimately familiar with the unique life force that emanated from these puppets, distinctly different from the flesh and blood of living beings.

The moment the monster appeared, he immediately detected the puppet-like aura emanating from it.

"A puppet that can change its form? That's quite rare."

A spark of curiosity flickered in Su Nan's eyes.

As he observed the octopus puppet, it suddenly moved, raising a tentacle covered in barbs. The tentacle swirled in the air for a moment before shooting straight toward him with a sharp whistling sound.

Su Nan stood his ground, his expression calm as he watched the tentacle slice through the air.

However, as the tentacle approached within five meters of Su Nan, it suddenly slowed down as if it had entered an invisible quagmire. It inched forward, inch by inch, and finally came to a complete stop just half a meter from Su Nan's body.

Upon closer inspection, the tentacle was trembling slightly, as if under immense, invisible pressure.

"Decent attack power, on par with a third-level spell."

Su Nan raised an eyebrow and commented casually.

Zzzt!

More whistling sounds erupted suddenly.

The octopus puppet, having missed its first strike, launched a full-scale assault. Dozens of tentacles whirled and lashed out like a violent storm, aiming to strike Su Nan.

However, the same scenario unfolded again.

These tentacles slowed down visibly as they approached within five meters of Su Nan, and the closer they got, the slower they moved, until they came to a complete stop.

For a moment, dozens of tentacles surrounded Su Nan, forming an impenetrable barrier, but not a single one could touch him.

"Meow, Su Nan is so amazing!" Amy exclaimed excitedly, her eyes filled with admiration as she watched Su Nan.

Su Nan smiled and patted the little girl's head, but his gaze never left the octopus puppet.

This puppet undoubtedly possessed the combat strength of a fully-fledged wizard. It was likely the final combat sequence of the Falling Star City, and it wouldn't be easy to defeat.

As if to confirm his thoughts, the tentacles suddenly glowed with various magical lights. Lightning and flames danced along the tentacles, while ice and acid spewed from them. The tips of the barbs glowed with a deep blue hue.

In that instant, all the tentacles were imbued with various magical effects!

Zzzt!

The tentacles launched another attack, their power surging to a level that even the [Forbidden Zone]'s protective field struggled to withstand, consuming energy rapidly.

"This combat power is far superior to a secret puppet."

Su Nan whistled in amazement.

Before he had reached the first level of liquefaction, dealing with this octopus puppet would have required a significant effort.

As thoughts raced through his mind, Su Nan began his counterattack. He raised his hand, and his fingers clenched tightly. A deep, dark light burst forth from his fingers, rapidly forming a pitch-black spear.

In the next instant, he hurled the spear, which transformed into a black streak of light and struck the octopus puppet!

Time seemed to freeze for a moment.

The octopus puppet's surface flashed with a rainbow of magical lights, and in an instant, it was protected by over a dozen defensive spells, layer upon layer of protection enveloping its entire body, like the most robust armor.

Yet, these seemingly impregnable defenses melted away like wax in a fire the moment they came into contact with the black streak of light.

The black streak of light effortlessly pierced through the layers of protection, penetrating the octopus puppet's body, and then exploded violently!

Crack!

Countless bolts of black lightning erupted from within the octopus puppet, transforming it into a brilliant sphere of lightning that illuminated the dim hall like daylight!

After a while, the lightning slowly dissipated.

The octopus puppet lay on the ground, its dozens of tentacles limp and lifeless, clearly out of combat.

Occasional twitching indicated that the puppet wasn't completely destroyed.

"Quite resilient."

Su Nan praised.

After breaking through to the first level of liquefaction and with a surge in mental energy, [Black Thunder] had been further synthesized and upgraded, increasing its power by at least fifty to sixty percent.

Even a secret puppet girl would be unable to withstand a single strike from [Black Thunder].

The octopus puppet, having taken a direct hit from [Black Thunder], was only severely injured but not destroyed, showcasing its formidable constitution.

Su Nan hesitated for a moment, then decided to keep the octopus puppet and take it back for further study. It might provide some inspiration for creating even more powerful puppets.

He summoned two secret puppet girls to guard the octopus puppet and then proceeded deeper into the hall.

This is the highest level of the tower, the very heart of Falling Star City.

Guarded by powerful Squid Puppets, the two stone pillars here likely hold the city's most valuable treasures.

As Su Nan approached the stone pillars, no further obstacles appeared, confirming his suspicion that the Squid Puppets were indeed the city's final line of defense.

The aura surrounding the pillars was a protective magic array, which Su Nan easily dispelled. The objects on the pillars were then revealed: a book and a crystal-clear sphere.

The book was about two or three times the size of a regular book, with a light green cover that shimmered with a cold metallic luster. A white jade flower was intricately drawn on the cover, indicating its fine craftsmanship.

Su Nan could feel the thick energy particles within the book, confirming it was a magical item.

The sphere, about the size of a fist, glowed brilliantly, adorned with countless star-like points that resembled a beautiful starry sky.

Upon closer inspection, Su Nan realized these star-like points were actually miniature enchanted runes.

What surprised him even more was the subtle energy flow he detected, moving from the sphere to the empty void, seemingly connecting to the entire tower.

A realization dawned on him.

This sphere might be the source of power for the entire tower, or even the whole of Falling Star City!

Although he was curious about the sphere, Su Nan was more eager to examine the book.

As he reached out to touch it, a low sigh suddenly echoed in his ears.

The sound came from the book itself.

"The book is speaking!" Amy exclaimed, startled.

With a rustle, the book opened, and a page emitted countless rays of light that intertwined and floated to one side of the stone pillar, forming a somewhat ethereal figure.

It was a woman in her mid-twenties, dressed in a gray wizard's robe. Her silver hair cascaded like a waterfall, and her purple eyes sparkled like starlight. She was tall and slender, with thin lips, a slightly pointed chin, and elongated, upward-slanting eyes. Her sharp features exuded a cold and aloof demeanor.

"First meeting, Controller of the Star Alliance."

The woman in the gray robe spoke slowly, her voice clear and magnetic.

"Do you know me?" Su Nan raised an eyebrow.

"I don't." The woman's lips curled into a gentle smile, her cold features becoming unexpectedly charming. "But I saw the fleet searching outside and the Siren Mermaids. Only the Controller of the Star Alliance could command both of them, right?"

Su Nan's expression changed, and he quickly understood. "You're the 'Sea Goddess' who deceived the Siren Mermaids?"

The woman's expression remained unchanged. "It's not a deception. The Siren Mermaids helped me collect the Heart of the Sea, and I taught them knowledge to help their race grow. It was a fair trade. I used the name Sea Goddess to facilitate communication."

Su Nan remained unconvinced. "Then why are you revealing yourself now? Are you here for revenge?"

"You misunderstand." The woman shook her head. "I have no such intention, and I'm not your opponent. As for the Squid Puppet..."

She glanced at the twitching puppet on the ground. "It's an automatic defense program activated by the city when it detects an intruder. I have no control over it."

Squid Puppet? Su Nan recalled a creature called the Golden Tentacle Master, which resembled an octopus.

No wonder the Squid Puppet looked familiar. It was based on the Golden Tentacle Master, a well-known divine creature.

"I revealed myself because I have no other choice."

The woman looked at the book on the pillar, her expression complicated.

"I believe you've noticed my current state. This book is my host. If it is destroyed, I will be obliterated as well. At this point, there's no need for me to hide anymore."

Su Nan had indeed noticed that the woman was in a spectral state.

Generally, spirits can't exist in the material world for long.

Unless they transform into a vengeful spirit, attacking humans and consuming souls and flesh to evolve into a bound evil spirit, they can't survive in the material world for long.

Like the evil spirit he encountered in Kubero's mansion.

But there are exceptions.

A few individuals, upon death, can fuse their souls with an object, becoming a spirit bound to that object, thus maintaining their existence.

Achieving such a feat is no easy task.

In addition to the deceased needing to possess an extremely powerful soul energy, one must also find a suitable vessel to house the soul, along with a healthy dose of luck.

All three are essential!

Lacking any one of these components would result in a failed fusion, causing the soul to disintegrate into nothingness.

The woman in the gray robe before him was clearly one of the lucky few.

Su Nan was somewhat surprised by the gray-robed woman's honesty.

But upon further thought, even if she didn't reveal this information, he would have discovered it soon enough. It was better for her to be upfront, giving him a good impression.

Su Nan extended his hand, and the book on the stone pillar floated up and landed in his palm.

The gray-robed woman instinctively tensed, her body rigid, but she quickly composed herself, biting her lip.

Ignoring her reaction, Su Nan opened the book.

Before his eyes were intricate magical models, one on each page, ranging from zeroth to third level spells. A quick glance revealed that there were no fewer than a hundred spells.

A spellbook!

Su Nan immediately recognized it as such.

Similar to a spell-storing wand, a spellbook is a magical item that contains engraved spell models, which can be activated to cast spells.

However, compared to a wand, a spellbook can hold many more spells.

Ordinary spellbooks typically store only twenty to thirty spells, mostly of the first or second level. This spellbook, however, contained over a hundred spells, including several third-level ones.

Its power, while not quite matching that of a wizard's artifact, would certainly rank it among the most powerful in the category of faintly glowing magical items.

Closing the book, Su Nan had his answer.

"You used this spellbook to control the storms and waves to help the Sirens defeat their enemies?"

"Yes."

There was no point in hiding it now, and the gray-robed woman admitted it candidly.

"Before I became this way, I was a wizard."

Su Nan wasn't surprised by this revelation; instead, he wore an expression of confirmation.

Being able to merge her soul with a spellbook and use it in spectral form was no ordinary feat. Only a wizard could achieve such a level of mastery.

Wait a moment!

A sudden realization struck Su Nan, and he asked, "What is your name?"

"Liz Russell," the gray-robed woman replied.

Just as he suspected!

Su Nan's gaze sharpened, and he looked at her intently.

"So you are the ancestor of the Russell family."

The Russell family were the guardians of Falling Star City, and historically, they had produced a wizard. With the gray-robed woman appearing in Falling Star City and being a wizard in life, it was impossible for there to be no connection.

Upon inquiry, his suspicions were confirmed.

"Do you know me?" Liz's purple eyes flashed with surprise.

"No, but I've heard your family mention you," Su Nan said with a half-smile. "The Russell family is now part of the Star Alliance."

Liz paused, then nodded in understanding.

"Of course, you are a certified wizard. It makes sense for the Russell family to join under your banner."

"To be honest, I didn't expect the Starlight Continent to produce a certified wizard in this era."

Liz's gaze on Su Nan was a mix of astonishment and admiration.

She had witnessed the era of elemental depletion and knew how exceptional one's talent had to be and how much effort one had to exert to ascend to the rank of wizard in such a resource-scarce environment. The person before her had undoubtedly endured unimaginable hardships and made extraordinary efforts to achieve his current status.

That was why she had immediately appeared upon realizing he was a wizard.

In the current state of the Starlight Continent, only he could possibly help her achieve her goal.

"I'm more curious about why you ended up in this form and what happened to Falling Star City," Su Nan said, getting to the heart of the matter.

Liz fell silent for a moment before countering with a question of her own. "Do you know the origin of Falling Star City?"

"The legacy left by the wizards a thousand years ago?"

"Yes, but not entirely." Liz nodded, then shook her head. "Have you heard of the Starfall Society?"

"The Starfall Society? Wasn't it already destroyed?" Su Nan glanced at Liz. "You were a member of the Starfall Society."

Liz's expression faltered, truly taken aback.

The Starfall Society was a wizard faction from a thousand years ago, and logically, Su Nan shouldn't have known about it.

She had only asked out of curiosity, already prepared to explain, but she hadn't expected Su Nan to actually know about the Starfall Society.

Moreover, he even knew it had been destroyed!

What was this person's background?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end