Chapter 227: Passing and Pushing Forward

Chapter 227: Passing and Pushing Forward

October 11, 2024

The first Essence Crystal almost depleted the Star Alliance's secondary magic stone reserves.

To synthesize more Essence Crystals, they could only wait for new secondary magic stones to be produced.

Considering that secondary magic stones were needed for other purposes as well, only a portion of the new production could be allocated.

To address this, Liz raised the short-term purchase price for secondary magic stones, aiming to increase production and ease the current shortage.

Once Su Nan had manufactured enough Essence Crystals, the need for additional secondary magic stones would diminish, and the purchase price would return to normal.

With the cultivation of secondary magic stone veins left to Liz, Su Nan continued to focus on his cultivation and the construction of his Wizard Tower.

By now, the spatial planning for the Wizard Tower was complete.

For energy supply, only the floating ring remained unfinished.

In terms of combat apparatus, there was still much to be done.

The Mystic Lock Protective Energy Field had been completed, but only in a small size. More would need to be synthesized.

Initially, Su Nan had planned to synthesize a medium-sized Mystic Lock Protective Energy Field, concerned that the energy pool might not have enough power to sustain a larger one.

However, since he was preparing to synthesize a large energy pool, the Mystic Lock Protective Energy Field could also be upgraded to a large size.

The same applied to the Spell Turrets Mark II, which could be increased to two hundred.

The Disintegration Cannons had yet to be manufactured and would also require synthesis and upgrading.

Finally, there was the Golem Army.

Su Nan intended to establish a small Golem Army within his Wizard Tower.

Of course, it would be a luxury version of a small Golem Army.

It would include five thousand Adamantine Golems, twenty Touchmaster Puppets, and five Secret Constructs.

The Touchmaster Puppets and Secret Constructs aside, the project of creating five thousand Adamantine Golems was no small feat.

After all, these were three-ring Legendary-level enchanted Adamantine Golems, and only Su Nan in the entire Star Alliance had the capability to craft them.

Even the mentors at the academy struggled to create ordinary Adamantine Golems.

"Within fifty or sixty years, the Wizard Tower should be complete."

While Su Nan was immersed in his cultivation and the construction of his Wizard Tower, he suddenly received a message.

A third-tier Wizard Apprentice named Bask from the Russell family had passed away.

Northwestern Continent, Starlight City.

This was the autonomous city of the Russell family, a neutral zone independent of many nations.

However, that was in the past. Now, Starlight City was one of the many territories of the Star Alliance.

In the Russell family cemetery.

The usually empty cemetery was now bustling with people.

Falcado, Innocente, Tulio, Scepter, Rose, Traveler, Sheman, Cole—every mentor from the Starlight Academy was present.

They gathered in the cemetery to mourn their deceased colleague.

"Bask had long anticipated this day."

Falcado's face showed no sorrow or grief, only a sense of resignation.

"He knew his talent was not outstanding, and advancing to a third-tier Wizard Apprentice was his limit. He would never become a full-fledged Wizard, so he was well aware of his fate and passed away peacefully."

Scepter sighed and said, "Sometimes, not having hope can be a good thing."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the third-tier Wizard Apprentices present became complex.

Because they still held a glimmer of hope, they would strive desperately for a breakthrough, often meeting with failure and despair. Perhaps only in their final moments would they fully accept their fate.

In comparison, those who never held any hope might have been happier.

After the memorial service, the people gradually left.

Scepter approached Falcado and said, "I have submitted my application to Lord Starfall. Starting tomorrow, I will temporarily resign from my position as a mentor at the academy."

The Lord Starfall Scepter referred to was the newly appointed acting controller.

Her name and background were unknown, and she never met anyone.

The only thing known about her was that she was deeply trusted by Lord Su Nan and went by the codename Starfall.

Falcado was taken aback and asked, "Why?"

Scepter sighed with a bitter smile and said, "I can sense that my days are numbered. At most, I have another ten to twenty years. If I don't break through, I will end up in the cemetery too."

In fact, if not for the Dawn Elixir and the energy pool extending his lifespan, he would have already passed away.

Fortunately, he had successfully constructed a Talent Crystal model and begun to fill it with mental energy.

If he was lucky, he might still have a chance to break through and become a Wizard.

So, in the time ahead, he planned to enter a secluded retreat to push for his breakthrough, determined to succeed or perish in the attempt.

The contribution points he had earned over the years were enough to secure a twenty-year stay in a cultivation room near the energy pool in Lord Su Nan's Wizard Tower.

"I will do the same," Rose said, walking over with a serious expression. "I also plan to enter a secluded retreat."

”

  "Looks like we're all on the same page," the traveler smiled. "I’m also planning to enter a secluded training to make a final push. I owe a lot to Lord Su Nan for creating the Construct Elixir, which saved me a lot of time in cultivating my talent crystals. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even have the chance to strive for the rank of wizard."

  Fakado's emotions were complex as he looked at the three determined faces, each with a hint of resolve.

  He was well aware of how difficult it was to advance to the rank of wizard.

  Over the past thousand years, countless geniuses had fallen at this crucial stage.

  The number of Level 3 Wizard Apprentices in the Raselle family who had died with regret and dissatisfaction could scarcely be counted on both hands and feet combined.

  If not for joining the Star Alliance and receiving unprecedented resources, he would likely have met the same fate as his family's predecessors.

  Now, he finally had a glimmer of hope to advance to the rank of wizard.

  But it was just a glimmer.

  Fakado was well aware that, in the end, only one of the three might succeed, or they might all fail, their ultimate fate being nothing more than a mound of yellow earth.

  As he was silently lamenting, Fakado suddenly noticed the three staff-wielders' faces showing surprise. Following their gazes, he saw that Su Nan had somehow appeared in the cemetery.

  "Lord Su Nan." Fakado hurriedly bowed slightly.

  The staff-wielders also quickly bowed.

  Su Nan waved his hand, glanced at the tombstone, and said, "My condolences."

  Fakado shook his head. "Thank you, my lord. Bask left this world in peace."

  Su Nan nodded and said nothing more, turning to look at the three Roses.

  "Starfall mentioned that you’re planning to enter secluded training to make a final push?"

  "Yes, my lord."

  Su Nan smiled and said, "You’re lucky; you’re catching a good time."

  He was planning to further enhance the elemental pool to improve the efficiency of spiritual energy filling. The three Roses were fortunate to coincide with this, and with the help of a large elemental pool, their chances of advancing to the rank of wizard would increase significantly.

  Even during the golden age of wizards, few Level 3 Wizard Apprentices could enjoy the benefits of a large elemental pool.

  Hearing Su Nan’s words, the three Roses exchanged glances.

  Only after Su Nan explained the large elemental pool did their faces light up with surprise and joy.

  The surrounding wizards also looked at them with envy.

  But then they thought, as long as they accumulated enough contribution points, they too could enjoy the same benefits when they made their own final push. They immediately felt delighted.

  "I wish you all a successful breakthrough," Su Nan said.

  If a couple more wizards emerged, it would be a good thing for the Star Alliance.

  On one hand, it would enhance the faculty of the academy. On the other hand, many tasks he had been shouldering alone could be delegated.

  For instance, refining enchanted gold golems, creating fourth-tier potions, and collecting elemental dust from the elemental planes could be shared among other wizards.

  This would free up more of his energy for cultivation and the construction of a wizard tower.

  A qualified wizard faction needed not only a large number of wizard apprentices as a foundation but also a substantial number of full-fledged wizards as the core strength.

  After a few encouraging words, Su Nan turned to Xeman, Cole, and Adil, who were waiting to the side.

  Today, the three had come to pay respects to Bask.

  Speaking of which, these three were his first batch of students, and the closest to true apprentices.

  The wizard apprentices he had taken in after them were more like academy students.

  Therefore, Su Nan had a special affection for Xeman and the others, often giving them special attention and occasional guidance.

  Looking at the mature faces of the three, Su Nan couldn’t help but feel a wave of nostalgia.

  When they first came to the base, they were just twelve or thirteen years old. Now, they were nearly a hundred but, due to their unique constitutions, looked no different from young adults in their twenties.

  "I heard you’ve been researching biological modification recently?" Su Nan looked at Cole. "Preparing for future semi-elementalization or bloodline fusion?"

  In the Star Alliance, the scope of biological modification was the narrowest in terms of material production.

  If it was for earning contribution points, the best choice would be one of the other three fields.

  Cole’s specialization in biological modification could only mean he was preparing for extending his lifespan.

  "There is that aspect, teacher," Cole admitted frankly. "But I’m also quite interested in biological modification."

  Su Nan nodded and took a few books out of his spatial ring.

  "These are books on biological modification, which should be useful to you."

  These books were transcribed by Lize from the knowledge possessed by the Starfall Guild.

  The Starfall Guild was skilled in crafting war constructs, which naturally involved the field of biological modification.

  For example, the Puppet of the Golden Touch would be impossible to create without a deep dissection and study of the Golden Touch.

Lizze's provision of these books has significantly improved the knowledge base of the Starlight Academy in the field of creature modification.

"Thank you, Teacher!" Cole was overjoyed.

Su Nan then turned to Xeman and Attil, saying, "Starfall is looking to recruit assistants soon and will likely hold a recruitment drive at the Starlight Academy. You two should give it a try. If you can become one of Starfall's assistants, it would be greatly beneficial for you. She is also a powerful wizard, you know."

Cole, with his odd and reclusive personality, wasn't a good fit for the role. However, Xeman and Attil were both detail-oriented and well-suited to be assistants.

Becoming an assistant to a Wizard is a significant opportunity for a third-level Wizard apprentice.

Xeman and Attil were taken aback upon hearing this, never expecting that the mysterious Starfall would also be a Wizard like their teacher. Regaining their composure, they were immediately intrigued.

Working closely with a Wizard is indeed very appealing.

Even if the Wizard occasionally offers some guidance, it would be immensely beneficial for them.

Not to mention the benefits and influence that come with the position of an assistant to a Proxy Controller.

They exchanged a glance and immediately resolved to give it a try.

Cole, knowing his own limitations, decided to abandon the unrealistic notion of becoming an assistant.

When it came to cultivation efficiency, the synthesis and enhancement of an elemental pool were naturally prioritized first.

However, due to the high cost of elemental pools—just a small one costs over ten million gold coins, and despite the Star Alliance's gradually increasing annual income, the expenses in other areas were too numerous to allow for the rapid creation of multiple small elemental pools.

After much deliberation, Su Nan decided to synthesize and enhance one small elemental pool every two years until he could synthesize a large one.

Under these circumstances, his mental energy replenishment rate would improve every two years.

Time flew by, and more than three years had passed.

Lizze's efficiency was remarkable, and the first minor secondary magic stone vein was successfully established in the southeastern domain, less than five hundred kilometers from Flash City.

According to Lizze's estimates, it would take about 180 years for this small secondary magic stone vein to mature, after which it could be mined, with an expected reserve of at least two hundred million secondary magic stones.

This was due to the energy scarcity of the Starlight Continent; otherwise, the maturation time could be significantly shorter.

The second magic stone core was also synthesized, and the second medium-sized secondary magic stone vein was being developed.

Subsequently, more medium to large secondary magic stone veins would be established to ensure that the Star Alliance would gain a new vein at regular intervals after 180 years, thus significantly increasing the production of secondary magic stones.

"180 years is a long time, but if it can bring about the comprehensive promotion of secondary magic energy technology, it's worth it."

Su Nan put down the document and smiled at Lizze, who was sitting behind the desk.

He didn't mention that once the production of secondary magic stones increased, more magic stones could be manufactured, allowing for the small-scale popularization of magic energy technology.

The full development of magic energy technology would have to wait until the Starlight Continent's planar barriers were restored, allowing for the import of large quantities of magic stones from the outside world.

However, small-scale promotion was feasible at this stage.

"How is the construction of the teleportation network going?"

"Setting up teleportation arrays requires Wizard Apprentices, and the academy can only spare a limited number of them. Added to that, the material issues mean the progress isn't particularly fast. Currently, only the southeastern domain and the Rainbow Sea, which has fewer city-states, have a well-established teleportation network. The northwestern domain is just starting, and the underground world is still a ways off."

Su Nan nodded in understanding, saying, "This can't be rushed. Once the number of apprentices at the academy increases, the progress will naturally speed up."

"I know."

Lizze pointed to the document on the desk.

"There's one more thing. Once the entire teleportation network is built, we need to consider how to reduce the usage costs."

"I've already issued a task at the academy to improve the teleportation arrays. By the time the network is completed, we should have some results."

Su Nan smiled, "Lizze, I'm increasingly convinced that hiring you as my assistant was one of the most decisions decisions I made. You always manage to handle everything perfectly."

"

Lizze gave him a slight glare, saying irritably, "That's because I got stuck with a lazy boss."

"Those with talent must work harder."

"Haha, I feel like you're just exploiting me as a laborer."

"Of course not, you are a rare Wizard Spirit, a precious talent."

"Don't make me sound like some rare animal."

Karolina and Red Widow, who had just arrived at the study door to report, watched the two of them bicker and exchanged puzzled glances.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end