Chapter 237: Tacit Understanding

Chapter 237: Tacit Understanding

October 16, 2024

Starlight Wizard Tower, Workshop

Su Nan placed the newly crafted Black Thunder into the Magic Cube. As the synthesis interface flashed, a brand new Tier 2 arcane artifact emerged.

"Three now."

Su Nan took out the Black Thunder and placed it into his spatial ring, where it joined the other two black spearheads engraved with intricate runes. A smile spread across his face.

Including the three Prohibited Zones, he now had six Tier 2 arcane artifacts in total.

Ordinary Tier 2 wizards struggled to acquire even one Tier 2 artifact, making Su Nan's possession of six extremely rare.

Even descendants of the True Spirits didn't have such luxury!

However, the three Black Thunders had already depleted the Thunderstones he had collected recently. To create more, he would need to venture back into the Lightning Elemental Plane.

But Su Nan had no immediate plans to do so. Three Black Thunders were sufficient for now.

Turning to the table in the corner, Su Nan's gaze swept over the numerous documents spread out on it.

Besides synthesizing arcane artifacts, he had been diligently researching the Alchemical Body.

The knowledge provided by Lizzy was incredibly detailed. It covered not only the process of converting to an Alchemical Body and the required materials but also eight alchemical runes, several of which Su Nan found particularly intriguing.

For instance, the Spirit Reservoir rune, which could store a vast amount of mental energy for instant replenishment during battle.

According to the documents, the Spirit Reservoir could hold the equivalent of a Tier 2 Air Elemental Wizard's entire mental energy.

When facing an opponent of the same level, a wizard with the Spirit Reservoir rune would have nearly twice the mental energy, providing a significant advantage.

Another example was the Talent Specialization rune, which could greatly enhance the effects of innate abilities.

When activated, it temporarily boosted the effectiveness of innate abilities, with the magnitude of enhancement depending on the user's level.

For a Tier 2 wizard, the enhancement typically ranged from 30% to 50%.

This was a remarkable increase.

Using Su Nan as an example, with the boost from two super innate abilities, he could already hold his own against a Tier 2 Crystal Wizard without using arcane artifacts or enchanted gems.

With the Talent Specialization rune, he could easily overpower a Tier 2 Crystal Wizard.

Combined with arcane artifacts and enchanted gems, he wouldn't have to worry about facing an opponent unless it was a Tier 3 wizard!

After reviewing Lizzy's documents, Su Nan almost immediately decided that the Spirit Reservoir and Talent Specialization runes were essential.

However, the process of converting to an Alchemical Body was more complex than he had anticipated.

The conversion involved using various rare materials to transform the body, making it as malleable as a scroll, allowing for the addition of various enchantments.

This was a lengthy process.

To avoid damaging the body, the transformation had to be gradual and incremental, taking anywhere from twenty to forty years.

If that were the only challenge, Su Nan wouldn't have been too concerned.

Tier 2 wizards typically lived for over three thousand years, and with various methods, extending their lifespan to five thousand years wasn't difficult.

Forty years was a mere blink of an eye for a Tier 2 wizard.

The real challenge lay in the materials.

The conversion process required over a hundred rare materials, including Adamantine, Mithril, Starfall Steel, and Ocean Heart Silver.

The primary material was Adamantine.

This rare metal was similar to Mithril in its excellent malleability and magical conductivity but was far more precious.

In all his time on the Starlight Continent, Su Nan had never encountered Adamantine.

In other words, it was a material he currently had no way of obtaining.

"The conversion process for the Alchemical Body is unique, and the Magic Cube's synthesis won't help. I'll need to research alternatives for Adamantine."

Su Nan quickly made up his mind.

In researching new materials, he had an advantage over other wizards thanks to the Magic Cube.

He could experiment to synthesize materials with the desired properties, reducing the research difficulty.

However, creating alternatives for precious materials like Adamantine, as well as other rare materials, would be no easy task. Su Nan estimated it would take considerable time.

"One step at a time. There's no rush."

Leaving the workshop, Su Nan teleported to his study.

Learning Fourth Circle spells had become a daily routine for him.

Compared to Third Circle spells, Fourth Circle spells were significantly more powerful and challenging to master.

Even with the golden finger, Su Nan still needs three to four months on average to master a fourth-circle spell.

Even for him, it's that challenging, so one can only imagine how slow ordinary second-circle wizards learn fourth-circle spells.

Fortunately, second-circle wizards have long lifespans; otherwise, many of them would probably never learn a handful of fourth-circle spells before their time ran out.

In terms of practicality, there are quite a few fourth-circle spells that catch the eye.

For example, the Dimensional Anchor, which seals off space and prevents all teleportation spells.

The Lesser Spell Resistance Field, which blocks the effects of zero to third-circle spells.

The Dense Fog, which creates a thick mist that obscures vision and slows movement.

And then there are the offensive spells like the Avenger's Black Tentacles, Ice Storm, and Roaring Blast.

Su Nan plans to learn all the fourth-circle spells to be prepared for any situation.

After all, his learning speed is fast.

Time flew by, and before he knew it, over a decade had passed.

While Su Nan focused on his cultivation and research, secondary mana technology spread rapidly across the southeastern region of the continent.

As the concentration of energy particles in the continent gradually increased, the formation of secondary mana stone veins accelerated.

In areas rich in energy nodes, the formation of secondary mana stone veins was astonishingly fast.

By the year 1436 of the Starlight Calendar, the Star Alliance had already begun mining one small and two medium secondary mana stone veins, with the yield of secondary mana stones increasing five to six times compared to previous years.

The rise in secondary mana stone production also spurred the rapid spread of secondary mana technology.

"This is the development of secondary mana technology in the southeastern region over the past decade," Lize said, placing a document in front of Su Nan.

"The situation is much better than we expected. The income in the southeastern region has been increasing steadily over the past decade, and last year's income was more than double what it was ten years ago. At this rate, if secondary mana technology is promoted across the entire Starlight Continent, the Star Alliance's annual income will definitely exceed fifty million gold coins."

Su Nan flipped through the document and asked casually, "How much longer will it take for the remaining secondary mana stone veins to form?"

"If the concentration of energy particles continues to increase at the current rate, it will take about two hundred years."

"Two hundred years?"

"Considering that the remaining veins are all large, it will naturally take longer."

Initially, to maximize the use of each energy node, the Star Alliance only opened one small and two medium veins to prepare for the promotion of secondary mana technology. The rest were all developed into large veins.

"Although the wait is a bit long, once all the large veins are fully formed, the production will be sufficient for the entire Starlight Continent," Lize explained.

Su Nan nodded in agreement.

Although the secondary mana technology in the southeastern region is still in its early stages, and the demand for secondary mana stones hasn't reached its peak, the production from one small and two medium veins is already enough to meet the entire region's needs, which speaks volumes about the veins' production capacity.

Once the remaining thirty large veins are fully formed, the production of secondary mana stones will definitely be more than enough to cover the entire continent.

After reviewing the document, Su Nan had a clear understanding of the development details of secondary mana technology and secondary mana stone veins. He set the document aside and asked about another matter.

"How is the Starlight Academy doing?"

"Pretty well."

Lize waved her hand, and a new document landed in front of Su Nan.

"Perhaps due to the increase in energy particle concentration, more and more people are qualifying as wizards these days."

"Currently, the total number of students at the Starlight Academy has exceeded twenty-three thousand, with two hundred and eighty-eight third-circle wizard apprentices."

Su Nan nodded in satisfaction.

This number was already quite extraordinary. In the past hundred years, the total number of wizard apprentices on the Starlight Continent probably didn't even reach this number.

Moreover, it's foreseeable that the number of new students each year will continue to increase.

Until the energy particle concentration on the Starlight Continent stabilizes and the number of new students each year balances with the number of wizard apprentices who pass away, the student population will reach its peak.

After that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, it should remain stable.

At that point, the Starlight Academy will have at least tens of thousands of students.

This would basically reach the average number of wizard apprentices produced by a medium-sized human plane.

Large wizard factions, which often have hundreds of thousands of wizard apprentices, do so because they control multiple human planes and have a broad base of potential recruits.

"How about the number of wizards?" Su Nan asked next.

"Currently, there are seven."

Su Nan raised an eyebrow; he remembered there being only five previously.

"Who are the two new wizards?"

"Xie Man and Ke Lei."

This answer genuinely surprised Su Nan.

"When did they advance?"

"Half a year ago," Lizze said. "They originally wanted to report their advancement to you, but you were either in the training room or locked up in the workshop, so they never got the chance."

Su Nan was speechless.

It seemed he wasn't the best teacher, having missed such a significant event in his disciples' lives.

"Good. It seems they have been diligent in their training. I can't neglect them as their teacher. Have them come to my study later."

Su Nan paused, then asked, "What about Adelle?"

Lizze shook her head. "Her potential is lacking. No matter how hard she tries, she can't advance to wizard through normal means."

Hearing the implication in Lizze's words, Su Nan asked with interest, "Do you mean there's an abnormal way?"

Lizze didn't speak, only glancing at the spellbook on the desk.

Su Nan was taken aback, his brows furrowing.

"You want Adelle to become a spectral form like you, and then reshape her body?"

Lizze's expression remained calm. "Only this way can Adelle gain more time and have a chance to advance to wizard."

"But this method isn't guaranteed to succeed, and it has a high risk of death," Su Nan said, frowning.

"I've already talked to Adelle, and she's willing to do it."

Su Nan fell silent, sighing inwardly.

Adelle usually seemed uninterested in enhancing her strength, but it never occurred to him that she was so determined to become a wizard that she would risk her life for a slim chance.

Perhaps her usual demeanor was just a cover for her disappointment and insecurity over her lack of potential.

After a long silence, Su Nan finally asked, "I'm curious, why are you willing to help Adelle extract her soul and transform her into a spectral form?"

Adelle couldn't possibly know about Lizze's past, so the idea of extracting her soul and transforming her must have come from Lizze.

Given Lizze's character, it was hard to imagine her doing this on her own initiative.

Even now, mentioning it to Su Nan, she might be subtly asking for his help.

Even if Adelle was only a third-tier wizard apprentice, the resources needed to reshape her body would still be considerable.

At least for an ordinary third-tier wizard apprentice, the resources required for reshaping her body would be a significant expense.

Under normal circumstances, the Star Alliance wouldn't expend such a great cost for a third-tier wizard apprentice with no significant value.

Lizze was silent for a moment, then said, "Her temperament suits me."

Su Nan chuckled.

Indeed, even wizards aren't emotionless blocks of wood.

Adelle had been with Lizze for so long, assisting with various tasks and receiving occasional guidance in her training. It was natural for some feelings to develop between them.

Adelle was nominally his student, but in practice, she and Lizze were more like teacher and student.

With this thought, Su Nan's expression shifted, half-smiling. "The cost of reshaping a body isn't cheap. What do you plan to offer to convince me?"

"What do you want?"

"Let's modify our previous agreement. After reshaping her body, you join the Star Alliance."

Lizze's expression faltered, and she gave Su Nan a sharp look before finally nodding.

"Alright, I agree."

"Then it's settled. Adelle's matter is in your hands. Take whatever you need from the warehouse. If we have good luck and it succeeds, I'll reshape her body once the planar barriers are fully repaired."

With that, Su Nan left the study without further ado.

Watching Su Nan's figure disappear, Lizze shook her head and let out a light laugh.

After being in the Star Alliance for so long and witnessing its potential, she had already considered reshaping her body and joining the Alliance.

Even without today's event, she would have brought it up eventually.

She knew Su Nan had seen through this, and their conversation was just a mutual understanding.

Even if she didn't pay the price, Su Nan would still have helped Adelle.

After all, she was his disciple.

The Star Alliance wouldn't normally expend such a great cost for a third-tier wizard apprentice.

But if that third-tier wizard apprentice was the disciple of the Star Alliance's leader, it was a different story.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end