Chapter 142: He's Not Interested in Star Tower?
Starlight Calendar Year 1256, Autumn Moon (October).
The chill in the air was already quite noticeable; this year's snow might arrive earlier than usual.
Inside the Meditation Room.
Su Nan sat cross-legged on the ground, slowly opening his eyes. A flash of joy quickly faded.
The fifteenth Star Ring had been successfully constructed!
“Only three more Star Rings left.”
Su Nan let out a long breath, suppressing the happiness in his heart as he opened his status panel.
【Su Nan · Aernest, Human Male】 【Spirit 48.03 / Physique 43.77】 【Skills】 Star Ring Meditation Lv16 (23/3,000,000) Potion Making Lv4 (8,345/10,000) Biological Modification Lv3 (3,025/6,000) Puppet Refining Lv5 (374/20,000) Magical Item Manufacturing Lv4 (5,031/10,000)
"Three million proficiency points; at the current rate, it will take about two years."
Su Nan’s lips curled into a faint smile.
The remaining three Star Rings should be completed within ten years. After that, only Spiritual Power and Talent Crystal will remain.
Looking down, among the four skills, the level of Puppet Refining was increasing the fastest, already at Level 5.
After all, Su Nan had been frantically refining various types of Golems in recent years, allowing his proficiency to rise rapidly.
On the other hand, Potion Making, which had been thriving, had slowed down. Most low-level potions were assigned to Apprentices within the Base, leaving Su Nan only to synthesize them. With fewer creations, the proficiency increase naturally diminished.
Magical Item Manufacturing and Biological Modification faced the same issue; he practiced them less frequently.
Especially the latter, which was only used when enhancing the Bloodline for Hidden Dragon and Death Knell Striker, causing the proficiency to hardly increase.
“Even so,” he thought, “to have raised four major skills to this level at the Wizard Apprentice stage, he’s the only one in the entire Starlight Continent.”
The other Apprentices did not have such abundant resources to practice with.
He stretched, and Su Nan took out his Trading House Key, patiently waiting until he felt it activate.
He immediately activated the Key and entered the Secret Forest Hut.
Tonight was the gathering at the Secret Forest Hut, held once every three months.
The new member hadn’t attended the last gathering; Night Owl mentioned that they had other matters to attend to, but they should be here this time.
Opening his eyes, Su Nan looked around and, as expected, spotted the new member.
They were wearing a gray robe, and the faint glimpses of the Magic Patterns indicated it was clearly a Magic Item.
The robe covered their body completely, and the only exposed part, their face, was hidden behind a simple white mask.
The other members of the Secret Forest Hut were also discreetly assessing the new member.
After waiting patiently for a while and seeing that no one else was coming, Night Owl announced the start of the gathering.
"First, let me introduce our new member. This is the ninth Wizard Apprentice of the Secret Forest Hut."
Night Owl turned to look at the Gray Robe Man wearing the white mask.
"According to the rules, the real identities of all Secret Forest Hut members are confidential and must not be disclosed. For ease of address, we all have our own code names. You should choose one too."
The Gray Robe Man pondered for a moment before saying, “Then call me Hunter.”
As Hunter's deep voice faded, the word ‘Hunter’ slowly appeared on the table in front of them.
"Welcome to the fold, Hunter."
Night Owl smiled slightly.
"Now, let us begin tonight's transactions."
What followed was the familiar process of trading.
With the exception of Black Forest and Traveler, all the other members were present, successively taking out items to trade with one another.
Hunter observed the trading process without revealing his analysis, quickly noticing that the Wizard Apprentice called Player seemed to have an unusually large supply of resources.
Not only did Player take out a significant amount of First Order Potions and Alchemy Magic Items for trade, but when they bought items from others, they actually paid with the incredibly rare Magic Stones!
From the others' accustomed expressions, it didn’t appear to be an unusual occurrence at tonight's gathering.
Seeming to notice Hunter's surprise, Scepter, who was sitting beside him, chuckled and explained in a low voice, "Player is the wealthiest among us, possessing a vast amount of resources. Ever since he joined Secret Forest Hut, our organization's transactions have soared to new heights."
"I see."
Hunter glanced at Su Nan in astonishment. Noticing his gaze, Su Nan turned to him and gave a slight nod. Hunter quickly returned the nod as a sign of respect. He could tell that the others regarded Su Nan with a certain degree of reverence. This was clearly not solely because of his numerous resources, but also likely due to his power.
After all, he was a Level Three Wizard Apprentice with a profound foundation and formidable strength. Hunter made his assessment.
The transactions proceeded swiftly, and Hunter made two purchases himself—one bottle of First Order Potion from Su Nan and two Sun Grass from Rose. Soon, it was Hunter's turn to sell his items.
To everyone's astonishment, he produced a stone engraved with a sigil. The expression beneath Su Nan's mask changed immediately.
Amidst the puzzled gazes, Hunter spoke with a significant tone: "Everyone, this is a Key."
"A Key that can enter Star Tower!"
As his words settled, the five others present, excluding Su Nan, were taken aback.
"One of the three great inheritances, Star Tower?"
"Is this for real?!"
"Do you know where Star Tower is?"
Even Night Owl couldn't help but cast a stunned look at Hunter. He had never imagined that Hunter's first transaction after joining Secret Forest Hut would involve such a significant item! That is, of course, if Hunter's claim was true.
As if he had just thought of something, a contemplative look appeared in Night Owl's eyes. Scepter was the first to regain his composure. He said in a deep voice, "How can you prove that what you’re saying is true?"
Hunter seemed to anticipate this question and replied slowly, "I can make a Vow Contract."
Hearing this, the others had their doubts dispelled, and their gazes toward the rune stone became fervent. After all, it was the Star Tower—one of the Starlight Continent's only Three Great Wizard Heritages! It was said that anyone who could enter it had a very high chance of advancing to a formal wizard.
On the Starlight Continent, where resources were scarce and elements were barren, there was practically only one hope for the Level Three Wizard Apprentices: to achieve the rank of Wizard!
“The Star Tower opens once every twenty years, and each time its location is random. Only those who possess the Key can find and enter the Star Tower. As far as I know, the next opening will be in ten years.”
As Hunter spoke, the eyes of everyone present began to shine with anticipation.
“Name your price,” Undead's hoarse voice struggled to hide his eagerness, his gaze locked onto Hunter. “What do you want in exchange?”
Hunter remained silent, instead looking toward Su Nan.
At this, the hearts of everyone present skipped a beat.
They had almost forgotten that the Player was also in attendance!
If he sought the Star Tower Key, no one here could compete with him!
To their surprise, however, Su Nan shook his head. “I’m not interested; you all can trade.”
Hunter was momentarily stunned.
He had hoped to use the Star Tower Key to extract a hefty sum from the wealthy Su Nan, but he never anticipated that Su Nan would defy expectations.
Could it be that he wasn’t interested in the Star Tower?
That seemed improbable!
Were there truly any Level Three Wizard Apprentices in this world who weren’t captivated by the Star Tower?
Hunter was thoroughly puzzled.
Rose, Scepter, Red Heart, and Undead were equally taken aback, confusion etched on their faces as they tried to understand Su Nan’s lack of interest.
Only Night Owl remained composed, having grasped the essence of the situation.
“Star Tower, Starry Sky Empire—who would have thought there was actually a connection between the two? I previously assumed the similar names were merely coincidental.”
As everyone regained their composure, realizing that the Player truly didn’t intend to bid, their spirits soared.
As long as the Player remained inactive, their chances of obtaining the Star Tower Key would significantly increase.
Hunter, however, felt greatly disappointed and reluctantly declared, “My first choice would be a Potion and a Gem. Other items may also be considered if their value is adequate.”
No sooner had he spoken than Undead eagerly interjected with his bid.
“One Gem worth ten thousand Gold Coins, plus five Miniature Soul Crystals!”
Immediately after, the others, unwilling to be outdone, began to voice their own offers one after another.
"Two bottles of Tranquilizing Potion, plus a gem worth twenty thousand gold coins!"
"A gem worth thirty thousand gold coins!"
The price climbed higher and higher.
This was likely the most intense bidding war since the establishment of Secret Forest Hut.
Everyone looked determined to obtain the Key.
Su Nan sat calmly to the side, observing the five people competing against each other.
If given the opportunity, he too would want the Key of Star Tower. Though he already possessed one, he could give it to Ke Yi.
However, the fervent determination displayed by Night Owl and the others made it clear they were willing to pay a high price for the Key.
If acquiring the Key meant he would have to expend significant resources, he would prefer to abstain.
After all, allowing Ke Yi access to the Star Tower was primarily for obtaining the Dawn Potion, which could extend life. He could simply wait until Ke Yi entered the Star Tower and then find a way to secure a bottle for him.
In truth, Su Nan was more curious about how Hunter came into possession of this item.
As far as he knew, the Key of Star Tower seemed to exist only in Evans.
"Could it be that Hunter knows someone from Evans? Or did he acquire it by force?"
Come to think of it, Night Owl had once mentioned that Hunter escaped from Saulo of the Eternal Life Society; could this be somehow related to the Society?
Various possibilities flashed through Su Nan’s mind.
Just then, the bidding war for the Key of Star Tower concluded.
In the end, Scepter secured the Key of Star Tower for a staggering price of thirteen bottles of Tranquilizing Potion and a gem worth sixty-two thousand gold coins.
Su Nan was not surprised by this outcome.
After all, before he joined Secret Forest Hut, Scepter had always been the most generous member.
If his assumptions were correct, and Scepter indeed came from the Azure Gold Empire's royal family, then his generosity was understandable.
The Azure Gold Empire was undoubtedly the most powerful nation on the Southeast Region continent.
Tranquilizing Potion was a First Order Potion used to aid in Meditation, valued at about three hundred gold coins each.
In the end, after calculations, Scepter had spent nearly sixty-six thousand gold coins to obtain the Key of Star Tower.
The price was undeniably steep.
However, looking at Scepter's expression, it was clear he was very satisfied with the outcome.
Rose Heart and Undead appeared somewhat reluctant. Unfortunately, their resources were limited, and they could only swallow their discontent.
Su Nan cast a long look at Hunter. The fact that Hunter was willing to trade away the Star Tower Key indicated he likely possessed another key, or perhaps even more. It was possible that similar trades might occur again in the future.
Frostfall Moon (November).
Specks of white snow began to fall to the earth. This year's snow had indeed arrived early. Compared to the biting cold and howling winds above, the temperature in the Underworld had only dropped slightly.
Within Youhu City, the Man-Faced Lion Warriors still roamed the streets with their upper bodies bare, as bold as ever.
Inside Base 2, in the laboratory, a wide workbench was covered in a dense array of test tubes, each filled with blood drawn from Death Knell Striker, each containing a uniform volume of 100 milliliters.
"This much blood should be enough," Su Nan murmured to himself as he opened the Magic Cube, placing the blood samples inside one by one, his eyes fixed on the synthesis interface.
As he added more blood, the Bloodline concentration on the synthesis interface steadily increased.
59.13%, 64.79%, 71.34%, 84.11%.
When fewer than eight test tubes remained on the workbench, the Bloodline concentration on the synthesis interface finally broke through 100%, and then the information abruptly changed.
【Shrieking Aberration Blood, purity 1.25%, contains 1 standard unit of Divine Energy. Upon injection into the human body, there is a very small probability of fusing with the Shrieking Aberration's Bloodline, and a very high probability of a rejection reaction. Severe cases can cause death. The stronger one’s Physique and Spirit, the higher the success rate of fusion and the lower the rejection reaction.】
"It worked!" Su Nan exclaimed in joy.
Just as he had suspected, even without increasing Death Knell Striker's Bloodline concentration, he was still able to create Divine Energy by synthesizing the blood. Although the description stated that it contained only a small amount of Divine Energy, it at least proved that his method was correct.
Su Nan immediately took action, extracting the Divine Energy from the blood and absorbing it on the spot.
Unlike the Divine Energy obtained from the gods, the Divine Energy generated naturally within this Divine Being had no Faith Power and was free of faith-based contamination. It was extremely pure and could be absorbed directly.
After digesting the Divine Energy, Su Nan checked his panel and discovered that his Spirit had increased by 0.25.
"Not bad!"
Su Nan smiled contentedly.
After all, it was only one standard unit of Divine Energy, which was far less than the amount he had extracted from the God Remains initially. An increase of 0.25 in Spirit was already quite significant.
The crucial point was that this was sustainable.
As long as the Death Knell Striker was still around, he could continually draw blood and artificially produce Divine Energy, essentially providing him with a new method to regularly enhance his Spiritual Power.
"It takes roughly eight months' worth of blood to produce one standard unit of Divine Energy."
"That means an average annual increase of about 0.37 in Spiritual Power."
"No, that's not quite right. The further you progress, the harder it is to improve Spiritual Power, so subsequent increases should gradually decline."
"Even so, this will still significantly shorten the time it takes for my Spiritual Power to break through 60."
Su Nan thought of the Death Knell Striker, locked away in the Confinement Zone.
Considering its significant contribution, he planned to relocate it from the Confinement Zone to a more comfortable environment later.
After all, living in a dark dungeon and having its blood drawn daily could lead to depression.
Of course, security would still have to be tight.
Fortunately, he didn't need the Mithril Golem at the moment, so he would assign it to guard the Death Knell Striker.
(End of this chapter)
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