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Chapter 146: Clues of the Sub-Dragon Species, Base Administrators

As the Graduation Exam progressed intensely, outside of the Cave, Moritz and a group of instructors were discussing matters related to the academy.

"Dean, I heard that this year's graduates will all be joining the Knight Guard's exploration team in the Underworld. Is that true?"

"That's correct," Moritz nodded slightly. "This Graduation Exam is designed to prepare them for that—allowing these students to acclimate to the environment and combat conditions of the Underworld in advance."

"The Underworld is fraught with danger. Isn’t it a bit rushed for the students to embark on exploration missions right after graduation?" an instructor voiced with concern.

Moritz smiled gently. "This only demonstrates how much Lord Su Nan expects from this year's students."

"Don’t judge these students by the old standards. Our academy is part of the Starry Sky Empire, possibly the foremost academy on the entire Starlight Continent for cultivating Knights. Have you ever seen anyone transition from an ordinary person to a Knight in just four years?"

Everyone shook their heads. Not only had they never seen it, but they had also never even heard of such a phenomenon.

They had all spent years painstakingly cultivating, many dedicating two or three decades to achieve the rank of Knight.

Before becoming instructors at Dragonheart Knight Academy, they could hardly imagine a place in the world capable of transforming a group of individuals into Knights in just four years.

A touch of emotion appeared on Moritz's face. "The world they will explore will be completely different from ours, and from the Knights in the army. Naturally, the expectations placed on them will also be different."

The instructors present fell into deep contemplation, recalling the Magic Pattern Construct they had witnessed not long before.

It was a miraculous armament that, upon its revelation, would surely create a significant stir in the Knight world.

And this formidable armament was prepared specifically for these students.

Just as the Dean had asserted, the paths these students would embark on in the future were vastly different from those of their predecessors. It was no longer fitting to view them through the lens of outdated perspectives.

The open space in front of the Cave fell silent for a moment as everyone waited quietly.

In the Underworld, there was no day or night; time was measured solely through magical hourglasses.

The ten-hour assessment period passed in the blink of an eye.

"The moment time ceased, Sphinx, who had been meditating with his eyes closed not far away, suddenly opened them. He took out a whistle, walked to the entrance of the Cave, and blew into it.

The sharp whistle echoed deep within the Cave.

Before long, the sounds of flapping wings and footsteps emerged from within.

One by one, the students walked out of the Cave, led by the Red-eyed Crow.

Almost every student bore injuries, some more than others.

But thankfully, no one had died.

Moritz breathed a sigh of relief and immediately instructed others to bring out healing potions for the students. He then began to tally the scores.

While waiting, Xi En found Lu Ge and Suo La Nuo. Seeing that neither of them had sustained serious injuries, he felt relieved.

"How was your harvest?" Xi En asked.

"I only got twenty-five points," Lu Ge said nervously. "I don’t know what rank that puts me at."

"I got twenty-four points," Suo La Nuo replied, turning the question back to him. "What about you, Xi En?"

Xi En smiled slightly. "I had some good fortune. At the last moment, I defeated a Toad Monster and obtained a ten-point Crystal Ball, giving me a total of fifty-three points."

"Fifty-three points!" Lu Ge exclaimed, his excitement palpable. "That’s amazing! First place this time is definitely yours!"

Lu Ge's voice quickly drew the attention of those nearby.

"Xi En got fifty-three points? Really?"

"That’s incredible; my score isn’t even half of his."

"He truly deserves to be the top student!"

"Rossi and Kolen both scored in the forties, so it looks like first place will definitely be Xi En again."

The crowd buzzed with discussion.

Rossi and Kolen were strong contenders who had previously competed with Xi En for the top spot. If they were outmatched by Xi En, then the others didn’t stand a chance.

As expected, when the instructor announced the assessment scores, Xi En unsurprisingly took first place.

Lu Ge and Suo La Nuo also made it into the top fifty.

All three of them wore incredibly joyous smiles.

"Quiet!"

Moritz stepped forward, raising a hand to signal the crowd to settle down before loudly proclaiming,"

“Graduation Exam: This concludes your time here. From today onward, you are officially graduates of the Academy and, from now on, members of the Knight Guard,” the instructor announced.

“Next, you have a ten-day vacation. After your break, report to Youhu City, the island city you just saw. There, you will receive your equipment, and afterward, someone will assign your tasks.”

“Furthermore, those students who received the Dragon Blood Fruit should return to the Academy to claim their rewards.”

Having finished his instructions, Moritz led the students away.

At the same time, the list of students who passed the examination was placed on the desk in Su Nan's study.

“Xi En, hmm, looks like a promising talent,” Su Nan muttered, nodding slightly as he reviewed Xi En's file.

Based on the information, even without the Dragon Blood Fruit, Xi En would likely advance to Knight before the age of thirty through conventional cultivation methods. His talent already surpassed that of many aristocratic youths.

Although the overall quality of the common populace wasn't as high as that of the aristocracy, exceptionally gifted individuals occasionally emerged.

“Su Nan, prepare the Magic Pattern Constructs. Distribute them to the new students when they arrive so they can familiarize themselves with them for a while,” Su Nan ordered.

Four hundred and ninety-five sets of First Level Magic Rune Constructs and five sets of Second Level Magic Rune Constructs were already prepared and waiting in the warehouse, ready for deployment as soon as the personnel arrived.

"Yes, Master," Karolina replied respectfully.

"How much longer until Xie Man and Cole return?" Su Nan asked, following up.

"Lord Xie Man and Lord Cole sent a message three days ago. They are currently developing the third Magical Plant Garden. The seeds have been planted, and they can return once the first batch of Dragon Blood Fruit matures and is confirmed safe. We estimate it will take about two more months."

Su Nan nodded slightly.

This timeline would allow the new students to acclimate to the Magic Pattern Constructs and the Underworld. After two months, when Xie Man and Cole returned, he could begin forming exploration teams comprising Other: Wizard Apprentices and Rune Knights.

“How is the investigation into the Gloomy Land Dragon progressing?” Su Nan inquired.

Karolina immediately replied, "The team sent to investigate Ryan City found an entrance to a cave about a mile north. They discovered the mark of a Dragon Claw near the entrance and are now certain that the Gloomy Land Dragon originated from there."

As soon as she finished speaking, the Red Widow next to her interjected, "Opposite the entrance lies a hilly area, and we found numerous tracks of Sub-Dragon Species roaming around."

Su Nan's eyes lit up. "Is there a group of Sub-Dragon Species there?"

The Red Widow hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "It shouldn’t be. The sizes and shapes of the tracks vary significantly, belonging to different Sub-Dragon Species. We suspect that multiple species have been active in that area."

Su Nan furrowed his brow slightly.

Different Sub-Dragon Species exhibit vastly different living habits and environmental preferences.

For example, the Gloomy Land Dragon typically resides in dark, damp caves near lakes, while the Dragon Antelope prefers flatlands with suitable climates. As for the Volcano Dragon, it usually inhabits volcanic regions. Their preferred habitats are as contrasting as the North and South Poles.

The presence of many different Sub-Dragon Species in a single area is undoubtedly unusual.

"Search for the whereabouts of these Sub-Dragon Species; investigate their origin and why they have gathered there."

After pondering for a moment, Su Nan issued the order, then added another thought. "Once we locate those Sub-Dragon Species, capture them immediately—aim to bring them in alive."

Only live Sub-Dragon Species could continuously provide Subdragon Blood. When the Gloomy Land Dragon from Ryan City was delivered, its blood had already coagulated and was rendered nearly ineffective, which left Su Nan feeling a pang of regret.

"Yes, sir," Karolina and the Red Widow replied respectfully.

Once the two had left, Su Nan looked at the list on the table, a relaxed smile creeping across his face.

With this batch of Rune Knights, his manpower had suddenly increased significantly, alleviating his reliance on Vampires and Sphinxes.

Once they had adapted, he could form an exploration team with Puppets to expedite the search efforts.

Xie Man and Cole could lead two elite squads. It was a fortunate coincidence that the investigation of the Sub-Dragon Species required considerable manpower, making it ideal to assign them there when the time came.

Clapping the roster shut, Su Nan stretched his body, stood up, and left the study, returning to the surface.

He now spent most of his time at Base 2 in Youhu City, but he occasionally returned to Base 1 to monitor recent developments.

“Managing two Bases by myself is still a bit taxing; I can’t keep up with everything,” he sighed.

Although there were plenty of hands available and he no longer needed to personally handle most matters, his presence remained essential for higher-level management tasks.

Red Widow and Karolina showed some administrative talent, but they weren’t yet full-fledged Wizard Apprentices, and Su Nan was not entirely comfortable trusting them. Therefore, he had never considered handing over the management of the Base to them.

"It would be best to find a Level Three Wizard Apprentice to manage Base 1. That way, I wouldn’t be burdened with so much work; I could simply review reports regularly,” Su Nan mused to himself.

However, finding the right person was easier said than done.

Convincing a Level Three Wizard Apprentice to manage Base 1 wouldn’t be difficult; with sufficient benefits, he was sure someone would be willing.

The challenge was ensuring they wouldn’t betray him.

A Soul Contract?

That was unlikely to work; no Level Three Wizard Apprentice would willingly sign such a contract.

A Vow Contract might be a possibility, but it didn’t provide enough security.

After all, many secrets of Base 1 revolved around the Synthesis Cube, and if he wanted someone else to manage it, he had to be certain of their reliability and loyalty.

In short, choosing the manager of Base 1 was crucial and required great caution.

Lost in thought, Su Nan had already returned to Base 1.

Over the past two years, the number of students at the Base had increased by more than a dozen.

Now, the entire Base had 284 students.

Nearly three of them had already formed their second Star Ring.

Ethan and A'Tier were progressing the fastest. He estimated that within a year, they would both form their third Star Ring, becoming the third and fourth Second Level Wizard Apprentices of the Base, following Xie Man and Cole.

Walking along the path, students continually paused to bow and greet Su Nan.

Occasionally, he also encountered various strangely shaped creatures from other worlds.

Base Number 1 is now populated by otherworldly creatures summoned by Su Nan, their numbers nearly matching that of the students. The majority of these beings are spirit-type entities, such as Flower Sprites and Flower Fairies.

These otherworldly creatures primarily manage the various areas of the Base. Thanks to their presence, Base Number 1 operates smoothly, even in Su Nan's frequent absence.

Continuing his tour, Su Nan inspected each key area of the Base one by one. With the two Magical Plant Gardens still under development, Su Nan now possesses a total of twelve Magical Plant Gardens, numbered from 1 to 12.

The first Magical Plant Garden located in Base Number 1 is of utmost importance. After developing the seventh through twelfth Magical Plant Gardens, the output of Dragon Blood Fruit and Silver Moon Flower significantly increased, essentially meeting the needs of the Base, Knight Academy, and Black Rock Cavalry.

As a result, Su Nan removed Dragon Blood Fruit and Silver Moon Flower from the first Magical Plant Garden, replacing them with other, more valuable and rare magical plants. Now that there are sufficient hands to assist, if there's a future need to increase the output of Dragon Blood Fruit and Silver Moon Flower, they can simply develop a few more Magical Plant Gardens.

In the Insect Nest, a clumsy Gemstone Insect crawled slowly across the ground, its back shimmering with gems. With the rare metal provided by the Star Alliance for division nourishment, the number of Gemstone Insects has rapidly grown to 32.

The annual production of gems in the Insect Nest has also increased to over 1,100, which converts to roughly 20,000 Gold Coins. Although this profit is far less than that from the Star Alliance Mine, it is a steady income that doesn't carry the worry of resource depletion. Furthermore, this output is expected to gradually increase over time, indicating a bright future.

In the Workshop, the Magic Crystal Forging Furnace emitted a low rumble. Dozens of booths were occupied. Su Nan took a look around and found that most of the apprentices were refining Magic Mithril.

For the apprentices who have initially grasped magical item manufacturing, refining Magic Mithril is undoubtedly the most profitable task at Base currently.

"Those who accepted the task would go to the warehouse to collect Fine Gold and materials. After refining them and returning the finished products, they would receive a certain number of Contribution Points.

Of course, if they failed, they would have to bear the loss.

It's worth mentioning that the funds used to purchase Fine Gold were siphoned from the treasury of the Starry Sky Empire by Su Nan.

In the first few years after the war, most of the Starry Sky Empire's tax revenue was dedicated to restoring the people's livelihoods—especially the reconstruction of Frostbitten Province—resulting in a largely depleted treasury.

It was only recently that they began to gradually achieve a surplus.

Without saying a word, Su Nan had siphoned a sum from Ke Yi to refine the Mithril Golem.

The Dragon Blood Fruit supplied to the army over the past two years was not free.

Su Nan had previously considered the idea of separating Base and the Starry Sky Empire economically, making them independent entities. He planned to confront Ke Yi about this soon and initiate the process.

Only by transforming their ambiguous dependent relationship into a mutually beneficial trading relationship could Base and the Starry Sky Empire develop more effectively in the future.