Novels online

Chapter 157: An Unforeseen Path, Sub-Dragon Species Magical Pet

Starlight Calendar Year 1258, Blazing Fire Month (August).

After a slight, disorienting sensation of weightlessness, Xie Man's vision cleared. As she focused, she found herself in a spacious, brightly lit hall.

The hall was neatly arranged with numerous stone chairs and tables, where several apprentices were chatting and laughing.

"Is this the Dragon Bone Tower?" Lu Ge exclaimed, gazing at the hundreds of Everbright Pearls embedded in the ceiling.

Xi En, Suo La Nuo, and the other Rune Knights nearby shared equally surprised expressions.

Only Cole remained indifferent, seemingly unconcerned. He turned to Xie Man and said, "Let's report to the teacher first."

Just as Xie Man was about to nod in agreement, a familiar voice reached her ears.

"The teacher is currently in the laboratory and hasn’t come out yet, so you'll have to wait a while."

Xie Man turned to see A'Tier standing a few meters away, smiling at them.

A'Tier had not yet advanced to Second Level Wizard Apprentice when she last saw him, so he hadn’t participated in the opening of the new Magical Plant Garden or the exploration of the Underworld.

Counting the time, it had been almost two years since their last encounter, and seeing A'Tier again filled her with joy.

Cole's expression softened slightly as he nodded at A'Tier. "Long time no see."

He paused for a moment to observe A'Tier, and a look of surprise crossed his face. "A'Tier, you've broken through?"

Xie Man was momentarily stunned, then regained her senses and looked at A'Tier with surprise. "You've advanced to Second Level Wizard Apprentice!"

"Yeah," A'Tier replied, smiling. "I just broke through two months ago."

"That's great!" Xie Man said joyfully.

With his advancement to Second Level Wizard Apprentice, A'Tier was now qualified to participate in many Base missions. This meant they could return to the days when they acted together as a trio.

Cole managed a small smile as he added, "Congratulations."

"Thank you," A'Tier replied with a warm smile.

As the first batch of apprentices to enter the Base, the three of them shared a deep bond and a strong sense of camaraderie among all the apprentices.

Now that they were back on the same plane, their spirits were naturally high.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, A'Tier turned her gaze toward Xi En and the others.

"Are these the members of the Knight Guard?"

Xie Man nodded with a smile and pointed to Xi En. "This is Xi En, the current captain of the Knight Guard and the top graduate of the first class at Dragonheart Knight Academy. Don’t let his young age fool you; he already possesses the strength of an Advanced Knight."

"A'Tier, sir!" Xi En quickly bowed to A'Tier and said with a hint of restraint, "Xie Man, you flatter me. Compared to the three of you, my strength is insignificant."

His words were not mere humility. Those who had mastered the Spell of Second Level Wizard Apprentice wielded at least Grand Knight-level combat power, making an Advanced Knight seem quite trivial in comparison.

"Alright, let's skip the formalities," Cole interrupted, turning to A'Tier. "Since the teacher still has matters to attend to, we can report later."

"A'Tier, why don’t you show us around Long Lin? I haven’t seen the new Base yet."

When the Base relocated, Cole and Xie Man were still trapped in the Underworld and unable to participate.

Now that they had returned for a rare break, they were eager to seize the opportunity to explore the new Base.

Xie Man's expression brightened at this suggestion.

A'Tier had no objections and smiled in agreement. She then turned to Xi En and the others and said, "Base rules dictate that only Second Level Wizard Apprentices are allowed to move freely outside the Dragon Bone Tower area. Others are forbidden from leaving the Dragon Bone Tower unless they have accepted a mission. For now, you can only move within the tower, so please take this time to rest."

With that, she summoned a Clay Golem to escort the Rune Knights to their living quarters.

Having advanced to the Second Level Wizard Apprentice, the teacher had granted her some authority, allowing her limited command over the Clay Golem within the Dragon Bone Tower.

Once the Clay Golem departed with the others, A'Tier led Xie Man and Cole out of the Dragon Bone Tower.

Inside, it hadn’t felt significant, but upon exiting and seeing the overall appearance of the Dragon Bone Tower, which resembled a coiled giant dragon, both Xie Man and Cole were thoroughly shocked.

"This can't actually be a Giant Dragon Skeleton, right?" Xie Man exclaimed, clicking his tongue.

"That's right," A'Tier replied, his gaze filled with admiration as he looked at the Dragon Bone Tower. "Teacher said that the skeleton used to build the Dragon Bone Tower likely belonged to an ancient dragon that lived for over eight hundred years in its previous life."

This time, even Cole couldn't help but show an expression of utter astonishment.

"The person who built the Dragon Bone Tower must have been an extremely powerful wizard!"

A hint of longing flickered in Cole's eyes, but he quickly sighed. He, too, wanted to become a powerful wizard, but he was all too aware that whether his own talent and aptitude would even allow him to become a formal wizard was uncertain, let alone attain the level of power possessed by the builder of the Dragon Bone Tower.

After admiring it for a while, A'Tier summoned three Black Rock Leopards, and the three of them soon set off, riding on the creatures.

Zone 3 wasn't particularly large, and they quickly passed through a nearly invisible barrier, entering Zone 2.

As they surveyed the somewhat desolate wilderness and scattered patches of greenery, Xie Man expressed his surprise.

"Why is it so barren here?"

A'Tier explained, "Long Lin's Zone 2 was originally desolate. It’s actually better now; when the base first moved here, you couldn't even find a single blade of grass."

"According to Teacher, Zone 2 was initially used to cultivate the Dragon Clan, but now, since it's likely that you can't find any Dragon Clan on the continent, it's only utilized to grow magic plants."

Cultivating the Dragon Clan!

Xie Man and Cole were astounded. The mere thought of this place having previously served as a breeding ground for beings comparable to formal wizards left them in awe.

Despite their astonishment, the current state of Zone 2 offered little to admire. The Dragon Clan skeletons that had once littered the landscape had also been cleared away.

As they passed through the empty Zone 2, the three soon entered District 1.

The moment they crossed the barrier, a vibrant and lush green surged into Xie Man and Cole’s view with unstoppable force, instantly occupying their entire line of sight.

Towering trees, some tens of meters tall and others over a hundred, blotted out the sky, while the ground was covered in exceptionally lush vegetation, with even the undergrowth reaching heights of two to three meters.

In the distance, echoing roars of beasts and faint, heavy footsteps resonated through the air.

Everything before them felt like it had transported them to an ancient era.

As they gazed at the magnificent scenery, Xie Man and Cole subconsciously held their breath.

"It's astonishing, isn't it? When I first saw this scene, I felt just like you," A'Tier said with a smile, patiently waiting for them to regain their senses.

"Over ninety percent of District 1 is forest."

"This area is home to many rare magical plants and countless sub-dragon species."

"Among them, there are quite a few legendary-level sub-dragon species. Given the potential dangers, District 1 is currently restricted; only Second Level Wizard Apprentices are allowed to enter Long Lin to carry out tasks such as collecting sub-dragon blood or magical plants."

As she explained, A'Tier led the two deeper into the forest.

She seemed familiar with the area, carefully avoiding certain paths along the way.

According to her, those areas were frequented by legendary-level sub-dragon species, and it was best to avoid them whenever possible.

Otherwise, being discovered and chased would only waste Rune Gems on an escape.

Having walked just a thousand meters, Xie Man and Cole had already encountered no fewer than thirty types of sub-dragon species, marveling more at the wonders of Long Lin.

In the past, they could never have imagined that there was a place in the world dedicated to cultivating sub-dragon species.

While rare to find outside, sub-dragon species were abundant here.

Only fellow Wizard Apprentices would understand how precious this place was!

It was a land filled with living material aggregates!

"By the way, have you considered contracting with a magical pet?" A'Tier suddenly asked midway through.

Xie Man and Cole both nodded.

As Second Level Wizard Apprentices, they could contract with magical pets.

They had thought about this earlier, but they had yet to find a suitable candidate.

With their teacher's extraordinarily powerful magical pet as a shining example, they wanted to ensure they did not contract with just any ordinary magical pet.

“Have you ever considered a Sub-Dragon Species?” A'Tier asked, dropping a bombshell.

“Sub-Dragon Species?” Xie Man was stunned, shaking his head with a wry smile. “I’d like to, but the stronger the Exotic Beast, the harder it is to contract as a Magical Pet. Contracting a Sub-Dragon Species... I’m afraid that might be impossible, right?”

Cole also shook his head, saying, “Even the weakest Sub-Dragon Species has Grand Knight-level strength. With our current abilities, it’s impossible to successfully contract one.”

It was said that when their teacher contracted his Hidden Dragon, the creature was only at Peak Knight-level strength.

Surely, they couldn’t be more reckless than their teacher?

A'Tier laughed. “Of course, contracting an adult Sub-Dragon Species is out of the question, but there are many juvenile Sub-Dragon Species in District 1. We can consider them as targets. As long as we choose a race with a gentle temperament, the chances of success are still quite high.”

Xie Man and Cole were taken aback.

They had never thought to take this approach. After all, adult Sub-Dragon Species were rarely seen, let alone juveniles.

When they had contemplated getting a Magical Pet before, they had never even considered this possibility.

But now, listening to A'Tier, it seemed quite feasible!

Instantly, both Xie Man and Cole showed excited expressions.

If they could contract a Sub-Dragon Species as their Magical Pet, that would be incredible!

The growth potential of a Sub-Dragon Species far surpasses that of an ordinary Exotic Beast!

Once this idea took root in their minds, their perspective on the Sub-Dragon Species they encountered along the way became charged with undisguised enthusiasm.

Every time they spotted a Sub-Dragon Species, they began to assess whether it would be suitable for a Magical Pet contract.

Noticing their excitement, A'Tier chuckled, “The Dragon Bone Tower has detailed information on Sub-Dragon Species. After we return, just have Butler Number 1 make a copy for you.”

“Butler Number 1?” Xie Man asked, puzzled.

A'Tier explained, “It’s the intelligent assistant lifeform of Dragon Bone Tower. According to the teacher, it’s even more advanced than a Mithril Golem.”

Xie Man suddenly understood.

After taking a brief tour of District 1, the three of them finally began their return journey, still feeling a bit wistful that the adventure had to end.

On the way back, A'Tier suddenly recalled seeing Xi En and the others earlier and curiously asked, “I heard that the Knight Guard is equipped with Magic Pattern Constructs. How effective are they?”

“Very strong,” Xie Man said without hesitation, “much stronger than a typical Alchemy Magic Item.”

“Especially the Second Level Magic Rune Construct; it feels like it’s not much weaker than a Dim Magic Item,” Cole added.

“I heard there’s an even higher-grade Third Level Magic Rune Construct. I wonder how impressive its enhancement effect is?” he continued.

“The exchange list was just updated, and there’s now a Third Level Magic Rune Construct available. If you’re really curious, you could exchange for a set to give it a try,” A'Tier said with a smile.

She was merely joking, but she didn’t expect Xie Man and Cole to appear genuinely tempted. She was momentarily speechless.

“You’re not really considering exchanging for it, are you?”

Xie Man snapped back to reality and said, “When we explore the Underworld, we often get ambushed by monsters. It’s hard to guard against them, and many times we have to fight at close quarters. If we had a set of Third Level Magic Rune Constructs, our safety would be greatly increased.”

“Exactly,” Cole nodded in agreement.

“But you need to be a Grand Knight to use the Third Level Magic Rune Construct,” A'Tier pointed out.

“That’s simple; we can just exchange for a few high-level Dragon Blood Fruits,” Xie Man replied.

Second Level Wizard Apprentices generally already possess physical capabilities equivalent to Knight-level warriors.

Both Xie Man and Cole had physical attributes that had reached the Advanced Knight level. Consuming a Fourth-Level Dragon Blood Fruit would allow them to break through to the Grand Knight realm.

For other Wizard Apprentices, enhancing their physique was not an issue at all.

A'Tier thought it over carefully and realized that the two of them had valid points. She felt a twinge of temptation as well.

After all, once she mastered her Spell, she would undoubtedly need to explore the Underworld.

Having a Magic Pattern Construct would greatly enhance their safety.

Upon returning to the Dragon Bone Tower, A'Tier inquired with Butler Number 1 about the teacher’s whereabouts. After learning that the teacher had emerged from the laboratory and was now in the study, she led Xie Man and Cole to the tower level where the study was located.

“You guys can see the teacher yourselves,” A'Tier said, waving them off.

Xie Man and Cole straightened their clothes and knocked on the study door.

“Come in,” the teacher’s voice came from within.

Pushing the door open, they found the teacher sitting behind his desk, his eyes fixed on a piece of parchment laid out before him.

It appeared to be a map.

“Seeing you two rushing back to see me like this, does it mean there has been progress in your exploration?” Su Nan asked, pulling his gaze from the table to look up at them.

“Yes, Teacher,” Cole replied, speaking first. “We’ve wiped out the remaining Eye Demon Tribe in the north and continued our exploration northward. Just as you said, we discovered an Eye Demon City-State.”

“We managed to capture an Eye Demon,” the other added. “After questioning it, we confirmed that the City-State is called Giant Eye City, and the ruler is indeed a Nest Mother Eye.”

Su Nan nodded in understanding, his gaze shifting to the map.

It was a military map created based on the information provided by the Traveler.

The map clearly charted the detailed distribution of forces within a two-thousand-kilometer radius of the Star Alliance, including the major City-States, Tribes, and dangerous areas inhabited by powerful monsters or deadly anomalies.

Of course, considering the Traveler's limited individual capabilities, it would be impossible for him to explore every inch of this area completely; thus, the map undoubtedly has its omissions.

Even so, it will still be of great benefit to the Star Alliance's future expansion.