Chapter 170: Synthesis Hypothesis, An Unprecedented Model
With the Magic Pattern Core's formidable offense and defense, it was undoubtedly the best choice as the original model for the Talent Crystal.
At the very least, it was the best option among the resources Su Nan currently had on hand!
In fact, even when he first fused with the Magic Pattern Core, Su Nan had a vague plan in mind. This idea only gradually became clearer recently.
The Magic Pattern Core was originally constructed from a large number of Runes, and like the Talent Crystal Model, its essence was an aggregate of Runes. Thus, transforming it into a Talent Crystal Model wouldn’t be too difficult.
More importantly, the Magic Pattern Core could be endlessly upgraded and strengthened. As long as he was willing to devote the time, Su Nan could use the Magic Pattern Core as a template to create a Superior Talent Crystal model.
Given his current situation on the resource-scarce Starlight Continent, where he couldn't even access a Formal Wizard, this was undoubtedly the best outcome.
He estimated that in the present Starlight Continent, the method to construct an intermediate Superior Talent Crystal model could likely only be found in the Three Great Wizard Heritages.
However, since the Star Tower wouldn’t open for another six years, he didn’t plan to wait that long. Moreover, if the Star Tower lacked a Superior Talent Crystal model, would he not waste several years for nothing?
Weighing all this, it was clear that choosing the Magic Pattern Core as the foundational model was the best option.
Generally, the higher the level of the Talent Crystal Model, the more Runes it contained, and the complexity of the construction increased exponentially. Even the lowest-level Lower Talent Crystal Model contained between eight hundred thousand and one million Runes, far surpassing the Magic Pattern Core.
With such an astonishing number of Runes, the construction time would naturally extend into decades.
Intermediate and Superior Talent Crystal models were even more demanding in this regard.
In fact, many Wizard Apprentices met the standards for Star Ring and Spiritual Power but remained stuck at this stage, unable to complete a Talent Crystal Model even until their deaths.
Of course, there were ways to shorten the construction time for the Talent Crystal Model. Numerous Potions in the Wizarding World could accelerate the construction process.
"I possess God Blood Amber and a Transcendental Potion, which should enhance the speed at which I construct the Talent Crystal Model. However, it's still unlikely that I will be able to complete it before the Star Tower appears."
After all, creating a Superior Talent Crystal is significantly more difficult than working with a Lower Level one. Completing it within ten years would already be considered fast.
Unless there are other potions that can further increase the construction speed.
If I were to switch to a Lower Level Talent Crystal Model, then I could finish it before the Star Tower appears.
"Speaking of which, I wonder if the Talent Crystal Model can be synthesized?"
Suddenly, Su Nan had a flash of inspiration.
The Magic Cube can only synthesize physical objects, and since the Talent Crystal Model, like the Magic Pattern Core, is made up of runes and only requires a rare metal as a carrier, he was uncertain if it qualifies as a physical object.
"It's worth a try."
After contemplating for a moment, Su Nan quickly formulated a plan.
In any case, constructing the Superior Talent Crystal Model before the Star Tower opens is impossible. Therefore, it would be better to use the Magic Pattern Core as the foundational model, create a Lower Level Talent Crystal Model, and attempt to synthesize it.
If it fails, the only cost will be a few years, which he can view as gaining experience for building the Superior Talent Crystal Model.
But if it succeeds, it could yield tremendous benefits.
Perhaps he could even synthesize something more advanced than the Superior Talent Crystal Model—a groundbreaking Talent Crystal!
The advantages such a creation would offer him on his journey as a Wizard would be immeasurable!
"Definitely worth a try!"
Su Nan was resolute.
The third step in constructing the Talent Crystal Model is to solidify the model.
A Wizard Apprentice must inject Spiritual Power into the constructed model, filling it until it transforms into a crystalline form.
This process takes considerable time, often spanning years.
After all, the Spiritual Power of a Wizard Apprentice is like a drop in the ocean compared to what’s needed to solidify the model.
The entire process involves a repetitive cycle of injection and recovery of Spiritual Power.
The only way to expedite this is by using special items to accelerate the recovery of Spiritual Power, thereby reducing the overall time taken.
On this front, Su Nan had already made arrangements.
He just so happened to have a very suitable item on hand right now—Golden Apple!
After consuming the Golden Apple, one could gain the miraculous effect of limitless vitality. No matter how much physical strength and spiritual power were expended, the consumer could instantly recover to peak condition, with the effect lasting for about an hour.
This hour should be enough for him to complete the Superior Talent Crystal model.
"By next year's Resurgence Month, I should be able to construct the seventeenth Star Ring. After that, I can build the eighteenth Star Ring, raise my spiritual power to 60 points, and then begin creating the Talent Crystal Model."
"But before that, I'll finish the model."
Su Nan let out a long breath. He was going to be busy.
Manufacturing Soul Crystals, refining the Steel Golem, and synthesizing a new Second Ring Legendary Puppet.
Extracting the Multi-Winged Monster's blood to research the Bloodline Mark and gather Divine Energy.
Creating the Talent Crystal Model.
Each of these tasks would require a significant amount of time.
On top of that, cultivation could not be neglected.
Su Nan could already foresee how hectic his schedule was going to be.
"The establishment of the third Small Golem Legion needs to be added to the agenda as well."
Su Nan glanced at the few Space Rings in front of him.
Although the ambush against the Eternal Life Society had its twists and turns, it ultimately posed no danger, and the rewards were exceptionally bountiful.
Not to mention the Multi-Winged Monster, just these seven Space Rings had a total value of over five hundred thousand.
After all, the original owners were all top figures among Level Three Wizard Apprentices, each possessing considerable wealth.
With this money, the funding gap for establishing the third Small Golem Legion was significantly reduced.
Leaving the control center, Su Nan returned to his study and summoned Karolina and Red Widow.
"The Magic Knight Order that was on standby for Giant Eye City can be withdrawn."
After casually giving that order, Su Nan added, "From now on, if you discover any other tribes or city-states, report them to me immediately."
Karolina acknowledged the order and then asked with curiosity, "Does Master have other plans?"
Su Nan didn't hide anything. "I need a large number of souls to create Soul Crystals."
Karolina and Red Widow immediately understood.
The two of them were ruthless individuals by nature, so they saw nothing wrong in using the souls of living beings to create Soul Crystals. If they had possessed the technique to extract souls, they would have done it themselves long ago. Soul Crystals were such valuable items.
After checking on the progress of the exploration and confirming that there were no issues, Su Nan waved his hand, dismissing the two women. He then left Long Lin and returned to Base Number 1, heading straight for the Royal Palace.
When he arrived, he found Ke Yi in the midst of his martial arts training. Even as the ruler of a nation, Ke Yi had not slacked off in his cultivation; he practiced his Breathing Technique and martial arts diligently every day. With the ample support of Dragon Blood Fruit, he had already broken through to become a Second-Ring Legend Knight two months ago.
Achieving the rank of Second-Ring Legend Knight at just thirty-one years old was unprecedented in the entire Starlight Continent. However, at this level, if he wished to use Dragon Blood Fruit for rapid advancement, he would need to consume level six Dragon Blood Fruit. Unfortunately, the total amount harvested during an entire maturation cycle of the Magical Plant Garden was insufficient to synthesize even a single pill of that caliber. Moreover, one pill would not suffice; long-term consumption would be necessary.
Considering this, Ke Yi had reduced his intake of Dragon Blood Fruit. Otherwise, even if Su Nan could afford it, he wouldn't have enough funds to support such a habit. Nonetheless, as long as Ke Yi could advance to Third Circle Legendary Knight within six years in time for the opening of the Star Tower, there was no need to rush.
"Here."
When Ke Yi finished his training and approached, Su Nan tossed him a Rune Stone along with a bottle of Potion. Ke Yi reached out and expertly caught them, his face lighting up with delight as he examined the items.
He had long heard Su Nan speak of the ambush on the Eternal Life Society, and upon seeing the Rune Stone, he immediately understood that it was the Key to the Star Tower, while the Potion was the Dawn Potion.
After a moment, Ke Yi finally recovered from his excitement and, as if recalling something, asked, "Eternal Life Society?"
"The Eternal Life Society as an organization no longer exists in the Starlight Continent from this day forward," Su Nan replied with a faint smile.
"That's great!" Ke Yi's face radiated joy. The existence of the Eternal Life Society had been a highly dangerous and unstable factor for any national ruler.
After all, no one knew when that group of lunatics would strike again.
The fall of the Eternal Life Society was undoubtedly a blessing for the entire Southeast Region of the continent.
"I have something else to share with you," Su Nan said as he recounted what Rose had told him earlier.
After listening attentively, Ke Yi contemplated for a moment before responding seriously, "That's actually a very good proposal."
"The recent actions of the Azure Gold Empire have become increasingly brazen, almost overtly preparing to send troops against the Duchy. While I'm not afraid, fighting the Empire alone would be challenging. Even if I were to ultimately defeat them, other countries might seize the opportunity to intervene. It would be wise to gather a few more allies and take this chance to eliminate the Empire in one decisive blow!"
After all, the Azure Gold Empire had dominated the Southeast Region for hundreds of years, establishing a formidable foundation. Even with the Black Rock Cavalry and Golem Legion of the Starry Sky Empire, they couldn't claim absolute certainty of victory against the Empire.
Securing assistance from other countries would certainly help alleviate some of the pressure.
Furthermore, even if they successfully took down the Azure Gold Empire, it would be difficult for the Starry Sky Empire, given its current size, to absorb it completely. It would be more prudent to relinquish some benefits in exchange for reduced war costs, making it a worthwhile trade-off.
Su Nan nodded in silence. He was merely delivering a message, and the next steps were up to Ke Yi.
As for the ongoing war, apart from the arrangement with the Starry Sky Empire, Su Nan had no intention of involving himself further.
At this stage, most of his energy was directed toward increasing his strength and expanding the Star Alliance, leaving him with little bandwidth to engage with the surface conflict.
Regardless, with himself and the Star Alliance backing them, the Starry Sky Empire wouldn’t need to worry about defeat.
"If we go to war with the Azure Gold Empire, I hope to hire a Golem Legion from your side," Ke Yi proposed.
Su Nan considered this and agreed. He was already planning to assemble a third Small Golem Legion soon, so sending one to support the surface would not be a burden. Additionally, it would provide some revenue to alleviate financial pressures.
In the time that followed, Su Nan became quite busy.
After personally dismantling a few native tribes and one native city-state tribe, he amassed a substantial amount of Soul Crystals and began refining Steel Golems in large quantities for synthesis.
To synthesize a Second-Ring Legend of Elite Steel Golem, you need six Steel Golems, which amounts to a cost of about nine thousand Gold Coins.
Adding in constant spells and demonic modifications, the total cost is approximately twelve thousand Gold Coins—ten thousand Gold Coins less than a Higher Stone Golem of the same level!
This means that if all Elite Stone Golems and Higher Stone Golems in the Small Golem Legion are replaced with Steel Golems and Elite Steel Golems, about three hundred thousand Gold Coins can be saved.
Moreover, the cost of building a Small Golem Legion is only around seven hundred thousand Gold Coins.
This represents a reduction of over 40% in costs!
The wealth Su Nan obtained from ambushing the Eternal Life Society is already sufficient to construct a Small Golem Legion.
This is the greatest advantage of mastering the manufacturing of Soul Crystal technology!
Su Nan immediately resolved that he would no longer synthesize elites and Higher Stone Golems in the future; he would replace them all with Steel Golems.
Afterward, Su Nan attempted to synthesize a Third Circle Legend Puppet using Steel Golems. The final calculation revealed the cost to be as high as seventy-eight thousand Gold Coins, over twenty thousand Gold Coins more than a Mithril Golem.
"As expected, synthesis costs much more than refining," he muttered, shaking his head. He decisively concluded that refining Mithril Golems would be the better option.
Now, he could create Soul Crystals himself; all he lacked was Magic Mithril.
In the modification area of the laboratory, Su Nan used Mage Hand to control his blood, carefully drawing the last blood rune on the back of his hand.
As blood light flashed, a new Bloodline Mark was formed.
Looking at the scarlet mark on the back of his hand, a satisfied smile spread across Su Nan's face.
This was a Bloodline Mark he had made using Multi-Winged Monster blood, capable of controlling airflow and unleashing dense air blades in an instant.
He recalled how the Multi-Winged Monster had used this attack to kill Red Heart in seconds, highlighting its impressive power.
"Now I have another trump card," he declared.
Under the light, both of Su Nan's hands bore Bloodline Marks: one side marked with the Funeral Bell Mark and the other with the Air Blade Mark.
In the previous operation, all five Funeral Bell Marks had been used up, and only two new Funeral Bell Marks were re-drawn during this Su Nan time. There was just one Air Blade Mark, as it had been recently developed. To fill the palms of both hands with Bloodline Marks, he would need to accumulate a significant amount of fresh blood.
"Although it will slow down the absorption of Divine Energy, I already have two Divine Beings at my disposal, doubling the absorption rate. I can quickly make up for the delay," he thought.
During this Su Nan period, he hadn’t neglected the research on the Multi-Winged Monster’s Divine Energy and had already extracted some from its body. The only issue was that, having once received the worship of the Eye Demons, the Divine Energy within the Multi-Winged Monster was tainted with a trace of Faith Power. Though extremely weak, it was still a contamination. It needed to be synthesized through the Magic Cube to eradicate the contamination before it could be absorbed.
With this additional step, the absorption process would take longer. Nevertheless, with the extra Divine Energy provided by the Multi-Winged Monster, his Spiritual Power should reach 60 points faster than he had anticipated.
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