Chapter 185: Forbidden Zone and Black Thunder
In the eyes of many Wizards, Wizard Artifacts are the only true Magic Items.
Those below them, such as Alchemic Grade and Glimmer Grade, are merely substandard and inferior products.
Even the lowest-grade first-order Wizard Artifact is far more powerful than Dim Magic Items.
High-level Wizard Artifacts are not even inferior to legendary Divine Artifacts.
Inside the brightly lit workshop, the wide workbench was covered with a dense array of Dim Magic Items.
All of these were crafted by Su Nan during this period.
Su Nan had long since determined the types of Wizard Artifacts he would create.
First, there was the defensive Wizard Artifact, which was indispensable.
Given the Extreme Protection Ring's outstanding performance in the past, Su Nan decided that the new defensive Wizard Artifact would continue to use this type.
In addition to physical attacks, force field defense also provides excellent protection against intangible threats, such as soul impacts.
However, Su Nan's plans did not stop there.
Simple defense was no longer enough to satisfy his ambition.
It would be ideal to add additional functionalities while maintaining protection.
Adding offensive capabilities was clearly impossible.
Even for the Magic Pattern Core, which excelled in both offense and defense, the two functions were separate and could not be performed simultaneously.
The same was true for Magic Items.
However, while offensive capabilities were not feasible, some auxiliary abilities—such as crowd control or debuffs—were.
Coincidentally, Su Nan discovered many Magic Item design diagrams in the books from the Star Tower. He drew inspiration from them, borrowed elements from several Magic Items, and conducted research to create a new Alchemic Magic Item himself.
The reason it was classified as Alchemic Grade was that creating a new Dim Magic Item was too challenging.
Ultimately, it could be strengthened through synthesis, so Su Nan naturally opted for the simpler method as long as he could design the desired functions.
The final magic ring still maintained the Protection Ring's invisible force field defense, but instead of closely adhering to the body's surface, the force field expanded significantly, forming a spherical protective barrier with a radius of one meter centered on the wearer.
All enemies who enter this force field will be suppressed, experiencing the effects of a Heavy Pressure buff that significantly restricts their movements.
In this way, the new Magic Item achieved a dual effect of defense and crowd control.
However, with this increase in functionality, the effectiveness of each individual function diminished.
The most noticeable drawback was the decreased defensive capability of the force field protection.
Nevertheless, Su Nan was unconcerned; he believed that Magic Cube synthesis could resolve this issue.
He placed the rings one by one onto the workbench and initiated the synthesis process.
After inserting twenty-six rings, the synthesis interface instantly displayed the words "Wizard Artifact."
However, this was only the lowest grade of Wizard Artifact, and Su Nan did not stop there—he continued to add more rings.
With each additional ring synthesized, Su Nan took out the Wizard Artifact to gauge its capabilities.
The usage of a Wizard Artifact was also constrained by Spiritual Power.
Without sufficient Spiritual Power, attempting to use a high-level Wizard Artifact would only result in backlash, rendering it a futile endeavor.
He had to ensure that the power of the Wizard Artifact did not exceed his own limits.
It wasn't until he had synthesized seventy-eight rings that Su Nan finally felt a burden close to his maximum capacity.
"Is this the limit?"
Su Nan glanced at the synthesis interface, which still displayed the level as 'first order.'
He sensed that this Wizard Artifact was still quite far from breaking through to second order.
But his current strength could only manage this level.
"Once my refinement progress improves, I’ll return to continue synthesizing."
Su Nan took out the ring, put it on, and activated it.
In an instant, the surrounding air seemed to warp, and an invisible wave radiated from Su Nan in all directions.
Crack!
The metal workbench before him suddenly flattened, as if an invisible giant hand had pressed down upon it.
Accompanied by a loud, ear-piercing sound, the workbench—crafted from demonized refined iron, much harder than Steel Golem—turned into a pile of mangled scrap metal in the blink of an eye.
Su Nan cursed his carelessness and promptly focused his mind, causing the Heavy Pressure enveloping the scrap metal to dissipate.
As the user of the Wizard Artifact, he could determine the target of the force field.
"The force field has a radius of about five meters," he thought, nodding to himself.
This was practically equivalent to a Small Domain.
Judging by the work table, which had been reduced to scrap metal, this force field, classified as Heavy Pressure, was enough to easily obliterate a first-ring legend.
However, it still needed concrete testing.
Su Nan teleported to the Cultivation Area and summoned several Mithril Golems and Secret Puppets to begin the tests.
The results were highly satisfactory.
Even a powerhouse like a Mithril Golem found it difficult to move within the force field's range.
The Secret Puppet of Fourth Circle Legend could barely move under the Heavy Pressure, its speed comparable to that of a seventy or eighty-year-old person.
It's safe to say that any creature below the Wizard level, once caught in the force field, would have to exert all its strength just to resist the Heavy Pressure, leaving it unable to do anything else.
If deployed against a level one Second-Ring Legend creature, the initially auxiliary effect of Heavy Pressure could become a terrifying killing force.
In terms of defense, it converted to roughly fifty-three thousand to fifty-five thousand defense points.
That’s a full fifty times that of the Extreme Protection Ring!
Such astonishing defensive power was nearly as impressive as his talent, 'Liquid Metal'.
Of course, 'Liquid Metal' provided instantaneous damage defense, while the force field offered continuous damage defense. Once the energy was depleted, it required recharging for reuse, so its overall defensive effect was still inferior to the former.
Perhaps the only advantage was that it could be produced in batches.
"It’s a pity there isn’t a Wizard-level combatant to assist with testing; we can’t obtain more specific data."
Su Nan felt a twinge of regret.
Even so, the test results he had gathered were already quite satisfactory.
"I need to give it a new name."
Caressing the ring's bumpy surface adorned with intricate patterns, Su Nan quickly had an idea.
"Let’s call it 'Forbidden Zone.'"
Synthesizing the Forbidden Zone had nearly exhausted all the rings, so Su Nan had to set aside the idea of creating a second one.
Like the Extreme Protection Ring, he aimed to synthesize at least five 'Forbidden Zones' to carry with him.
No one would deem it excessive to have multiple life-saving methods.
However, the number of Magic Items needed to synthesize a Wizard Artifact was quite significant; he estimated it would require some time to accumulate what he needed.
After successfully creating a defensive Wizard Artifact, the next step would naturally be to develop an offensive Wizard Artifact.
In this regard, Su Nan developed a fondness for a type of Dim Magic Item called "Black Thunder," which he encountered in the design diagrams of the Star Tower.
The primary materials for creating Black Thunder were sourced from the depths of the Lightning Elemental Plane. This particular stone had been bombarded by thunder for countless years. After centuries, all impurities and residues were obliterated by the thunder, leaving only the most refined essence, rich in violent Lightning Element Energy Particles.
When activated, the Black Thunder—crafted from Thunder Stone—could transform these Energy Particles into a furious, pitch-black thunder, unleashing a powerful strike upon its target.
Su Nan valued this simple, direct, and potent form of attack, especially since he already possessed the "Liquid Metal" for agile strikes.
Among the materials procured from the Star Tower, there were several Thunder Stones. Su Nan spent a month refining more than a dozen Black Thunders, ultimately synthesizing an ultimate Wizard Artifact.
With the power of this attack Wizard Artifact, even someone as formidable as the Secret Puppet would struggle to withstand it. Thus, he sought a deserted location to test the power of the Black Thunder before halting further experimentation.
To obtain more detailed data, he would likely need to wait until Hidden Dragon evolved into the Dragon Clan, at which point he could find a suitable test subject.
With the remaining Thunder Stones, Su Nan planned to create additional Black Thunder to synthesize a second Wizard Artifact. However, if he wanted to produce more Black Thunder Warlock Tools, he would have to venture to the Lightning Elemental Plane to gather more Thunder Stones.
Although a First Level Wizard did not yet possess the ability for inter-dimensional travel, they could still briefly access the Elemental Plane. However, the Lightning Elemental Plane was regarded as one of the most perilous among the various Elemental Planes. Out of caution, Su Nan planned to strengthen himself and gather more trump cards before entering.
It is worth noting that during the testing of the Forbidden Zone and Black Thunder, Su Nan identified a significant issue—charging the Wizard Artifact.
The Wizard Artifact was immensely powerful, and once its energy was depleted, the Energy Particles required for its recovery were far greater than those needed by a Dim Magic Item. This resulted in the charging process for the Wizard Artifact being exceedingly lengthy in the current environment of the Starlight Continent.
Preliminary estimates indicated that it would take approximately two months for the Forbidden Zone to recharge completely.
"Black Thunder, as it can only absorb Lightning Element Energy Particles, charges much more slowly, taking about eight months to reach full charge.
The only advantage is that Black Thunder's power is unaffected by energy depletion.
After all, its strength comes from stored Energy Particles.
"In the future, if I encounter combat, I should strive to use Liquid Metal as much as possible."
Compared to spells and magic items, Liquid Metal’s consumption is significantly lower.
Inherent talent energy is less affected by energy depletion, and Liquid Metal is not heavily reliant on the concentration of Energy Particles, so the impact is even smaller.
If it weren't for that, Su Nan's combat power as a wizard would likely be weakened to the point where he wouldn't be much stronger than a Level Three Wizard Apprentice.
Putting away the wizard artifact, Su Nan let out a long breath.
The crucial issues regarding potions and the wizard artifact have been resolved, allowing him to redirect his focus to other matters.
Such as puppets.
During this period, Su Nan took the opportunity to complete two more high-end Small Golem Legion combat forces, bringing the total in the Star Alliance to six Small Golem Legion forces.
More precisely, there is one Medium Golem Legion and six Small Golem Legions.
A seventh Small Golem Legion is also in formation.
However, the primary responsibility for refining the Golems lies with the Base’s Apprentices, while Su Nan only oversees a small number of high-level puppets, which does not consume much of his energy.
His primary focus is on Secret Puppets.
During the two years he had been away, the Star Alliance successfully developed three Silver Mines, including one Medium Silver Mine, accumulating nearly thirty kilograms of Mithril.
That’s nearly enough to refine two Secret Puppets.
However, Su Nan does not intend to do so.
In the past, he had to refine a simple version of the Secret Puppet due to limitations in his skills, materials, and strength.
Now that he has the necessary materials, and his strength and skill levels have improved, he can naturally attempt to refine the original version of the Secret Puppet.
The complete version of the Secret Puppet possesses combat power comparable to that of a formal wizard!
"A complete Secret Puppet requires about thirty-six kilograms of Mithril."
Having just made a considerable profit from the Space Ring of Star Tower and the Truth Council, Su Nan had acquired over ten kilograms of Mithril, in addition to what he already had stored in his Long Lin warehouse. This was more than enough to refine a complete version of the Secret Puppet.
"The Wizard-level Spiritual Power and Level 5 Puppet Refining are also adequate for this task," he thought.
In addition to Mithril, a complete version of the Secret Puppet required a substantial amount of gems, rare metals, and, most importantly, medium soul crystals.
Su Nan was well-supplied with all these materials, as his Space Ring was overflowing with them, all gained from his dealings with the Star Tower and the Truth Council.
However, having just finished crafting the Wizard Artifact, Su Nan planned to rest for a few days to recover his spirit before embarking on the refinement of the Secret Puppet.
Returning to his study, Su Nan sat at his desk and casually picked up a book.
Over the past few days, he had completed reading the texts brought from the Star Tower.
In addition to acquiring knowledge, he also uncovered some secrets regarding events that had transpired a thousand years ago.
The emergence of Elemental Deserts in the Multiverse was not confined to just the Starlight Continent realm. Throughout history, countless similar realms had arisen.
The Wizards had also identified some patterns.
There were numerous reasons for the formation of Elemental Deserts, but only two were most common.
The first was the weakening of a realm's origin. In simple terms, this occurred when a realm’s lifespan approached its end, leading to a steep decline in Elemental Energy.
Elemental Deserts caused by this factor were irreversible and would only worsen until the realm’s origin completely dissipated, ultimately resulting in the annihilation of the entire realm.
The second reason was related to Plane Barriers.
The number of realms in the Multiverse was as vast as the stars, each bearing unique characteristics.
Not every realm contained gravity, soil, magma, sunlight, air, or water. Some realms were entirely empty, lacking even a single patch of land to stand upon.
However, any complete realm that fostered life would invariably possess elements of earth, water, wind, fire, lightning, and other forms of Elemental Energy; the only variable was the quantity.
These realms were separated from the Elemental Plane by a special layer of Plane Barrier, akin to gauze with countless tiny holes.
Through this layer of "Gauze," Elemental Energy could slowly flow into the realm.
The act of the Wizard Apprentice opening the Elemental Pool was akin to widening a specific hole in the "Gauze," thus increasing the influx of Elemental Energy.
However, a thousand years ago, the barrier between the Starlight Continent and the Elemental Plane underwent a change.
The holes in this layer of "Gauze" became smaller, leading to a significant decrease in the inflow of Elemental Energy, which caused the entire Starlight Continent to transform into an Elemental Desert.
To resolve this issue, before departing from the Starlight Continent, the Wizard formed an alliance to carry out a sealing repair on the Plane Barrier.
According to their estimates, in approximately two thousand years, the Plane Barrier of the Starlight Continent would be fully restored.
During this period, the entire Starlight Continent would remain isolated, and any being whose life level exceeded a certain threshold would find it impossible to enter or leave. Forcibly attempting to do so would inevitably come at a great cost.
In fact, many planes have similar restrictions, which is why high-level beings like Gods cannot easily descend to the material plane.
Furthermore, the Wizard had enhanced this restriction beyond the original rules of the Starlight Continent to prevent high-level life forms from entering or leaving, in order to maintain the gradually recovering elemental balance.
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