Chapter 188: Then Let’s Skip the Charging Phase
Starlight Calendar Year 1270, Spring Dawn Moon (March).
In the Starlight Continent, the first Wizard Academy was officially established, named Starlight Academy.
Long Lin welcomed more than five hundred apprentices as the inaugural students of Starlight Academy, marking the beginning of their academic journeys.
After overcoming the initial adjustment period, Starlight Academy quickly entered a phase of stable operation.
With a robust set of rules and regulations in place, Su Nan could afford to dedicate less effort to the Academy.
This allowed him to redirect his energy and focus on other pursuits.
In the Dragon Bone Tower, Fifth Level, No. 12 Workshop, the roar of the Magic Crystal Forging Furnace reverberated throughout the spacious area.
Su Nan stood before the workbench, his eyes fixed on the Puppet Doll resting atop it.
Having freed himself from his Academy responsibilities, he prioritized the refinement of the complete version of the Secret Puppet.
The complete version of the Secret Puppet did not feature High Rune Gem and diamond designs; instead, Su Nan focused on directly enhancing the original blueprint to bolster its combat capabilities.
This endeavor alone consumed more than four months of his time.
In contrast to the lengthy process of modifying the blueprints, the actual upgrading and modification of the Secret Puppet proved to be relatively straightforward.
After spending over half a month in the workshop, Su Nan successfully completed his task.
The body of the newly upgraded Secret Puppet continued to be predominantly constructed from Mithril and diamonds, but the quantity used was more than double that of the previous version.
As a result, both the hardness of its body and its affinity for Elemental Energy had been significantly enhanced.
Consequently, the control the new Secret Puppet exerted over Energy Particles improved immensely, approaching that of a formal wizard.
In addition to the original constant zero-ring, one-ring, and Second Circle Spells, Su Nan also incorporated the Third Circle Spell he had recently mastered into the Secret Puppet's framework.
About one-tenth of the books he had obtained from the Star Tower consisted of various spellbooks, which covered spells ranging from zero-ring to five-ring and encompassed a wide variety of types.
After advancing to Wizard, Su Nan was finally able to learn Third Circle Spells.
Just as there was an immeasurable difference between Wizards and Wizard Apprentices, the power of a Third Circle Spell far exceeded that of a Second Circle Spell, and its functionality was far more diverse.
For example, there was the Snow Rain Storm, which could dramatically alter the environment.
There was the Human Immobilization Spell, capable of paralyzing human, demi-human, or bipedal targets.
The Invisibility Orb could conceal multiple targets within a wide area, making them invisible.
The Greater Illusion was similar to a silent phantom but had a much greater effect.
There was also the advanced version of the Weakening Ray, known as the Enervation Ray.
Lastly, there was the Vaporous Form, which could transform a target into a phantom state, allowing them to glide slowly through the air.
The list continued.
In terms of both power and practicality, Third Circle Spells were incomparable to Second Circle Spells.
In fact, starting from the Third Ring, the potency of spells increased by more than one tier.
Until his advancement to True Spirit Wizard, spells remained one of the most crucial combat methods for a Wizard.
Su Nan estimated that he could master one Third Circle Spell in about a month.
So far, he had already mastered eleven Third Circle Spells, all of which were permanently engraved within the body of the Secret Puppet.
And this was merely the beginning.
As he mastered more spells, he would successively engrave them onto the Secret Puppet.
Overall, the upgraded Secret Puppet, though lacking a Talent Crystal, was no less powerful than a formal Wizard in terms of combat ability.
Even in special environments like the Starlight Continent, the combat power of the Secret Puppet was not significantly weaker than that of a Wizard, who faced many restrictions even without a Talent Crystal.
After all, the Secret Puppet had a very low dependence on external energy. It could rely entirely on the energy contained within Magic Stones to exert power in combat, giving it far better combat endurance than a Wizard.
This was sufficient to compensate for the absence of a Talent Crystal to some extent.
If Su Nan's Talent Crystal wasn't the ‘Liquid Metal,’ which was even more powerful than an Upper Level Crystal, he wouldn't be entirely confident in defeating a Secret Puppet well-supplied with Magic Stones every time.
"Once I permanently engrave more Third Circle Spells, its combat power will increase even further."
A satisfied smile spread across Su Nan's face.
Even with the unique environmental factors at play, its combat power comparable to that of a Formal Wizard had already left him extremely satisfied.
If there was one issue, it was the exorbitant cost.
Just the Mithril and Gem alone cost over two hundred thousand Gold Coins. The other materials, when all the miscellaneous parts were added, totaled nearly fifty thousand Gold Coins. Furthermore, the continuous consumption of various spells, especially Third Circle Spells, pushed the total expenses to a staggering three hundred and thirty thousand Gold Coins.
In addition, each battle Secret Puppet consumed a large amount of Magic Stones—ordinary Lower-Level Magic Stones were no longer sufficient to meet the Secret Puppet's needs; at the very least, mid-level Magic Stones were required. It could be said that each battle felt like throwing money away.
The high production costs and significant consumption made it a veritable money pit!
However, when faced with its remarkable combat abilities, this shortcoming remained bearable.
It was only thanks to Su Nan having the Synthesis Cube; if it were any other Wizard, not even thirty or seventy to eighty thousand Gold Coins would be enough to refine a Puppet of Formal Wizard level.
Su Nan planned to refine two Secret Puppets for deployment in the Star Alliance's expansion operations. With two Secret Puppets assisting him, he could avoid taking action himself.
After handling the matter of the Secret Puppets, Su Nan began researching Rune Inscription.
The knowledge of Rune Inscription stemmed from the books he had brought out from the Star Tower. It must be said that for Su Nan at this stage, those books were a veritable treasure trove, constantly providing him with new insights.
Rune Inscription, like Magic Tattoos, belonged to the enchanting craft. However, the former was more advanced, an improved technique that Wizards had developed based on Magic Tattoos.
Magic Tattoos involved the art of tattooing spells onto the surface of human skin, allowing the spells to be activated and released during battle—essentially storing multiple spells that could be unleashed instantly.
Rune Inscription was different. It involved inscribing specific enchanting characteristics onto the surface of human skin in the form of imprints. Although the form was similar to that of Magic Tattoos, the enchanting characteristics that could be integrated—in terms of both variety and effects—far exceeded those of Magic Tattoos, making them incomparable to ordinary spells.
Another advantage was that Rune Inscription would not manifest on the surface of the skin, meaning that during battle, there was no risk of it being recognized by the enemy in advance.
Besides, Rune Inscription occupied even less skin area.
A normal person could tattoo, at most, six or seven Magic Tattoos on their body, but if they used Rune Inscription instead, they could easily inscribe more than ten.
No matter how you look at it, Rune Inscription completely outclassed Magic Tattoos.
However, the requirements for inscribing Rune Inscriptions were notably more stringent.
Only Spirits and Formal Wizards whose physical strength had reached a certain level could withstand the violent energy fluctuations generated when activating Rune Inscriptions without suffering backlash.
"Rune Inscription, huh?"
A look of contemplation appeared on Su Nan's face.
After advancing to Wizard, his strength had indeed undergone earth-shattering changes.
However, due to environmental limitations, many combat techniques were somewhat restricted.
For example, Spell power was weakened, and the Spiritual Power consumed was difficult to recover quickly outside of an Elemental Pool.
Magic Items charged slowly, requiring a long time to reset between uses.
Bloodline Marks were also no longer keeping pace with the growth of his strength.
Unless he was willing to consume more Death Knell Striker and Multi-Winged Monster blood to create more powerful Bloodline Marks.
However, that was impossible.
Rather than using blood to create Bloodline Marks, Su Nan preferred to use it to extract Divine Energy, which would accelerate the growth and condensation of his Spiritual Power.
The same was true for High Rune Gems.
The principle of a High Rune Gem was to use the energy from the Rune it contained to trigger the surrounding Energy Particles, unleashing significant Elemental Energy damage.
Therefore, when the concentration of Energy Particles was low, the damage naturally decreased.
No matter how much Su Nan increased the synthesis quantity, the power of the High Rune Gem had its limits.
Although it was somewhat stronger than when he was an Apprentice Wizard, it was still very limited.
At least, it was far from keeping up with the growth in Wizard power.
After considering everything, the only combat technique Su Nan could use without any restrictions was Liquid Metal.
The other combat methods either had reduced power or consumed too much energy.
In light of this, Su Nan had recently been contemplating researching a new combat technique.
Rune Inscription was one of his options.
Of course, a simple Rune Inscription would not be enough.
In essence, Rune Inscription is a type of Magic Item.
It absorbs Energy Particles during non-combat periods, storing them up, and then activates this energy during combat, transforming it into an enchanted effect that is released.
Like Forbidden Zone and Black Thunder, Rune Inscription also requires charging.
This means it is similarly influenced by the current environment of the Starlight Continent.
To make Rune Inscription a viable combat method, this issue must be addressed first.
After much contemplation, Su Nan finally devised a solution.
Since charging is so troublesome, why not bypass this step altogether?
If Rune Inscription were made into a disposable consumable, akin to High Rune Gems, there would be no need to worry about charging, right?
To achieve this, the first step is to change the carrier of the Rune Inscription.
For instance, switching the carrier from the human body to a gem.
However, while this may sound straightforward, accomplishing it is far from easy.
A pure gem cannot withstand the intense energy fluctuations that occur when the Rune Inscription is activated—not even high-grade gems.
If the carrier's tolerance is inadequate, it cannot replace the human body at all.
In response, Su Nan set out to improve the process from two angles.
The first is to enhance the quality of the gem.
By referencing the manufacturing principles of Rune Gems, high-grade gems would be selected for enchantment treatment, increasing their adaptability and capacity for Energy Particles.
The second approach is to reduce the power of the Rune Inscription.
As the power of the Rune Inscription decreases, the load requirements on the carrier will also naturally diminish.
After more than two months of effort, Su Nan finally succeeded in creating Engraved Gemstones.
These gems carry a type of Rune Inscription called 'Ice Burst,' which, when activated, instantly releases intense icy energy, causing severe frost erosion to all living beings within a certain radius, along with an additional freezing and slowing effect.
Since this was a weakened version of the Rune Inscription, its power was significantly inferior to that of the full version.
In fact, it was less than one-tenth as powerful.
But that didn't matter; there was still the Synthesis Cube.
As long as the Engraved Gemstones were successfully created, the issue of reduced power could be completely resolved through synthesis and enhancement.
In the end, Su Nan synthesized eighteen Engraved Gemstones, obtaining a brand new Engraved Gemstone.
"The reason he didn’t continue synthesizing was the same as before with the High Rune Gem: the energy intensity exceeded the limit he could currently withstand.
Even so, the power of these Engraved Gemstones was much stronger than the original Rune Inscription, roughly three times greater.
Moreover, as his Spiritual Power refinement level increased, he could gradually synthesize more, further enhancing their power and significantly expanding their capacity.
"Not bad!"
In the Magic Training Area, having just finished testing the Su Nan, he looked at the frost covering the ground, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
With this, alongside his Innate ability, he finally had another combat method he could use without restriction.
Although the cost of the Engraved Gemstones was a bit steep, at nearly four thousand seven hundred Gold Coins each, their power certainly justified the price.
"It’s a pity there isn’t any information about Alchemy Marks in those Star Tower books; otherwise, I could have studied it."
Alchemy Marks were an advanced technique of Rune Inscription, with power far surpassing that of the latter.
However, to inscribe Alchemy Marks, one first needed to transform oneself into an Alchemy Body.
Su Nan currently lacked the materials, and his power level wasn’t sufficient. Even if he obtained the relevant knowledge, he would be unable to produce Alchemy Marks. Nevertheless, studying them could provide inspiration to improve the effects of the Engraved Gemstones.
Shaking his head to cast aside his overly ambitious thoughts, Su Nan left the Magic Training Area and teleported back to the top-level control center.
The materials from Star Tower had already been recovered, and that matter was now resolved.
The research on the Secret Puppet and Engraved Gemstones had also been completed.
He didn’t have much left to do at the moment.
One task was to enter the Lightning Elemental Plane to collect Thunder Stones and manufacture more Black Thunder Warlock Tools.
However, this wasn’t urgent; he could prioritize it after further improving his strength.
The other task was to synthesize and refine Legendary Puppets to create more Golem Legions.
The vast area of the Underworld needed sufficient troops for garrison duty.
Although he could assemble some indigenous troops to alleviate the issue of troop shortages, the Golem Legions were still indispensable.
Su Nan estimated that to unify the Underworld, he would need at least two to three divisions of Large Golem Legions."
"Fortunately, low-grade Golems could be refined by Apprentices. With the establishment of the Academy, a new batch of students would soon arrive. In the future, the workforce capable of refining Golems would only increase. Otherwise, he would be worked to death trying to assemble so many Golem Legions.
"Considering the time, the new round of the Aptitude Test should be coming to an end soon."
Su Nan gazed thoughtfully toward the Academy, his expression profound.
Starlight Academy was the first step in his quest to establish Wizard Power. In the near future, it would also be his foundation for controlling the entire Starlight Continent.
After a long silence, Su Nan finally averted his gaze, calmed his thoughts, and began to cultivate.
The growth and refinement of Spiritual Power was always the most crucial pursuit.
From now on, unless it pertained to this, he did not intend to waste too much energy on other matters.
Chapter 189
Thin wisps of smoke curled upward, swirling among the stalactites.
Xie Man walked through the ruined city gate and onto the ravaged main street, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
The sounds of fighting could be faintly heard in the distance. Sporadic battles still raged within the city, but the outcome was already certain. It wouldn't be long before the war was completely over.
The capture of Fire Hammer City had been surprisingly easy.
The Dwarves had built their city walls from sturdy, dark rock, reinforced with molten ice-iron, greatly enhancing the walls' resistance to Elemental Energy.
Additionally, they had deployed various defensive siege weapons along the walls, including crossbows and trebuchets. Their equipment was so refined that it was rarely seen even in the entire Underworld.
Unfortunately for them, they were up against the immensely powerful, virtually indestructible Golem Legion.
The crossbow and trebuchet attacks had limited effect against the Golems' tough bodies.
Likewise, the city walls could not withstand the Golem's massive charge.
Under the fierce assault led by the Mithril Golem, the Golem Legion breached Fire Hammer City's prideful defenses in less than half an hour.
With the walls compromised, the Golem Legion surged inward, quickly routing the Fire Hammer City garrison.
Now, most of Fire Hammer City had already fallen under the control of the Star Alliance.
The Magic Knight Order was currently mopping up the remaining pockets of resistance and was expected to fully secure Fire Hammer City soon.
Leaving the cleanup to the Magic Knight Order, Xie Man and A'Tier led the other Wizard Apprentices directly to the palace at the center of Fire Hammer City.
To increase the efficiency of their expansion, Star Alliance's forty or so Second Level Wizard Apprentices were divided into two teams. One team was led by Xie Man and A'Tier, while the other was led by Cole and Ethan. Each team directed the Golem Legion in separate directions, conquering the local tribes and city-states.
Fire Hammer City was the seventh city-state that Xie Man's army had conquered in the past six months.
The king of the Dwarves had long since perished during the battle at the city gate. They were now heading to the palace to seize the riches of the city-state.
They charged unimpeded into the palace, and when they opened the treasury, the dazzling array of rare metals and gold coins caused the group of wizard apprentices to inhale sharply.
"We’ve struck it rich!" one apprentice exclaimed, his face alight with excitement. The others mirrored his delight, their expressions reflecting the immense fortune laid before them.
Their Contribution Points from the war depended not only on the scale and number of city-states they conquered but also primarily on the value of the spoils. The higher the value of the spoils, the greater the Contribution Points they would ultimately receive. Xie Man was equally pleased.
After storing all the treasures from the treasury into his Space Ring, the group meticulously searched the palace once more to ensure nothing was overlooked before arranging their accommodations.
After conquering Fire Hammer City, they would need to remain for a few days, waiting for the next troops to take over the city-state and replenish their supplies before heading to their next destination.
Xie Man found a study and prepared to write a battle report. Periodically, he had to summarize the recent battles in reports that would ultimately reach his teacher.
A'Tier sat nearby, chatting idly with Xie Man. "I heard there's a Crystal Ball at Starlight Academy that can test Spirit and Physique data. I really want to see it."
"Once we conquer Spider City, we can go back to the Academy and check it out," Xie Man replied with a smile, his attention still on the battle report.
When the Academy opened, they had been busy conquering cities and had not yet seen the Academy for themselves. They only occasionally heard information from apprentices of Long Lin returning from the battlefield. But this situation wouldn’t last long. The Star Alliance front line was now less than five hundred kilometers from Spider City. If everything went well, they should be able to conquer Spider City within a year at most.
At that time, the war would come to an end, and they could return to the Academy to take a look.
"I heard that the three new mentors at the Academy were part of the same wizard organization as our teacher. I think they were called the Secret Forest Hut?" A'Tier said, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. "I wonder what kind of people they are."
Xie Man pondered for a moment. "To be in the same wizard organization as our teacher, their strength and knowledge must be exceptional."
"That's true," A'Tier nodded in agreement.
"Those who are invited by the teacher to serve as mentors for the Academy are certainly not ordinary individuals.
"With a mentor's guidance, the students will find it much easier to learn in the future," someone remarked.
"It's a shame we didn't arrive at the right time," another person lamented.
"That's not entirely accurate," Xie Man said with a smile. "When we first arrived, there weren't many people at the Base. We could still use Contribution Points to exchange for the teacher's guidance back then, so it wasn't too bad."
A'Tier considered this and agreed. Furthermore, during their time, they could consult Lord Amy whenever they had questions.
The later students did not receive such favorable treatment.
Now, Lord Amy was consumed with the pursuit of treasures throughout the Underworld and had little time to attend to anyone else.
They would exchange only a few words when they happened to encounter her, Xie Man, and Cole.
Many of the new apprentices had only heard of Lord Amy's name but had never seen her in person.
"The latest round of the Aptitude Test wrapped up a few days ago. I heard that quite a few people passed this time, so there should be a large influx of new students at the Academy this year."
Xie Man had a faint smile on her face. "That's a good thing."
As the teacher advanced to Wizard, the speed at which the Star Alliance developed and grew stronger was noticeably faster.
In particular, the establishment of Starlight Academy undoubtedly marked the dawn of a new era.
From this point forward, Wizard Apprentices would become increasingly active in Starlight Continent, participating in more events and gaining recognition from an ever-growing audience, rather than merely existing as figures of legend.
The current situation in the Underworld is compelling evidence of this.
The Star Alliance's territory has now expanded to more than half of the Southeast Region. Even in the most remote corners of the Underworld, the name of the Star Alliance has long since been heard, and alongside it, the great reputation of Wizards (and Apprentices) has spread throughout the entirety of the Underworld.
This trend is likely to be mirrored in the surface world in the near future.
Do not be deceived by the calm surface of the current world. Xie Man is acutely aware that the Prosperous Star Empire's large-scale procurement of goods from the Star Alliance has not ceased; in fact, it is trending towards an increase, which is clearly a strategy for conserving their strength in preparation for the next conflict.
In the near future, the Prosperous Star Empire will most likely initiate a new round of warfare to completely unify the entire Southeast Region."
A dominant empire that controlled the Southeast Region continent would undoubtedly be in the best interest of the Star Alliance.
When that time arrives, perhaps my teacher will allow the Star Alliance to offer assistance.
Xie Man was deep in thought when a sudden burst of footsteps interrupted him.
A wizard apprentice walked in.
"Captain, there’s a new discovery on the Magic Knight Order side. You’d better come take a look."
Confusion flitted across Xie Man's face.
After all, it was just a Dwarven City-State; what kind of discovery could be so significant that the wizard apprentice in his team would treat it with such seriousness?
Curious, Xie Man set down his pen and paper, rose from his desk, and followed A'Tier to the central square of the palace.
Near the entrance of the square, a group of Dragon Antelopes were leisurely pacing back and forth.
These powerful and elegant creatures possessed scales that shifted from reddish-brown to bright gold, and a pair of broad wings extended from their shoulders, boasting a wingspan of over nine meters when flying.
The Dragon Antelope Knights unit was formed during the Star Alliance's period of non-expansion, and they had yet to truly prove their strength on the battlefield.
It wasn't until more than half a year ago, when the Star Alliance resumed its expansion, that the Dragon Antelope Knights finally had the opportunity to showcase their power.
The impressive results astonished many.
Within the Underworld, few armies could withstand a combined charge of nearly three hundred knights with legendary battle prowess.
During the previous siege, after the walls of Fire Hammer City collapsed, it was the charge of the Dragon Antelope Knights that breached the last line of the dwarven defenses, securing victory.
Such remarkable performance left Xie Man very optimistic about the future of this army.
Once the number of the Dragon Antelope Knights increased to the scale of a Small Legion, they would surely become a formidable force that would instill fear in their enemies.
Pulling his gaze away from the Dragon Antelopes, Xie Man turned to observe the crowd in the center of the square.
They were more than a dozen fully armed knights, and leading them was Kolen, one of the deputy commanders of the Magic Knight Order, who also commanded this Dragon Antelope unit.
"Xie Man Your Excellency, A'Tier Your Excellency."
Seeing Xie Man and A'Tier approach, Kolen immediately stepped forward to greet them.
Though he had already advanced to the rank of Legendary Knight and held the position of Deputy Commander of the Magic Knight Order Division, he still dared not be negligent or underestimate the two most outstanding students under Su Nan's command.
"Thank you for your hard work, Commander Kolen."
After exchanging greetings, Xie Man got straight to the point and inquired about the so-called discovery.
Kolen gestured toward a figure sitting on the ground nearby, bound by chains—a Gnome. He explained, "We found this fellow in the Fire Hammer City prison. According to the guards, he escaped from a City State that was captured by the Dark Elves up ahead. After arriving in Fire Hammer City, he was imprisoned by the Dwarves."
"I thought I might be able to gather some information from him, so I had him brought out of the prison. Surprisingly, I actually managed to extract some valuable information."
Upon hearing that it was related to the Dark Elves, both Xie Man and A'Tier's expressions became serious.
Xie Man glanced at the Gnome.
Perhaps due to the hardships he had endured during his escape or the torture inflicted by the Dwarves, the Gnome's clothes were tattered and barely provided any cover. His entire body was filthy, his face was gaunt, and his eyes were filled with panic.
Both the Dwarves and the Gnomes were known as "Stone Kin," skilled in working with stone, and proficient in prospecting, mining, and smelting. The former were renowned for their metal forging; their clan boasted many excellent blacksmiths, and the weapons and armor they produced were highly sought after in the Underworld. The latter mostly specialized in intricate mechanical crafts.
However, despite both being Stone Kin, the Dwarves and the Gnomes had a poor relationship, often leading to conflicts and disputes. It wasn't difficult to imagine a Gnome running to a Dwarf city only to be thrown into prison.
Withdrawing his gaze, Xie Man turned to Kolen with a questioning expression.
Without hesitation, Kolen replied, his tone serious, "According to this fellow, the Dark Elves have suddenly intensified their attacks over the past six months, capturing multiple City States. The area within a radius of over 300 kilometers from Spider City is now under their control."
Xie Man and A'Tier immediately furrowed their brows. They had been aware of Spider City's military campaign to attack the surrounding City States for several years.
Though surprised that the Dark Elves weren't fighting amongst themselves as usual and had actually united, Spider City was still quite far from the Star Alliance at that time. Any troop movements consisted of minor skirmishes, so the Star Alliance didn't pay much attention.
They never expected Spider City's territory to expand to such an extent.
At this rate, they were nearing Spider City's borders. Another hundred kilometers or so, and they would likely clash with Spider City's army.
Xie Man frowned in confusion. "Spider City shouldn't have the strength to take so much territory. What exactly happened?"
Kolen glanced at Gnome and whispered, "According to him, it's because the Dark Elves control a very powerful monster; a single one defeated their City-State army!"
Monster?
Xie Man's mind raced through the Exotic Beasts that the Dark Elves typically kept, but none seemed powerful enough for such a feat.
Frowning, he turned to Gnome, looking down at him. "What did these monsters you saw look like?"
Recognizing that he was being questioned by someone of high status, Gnome dared not hold back. He swallowed and stammered, "They… their lower bodies are spiders, while their upper bodies look exactly like the Dark Elves. They're very fast. Many of my tribesmen didn’t even see them move before... before their heads were chopped off!"
Seemingly recalling that scene, Gnome's face contorted in fear.
Half-human, half-spider monsters?
Xie Man frowned in thought for a while but still couldn’t figure it out.
A'Tier looked just as puzzled.
"Forget it; let’s just include this in the battle report. If it's our teacher, he should know what kind of creature it is."
Having made up his mind, Xie Man ignored Gnome and turned to Kolen. "Commander Kolen, I think we need to dispatch more scouts to investigate what's ahead."
"No problem; I’ll arrange it right away!" Kolen nodded emphatically.
If what Gnome said was true, their next battle might be against a formidable foe.
Before that happened, they needed to gather as much intel as possible to better prepare for the war to come.
After Kolen led Gnome away, Xie Man and A'Tier returned to the study.
"Tearing up the previous battle report, Xie Man pondered for a moment. Once he had a clear idea, he began to write a new one.
This time, A'Tier didn’t interrupt, quietly sitting to the side, patiently waiting for Xie Man to complete the report. After sealing it, he spoke.
“Should we request reinforcements?”
Xie Man considered the question briefly before nodding. “I heard from Karolina that the teacher recently refined a powerful high-level puppet and is about to deploy it on the battlefield. Just to be safe, I’ll write a request for one.”
Based on Gnome's words, that half-human, half-spider monster was at least at the Fourth Circle Legend level of strength, or possibly even higher. Meanwhile, among the Golem Legion on the front lines, the strongest puppet was only a Mithril Golem at the Third Circle Legend level.
Although they could use a human-wave tactic to confront such a monster, Xie Man believed it wise to prepare for the worst.
Seeing that Xie Man had accounted for everything, A'Tier chose not to say anything further.
[A/N: Damn it, I forgot the chapter title; I can’t modify it.]
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