Chapter 201: The Future Will Be the Era of Star Alliance
"If it really comes to that, I'll have no choice but to use the Forbidden Zone."
Su Nan steadied his mind and continued forward.
Thunder Stones were most commonly found in areas with concentrated lightning strikes, making it unlikely to discover them on the outer fringes of the Lightning Elemental Space. He needed to delve deeper.
However, he had not progressed far when he encountered a Spirit of Lightning Element.
The low-level Spirits of Lightning Element resembled flickering clusters of lightning, accompanied by fine arcs of electricity. As their power increased, their forms would gradually become more humanoid. Once they reached the level of Elemental Giants, they would either develop humanoid upper bodies while their lower halves swirled in arcs of electricity like mist or take on a fully humanoid shape.
The one before him was merely a low-level Spirit of Lightning Element, lacking even the faintest humanoid outline. Su Nan casually obliterated it with a single Spell Missile.
The Lightning Elemental Plane didn't suffer from a scarcity of energy; the Spiritual Power consumed in casting spells could be quickly replenished here.
However, there was another, more critical issue: the Lightning Elemental Plane contained almost no Energy Particles aside from Lightning Element Energy Particles. This meant that he could hardly utilize any spells that required other types of Energy Particles.
Given that lightning-based spells were nearly ineffective against Spirits of Lightning Element, Su Nan's combat options were limited to non-elemental spells like Spell Missile, physical techniques, Disaster Ring, Inscribed Gem, and Liquid Metal.
After its defeat, the Spirit of Lightning Element left behind some crystalline powder. This was Elemental Crystal Dust, a material rich in Elemental Energy that could be used for enchanting or crafting magical items.
Su Nan waved his hand, collecting it into his Space Ring.
In this Demi-Plane filled with Lightning Element, his distinct aura stood out conspicuously. From a distance, Spirits of Lightning Element could sense his presence.
As he traveled, most of the Spirits crackled and surged towards him, eager to turn him into a charred crisp.
Only a few Spirit of Lightning Elements didn't even glance at him, lazily floating in mid-air like slow-moving clouds.
Su Nan didn’t provoke the Spirit of Lightning Elements either, only engaging with the short-sighted and irritable ones among their kind.
As he ventured deeper, the Lightning Element in the air became noticeably thicker, even forming tangible arcs of electricity that flickered constantly in the void. The Spirit of Lightning Elements he encountered along the way also grew stronger.
Su Nan unleashed two Secret Puppets. Ordinary Puppets could not harm the incorporeal Spirit of Lightning Elements; only those permanently imbued with spells and enhanced through high-level processes could contend with them.
With the Secret Puppets managing the Spirit of Lightning Elements, Su Nan finally had the energy to focus on finding Thunder Stones.
It wasn’t long before he made a discovery. With a flick of his hand, a pitch-black stone by the roadside suddenly lifted off the ground, floating into his palm.
Feeling the violent Lightning Energy contained within the stone, a smile spread across his face. Finally, a reward!
Su Nan thoroughly searched the surrounding area, and as expected, he discovered several more Thunder Stones. With his haul secured, he felt even more motivated.
In the Lightning Elemental Plane, there was no day or night, and due to the countless spaces present, it was rare to encounter any other creatures, making it easy to lose track of time.
He didn’t know how much time had passed, but when Su Nan finally stopped, he had already collected more than two hundred Thunder Stones in his Space Ring.
"That should be enough to create three Black Thunder," Su Nan said with a slight smile, glancing at the two Secret Puppets guarding his side.
Although they had been through a series of battles, the two Secret Puppets remained essentially unharmed. After all, their opponents were merely a group of Elemental Spirits.
Due to the large number of Elemental Spirits they had eliminated, a significant amount of Elemental Crystal Dust had also accumulated in his Space Ring.
"Compared to Elemental Crystal Cores, the value of Elemental Crystal Dust is still somewhat lacking."
Not long ago, Su Nan had spotted a Lightning Elemental Giant from afar. However, he had no intention of fighting it on its home turf, so he had long since avoided it, ensuring it wouldn't notice him.
Speaking of which, the Elemental Giant also belongs to a type of Divine Being.
In the pure and abundant Elemental Plane of Energy, the occurrence of natural Divinity is common, which is why the Spirit of the Elements is the race most likely to give birth to Divine Beings.
For example, the Elemental Giant, the Elemental Giant Elder, and the Elemental Lord are all Divine Beings.
The power of the rules they control is often tied to their elemental attributes.
In other words, it should be possible to extract Divine energy from the Elemental Giant.
However, considering the difficulty of defeating a Lightning Elemental Giant in the Lightning Elemental Plane, Su Nan decided against it.
In their own territory, the combat power of a Lightning Elemental Giant would increase by at least fifty percent, while his own power would be constrained by the environment. This fluctuation in strength made the venture too risky.
Perhaps after he becomes stronger, he could reconsider, but attempting it now would be tantamount to courting death.
Shaking his head, Su Nan opened a Space Channel and returned to the Dragon Bone Tower.
In the following days, Su Nan dedicated his energy to creating Black Thunder and enhancing the Magic core.
He completed the former in less than two months, adding three more Black Thunder to his collection.
The latter required nearly two years of intermittent research before reaching success.
The improved Magic core could be activated through the Magic Array set within the Secret Puppet's body, requiring only the injection of Energy Particles.
Although the changes resulted in a decrease in power, the Cube Synthesis easily mitigated this issue.
Ultimately, the modified Magic core fused with the Secret Puppet had a power level roughly equivalent to that of the original 6th-level Magic core.
It wasn't that Su Nan didn't want to fuse a higher-level Magic core, but this was already the limit of what the Secret Puppet could withstand.
After all, a 6th-level Magic core originally required the Spiritual Power of a Formal Wizard and a Physique that surpassed the Fourth Circle Legend level for fusion. Even now, Su Nan could only fuse up to a 6th-level Magic core.
Nonetheless, the Secret Puppet's combat power increased rapidly after merging with the Magic core.
Without using Wizard Tools or Inscribed Gems, Su Nan found it challenging to achieve even a draw against it.
This was particularly true given that his Spiritual Condensation had significantly improved.
If it were back when he had just advanced, he undoubtedly wouldn't have stood a chance.
"Currently, the situation for Secret Puppet Girl facing the Demispider Godspawn is at least a fifty-fifty chance.
However, the explosive increase in combat power comes with a steep cost.
In addition to fusing with a Level 6 Magic core, the Secret Puppet also underwent upgrades to its body structure to accommodate this core, resulting in a total cost of four hundred and eighty thousand Gold Coins.
It’s worth noting that assembling a Small Golem Legion only costs a little over four hundred thousand Gold Coins.
In other words, the cost of a single Secret Puppet is equivalent to that of a Small Golem Legion.
"The refining cost of high-level puppets only continues to rise. Many materials can only be obtained through synthesis, which is far more expensive than manufacturing," Su Nan sighed inwardly.
Taking a Level 6 Magic core as an example, if manufactured artificially, the cost would be at least half of that of synthesis.
Just like the First Ring Legendary Puppet, the manufacturing cost of the Steel Golem exceeds half the cost of an Elite Stone Golem.
That’s the price of using a Synthesis Cube.
Of course, compared to the miraculous abilities of the Magic Cube, this price seems trivial.
After all, the synthesis capabilities of the Magic Cube theoretically have no upper limit; many items cannot be created no matter how much Gold Coin is spent, yet the Magic Cube can easily synthesize them.
In fact, for Su Nan at present, Gold Coin is no longer an issue; what truly limits development is resources.
With the Underworld and Southeast Region under his control, and with the Prosperous Star Empire serving as a dumping ground for goods, the Star Alliance brings in tens of millions of Gold Coins each year.
However, when it comes to the Mithril needed to refine a Secret Puppet, the Star Alliance only controls a limited Silver Mine, and the amount of Mithril mined each year fluctuates within a fixed range. No matter how much Gold Coin there is, it cannot be conjured out of thin air.
The same holds true for other rare resources.
In the future, when he controls the entire Starlight Continent, this problem will become increasingly prominent.
Without a third-party trading partner, Su Nan can only manage the resources of the Starlight Continent. Simply having more Gold Coin is futile.
"Fortunately, the resources of the Starlight Continent are sufficient for me to construct a Wizard Tower."
"When the Dimensional Barrier recovers and the Starlight Continent can trade with other planes, the resource problem will be resolved."
Shaking his head, Su Nan gathered his thoughts and dedicated himself to the refining of the Secret Puppet.
The Mithril he currently possesses is still enough to refine two more Secret Puppets."
Underworld, Northwest Region.
Fungus Forest City, which had just emerged from the ravages of war, was now cloaked in wisps of smoke, the radiant light from the Cave illuminating the ruins below.
The Clay Golem trudged back and forth among the broken walls and debris, shouldering bloodied corpses and carrying them out of the city to be burned and disposed of.
Coley, travel-worn, navigated through the ruins, his gray robe stained with traces of blood. His expression was weary, a clear indication that he had recently endured a fierce battle.
Fungus Forest City had gathered the last remnants of the Northwest Region's elite forces, who put up a fierce resistance, compelling him, the commander, to personally join the fray. He fought tirelessly for the better part of the day before finally overcoming this tough opposition.
He had his reasons for doing so.
With the capture of Fungus Forest City, the Northwest Region no longer faced any organized resistance, leaving only a handful of stragglers that could be easily dealt with.
It could be said that the Northwest Region had effectively fallen under the control of the Star Alliance.
At most, within two months, the fighting here would cease.
Reflecting on how he had not returned to Long Lin in years, even Coley, who was rarely sentimental, couldn't help but sigh.
He had heard rumors of Long Lin recently establishing a Starlight Academy and wondered what kind of institution it was.
Lost in thought, Coley arrived at the stone pillar in the center of Fungus Forest City and strode inside.
The Wizard Apprentices behind him followed in single file.
The interior of the stone pillar was surprisingly spacious, with Clay Golems moving supplies around.
Coley quickly located the warehouse, and just as he prepared to enter, he saw Ethan emerge, a joyful smile etched on his face.
Seeing this, Coley knew that this trip had yielded considerable rewards, but he still inquired, "How was it?"
"The haul is very bountiful," Ethan replied, his face beaming. "It seems all the resources from the previous City State warehouses have been collected here."
A faint smile crept onto Coley's face.
The more abundant the spoils of war, the greater the Contribution Points he could earn.
After arranging for others to inventory the gathered resources, Ethan and Coley walked outside side by side.
"Do you want to rest here for two days?"
“Ethan agreed,” he said, nodding in affirmation.
Having led troops for nearly seven years, he felt weary and longed to end this war swiftly so he could return to Long Lin and focus on his cultivation.
The Contribution Points he had earned over the years would sustain him for a long time.
After being away for so long, he began to miss Long Lin.
The two of them stood atop the intact city wall on the other side of Fungus Forest City, gazing out into the distant darkness.
That was the last piece of territory in the Northwest Region yet to be incorporated into the Star Alliance’s domain, occupying less than one-fiftieth of the Northwest Region's total area on the military map.
In the grand scheme of the Underworld, it was merely a remote corner.
"When I first took command, I never expected Star Alliance to unify the Underworld so swiftly."
A touch of emotion flickered across Ethan's face.
In just six or seven short years, the Star Alliance had swept through the Southeast Region, conquered Spider City, which had been under divine protection, and then advanced across the Northwest Region with unstoppable force.
As he watched the Star Alliance poised to unify the Underworld—and recognizing that he was a participant who had personally experienced every moment—it was impossible for him not to feel a swell of emotions.
Coley appeared calm, yet deep down, he felt the same agreement.
When he first became a student of the Teacher, the Base was merely a small settlement next to Flash City. Who would have predicted that in less than thirty years, the Base would evolve into a colossal entity on the verge of unifying the Underworld?
In the eyes of many, this was nothing short of a miracle.
"That's because we have the Teacher," Coley remarked.
After years of partnership with Coley, Ethan had grown accustomed to his fanatical reverence for the Teacher, so he chuckled, unperturbed.
“I heard the Empire is preparing to attack the Northwest Region. Once the Northwest Region is unified, the entire Starlight Continent will be firmly within the Star Alliance’s grasp.”
“That day will come soon,” Coley nodded in agreement.
In their minds, even if the Prosperous Star Empire were to unify the surface world in the future, it would be no different from the Star Alliance achieving that goal themselves.
The Prosperous Star Empire was an affiliate of the Star Alliance, its current growth heavily reliant on their support. Essentially, it could be viewed as a subsidiary organization of the Star Alliance.
"It wasn't Coley and Ethan's arrogance or conceit.
At Starlight Academy's Wizard Apprentice program, and among the noble circles of the Empire, this was a widely accepted consensus.
Although, on the surface, the Prosperous Star Empire and the Star Alliance appeared to be independent forces of equal standing, anyone with a modicum of insight knew that this equality was established only on the basis of comparable strength.
The Prosperous Star Empire may have seemed dominant on the surface, but its true power paled in comparison to that of the Star Alliance.
When it came to resources, the Prosperous Star Empire relied heavily on the Star Alliance, not the other way around.
Given these circumstances, the Prosperous Star Empire naturally had little influence.
Through long-term trade cooperation, it was inevitable that the Prosperous Star Empire would subtly transform into an appendage of the Star Alliance.
From the emperor down to the nobles, there was no resistance to this reality.
On the contrary, they seemed quite pleased to become even more entwined with the Star Alliance.
"The future will belong to the Star Alliance," Ethan remarked, a whimsical thought crossing his mind. "After conquering the Starlight Continent, where do you think their next target will be?"
Coley paused, contemplating for a moment before responding, "I’ve heard that ancient wizards enjoy conquering other civilizations; perhaps our teacher has similar ambitions."
Ethan's eyes sparkled with interest.
That was indeed a promising target.
He genuinely yearned to witness the landscapes of other realms.
If the Star Alliance were to embark on expeditions to other planes one day, he would undoubtedly participate and explore those new worlds!
But before that, he still needed to rise to the rank of Level Three Wizard Apprentice.
As things stood for the Star Alliance, being a Second Level Wizard Apprentice was still a bit inadequate.
Comments