Chapter 242: Mental Rune Seal, Dragon Legion
Su Nan quickly met with the unfortunate Traveling Wizard.
After being escorted back by the Secret Puppets, he found himself locked in a prison cell within Youhu CityBase 2, guarded by five of these enigmatic beings.
Despite his circumstances, this man remained composed. Upon entering the cell, he sat cross-legged and entered a meditative state, showing no signs of distress.
It wasn't until Su Nan and Lize walked in that he opened his eyes and regarded Su Nan.
From his earlier conversation with Lize, he already knew that the true leader of the Star Alliance had come to see him, and it was clear that this was the person standing before him.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. My name is Tanner Albert, and I am a Traveling Mage."
Tanner stood and bowed deeply, displaying the utmost respect.
Given the power the Star Alliance had demonstrated earlier, it was clear that their leader was at least a Second Level Wizard.
In the presence of a higher-level Wizard, showing proper respect was undoubtedly the wisest choice, especially since his life currently rested in the hands of this imposing figure.
Su Nan smiled slightly. "I am already aware of what transpired. I believe you when you say it wasn't intentional."
If Tanner had genuinely invaded the Starlight Continent with malicious intent, he would not have acted alone. Moreover, the fact that he had refrained from killing during their two encounters clearly indicated he bore no ill will toward the Star Alliance.
"Thank you for your understanding. I will leave the Starlight Continent immediately and will not cause any further trouble!"
As Su Nan spoke, Tanner let out a sigh of relief, but the next words from Su Nan altered his expression.
"Unfortunately, you might not be able to leave the Starlight Continent for the time being."
"Why?" Tanner asked, his demeanor shifting as he assumed Su Nan was still suspicious of him.
Seeing this, Su Nan wasted no time in unraveling the Magic Array of the prison cell. "You can try to leave now," he said calmly.
Tanner was startled and uncertain. After a moment of hesitation, he retrieved a scroll and tore it open to activate it.
Traveling Wizards typically mastered various methods of plane travel. The simpler methods included Plane Leap Scrolls, while the more complex options involved Plane Teleportation Arrays.
What Tanner produced was the former.
"But to his astonishment, the scroll was clearly activated, yet he couldn’t make the jump. It was as if the entire realm was locked down, preventing any entry or exit.
“As expected,” Su Nan thought to himself, confirming that his suspicions were indeed correct.
Tanna's arrival was a remarkably low-probability event, akin to his own encounter with Void Turbulence while traversing realms, which had resulted in his teleportation to an unknown plane.
The blockade of Starlight Continent's plane was still not fully lifted. For Tanna to replicate that previous accident, his luck would have to be remarkably extraordinary.
“What’s going on?” Tanna stared blankly at Su Nan and the others, sensing that Su Nan had not secretly tampered with anything, nor had he employed any spells or magical arrays such as 'Dimensional Anchor' to restrict plane transitions. Judging by the feedback from the scroll, it appeared that this plane was vehemently resisting any attempt to enter or exit.
Lize glanced at Su Nan. Seeing that he had no intention of speaking, he took the initiative to explain the current situation of Starlight Continent.
When Tanna learned that Starlight Continent was under a plane blockade and that repairs would take nearly three hundred years to complete, his whole demeanor faltered.
If that were the case, wouldn’t he have to remain in Starlight Continent for two or three hundred years before he could leave? One had to consider that a Level One Wizard’s lifespan was only around a thousand years, and even with various means, it was difficult to exceed two thousand.
Spending a tenth, or even a fifth, of one’s life in the same realm would undoubtedly be a great torment for a traveling wizard.
For a moment, Tanna felt like he might cry, though no tears would come. He was simply too unlucky! How had he ended up being mistakenly teleported to a realm that was in lockdown?
Su Nan and Lize looked at Tanna with some pity. The odds of such an occurrence were probably less than one in a million, yet Tanna had encountered it; one could only say that this man was exceptionally unfortunate.
After a moment of sighing, Tanna hesitated before asking, “My lords, could I trouble you for something?”
Su Nan shook his head and replied, “If you are asking me to help you leave Starlight Continent, I must apologize; I am powerless to do so.”
Tanna began to respond but ultimately sighed again, choosing not to say anything further.
He knew very well that, under the circumstances of the Plane blockade, leaving Starlight Continent was merely wishful thinking.
Returning to his original Plane through the Netherworld was an even more distant dream.
There was a common characteristic of the outer interfaces: you could only return to the Plane from which you entered. This was determined by the nature of the Plane itself.
Thus, crossing from the Netherworld to Starlight Continent was a low-probability event. He himself was baffled and had no idea why.
To take a step back, even if he could access the Netherworld now, he would still be unable to return to his original Plane.
The only option was to wait for the Plane blockade to end.
"You can stay on Starlight Continent and explore. If you need any assistance, you can ask Lize," Su Nan said, comforting Tanna.
After reassuring him, Su Nan turned and left.
Back in the study, Lize asked, "Are you really just going to let him go like that?"
"What else can I do? He hasn't offended the Star Alliance. Are we supposed to lock him up?" Su Nan replied, shrugging.
"Besides, with Star Eye's Monitoring Network keeping watch, his whereabouts are no secret to us. It's fine to keep an eye on him. As long as he doesn't entertain any dangerous thoughts, what does it matter if we let him stay here?"
Lize considered this and realized it was true. Given the current scale of the Star Alliance, there was no need to pay too much attention to a mere Level One Liquid Warlock.
Yet she sighed again. "I was hoping we might have a chance to acquire the Frost Shadow Stone soon, but that seems impossible now."
Su Nan laughed, "There's no need to rush. Once the Plane blockade is lifted, whether we enter the Netherworld or trade with other Wizard Factions, acquiring the Frost Shadow Stone won't be too difficult."
"That's true," Lize said, her lips curving into a slight smile.
Her mood lightened, and she shifted back to her usual capable demeanor, pondering, "Traveling Wizards often possess a wealth of strange knowledge and Plane information, and they may even have some rare items. It's uncommon to encounter a Traveling Wizard; we can't miss this opportunity. We can try to make a deal with Tanna to exchange for the information and resources he possesses."
"It's up to you," Su Nan said, smiling at Lize.
Perhaps Lize hadn't realized it yet, but she was now unconsciously approaching situations entirely from the perspective of the Star Alliance.
This was undoubtedly a heartfelt display of considering himself a member of the Star Alliance.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing Su Nan staring at him with a smile, Lize's face showed a puzzled expression.
"Nothing much." Su Nan changed the topic. "How far has the popularization of Sub-Mana technology developed?"
At the mention of this, Lize's spirit perked up, and he replied with a smile, "Very smoothly."
"The Large Sub-Magic Stone Mines we've opened across the continent are all fully operational and have entered the mining phase. The output of Sub-Magestone has skyrocketed by more than fifty times, and the supply has long exceeded the consumption of Mana Engines and Teleportation Arrays in various regions."
"Now, Sub-Mana technology has become widespread across the entire continent. The future is extremely bright, and Star Alliance's income has doubled."
Su Nan nodded in satisfaction, then pondered for a moment before saying, "Since supply exceeds demand, we can adjust the mining intensity of the mines to ensure consistent production."
"I was just thinking the same thing," Lize agreed.
In fact, it was a matter of tiered mining.
We can divide the mines into several sections, each with different mining intensities. When the mine with the highest intensity is depleted, we will increase the intensity of the remaining mines in turn. At the same time, the depleted mine will be re-cultivated. By the time most of the mines are depleted, the new mines will have been cultivated and can be recommenced, forming a sustainable cycle.
This way, we can ensure that there are always mines available for extraction. The output of Sub-Magestone can be maintained at a relatively stable level without abrupt interruptions that could affect the development of Sub-Mana technology.
After discussing the Sub-Magic Stone Mines, Lize suddenly brought up another topic.
"Recently, there has been a Demonic Tyrant Dragon in Area 2 showing signs of evolution."
Su Nan's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Where is that Demonic Tyrant Dragon?"
"It should be in the laboratory right now. Coley is conducting a Bloodline fusion operation on it."
Su Nan nodded slightly. "Coley is skilled in Biological Modification; it's very appropriate to leave the operation to him."
More than four hundred years after the implementation of the Sub-Dragon Bloodline Enhancement Project, true results were finally about to emerge, and Su Nan was naturally very pleased.
Moreover, the appearance of this Demonic Tyrant Dragon signaled that the turning point of the plan had arrived.
"In the coming days, more and more Demonic Tyrant Dragons will evolve into true dragons.
Soon, a genuine Dragon Clan will rise within the Long Lin!
Lize said, "The evolution of that Demonic Tyrant Dragon is certain. Now, we need to consider how to tame it."
Su Nan replied with a smile, "It sounds like you already have an idea."
"I know of a method to control Exotic Beasts, but I'm afraid it won't be very effective against dragons."
Su Nan responded thoughtfully, "Tell me what it is."
"The most effective method is using a Mental Rune Seal," Lize explained. "As long as the Mental Rune Seal is implanted in the brains of the Exotic Beasts, it can subtly alter their thoughts and compel them to obey their master. Although the transformation process is quite lengthy, the advantage is that it doesn't provoke fierce resistance."
"However, the Mental Rune Seal can only be used to control creatures of up to Fourth Circle Legend level. A dragon's Spiritual Power is too formidable, so the Mental Rune Seal is unlikely to be very effective."
Su Nan contemplated, "First, transcribe the manufacturing process for me, and I'll see if it can be improved later."
What he meant by "improving" was actually synthesizing.
As long as he could synthesize it, he could enhance the Mental Rune Seal to make it sufficiently powerful.
Without another word, Lize transcribed the relevant knowledge and handed it to Su Nan.
After their previous experiences, she was gradually developing a blind trust in him.
Though Su Nan had not made any guarantees, she inexplicably felt that he would undoubtedly succeed in improving the Mental Rune Seal.
Back in the laboratory, Su Nan reviewed the information Lize had transcribed.
After thoroughly studying it, he gained a clear understanding.
Mental Rune Seal and Rune Engraving shared many similarities and could be viewed as Rune Engraving with added hypnotic properties.
The only difference was that, unlike Rune Engraving, which uses the skin as a carrier, the Mental Rune Seal relied on Soul Crystals.
The level of the Soul Crystal required varied according to the power level of the target being controlled.
For instance, for Exotic Beasts at the Fourth Circle Legend level, the carrier had to be a Large Soul Crystal.
To be honest, the value of a Large Soul Crystal was comparable to that of a Fourth Circle Legend-level Puppet.
Additionally, various other materials were needed. Therefore, refining a Mental Rune Seal to control a Fourth Circle Legend-level Exotic Beast was not as advantageous as directly creating a Fourth Circle Legend-level Puppet."
The other grades of the Mental Rune Seal were quite similar.
“No wonder I’ve never heard of the Mental Rune Seal before. This technique seems impractical, probably very niche and not particularly useful.”
The cost is a significant factor. The most suitable application for the Mental Rune Seal is to control creatures with specific functions or those with high growth potential, such as Exotic Beasts.
The former doesn’t need to worry too much about cost, while for the latter, once the Mental Rune Seal is implanted, even if the controlled creature grows in power, it cannot escape the seal.
If it’s an Exotic Beast with high growth potential, one can implant a low-grade Mental Rune Seal while it’s still weak, then wait for it to mature and increase its strength, ultimately achieving the goal of controlling a powerful Exotic Beast.
However, this also involves the issue of cultivation costs.
The key question is whether the cost of the Mental Rune Seal plus cultivation is higher or lower than the cost of directly refining a Puppet.
But for Su Nan, this is not a concern at all.
The benefits of controlling a Dragon far outweigh the combined cost of the Mental Rune Seal and cultivation.
After all, the growth potential of a Dragon is unmatched throughout the entire Multiverse.
“Since it has a physical form, it can definitely be synthesized.”
After confirming that the Mental Rune Seal could be synthesized, Su Nan immediately began the refinement process.
For a Second Level Wizard with level 5 Magic Item Creation skill, refining the Mental Rune Seal was a piece of cake.
It didn’t take much effort for Su Nan to refine more than a dozen Mental Rune Seals, and he promptly began the synthesis.
After investing twelve Mental Rune Seals, Su Nan successfully obtained the desired item.
Mental Rune Seal: After being injected into a living body, it fuses into the Soul, subtly altering its thought patterns and gradually increasing its loyalty to a specific target. It is ineffective against creatures whose Soul strength reaches the Level One Liquid Warlock level, as well as against humans, humanoid creatures, similar bipedal beings, and ethereal entities.
"Not bad."
Su Nan smiled with satisfaction.
The newly evolved Dragon's Soul strength was likely only at the Level 1 Gaseous Wizard level, so this Mental Rune Seal would be sufficient for his needs.
After final calculations, the cost amounted to about five hundred and twenty thousand Gold Coins, which was slightly more expensive than a Secret Puppet.
However, considering the growth potential of the Dragon, it was still acceptable.
"Now I have a means to control a Dragon!"
When Su Nan placed the improved Mental Rune Seal in front of Lize, her face displayed an expression that said, "Ah, I knew it," which made Su Nan feel a mix of laughter and tears.
"What do you plan to do with the dragon we'll cultivate in the future?"
Su Nan thought for a moment and replied, "Let's organize them into a separate Legion."
He had initially considered forming a Dragon Knight Order, but knights with wizard-level power were incredibly rare. At least, none existed in the Starlight Continent at that moment, and mass-producing them would prove difficult. Thus, he had to abandon that idea.
After considering his options, he concluded that the only feasible solution was to organize them into a separate Dragon Legion.
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