Novels online

Chapter 283: A Unique Advantage

Wolf Tide Plane, Twilight Valley.

Dense masses of Black Wolves lay prone on the ground, forming a carpet that covered the entire canyon and stretched far beyond its boundaries, blanketing the mountains and fields. Yet, they remained surprisingly quiet.

High above the canyon, Sheman Cole and Artier overlooked the wolf pack below, their expressions filled with emotion.

"After spending so much time, we've finally seen some results."

"This wolf pack should now be ready for the battlefield."

Upon gaining control of Wolf Tide Plane, the Star Alliance immediately began its development, with a primary focus on opening Sub Magic Stone Mines and researching Twilight Valley.

The former was already on track, with over fifty Large Sub Magic Stone Mines opened within Wolf Tide Plane. The annual yield of Sub Magestone had become a major source of income for the Star Alliance.

However, progress on the latter was relatively slow.

Initially, when they took over, Twilight Valley could only hatch forty-five Black Wolves per day and just one Twilight Wolf per year.

Consequently, he embarked on a mission to research and modify Twilight Valley.

The research and modification of the Biological Nest fell within the realm of Biological Modification, and among the four major skills Su Nan possessed, this particular skill happened to be the weakest, currently at level 5.

Fortunately, he also had the means of Cube Synthesis.

The entire modification process employed the Bloodline fusion method, where bloodlines were extracted from the vast number of wolves for synthesis and then reintegrated into Twilight Valley.

Although progress was frustratingly slow, after more than two hundred years of modifications, Twilight Valley had still undergone significant strengthening.

Now, Twilight Valley could hatch sixty-two Black Wolves per day, and the time required to hatch a Twilight Wolf had been reduced to just over seven months.

The increase in hatching speed was not particularly significant, but the improvement in the hatching limit was quite remarkable.

Originally, Twilight Valley's control limit was 434,800 Black Wolves and 285 Twilight Wolves.

"If the limit is exceeded, the wolf pack that hatches will no longer be under Twilight Valley's control and will instead pose a threat to it.

However, this limit has now increased to nine hundred thirteen thousand two hundred Black Wolves and six hundred two Twilight Wolves.

Compared to the original, this is more than double!

This number is already quite astonishing.

It's nearly equivalent to one Golem Army Group.

Not to mention, there are also six hundred two Wizard-level Twilight Wolves.

This undoubtedly enhances the military strength of the Star Alliance!

"It's a pity the incubation time was a bit short; the Black Wolves have reached their limit, but the Twilight Wolves are still lagging behind. We only have about three hundred now," Artier said with some regret.

"That should be enough," Sheman replied with a smile. "With around three hundred Twilight Wolves, plus over nine hundred thousand Black Wolves, the wolf pack can operate as effectively as two Golem Army Groups. With such a fresh force, our upcoming battles will go more smoothly."

After a pause, Sheman looked at Artier and asked curiously, "Speaking of which, are the Wisdom Codex and Gloomy Throne really going to war?"

At the mention of this, Artier's expression grew solemn as he nodded.

"It's very likely."

"Gloomy Throne has allied with Black Suo Tower, Pale Mask, and several other Black Wizard forces. They've been mobilizing their troops frequently and secretly sending people to infiltrate the Holy Tree Plane Cluster for intelligence gathering. It seems they are preparing to use their forces against the Wisdom Codex."

"I heard that Lord Cyril paid a sudden visit today; I suspect it’s for this very reason."

Sheman sighed and said, "I originally thought it would be just a small-scale battle; I never expected it would escalate to this."

Artier replied, "Since the matter involves a new Plane Cluster, no Wizard Faction would let it go easily. They will have to determine ownership through war."

At that moment, Coley, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly spoke up.

"This may not necessarily be a bad thing for the Star Alliance. Don't forget about the matter of seizing the Wizard Tower."

Sheman was momentarily stunned, then chuckled.

"That's true."

Of the eighteen Wizard Towers that the Star Alliance currently possesses, seventeen were seized as war spoils."

Relying solely on Star Alliance's own construction, it would likely take thousands of years to amass this many Wizard Towers. From this perspective, war isn't necessarily a bad thing for Star Alliance. They can extract immense profits from Magic Stone transactions, and even if they lose significant numbers of Golem Puppets and Flying Fleets in battle, they can quickly replenish their losses. However, Sheman still doesn't know where Star Alliance obtains its constant supply of Magic Stones.

"If Gloomy Throne and Wisdom Codex really go to war, we in Star Alliance won’t be able to stay out of it." Sheman gazed into the distance, a somber look in his eyes. "It seems we'll soon be joining the fighting."

Coley said calmly, "Participating in the war will earn us more Contribution Points. Ascending to the Second Level Wizard requires vast amounts of resources, and this war has come at the perfect time." Sheman and Artier were already accustomed to Coley's aggressive personality, so they weren't surprised by her words. They simply shook their heads with wry smiles.

"Let's go. After spending so many days in the Wolf Tide Plane, it's time to head back and report in. We can rest for a while and prepare for the upcoming war."

Inside the Reception Hall, Su Nan, Lize, and Cyril sat facing each other.

"Gloomy Throne has come with great momentum, joining forces with Black Suo Tower, Flame Pattern Society, Pale Mask, and a total of seven second- and third-rate Black Wizard Forces. Their combined strength shouldn’t be underestimated. If we allow them to fully prepare before launching an attack, we’ll certainly be at a disadvantage. Keeping this in mind, we’ve decided to take the initiative, which is also the conclusion reached after discussions with Wisdom Society!" Cyril's solemn voice echoed in the hall.

Su Nan didn’t respond immediately, instead falling into silent contemplation. The situation was unfolding as he had predicted; a Wizard Civil War had indeed erupted. Moreover, it was escalating so rapidly that in just two short years, it was on the brink of becoming an all-out civil war. Wisdom Codex had many affiliated organizations, and Gloomy Throne had allied itself with numerous second- and third-rate Black Wizard Forces. Once these two factions began warring, virtually all Wizard factions within the Wizarding World would be dragged into the conflict, either actively or passively. A full-scale civil war was inevitable! And as an affiliate of Wisdom Codex, Star Alliance would naturally be drawn into it.

But Su Nan had long been prepared for this.

The Star Alliance had also made significant preparations for this eventuality.

Compared to the other subsidiary organizations of the Wisdom Codex, which were caught off guard, the Star Alliance was well-equipped for the situation.

In fact, Su Nan initially intended to leverage this war to strengthen the power of the Star Alliance.

"What does the Wisdom Society want us to do?" Su Nan asked calmly, exchanging a glance with Lize.

Cyril stated solemnly, "The Wisdom Society hopes that the subsidiary organizations will assist in dealing with the Black Wizard Forces, excluding the Gloomy Throne. At the very least, they should suppress them to prevent interference in the battle between the Wisdom Codex and the Gloomy Throne. Of course, we will not let the subsidiary organizations work for nothing. In addition to supplying some resources for the war effort, we will also provide corresponding rewards based on the achievements of each subsidiary organization after the conflict."

Cyril waved his hand, and two lists floated toward Su Nan and Lize, respectively.

Su Nan received his and raised an eyebrow as he examined it.

It was clear that the Wisdom Codex was genuinely investing in this endeavor.

The initial supply of resources alone was valued at ten million Mid-Level Magic Stones.

As for the later rewards, even if the Star Alliance did not gain anything from this war, simply suppressing their opponents could still yield resources worth twenty to thirty million Mid-Level Magic Stones.

Moreover, as the war dragged on, both the initial resource supply and the later rewards would increase accordingly.

And this was just the resources and rewards allocated to the Star Alliance.

For a Second Rate Wizard Force like the Thousand Headed Bird, the resources and rewards provided would only be greater.

But this was to be expected.

After all, the root of this conflict was the struggle among various Large and Wizard Factions for control of the Earth Crystal Plane.

If the Wisdom Codex emerged victorious, they would be able to claim a share of that ownership.

However, for second and third-rate Wizard Factions like the Thousand Headed Bird and the Star Alliance, a victory would not grant them any benefits, while a loss would lead to devastating repercussions. Therefore, if the Wisdom Codex did not offer them some incentives, one could not reasonably expect the subsidiary organizations to contribute earnestly, even if they had an obligation to assist in the war.

After quickly reviewing the list, Su Nan's expression remained unchanged as he calmly inquired, "Who is the opponent of the Star Alliance?"

"The Black Suo Tower!" Cyril replied in a deep voice. Noticing Lize's expression change slightly, he quickly added another remark.

Lize's expression softened slightly.

Even among the Second Rate Wizard Faction, Black Suo Tower was undoubtedly among the top tier, making it a significant challenge for Star Alliance to confront it alone.

Thousand Headed Bird was also part of the Second Rate Wizard Faction, and their combined strength would greatly enhance the chances of overcoming Black Suo Tower.

Seeing that Su Nan had no objections, Cyril continued, “Currently, Black Suo Tower controls a total of twenty-two planes, and Star Alliance will only be tasked with attacking three of them.”

“Which three?” Su Nan inquired.

“Ulan Plane, Man Luo Plane, and West Ge Plane.”

Su Nan pondered for a moment and had a vague recollection of these three planes. Unlike the earlier Wolf Tide Plane, these three had been under Black Suo Tower's control for four or five thousand years, all hosting indigenous intelligent civilizations.

After four or five millennia of cultivation by Black Suo Tower, the three planes were well-fortified and powerful, far surpassing the simpler Wolf Tide Plane.

Attacking these three planes would not be an easy feat.

Su Nan's eyes flickered slightly as he asked, “What about Black Suo Tower's True Spirit Wizards?”

“Black Suo Tower has three True Spirit Wizards in total. The Wisdom Society will send out two of their True Spirit Wizards to join forces with Thousand Headed Bird's True Spirit Wizard to contain them, ensuring they can't interfere with the conflict.”

Su Nan nodded silently.

True Spirit Wizards were akin to strategic weapons; if deployed at the right moment, they could easily alter the course of a large-scale war, introducing many unpredictable variables.

Therefore, the first objective in a war between Wizard Factions was often to neutralize the enemy's True Spirit Wizards, preventing them from meddling in the conflict.

After discussing various details for more than an hour, Cyril finally took his leave.

Once he was gone, Lize frowned and said, “Black Suo Tower is not an easy opponent to handle.”

Unlike the situation with the Earth Crystal Plane, Star Alliance, leveraging Su Nan's strategies, had a significant advantage in troop transportation and was not intimidated by Black Suo Tower.

But outside the Earth Crystal Plane, the Black Suo Tower loomed as an absolute behemoth over the Star Alliance.

Even with the Thousand-Headed Bird as an ally, the pressure remained considerable.

"They're not easy to deal with, but most of the burden falls on the Thousand-Headed Bird. We're only responsible for three planes, so the pressure is still manageable."

In Su Nan's memory, the Wizard Civil War spanned a full five hundred years. Although the current circumstances had changed, and the civil war erupted three hundred years earlier, the overall scenario shouldn't differ too much.

After all, the strengths of the two factions’ Wizard Camps were not too disparate, making it impossible to readily determine a victor in such a short time.

Over such an extended period, the Star Alliance, relying on the high profits generated by Magic Stones, could effectively engage in combat while concurrently developing, drawing sustenance from the war to accelerate its growth.

This was the Star Alliance's unique advantage!

However, this concept couldn't be clearly articulated to Lize, so Su Nan could only vaguely express some of his thoughts.

"This war is likely to be prolonged; we must prepare for a drawn-out conflict."

"The Magic Stone trade cannot halt. It would be best to expand its scale and invest all the profits into acquiring resources and accumulating materials as much as possible. The next war is expected to be extremely costly."

Lize nodded and then replied, "When the war breaks out, Wisdom Codex's side will likely face a resource shortage, and they may reduce trade openings."

"Then we'll increase our purchases from the City of All Things," Su Nan said, not hesitating. "It doesn't matter if the prices are a bit higher."

After all, the Magic Stone trade was practically a costless venture for him. As long as he could procure resources, paying a higher price was acceptable.

"I understand," Lize replied with a slight nod.

"How's the army expansion progressing?" Su Nan shifted topics.

"Very smoothly."

As she spoke of this, a faint smile appeared on Lize's face, and she continued at a measured pace.

"The fifth Golem Army Group has already been formed, and the sixth is currently in formation. With a sufficient supply of resources, progress has been swift, but considering that we will soon be participating in the war, it is expected that a large number of personnel will be reassigned, which may hinder progress to some extent."

"Regarding the Wizard Towers, in addition to the original eighteen, the three Small Wizard Towers we've built have just been completed and were immediately exchanged for by the Wizards under our command."

"The number has increased to seventy-five; the Flying Fleet has recovered to the level it was at before the God Corpse Contention, totaling thirteen fleets."

Su Nan nodded slightly.

During the God Corpse Contention, the Flying Fleet suffered heavy losses, and the remaining Magic Ships barely managed to assemble six fleets. Recovering to pre-war levels in just two years was quite impressive.

Overall, the combat strength of the Star Alliance in War Creation could now be considered among the best of the third-rate Wizard Factions.

Of course, there was still a considerable distance to cover before reaching a second-rate Wizard Force.

After all, their period of development had been too short.

With the prospect of facing formidable opponents, Su Nan couldn’t help but ponder. Should they prepare countermeasures to deal with the Black Suo Tower’s War Creation, preferably something that could turn the tide of the upcoming battle?

After all, the conflict in War Creation had a significant impact on the overall war situation.