The Synthesis Wizard

In the meditation room, Sunan sat cross-legged, absorbing the divine energy he had just extracted into his body. He then closed his eyes and began to meditate.

Three hours later, when he finished his meditation and summoned his status panel, he noticed his mental power had increased by 0.25.

"Not bad."

Sunan nodded in satisfaction.

"By the latest, I should be able to construct the sixteenth star ring by next year's Flowing Fire Month."

He rose from the meditation room and headed towards Shimmering City.

Since it was designated the new capital, Shimmering City had undergone expansion, becoming more extensive and bustling.

As he walked through the streets, he saw numerous foreign caravans and travelers, bustling with activity.

The expanded Shimmering City was divided into the Royal City, Inner City, and Outer City.

The Outer City housed commoners and farmers, while the Inner City was home to nobles and the middle class.

The Royal City was located at the center, dominated by a majestic palace visible from afar.

Arriving at the Royal City, Sunan headed straight for the palace.

Upon entering the forecourt, he immediately saw two maids leading a little boy with delicate features.

"Lord Sunan!"

Upon seeing Sunan, the two maids hurriedly bowed.

The little boy stared curiously at Sunan with wide eyes.

Seeing the boy's face, which resembled Ke Yi's, Sunan understood.

This little guy was Ke Yi's son, his nephew, Abbott Arnest.

It was Sunan's first time seeing the child since his birth.

Reflecting on it, Sunan felt he had been a somewhat negligent uncle.

Sunan approached and gently patted the boy's head.

The boy wasn't shy, instead widening his bright eyes to ask, "Who are you?"

Sunan smiled but did not answer, continuing on his way.

Only after he left did one of the maids softly explain, "Young Master Abbott, that was Lord Sunan, your uncle."

"Uncle?" The child didn't fully grasp the term, tilting his head in confusion.

But children are easily distracted. Soon, Abbott's attention was caught by flowers outside, and he ran off giggling.

"Slow down, Young Master Abbott."

Reaching the study, Ke Yi was busy with affairs of state but stopped with a smile upon seeing Sunan.

"What brings you here today?"

"I just saw Abbott. The little guy looks quite robust," Sunan remarked casually after sitting down.

Ke Yi chuckled, "He's alright, though not as strong as Wes."

Wes was Ke Yi's second son, who had just turned two.

Being born after Ke Yi became a legendary knight, Wes had a naturally stronger constitution.

"When do you plan to start their training?"

"When they turn six."

After some casual conversation, Sunan got to the main topic, suggesting the separation of the base's finances from the Starlight Duchy's.

Ke Yi wasn't surprised, smiling as he replied, "I've wanted to discuss this with you for some time."

Honestly, Ke Yi hoped the base and the duchy could become one and prosper together.

But he also knew this was impossible.

Initially, their cooperation was balanced, with mutual benefits. But as the base began exploring the underground world, this balance was disrupted.

Currently, the Starlight Duchy was in a weaker position in the partnership.

Most notably, the base no longer depended entirely on the duchy for funding.

Even without the duchy's financial support, the profits from the Star Alliance's mines were sufficient for the base's development.

Conversely, the duchy still relied heavily on the base's dragon blood fruits, golems, and enchanted weapons.

This disparity would only grow as the base expanded.

If forced to integrate, the duchy would likely become a vassal of the base.

Thus, after much deliberation, Ke Yi concluded that separating finances and forming a mutually beneficial trade relationship would be more advantageous for both parties.

Hearing Ke Yi's thoughts, Sunan was slightly taken aback, surprised at how much his brother had considered.

This made convincing him unnecessary.

They quickly agreed and began discussing the specifics.

It wasn't until evening that they finished their conversation.

"Oh, by the way," Ke Yi suddenly remembered something, "I heard the base has developed a new armament called a magic tattoo construct, and it's quite powerful?"

Sunan hadn't intentionally kept the constructs a secret, so it wasn't surprising Ke Yi knew. He briefly explained the constructs' effects.

Ke Yi's eyes lit up, eagerly asking, "What's the cost?"

Such powerful equipment could quickly form an unstoppable army if mass-produced!

Sunan, anticipating Ke Yi's thoughts, dampened his enthusiasm, "The lowest level, the level-1 construct, costs over eighty gold coins. And currently, I'm the only one who can make them, so mass production isn't possible. Most are reserved for the knight guard, but I can spare a dozen sets for you."

Ke Yi was a bit disappointed but consoled himself with the thought that as the base grew, the constructs would eventually benefit the duchy's army.

Starlight Calendar 1257, Flowing Fire Month (July).

Two Blackrock panthers stopped at the base's entrance.

Xieman dismounted, feeling nostalgic as he looked at the familiar base gate.

Though he had been away for just about a year, it felt like much longer.

Since Old Roger's passing, the base had become like a home to him.

"What are you daydreaming about? Hurry and report to the teacher."

Cole, leading a Blackrock panther into the base, called back without looking.

Just through the gate, they saw several students approaching, who soon noticed Xieman and Cole, expressing surprise and delight.

"Senior Xieman, Senior Cole, you're back!"

Xieman greeted them with a smile.

Even Cole managed a rare smile.

Though he didn't say it, returning to the familiar base lifted his spirits.

After a brief chat with the juniors, Xieman remembered his purpose, asking, "Where is the teacher?"

"The teacher has returned to Base 2."

Xieman and Cole exchanged a glance, handed the Blackrock panthers to the juniors with instructions to return them to the stables, then hurried to Base 2.

Lake U City was as dark and damp as ever.

Quickly crossing the grimy lower town, they entered the clean and tidy upper town.

However, they were surprised to find more humans in the upper town than before.

Along the streets, they often saw young men and women laughing and chatting together.

These people appeared to be between sixteen and eighteen, wearing well-crafted leather armor.

Xieman immediately recognized the armor as enchanted, providing magical protection.

Moreover, the knight swords at their waists were mostly enchanted weapons.

After a moment's thought, Xieman and Cole understood who these people were.

"It seems the knight guard has its first members," Xieman remarked with a smile.

"I wonder how strong they are," Cole mused, scrutinizing the young knights nearby.

The knight guard was initially established to support their actions as wizard apprentices.

Naturally, a certain level of strength was required.

"If they passed the teacher's test, I'm sure they're strong enough," Xieman replied with a smile.

The young knights paused to bow slightly in respect as Xieman and Cole passed.

Without stopping, the two headed toward the towering stone pillar in the center of the town.

From a distance, they heard a series of roars coming from the pillar's direction.

The sound seemed to belong to some kind of beast, carrying an intimidating force.

Exchanging glances, Xieman and Cole quickened their pace, eager to see the source of the noise.

Rounding a corner, they soon saw what was causing the commotion.

In the clearing in front of the base, dozens of large metal cages were arranged, each holding a fearsome beast.

The beasts varied in appearance: some resembled snakes, others lizards, and some were entirely made of stone.

But they all shared certain features: powerful jaws, claws on both fore and hind limbs, and thick, scaly armor covering their bodies.

"Sub-dragons!"

Xieman immediately recognized the creatures, his expression one of shock.

Where had so many sub-dragons been captured from?

Cole was equally stunned.

Sub-dragons were rare creatures; how had so many appeared at once?

Had they not been caged and injured, he might have thought Lake U City was facing a beast tide.

Karolaina stood at the entrance, directing clay golems to move the cages. Noticing Xieman and Cole, she nodded slightly, saying, "The master is waiting for you in the study."

With that, Xieman and Cole hurried into the base, suppressing their curiosity.

Arriving at the study door, they heard Sunan's voice from within before they could knock.

"Come in."

Taking a deep breath, Xieman and Cole entered, finding Sunan at his desk.

"Teacher!" they greeted with a bow.

Sunan looked them over.

After a year of travel, they appeared more mature and composed, having shed much of their youthful naivety.

Sunan nodded approvingly, asking, "Is everything settled with the magical plantations?"

"Yes, teacher," Cole replied respectfully. "All three plantations are established and operating well. The personnel for the handover have moved in."

"Well done. See Griley for your contribution points."

Sunan praised them, then continued before they could express their joy.

"Rest for five days, then select personnel from the knight guard. You two will join the exploration efforts, assisting Karolaina and the Red Widow in exploring around the Star Alliance."

"Yes, teacher!"

Xieman and Cole agreed without hesitation.

"Alright, off you go," Sunan dismissed them with a wave.

Once they left, Sunan also rose, heading to the laboratory.

The operation to capture sub-dragons had progressed, with Karolaina and the Red Widow's team successfully locating and capturing many.

However, when the investigation team attempted to delve deeper, they were attacked by a Sword-Crystal Dragon.

The Sword-Crystal Dragon is a rare and powerful sub-dragon species.

An adult has the strength of a second-circle legend, with older individuals reaching third-circle legend.

Faced with such a formidable beast, the investigation team was outmatched and had to retreat.

Sunan initially planned to assign the investigation task to Xieman and Cole upon their return, but now that was no longer feasible.

"It seems I'll have to go personally."

Considering the importance of enhancing the Hidden Dragon's power and the high value of sub-dragon blood and organs, Sunan was determined to uncover the source of these sub-dragons.

The captured sub-dragons had been transported to the detention area.

Under the suppression of the detention area's formations, the already wounded sub-dragons lay listless, no longer aggressive or fierce. They barely glanced at Sunan as he entered.

Sunan surveyed them, his surprise growing.

There were twenty-five sub-dragons in total, representing eighteen species.

Among them were three high-level legendary sub-dragons.

Apart from human intervention, Sunan couldn't fathom why so many different species and levels of sub-dragons coexisted in one area.

His curiosity about the underlying reasons grew.

Yet amidst his curiosity, Sunan felt a sense of delight.

With so many sub-dragons, the Hidden Dragon's bloodline concentration could be significantly accelerated.

Composing himself, Sunan targeted the nearest sub-dragon with a weakening ray, beginning the blood extraction.

Time flew by, and soon it was Frost Moon (November).

After three months of bloodline fusion, the Hidden Dragon's bloodline concentration reached 45%, its body expanding, and its scales shining even brighter.

Meanwhile, the compound casting training reached 100% completion.

Sunan mastered his third metamagic technique.

Testing it in practice, Sunan found he could cast up to three different types of spells simultaneously.

For instance, he could cast Levitation, Elemental Protection, and Magic Missile together but couldn't simultaneously cast Scorching Ray, Magic Missile, and Shatter Soundwave.

Due to similar operational principles, the latter spells conflicted, causing failure.

Nevertheless, compound casting was a powerful technique, greatly enhancing Sunan's practical casting ability.

"With compound casting and spell quickening, I can easily handle opponents below third-circle legend with just spells."

A hint of a smile appeared on Sunan's face.

"The next metamagic technique will be spell construction."

Spell construction enhances spell control, maximizing each spell's effect.

For example, a wizard (apprentice) mastering spell construction can not only significantly boost Magic Missile's power but also alter its shape into cones or arrows and control its trajectory, making it harder for enemies to anticipate.

For Shield Spell, it can transform the invisible tower shield into armor covering the entire body, increasing the protection area.

In short, mastering spell construction allows spells to achieve more potent and flexible effects, greatly enhancing practical capability.

"Spell construction is less challenging than compound casting and spell quickening. I should master it in under two years."

Sunan immediately began training in spell construction, then looked out the window.

"Next, it's time to head to Ryan City."

Had it not been for compound casting, he would've already set out for Ryan City.

Now that he had mastered it, it was time to address matters there.

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