The Synthesis Wizard

Starlight Calendar 1256, Early Spring Moon (March).

After three months of stabilization, Xieman and Cole had solidified their realms and mastered the techniques for setting up formations for the magical plantations.

Sunan then issued orders in the form of tasks, directing them to selected locations to establish new magical plantations.

To facilitate their operations, Sunan allowed them to select a portion of apprentices from the base to assist in completing the tasks.

The day after accepting the task, the duo set off with their team, heading to other provinces in the duchy.

With the task of establishing magical plantations delegated, Sunan's workload significantly decreased.

After creating four Death Knell Marks, he ceased using the Death Knell Striker's blood for bloodline marks and began focusing on enhancing the Striker's bloodline concentration.

After the previous experiments, the Death Knell Striker had submitted to Sunan, cooperating with his experiments and allowing him to implant control measures within it.

The so-called control measure was actually a high-grade runestone.

Sunan embedded the gemstone into the Striker's head, enabling him to detonate it with a thought, instantly destroying its head.

His caution wasn't unwarranted, as the Death Knell Striker was a wild beast. Despite its current docility, its loyalty was uncertain.

Especially after awakening divine energy, its power would significantly increase, potentially causing problems without control measures.

Sunan couldn't monitor the Striker constantly.

Enhancing the bloodline of an ancient beast was far more challenging than that of a sub-dragon.

According to Ugo's experimental notes, the Striker's bloodline originated from an ancient beast known as the Screeching Terror.

The information from the cube indicated that the Striker's current bloodline concentration was 32.49%.

However, after half a month, Sunan had only managed to increase it by 0.04%.

"If it takes reaching 100% concentration to awaken divine energy and transform the Striker into a Screeching Terror, the process will be very lengthy."

Sunan frowned in thought, considering a different approach.

"What if I synthesize the blood directly? Could it generate divine energy?"

"It's worth a try!"

Sunan decided to save the blood extracted from the Striker and, once he had enough, attempt to synthesize the Screeching Terror's bloodline to see if it could produce divine energy.

If successful, he wouldn't need to spend ages enhancing the bloodline concentration.

After all, the Striker wasn't his magical pet, and an overly powerful Striker would be difficult to control. Maintaining its current strength was preferable.

"The Hidden Dragon's bloodline concentration is nearing 40%."

Sunan had consistently worked to enhance the Hidden Dragon's bloodline.

However, without high-concentration sub-dragon or dragon blood, its growth was slow.

Barring external influences, it would take at least seven to eight years to evolve the Hidden Dragon's bloodline into a true dragon bloodline.

"Though I've asked Ke Yi to help search for sub-dragon and dragon species, given the current state of the Starlight Continent, finding suitable ones is uncertain."

Low-tier sub-dragons still likely exist on the continent.

But high-tier sub-dragons and true dragons are rare.

Perhaps the underground world offers better chances of discovery.

However, Sunan's influence in the underground is still budding, insufficient for a large-scale search. He must gradually expand his territory and search for high-tier sub-dragons and dragons once his power is sufficient.

Time flew by, and soon it was the Summer Moon (June).

On his 24th birthday, Sunan finally gathered enough magical adamantite to craft an adamantite golem.

Viewing the dense stacks of magical adamantite ingots in the golem factory filled him with joy.

"Finally, I can craft it."

Sunan took a deep breath and began crafting.

Two months prior, his [Golem Crafting] reached level 5, making crafting an adamantite golem well within his capabilities.

Constructing the golem's body, inscribing enchantment runes, casting constant spells, and imbuing magical traits—a process spanning three days.

When Sunan finally stopped, a colossal figure stood on the workbench.

Under the bright glow of magic stones, the adamantite golem's body was dark red, gleaming with a cold metallic luster, exuding a sense of imposing might.

Sunan then embedded the soul core into the golem's chest, completing the final step.

As radiant light swept over the golem, it gained a peculiar life force.

Buzz!

The adamantite golem trembled, then sat up, stepping off the workbench with a heavy thud.

"Master, please issue orders!"

The golem's voice was deep and monotonous.

Watching this, Sunan was satisfied.

Besides its standard construction, the golem was also imbued with second-circle spells like [Levitation], [Agility], [Tenacity], and [Brute Strength].

Additionally, it had magical traits like [Black Steel], [Minor Lightning Element Damage], and [Minor Ice Element Damage].

A standard adamantite golem cost about 50,000 gold coins.

However, due to the added constant spells and magical traits, Sunan's golem cost around 53,000 gold coins.

The higher cost came with increased power.

The adamantite golem encountered in Aiwagni's legacy only had near third-circle legendary strength.

Sunan's golem, however, was a genuine third-circle legend, capable of handling typical third-level wizard apprentices.

Figures like Heb were no match for the adamantite golem.

Each adamantite golem equated to a third-level wizard apprentice in strength.

"Though not at the pinnacle of third-circle legends, it's impressive."

Sunan nodded in approval.

In terms of overall power, the adamantite golem was average among third-circle legends, slightly inferior to the Death Knell Striker.

However, considering the golem's high resistance to soul-infused sonic attacks, it might hold its own against the Striker.

"Too bad the cost is so high, or I'd craft more."

Sunan's liquid funds were limited, and until new mines were found, he could only craft one golem.

"With a third-circle legendary golem crafted, only the simulacrum remains."

In Sunan's initial plan, the redesigned simplified simulacrum should approach fourth-circle legendary combat power, costing about 80,000 gold coins.

But things had changed.

With his mental power growth, the synthesis of high-grade runestones increased to 32, significantly boosting their power.

High-grade runestones were a key material for the simulacrum.

As their power increased, so would the simulacrum's combat strength.

Additionally, his recent advances in golem enchantment techniques suggested substantial combat power boosts if applied to the simulacrum.

With dual enhancements, the simulacrum's combat power should surpass initial expectations, reaching fourth-circle legendary levels with ease.

However, this also increased costs.

Preliminary estimates suggested costs nearing 100,000 gold coins.

"If I use medium soul crystals instead of small ones for the soul core, the combat power would rise further, but costs would exceed 100,000 gold coins!"

Sunan couldn't help but grimace.

That amount rivaled a marquisate's annual tax revenue!

However, exchanging 100,000 gold coins for power equivalent to a top-tier third-level wizard apprentice was worthwhile.

No royal family or third-level wizard apprentice would refuse such a deal.

"But I still need over five kilograms of mithril to craft the simulacrum."

Sunan sighed.

Unfortunately, Ugo's relics contained no mithril, leaving a significant shortfall.

As expected, wizards (apprentices) specializing in biological modification were poorer compared to others.

Storing the adamantite golem in the cube, Sunan left the golem factory.

Back in his study, Karolaina soon arrived.

"Master, here's a report from the Dragonheart Knight Academy."

"Leave it on the table," Sunan gestured.

Karolaina respectfully placed the report on the table and withdrew.

Sunan picked it up and began reading.

The report was straightforward, mainly about the Dragonheart Knight Academy's graduation assessment.

As the earliest established knight academy, it had been three years since Dragonheart Knight Academy opened.

By June next year, the first batch of students would graduate.

According to the rules, students must pass the graduation assessment to graduate.

As such, Headmaster Moritz drafted several assessment formats, submitting them for Sunan's review.

"Has it really been three years already?"

Sunan mused.

With a steady supply of dragon blood fruits, the academy's students progressed rapidly.

Second-year students were generally at the squire level.

In the third year, twenty-two students had advanced to knights.

By next year's Summer Moon, an estimated 500 graduates would leave as knights.

An impressive outcome in any nation.

The Starlight Continent had never seen such a systematic knight training institution.

"Looks like the knight guard will soon have its first members."

Sunan smiled with satisfaction, then grew thoughtful.

Xieman and Cole's advancement marked a key milestone.

It signaled the base's training and accumulation had reached a point of breakthrough.

Starting with them, more students would advance to second-level wizard apprentices.

Second-level wizard apprentices had considerable combat power, allowing them to participate in Sunan's strategic development plans.

The Starlight Duchy was in a stable development phase, with no wars anticipated soon.

But the underground world was at a pivotal expansion point, poised for rapid growth, requiring substantial manpower.

These second-level wizard apprentices could join this expansion.

It would be a valuable training opportunity.

Though he didn't endorse the black wizard's harsh training methods, Sunan didn't want to cultivate sheltered individuals.

Truly powerful wizards were not just scholarly but also skilled in combat.

Whether gathering resources or exploring, combat was inevitable.

"The newly formed knight guard can pair with second-level wizard apprentices to explore surrounding areas."

"Otherwise, the Star Alliance's current manpower is insufficient."

The Star Alliance was the name Sunan gave to his underground forces.

From now on, Lake U City, Matu, and Osen would no longer present as separate entities but collectively as the Star Alliance.

The nascent Star Alliance relied heavily on golems, with few members having true initiative. Only the vampires and manticores, totaling under 400, had such capabilities.

Whether exploring or expanding, golems alone wouldn't suffice; proactive subordinates were essential.

Limited manpower hindered many endeavors.

Thus, Sunan aimed to involve second-level wizard apprentices and the knight guard.

This would boost manpower while balancing the vampires and manticores, preventing them from developing unwanted ambitions.

After a moment of reflection, Sunan had a plan, setting the report aside and picking up paper to jot down notes.

Since he decided to involve the knight guard in the underground expansion, they'd need to adapt to and understand the underground world quickly.

The graduation assessment was a perfect opportunity.

About half an hour later, Sunan finished writing and called Karolaina to deliver the assessment outline to Moritz, tasking her with detailed planning.

Once Karolaina left, Sunan took another sheet and inscribed "Magical Tattoo Construction" at the top.

He had acquired the knowledge of magical tattoo construction from the Forest Cabin.

It was a specialized enchantment combining magic tattoos and enchanted weapons, not very useful to wizard apprentices but significantly boosting knights' combat power.

Sunan's initial idea to form a knight guard stemmed from inspiration drawn from magical tattoo construction.

With the knight guard nearing formation, it was time to prioritize crafting magical tattoos.

"Junior knights' strength is insufficient for the perilous underground world. With magical tattoos, the knight guard can be more effective."

Even the lowest-level Tier 1 magical tattoo could elevate a junior knight's strength to that of a peak knight nearing grand knight status.

With enough magical tattoos, the knight guard could become a formidable force!

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