The Synthesis Wizard

Su Nan soon met the unfortunate itinerant mage.

After being escorted back by the secret automatons, the mage was detained in the No. 2 base's holding cell in Youhu City, guarded by five automatons.

This man had remarkable composure. After entering the cell, he sat cross-legged on the ground and began meditating to cultivate, showing no trace of panic.

It wasn't until Su Nan and Lize entered the room that he opened his eyes and looked at Su Nan.

From his earlier conversation with Lize, he already knew that the true leader of the Star Alliance would be coming to see him—and evidently, it was the man standing before him now.

"Nice to meet you, my lord. I am Tanner Albert, an itinerant mage."

Tanner stood up and bowed, showing utmost respect.

Judging from the power the Star Alliance had demonstrated earlier, its leader was at least a second-level mage.

When facing a mage of a higher level, showing sufficient respect was the wisest choice, especially since his life was now in the other party's hands.

"I apologize for intruding upon your territory, my lord, but please believe me—I didn't do it on purpose."

Su Nan smiled faintly. "I've already been informed of the situation. I believe you didn't do it intentionally."

If Tanner had harbored malicious intent when entering the Starlight Continent, it was highly unlikely he'd have come alone.

Moreover, the fact that he had held back during both encounters showed that he bore no ill will toward the Star Alliance.

"Thank you for understanding. I'll leave the Starlight Continent right away and won't cause you any trouble!"

Hearing Su Nan's words, Tanner breathed a sigh of relief. However, Su Nan's next statement caused his expression to change.

"Unfortunately, you may not be able to leave the Starlight Continent for now."

"Why?" Tanner's face darkened, assuming Su Nan still harbored suspicions about him.

Seeing this, Su Nan didn't waste words. He deactivated the array that sealed the holding cell and said calmly, "You can try leaving now."

Tanner hesitated, a mix of doubt and uncertainty filling his heart. Nonetheless, he pulled out a planar jump scroll and activated it.

Itinerant mages typically possessed various methods for planar travel.

Simpler means included planar jump scrolls, while more complex ones involved planar teleportation arrays.

Tanner had taken out the former.

To his shock, although the scroll was clearly activated, he couldn't complete the jump. It was as though the entire plane was sealed off, barring any exit or entry.

"Just as I thought."

Watching this unfold, Su Nan confirmed his suspicions.

Tanner's arrival had been an extraordinarily low-probability coincidence, akin to encountering chaotic void currents during planar travel and being transported to an unknown plane.

The planar seal on the Starlight Continent had yet to be fully lifted.

For Tanner to recreate such an accidental event, his luck would have to be nothing short of miraculous.

"What's going on?" Tanner looked at Su Nan and Lize in astonishment.

He could sense that Su Nan hadn't used any tricks like dimensional anchors to prevent the planar jump. The feedback from the scroll indicated that the plane itself was resisting all forms of ingress and egress.

Seeing that Su Nan had no intention of explaining, Lize stepped forward and elaborated on the current state of the Starlight Continent.

When Tanner learned that the plane was under a seal that wouldn't be fully repaired and lifted for nearly 300 years, his face fell.

Did this mean he'd have to stay on the Starlight Continent for two or three centuries before he could leave?

For a first-level mage with a lifespan of about a thousand years, even with various extensions, it was difficult to exceed two thousand years. Spending a tenth or even a fifth of his life trapped in one plane was a torment for any itinerant mage.

At that moment, Tanner felt like crying but couldn't shed tears.

What terrible luck! How had he managed to botch a teleportation and end up on a sealed plane?

Su Nan and Lize looked at Tanner with a trace of pity.

The odds of such an event occurring were likely less than one in a million, yet Tanner had somehow managed to hit the jackpot. His luck was truly abysmal.

After sighing for a while, Tanner hesitated and asked, "My lord, may I trouble you with a request?"

Su Nan shook his head. "If you want me to help you leave the Starlight Continent, I'm afraid I can't."

Tanner hesitated, then sighed and fell silent.

He understood that leaving the Starlight Continent while it was under a planar seal was a pipe dream.

The idea of returning to his original plane via the Shadow Realm was equally unrealistic.

One universal rule of outer planes was that entities could only return to the plane they entered from. This characteristic of planar travel made his arrival on the Starlight Continent an extraordinary fluke.

Even if he could enter the Shadow Realm again, he'd have no way of returning to his original plane. His only option was to wait for the seal to lift.

"You can stay on the Starlight Continent and explore. If you need assistance, you can seek out Lize."

After reassuring Tanner, Su Nan turned and left.

Back in the study, Lize asked, "Are you really going to let him go?"

"What else should I do? Lock him up even though he hasn't wronged the Star Alliance?" Su Nan spread his hands.

"Besides, with the monitoring network of the Starry Eye, his movements won't be a secret to us. As long as he doesn't act against us, what harm is there in letting him stay?"

Lize nodded in agreement. Given the Star Alliance's current strength, a mere first-level liquefied mage was no cause for concern.

Still, she sighed. "I was hoping we might get some Frost Netherstone ahead of time, but it seems unlikely now."

Su Nan chuckled. "No need to rush. Once the planar seal is lifted, whether through the Shadow Realm or trading with other mage factions, obtaining Frost Netherstone will be easy."

"You're right." Lize's lips curved upward.

Relaxing, she resumed her usual efficient demeanor and mused, "Itinerant mages often possess peculiar knowledge and planar information, not to mention rare items. It would be a shame to miss this opportunity. Perhaps we could trade with Tanner for his information and resources."

"Do as you see fit," Su Nan said, smiling at her.

Lize hadn't yet realized it, but she now instinctively approached matters from the perspective of the Star Alliance.

This was proof that she had wholeheartedly embraced her role within the organization.

"What is it?" Lize asked, noticing Su Nan's amused expression.

"Nothing." Su Nan changed the subject. "How's the spread of sub-mana technology progressing?"

Lize brightened at the question. "Very smoothly.

"The large secondary mana stone mines we've established across the continent are fully operational, with production increasing fiftyfold. Supplies far exceed the demand from mana devices and teleportation arrays."

"Sub-mana technology has now been widely adopted across the continent, with excellent prospects. The Star Alliance's revenue has also doubled."

Su Nan nodded with satisfaction. "Since supply exceeds demand, we can adjust the mining intensity to ensure sustainable production."

"I was thinking the same," Lize said.

Their plan involved phased mining, dividing mines into sections with varying extraction rates. Once one section was depleted, others would gradually increase production while the depleted section regenerated. This cyclical method ensured a stable supply of secondary mana stones, avoiding sudden disruptions that could hinder technological development.

After finalizing the mining strategy, Lize brought up another matter.

"

"Recently, there's been a Magma Tyrannosaurus in Zone 2 showing signs of evolution."

Su Nan's eyes lit up. "Where is it now?"

"It should be in the lab. Corell is performing a bloodline fusion procedure on it."

Su Nan nodded slightly. "Corell is skilled in biological modifications. It's fitting for him to handle the procedure."

The plan to enhance draconic bloodlines had been in motion for over four centuries, and at last, it was yielding tangible results. Su Nan couldn't help but feel pleased.

The emergence of this Magma Tyrannosaurus also signaled a turning point in the plan.

In the near future, more Magma Tyrannosaurs would evolve into true dragons.

Before long, the Dragonwood Forest would host a genuine dragon clan.

Lize added, "The evolution of this Magma Tyrannosaurus is essentially guaranteed. Next, we need to consider how to tame it."

"Sounds like you already have an idea," Su Nan said with a smile.

"I do know methods for controlling beasts, but they might not work well on dragons," Lize admitted.

"Go ahead and explain," Su Nan encouraged.

"The most effective method is the Mental Seal," Lize explained. "By embedding a Mental Seal into a beast's mind, we can subtly alter its thoughts and make it obedient to its master. Although the process takes time, the advantage is that it doesn't provoke intense resistance."

"However, Mental Seals are only effective on creatures up to the fourth-circle legendary level. Dragons' mental strength is far too powerful, so this method may not work well."

Su Nan pondered for a moment. "Write down the crafting techniques for Mental Seals and give them to me. I'll see if I can improve upon them."

By "improvement," Su Nan meant synthesis.

As long as synthesis was possible, he could enhance the Mental Seal to make it powerful enough for the task.

Without hesitation, Lize transcribed the relevant knowledge and handed it over to Su Nan.

After past experiences, Lize had developed a near-blind trust in Su Nan.

Although Su Nan didn't make any guarantees, she had an inexplicable confidence that he would succeed in enhancing the Mental Seal.

Returning to the lab, Su Nan reviewed the knowledge Lize had recorded.

After reading through the materials, he felt confident.

Mental Seals were similar to rune imprints, essentially rune engravings with hypnotic properties.

However, unlike rune engravings, which used skin as the medium, Mental Seals relied on soul crystals as their carrier.

The level of the soul crystal depended on the strength of the target being controlled.

For instance, controlling a fourth-circle legendary beast required a large soul crystal as the carrier.

In truth, the value of a large soul crystal rivaled that of a fourth-circle legendary automaton.

Considering the additional materials needed, crafting a Mental Seal for a fourth-circle legendary beast was often less practical than creating a fourth-circle automaton outright.

This cost dynamic was similar for Mental Seals of other levels.

"No wonder I've never heard of Mental Seals before. This technique is so impractical it's probably obscure and seldom used."

Given the high costs, Mental Seals were most suitable for controlling beasts with unique functions or high growth potential.

For the former, cost was less of a concern, while for the latter, embedding a Mental Seal during a beast's weaker stages ensured control even as its strength grew.

However, nurturing such beasts involved additional costs.

The question then became: which was more economical—Mental Seals plus nurturing, or directly creating automatons?

For Su Nan, this was a moot point.

The benefits of controlling dragons far outweighed the costs of Mental Seals and nurturing.

After all, dragons' growth potential was unparalleled across the multiverse.

"Since it has a physical form, it can be synthesized."

Confirming that Mental Seals could be synthesized, Su Nan immediately began crafting them.

For a second-level mage with a Level 5 [Magical Item Creation] skill, crafting Mental Seals was a straightforward task.

In no time, Su Nan had created over a dozen Mental Seals and began the synthesis process.

After using twelve Mental Seals, he achieved the desired result:

[Enhanced Mental Seal: Once embedded in a creature, it fuses with its soul, gradually altering its thoughts and increasing loyalty to a specific target. Ineffective against beings with soul strength equivalent to a first-level liquefied mage or higher, as well as humans, humanoids, bipedal creatures, and incorporeal beings.]

"Not bad."

Su Nan smiled with satisfaction.

A newly evolved dragon's soul strength was likely equivalent to that of a first-level vaporized mage, making this Mental Seal perfectly suitable.

The final cost came to around 520,000 gold coins—slightly more expensive than a secret automaton.

However, considering the growth potential of dragons, the cost was acceptable.

"With this, we now have a method for controlling dragons!"

When Su Nan placed the improved Mental Seal before Lize, her expression was one of "I knew it!" Seeing this, Su Nan couldn't help but laugh.

"What do you plan to do with the dragons we cultivate in the future?" Lize asked.

After some thought, Su Nan replied, "Let's form a separate legion."

He had initially considered creating a dragon knight corp

s, but knights with mage-level strength were extremely rare. The Starlight Continent had none at present and couldn't mass-produce them. Thus, the idea was abandoned.

Ultimately, the best option was to form an independent dragon legion.

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