Synthesis Wizard

The war took an unexpected turn once again.

Summer Ridge Month hadn't even reached its midpoint when the news of the Marquis of Gold Rock's disappearance spread from Goldrock City.

Thanks to this, the morale of the Gold Rock army on the front lines plummeted, and the already precarious defense lines crumbled instantly.

The Flashing Territory army advanced swiftly, quickly reaching the outskirts of Goldrock City and successfully capturing it in just two days.

When the news broke, the entire Starlight Principality was in an uproar!

No one had expected the war to end so quickly.

However, even more shocking news followed.

Three days after the fall of Goldrock City, news came from Starlight City that a sect called the Star God Sect had presented the body of the Marquis of Gold Rock and the weakness of the Beastification Infected to the royal family.

The Grand Duke of Starlight was overjoyed and declared the Star God Sect as the state religion, allowing it to send messengers to various provinces to spread its faith.

As expected, this news caused a huge stir among the nobility of the principality.

There were supporters, opponents, and many more nobles who maintained a wait-and-see attitude, wanting to see what the so-called Star God Sect intended to do.

Golden Rock Province, Shining City.

Council Hall.

Su Nan finished reading the battle report and a peculiar expression appeared on his face.

It was clear that the so-called Star God Sect was none other than the Starfire Sect, just under a different guise.

"I didn't expect the Starfire Sect to kill the Marquis of Gold Rock, which actually helped us. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to capture Goldrock City so quickly," Ke Yi said, stroking his chin with a mix of emotions.

"The Starfire Sect is truly ruthless. They turned against the Marquis of Gold Rock as soon as they saw he was no longer useful, using his body as a stepping stone," he added.

With their intelligence, Su Nan and Ke Yi quickly understood the underlying reasons for these events and gained a deeper understanding of the Starfire Sect's cold and ruthless nature.

"But does the Grand Duke of Starlight really trust the Starfire Sect? I don't believe he's unaware of what the Starfire Sect has done in Golden Rock Province. Declaring such a cult as the state religion seems too frivolous," Ke Yi said, frowning.

Su Nan replied calmly, "Perhaps they have some kind of secret agreement behind the scenes."

"I don't care about their agreements. I won't allow the Starfire Sect to enter Golden Rock Province. They want to spread their faith here? Dream on!" Ke Yi said with a cold laugh.

After quelling the rebellion, the royal family honored their promise and enfeoffed Ke Yi as the Duke of Shining, with Golden Rock Province as his fief.

Unlike other provinces, the original noble lords of Golden Rock Province either died at the hands of the Gold Rock Coalition or were eliminated after rebelling with the Marquis of Gold Rock. They were almost entirely eradicated.

Now, in the entire Golden Rock Province, all the nobles were newly appointed by Ke Yi.

As the lord, Ke Yi's control over these military nobles was far stronger than that of other marquises.

In essence, the entire Golden Rock Province was now under Ke Yi's control, and they obeyed his every command.

Therefore, as one of the few powerful marquises who could fully control an entire province (Red Leaf Province was under the royal family's control and did not have a marquis), he could find an excuse to prevent the Star God Sect from spreading its faith in Golden Rock Province, and even the royal family would be powerless to stop him.

Su Nan naturally agreed with Ke Yi's decision.

In fact, he estimated that apart from Red Leaf Province, the other provincial marquises would not easily allow the Starfire Sect to enter their territories to spread their faith.

There would definitely be a struggle between the two sides.

Let's wait and see.

Shifting his attention back to the battle report, Su Nan's gaze fell on the line about the Star God Sect presenting the weakness of the Beastification Infected. He pondered deeply.

Based on his analysis, the Starfire Sect was likely unaware of the Beastification Plague.

Otherwise, the Starfire Sect would not have remained uninvolved throughout the war between the Marquis of Gold Rock and the Flashing Territory.

So, they must have learned about the weakness of the Beastification Infected either from the Marquis of Gold Rock or by finding Hebu's Laboratory.

Su Nan guessed it was more likely the latter.

Hebu would not have revealed such crucial information to the Marquis of Gold Rock unless he had lost his mind.

"It seems that what Hebu left behind has probably fallen into the hands of the Starfire Sect," Su Nan said, a hint of regret in his voice, but he quickly returned to his usual calm.

After all, he hadn't really expected to find what Hebu left behind.

The chances of finding a wizard apprentice's residence in a foreign province, with no information, were akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.

Moreover, he had just advanced to Third-Rank Wizard Apprentice and was in a stage of rapid strength improvement. He couldn't afford to waste time and energy on such a slim hope.

Putting down the battle report, Su Nan looked at Ke Yi and asked, "What do you plan to do next?"

Ke Yi had already thought it through and said without hesitation, "Although the war didn't last long, Golden Rock Province has suffered significant losses. I plan to take some time to rest and recuperate, develop the economy, and build up strength."

"Indeed," Su Nan nodded in agreement.

Though they didn't say it outright, both knew that the matter was far from over.

They had to avenge the Starfire Sect!

For now, they needed to quietly build up their strength and wait for the day when they were powerful enough to uproot the Starfire Sect.

"I've already arranged for the talent assessment. All towns that haven't held the assessment will do so in the coming days, and the children who pass will be sent to your base."

"Additionally, the materials you asked the Firefox Guild to purchase have arrived, and I've had them delivered to your base."

The materials included some rare metals needed to refine Magic Pattern Cores and the consumables required for Su Nan to mass-produce magical items.

The purchase cost a significant amount of money, but Ke Yi, who had recently made a fortune from the war, was generous with his spending.

"I plan to open one or two more magic plant gardens, and I may need you to dispatch troops to guard them," Su Nan said.

"No problem."

Ke Yi agreed without hesitation.

He was eager to persuade Su Nan to expand the Dragon Blood Fruit cultivation, as the growing territory and army size increased the demand for Dragon Blood Fruit.

He was more than willing for Su Nan to open more magic plant gardens.

Leaving the lord's residence, Su Nan returned directly to his base.

With the war over, he could now focus on cultivation, learning, and developing his base.

Over this period, Su Nan had successfully mastered his first 2nd Circle Spell, [Elemental Protection].

He had also started learning his second 2nd Circle Spell, [Levitation].

Additionally, his training in Fragmented Casting was halfway complete, progressing faster than expected.

Su Nan estimated that he could master Fragmented Casting in at most two months.

"Next, I'll focus on manufacturing magical items and try to upgrade [Magical Item Manufacturing] to level 4."

"I still need to research and find substitutes for the twenty-nine rare metals needed for the Magic Pattern Core."

As he thought, Su Nan arrived at his base.

At that moment, his gaze suddenly paused, looking at an owl perched on a nearby tree.

It had a terrifying face, with six pairs of eyes densely covering its head, sharp teeth inside its beak, and dark red, sharp claws.

Meeting Su Nan's gaze, the owl suddenly spoke, its voice deep and masculine.

"Pleased to meet you, Sir Su Nan."

"My name is Owl. It's an honor to meet you."

Su Nan's lips twitched slightly.

Another wizard apprentice.

Seeing Su Nan's lack of reaction, the owl cleared its throat humanly and continued, "Sir Su Nan, there's no need to be overly cautious. I come with no ill intent. I simply want to invite you to join our Forest Hut."

"Forest Hut?" Su Nan's expression changed.

"Yes, Forest Hut is a secret organization, and all its members are Third-Rank Wizard Apprentices."

Su Nan suddenly interrupted Owl, "Hebu Gilman was also a member of your Forest Hut?"

"Yes, but please don't misunderstand."

Seeing Su Nan's eyes narrow, the owl spread its wings humanly and explained, "Forest Hut is a loose organization primarily established to facilitate the exchange of information and resources among its members. Apart from the trading relationship, there are no other close ties between members, and they do not interfere with each other's actions. So you don't need to worry about anyone seeking revenge for Hebu."

"In fact, many members of Forest Hut disapprove of Hebu's methods."

Su Nan remained silent but was already convinced to a large extent.

After all, if Forest Hut really wanted to avenge Hebu, they wouldn't need to play games with him. They could simply surround and kill him, which would be much simpler.

Of course, this assumption wasn't 100% accurate.

Su Nan didn't let his guard down. Besides the already activated Ultimate Guard Ring, a High-Grade Rune Gem silently slipped into his palm.

"I'm curious, why would you want to invite me to join Forest Hut?"

Owl seemed to smile and said,

"Actually, we've been keeping an eye on you for a long time. Your reputation has spread throughout Starlight Principality after the battle in Shining City, and we naturally heard about it."

"At that time, you were still a Second-Rank Wizard Apprentice, and according to Forest Hut's rules, we only accept Third-Rank Wizard Apprentices. So we didn't contact you."

"It wasn't until you killed Hebu and demonstrated the strength of a Third-Rank Wizard Apprentice that we decided to make an exception and invite you to join Forest Hut after a discussion."

"Of course, it seems we don't need to make an exception now."

Owl looked at Su Nan, his gaze full of meaning.

Third-Rank Wizard Apprentices can store a small amount of energy particles in their bodies. It's easy to tell from close observation.

"What do you think, Sir Su Nan? Would you consider joining Forest Hut?"

"Please believe me, it will be very beneficial for your future development!"

Su Nan pretended to think deeply but had already agreed in his heart.

He had been searching for a wizard apprentice organization for a long time.

Now that he had finally found one, he wouldn't let it slip away.

Especially since Forest Hut was a loose organization primarily built on trading.

Joining it would not impose many restrictions on him, and he could trade resources and information with other wizard apprentices, which would be highly beneficial.

As his strength increased, the resources he needed became rarer and more precious.

Relying solely on the Firefox Guild was no longer sufficient.

Even with the Synthesis Cube, many materials were still out of reach, and he had to spend time and effort researching substitutes, a process that took a long time.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

However, this secret organization, which gathered many Third-Rank Wizard Apprentices, might bring him some surprises.

"Alright, I'll join you!"

After pretending to think for a moment, Su Nan agreed.

"Welcome, Sir Su Nan. From today, you are a member of Forest Hut."

Owl's wings gently touched a few times, as if clapping.

Then it flapped its wings and flew down from the tree, landing and bending forward slightly, its belly bulging and quickly spreading to its mouth. It then vomited out an object.

It was a small wooden toy house, about the size of a palm, intricately crafted and lifelike.

The house had no roof, allowing a clear view of its interior, which contained only a long table and a dozen chairs, nothing else.

The floor, walls, table, and chairs were all engraved with dense enchantment runes.

"Trade House!"

Su Nan exclaimed, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Owl was even more surprised, "Sir Su Nan, you recognize this?"

"Sort of," Su Nan nodded slightly.

The Trade House is a very special Glowing-Class magical item.

Although it looks like a toy house, it is actually a key that connects to a dimensional space called the Trade House.

In this dimensional space, all entrants are considered to have signed a vow of covenant, which restricts them from engaging in any actions that could disrupt the trade, including but not limited to harming other traders or stealing their items. Violators will have their souls annihilated.

In short, it is a magical item specifically designed for secure trading.

Whether in the heyday of wizards a thousand years ago or in the future wizard era, the Trade House was very common.

Many wizards (apprentices) preferred to use the Trade House for remote trading, as it was both safe and convenient.

Seeing that Su Nan seemed to recognize the Trade House and wasn't lying, Owl was secretly surprised.

He had found the Trade House by chance in a wizard apprentice's legacy and had never met anyone who recognized it before.

It took him a lot of effort to convince other wizard apprentices of its importance for safe trading, allowing him to successfully establish the Forest Hut organization.

He never expected this newly promoted Third-Rank Wizard Apprentice, Su Nan, to recognize the Trade House at first glance.

"Did you see it in a wizard's book?"

Owl was curious but didn't ask further, pointing at the Trade House on the ground with his wing.

"Since Sir Su Nan recognizes this, it will be easier."

"Forest Hut holds a gathering every three months to trade resources and information. The next gathering is in sixteen days. You can prepare the items you want to trade and enter the Trade House when the time comes."

Su Nan nodded, used energy particles to clean the Trade House, removing the sticky residue, and then picked it up.

The Trade House can produce multiple 'keys.' The one in his hand was just one of them, granting only the ability to enter and exit the Trade House.

"By the way, Forest Hut members use pseudonyms and keep their identities confidential. Sir Su Nan can decide on a pseudonym in advance."

After reminding Su Nan, Owl flapped its wings and left.

Watching it fly away, Su Nan retracted his gaze, played with the 'key' in his hand, and smiled wryly before turning and walking into the base.