Chapter 244 Everything is ready
The sunlight glittered on the cerulean surface of the sea, casting shimmering ripples.
Three massive metal ships cut through the waves, their hulls gleaming as they pursued a dragon whale.
In the Rainbow Sea, dragon whales were apex predators, but before these metal behemoths, it had no choice but to flee desperately.
Its massive body was riddled with wounds inflicted by cannon fire, blood streaming from the injuries and leaving a crimson trail in the water.
Zzzzt!
A thick beam of light shot forward like an arrow, traversing hundreds of meters in an instant and piercing through the dragon whale's head.
The mighty sea beast shuddered violently, sending waves crashing, before finally floating lifelessly on the surface.
A horn sounded, and a group of deep-sea nagas emerged from the water, blades in hand, and began dissecting the dragon whale.
High above, Tanner watched with interest.
After realizing he had no chance of leaving the Starlight Continent in the short term, he had spent several days in frustration before finally accepting reality.
Since then, his curiosity as an itinerant mage had taken over. He began exploring the entire continent, touring the surface world before delving underground. Recently, he arrived at the Rainbow Sea.
During his travels, Tanner had gained a deeper understanding of the Star Alliance.
Learning about the state of the Starlight Continent over the past millennium, Tanner couldn't help but admire and marvel at Su Nan's ability to establish the Star Alliance as a mage faction.
It was nothing short of a miracle!
In a plane with scarce resources and barren elemental density—where even advancing as a mage was incredibly difficult—Su Nan had managed to ascend to the rank of a second-level mage and create a functional mage faction. It was unfathomable!
"Who would've thought such a genius could emerge from an ordinary, isolated plane?"
Tanner sighed inwardly, marveling at the boundless mysteries of the multiverse.
"The Star Alliance seems reasonable. I might as well stay here and cultivate for a while, then resume exploring when the planar seal is lifted."
Exploring planes required strength to ensure survival. Without it, stumbling into a dangerous plane could easily result in death.
This was an excellent opportunity to focus on improving his power before resuming his adventures.
"Besides, the Star Alliance has plenty of alchemical concoctions and is willing to trade without restrictions as long as I provide valuable information."
Tanner had never been skilled in creating alchemical concoctions and had always relied on trading with mage factions for them.
However, alchemical concoctions were always in high demand, and those factions often traded stingily. The Star Alliance's generosity, offering unlimited exchanges for valuable information, was a stark contrast.
In this light, being stranded on the Starlight Continent didn't seem so bad.
---
Mage Tower Workshop
A thin silver needle hovered in the air, making precise engravings on a gemstone's surface.
As the final stroke was completed, the intricate patterns on the gemstone sealed themselves, and a faint glow passed over it. The entire gem now exuded an indescribable aura.
Su Nan's lips curved into a smile as he inspected the finished engraved gemstone.
After more than a year of intermittent effort, he had finally succeeded in improving the design of the engraved gemstones.
Although the production yield of the gemstones had increased slightly due to the limitations of the automata's capabilities, the improvement wasn't significant. The total number had risen to only sixty-three.
However, the power of their detonation was more than sufficient to kill a first-level mage and could seriously injure a second-level mage if they were caught off guard.
"We'll call them Explosive Gems."
Su Nan made an immediate decision. All automata in the Witch-Hunter Legion, as well as mage-tier automata stationed at the Starlight Mage Tower, would be equipped with Explosive Gems.
If they encountered an enemy they couldn't defeat, they would detonate the gems inside their bodies to go down fighting, taking a bite out of their foes rather than becoming casualties in vain.
"The Witch-Hunter Legion's automata count is nearing two hundred. Another seventy or eighty years, and we should reach our goal."
Thanks to the development of sub-mana technology, productivity on the Starlight Continent had seen a massive leap, which in turn had significantly boosted the Star Alliance's income.
However, rare metals weren't a resource that grew with productivity. If not for material shortages, the Witch-Hunter Legion would have already met its initial formation target.
"Sub-mana technology has been widely adopted. It's time to start experimenting with mana technology deployment."
Su Nan glanced at the pile of secondary mana stones stacked in the corner of the workshop.
Even with phased mining, the current production of secondary mana stones far exceeded demand.
After consulting with Lize, Su Nan decided to synthesize a portion into primary mana stones to test mana technology deployment in the Golden Rock Province, preparing for the future.
Once the planar seal was lifted and new mana stone mines were discovered, the Starlight Continent could rapidly transition from the sub-mana era to the mana era.
"The planar seal will lift around the year 2000 of the Starlight Calendar, but the Obsidian Throne will arrive about a decade earlier."
Su Nan recalled his memories: the Obsidian Throne's first wave of mage invaders was expected to arrive in 1983.
As for the exact month, he couldn't remember.
Not that it mattered.
As soon as the Obsidian Throne mages entered the Starlight Continent and cast their spells, the Starry Eye network would detect the energy particle fluctuations and immediately pinpoint their location.
Knowing the approximate time of their invasion was enough.
Shaking off his thoughts, Su Nan returned to crafting Explosive Gems.
The Star Alliance didn't have many mage-tier automata—only about three hundred—so the number of gems required wasn't large.
After spending half a month creating and installing the Explosive Gems in all the mage-tier automata, Su Nan turned his focus to spiritual refinement.
To improve the efficiency of collecting elemental crystal dust, Su Nan allowed mages undertaking collection tasks to temporarily hire the automaton army at reduced rates to hunt elemental spirits.
As a result, the amount of elemental crystal dust collected by the mages had skyrocketed in recent years.
Though questions about why Su Nan placed such importance on elemental crystal dust spread among the mages, Lize didn't press him on the matter. Instead, she helped suppress the speculation.
Su Nan ignored the outside chatter. With a sufficient supply of divine energy, his spiritual refinement progressed faster than he had anticipated.
---
Time flew by.
By 1930 of the Starlight Calendar, the Witch-Hunter Legion was finally complete.
"Three hundred Touched automata and fifty Secret Puppets. This number of mage-tier automata should be enough to deal with the Obsidian Throne's vanguard."
In his study, Su Nan smiled as he reviewed the files.
Lize gave him a sideways glance. "You sound like you know exactly how many mages the Obsidian Throne will send in their vanguard."
"I'm guessing," Su Nan replied nonchalantly. "With the planar barrier still incomplete, the Obsidian Throne's numbers and power levels will be significantly constrained."
In truth, Su Nan knew precisely how many mages the Obsidian Throne would send and their exact strength.
However, he wasn't certain whether the future would unfold as he remembered it. His presence as a butterfly flapping its wings had already altered the Starlight Continent's present significantly. The future might diverge as well.
Lize didn't press further.
She agreed with Su Nan's reasoning. Given the Star Alliance's current strength, the Obsidian Throne would need to dispatch dozens of second-level mages or a third-level mage to pose a real threat—scenarios unlikely under an incomplete planar barrier.
Besides, the Obsidian Throne likely still believed the Starlight Continent was mage-less and wouldn't send a powerful contingent.
By the time they realized the Star Alliance's true strength, it would likely be too late.
"There's still fifty or sixty years before the Obsidian Throne's vanguard arrives. The Star Alliance should prepare early. I'll be entering seclusion again soon, so I'll leave the arrangements to you. Inform me immediately if they're detected."
"I understand," Lize nodded.
Su Nan's frequent seclusion no longer surprised her. After witnessing his incredible rate of growth, she had become numb to it.
If Su Nan's progress slowed, that would be the real shock.
---
At the top of the Mage Tower, Su Nan found Yinlong sprawled near the elemental pool, looking half-asleep.
Amy lay lazily on its back, licking her paws in boredom.
When Amy saw Su Nan, she perked up, leaping over ten meters in a single bound to land on his shoulder.
"Meow! Su Nan, you're finally here! Yinlong and I have been waiting for ages!"
Her lively voice woke Yinlong, who turned to Su Nan and rubbed its head against him, letting out a low growl.
Su Nan chuckled and patted Yinlong's head.
Dragons naturally grew stronger with age, but with Su Nan's long-term supply of synthesized dragon blood, Yinlong's growth far exceeded that of ordinary dragons. Its strength now rivaled that of a first-level crystallized mage.
In the entire Star Alliance, only Su Nan surpassed it in power.
"What brings you here? Is something the matter?" Su Nan asked Amy.
The little creature rarely disturbed him, knowing he was often busy. Most of the time, she stayed with Yinlong or occasionally visited Lize.
Having experienced the mage era a thousand years ago, Lize and Amy shared common topics of interest. To Amy, Lize's presence meant having a friend to chat with—a fact that often delighted her.
Meanwhile, Lize found Amy, a nearly powerless magical pet capable of spatial traversal, utterly fascinating. She was equally curious about Amy's mysterious owner and often used their chats to gather information.
As a result, the spirit and the cat got along quite well.
"Is the Starlight Continent's planar barrier about to be restored, meow?" Amy asked expectantly, her eyes filled with anticipation.
"Who told you that?"
"Xieman told me, meow!"
"It's true," Su Nan confirmed without hesitation. He understood that deep down, Amy yearned to reunite with her owner.
"In about seventy years, the planar barrier will be fully restored. The Starlight Continent will return to the way it was a thousand years ago."
Amy's excitement was palpable. "Then I'll finally be able to see my owner again, meow!"
"Of course," Su Nan said with a smile. "Even if your owner doesn't come back to the Starlight Continent, I'll help you find them."
Amy had been a great help to him, and he was determined to fulfill this small but important wish.
"My owner will definitely come back for me, meow!" Amy declared confidently.
The little creature firmly believed that her owner hadn't abandoned her willingly. There had to be a compelling reason behind their separation.
Su Nan chuckled and nodded, agreeing with her sentiment.
Amy's previous resting place had been filled with magical artifacts, suggesting her owner had left in haste, unable to take everything with them. Her speculation seemed plausible.
But what kind of emergency could force someone as powerful as Amy's owner—descended from a true spirit and possessing formidable strength—to leave their magical pet behind?
Or perhaps her owner had deliberately left her behind to avoid dragging her into danger?
Su Nan didn't dwell on it. He figured the answers would come once Amy's owner was found.
Reassured by Su Nan's confirmation, Amy's spirits soared. She and Yinlong darted off to play somewhere else, their excitement carrying them away.
Su Nan smiled indulgently, unconcerned.
As a dragon, Yinlong didn't need to cultivate. Apart from sleeping and the occasional bloodline fusion, it spent most of its time idling. Having Amy as a playmate was a good thing—it kept Yinlong from bullying the sub-dragon species in Zones 1 and 2.
---
Starlight Mage Tower
"Tower Spirit One, scan the Mage Tower's status."
[Command received. Initiating scan. Scan complete.]
A three-dimensional model materialized before Su Nan, displaying the Mage Tower in full detail.
After the Starlight Mage Tower was constructed, Su Nan had refrained from making large-scale upgrades due to material and budget constraints. However, he had been making minor improvements gradually.
For instance, the synthesis and upgrading of the levitation ring had greatly enhanced the tower's mobility.
He had also refined the Spell Cannon Mk II and Disruption Cannon Mk II, focusing on reducing their energy consumption.
With Tower Spirit Two as his experimental assistant and many suggestions from Lize, the results of these refinements were significant.
Originally, the Mage Tower's three hundred Spell Cannon Mk IIs had been a major energy drain.
After the improvements, a full salvo from all three hundred cannons now consumed less than 10% of the tower's energy reserves, significantly easing the burden.
Likewise, the Disruption Cannon Mk II's energy consumption had been reduced to under 8%, a one-third decrease from before—an impressive improvement.
"Once the planar seal is lifted, I'll need to start collecting the manufacturing techniques for plasma cannons and pulse cannons to further boost our long-range firepower."
With a wave of his hand, Su Nan dismissed the 3D model. Sitting cross-legged beside the elemental pool, he took out an elemental core and began absorbing its energy.
His mental refinement had already surpassed 70%. At his current rate of progress, he estimated he would break through to the second-level crystallized stage within seventy to eig
hty years.
When that happened, even if the Obsidian Throne somehow managed to send a third-level mage to the Starlight Continent, he would face them without fear.
With everything ready, all that remained was to wait for the enemy to arrive.
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