Chapter 267: Starry Sky Tower, Reshaping the Body

After advancing to a Level 3 Wizard, Sunan had further upgraded the Engraved Gems.

Now, the maximum synthesis limit had increased to eighty-five gems, and their power rivaled that of Spell Turret II models. A single gem could instantly kill a Level 1 Wizard and severely injure a Level 2 Vapor Wizard.

Dragons were natural treasure appraisers, and the Radiant Dragon immediately recognized the exceptional value of the Engraved Gem.

"An excellent gem," the Radiant Dragon admitted, reluctantly pulling his gaze away. "I agree. One gem for the second Soul Purification Flower."

To his surprise, Sunan shook his head. "One Engraved Gem for two Soul Purification Flowers."

The Radiant Dragon paused, frowning. "No deal. Only one flower. If that doesn't work for you, then forget it."

Sunan smiled faintly and retrieved the Engraved Gem and the Tentacle Puppet. "Sorry for the trouble," he said before turning toward the door.

Lize followed immediately without hesitation, while Tanner hesitated briefly, casting a glance at the Radiant Dragon before hurrying after Sunan.

As the trio reached the door, the Radiant Dragon's voice rang out. "Wait!"

Sunan paused mid-step and turned to face the dragon, who rolled his eyes dramatically. "Two flowers, then."

Sunan's lips curved upward. He had only been testing the waters, and to his surprise, it had worked.

The Engraved Gems were evidently far more appealing to the Radiant Dragon than expected. Considering their value and the fact that the Tentacle Puppet alone was enough for one Soul Purification Flower, Sunan realized the dragon's agreement was reasonable.

For Sunan, Engraved Gems were far cheaper to produce than a Tentacle Puppet, making the trade even more profitable.

"Had I known their appeal earlier, I would have led with the Engraved Gems and saved myself some time," Sunan thought with a wry smile.

He wasn't concerned about the Radiant Dragon unraveling the secrets of the Engraved Gems. The compatibility between gems and engraved runes was an unsolvable problem without the unique tool of the Cubic Artifact. Even if the dragon researched it for centuries, he would achieve nothing.

The Radiant Dragon tore open a spatial rift with a wave of his hand and retrieved two silver-gray flowers from within. The transaction concluded shortly afterward.

Satisfied with the Engraved Gem, the dragon's mood visibly lifted. His gaze flickered as he asked, "Do you have any more Engraved Gems to spare?"

Sunan raised a brow and replied with a faint smile, "I do, but I'm unsure if you have what I want."

The dragon gestured expansively. "I've plenty of treasures. Tell me what you're after."

"Do you have the design plans for the Supreme Golem?"

"...That's confidential to major wizard factions. I don't have it."

"What about the Elemental Furnace blueprint?"

"...Even rarer than the Supreme Golem."

"The plans for a war construct?"

"..."

The Radiant Dragon fell silent.

Everything Sunan listed was a closely guarded secret of wizard factions. No matter how influential the Radiant Dragon was, acquiring those was beyond him.

"Perhaps you'd prefer enchanted items, potions, or rare materials?" the dragon offered, somewhat exasperated.

Sunan pondered for a moment before sighing. "Fine, I'll settle for materials."

His tone carried a feigned reluctance, as if doing the dragon a favor, which made the latter's expression twitch visibly.

Still, the dragon had no choice but to accept the pretense. In this seller's market, he chose to ignore Sunan's condescension.

For enchanted items and potions, Sunan had no need; he could create them himself. After some deliberation, he used twenty-three Engraved Gems to exchange for a massive cache of rare materials from the Radiant Dragon.

Upgraded Engraved Gems cost Sunan roughly 23,000 gold coins per gem, meaning the twenty-three gems totaled just over 520,000 coins—the cost of a single Tentacle Puppet.

However, the materials Sunan received were worth an estimated 40 million coins, making this trade exceptionally lucrative!

Sunan silently resolved to return to the Radiant Dragon for materials in the future.

However, he knew that over-supplying the dragon with Engraved Gems could diminish their value. He would need to manage the balance carefully.

After finalizing the transaction, the Radiant Dragon hastily shooed the trio out, clearly eager to admire his new treasures in peace. He even hung a "Closed for Business" sign on the door.

Sunan chuckled and shook his head, unbothered by the abrupt exit. Securing 40 million in materials alone was a significant win.

Turning to Tanner, Sunan asked, "Do True Law Pavilion or All Things Home sell the design plans for the Supreme Golem, war constructs, or Elemental Furnaces?"

Tanner smiled wryly and shook his head. "They don't."

As the Radiant Dragon had said, these items were tightly guarded secrets; no faction would sell them.

However, after a brief hesitation, Tanner added, "While war constructs and Elemental Furnaces are out of the question, there's one place that might have the Supreme Golem design plans."

Sunan's eyes lit up. "The Celestial Tower?"

Tanner's initial surprise quickly gave way to understanding. Sunan's knowledge of All Things City had been evident earlier, so it was no surprise he was familiar with the famous Celestial Tower.

Lize, however, was unfamiliar and asked curiously, "What is the Celestial Tower?"

Tanner explained, "It's a hub for wizards to exchange information, find exploration teams, or hire assistance. In simple terms, it's a place where wizards post and accept missions and trade intelligence."

Lize nodded thoughtfully, marveling at the similarities to the Star Academy's mission hall, albeit with added functions like intelligence trading.

"Most missions there are posted by visiting wizards, with only a small portion from the All Things Association. Many missions offer lucrative rewards, so wizards from various factions often come here to earn extra resources."

Tanner paused before adding, "That said, you'll mostly find Level 3 Wizards there. True Wizards are rarely present, as they're typically in the Realm of Truth."

"So you mean the Supreme Golem design plans are part of these missions' rewards?" Lize asked.

Tanner shook his head. "Not quite. Mission rewards are generous, but not to the extent of offering something like the Supreme Golem design plans. I'm talking about the Duel Arena."

"Duel Arena?"

Tanner nodded. "The upper levels of the Celestial Tower house dedicated dueling grounds. It started as a private venue for wizards to settle disputes, avoiding public conflicts. Over time, some wizards began using these arenas to host challenges, offering enchanted items, potions, and rare materials as stakes, which led to the rise of dueling contests."

"Today, it's one of the tower's most famous features. Wizards often place rare treasures, and I've even seen someone offer the Supreme Golem design plans as a wager."

Lize immediately understood. In such contests, participants would undoubtedly pay a fee to challenge the host. The host, in turn, sought to profit from these fees, while challengers aimed to win the wager.

Both parties participated for the potential rewards.

"This is a good idea," Sunan agreed with a nod. "Keep an eye out for anyone wagering the Supreme Golem design plans and inform me immediately."

"Understood." Tanner thumped his chest in assurance. This task was well within his abilities.

"You plan to stay in All Things City for a while?" Lize inquired.

Sunan nodded. "Now that we've obtained the Soul Purification Flowers, I'll focus on reconstructing your body. During your recovery, I'll also keep an ear out for news of the Supreme Golem design plans."

The arrangement was reasonable, and Lize felt a surge of anticipation at the thought of regaining her physical form.

All Things City was filled with specialized laboratories, and with Tanner's guidance, Sunan quickly rented one from a renowned magical workshop.

After seeing them settled, Tanner bid farewell, heading to the Celestial Tower.

Sunan, meanwhile, brought Lize into the laboratory and began the delicate process of reconstructing her body.

Within All Things City, laboratories were abundant, and with Tanner's guidance, Sunan quickly located a magical workshop specializing in such services and rented a laboratory.

Afterward, Tanner bid the two farewell and headed to the Celestial Tower.

Sunan led Lize into the lab to begin the body reconstruction process.

Compared to gathering the materials, the actual reconstruction process was much simpler.

Ultimately, creating a physical body was not much different from crafting magical artifacts. After centuries of practice, Sunan's [Magical Artifact Crafting] skill had already reached Level 6.

Among Level 3 Wizards, few could match his expertise.

Even without the assistance of the Cube's synthesis ability, Sunan was still a true master of magical artifact creation.

Within two days, Sunan had completed the body, and the process was nothing short of perfect.

The next step was soul fusion.

He placed the codex vessel housing Lize's soul on the newly constructed body's abdomen. Then, Sunan carefully poured the purified essence extracted from the Soul Purification Flower onto the codex.

The silvery liquid flowed down the cover of the codex, spreading smoothly over the pale, flawless skin before gradually absorbing into the body.

A faint silver glow enveloped the body, and what was once lifeless began to exude a fresh, vibrant aura.

Through his heightened spiritual perception, Sunan sensed a powerful, condensed soul awakening within the body.

The soul's intensity rapidly grew—Level 1 Wizard Apprentice, Level 2 Wizard Apprentice, Level 3 Wizard Apprentice, Level 1 Vapor Wizard—before finally stabilizing at the strength of a Level 2 Crystallized Wizard.

Then, silence.

Sunan waited patiently. This was the critical moment for the fusion of soul and body. The steps were complete, and all he could do now was stand by and watch.

Beneath the glow of the laboratory's crystal lights, the perfected female form lay motionless on the table.

The alabaster skin hinted at smooth, flowing muscle lines beneath, the proportions of the limbs near perfect. Her face, exquisitely beautiful, seemed almost too flawless to be real.

Time passed. After more than two hours, the body on the table suddenly opened its eyes.

Lize squinted against the light of the crystal lamps before gradually sitting up. She extended a fair hand before her, opening and closing it repeatedly as though testing its movement. Finally, she looked down at her own body.

After a few moments of silent examination, she sighed. "It truly feels much better to have a warm, living body. I feel fantastic."

"That's good. Congratulations on successfully reconstructing your body." Sunan handed her the prepared clothes.

"Thank you."

Lize offered him a rare, radiant smile before accepting the clothes. She dressed without hesitation, seemingly unconcerned by his presence.

"The soul and body have fused perfectly," Sunan remarked. "But your body still needs time to adapt. During this period, your physique will gradually strengthen until it matches the intensity of your spiritual strength. Until then, avoid training, experimenting, or engaging in combat."

"I understand," Lize replied seriously.

Having waited over a thousand years, she wasn't going to rush these final few months.

In fact, she planned to spend this time exploring All Things City, treating it as a much-needed vacation.

As the initial excitement of regaining her body subsided, Lize earnestly expressed her gratitude to Sunan once more.

Sunan smiled and waved it off. "No need to thank me. Don't forget our agreement—you'll be working for me tirelessly from now on."

Lize rolled her eyes at him playfully. "Yes, yes, Master Overseer."

She couldn't help but laugh at her own words.

With Lize's body reconstructed, the most significant objective of their trip to All Things City was complete.

As for the Supreme Golem design plans, Sunan maintained a casual mindset. If he obtained them, great; if not, he would simply invest more resources to synthesize higher-tier golems.

With this relaxed attitude, the two spent the following months leisurely exploring All Things City. They expanded their knowledge and gathered valuable information.

Two months later, when Lize had almost fully adapted to her new body, Tanner brought good news: someone at the Celestial Tower had offered the Supreme Golem design plans as the stake for a dueling challenge!

The moment Sunan heard the news, his first thought was how coincidental it seemed.

Why would someone happen to put the Supreme Golem design plans up for a duel right at this time?

He had not expected much from the beginning, but now, the timing was suspicious.

While it might simply be a coincidence, Sunan leaned toward the possibility of someone orchestrating these events behind the scenes.

And as to who that someone might be...

Sunan cast a long, scrutinizing look at Tanner. However, he said nothing, merely replying in a calm tone, "Let's head to the Celestial Tower."

Feeling a chill from Sunan's gaze, Tanner quickly lowered his head and began leading the way.

Through a teleportation array, the group soon arrived at their destination.

Before them stood a towering white structure that pierce

d the clouds, resembling a spear thrust toward the heavens.

Due to nearby buildings obstructing the view, only the upper half of the tower was visible.

Even so, its imposing grandeur was palpable.

(End of Chapter)