Chapter 102: Caution and Awe

Ultimately, Sunan chose to leave quietly. Although he was tempted to investigate the island, he had just been through an intense battle, his mental reserves were depleted, and he only had seven high-level rune gems left—hardly his peak condition.

To play it safe, he decided to return and prepare thoroughly before conducting further exploration.

Back in Shimmering City, Sunan headed straight to the lord's manor. Key had been waiting in the council chamber ever since he learned Sunan had gone to the cave. Seeing Sunan return unharmed, he let out a huge sigh of relief.

He eagerly asked, "Is it resolved?"

"It's resolved," Sunan nodded. But before Key could celebrate, Sunan added, "However, I discovered something new."

Key paused, "What is it?"

Sunan gave a brief account of the underground city-state he had discovered. Hearing this, Key was utterly stunned. He had thought having a monster comparable to a third-circle legendary knight near Shimmering City was bad enough. But now that the monster was dealt with, an underground city-state had emerged.

The threat posed by the latter was undoubtedly greater than that of the Hundred-Armed Monster. Key began to regret having designated Shimmering City as the provincial center. Had he known there was an entrance to the Underground World nearby, he would have stayed as far away as possible.

"If I'm correct, the Hundred-Armed Monster may have had dealings with that city-state," Sunan recalled what he had overheard the kobolds saying. They mined to exchange ore for food to sustain the monster. In the cave, the only possible trading partners were the people of the underground city-state.

"The inhabitants of that city-state are likely aware that the cave connects to the surface. Since they haven't invaded the surface all this time, they probably don't plan to do so anytime soon," Sunan reassured Key.

Of course, it was also possible that the monster had been blocking the passage, preventing the city-state's inhabitants from passing through. If so, it would be even simpler, indicating that the city-state's power couldn't even suppress the monster, reducing the threat they posed.

With Sunan's explanation, Key's worry eased somewhat.

"What do you plan to do with the veins in the cave?" Key asked.

"Start mining immediately," Sunan replied without hesitation. The cave wasn't entirely safe, so the sooner the veins were extracted, the better.

"Do you need help recruiting miners from Blackstone City?" Key offered.

"No need, just prepare a set of mining equipment for me. I'll handle the mining with clay golems," Sunan replied.

A single clay golem could mine as efficiently as dozens of skilled miners, making them ideal for the task. Sunan aimed to extract the cave's veins quickly since the battle had cost him a substantial sum, and he needed to recoup his losses swiftly.

Additionally, if he had to guard against an invasion from the underground city-state, he would need to craft another batch of golems to station in the cave, which would also require funds.

"Alright, just let me know if you need anything," Key said, turning to instruct his guards.

The next day, Sunan transferred thirty clay golems from the base to the cave to begin preliminary expansion work, facilitating future mining operations.

Although kobolds were natural miners, their techniques and equipment were far inferior to those of humans. The veins they had mined looked jagged and uneven, like they'd been chewed by dogs.

In three days, Sunan successfully completed the cave's expansion and modification. The mining equipment arrived just in time, even including mining rails. Once set up, the area began to resemble a proper mining site.

Although there weren't many miners, they didn't require rest or food, allowing them to work continuously for 24 hours, which kept the mining progress steady.

Sunan estimated that thirty clay golems could extract over a hundred gold coins' worth of silver and gold ore daily. The value could increase further with refinement before sale. At this rate, he expected to recoup his expenses from defeating the monster within three months, with pure profit to follow.

To secure the area near the underground city-state, Sunan stationed five steel golems in the former lair of the Hundred-Armed Monster and set up a magical alarm to alert him of any intruders.

For the next two months, everything remained calm. Mining operations proceeded smoothly, and there was no activity from the underground city-state, allowing Key to gradually relax.

Time flew by, and soon it was the last day of the Month of Slumber. On the Starlight Continent, this day was known as the Day of Rest, marking the year's end and the transition between the old and new years. People, whether commoners or nobles, began to reduce their activities, including work and social visits, as if the year's bustle settled on this day.

With the arrival of the new year's first month, people would start holding various celebrations and banquets to herald the year's arrival.

On the third day after the New Year's celebrations, Sunan successfully constructed his eleventh star ring. His mental strength also broke past 34, meeting the requirements to use high-grade third-circle transcendence potions.

Sunan immediately switched to these potions, boosting his Star Ring Meditation Method proficiency to over 2,300 per day. However, the proficiency needed to construct the twelfth star ring had risen to 800,000, projecting nearly a year to completion.

Additionally, his Magic Item Manufacturing skill finally reached level 4, meeting another requirement for crafting the magic rune core.

"Finally got this skill to level 4," Sunan remarked in the workshop, glancing at his panel.

He picked up a standard longsword and a silver ingot. Under the bright lights, the silver ingot turned into threads between his fingers, weaving into the sword and imbuing it with a silvery-white sheen. In no time, the sword exuded a spiritual aura.

Temporary Enchanted Weapon!

A new technique Sunan mastered with Magic Item Manufacturing at level 4. With silver and gold on hand, he could temporarily enchant weapons at will.

"Not particularly practical, but better than nothing," Sunan noted, setting the weapon aside.

His efficiency in crafting enchanted weapons had improved significantly. If he wished, he could easily make seven or eight in a day. However, he no longer handled this task. The work of crafting enchanted weapons had been delegated to Shayman and Corey.

Both Shayman and Corey had grasped certain magical item manufacturing techniques. While they couldn't yet craft high-difficulty magical items, they could independently produce enchanted weapons, albeit slowly.

As for Atil, over time, her aptitude differences compared to Shayman and Corey had become more apparent. Her progress in meditation and spell learning lagged behind theirs. Her performance in potion making, puppet crafting, and magical item manufacturing was also average.

On the contrary, a few promising students emerged from the second batch, such as Ethan. He constructed his first star ring within just over seven months, only slightly slower than Shayman.

Moreover, Ethan exhibited exceptional talent in potion making, already proficient in extracting Silver Moon Flower essence. It wouldn't be long before he could start producing zero-circle potions.

Once Ethan and the second batch of students matured and learned to make potions, Sunan could expand potion sales, leading to a significant income surge.

"Now, I'm only short of the materials for crafting the magic rune core."

After his last Forest Cabin gathering, Sunan had collected eighty types of rare metals. Over the following months, he researched four more and extracted three from the Hundred-Armed Monster's enchanted armor. Now, he only needed two more.

"The experiment's progress is almost complete. In a few days, it should be done," Sunan mused with a hint of a smile. Once he fused the magic rune core, his strength would soar significantly.

Despite his impressive progress since arriving in this world, Sunan had never felt entirely secure. The Starlight Continent was vast. Even after a millennium of elemental desolation, the once-thriving wizard civilization's land remained formidable.

No one knew how many powerful beings roamed this expansive continent. 

For instance, the perilous Underground World, with the entrance alone harboring a creature as formidable as the Hundred-Armed Monster. What other fearsome creatures might dwell within its vastness?

And then there was Forest Cabin. Sunan never underestimated Night Owl and the other level 3 wizard apprentices. Breaking through to become a level 3 wizard apprentice in such a resource-poor environment required extraordinary talent.

These individuals might have lived for over a century, during which they could have amassed countless aces up their sleeves. Underestimating them because of his resource abundance could lead to significant setbacks.

Moreover, if Forest Cabin existed, there could be other wizard apprentice organizations out there. Sunan felt it prudent to maintain caution and respect towards this continent.

Once he became a full-fledged wizard, he could afford to act more freely.

In the manor of Giant Nan City, three high priests of the Spark Church sat facing each other in a brightly lit hall. The atmosphere was tense, each priest deeply furrowed in thought.

After a long silence, Joris finally spoke up.

"In just two months, eighteen of our sect's strongholds have been attacked. We've lost fourteen priests and countless regular believers, yet we haven't identified the perpetrators. How are we supposed to report this to High Priest Ouwei?"

Jensen, seated on the right, snorted, "Is there any need to investigate?"

"Among the attackers were individuals capable of casting spells, clearly wizards. This is an assault by a wizard organization against our sect!"

"I suspect it's either Forest Cabin or the Immortal Society!"

Brack pondered aloud, "But why would they attack us? We haven't wronged them."

"Those self-serving bastards don't adhere to principles. They'll seize any opportunity for gain. Have you forgotten what was stolen during the attacks?"

"You mean the Divine Blood Ambers!"

Joris and Brack immediately realized, their expressions turning grave.

Since losing over twenty Divine Blood Ambers last time, the sect had tightened their security. Yet, despite the recent spate of attacks, over thirty more had been stolen.

Initially, they thought the stolen ambers were incidental, considering other items were taken as well. But Jensen's reminder made them reconsider. Perhaps the enemy was specifically targeting the Divine Blood Ambers.

To those outside the sect, divine blood held no value; only wizards might find use in it. In ancient times, it was said that wizards frequently experimented with divine blood.

After contemplating, Joris suddenly suggested, "Do you think Sunan might be involved? When he attacked the Stone Bell City stronghold, he also took over twenty Divine Blood Ambers!"

"Are you suggesting Sunan joined Forest Cabin, and they're the ones attacking us?"

"Isn't that a possibility?"

"But even if Sunan joined Forest Cabin, how could he persuade other wizards to act? Forest Cabin has been discreet for years, with no large-scale operations."

"In any case, we must stop those wizards. The recent attacks have severely impacted our missionary work. Without resolving the attacks, our missionary efforts can't proceed."

"We also need to retrieve the stolen Divine Blood Ambers quickly. If High Priest Ouwei holds us accountable, we can't bear the consequences."

Joris rubbed his temples wearily. If Sunan was indeed behind this, he was proving to be a relentless adversary.

They hadn't even sought retribution against Sunan, yet he had already targeted them, brazenly so!

Joris recalled the words of the Marquis of Golden Rock before he died, feeling a flicker of realization. But he quickly dismissed it, looking at the others.

"High Priest Ouwei has been in seclusion for nearly half a year. When will it end?"

"Who knows," Brack shrugged. "The royal wizard was formidable, and High Priest Ouwei used three sacred artifacts to defeat him, resulting in severe backlash. Recovery will take time."

Jensen scoffed, "That old fool dared to belittle the great Star God. Killing him was merciful."

"If it were up to me, we shouldn't have promised the Grand Duke of Starry blood-infused fortification. After killing the wizard, the royal family would have been more compliant. Would they dare oppose us?"

"That's not entirely correct," Brack smiled slightly. "It's better to have the royal family willingly cooperate than to force them reluctantly."

"Besides, the Starry royal family has a deep legacy spanning centuries. Even without that wizard, they have formidable power. I heard they had a third-circle legendary knight fifty years ago. If he's still alive, he's no easier to deal with than a wizard."

"In any case, showing some strength is enough. There's no need to push too hard. If the Starry royal family decides to fight back, it would be troublesome for us."

Joris agreed, "Indeed, this is the best approach. As long as the Grand Duke of Starry values his life, he has no choice but to cooperate with us."

Seeing the other two in agreement, Jensen shrugged and said no more.

The three quickly shifted their discussion to the missionary efforts.

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