Chapter 60: Base Construction

"Move faster! We have to get everything to the destination before dark."

Inside Shimmering City, a transport convoy moved slowly along the blue stone road, the sound of wheels turning creating a continuous clatter.

Residents along the way instinctively stepped aside, as a fully armed squad of soldiers trailed the convoy.

The leading men, clad in full armor, were clearly knights.

"Shimmering City is definitely better; Blackstone City is just too remote," Jodon remarked, looking at the scenery on either side of the street.

Shimmering City's architectural style leaned towards Romanesque, exuding a sense of grandeur and solemnity.

The roads were well-paved with blue stones, lined with flowers and trees, and the ground was clean and orderly, equipped with complete drainage systems. Even the buildings appeared more exquisite and well-organized than those in Blackstone City.

In comparison, Blackstone City seemed like a rural village.

"When we followed Lord Kyi to Blackstone City, who would have thought we'd be back in Shimmering Territory so soon?" one knight sighed.

The others nodded in agreement, their expressions a mix of nostalgia and relief.

"Exactly! At one point, I thought I'd be stuck in Blackstone City for life."

"Yeah, sometimes I still wonder if I'm dreaming."

"All of this is thanks to our lord and Lord Sunan. But speaking of which, why did Lord Sunan move outside the city? Could it be—"

Before the knight could finish his thought, Jodon kicked him.

"Watch your mouth, or I'll smack you!"

"Lord Baron and his brother are on good terms. Besides, Lord Sunan clearly has no interest in titles; he's going to be a wizard!"

"But why doesn't he stay in the city? The outskirts are so desolate; it can't be as comfortable as the inner fortress!" another knight questioned.

Jodon shrugged. "I heard Lord Sunan wants to build a base outside the city. He plans to create a magical plantation and a puppet factory, which will require a lot of land, so he chose the outskirts. What we're transporting now is the construction materials for the base."

Seeing the others look confused, Jodon waved his hand impatiently.

"Just follow Lord Sunan's orders. That's all we need to do."

The others agreed.

With plans from someone like Lord Sunan, who was of such strength, they certainly couldn't speculate.

The convoy passed through the city, traveling another four or five kilometers north after exiting the city gates. Finally, they arrived at a flat area that had been excavated and leveled.

Many workers were bustling about, the sounds of picks clanging against rocks filling the air.

Jodon quickly spotted Sunan, who was surveying the area, seemingly searching for something.

"Lord Sunan, the lord sent me to deliver supplies."

Sunan nodded and called over a steward to handle the delivery. He then produced a list and handed it to Jodon.

"This is the next batch of materials needed; please give it to my brother."

"Of course, my lord."

Jodon took the list, sneaking a glance at the items.

Crystals, brass, silver, clay... The first few items made sense, but what was the clay for?

Making pottery?

Jodon wondered silently but wisely chose not to ask further, taking the list and bidding farewell to Sunan.

Once he left, Sunan continued to investigate the surroundings.

After taking Shimmering City, he had begun to implement his farming plans, promptly finding Kyi and marking out a piece of land on the nearby plains to establish his base.

A qualified wizard needed their own territory to safely practice and study knowledge, as well as to develop.

That's why many wizards built their own towers.

Some powerful true spirit wizards even expended vast resources to construct floating cities.

Unfortunately, both floating cities and wizard towers were beyond Sunan's reach at this stage.

He had to settle for constructing a standard base instead.

A complete base would need to include meditation areas, spell training zones, experimental spaces, living quarters, apothecary areas, magical plantations, magical item workshops, puppet factories, warehouses, and a series of other facilities.

The area required for all these facilities would surpass that of an ordinary village.

The cost in gold would also be substantial.

Fortunately, Sunan had managed to produce a batch of potions during this time, which he had entrusted to the Fire Fox Trading Company for sale.

The deposits received were just enough for the initial construction of the base.

Currently, he was scouting the locations of the ley lines.

Every world has underground veins of primal magical energy.

These veins are referred to as ley line nodes, or elemental branches, or magic nodes, among other names.

These names are merely labels.

Essentially, ley line nodes are convergence points of natural energy. By using large magical arrays to set up energy supply channels at ley line nodes, one can provide stable magic energy transmission, significantly reducing energy costs.

Otherwise, relying solely on magic stones to support the operations of magical plantations, magical item workshops, and puppet factories would require an investment that could consume the entire income of Shimmering Territory.

The only issue was that, in the current Starlight Continent, elemental energy was scarce, and the magical energy provided by ley line nodes had significantly decreased.

Relying solely on the ley lines would probably only sustain the daily operations and maintenance of the base. To use devices like the magical crystal forging furnace, they would still need to supplement with magic stones.

In light of this, a stockpile of magic stones was essential before the base construction could be completed.

After confirming the ley line node, Sunan let out a long breath, turning his gaze to the busy workers below.

"Relying solely on human labor to build the base is still a bit slow; it would be best to manufacture a batch of clay golems to act as laborers."

Clay golems possess nearly a ton of strength, making them highly efficient laborers.

In many large-scale projects, a single clay golem could accomplish the work of hundreds of humans.

Moreover, clay golems do not need rest or food; as long as they have sufficient energy supply and regular maintenance, they can operate continuously.

Because of this, many wizards prefer to use clay golems as laborers or servants.

"Clay golems require simple materials, consume little energy, and are easy to maintain, making them the best choice for labor."

"With ten clay golems, the efficiency of base construction could multiply, saving a significant amount of manpower."

"Additionally, the magical plantation and magical item workshop will also need dedicated personnel for maintenance. Besides being literate, they will need a foundational understanding of magical botany or enchanting, which will have to be cultivated from scratch."

Training, learning spells, building the base, producing potions, crafting golems, and cultivating personnel...

Sunan suddenly realized there was still so much to do.

"I have my work cut out for me."

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