The Synthesis Wizard

In the year 1258 of the Starlight Calendar, during the month of Fiery Flow (August), after a brief but disorienting sensation of weightlessness, Xieman's vision cleared. She found herself in a spacious, well-lit hall.

The hall was orderly, with numerous stone chairs and tables. Several apprentices were seated, chatting and laughing.

"Is this the Dragon Bone Tower?" Lug, standing behind her, marveled at the hundreds of ever-bright pearls embedded in the ceiling.

Nearby, Sean, Solano, and a group of magical pattern knights wore expressions of wonder.

Only Korre remained indifferent, turning to Xieman and saying, "Let's report to the teacher first."

Xieman was about to agree when a familiar voice interrupted.

"The teacher is still in the laboratory and hasn't come out yet; you'll have to wait a while."

Turning, Xieman saw Artyl standing a few meters away, smiling at them.

"Artyl!" Xieman beamed with joy, "Long time no see!"

Artyl hadn't advanced to a second-level wizard apprentice before, so he hadn't participated in establishing the new magical plantation or exploring the underground world.

It had been nearly two years since Xieman last saw Artyl, so she was filled with joy at the sight of him.

Korre's expression also softened as he nodded slightly to Artyl.

"Long time no see."

After a pause, he scrutinized Artyl, a look of surprise flashing across his face.

"Artyl, have you broken through?"

Xieman paused, then examined Artyl carefully, her face showing surprise.

"You've advanced to a second-level wizard apprentice!"

"Yes," Artyl nodded with a smile, "I broke through two months ago."

"That's wonderful!" Xieman exclaimed happily.

With Artyl advancing to a second-level wizard apprentice, he could now participate in many base activities.

They could return to their old routine of acting together as a trio.

Korre also managed a small smile, saying, "Congratulations."

"Thank you," Artyl replied with a modest smile.

As the first batch of apprentices to enter the base, the three shared a deep bond, stronger than with the other apprentices.

Now, reunited at the same level, they all felt a shared joy.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Artyl turned his attention to Sean and the others.

"Are these the knight guard?"

"Yes," Xieman nodded with a smile, pointing at Sean, "This is Sean, the current captain of the knight guard, top graduate of the first class of Dragonheart Knight Academy. Though he's young, he's already a senior knight."

"Lord Artyl!"

Sean quickly saluted Artyl, then said hesitantly, "Lady Xieman overpraises me. Compared to you three, my strength is insignificant."

His humility wasn't misplaced; even the weakest second-level wizard apprentice wielded grand knight-level combat power, making a senior knight seem relatively minor.

"Enough with the formalities."

Korre cut through the pleasantries, turning to Artyl.

"Since the teacher is busy, we'll report later."

"Artyl, show us around Dragon Forest. I haven't seen the new base yet."

During the base relocation, Korre and Xieman were busy in the underground world and couldn't participate.

Now that they finally had time to return, they wanted to explore the new base.

Xieman nodded eagerly in agreement.

Artyl had no objections and agreed with a smile. He turned to Sean and the others, saying, "According to base regulations, only second-level wizard apprentices can freely move outside the Dragon Bone Tower. Without a task, you're restricted to the tower. Rest for today."

He summoned a clay golem to guide the magical pattern knights to the residential area.

After advancing to a second-level wizard apprentice, Artyl was granted partial permissions, allowing him to give limited orders to clay golems within the Dragon Bone Tower.

Once the clay golem led the knights away, Artyl took Xieman and Korre out of the tower.

While inside, it seemed unremarkable, but upon seeing the Dragon Bone Tower's exterior, winding like a giant dragon, Xieman and Korre were both stunned.

"Is this really a dragon's skeleton?" Xieman gasped.

"Yes," Artyl replied, a hint of awe in his gaze at the tower, "The teacher mentioned that the bones used to build the Dragon Bone Tower likely belonged to an ancient dragon over eight hundred years old."

Now Korre was also filled with amazement.

"The builder of the Dragon Bone Tower must have been an incredibly powerful wizard!"

Korre's eyes held a glimmer of longing, but he soon sighed.

He aspired to become such a powerful wizard, but he was well aware that his talent might not even allow him to become a formal wizard, let alone a wizard as powerful as the tower's creator.

After a brief appreciation, Artyl summoned three Blackrock Panthers, and the trio rode them away.

Zone 3 wasn't extensive, and they soon passed through an almost imperceptible barrier into Zone 2.

Seeing the desolate plains and sparse greenery, Xieman was puzzled.

"Why is it so barren here?"

Artyl explained, "Zone 2 of Dragon Forest was originally abandoned. It's much better now; when the base first moved, you couldn't find a single blade of grass."

"The teacher mentioned that Zone 2 was initially for breeding dragons, but since dragons are likely extinct on the continent, it can only be used for magical plant cultivation."

Breeding dragons!

Xieman and Korre were astounded by the scale.

The thought of this area once being a breeding ground for dragons akin to formal wizards left them speechless.

Though impressive, the current Zone 2 had little to offer.

The dragon skeletons that once filled the area had been cleared.

Passing through the empty Zone 2, the trio soon entered Zone 1.

The moment they crossed the barrier, vibrant greenery explosively filled Xieman and Korre's view, dominating their senses.

Towering trees, some tens or hundreds of meters tall, blotted out the sky, and the ground vegetation was lush, with shrubs reaching two to three meters high.

Distant roars of beasts echoed, interspersed with the sound of heavy footsteps.

The scene before them seemed to belong to an ancient era.

Awed by the magnificent view, Xieman and Korre instinctively held their breath. 

"Impressive, isn't it? I felt the same when I first saw this scene."

Artyl patiently waited for them to recover before smiling and saying:

"Over 90% of Zone 1 is forest."

"This area is home to many rare magical plants and tens of thousands of sub-dragons."

"There are quite a few legendary-level sub-dragons here. Considering the danger, Zone 1 is currently off-limits, except for second-level wizard apprentices tasked with collecting dragon's blood or magical plants."

As she explained, Artyl led them into the forest.

She seemed familiar with the area, carefully avoiding certain zones.

According to her, those zones housed legendary sub-dragons, and it was best to avoid them if possible.

Otherwise, being discovered and chased would require using rune stones to escape.

After walking just a thousand meters, Xieman and Korre saw more than thirty types of sub-dragons, increasingly marveling at Dragon Forest's wonders.

In the past, they never imagined such a place existed, devoted to breeding sub-dragons.

Outside, sub-dragons were rare, yet here they were abundant.

Only wizard apprentices understood how valuable this place was!

It was a treasure trove of walking material collections!

"By the way, have you thought about contracting a magical pet?"

Midway through, Artyl suddenly asked.

Both Xieman and Korre nodded.

Second-level wizard apprentices could contract magical pets.

They had long considered it but hadn't found suitable targets.

With the teacher's exceptionally powerful magical pet as a benchmark, they were reluctant to contract an ordinary one.

"Have you considered sub-dragons?" Artyl suggested, taking them by surprise.

"Sub-dragons?" Xieman was puzzled, shaking her head with a wry smile, "I'd like to, but the stronger the beast, the harder it is to contract as a pet. Contracting a sub-dragon... seems impossible, right?"

Korre also shook his head, "Sub-dragons, even the weakest, have grand knight-level strength. With our current power, it's impossible to contract one."

Rumor had it that when the teacher contracted the Hidden Dragon, it only had the strength of a peak knight.

They couldn't be bolder than the teacher, could they?

Artyl laughed, "Of course, adult sub-dragons are out of the question, but Zone 1 has many juvenile sub-dragons. We can target them. Choosing a more docile species gives us a good chance of success."

Xieman and Korre paused.

This path had never occurred to them; adult sub-dragons were rare enough, let alone juveniles.

In previous considerations, they hadn't thought in this direction.

But hearing Artyl's suggestion, it seemed quite feasible!

Excitement lit up Xieman and Korre's faces.

Contracting a sub-dragon as a magical pet would be incredible!

Sub-dragons had far greater growth potential than ordinary beasts!

With this thought, they eyed the sub-dragons along the way with barely concealed eagerness.

Each sub-dragon they saw was mentally evaluated as a potential contract target.

Artyl noticed and chuckled, "The Dragon Bone Tower has detailed sub-dragon data. After returning, ask Steward No. 1 for a copy."

"Steward No. 1?" Xieman asked, puzzled.

Artyl explained, "It's the Dragon Bone Tower's intelligent auxiliary life form. The teacher said it's more advanced than an adamantine golem."

Xieman understood.

After touring most of Zone 1, the trio reluctantly headed back.

On the way, Artyl recalled seeing Sean and the others earlier and curiously asked, "I heard the knight guard is equipped with magical pattern constructs. How effective are they?"

"Very strong," Xieman answered without hesitation, "Stronger than ordinary alchemical-grade magical items."

"Especially the level 2 magical pattern constructs; they seem almost as powerful as low-tier magical items."

Korre added, "I heard there's an even more advanced level 3 magical pattern construct. I wonder how effective it is?"

"The base's exchange list was recently updated, and level 3 magical pattern constructs are now available. If you're curious, you can exchange for a set," Artyl suggested with a smile.

She was just joking, but upon seeing Xieman and Korre's intrigued expressions, she was momentarily speechless.

"You're seriously considering it?"

Xieman collected herself and said, "We often get ambushed by monsters in the underground exploration, and many times we have to engage in close combat. A level 3 magical pattern construct would greatly enhance our safety."

"Exactly," Korre agreed.

"But level 3 magical pattern constructs require a grand knight to use."

"That's simple; just exchange for some advanced dragon blood fruit."

Second-level wizard apprentices generally had knight-level physical fitness.

Both Xieman and Korre had senior knight-level physiques, and consuming a level 4 dragon blood fruit would allow them to break through to grand knight status.

For wizard apprentices, enhancing physical attributes was trivial.

Artyl thought it over and realized their reasoning was sound, and she too felt tempted.

After mastering spells, she would undoubtedly join the underground exploration.

Having a magical pattern construct would enhance her safety.

Back at the Dragon Bone Tower, Artyl checked with Steward No. 1 and learned the teacher had left the laboratory and was now in the study. She led Xieman and Korre to the tower floor where the study was located.

"Go see the teacher yourselves." Artyl waved them off.

Xieman and Korre adjusted their appearances, then knocked on the study door.

"Come in," came the teacher's voice from inside.

They entered to find the teacher sitting behind a desk, eyes on a parchment.

It seemed to be a... map?

"You returned in such a hurry to see me. Did your exploration yield results?"

Sunan looked up from the desk, addressing them.

"Yes, teacher," Korre began, "We've eliminated the remaining beholder tribes to the north and continued exploring northward. Just as you predicted, we discovered a beholder city-state."

"We captured a beholder and, after interrogation, confirmed the city-state is called Giant Eye City, ruled by a Hive Mother Beholder."

Sunan nodded in understanding, his gaze returning to the map.

This map was a military map created from the information provided by the Traveler.

It clearly depicted the detailed distribution of powers within two thousand kilometers of the Star Alliance, including major city-states, tribes, and areas with powerful monsters or deadly anomalies.

Of course, considering the Traveler's limited capabilities, he couldn't have explored every inch of this region, so the map was undoubtedly incomplete.

Nevertheless, it would significantly aid the Star Alliance's future expansion.

-Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there 

patreon.com/LegendaryTL

Thanks!