The study was quiet, with only the gentle sound of pages turning echoing softly.
Carolina and the Red Widow stood silently in front of the desk, not daring to make a sound for fear of disturbing Sunan sitting behind the desk.
Yet, they couldn't help but occasionally steal glances at Sunan, their eyes bright with admiration.
When Sunan announced he would investigate the Starlight Tower, he disappeared for over two years.
Although the Star Alliance continued to operate smoothly due to Sunan's prior arrangements, the prolonged absence left Carolina and the Red Widow deeply worried.
They knew well that the prosperity of the Star Alliance hinged entirely on Sunan.
Without him, the alliance would quickly crumble, a scenario they couldn't accept.
Just as they were about to send people to search for Sunan, he returned.
Accompanying his return was a piece of shocking news.
Their master had ascended to become a formal wizard!
This wasn't something Sunan told them directly; it was a rumor that began circulating outside at some point.
It was said that Sunan successfully became a wizard inside the Starlight Tower, and upon exiting, he boldly killed fourteen third-level wizard apprentices from the Council of Truth and claimed the Starlight Tower for himself.
Initially skeptical, Carolina and the Red Widow were convinced once they saw Sunan and sensed the vast, unfathomable aura he now exuded.
Their doubts vanished, replaced by overwhelming joy.
Their experiences in the Star Alliance had given them ample understanding of what a wizard meant on the Starlight Continent.
If they had to compare it to something, it was akin to being the sole deity of the continent!
They couldn't imagine anything capable of withstanding a wizard's power!
With a wizard leading the Star Alliance, the path to unifying the underground world—or rather, the entire Starlight Continent—was unstoppable!
This was far more ambitious and exhilarating than their previous goal of dominating the underground world.
The thought sent shivers down their spines, their faces flushed with excitement as they gazed at their master with even greater reverence and awe.
Sunan paid no attention to their small gestures, focusing instead on the reports from the past two years.
Due to halting expansion, the Star Alliance's territory had remained largely unchanged, with only about a dozen new resource sites developed.
This stability meant the dark elves hadn't sent anyone to disturb them.
The Star Alliance enjoyed a rare period of peace and tranquility.
Despite the static territorial gains, the alliance's military strength had grown considerably.
In terms of golems, the alliance had amassed large numbers of Stone Golems and Dual-Blade Spiders over the past two years, nearly enough to form two small golem armies.
Once Sunan supplemented the forces with Iron Golems, Elite Iron Golems, and Elite Dual-Blade Spiders, the Star Alliance would have two additional small golem armies.
What delighted Sunan most, however, was the Magi-Knight Corps.
After over a decade of development, the Magi-Knight Corps had grown tenfold, nearing a total of fifty thousand members.
Unfortunately, the production of magi-constructs couldn't keep pace with the increase in knights.
Currently, less than a third of the Magi-Knight Corps had magi-constructs.
This was an issue the Star Alliance needed to address urgently.
Once the equipment problem was resolved, the fully equipped Magi-Knight Corps would become the alliance's second formidable force, rivaling the golem army.
"First- and second-level magi-constructs can be delegated to the base's apprentices for production, but third-level and above, I'll need to handle myself," Sunan mused.
Thanks to the expansion of the Starlight Duchy's territory, the base's apprentice numbers had grown rapidly over the past two years.
The total number of apprentices now exceeded 500, with 524 in total.
Among them, there were more than forty second-level wizard apprentices.
These made up the labor force for producing first- and second-level magi-constructs.
Sunan decided to adjust the task rewards to incentivize apprentices to produce these constructs.
For third-level magi-constructs, if he didn't have time to make them, he could synthesize them from first- and second-level constructs.
It would simply cost more.
Due to the shortage of magi-constructs, the growth of the Dragon Antelope Knights, the core of the Magi-Knight Corps, had stalled.
However, the pastures had accumulated over three hundred mature dragon antelopes, and once equipped, the number of Dragon Antelope Knights could double.
After reviewing the reports, Sunan had a clear understanding of the Star Alliance's development over the past two years.
Overall, during his absence, the alliance hadn't faced major issues, but growth in various areas had slowed, and overall strength had stagnated.
However, this time cost was insignificant compared to what he gained in the Starlight Tower.
Moreover, with his return, the alliance was poised for a period of exponential growth.
Closing the reports, Sunan looked up at Carolina and the Red Widow.
The two women instinctively straightened up.
"Once the new golem armies are formed, resume expansion efforts."
"This time, the focus is on Spider City. Prioritize expansion in that direction."
Carolina and the Red Widow nodded respectfully.
"Send people to scout Spider City and gather intelligence."
After giving further instructions, Sunan dismissed the two women.
Once they left, he looked down at the base reports, deep in thought.
The base had been established for nearly twenty years.
It had operated smoothly and significantly aided him.
However, as his influence expanded, some shortcomings of the base became apparent.
The most significant issue was the insufficient knowledge imparted to apprentices.
Sunan was too busy to spend much time teaching them.
When apprentice numbers were low, he could provide limited instruction through an exchange system. But as numbers grew, the system was dropped to save time.
Now, apprentices could only learn through self-study, resulting in slow progress.
With the Starlight Duchy's expanding influence, more apprentices would join the Star Alliance, necessitating changes at the base.
Even before heading to the Starlight Tower, Sunan had considered this.
One idea was to separate the training of apprentices from the base and establish a dedicated academy for wizard apprentices.
Wizard academies are a staple of every wizard faction.
They are the primary means of recruiting fresh talent.
For the Star Alliance to expand further, establishing a wizard academy was essential.
The first challenge in establishing an academy was staffing.
Initially, Sunan considered inviting members of the Forest Lodge to join as faculty.
However, due to concerns about trust and alignment, he postponed the idea.
But circumstances had changed. With his status and power as a wizard, he could easily compel the Staff and others.
Additionally, the allure of resources like Construction Potions would ensure their cooperation.
Once the faculty issue was resolved, establishing the academy would be straightforward.
After contemplating for a moment, Sunan had a plan.
With a flick of his wrist, a small, exquisite wooden house model appeared in his palm.
This was the essence of the Forest Lodge.
He had found it among the belongings of the Council of Truth members.
As he suspected, the Night Owl had likely perished at their hands.
The hunter secretly in contact with Ivans was also likely dead.
Including Sunan, only four members of the Forest Lodge remained, rendering it nearly defunct.
This made it easier for him to absorb the remaining members.
Stowing the Forest Lodge, Sunan left the study.
In Dragon Forest's Zone 3, high above a plain.
Sunan appeared, watching the Hidden Dragon galloping below, with Amy riding on its back, a smile on his face.
He hadn't taken the Hidden Dragon to the Starlight Tower, leaving it in Dragon Forest.
Over the past two years, the Hidden Dragon hadn't undergone bloodline refinement, so its growth in bloodline purity had been slow.
However, its bloodline purity was already over 90%, and now it was nearing 94%.
The issue was that once its bloodline purity exceeded 90%, the Hidden Dragon's subdragon bloodline became the highest in Dragon Forest.
Other subdragon blood had no effect on it.
It needed to be synthesized and refined to enhance the Hidden Dragon's bloodline purity.
Fortunately, Dragon Forest had plenty of subdragon blood, so the Hidden Dragon's enhancement hadn't slowed much.
Sunan estimated that in two to three years, the Hidden Dragon's bloodline would fully evolve.
Then he'd have another powerful asset comparable to a wizard.
The thought brought a smile to Sunan's face.
"Meow, Sunan!"
A clear voice interrupted his thoughts.
Feeling a slight weight on his shoulder, he turned to see Amy perched there, her large sapphire eyes fixed on him as she rattled off questions.
"When did you get back, meow?"
"Did you find the Starlight Tower, meow?"
"Why were you gone so long, meow?"
Sunan quickly interrupted the little one, smiling. "I just got back a few days ago. I found the Starlight Tower, but some things happened, so it took longer."
Amy didn't press further; it was just happy to see Sunan return.
But then it sniffed around him, its eyes widening with a human-like shock.
"Meow! You've become a wizard!"
"You can sense that?" Sunan asked, surprised.
Though Amy could sense energy particle fluctuations, he had deliberately restrained them, so it shouldn't have noticed.
"My senses are very sharp, meow! Your aura is just like the wizards I've seen before!"
Amy bragged, lifting its head proudly, then gazed at Sunan with admiration.
"That's amazing, meow!"
"You became a wizard in just over twenty years, meow!"
"And in this environment! You're the most talented person I've seen besides my master, meow!"
Amy was so excited, one might think it had become a wizard itself.
Sunan curiously asked, "How long did it take your master to become a wizard?"
Amy started to gesture but decided against it after glancing at its paws, then replied crisply, "Sixteen years, meow."
"Sixteen years to become a wizard," Sunan mused. That was indeed fast.
"No, meow." Amy shook its head, surprising him. "My master became a wizard at sixteen."
"Sixteen?" Sunan was taken aback, then quickly realized. "Your master is a True Spirit descendant?"
"That's right, meow!" Amy said proudly.
Sunan clicked his tongue in wonder.
True Spirit descendants are the children of True Spirit wizards.
At the wizard level, one's essence far surpasses ordinary beings, and their offspring inherently possess greater physical and mental strength, almost guaranteed wizard apprentice potential, and are more likely to excel on the wizard path.
For instance, offspring of two first-level wizards could become third-level apprentices, with a much higher chance of becoming wizards than ordinary people.
If born to two third-level wizards, they would almost certainly become formal wizards, barring unforeseen circumstances.
And offspring of True Spirit wizards often achieved wizard status by sixteen or seventeen!
These individuals are called True Spirit descendants.
In the wizarding world, True Spirit descendants are synonymous with genius.
Sunan hadn't expected Amy's master to be a True Spirit descendant.
Realizing this, it wasn't surprising that they could nurture a unique creature like Amy.
A second-generation wizard, their foundation isn't something ordinary wizards can match.
However, like dragons, the more powerful a wizard, the harder it is to reproduce.
In the multiverse, True Spirit descendants are exceedingly rare.
Sunan was increasingly curious about why Amy was left on the Starlight Continent.
But seeing the little one's pride, he wisely refrained from asking, instead smiling and patting its head.
When the era of wizardry returns, Amy's master will likely return to the Starlight Continent, and the reason will become clear.
"Roar!"
The Hidden Dragon's call came from below.
Sunan descended to the ground, where the Hidden Dragon eagerly approached, affectionately nuzzling him.
With its bloodline purity rising, the Hidden Dragon now measured over thirty meters, nearing forty.
Such a massive creature showing affection was quite the contrast.
"Let's go to the lab; it's time for some overdue bloodline refinement."
Sunan patted the Hidden Dragon's scales, smiling.
"In a couple of years, you'll become a true dragon."
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