Synthetic Wizard-Chapter 121 - 101: Caution and Awe
Sunan ultimately chose to leave quietly.
Although he wanted to explore the island’s situation, he had just been through an intense battle, his Spiritual Power was greatly depleted, and there were only seven High-level Rune Gemstones left. His strength was not at its peak.
It’s wiser to go back, prepare thoroughly, and then come back to investigate.
Back at Flash City, Sunan immediately went to the lord’s mansion.
After learning that Sunan went to the cave, Kei had been waiting in the council hall for news. Seeing Sunan return safely now, he breathed a huge sigh of relief.
He eagerly asked, "Is it settled?"
"It’s settled."
Sunan nodded, but before Kei’s face could show joy, he followed up with:
"But I discovered a new situation."
Kei was taken aback: "What situation?"
Sunan briefly recounted the situation of the underground city-state. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
After hearing Sunan’s words, Kei was completely stunned.
At first, he thought having a monster near Flash City, comparable to a Tier Three Legendary Knight, was already terrible. Unexpectedly, the monster was dealt with, and now an underground city-state emerged.
The latter was undoubtedly a higher threat than the Hundred-armed Monster.
Kei started to regret deciding to make Flash City the provincial center.
Had he known there was an entrance to the underground world nearby, he would have stayed far away.
"If I’m not mistaken, the Hundred-armed Monster was likely trading with that city-state."
Sunan recalled what he heard those kobolds say before.
They were mining to trade for food to feed the Hundred-armed Monster.
In the cave, the only possible trading partner was the people from the underground city-state.
"The residents of that city-state might have long known the cave connects to the surface. They’ve never invaded the surface for so long, probably they won’t think about it in the short term either."
Sunan reassured.
Of course, it’s also possible that the Hundred-armed Monster occupied the passage, preventing the city-state people from coming through.
If that were true, it would be simpler.
It would mean the city-state’s forces couldn’t even suppress the Hundred-armed Monster, so he wouldn’t need to worry as much.
Hearing Sunan’s words eased Kei’s worries slightly.
"How do you plan to handle the veins in the cave?"
"Start mining immediately."
Sunan said without hesitation.
After all, the cave isn’t 100% safe, so the veins should be mined as early as possible.
"Do you need me to recruit miners from Black Stone City?"
"No need, just get me a set of mining equipment, leave the mining to the Clay Golems."
The mining efficiency of one Clay Golem equals that of dozens of skilled miners, and using Clay Golems is more efficient.
Sunan planned to deplete the cave’s veins as soon as possible.
This battle cost a fortune, and he needed to recoup quickly.
Moreover, to prevent the underground city-state’s invasion, he would need to forge another batch of golems to guard the cave, which would also cost a lot.
"Alright, let me know if you need help."
Kei turned to instruct the guards.
The next day.
Sunan directly deployed thirty Clay Golems from the base to the cave to carry out preliminary expansions for the mining operation.
Although kobolds are natural miners, compared to other underground residents, they lag far behind humans in both technique and equipment.
The veins in the basin previously mined by kobolds looked as though they’d been chewed by dogs, lacking aesthetic and order.
In three days, Sunan completed the cave’s expansion and remodeling.
The mining equipment arrived just in time, including mining rails.
After setting up the equipment, a mining area took shape.
Although there weren’t many miners, they didn’t need rest or food, allowing them to work tirelessly twenty-four hours a day, so the mining process was not slow.
Sunan estimated that in one day, thirty Clay Golems could extract over one hundred Gold Coins worth of silver and gold ore.
If refined and sold, the value could increase further.
At this rate, in about three months, he’d break even from the Hundred-armed Monster’s defeat.
Afterward, it’s pure profit.
Regarding the underground city-state, Sunan stationed five Steel Golems where the Hundred-armed Monster used to live, setting up a Magic Alert that would notify him of any intrusions.
In the following two months, everything remained peaceful.
The cave’s mining operation proceeded smoothly.
There was no activity from the underground city-state, and Kei gradually put his mind at ease.
Time moved to the last day of the month of Slumber.
On Starlight Continent, this day is also known as the Day of Rest, marking the year’s end and the division between two years.
Both commoners and nobles gradually reduce outdoor activities after this day, including work and visiting friends, as if the year’s hustle and bustle quietly subsides.
Entering the first month of the new year, people then begin to host celebrations and banquets to welcome the new year.
On the third day after the New Year’s celebration, Sunan successfully constructed the eleventh Star Ring.
His Spiritual Power smoothly broke through to 34, reaching the requirement for consuming Tier Three Superior Transcendent Potion.
Sunan immediately switched to Tier Three Superior Transcendent Potion, and his daily proficiency growth in the Star Ring Meditation Method surged to over 2300.
However, constructing the twelfth Star Ring required 800,000 proficiency, estimated to take about a year.
Besides this, his [Magic Item Creation] skill finally rose to level 4.
