Synthesis Wizard

Suppressing the joy in his heart, Su Nan quickly walked to the bookshelf, his eyes swiftly scanning the books.

“Construction Science,” “Materials Science,” “Structure of Life Energy,” “Fundamentals of Enchanted Runes,” “Principles of Puppet Mechanics,” “Basic Puppet Construction,” “Puppets and Golems.”

Over 80% of the books were related to puppet manufacturing.

It was clear that the owner of this place was deeply passionate about this craft, bordering on obsession.

It was no wonder that he had created the Iron-Eating Beast puppet creature.

However, where did this wizard apprentice go afterwards?

Su Nan felt a faint suspicion in his heart. After thinking for a moment, he turned to the desk.

The solid wood desk was covered with a thick layer of dust, and there was nothing on it. Su Nan opened the drawers below. The first few drawers were empty, only the last drawer contained two diaries, a ring, and two boxes.

Su Nan took out the top diary and opened the cover.

The slightly yellowed first page had only a single line of words:

[Ang·Maclain, recorded on Starlight Calendar 1124.]

Starlight Calendar 1124, that was about 125 years ago.

“The appearance of the Iron-Eating Beast in the Blackstone Mine Area seems to have been just over a hundred years ago.”

Su Nan pondered, continuing to turn the pages.

The paper of the diary, he didn’t know what material it was made of, but it had survived for so long and remained intact.

[Starlight Calendar 1124, April 12]

[Today, I finished the exploration of the Blackstone Iron Mine. As I expected, the reserves of this mine are quite rich. Now my puppet experiments have enough materials to use. This is good news. I’ve decided to build a laboratory deep in the mine shaft as my future retreat.]

[Starlight Calendar 1126, February 8]

[The Blackrock Beast experiment has finally achieved a crucial breakthrough! Soon, I will be able to successfully refine my own puppet creature! ]

“So that puppet is called the Blackrock Beast.” Su Nan raised his eyebrows.

[Starlight Calendar 1127, March 15]

[Hahaha, success! I have finally successfully refined the first Blackrock Beast! This is my own puppet creature. I am indeed a genius! ]

[But the combat strength of the Blackrock Beast is still not good. Compared to a formal knight, it is much inferior. There are still many areas that need improvement. I need to collect more combat data.]

[It just so happens that there are a lot of knights outside. Let them be the opponents of the Blackrock Beast. What a bunch of lucky guys.]

[Starlight Calendar 1128, June 10]

[The improvement experiment is going well. The Blackrock Beast now has a combat strength level comparable to that of a junior knight. Unfortunately, that cowardly lord abandoned this mine. I have to find new targets for providing combat data. Perhaps the Black Scale Lizardmen to the north are a good choice.]

Each page of the diary contained only a few lines of words.

And the time spans were relatively large, with the shortest interval being more than half a year.

The later entries mostly contained the progress of the Blackrock Beast’s improvement experiment.

Occasionally, there were some entries about meditation, magic learning, and going out to collect materials.

From the lines, it was not difficult to see that this wizard apprentice named Ang was somewhat arrogant and reclusive, and disliked contact with the outside world.

It was worth mentioning that he was a third-rank wizard apprentice.

On the resource-poor Starlight Continent, in the Element Desert, to be promoted to third-rank wizard apprentice before the age of a hundred was undoubtedly a testament to Ang’s genius, giving him the capital for his arrogance.

However, with the passage of time, Ang gradually shifted his focus from puppet research to cultivation. The tone of the diary also noticeably became more anxious and confused.

[Starlight Calendar 1162, September 20]

[My spiritual power seems to have reached a bottleneck. It has not increased significantly in the past six months. Perhaps I should seek external help.]

[Starlight Calendar 1163, January 4]

[Good luck. I found a formula for an Evil Illusion Potion. If I can create an Evil Illusion Potion, it will definitely solve the problem of my stagnant spiritual power! ]

[Starlight Calendar 1165, May 19]

[Damn it! Why can’t I find all the ingredients for the formula? I have already found the locations where the ingredients grow according to the records in the book, but why can’t I find them? Is there an error in the records? ]

[Starlight Calendar 1167, February 6]

[So that’s it. Element loss, a sharp reduction in the concentration of energy particles. The continent we are on has become a wasteland. No wonder I haven’t met any other wizard apprentices in all these years… No, I will not give up. If I can’t find all the ingredients, then I will try other substitutes. I don’t believe that my intelligence can’t solve this problem! ]

[Starlight Calendar 1169, April 4]

[Experiment failed.]

[Starlight Calendar 1170, February 9]

[Experiment failed.]

(Repetitive experimental failure records)

[Starlight Calendar 1192, March 16]

[No, no matter how much I extract and purify the low-grade materials, the effect will not be able to replace high-grade materials. This potion has no chance of being successfully created! ]

[Damn it! I’m not willing to give up! ]

In the following dozen pages, the entries were filled with anger and curses against the world, bitterness, despair, and unwillingness to accept the future that was shrouded in darkness.

It wasn’t until after Starlight Calendar 1200 that Ang, as if he had a sudden awakening, regained his composure. The tone of the entries changed.

[Starlight Calendar 1200, December 3]

[I can feel my life force gradually fading away. It seems that I don’t have long to live.]

[If I undergo biological modification, perhaps I can live longer. But this is not my strong suit. And I don’t want to make myself inhuman for the sake of survival. No, perhaps it is because that kind of modification will completely deprive me of the hope of becoming a wizard. If I can’t become a wizard, what’s the point of living longer?]

[What wizards seek is truth, not eternal life.]

[Starlight Calendar 1202, May 5]

[Death is getting closer. I can almost smell the decay of my body.]

[The good news is that I found a legend about the Starlight Tower in an ancient book. It is said that it was left behind by an ancient wizard. Perhaps there I can find a way to become a wizard. This is my only hope now.]

[I’ve decided. I will go find the Starlight Tower!]

Starlight Tower!

Su Nan’s expression shifted.

In his limited memories of the previous life’s game, the Starlight Tower seemed to be one of the only three wizard legacies on the Starlight Continent in the 1.0 version!

Not the kind of laboratory left behind by a wizard apprentice like this one, but a true legacy left by a wizard.

It was the last bit of kindness left to this continent by the wizards who had conquered the multiverse thousands of years ago.

Such a place would undoubtedly contain a wealth of valuable knowledge and materials, without even thinking about it.

If he could find the Starlight Tower, becoming a wizard would definitely no longer be a problem!

Su Nan’s heart was filled with excitement, and he quickly turned to the next page. But what greeted his eyes was a blank page.

“Gone?”

Su Nan continued to turn the pages, but they were all blank.

It was obvious that after Ang·Maclain went out to search for the Starlight Tower, he never returned.

Did he finally find the Starlight Tower?

Su Nan guessed that the answer was most likely no.

Otherwise, in the past 50 years, this laboratory wouldn’t have been left untouched.

Thinking about it, Su Nan couldn’t help but feel a sense of pity.

With Ang·Maclain’s talent and ability, if he had been alive in the wizard era thousands of years ago, he would have surely become a powerful wizard.

Unfortunately, he was born in the wrong era. He could only squander his entire life and die with a sense of bitterness.

“A wizard’s wasteland.”