Chapitre 116: Chapter 116: Overturn the Board and Replace the Ruler
Shaman's inspection report was swiftly submitted.
After reviewing it, Sunan was fairly satisfied.
Cultivating knights isn't something that can be accomplished overnight.
Although there are Dragonblood Fruits, most are supplied to the Shimmer Territory's military and the base's students. Only a portion can be allocated to Dragonheart Knight Academy, so it's impossible for hundreds to become knights in just four years.
Sunan was prepared for a long-term effort.
After all, establishing a comprehensive training system takes a considerable amount of time.
Setting aside the matters of Dragonheart Knight Academy for now, Sunan returned to his cultivation and research.
But just then, Key suddenly approached him.
"Something's not right," Key said, placing a report in front of Sunan.
Taking a look, Sunan's eyebrows rose slightly.
The report mentioned that over the past three months, more than a dozen nobles in the Starlight Duchy had either died of illness or in accidents.
A common trait among them was their staunch refusal to accept the Spark Church's faith.
Apart from them, their direct bloodlines also died due to various reasons.
As a result, upon their deaths, either their titles were seamlessly inherited by the sole remaining heir, or their lands and titles were directly reclaimed by higher-ranking nobles due to the absence of heirs.
While such occurrences weren't rare, given the notorious chaos in noble circles, having over a dozen such cases in just six months was deeply unsettling.
Undoubtedly, the Spark Church was behind this!
They were using the same tactics as with Marquis Goldrock, but even more blatant and aggressive.
"The Spark Church isn't even bothering to cover it up. Aren't they afraid of provoking a backlash from other nobles?" Sunan remarked with surprise.
Key shook his head and said, "These newly ascended nobles, along with those who annexed subordinate territories, have openly accepted the Spark Church's faith. With the Grand Duke's support, this might be what gives the Spark Church the audacity to employ such ruthless tactics."
"Upon reflection, you might be right—perhaps the Spark Church did promise the Grand Duke an extension of life. Otherwise, he wouldn't allow them to do this, as it's essentially undermining the foundation of the duchy!"
The Spark Church was no benevolent institution!
Sunan had realized this long ago.
He was not surprised that they would resort to violence to propagate their faith.
What puzzled him was why the Spark Church was in such a hurry.
They could have adopted a more gradual and covert approach instead of a method likely to provoke hostility and backlash from many nobles.
After pondering for a moment without any result, Sunan shook his head, choosing not to dwell on it, and instead asked:
"What do you plan to do?"
Key gritted his teeth and said firmly, "I won't compromise with my father's killer, nor will I wait passively. If the Grand Duke is determined to aid the Spark Church, then I'll just overturn the board and replace the ruler of the duchy!"
If someone else were here, hearing Key's words, they would likely be shocked.
But Sunan remained calm, as if he had anticipated Key would say this.
In fact, he knew that Shimmer Territory's power had been expanding rapidly over the years.
As far as he was aware, the Blackrock Cavalry had exceeded a thousand men, reaching a staggering 1,300!
This was a cavalry force where every member was a knight, riding knight-level puppet steeds!
Such a force alone had the power to flatten any province!
Not to mention the golem army.
Others might be in the dark, but Shimmer Territory's current strength was already the greatest among the seven provinces of the Starlight Duchy.
It possessed the power to overthrow the duchy!
Most importantly, there was Sunan.
His presence was Key's greatest confidence in opposing the Starlight Duchy.
Key was confident that with Sunan, Shimmer Territory would stand undefeated.
Even if they couldn't overthrow the Starlight Duchy, they could easily carve out a domain and become a regional power!
"What about Marquis White Tower?" Sunan asked.
"I've already spoken with him, and he supports my idea," Key said seriously.
Sunan nodded in understanding.
Marquis White Tower was Key's father-in-law through marriage, so their alliance wasn't surprising.
Of course, this familial relationship wasn't the main reason.
A single daughter meant little to a figure of Marquis White Tower's stature compared to family interests.
The military strength displayed by Shimmer Territory was the key factor in convincing Marquis White Tower.
"In that case, go ahead and do what you need to do."
With Sunan's endorsement, Key's face lit up with determination, his spirits lifted.
"With your support, I'm reassured!"
Though resolved, Key didn't act rashly but began making preparations in secret.
Meanwhile, Sunan arranged for Key's protection.
Given the Spark Church's current madness, they might attempt an attack on Key, and Sunan couldn't always be by his side. The best solution was to provide Key with sufficient protection.
With profits from the mines flowing in, Sunan was in a position of financial strength, directly synthesizing two legendary-level Blackrock Panthers to guard Key at all times.
Additionally, he stationed three steel golems, twenty Twin-Blade Spiders, and over a hundred stone golems at the lord's residence, coordinating with the existing guards to create an impenetrable defense.
With such a setup, even a third-circle legendary knight couldn't infiltrate unnoticed.
Combined with Key's near-legendary knight strength, there was little cause for concern.
As for the base, there was even less to worry about.
With over twenty steel and elite stone golems, even a level-three wizard apprentice like Hebb would struggle to escape unscathed.
As the month of Thunder (April) arrived, Yohu Lake City seemed to have adapted to life under wizard rule.
Everything was orderly.
Those who signed soul contracts with Sunan, including Karolena, behaved obediently, with no secret plots.
The harsh environment of the Underground World fostered a survival-of-the-fittest mentality.
The intelligent beings residing there generally respected strength and followed a code where might was right, often harboring an admiration for power.
Having witnessed the continuous production of golems at the puppet factory, recognizing Sunan's power, Karolena grew increasingly respectful, gradually accepting her role.
Individuals like her, aligned with the evil faction, often performed exceptionally well once they genuinely pledged loyalty.
They would go to great lengths to accomplish their master's orders.
By mid-month, Karolena had already gathered the materials needed to craft a Magic Rune Core.
"Well done."
Sunan nodded in satisfaction at the array of rare metals on the workbench, offering Karolena a rare compliment.
Karolena beamed, recalling something, and said, "Master, traces of ghouls have been found near Vein No. 3, likely scouting the area. Vampires have also been spotted near Vein No. 2."
"If they come again, don't hold back—kill them," Sunan said dismissively.
Matu and Orson's combined strength wasn't much greater than Yohu Lake City.
Sunan had captured Yohu Lake City before, and his strength had since grown significantly.
Had it not been for the ongoing development of the mines around Yohu Lake, and the inconvenience of Matu and Orson's distance, he would have conquered those city-states by now.
Since they were making the first move, Sunan wouldn't hesitate to retaliate.
In the Underground World's survival-of-the-fittest environment, a probing action should be met with a decisive counterattack, or risk being underestimated.
"Yes, Master."
Waving Karolena away, Sunan refocused on the materials before him.
He swept a hand over the workbench, and the metal materials melted into a ball of liquid metal, floating before him.
With previous experience, Sunan skillfully crafted the second Magic Rune Core in just over a day.
He then extracted the first Magic Rune Core from his body and placed both in the cube for synthesis.
Soon, a brand-new Magic Rune Core emerged.
"I'll call it the Level 2 Magic Rune Core."
Though the synthesis interface still labeled it as a Magic Rune Core, Sunan added a prefix for differentiation.
The Level 2 Magic Rune Core appeared unchanged at first glance.
After examining it, Sunan integrated the Magic Rune Core into his body, then headed to the spell practice room for testing.
The test subject was once again a steel golem.
First, he tested its attack power.
At full power, the metal spike storm formed by the Magic Rune Core shredded the steel golem in just ten seconds.
Had Sunan not stopped in time, the golem would have been destroyed.
"Impressive, at least double the attack power."
"Had I this power against the adamantine golem, it would have taken just over half a minute to destroy it."
Next, he tested its defense.
In terms of defensive value, it ranged from about 3200 to 3500, far exceeding the defense of the Extreme Protection Rings!
Sunan estimated that no opponent below a full-fledged wizard could break through such a formidable defense—provided his mental energy didn't run out.
To Sunan's delight, the increase in mental energy consumption by the Magic Rune Core was minimal.
Though it didn't reduce consumption, the exponentially enhanced attack and defense marked a significant improvement.
Otherwise, if mental energy consumption also doubled, the Magic Rune Core would be akin to a one-time-use item like the Disaster Rings.
That would severely limit its practicality!
Fortunately, the worst-case scenario didn't occur.
After constructing the twelfth star ring, Sunan's mental energy had increased significantly, allowing him to use the Magic Rune Core for three minutes at full capacity.
Even in intense battles, two minutes would suffice.
With the enhanced power of the Magic Rune Core, two minutes was enough for Sunan to take down a third-circle legendary knight!
"This strengthens my trump card."
Sunan was elated.
With the synthesis cube, the Magic Rune Core had unlimited potential for growth.
However, his physique and mental strength had to keep pace.
While integrating the Level 2 Magic Rune Core, Sunan felt a noticeable strain on his body and mind.
Clearly, he couldn't integrate a third Magic Rune Core just yet.
Fortunately, gathering materials for the third Magic Rune Core would take time, allowing him to continue strengthening his physique and mental strength until he met the integration standards.
Sunan then took stock of his spatial ring.
His trump cards, besides the Magic Rune Core, included magic items and high-level rune gems.
With financial stability, Sunan had recently crafted six more Disaster Rings, placing them in the spatial ring, all maximally enhanced, bringing the total to ten.
This way, after using the four on his left hand in battle, he could immediately replace them from the spatial ring.
Relying on wealth to overwhelm opponents!
The same applied to the Extreme Protection Rings, with ten available for wartime replacement.
For high-level rune gems, as Sunan's mental strength grew, he synthesized twenty-six, increasing their power.
Currently, his spatial ring held twenty high-level rune gems.
Using them all would be enough to take down a third-circle legendary knight.
Additionally, the cube held twenty elite stone golems and a Twin-Blade Spider enhanced to legendary knight level.
This could also be considered a trump card.
Overall, Sunan's overt strength placed him in the mid-tier among level-three wizard apprentices, with silent casting being a notable advantage.
But with his numerous trump cards, he ranked among the upper echelon.
Even against the top few level-three wizard apprentices, he could hold his own.
"Too bad synthesizing a second-circle legendary-level puppet requires so many—otherwise, synthesizing one would be a genuine trump card."
Sunan had tested it, finding that synthesizing a second-circle legendary stone golem required a staggering 456 stone golems!
Nearly ten times the amount needed for a first-circle legendary elite stone golem!
Clearly, at the legendary level, each advancement required an exponentially increasing number of syntheses.
Ultimately, a second-circle legendary stone golem cost nearly 20,000 gold!
Even with Shimmer Territory's annual tax revenue, only a few could be synthesized.
However, at the second-circle legendary level, value surpassed monetary measures.
If given the choice, Key or any other marquis would undoubtedly choose a second-circle legendary ally over 20,000 gold.
Sunan could synthesize one if he decided to.
Yet, the demands on stone golems were too high, making it impractical to allocate so many at once.
Furthermore, he preferred the agile Twin-Blade Spiders over the cumbersome stone golems.
A peak knight-level Twin-Blade Spider required relatively fewer at 118 for a second-circle legendary synthesis.
Nevertheless, Sunan needed to gather resources for a while.
"Slow and steady."
"The mines aren't near exhaustion, so money isn't a concern. Given enough time, I can synthesize a second-circle legendary puppet."
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État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone