Dark Star Ascending

"Last time I invited you to join me, you refused, so I found some other people and went exploring on my own.

As a result, I was lucky enough to obtain a treasure...

Unfortunately, Oren happened to discover us.

After that, you saw what happened."

Olinda told Roy the whole story, connecting all the pieces.

"What exactly were those so-called treasures?" Roy asked curiously.

He began to suspect that the Thunder Demon Eye in his possession was one of them.

That was also why the Merman Tribe and the Giant Tribe had gone to war.

Olinda said, "Actually, you don't need to be jealous. Most of them are inexplicable scraps of flesh and blood, along with broken pieces of miscellaneous objects. Aside from causing monsters to mutate and bringing radiation pollution, they're useless.

"Only a very small number...

"Only a very small number are useful."

"For example, the thing in your hands?" Roy raised an eyebrow.

Olinda fell silent, clearly unwilling to discuss it further with him.

Roy found it difficult to press her too much for the moment, so he changed the subject. "Fine. I won't pry into your secrets. Go on."

Olinda said, "Oren had already accumulated enough capital to advance more than a year ago, but he kept delaying his advancement. It was to prevent himself from being forcibly recruited and losing the chance to enter that place and retrieve treasures!"

Roy was surprised again. "That's allowed?"

But the Witch Tower really did have such a rule.

After advancing to become a wizard, one could not remain in their homeland without special permission.

The newly advanced wizards would be dispatched by the Seven Towers Alliance and assigned to various worlds for external warfare and colonial rule.

That vast, boundless universe, that brutal Planar Battlefield...

Not everyone could survive.

"What exactly must I do to make use of that channel?" Roy came back to himself and focused on this crucial question.

Olinda said, "Someone at the Astrologia Witch Tower made a divination. Roughly once every twenty-three years, a dark star passes near our Wizarding World, affecting the Astral Void.

"That signifies a spatial tide.

"On December 12 this year, that dark star will be Dark Star Ascending.

"The astrologers announced that the entire week beginning that day would be the Week of Demonic Nature. It would greatly benefit monster evolution, but it also had the function of opening a Spatial Channel."

"December 12..."

Roy estimated that if he could accelerate his cultivation and strive to materialize all the Will Runes, his Mental Strength would also reach the top level among Advanced Apprentices.

By then, he might even be able to contend with someone like Oren.

"I still have enough time to grow!"

Thinking of this, he felt somewhat excited.

But then he thought of something else. "With so much time, Oren can accumulate even more capital!"

Olinda said, "You're very perceptive... He really is collecting the materials that flow out from within. I heard he's planning to refine an extremely powerful puppet."

Just as expected!

Roy immediately felt a strong sense of crisis.

Several days later.

A servant running errands knocked on Roy's door and brought him good news.

"Lord Roy, someone responded to the message you posted on the bulletin board. They're willing to trade. They'll buy that Lord-level Fish Pearl with some of the materials you need and 3,000 magic stones!"

"Really? Take me to him."

Roy replied immediately, without even taking time to rest.

Not long afterward, he arrived at another place in the lodgings on the same floor and completed the inspection and trade with the other party.

This was excellent news. Someone had finally taken this valuable item off his hands.

Roy hurried straight to the shops on the commercial street and purchased a large amount of materials, stocking up enough raw blood mercury to replace all the blood in his body over the coming period.

"It's finally ready. Inject the second tube and increase the blood mercury ratio!"

After returning to his lodgings, Roy got busy.

Over the past few days, he had verified Olinda's claims through various means and confirmed many things.

"Olinda wasn't lying. Oren really is planning to refine a puppet and actively preparing for the day of Dark Star Ascending in December, when he'll enter that place to search for treasures.

"Moreover, Sophia and the other two Elite Apprentices actually know about this too. They may also be fighting for that opportunity!"

Some matters were not secrets within certain circles. Secrets were only secrets to those with poor access to information.

For something with such a broad impact and involving so many people, she had naturally heard about it long ago.

Roy suddenly realized that his current strength and status as an Advanced Apprentice were still insufficient—far from sufficient.

Only after advancing to a level where he stood on equal footing with Oren, Sophia, and the others would he be qualified to scheme for the "mountain of treasures" inside that Spatial Rift.

Fortunately, he still had time.

Perhaps he could grow stronger during this period.

Roy had personally gone through the entire process of refining blood mercury, so he remained familiar with it even while thinking.

After a while, he once again refined this Liquid Metal. It had the texture of mercury, but was a deep crimson and emitted a faint glow.

This time, the amount was still 100 milliliters, which he injected into himself with a syringe.

This blood mercury would slowly absorb ordinary blood inside the body and adjust the blood pressure, blood oxygen, and blood sugar according to his physical condition...

Therefore, it needed some time to fully integrate.

Roy stopped and prepared to meditate and cultivate for a while before going to the library to read.

Aside from replacing his blood with blood mercury to raise his physique to the level of an Advanced Knight or even a Great Knight, he still had many things to do.

For example, materializing all twenty-four Will Runes.

He also needed to master more Spell Models, even if he only gained a superficial understanding of them rather than conducting in-depth research into the inheritance series.

He also needed to purchase Enchanted Items and stockpile various alchemical bombs, Healing Potions, and other consumables.

As well as all kinds of talismans and equipment.

All of these would become the foundation he accumulated bit by bit!

The next morning.

Wu Lu Zi()!

The Will Rune appeared in midair as a three-dimensional projection, radiating silver light above Roy's palm.

This was the second Will Rune he had materialized.

His Spiritual Power increased slightly once again.

"My homemade diluted Meditation Potion has a pretty good effect...

"If I can keep this up and condense at least two runes every month, I might be able to reach the level of an Elite Apprentice around December!

"But an apprentice of that level needs more than just sufficient Spiritual Power. Knowledge and the accumulation of various foundations are also essential."

After setting the goal of "advancing to Elite," the more than three hundred days that had originally seemed quite ample suddenly felt insufficient.

He could only seize the time and improve himself.

Roy got out of bed, dressed, and washed up.

Afterward, he did not even have time for breakfast before heading to the Alchemy Room in the suite to inspect the Thunder Demon Eye he had seized from the Merman Lord.

"It's time to deal with this thing.

"If I make full use of it, perhaps I can greatly increase my combat power in a short time!"