The Final Piece

[Kingdom Calendar: July 29, 9811.]

More than two months had passed since the construction of the Sorcery Rune that could hold seven External Cores.

The Zero-Ring Wizard Apprentices in the Wizard Laboratory had pushed their minds to the limit and successfully constructed a Sorcery Rune that could perfectly hold nine External Cores.

At last!

Yin Ming had achieved his primary goal.

In the process, they had consumed six vials of Second-Ring Succubus Bloodline, six vials of First-Ring Mental Potion, and 192 Standard Soul Crystals. Most had gone into rune ink, along with essence extracted from Formless Wood Bark...

They had also used various other resources, including Zero-Ring Basic Healing Potions, Zero-Ring Mental Power Potions, and Element Crystals.

Now that he no longer needed to construct Sorcery Runes, Yin Ming had no wish to keep paying the enormous cost of running the Wizard Laboratory at full capacity. But he had no intention of disbanding it, either.

"..."

On the top floor of the laboratory building.

Emma Dalton, the First-Ring Succubus Warlock in charge of daily affairs, and Roda Manhart, the First-Ring Wizard responsible for instruction, sat waiting for Yin Ming to announce the Wizard Laboratory's new arrangements.

Yin Ming slid a sheet bearing a copied rune toward the old wizard. "This is the payment we agreed on."

"A Second-Ring Mental Rune!"

Old wizard Roda Manhart's eyes lit up.

The paper showed the energy circuit for constructing a Second-Ring Mental Rune with the Vast Sea Meditation Method. This was genuine Second-Ring knowledge.

It had been worth contributing everything he knew about rune construction to the Wizard Laboratory.

"The Wizard Laboratory will cease operating at full speed and return to routine rune construction and analysis. Pay will be adjusted accordingly."

Yin Ming looked at them both and paused. "Normal pay will be one