If one were to ask what the most valuable thing in a wizard's legacy is, knowledge would undoubtedly be one of the answers.
Su Nan suppressed his excitement and quickly walked to the bookshelf, his gaze sweeping over the books.
"Composition," "Material Science," "Structure of Life Energy," "Fundamentals of Enchantment Runes," "Principles of Puppet Mechanics," "Basic Puppet Construction," "Puppets and Golems"
—over 80% of the books were related to puppet making.
It was clear that the owner of this place was extremely passionate about this art, even obsessed.
No wonder he could create puppets like the Iron-Eating Beast.
He just wondered where this wizard apprentice went afterward.
Su Nan had a vague guess in his mind. After thinking for a moment, he turned and went to the desk.
The solid wood desk was covered with a thick layer of dust and was completely empty. Su Nan opened the lower drawers; the first few drawers were empty, except for the last drawer which contained two diaries, a ring, and two boxes.
Su Nan took out the top diary and opened the cover.
The slightly yellowed first page contained only a few lines of text.
[Ang McLean, recorded in Star Calendar 1124.]
Star Calendar 1124 is approximately 125 years ago.
"The appearance of the Iron-Eating Beast in the Blackstone Mine seems to have occurred exactly a little over a hundred years ago."
Su Nan pondered, continuing to turn the page.
The paper of the diary, of unknown material, remained remarkably well-preserved after so long. [April 12, Star Calendar 1124]
Today, the exploration of the Blackstone Iron Mine was completed. As I suspected, the reserves are very rich. Now I'll have ample materials for my puppet experiments. This is excellent news! I've decided to build a laboratory deep within the mine as my future hermitage.
[February 8, Star Calendar 1126]
The Black Rock Leopard experiment has finally achieved a crucial breakthrough! Soon, I will be able to successfully create my own puppet!
"So that puppet is called a Black Rock Leopard." Su Nan raised an eyebrow.
[March 15, 1127 Star Calendar]
[Hahaha, success! I've finally successfully crafted my first Black Rock Leopard! This is my own puppet creation; I truly am a genius!]
However, the Black Rock Leopard's combat power is still lacking, far inferior to a formal knight. There are many areas for improvement, and I need to collect more combat data.
Luckily, there are quite a few knights outside; let them serve as the Black Rock Leopard's opponents. What a lucky bunch!
[June 10, 1128 Star Calendar]
[The improvement experiment went smoothly. The Black Rock Leopard now possesses combat power comparable to a junior knight. It's a pity that the cowardly lord abandoned this mining area. I need to find new targets that can provide combat data. Perhaps the Blackscale Lizardmen in the north would be a good candidate.
Each page of the diary contains only a few sentences.
Moreover, the time spans are quite large, with the shortest interval exceeding half a year.
The following content mostly concerns the progress of the Black Rock Leopard's improvement experiment.
occasionally interspersed with details of meditation, spell learning, and material gathering.
Between the lines, it's easy to see that this wizard apprentice named Ang is somewhat arrogant and aloof, disliking contact with the outside world.
It's worth mentioning that he's only a third-level wizard apprentice.
In the elemental desert, a resource-poor Starlight Continent, to advance to a third-level wizard apprentice before the age of one hundred is undeniably genius, and Ang has every reason to be proud.
However, as he grows older, Ang gradually shifts his focus from puppet research to cultivation, and the tone of his diary visibly reveals more anxiety and confusion.
[September 20, 1162 Starlight Calendar]
[My mental strength seems to have reached a bottleneck; there hasn't been any significant increase for over half a year. Perhaps I should seek external help.
[January 4, 1163 Starlight Calendar]
Luckily, I found a recipe for a hallucinogenic potion. If I can make a hallucinogenic potion, it will definitely solve the problem of my mental strength not increasing!]
[May 19, 1165 Starlight Calendar]
Damn it! Why can't I find all the ingredients for the recipe? I've clearly located the material's habitat according to the book's description, but why can't I find it? Could the book's description be incorrect?
[February 6, 1167, Star Calendar]
[So that's how it is. Elemental loss and a sharp decrease in energy particle concentration have turned our continent into a wasteland. No wonder I haven't encountered any other wizard apprentices all these years. No, I won't give up like this. If I can't find all the materials, I'll try other substitutes. I refuse to believe I can't solve this problem with my wisdom!
[April 4, 1169, Star Calendar]
[Experiment failed.]
[February 9, 1170, Star Calendar]
[Experiment failed.]
(Repeated record of failed experiment)
[March 16, 1192, Star Calendar]
No, no matter how much extraction and purification of low-grade materials, the effect can't reach the level of replacing high-grade materials. There's no possibility of successfully making this potion!
Damn it! I'm not reconciled!
The following ten pages are filled with resentment and curses towards this world and the bitterness and despair of not seeing a way forward.
It wasn't until after the year 1200 of the Starry Calendar that Ang seemed to have a sudden realization, and his words regained their composure.
[December 3, 1200 of the Starry Calendar]
[I can feel my life force gradually draining away; it seems I don't have much time left.]
Biological modification might allow me to live longer, but that's not my forte, and I don't want to become either human or ghost just to survive. Perhaps it's only because that kind of modification would completely extinguish my hope of becoming a wizard. If I can't become a wizard, what's the point of living longer?
[Wizards seek truth, not immortality.]
[May 5, 1202 of the Starry Calendar]
[Death is drawing ever closer; I can almost smell the decay of my body.]
[The good news is that I discovered the legend of the Tower of Stars in an ancient book. It's said to be a legacy left by ancient wizards. Perhaps I can find a way to become a wizard there; this is my only hope now.
[I've decided to go find the Tower of Stars!] "
The Tower of Stars!"
Su Nan's expression shifted.
In his limited memories of his past life's game, the Tower of Stars seemed to be one of only three wizarding legacies on the Starry Continent in version 1.0!
Not the laboratory left by a wizarding apprentice like this one, but a true legacy left by a wizard.
It was the last bit of goodwill left for this continent by a wizard who ventured into the multiverse a thousand years ago.
It was obvious that such a place would contain a wealth of precious knowledge and materials.
If he could find the Tower of Stars, becoming a wizard would no longer be a problem!
Excited, Su Nan quickly turned to the next page, but all he saw was blank space.
"That's it?"
Suz Nan continued flipping through, but the rest was also blank.
Clearly, after Ang McKellen went out to search for the Tower of Stars, he never returned.
He wondered if he ever found it
Su Nan guessed the answer was most likely no.
Otherwise, this laboratory wouldn't have remained untouched for the past fifty years.
Thinking of this, Su Nan couldn't help but sigh.
With Angel McKellen's talent and abilities, he could have become a powerful wizard in the wizarding era a thousand years ago.
Unfortunately, he was born in the wrong era, ultimately wasting his life and dying with resentment.
"The wizarding world's a dead end, huh?"