## Chapter 54: Magic Puppet
The war ended in a way nobody expected, thanks to Su Nan’s intervention.
The enemy suffered over 1,300 casualties, with another 600 or 700 captured. Many others fled, their whereabouts unknown.
Black Stone City’s losses were relatively small, with less than 200 soldiers killed. However, over twenty Blackrock Beasts were destroyed, leaving Bred heartbroken.
Despite the losses, most were overjoyed. After all, defeating the rebels with such minimal casualties was a remarkable feat.
The entire Black Stone City was buzzing with joy after the victory. That evening, Kei hosted a celebratory feast in the inner castle’s banquet hall. Knights gathered, drinking and sharing stories. Even some of the injured knights, their limbs wrapped in bandages, joined in the revelry.
After a round of drinks with the commanders in the front hall, Kei found Su Nan resting in the council chamber. But instead of resting, Su Nan was petting a cat.
“When did you get a cat?”
Kei looked at the white cat perched on Su Nan’s lap, surprised.
Seeing Su Nan introduce himself to a cat with a straight face, Kei found it amusing. But a moment later, his eyes widened in shock.
“Meow, hello there.”
The cat raised its paw and greeted Kei!
A talking cat?
Kei gaped slightly. Despite witnessing numerous things beyond his comprehension from Su Nan, this moment still felt like a shock to his worldview. This world was even more fantastical than he imagined.
“H… hello.”
Kei awkwardly greeted Amy.
He sat down opposite Su Nan, took a sip of wine to gather his thoughts, and spoke slowly.
“I think now is the perfect time to reclaim Shining Light Territory.”
Su Nan seemed to have anticipated Kei’s words, showing no surprise. He smiled and nodded.
“When do you plan to launch the attack?”
“In three days.” Kei said with a serious expression. “We can’t give Owen time to reorganize his forces. It will be much harder to take Shining Light City if he does!”
“The tables have turned. Even without the retreating soldiers, our forces wouldn’t easily take Shining Light City.”
“That’s true.”
Kei glanced at Su Nan, a knowing smile on his face.
“But you’re here, aren’t you?”
Su Nan smiled and nodded, saying nothing. He understood Kei’s meaning.
Indeed, he had over ten ways to break through the city gates of Shining Light City. And once the siege turned into a street battle, Black Stone City would have a significant advantage.
With the elite cavalry regiment decimated and the army severely weakened, losing the fortified walls of Shining Light City would leave Owen with no means to fight back against Black Stone City.
“How are the potion sales going?”
Su Nan suddenly remembered that he had left a batch of potions for Kei to deliver to the Fire Fox Trading Company before going to Stone Bell City. He wondered how well they had been received.
Upon mentioning this, a delighted smile spread across Kei’s face.
“They’re selling very well. The potions are highly sought after. They sold out within three days.”
“Muzhuo also brought news that many lords in the Thornflower Duchy are interested in ordering more potions. I’ve already received over 500 pre-orders.”
“Muzhuo said it’s up to you. If you want to accept the orders, he can collect a portion of the deposit from the lords in advance.”
“Of course, I’ll accept them.” Su Nan said without hesitation.
Once he reclaimed Shining Light Territory, he would start constructing a base. He needed his own magical plant garden, a workshop for magical items, a potion room, a large laboratory, and a puppet factory, among other things.
At least two to three thousand gold coins were needed for the initial investment! He couldn’t just rely on taxing his territory, so he needed to find ways to make money.
Selling potions would significantly relieve his financial pressure.
“The Fire Fox Trading Company also sent some things. I’ve had them sent to your yard’s warehouse. Take a look when you have time.”
“I will.”
Su Nan left the council chamber. Back in his courtyard, Amy jumped out of Su Nan’s arms, leaping into the air and disappearing. She went to play with Yinlong.
Su Nan headed to the warehouse and quickly found several boxes stacked in the corner. Two of them were filled to the brim with books.
The books had obviously been carefully cleaned, but both the covers and the paper color held a sense of agedness.
Su Nan picked up and browsed through the books one by one. As expected, over 90% were knowledge-based, many of which overlapped with the ones he already had.
There were only four spell model books.
One was the zero-ring spell, 【Transmission Spell】.
Another was the second-ring spell, 【Maruov’s Strong Acid Arrow】.
Among the items left by Amy’s owner, there was also a second-ring spell model book, 【Shattering Sound Wave】.
Both of these spells were quite practical offensive spells among second-ring spells.
The remaining two books were a pleasant surprise for Su Nan.
They were both first-ring spell model books, namely 【Silent Illusion】 and 【Level 1 Summon Monster Technique】.
The former was considered a must-learn spell for wizards.
The effect was to instantly create an illusion of a single object or creature within a certain range, which could move freely, achieving the purpose of confusing the enemy.
Mastering this spell would undoubtedly enhance combat flexibility.
While the 【Level 1 Summon Monster Technique】 had a certain degree of uncertainty, it could still play a significant role at certain times if one was lucky enough.
Moreover, the high uncertainty could be compensated for by frequency. As long as one prepared in advance, the chances of success would increase.
In short, both spells were very useful.
“Including these two, I have nine first-ring spells that I haven’t mastered yet.”
“It will take at least a year to master them all.”
Su Nan sighed inwardly.
That said, he wished he could have more spells.
For a wizard, the more spells one mastered, the better equipped they were to handle various unexpected situations.
Besides spells, Su Nan also found several books of interest among the knowledge-based books.
One was titled, 【Puppet and Magic Puppet】.
Magic puppets could be considered a branch of puppets, one that had been researched and developed most extensively by wizards since their inception.
Initially, magic puppets were created as servants and assistants with simple intelligence.
Later, some wizards experimented with incorporating rune secrets to imbue the puppets with specific skills and abilities, making them more ‘intelligent’ and ‘powerful’. This greatly enhanced their combat capabilities. They started to be widely used on battlefields, and even famous magic puppet legions emerged.
As more and more wizards devoted themselves to research and development of magic puppets, their types gradually increased, and their power significantly enhanced.