Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Synthesis Cube Starlight Calendar 1248, Month of Autumn Dusk (October). Frontier of the Starry Principality, Black Stone City. The weather gradually turned cool, and occasionally, a few yellowing leaves could be seen dancing in the wind, making one realize that the hot summer was about to pass. Walking along the cobblestone courtyard path, the old butler Geller tightened his collar to keep the cold wind out, while the other hand firmly held a wooden box. Passing through the courtyard, Old Geller arrived at a secluded yard. Looking at the quiet and deserted yard, he couldn’t help but frown, unable to understand why Master Sunan chose to move here, even instructing the servants not to come around unless necessary. Claiming to like the peace, but wasn’t it a bit too lonely? Since Master Baron Yanest died in battle and the two young masters were exiled to Black Stone City, naturally introverted Master Sunan became even more reticent. He either stayed in his room reading books all day or fiddled with strange things. He even asked Master Kei to help collect various herbs and small animals. What he did was quite baffling. Luckily, Master Kei was here. Unlike Master Sunan, Master Kei had been working diligently since arriving in Black Stone City, striving in his training, and becoming a senior Knight at the age of nineteen, well-loved by his subordinates. With such a ruler, it was undoubtedly a blessing for Black Stone City, which had long been harassed by marauding Black-scaled Lizardmen. While pondering, Old Geller had already arrived at the innermost room and gently knocked on the door. "Master Sunan, I’ve brought you the Silver Moon Flower." "Just leave it at the door." A weak voice came from inside. "Yes, Master Sunan." Old Geller skillfully placed the wooden box on the right side of the door, then bowed and turned to leave the yard. After a while, the door creaked open, and a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy, somewhat thin and pale-faced, emerged. He bent down to pick up the wooden box, turned back into the room, and closed the door behind him. The room was simply decorated, with long tables piled up on all sides, each neatly arranged with glass bottles and jars filled with various exotic materials. In the center of the room stood a large experiment table, taking up almost half the space, and on it were a myriad of tools like glass bottles, test tubes, and beakers. Because the doors and windows were tightly shut with no ventilation, the air was filled with a pungent, sweet smell mixed with the scent of disinfectant. Sunan casually placed the wooden box on the table, picked up the book he hadn’t finished reading yet, and continued reading intently. About half an hour later, he finally finished the last page, and with a snap, closed the book. At the same time, a line of text appeared in the void before him. [Reading "Basic Alchemy," ’Potion Making’ learning progress +0.5%.] [’Potion Making’ learning progress has reached 100%, obtained ’Potion Making Lv1’] Sunan exhaled deeply, a hint of joy appearing on his pale face. After more than two months of studying related books, plus multiple practical experiences in drug extraction and purification, he finally maxed out the learning progress of potion making. Putting down "Basic Alchemy," Sunan looked at the box in the corner of the room. It contained more than twenty books. All collected Wizard’s Scriptures from the predecessor. The top book was wrapped in a cold, hard black cover, with a series of ghostly and unintelligible characters on the front. Yet, Sunan could discern the meaning of these ghostly characters — Enlightenment. This was an enlightenment book for Wizard Apprentices. Those with wizard aptitude could activate their spiritual power by reading it, becoming a basic Level 1 Wizard Apprentice, thus embarking on the path to seeking truth and power. For those without wizard aptitude, reading it forcibly could result in unconsciousness or even death. The predecessor recklessly read the enlightenment book, eventually losing his life, and thus his place was taken over. What surprised Sunan, however, was that the world he had traversed into was a virtual reality game he had just started playing in his previous life. The game’s setting was a vast continent of Sword and Magic. Sword referred to the Knights. Magic referred to the Wizards. Of course, at this point in time, it was the opening of version 1.0 "Knights’ War." The Wizards had abandoned the elementally poor continent a millennium ago, seeking more suitable habitats across the multiverse. It wasn’t until a thousand years later, when the continent’s elements revived, that the Wizards would return. And the power class active on the stage of this era was still the Knights. "Unfortunately, when I entered the game, it was already version 2.0 "Wizards’ Return," and I didn’t know much about version 1.0. Otherwise, with some information at hand, life in this world could be better." Sunan sighed. Fortunately, as a time traveler, he does have some advantages to rely on. With a slight movement of his mind, a translucent light screen slowly appeared before him. [Sunan Yanest, Human Male, 16 years old] [Spirit 1.5/Constitution 0.7] [Skills] Star Ring Meditation Method Lv1 (103/1000) Potion Making Lv1 (0/1000) Player Panel! This is one of the benefits of his time travel. Through this panel, he can clearly understand his own strength. All skill learning is also data-driven, with a visible progress bar; as long as you learn, proficiency will surely increase. "As long as you work hard, you can steadily improve strength. This is the player’s advantage." Sunan focused his mind, and the light screen instantly flashed, transforming into a densely packed grid, a total of ten by ten. [Synthesis Cube] This is his other golden opportunity. Simply put, the Synthesis Cube allows the merging of multiple items of the same kind, further enhancing their quality, effect, or power. Sunan opened the wooden box brought by Old Geller, inside was lined with a layer of red velvet, upon which lay ten small silver flowers. Silver Moon Flower. A plant with an invigorating effect. Many nobles have the habit of making flower tea with Silver Moon Flower; drinking a cup in the morning can dispel sleepiness and greatly invigorate the spirit. In fact, this is because Silver Moon Flower contains components that activate the spirit. Once these components are purified and refined, their invigorating effect can be further enhanced. Sunan took the wooden box to the center of the room’s experimental table, placed the Silver Moon Flowers into a beaker, and then lit the alcohol lamp for heating. "It’s a pity I couldn’t find a magic stone; otherwise, crafting a Magic Stone Lamp would be more effective for potion creation." The 1.0 game version of Starlight Continent was still an Elemental Desert, with a pathetically low concentration of energy particles in the air. Due to this, all kinds of resources sharply decreased compared to the past, including magic stones. At this point in time, Starlight Continent simply doesn’t have enough resources to cultivate an Official Wizard. Fortunately, Sunan has the Synthesis Cube. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦 Even without sufficient resources, he can find ways to synthesize them himself. He added water to the beaker, covered it with a glass lid. Under the flame’s burn, the liquid inside the beaker soon began to boil, bubbling profusely. In just two or three minutes, the water inside completely turned into a picturesque silver-blue color, with a large amount of steam spewing from the lid’s edges, filling the entire room with a refreshing aroma. Sunan took a light breath, immediately feeling his spirit uplifted. After ten more minutes, the bubbling sound began to subside, and more than half of the liquid in the beaker had evaporated. Sunan picked up the beaker, glanced at it, and nodded in satisfaction. Approximately 100 milliliters of Silver Moon Flower extract. [Successfully completed a potion purification and refinement, Potion Making Proficiency +1] Sunan divided the extract evenly into 10 portions, each 10 milliliters, then opened the Synthesis Cube, placing one portion of extract into the grid. Information soon floated above the grid. [Silver Moon Flower Extract, Purity 37.12%, Increases Spirit Activity by 21.47% after consumption, Duration: 10 hours 35 minutes.] Sunan placed the remaining 9 portions of extract inside as well. The interface instantly changed, and on the right, a large grid appeared containing a more vibrant, surreal silver-blue liquid. [Silver Moon Flower Essence, Purity 76.44%, Increases Spirit Activity by 160.24% after consumption, Duration: 10 days 14 hours 22 minutes.] Clearly, this is the synthesized product. If it were just ordinary Silver Moon Flower extract, the effects could not be combined. Even with 10 extracts combined, it could only sustain less than five days of spirit active effects, with only a 21.47% increase. But after Synthesis Cube combination, both the effect and duration greatly increased. This is the enormous power of the Synthesis Cube! Sunan tilted his head back and drank the Silver Moon Flower Essence. As the potion’s effect spread, his entire mind became exceedingly clear. Wasting no time, he sat down cross-legged on the spot and began his meditation.