## 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.

    “This is Amy, my friend.” Su Nan smiled slightly, then introduced Amy to Kei. “This is my brother, Kei.”

    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.”

    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.