Chapter 70: A Headache-Inducing Choice of Enhancement

The enhancement of undead summons had already become a very rich system under the research of that genius Necromancer, Scottie Pippen. Specifically for skeletons, the methods Luo Yan could now choose from included “Plant Essence Absorption,” “High Temperature and High Pressure Pure Physical Enhancement,” “Oppositional Element Refining,” “Magic Element Tempering,” and more than ten other methods.

What Luo Yan had to consider now was which one to choose first… Of course, these methods could be carried out simultaneously, but due to limited conditions, Luo Yan did not yet have the ability to use them all at once.

After thinking for a while, Luo Yan temporarily ruled out about ten methods, but he still could not help but frown slightly. This was because there were still four methods left. Among the enhancement methods that skeletons could use, these four were all things he could achieve now and had relatively obvious effects. He truly could not decide which one to use for a moment.

This was not because Luo Yan was indecisive, but simply because after repeatedly comparing these few methods, each had its own advantages. Given Luo Yan’s current conditions, it was clearly impossible to support four at once, so he had to pick one applicable method from among them.

Among these four methods, “Plant Essence Absorption” was undoubtedly the one that consumed the least. Specifically, it involved collecting various different plants and dissolving them in a vat using special techniques to extract their essence. Then, the skeleton needing enhancement would be soaked in the vat for a long time. Naturally, this would comprehensively increase the skeleton’s various attributes, and it had a very obvious effect especially on physical flexibility and intellectual spirituality.

From Luo Yan’s perspective, the things needed for this method were essentially self-produced. Talim Village was located at the foot of the Bale Mountains. This was one of the most famous and mysterious holy lands for adventurers on the continent. Various mysterious and precious plants were scattered throughout the mountains, making them convenient and quick to gather. It was truly the perfect choice for high quality and low cost.

The problem was that it was now close to the midwinter season, the time when plants withered, fell, and rested. It would not be easy to go up the mountain and collect enough branches and leaves, let alone the numerous fruits required. This was a law of nature, and it could not be improved by anyone’s wishes.

“High Temperature and High Pressure Pure Physical Enhancement” was perhaps the most convenient and fastest of all four methods. It did not require any additional materials. As long as a high-temperature and high-pressure environment was artificially created, the enhancement could easily begin. This enhancement could greatly increase the hardness of the skeleton’s bones. It was said that someone had once enhanced a Tier 1 bone skeleton to a level comparable to a Tier 3 black iron skeleton.

However, if he wanted to use this method, the engineering required would be huge. A high-temperature environment was easy enough, but creating a high-pressure environment artificially was definitely not easy. It was not that Luo Yan could not do it, but he felt it would be bad to disturb his family for this, and he could not explain where he got the idea. After all, the “Theory of Undead Summon Self-Enhancement” had not yet been born on the continent.

“Oppositional Element Refining” was the one with the greatest effect. Not only among these four methods, but among all skeleton enhancements and even all undead summon enhancement methods, it was the most effective one!

This method was rather unconventional. As everyone knew, as residents of the realm of the dead, the natural enemies of undead summons were Holy Light magic of the wood branch and most Divine Arts. As long as undead summons were attacked by these magics and Divine Arts, their attributes would decrease significantly, or they might even be killed in one hit.

The core concept of this enhancement method was to actively allow these magics and Divine Arts to attack, artificially controlling the strength of the attack, and then repairing the damaged parts. In this cycle of repeated rebirth, the undead summon’s resistance to such attacks would naturally increase significantly, and it might even absorb some of them as its own attributes. It was said that the genius back then had cultivated mutant products such as Holy Light attribute skeletons and zombies that possessed life-based Divine Arts. The effects were truly unimaginable.

However, the problem was also obvious. Luo Yan did not know Holy Light magic, nor was he a Priest of any god, so he naturally could not enhance A Dai by himself. Moreover, the entire Talim Village only had one Light Priest and a few nuns. If Luo Yan wanted to perform this enhancement, he could only ask them for help… Setting aside whether Luo Yan had enough influence to persuade these religious figures who were destined by nature to hate undead creatures, first of all, how could he explain his reason to them?

As for “Magic Element Tempering,” its core concept was to use various Magic Elements to wash the “body” (body?!) of undead creatures for a long time. In terms of effect, although it was slightly inferior to “Oppositional Element Refining” regarding Holy Light and Divine Art resistance, it could improve the undead summon’s own attributes in all aspects. Furthermore, it would allow them to gradually acquire elemental attributes, which not only increased elemental resistance but also produced the effect of attribute attacks. In Luo Yan’s previous life, it was always considered an enhancement method with high cost-effectiveness.

Luo Yan found this method convenient; it was his area of expertise. He himself was “once” a Level 7 Magister. Although he followed the Necromancer path and his control over Magic Elements was not as precise as that of an Elemental Mage, he had his massive Mental Strength to make up for it. Luo Yan felt no pressure on this point. But on the other hand, Luo Yan felt a lot of pressure… because this enhancement method was extremely expensive!

To form an elemental tide for a long time to wash A Dai’s skeleton, relying only on Luo Yan’s own Mana was undoubtedly a drop in the bucket and a fantasy. He had to set up corresponding magic arrays!

But setting up magic arrays required a large amount of Magic Crystal Stones; forming elemental tides also required a large amount of Magic Crystal Stones; and even quickly recovering Mana for guidance required a large amount of Magic Crystal Stones. Where was Luo Yan supposed to get the investment for this?

Of course, it was not that Luo Yan had not thought about using his alchemy skills to perform “Material Replacement Enhancement” or “Surface Permeability Refining.” For Luo Yan, these two methods might be simpler, but the reason was the same. The materials required for these two methods were certainly not just one or two pieces. What was Luo Yan supposed to do about such an investment?

Sitting cross-legged on his small bed, Luo Yan shook his head and thought hard, truly unable to make a choice between these few methods for a long time…