After listening to Flosf's explanation, Roy gradually understood that he was currently unable to craft such a thing.
A space suitable for survival involves profound concepts like "ether" and "mana."
Simply put, mana exists between heaven and earth, omnipresent like "ether," and is the foundation of all magical life.
If trapped in a confined space like a spatial ring, one might "suffocate."
Thus, the instinct of life would resist, leading to various soul and mental issues.
A space suitable for a magic pet to survive must at least be a small demiplane, or even a miniature small world.
Both the technical difficulty and the production cost are significantly higher.
Flosf said, "I store most of the golems I've crafted in my castle. Every so often, wizards from the alliance come to collect them using specialized wizardry artifacts or through the means left by great wizards for offerings and sacrifices...
Of course, I also keep a small portion of the finest pieces, using spells like 'Shrinking Art' to store and move them.
Only in this way can they be utilized anytime, anywhere, truly becoming one's own combat strength."
"Shrinking Art?" Roy was puzzled.
Flosf chuckled, "That actually originates from the arcane arts of mages. We wizards are more adept at things like 'Malicious Transformation'...
You know, the kind of evil spells those mages concocted to slander us wizards, like in those fairy tales where 'a prince is cursed and turned into a frog'!"
Flosf glossed over these details and focused on explaining the "Shrinking Art."
"Through the relentless efforts of great wizards, we've deciphered part of the arcane arts, and the wizard world now has corresponding wizardry.
The effect is the same as the arcane arts, capable of shrinking an item to 1/16 of its original size."
In other words, a 1.6-meter-tall human statue can be transformed to about 10 centimeters.
A centaur golem with a shoulder height of over a meter can also be compressed to 10 centimeters tall, turning it into a tabletop ornament.
Roy quickly estimated in his mind.
Flosf continued, "And on this basis, I've successfully mastered the art of summoning stones for the 'Immortal Legion.'
Large statues can be transformed into a stone Shatranj chess piece, with a compression rate of about 1/100!"
Roy's eyes sparkled with excitement, "Master, please teach me!"
The term "Shatranj" that Flosf mentioned was Roy's automatic mental translation.
It is the predecessor of international chess.
In the wizard world, it is also a type of chess.
In fact, just the "Shrinking Art" alone is enough to make a golem legion practical for combat.
Mastering the "Shatranj Chess" as described by his master would allow him to become a legion commander, possessing strategic value to dominate the plane battlefield!
It's no exaggeration to say that such a wizard, when drafted, would be treated as a treasure, carefully nurtured.
Of course, Roy wanted to learn it too.
Flosf laughed, "This is my ace in the hole. You currently don't have enough value to exchange with me."
Ah?
Roy was a bit disappointed, but considering that his master's wizard's maxim is "equivalent exchange," it's not hard to understand.
"Then, what price do I need to pay?" Roy earnestly inquired.
"Exchange it for 1 million magic stones," Flosf thought for a moment and said to him.
"To be honest, this is already a bargain price, and it's just a small test for you.
If you can't even pass this test, it means the conditions for learning are not yet mature."
"I see," Roy nodded, already understanding the situation.
Flosf added, "However, the materials for the 'Shrinking Art' can be given to you directly for you to study on your own.
If you can independently research Shatranj Chess, that would be even better."
This was also a test.
A greater test of talent and ingenuity.
"I'll give it a try."
Roy responded cautiously.
...
A few days later, Roy suddenly sensed a surge of Wizardry Energy and immediately heard something tapping on the window.
He got up and opened the glass window to find his teacher's Magic Pet slipping inside.
"Whew! That really wore me out!
By the way, Roy, couldn't you just get your own Magic Pet to fetch things? Must you make this old man work so hard!"
The crow flopped onto the table, looking utterly exhausted.
Then, with a surge of Wizardry Energy, it pulled out a book of magical knowledge from its feathers.
"Thank you for your hard work!"
Roy said, casually handing over a small stack of Wizard Coins he had crafted himself, totaling 10 coins worth 1000 Magic Stones.
"This is..."
The crow's expression turned human-like with surprise, and its body seemed to be infused with energy as it stood back up.
"These are Wizard Coins I crafted myself. Just a small token of my appreciation."
"Oh? I see!"
The Old Crow chuckled dryly, giving Roy an approving look and nodding in satisfaction.
"Not bad, not bad.
You've already learned to craft Wizard Coins!"
"Not at all, I'm still inexperienced and need guidance from the seniors."
"Heh heh!"
The Old Crow's eyes darted around, and it shook its feathers, chuckling dryly.
"Kid, don't think I don't know what you're up to!
Alright, I'll keep an eye out for you and put in a good word for you among the other Wizards and apprentices.
There might be some good trading opportunities in the future, and they might even recognize the value of the currency you've crafted!"
This Old Crow was his teacher's Magic Pet, with a vast network of "connections."
"Then I thank you, sir!"
Roy said with a pleased expression.
...
After seeing off the Old Crow, Roy opened the spellbook it had brought and began to read.
But soon, he rubbed his temples, feeling his head grow hot and a dull ache set in.
"Basic principles of the 'Shrinking Art,' spell composition, casting essentials...
What on earth is all this?!"
This stuff was like the most potent headache-inducing curse, even with a hypnotic effect.
"It's completely like reading a foreign language!
I guess I'm no genius!"
Roy sighed inwardly and closed the book.
"I've talked with my teacher before; Innate Wizardry and the Source of Magic are the goals, the right path, and everything else is just scenery along the way.
Things like this are the good scenery not to be missed.
The Alchemist's combat style inherently includes Magical Potion enhancement and Automata Summoning, which will also be part of the combat strength.
But I can't just carry a Golem around everywhere; to use it in actual combat, I must master these things!"
Fortunately, he was now a full-fledged Wizard, with strong Mental Strength and a long lifespan, both of which would be advantages.
He decided to persevere day by day, thoroughly mastering the "Shrinking Art."
Just as he was thinking this, the voice of the High Goblin supervisor, Gold, rang out from outside.
"Lord Roy, great news, wonderful news!
We've discovered a small mercury mine nearby!"
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