Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 427 You Have Profoundly Changed This Place
In the White Dragon Tower, in his bedroom, Locke sat on the bed, having finished his meditation for the day, while pondering whether he should accept the challenge from the Star Sea.

That topic is undoubtedly very suitable for the competition I'm about to participate in; the only problem is its difficulty.

It is too difficult.

Locke himself wanted to work on the Starry Sea project. The reason Sophia entrusted the project to him was because he was a perfect fit for the project, and she also believed that she had the ability to complete it.

Locke himself was confident, after all, he had a synthetic Rubik's Cube, which could bypass a lot of experimental steps and capture the correct direction, so he would definitely do this project, but the question was whether to include it in the competition.

“Completing this project would require an investment of millions of magic stones,” Locke pondered. “If I didn’t take advantage of this competition opportunity, I don’t know how long I would have to save up that money myself. Besides, using it for the competition is the most suitable option.”

"I'm just worried that this research group won't be able to keep up with my ideas."

Having high aspirations but low practical skills is the most common problem in junior supervisors' research groups.

After all, not everyone pursues highly challenging research; many wizards are more pragmatic. For the wizarding society to develop, it needs both wizards who pursue their ideals and those who are down-to-earth and focused on translating research into practical applications and making breakthroughs.

Many junior mentors, by taking too big a step and neglecting the level of their current platform, easily end up with nothing to show for their efforts.

"Let's take it one step at a time," Locke thought. "For now, I'll focus on this project as the main direction, and then continue to gather information along this path. Once Montgomery, Barbara, and Tacitus have finished their project proposals, I'll consider all factors and decide on the best topic."

Locke then began his day's work.

Time flies, and a month has passed.

During this period, Locke spent his days meditating, practicing mental compression techniques, and instructing his students, allowing the forty-odd wizard apprentices to access materials. He first familiarized them with some basic content while the four mentors selected their topics, so they could immediately begin working.

In the spare moments between guiding these students and his own cultivation, Locke also had to use these scattered moments to research breeding methods, and during this time, he had to cooperate with the Takla Wizard to complete the matching spells for the Symbiotic Relationship Magic and the Diamond Succulent. At the same time, he also had to seize every minute to learn how to prepare the Mastermind Control Potion.

Locke truly made the most of his time; for an entire month, he only slept for two nights, maintaining a minimal amount of sleep to prevent any problems with his soul.

Unfortunately, with more projects, it's necessary to balance time for self-cultivation, project work, and teaching students.

If you spend more time on one of the three aspects, you will spend less time on the others.

This will then affect one's achievements in other areas.

Taking the wrong path can affect one's future.

A month later, Locke and the wizard Takla completed the accompanying magic for the Diamond Succulent, [Mayfly Bomb], and also learned a first-level botanical magic, [Synergy Linked].

Inside the Louis Underground Research Institute, the wizard Takra was extremely excited. He manipulated six diamond succulents with the mayfly bomb, and at the same time used the "connecting branches" technique to link the magical energy of the six diamond succulents together. In this way, the six diamond succulents formed a disc shape and appeared behind him.

The wizard Takla said to Locke, "Director, your idea is truly brilliant. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about the [Mayfly Bomb] that we modified together."

Locke nodded slightly.

The wizard Takra hesitated for a moment, under the dim light of the underground research institute. "Director, I also want to join your research group. The research results on the diamond succulent are already out. The students can also be asked to write the final report and budget."

"There's not much I can do now, but perhaps it would be helpful for me, an old man, to join your research group and assist you."

Locke shook his head slightly. "But Takla Wizard, you've seen the intensity of the Yunze Cup competition. Montgomery, Barbara, Tacitus, and the others haven't slept a single night this month."

"Are you sure you want to join our research group? Can you handle the intensity of this competition?"

Ironically, the wizard mentors are the ones most in a hurry for the competition projects, so the students are actually not as busy as they are. Currently, those students have not officially joined the group yet. Locke just negotiated with the library on their behalf and got the library director to grant the students in their project group level four access, allowing them to freely access materials in the library.

On the contrary, these first-ring wizards hadn't slept for a month. Wizard Takra hesitated for a moment, but still didn't dare to ask to join. He was a hundred years older than Wizard Tacitus. Although he looked like a middle-aged man, he was actually over four hundred and fifty years old.

His soul structure was not as stable as that of a young first-ring wizard.

If you don't sleep for too long, problems will definitely arise.

In the mass sleep demon incident thousands of years ago, many of the wizards were first-ring wizards. The older the first-ring wizard, the more likely they were to develop "sleep demon disease" during prolonged periods of sleeplessness.

Once sleep disorder develops, it can only be controlled, not cured.

This disease is considered one of the most difficult to cure in the wizarding world, even more terrifying than elemental imbalance, because Locke has yet to discover the cause of this disease.

Not sleeping can cause many other problems besides potentially triggering "sleep sickness," and the Takla Wizard is too old; his soul also suffers from many hidden wounds left by his past exploitation of labor.

He would even suffer terribly during the middle of the month, at the full moon, due to the side effects left on his soul from the relentless experiments he had done in his youth.

The wizard Takra sighed, "Well, such an intense research task is indeed no longer suitable for me. Doing research requires a strong and healthy body and soul; otherwise, the enormous consumption alone is enough to destroy a person."

Doing research requires not only intelligence, but also an iron body.

Because many studies require repetitive work with no progress in sight, the torment and perseverance involved are unimaginable.

People who expect immediate returns are prone to negative feedback loops in this situation, leading them to abandon research altogether. Or they may turn to projects that are almost guaranteed to produce results.

Locke glanced at the wizard Takla, whose eyes flashed with regret, and smiled, "You can write the final chapter of this project properly. Besides, I want to use this diamond succulent in another competition."

"I'm currently competing in three competitions in a row, and I'm already stretched thin, so could you help me with this competition? I can just be listed as a participant."

Locke explained, "This is a breeder competition called the 'Light and Shadow Cup' held on the Sun Shadow Peninsula. All participants are required to be consumables, just like our Diamond Succulents."

"Our advantage lies in making good use of the elemental inversion mechanism of the Diamond Succulent, and at the same time, using [Same Breath, Same Branch] to develop corresponding supporting spells. The [Light and Shadow Cup] is just an internal competition of the Wizarding Land. Outsiders can also enter that Wizarding Land to compete, so you will go to Sun Shadow Peninsula in my place."

The wizard Takra's eyes, which had initially shown some disappointment, suddenly lit up. "That's great. The Lewis Research Institute has completed its mission perfectly and is about to disband. I don't have any other work anyway, so it's an honor to be able to assist you, Director."

Locke laughed and said, "I have already applied for a travel allowance of 5 magic stones for you from the Plutarch family. It's not much, but Eric's lineage is keeping an eye on things, so it was quite difficult to get the allowance."

"However, I believe that Diamond Succulents will definitely achieve a ranking in the Light and Shadow Cup."

Wizard Takla said, “Good. It’s wonderful to be able to work with you, Director. It’s even more exciting than the hundreds of years I’ve spent in this land of six towers.”

"Director Locke, you may not believe it, but you have indeed brought a unique touch to our Six Towers Land."

"Moreover, you have also profoundly changed Miss Alicia."

The wizard Takla said to Locke, "I'll pack up and get ready, then we can set off."

Locke reminded him, "Take a few capable civilian students from the research institute with you. They can help you a lot on the way, and you can also train them along the way. Only when these people grow up can you truly change the current environment of the Six Towers."

The wizard Takra nodded in deep agreement.

Locke said to him, "Alicia asked me to go to White Dragon Street today, I'll be going now."

(End of this chapter)