Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 439 Additional Investment and Special Approval for Laboratories
In the office of the high wizard Sura, which Alicia was using, Alicia handed the grant slip to Locke. "My grandfather gave me some more dirt on the three crystallizing wizards of the Plutarch family, and I also begged my father, Gregory, to help me out..."

Alicia handed Locke a document stamped with a magic seal, on which Locke saw that the application for three million magic stones had been approved.

"Three million?" Locke was stunned. This was a huge sum of money that he had never seen before.

Alicia smiled and said, "Yes, the Plutarch family has decided to invest an additional three hundred magic crystal cards in you, and there will be no new requirements. All you need to do is participate in the competition in the name of the Plutarch family and provide us with some seeds of finished products. As for the specific cultivation methods, you are free to publish articles and apply for patents."

“Grandfather said that he only supported your participation in the competition from the beginning, and that was only to complete the deal with you to help him perfect that magic. So, this time you are participating, all the cultivation methods in your research group will still be unique to you, and even if there is additional funding, it will not exceed the limits of the original contract.”

“I know the Yunze Cup you’re participating in is very competitive, and three million might not be enough, but I want to do my best to help you. Only with sufficient funds can you possibly produce the work within a year.”

"You should have a total of 420 Magic Crystal Cards now."

Alicia said, "The Yunze Cup is fraught with difficulties, especially since our Six Towers region is severely lacking in both equipment and talent. Therefore, our only advantage may be our funding."

"Although I don't know how much investment the other contestants will receive, I will do my best to secure the funds that our Six Towers Land can provide for you."

"Hopefully, with the help of this funding, you can accelerate your results."

Locke did some mental calculations and thought, "Hmm, if all this money is used to produce results, we can create a bunch of finished products in a very short time."

"I can also change my previous meticulous approach now. This way, I'm more confident, and the final product will definitely be more perfect."

Alicia smiled and said, "That's good. By the way, Locke, you need to get some rest. I rarely see wizards with dark circles under their eyes, but you've had them lately."

Alicia said, "In addition, the Plutarch family will provide your research group with access to a top-level laboratory, and you will be able to access all relevant Plutarch family project materials."

"This is our family's full support for you. My grandfather and I both hope that you can achieve good results in the Yunze Cup."

Alicia said, "Grandfather said he hopes you can get into the top five. If you can get into the top five, all this investment in you will be worthwhile. And if you can get into the top three, he will give you the Primal Flame."

Locke nodded. "Thank you."

The top three, so that means the third place?

You can get the bronze cup.

It seems that the High Wizard Sura wants to obtain the bronze cup of the Cloud Cup to enhance Alicia's prestige.

From the moment I passed the third round of the qualifiers, the Yunze Cup was no longer a joke, but a competition that attracted the attention of most wizards in the Six Towers Land, and became a major project invested in by Alicia.

Its significance is no longer ordinary.

It seems that the High Wizard of Sura was eager to secure Alicia's position in the Plutarch family by completing this major project.

But I'm afraid I can't let him have his way.

My goal from the very beginning was not third place, but first place!

Locke looked at the second additional investment document in his hand and his confidence soared. With this investment, he would have access to a more advanced laboratory. When he returned, he could purchase a large amount of equipment and magical plant materials, use exhaustive methods to continuously cultivate and synthesize them, and use finite element cultivation methods to collect the special plant essences of the subspecies he obtained.

Locke thought of the equipment he had always wanted to buy but had to give up due to lack of funds—the most expensive breeding equipment in the first stage of the process.

The Dragon Crystal Ecological Dome is an ecosystem that can be used to simulate various extreme magical climates. Each set costs one million, and the monthly cost of materials is worth one hundred thousand magic stones.

It can simulate any extreme environment. Moreover, magical plants can be cultivated more quickly within it. Even the king of magical plants, a first-level magical plant, can grow rapidly in a very short time by using consumable materials, just like a magical plant in the apprentice stage.

It greatly reduces the cultivation cycle.

This is essential equipment for cultivating advanced magical plants, but my previous laboratory never had it.

He could only endure the long cycle of cultivating a first-level magical plant. Each first-level magical plant required half a month to a month of cultivation, and this was based on using nutrient soil and nutrient solution every day without spending money, as well as mossy wood pith.

However, with the Dragon Crystal Ecological Dome, the cultivation time for a first-level magical plant can be shortened to just a few days.

It increased its own cultivation speed by many times, at least ten times or more.

This is the difference between having advanced experimental equipment and not having advanced experimental equipment.

Now that I have money, of course I want to find a way to get one.

In addition, I can now purchase the holographic plant sequencing scanner and the ultra-large radiation cauldron that I had been longing for.

Also, the mossy pith, which was originally limited to daily use, can now be made available to everyone in the laboratory.

Although Locke had known for some time that the Plutarch family would make additional investments, he did not expect them to be so quick to agree this time.

In this way, my chances of winning the championship will be much greater.

"Money really does make a difference; it can accelerate any research project," Locke exclaimed. Without this huge sum of money, he wouldn't have been able to hire so many people or purchase so much advanced equipment.

That project seemed too early for me; I should have waited until at least the first crystallization stage, or even the second stage, before I could start. After all, it was originally a project that involved second-stage breeders.

But now, with so many magic stones as sponsorship, Locke's confidence has greatly increased.

Locke said to Alicia, "By the way, I've noticed lately that those family wizards are acting strangely towards me, and they're full of jealousy towards the wizards in my research group. They even frequently provoke the wizards I'm leading."

Alicia, are you aware of this situation?

Alicia nodded seriously and said, "I know. In fact, there are a bunch of wizards who are asking me, as their benefactor, to get your consent to replace half of the wizards in your research group with wizards from our family."

“Look at this list on my desk. They are all family wizards who want to gain prestige and fame. These people are not thinking about winning the championship, but about being able to go to the Yunze Cup finals. Even just going there would be worth it for them.”

Alicia said, "These people don't understand the significant role that the commoner wizards played in this competition, so they only think that you are personally capable and that's why they want to follow you."

“I have already rejected all of these people. But you’d better tell the wizards in your research group to be careful lately. The family wizards in the Six Towers will become more hostile towards you as you achieve success. Especially now that I’ve refused to let them join, it’s provoking them even more.”

"Like mad dogs biting indiscriminately, although they dare not do anything to your face or provoke you, they have even begun to worship you to an extreme degree, just like worshipping those outstanding wizards from the outside world, and subconsciously want to regard you as their leader."

“But now that you, as the leader, have chosen someone else, they will want to attack those you have chosen and reclaim their ecological niche. So, I think that next, they will ostracize, ridicule, and provoke your research group wizards.”

Alicia sighed. "So, the real battle is only just beginning. The closer we get to success, the more difficult it becomes."

“Locke, your research group will face new difficulties. The good thing is that I can openly grant your research group special privileges without raising any objections.”

(End of this chapter)