Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 679 Discovering a unique cultivation method of his own!
Before leaving, Locke marked the dune dwelling with specific markings, then departed to use the Full Moon Growth technique to search for dunes in other areas.

After about three days, Locke found two smaller underground settlements of the Dune people in the vast desert.

These dune people also survive temporarily thanks to the underground glaciers in this region. However, unlike the dune people Locke first encountered, the strange phenomena did not occur during the rituals of these dune people.

Locke returned to Group 2's research base. "That is to say, only the first Dune tribe I encountered exhibited this phenomenon. While other Dune tribes, one worships a stone and the other worships a piece of petrified wood (fossilized wood)."

“But nothing unusual happened in their ritual worship,” Locke pondered. “So it seems that the kind of stone that can absorb the spirituality of the worshipper and exist in a certain state is not something that can be commonly and repeatedly achieved.”

"Should we reclaim it? Or should we wait? If we carelessly damage that environment, I might miss an important discovery."

"There are still many things I don't understand about what I discovered in that tribe, and I need to further decipher them."

Locke looked at the ordinary sea ginseng in his hand. "Hmm... I can't say there's been much change. Apart from some of the sea ginseng fern leaves becoming serrated, nothing much has changed."

"This is different from directly injecting No. 2 Tyrant Essence or the organs of the Abyss Devourer."

The combination of that special spirituality with one's own magical plant can accelerate the evolution of one's magical plant, but in the end, that special spirituality is too rare and of insufficient quality.

It has absolutely no effect on the evolution of the one-ring magic plant in its possession.

I could try using an apprentice-level magical plant, combined with the spiritual energy of that stone.

However, very little of the stone's special spiritual essence remained.

Locke was caught in a dilemma. He was very likely to make a major discovery, but for some reason, he had a feeling that he didn't know where to start.

With the Silent Holy Grail Tournament imminent, I need to quickly extract the key knowledge that can help me win the championship from this unknown phenomenon that I stumbled upon by chance.

Locke entered the common office, and Mason Witch's eyes lit up slightly upon seeing him. "Team leader, you're back. Lord Zaran Bailey said you can go and see him now that you're back."

Locke nodded slightly, then sat down at his workstation with a serious expression and deep in thought.

Mason Witch, Freya Witch, and Barrett Witch looked at each other, completely bewildered.

The witch Freya said, "What's wrong, little boss? You seem to have a lot on your mind."

"Zaran Bailey's situation..."

Mason Witch muttered, "Maybe I won't go."

Wizard Barrett whispered, "Let's get to work quickly and help the boss get accurate results on the specific structure of the glands and root sacs."

"Speaking of which, where did the team leader get this special magical plant energy-locking structure? We checked all the known magical plant energy-locking structures in Group 2 and Golden Crown Mountain, but none of them had it."

"This energy-locking structure can provide magical plants with specialized short-term energy storage organs, which can temporarily improve the traits of magical plants."

"It's truly amazing. Helping the boss analyze the specific mechanism of this energy-locking structure has also made a lot of progress for me, and I have a deeper understanding of botanical magic."

At this moment, Locke had no time to worry about the wizard Zaran Bailey; he was at his workstation, reviewing documents.

Then, Locke hurriedly left the Dune Plane, left Little Peach Mountain, and rode the Rainbow Sparrow back to the library of Golden Crown Mountain.

Upon entering, he immediately sought out a first-circle generalist wizard in the library, asking him to help him access research materials on totem gods/spirits.

Unlike the southeastern corner region, Yunze Wetland has a large number of colonized worlds, and therefore also has detailed information on totem gods.

In the southeastern corner region, the only relevant information might be from the Blood Lord of the Blood Curse Court.

Locke asked the ordinary, first-level general knowledge wizard, "Are there any articles in the free and paid sections about totem gods that can accelerate plant evolution?"

The Portsmouth wizard, a scholar of general knowledge, gave him a strange look and then shook his head slightly.

He recognized Locke's identity and remained respectful. "Mr. Augustine, I'm sorry, but I think at least the library at Mount Golden Crown doesn't have it. I've read extensively on totem gods, and none of them mention anything about accelerating plant evolution."

"Oh, a few articles have mentioned that some totem spirits have the ability to make plants grow rapidly. If plants can grow rapidly, it might increase the number of generations of plants? Of course, this is very different from true evolution."

Locke frowned and said, "Give me the relevant articles."

The Portsmouth Wizard was a wizard who looked like a middle-aged man with graying temples. He raised his right hand, and instantly, articles fell into his hands from the bookshelf.

"No need to redeem, these are all free content. Research on totem gods isn't popular in Yunze Wetland."

"In this regard, the area where the obscurity and light meet will pay more attention."

Locke nodded, quickly flipped through some materials, and sure enough, he didn't find any related research.

Locke asked, "Portsmouth Wizard, I would also like to access articles related to the formation of totem gods or primordial deities."

The Portsmouth wizard nodded, raised his right hand again, and immediately books flew into his hand. "These are still from the free section. Please enjoy them at your leisure. Recently, the library has an unused sponsorship, so some precious wizard teas, such as [Hawkeye Red Enchanting Tea], will be provided free of charge."

"Mr. Augustine, just tell the servants in the library."

Locke nodded.

Then, he took a pile of documents and went over there to look at them. As he went through the documents, he gradually confirmed one thing.

That was the special stone he had discovered in the Dune Plane. It shouldn't be a totem spirit, a totem god, or some kind of primitive form of deity.

That should be a more special situation.

"No wonder no wizard had discovered this special method of accelerating evolution before. Firstly, this special acceleration method seems to have a very weak effect and has not caused any significant impact."

"The other one is that the stone that can absorb people's spirituality was probably just an ordinary stone in its original form. But it is indeed a very rare phenomenon."

A thought flashed through Locke's mind. 'But accelerated evolution has indeed occurred. Perhaps the quantity and quality of this special spirituality are insufficient. I haven't yet clearly investigated the production mechanism, the specific mechanism of action, or the structure of this special spirituality.'

'But actually, I have a way to quickly enhance the quality and quantity of this special spirituality in a short period of time.'

Locke took out a glass tube from his Astral Ring, and inside the tube was a wisp of transparent spiritual energy.

That was the Zero Potion.

The Zero Potion is a blank spirituality, which means that the quality and quantity of the special spirituality plus the blank spirituality will increase out of thin air, while its own characteristics will not change in the slightest.

If the Zero Elixir is used to enhance that special spirituality whose true nature is yet unknown, it might be possible to accelerate the evolution of a first-level magical plant to some extent!
Perhaps that's not even evolution.

Locke pondered, "This is of great importance, involving the most crucial aspect of my ultimate magic. I can't just casually invite other wizards to cooperate with me. But could I ask my teacher?"

"I should try to study it myself first. Although Catherine the Witch is my mentor, she is also someone else's mentor."

"Although I believe in her character, it's best not to test people's humanity unless absolutely necessary."

Besides, since this is my own discovery, I must do my best to complete it.

Moreover, I believe I do indeed have this ability.

Locke took a break from his busy schedule and opened his backend interface on the Arthas platform. He discovered that he had sold 30 pairs of the same product as the one from the Demon War during this period, earning him 66 in revenue.

Adding the scattered income from the previous three wizard shoes, he has earned a total of 700,000 in just a few days.

Of course, there were even more magic weavers leaving messages for him in the comments section, cursing him, and some even demanding that he issue a public apology and stop his dangerous research on magic plant wizard shoes.

Locke simply ignored this ridiculous content.

Meanwhile, Locke discovered that the top comment he received was a forwarded video.

Locke nodded at the video. In the video, Stuart George, a wizard of the Grand League of the famous magic combat tournament invited by Solas barefoot, was talking eloquently in front of the host.

"I have personally worn the wizard shoes from the Solas Barefoot Shop Alliance, and I believe that the Solas Barefoot wizard shoes are the best wizard shoes in Yunze Wetlands."

The host asked, "Mr. George, is this why you insist on wearing Solas' barefoot Wizard shoes in the major leagues?"

Stuart George pondered for a moment, then sat down in his chair and said, “Of course. Solas Barefoot isn’t just one of the sponsors of the Grand League, that’s not important. The Spellfighting Tournament has no shortage of sponsors. What’s more important is that they do have the best wizard shoes.”

"The barefoot wizard shoes of Soras, when worn on my feet, truly gave me the illusion of becoming like light. They greatly enhanced my mobility."

Locke was speechless.

At this moment, in the video footage, the host once again took the opportunity to ask, "Have you heard, Mr. George, that Golden Crown Mountain recently purchased a batch of pure magical plant wizard shoes?"

"What do you think is going on?"

Stuart George gave a mocking smile. "Pure plant wizard shoes? I think that's unlikely. First of all, not everyone is a botanical wizard. Well, I know some people might think that you can use enchanted plants as magical artifacts just like you would with enchanting."

"But everyone must understand that magical plants are not good at moving. I think the pure magical plant wizard shoes are more like a flash in the pan. Alright, as the champion of the first stage of the magic combat competition, I only endorse quality."

"Welcome to purchase Solas Barefoot (30K)."

Locke was speechless. He closed the video. "How much did Solas pay him? Fine, for money, it's not shameful."

Locke glanced at the documents in his hand. "My main focus right now is to figure out what that special spirituality is and come up with a practical way to use it."

"In addition, I need to find out about the research progress of Daniel's special spirit mist." "Also, the special energy-locking structure of the ancient flower root and the constraint equation of the Pixiu horn spiral line, these things may be helpful for me to construct great magic."

……

A week later, at the Solas Lightfoot (30K) technical seminar, the wizards stared at each other at the long table.

Because Solas Barefoot was suddenly ranked number one as the least progressive store by Jungle Hand, and was considered an unfriendly product to life.

Secondly, during their previous meeting, they discussed and decided that they could quickly suppress and prevent the Wizard Shoes brand from continuing to grow. The Wizard Shoes brand that was acquired before it grew was suddenly listed as a life-friendly brand by the Hand of the Jungle.

This back and forth left the barefoot (30K) wizards of Solas completely bewildered.

This meeting was certainly not specifically convened for something they previously considered a minor matter, but the situation arose suddenly, and so the meeting became dedicated to discussing this issue.

Solas, the Lightfoot (30K) Moon Ring Master, angrily asked, "What's going on? Why are those lunatics from the Hand of the Jungle suddenly targeting us?"

"The Jungle Hand suddenly put us on the list of unfriendly brands and then slandered us in every way."

"Ladies and gentlemen, we're going for a full-fledged brand strategy. We'll be making high-end wizard shoes, mid-range wizard shoes, and low-end wizard shoes."

"The Jungle Hand's slander against us has little impact on the sales of Wizard Shoes at the Apprentice and First Ring levels, but it has a huge impact on the sales of Wizard Shoes at the Second and Third Ring levels."

"Those high-ring wizards hate buying wizard shoes that are embroiled in disputes."

Moon Ring Main Channel: "And there's this 'life-unfriendly' product. Once it's listed, other wizarding colleges will have a certain amount of environmental indicators deducted when purchasing products from our shop alliance."

"In other words, if others want to buy our Solas barefoot shoes, they will have to indirectly meet certain environmental standards. This will put pressure on the sales of our high-end wizard shoes brand and will have a lasting impact on our brand reputation."

The group exchanged bewildered glances. Clearly, they hadn't expected that their initial plan was simply to use money to crush a new wizard shoe brand. However, they had barely begun their attack when the new wizard shoe brand, which they thought could never harm them, launched a series of attacks against them.

This combo would cause even Solas, who is barefoot, to feel pain.

Although this tactic was unlikely to have a significant impact on Solas's Lightfoot, it was enough to leave the wizards present somewhat stunned.

How dare a mere first-ring wizard go to such lengths?
It actually makes them feel 'pain'?
The head of the Moon Ring Wizards said angrily, "What exactly is our crisis management department doing?"

"Why have you failed to fulfill your responsibilities each time?"

The other wizards, as if finding an outlet for their frustration, all turned to the head of the crisis management department and began to question him.

"Indeed, what exactly is your department doing?"

"The Hand of the Jungle suddenly targeted us, without any warning!"

Solas Barefoot (30K)'s second-tier chief designer suddenly spoke up: "Everyone, let's focus on resolving this as soon as possible. This is just a conflict with a new little wizard shoe brand. Are you all going to turn this into some kind of business competition?"

"Let's think of a way to resolve this brand issue as soon as possible. As for Jungle Hand... I think these are actually two separate issues. We can send someone to ask the Jungle Hand branch in Yunze Wetland if they need financial assistance from us."

"If money can solve the problem, then let's solve it by paying money. As for that pure magic plant wizard shoe brand, I suggest we start the acquisition process as soon as possible and acquire it."

"From what I understand, quite a few breeders are already thinking about how to enter this huge market for wizard shoes. If we don't want anyone to impact our wizard shoe industry, we must prepare in advance and nip this trend in the bud."

The Moon Ring Supervisor nodded, then looked at Solas Lightfoot (30K), a first-ring Limitless Magic Suppression wizard, who was the head of the Acquisitions Department.

"Has Augustus agreed to be acquired by us?"

The head of the acquisition department, Wizard, stood up and shook his head, saying, "I'm sorry, supervisor."

"I sent our barefoot wizard Solas to Arthas to negotiate with Augustus's top trader. We were willing to pay ten million magic stones immediately, but the wizard still refused."

At the long table, many wizards were whispering among themselves.

"He's just a first-ring wizard, and he's not even willing to sell for ten million magic stones?"

"He's insane. After all, he's just a first-ring wizard. Can he handle that much money?"

"I think he's in big trouble. This isn't money he can handle."

Solas, the barefooted Moon Ring manager, said, "Then let's try not to talk to that top trader, but talk to that wizard directly."

"We can also put pressure on him through his college, by directly contacting his teachers and classmates, his friends and students..."

The head of the acquisition department coughed violently. "Supervisor, have you forgotten? He's a researcher from Golden Crown Mountain."

The manager of Moon Ring stood with his hands behind his back, his face twitching slightly. He said calmly, "Oh, then forget what I said before."

"By the way, when your people go to see them, remember to be polite. Don't be too domineering, or it will make us seem like we're not a legitimate business alliance."

"Do you understand?"

The head of the acquisitions department said in a low voice, "I understand."

At this moment, the chief designer of the Second Ring Road yawned while sitting in his seat. "This time, even Melochy Magic Step has been included in the list of unfriendly products, and they even made it into the Jungle Hand newspaper along with us."

"Our Solas is the number one least progressive shop alliance, and Melochy Magic Step is the second least progressive shop alliance. This time we've really lost face big time. I reckon Melochy is having a headache right now too."

“Augustus is a small matter, but the Hand of the Jungle is a behemoth. If we get targeted, what will happen? Which Shop Alliance doesn’t have a few wizard factories that don’t meet environmental standards and discharge wastewater and exhaust fumes?”

"If everything is truly compliant, then how will we make money?"

At the long table, a group of wizards were also indignant.

"That's true. If everything really meets environmental standards, and our costs go up, shouldn't we raise prices? People always complain about how expensive our wizard shoes are, yet they still demand that we be environmentally conscious."

"We must not let the Hand of the Jungle continue to harass us."

"Therefore, we still need to come up with a way to force a little Augustus to sell his assets as soon as possible."

The manager of Moon Ring tapped his finger on the table. "Let's see how he reacts during the second acquisition negotiation. If he doesn't know what's good for him, then he can't blame us."

"With Jinmian Mountain around, it's indeed difficult to resort to force or do anything else. But there are too many ways to solve problems in this world."

"After all, he is only a first-ring wizard, and his status is ultimately limited. It's just that his status has been temporarily elevated because of the Silent Grail Tournament, so it's not easy to touch him for the time being."

At the long table, several high-ring wizards exchanged smiles.

Moon Ring Main Pipeline: "Alright, let's leave this matter here for now. We've been ordered to double our annual net profit again within three years."

"So, everyone, let's focus on the important matter at hand. Now, let's discuss how we can increase our sales..."

……

Dune Plane, within Base 2.

After a week of continuous and in-depth research, Locke finally confirmed one thing.

At this moment, he stood in the cave of the dune people. "The spirit of the man, stripped of his animalistic traits, merged with the spirit of the stone, and then merged again with the spirit of the plant."

"Therefore, the plant's spirituality is enhanced, and it will undergo a change in state in a short period of time. But this is not true evolution, but only a state enhancement. It is a direct change after the fusion of spirituality, but evolution does indeed occur in the process."

"This special spirituality seems to be able to shorten the original evolutionary time of hundreds of thousands of years to a thousand years. Even so, it is not shortened too much. Therefore, both these ferns and this special dune people tribe are only half-finished products that have evolved, which is why their bodies exhibit such deformed features."

"The rituals they can perform can shorten the time required for this evolution. But because the time required for evolution is already very long, shortening it again is of little significance to these mortals."

"In other words, a special spirituality is grafted onto the spirituality of the plant, resulting in two stages of change. The first stage is a simple enhancement of the spiritual fusion."

"The second stage is the one where evolution was accelerated."

"This special spirituality seems to have given plants a possibility, and plants can also give back a possibility to the creatures that eat them: the possibility of upward evolution."

"As for how much they can evolve upwards, it seems to depend on the quality of the spirituality of these worshippers, that is, these mortals."

"In other words, it is determined by the quality of the special spirituality in my hands."

Locke sighed, “So, the greatest significance of the mechanism I discovered for me is that it can accelerate the general evolution of a certain environment. But for me to cultivate magical plants, it is not so significant, because the quality of special spirituality determines the maximum upper limit of this evolutionary potential.”

“And the quality of this special spirituality is currently not even up to the level of a first-class wizard apprentice for me. But…” Locke stood in front of the rock and took out a bottle of Zero Potion.

"We could try using the Zero Potion on this rock."

"Before I became a second-circle wizard, I only had one bottle of the Zero Potion... but it's definitely worth a try. The Zero Potion is a second-circle level... potion. If I can really fuse it, then I can gain a second-circle level special spirituality."

Locke's pupils suddenly contracted. "Then I can use this special spirituality to help the magical plants I need evolve towards the second ring level."

"Does this mean I've discovered a niche breeding method that's currently unique to me?"

　There will be another chapter tonight, but it might be posted around 1 or 2 AM. Goodnight everyone.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)