Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 770 Ling Hong's Hundred Solutions and Shortcomings: Contributions and Arrival in the Southeast Corner Region
Three and a half weeks later, Locke looked at the blue-skinned troll wizard Ackerman and asked, "Mr. Ackerman, are there no more rubbings of [Linghong]?"

Wizard Ackerman lifted his massive feet and walked between the peach wood floors and bookshelves of the library, then spread his hands toward Locke and said, "That's all. Wizard Locke."

"The potion-making skills at Golden Crown Mountain are only so-so... cough cough cough, I mean, there's still a lot of room for improvement. Moreover, [Ling Hong] is extremely precious. Not to mention the original, even the rubbings are very valuable. I was able to find two rubbings for you before, which is already very good."

Wizard Ackerman suggested, "Wizard Locke, if you have any second-ring contribution points, you can exchange them for Spirit Macro Imprints. The Golden Crown Mountain Library still has enough second-ring Spirit Macro Imprints."

After obtaining Ling Hong last time, Locke finally understood why he had always failed to concoct the clone potion.

After reading a lot of information about spirit macros in the free zone and consulting with the witch Catherine once, he finally understood that the so-called spirit macro is an inherent attribute of things.

The mass, density, and specific heat capacity of a thing are its inherent properties, while spirituality describes the inherent properties of that thing on a spiritual level.

Second-circle wizards can see the flow of dimensional power with the naked eye. Therefore, second-circle potion masters can, on this basis, thoroughly study the trajectory formed by the past spiritual flow of an object.

Linghong is such a thing.

The reason why second-circle potions are so powerful that their effects can affect life forms at the level of second-circle wizards is because when they are made, they have reached the level of utilizing [Spirit Macro].

Only when Locke realized this did he discover that he had overlooked several seemingly insignificant details when he looked at the recipe for the clone potion.

When making the clone potion, you need to cut a gold coin in half with a magic knife, then throw it into a magical flame to melt it into a gold ball, and then throw the gold ball into a crucible.

I followed the instructions strictly at the time, but I didn't realize how important they were. I was actually ignoring the [Linghong] level.

Locke pondered, "Considering the [Spiritual Macro] level, the seemingly simple and meaningless actions of running potion ingredients along the edge of the crucible or gently tapping it with a gold coin during potion-making have become important potion-making ingredients."

"Because this represents a kind of 'spiritual essence' to be added to potions. A 'spiritual essence' is the hidden form of things, a potion ingredient, a concealed form on a spiritual level. It is a product of a second-circle potion master's insight into the truth of the world."

The difference between potions made without Ling Hong and those made using Ling Hong is enormous.

Unfortunately, there aren't many Linghong rubbings even in the free zone.

Linghong is a hidden true form of a potion ingredient, a secret form attribute.

Although I seem to have learned what Linghong is and feel that I understand the meaning of the term, to be honest, it's not very useful.

He spent three and a half weeks repeatedly observing the crimson vampire stone spirit in his hand, but he felt that the changes in the spirit were so complex that it seemed impossible to reproduce the spirit of the vampire stone from who knows how many years ago with human power.

This meant that he was completely unable to utilize the Vampire Stone's power to use it as a potion ingredient.

For a potion master, not being able to control Ling Hong is like losing an eye.

Insufficient observation skills.

Therefore, it was naturally impossible to successfully refine the second-ring magic potion.

Locke also realized that the pattern on the bronze cauldron that King Otto left him was actually a very high-level spirit artifact, which is why he was able to use someone else's spirit artifact to refine blank potions.

However, this cannot be considered a true success in crafting a second-level potion.

Locke sighed.

"Then find me some reading experiences and research reports on Linghong rubbings."

The troll wizard Ackerman chuckled and said, “That’s fine. There are plenty of books like that in the free zone. I can find as many as you want. Besides, I don’t think you should spend those expensive contribution points to exchange for Linghong rubbings right now.”

"Although I am not a potion master, as an expert-level generalist, I can still give you some pointers. Ling Hong sounds very mysterious, but for a second-ring potion master, it is just a different way of looking at the world. Therefore, it is a skill that is similar to arithmetic, which requires repeated practice, from shallow to deep, to master."

"It would be more in your best interest to first look at the research papers on Ling Hong in the free area, and then exchange them for Ling Hong rubbings."

Locke thanked the Ackerman troll, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Ackerman. You've given me a lot of advice over the past month."

After a month of getting to know each other, the two now have a good relationship.

Locke lacked the airs of native wizards in the wizarding world, and was also very studious, being an archaeology wizard. Therefore, Wizard Ackerman enjoyed talking and communicating with him.

Wizard Ackerman said, "I think you'd better find a second-circle potion master to apprentice under or learn from. Spiritual potion studies are extremely complex and are the core of second-circle potion studies."

"This kind of thing is hard to learn from books; it's a practical skill. It's one of the few things I've read but couldn't understand, so I can only memorize it perfectly in my head."

"To avoid making mistakes, I have to remember everything exactly as it is."

"Of course, because of my contract with the academy, even though I have a lot of Linghong rubbings stored in my mind, I cannot give them to you."

Locke was somewhat perplexed.

I never imagined that continuing my path in potions would be so complicated after becoming a second-circle wizard.

Old Blue Ackerman is right. It seems that simply reading books is not enough to become an expert potion master.

However, the potions program at Mount Golden Crown was indeed mediocre, and the potions were all taught by the wizards in the deacon group. Apart from having some connections with wizard Daniel, I had no connections with the other wizards in their deacon group.

It feels a bit abrupt to just go and ask for advice like this.

Locke thought for a moment, then decided he could try his luck at the Feathered Serpent Pavilion. Of course, everything would still depend on himself. Therefore, he would definitely need to read more materials related to Ling Hong during this time.

The troll wizard Ackerman recommended, "In addition, I suggest that you subscribe to the [Linghong Baijie] magic book if you have the chance in the future. It requires 3000 second-ring contribution points."

"I think that's the most cost-effective introductory book for Linghong."

Locke nodded.

"Thank you, Mr. Ackerman."

The contribution point system for Yunze Wetland is tiered and cannot be used interchangeably.

The first zone of the second ring can bring about 1500 contribution points, while the second zone of the second ring can bring about 800 contribution points. However, unlike the first ring, the third and fourth zones of the second ring can hardly be exchanged for contribution points.

Even if an article is published in a Q3 journal, you only get 20 contribution points, while a Q4 journal only gets 10 contribution points.

Locke believed that the entire third and fourth district journals within the second ring level were more like a channel deliberately left for second ring wizards to use to farm contribution points.

As a result, it's easy to see how low the value of journals in Q3 and Q4 is.

The third and fourth zones are similar to the status of the library's article exchange contribution points before the first ring road. Basically, the main publishers of journals in the third and fourth zones are the libraries of various colleges and universities.

Essentially, this means submitting one's articles to various libraries.

'3000 contribution points means you need to publish two articles in Zone 1 or four articles in Zone 2 to earn those points.'

Locke pondered, "It doesn't seem like much, but it's actually a lot. Because getting published in journals in the second tier isn't easy, especially in the first and second tiers."

Even in Zones 3 and 4, there are certain review requirements; it's not something you can just do on a whim. Therefore, even contributing points requires a certain cost.

Locke frowned. "And I need to maintain a good reputation. Sending too many District 4 and District 3 papers will affect how wizards at those top universities will view me in the future."

"Therefore, it's best not to learn from those second-ring wizards who use fourth- or third-ring water, or at most second-ring water."

"In addition, if I want to quickly gain more contribution points to exchange for the [Linghong Baijie] I need, I can also do so through competitions, awards, and obtaining professional certificates."

A wizard who passes the second-level potion master exam will immediately receive 10000 contribution points.

That is equivalent to publishing in seven top-tier Q1 journals.

This shows just how difficult it is to obtain a second-level potion master certificate.

In the distant past, second-ring potion masters were extremely rare, practically nonexistent. Locke even wondered if, during the Age of Stars, second-ring potion masters were the most elite group of potion masters.

After all, it was obvious that for a long time, potion masters' ring levels were lower than those of ordinary wizards.

Locke looked at the troll wizard Ackerman and asked, "Mr. Ackerman, besides that, to your recollection, is there any archaeology grimoire available for exchange in the library?"

His own Wizard King's Grimoire could only help him become a second-circle archaeologist and create legendary historical records, and then that was it.

The most powerful magic recorded in the text is the [Summoning of Demon Gods].

The only parts of this magic book that are useful to me now are the chapters about the bloodlines of ancient creatures and some other interesting little spells.

The Ackerman troll wizard paused for a moment. "No. I remember the name of the second-circle level archaeology grimoire, it's called the [Black and White Grimoire].

"It records the route to the Third Ring Road. It is extremely valuable."

Locke understood instantly. As a magic book, it might not be so sensitive at the second level or below, but if it recorded a clear path to becoming a third-circle wizard, then such a magic book could be considered an extremely valuable resource.

Since archaeology is a relatively untapped field, it's reasonable to assume that the number of extant black and white grimoires in the world should be quite small.

The Ackerman troll wizard pondered for a moment and then said, "That's right. The grimoire originated from the eccentric wizard [the Peacock Lord] during the era of despotic monarchs. The Peacock Lord ordered the archaeological wizards of the time to pool their collective wisdom and create the first grimoire in history."

"Then, the original grimoire was copied again, and it was divided into one lower-level grimoire after another. I remember that there were only... one thousand black and white grimoires derived from that original grimoire!"

Locke frowned.

A thousand copies?

Such a black and white grimoire is indeed extremely rare. If there are only a thousand copies, then considering those damaged, lost, or seized by various organizations and stored in their vaults, the number of black and white grimoires still circulating in the world is unimaginable. That means that if I can't obtain a black and white grimoire, my path in archaeology will be cut off.

Locke sensed that at the second ring stage, all resources were scarce, whether it was resources that directly improved his mental strength, the inheritance of potion-making, or the inheritance of archaeology, all were much scarcer than at the first ring and apprentice stages.

Fortunately, this is Jinmian Mountain, so at least there is no lack of botanical heritage.

The evolutionary science here is extremely advanced. Over the past month, I have read a lot of ecological and evolutionary science materials in the free area, and I even had the opportunity to consult Catherine the Witch twice.

Significant progress has been made.

Of course, my magic pressure only increased by 1 point during this month.

He had calculated that, in this way, using advanced meditation techniques for a year would only increase his magic pressure by 12 points, for ten years by 120 points, and for a hundred years by 1200 points.

For unknown reasons, the lifespan of a second-circle wizard today is four-fifths shorter than that of a second-circle wizard in the Age of Stars, resulting in a significantly reduced lifespan limit.

Therefore, even if a second-circle wizard were to exert all his strength, it would be uncertain whether he could raise his magic pressure to over 10000 levels within his lifetime.

Because it's important to consider that improving mental strength becomes increasingly difficult as the game progresses.

Moreover, based on Locke's inquiries, he also confirmed that his improvement speed was actually above average.

Perhaps because he constantly receives the backflow of the natural force plane, and also because he used the Sun Potion to modify his physique during his first-ring wizard stage, his aptitude is not bad.

Therefore, there are many second-ring wizards who progress even slower than I do.

Some people increase their magic pressure by 1 point every six months, or even 1 point every year.

This explains why many wizards remain at the second-circle common stage for their entire lives.

In this situation, without external help, it is difficult to get out of the predicament and increase the speed of progress.

Locke looked at Wizard Ackerman and said, "Besides the reading report of the Linghong rubbing, Mr. Ackerman, could you do me another favor?"

Wizard Ackerman chuckled, “Locke, you speak.”

Locke said, "I remember there are some documents related to wizard shoes in the library. Could I have some of those?"

Over the past month, I've also been taking time to think about how to solve the problem of the high cost of imaginary roots and design my first pure magic plant wizard shoes.

Wizard Ackerman glanced at Locke.

"Of course, we have a lot of information here. It's just that we at Golden Crown Mountain don't have many high-quality articles about wizard shoes. The libraries at Bonifacius University and the Rose Council have more information."

"You can apply for a library card and read it at the Rose Council."

"If you have friends in the Rose Council, you can even borrow documents from the library that require certain permissions to access. Among those articles are the best methods for studying wizard shoes in the Cloud Marsh Wetlands."

Locke immediately thought of Lana the witch he had met in the Rose Council.

To be honest, it was because I took the initiative to write her a letter that I had the opportunity to get to know her.

Locke nodded: "I'll visit the Rose Council's library when I have the chance and borrow some of their articles."

Wizard Ackerman stretched out his right hand, and a magic book flew into his hand automatically.

“But our library at Mount Golden Crown is no less impressive. I know you’ve been trying to develop second-circle wizard shoes recently.”

“Wizard Locke, you haven’t considered one thing: you only have this unique advantage as a wizard of Golden Crown Mountain.”

Locke paused for a moment.

"what?"

The greatest advantage of a generalist wizard lies here: they are well-read, true doctors rather than specialists. Their understanding of each field is superficial, but their overall knowledge of many disciplines is remarkable.

They can come up with ideas they hadn't thought of at the moment.

Wizard Ackerman smiled and said, "The School of Power has a third-level discipline, namely Wave Theory, and the Senate of Mount Golden Crown is the ancestral home of Wave Theory."

"The biomechanics of Mount Golden Crown is highly developed. Our biomechanics masters have studied the walking biomechanics of humans and various magical creatures in such detail that it is unbelievable."

"Look at this book. This is a book written by the wizard Nosha Fisher a hundred years ago called 'The Relationship Between the Angle of Spine Swing and Foot Deformation During Human Walking'."

"And this one, 'The Weight-Bearing Structure and Pressure Distribution of the Forefoot of a Human Wizard During High-Speed ​​Movement'."

"And this book, 'The Pressure Distribution on the Soles of a Human Wizard's Feet When Landing After a Jump'..."

Wizard Ackerman looked at Locke and said, "You see, these are all your advantages. Advantages that the wizards of the Rose Council would never use."

"The Rose Council's main research in mechanics is in materials mechanics and dynamics, but its research on human biomechanics is nowhere near as in-depth as our Golden Crown Mountain's. In my opinion, if you can read all one thousand articles related to human biomechanics in this free area, the wizard shoes you design will at least be greatly improved in terms of comfort."

Locke asked in bewilderment, "They can't borrow the articles from Golden Crown Mountain?"

Wizard Ackerman shook his head.

"The main problem isn't that, but rather that the magic weavers are working in isolation, each confined to their own little corner of the alchemy workshop."

"They haven't paid attention to other subjects for a long time."

"Actually, many shamans in Yunze Wetland have disliked them for a long time."

The Ackerman troll raised its foot.

"Look, I just wanted to buy a pair of everyday second-ring magic weapons, but inexplicably, I was forced to spend five million magic stones."

"I only bought the cheapest one at first."

Ackerman seemed to care a lot about this. He was already quite poor, and he had been swindled out of five million magic stones by the magic weavers, not to mention the annual maintenance costs.

Thinking about this made Wizard Ackerman even more indignant.

"It's long overdue for someone to take action against those wizard weavers. They even try to swindle money from scholars. Ever since they monopolized the wizard shoe market in Yunze Wetlands, the definition of wizard shoes has changed."

"Witch weavers are adding more and more definitions to their wizard shoes. Sigh, sometimes I don't want to buy wizard shoes unless I have to."

Wizard Ackerman said, "It's just that when going to certain dangerous places, especially the Outer Realms, it's really important to wear a decent pair of wizard shoes to walk normally in certain worlds or to quickly escape when encountering certain dangers."

Locke nodded slightly.

A pair of shoes, seemingly ordinary, is actually a testament to the level of magical light industry.

Wizard Ackerman said, "Therefore, Wizard Locke, I support you."

After talking with him for a while, Locke left the library and returned to his dormitory, while arranging work for Mason, the witch, and the other two at the Lingzhi Magic Plant.

During this time, the three of them helped me with a lot of research on the first-stage pineapple magic plant.

After all, I used a lot of existing data from Group 6 and my previous research on pineapple magical plants when I developed the Pineapple Wizard Shoes.

Now that all this data and accumulated knowledge has been used up, we need to find more promising pineapple-type magical plants to develop wizard shoes.

Of course, the future may not be limited to pineapple magic plants, but for now, I am focusing on air plants, which have already achieved great success in the wizard shoe field.

These investigations were quite tedious, and Locke was eager to quickly learn about the various common knowledge within the Second Ring Road, so the three witches, Mason and the others, volunteered to do this work for him.

Of course, in exchange, I will help the three of them find research topics that can be funded by first-class grants and help them complete their work.

That's quite simple.

Anyway, when I develop the second-ring wizard shoes, I will inevitably involve more energy-locking structures. If I pick out three of them and give them to the three people to study, it will probably help them complete their first-class grant projects.

In any case, the relationship between second-circle wizards and first-circle wizards is in this mutually beneficial state.

At this moment, Locke saw that the witch Mason had sent him a picture of a first-level magical plant called "Iron Nail Pineapple" through the Water Hyacinth System.

Locke examined the pineapple and began to consider whether it could be used. In the end, he cautiously added the pineapple to a list of his backup grafted magical plants.

At the same time, Locke sensed something and looked up towards the southeast corner of the region.

Because the wizard's airship carrying his Ancient Tree Fruit seemed to have reached the southeastern corner of the region.

This is good.

Locke maintained two bodies simultaneously, picked up a cup of hot water that the servants had prepared for him on the living room table, and put a wizard's tea bag into it; it was [Blue Fish Tea].

Each tea leaf looks like a bluefish.

Locke took a sip of the bluefish tea, and the fatigue from controlling two bodies simultaneously was finally relieved. He understood why this wizard's tea was more popular among second-ring wizards.

(End of this chapter)