Wizard: Starting with Dealing with Magical Plants

Chapter 339 Crash Course

The day after the resolution was issued, Rowling left the medical department.

The procedures were simple. An assistant sent by Master Sophia came with the documents, and the guards checked them before letting them through.

The new residence is located in the Blackstone District, where the Department of Ancient Relics is located. It is a detached three-story stone building with a small courtyard.

The building had clearly been renovated and reinforced, with hidden protective runes engraved on the exterior walls. The interior was fully equipped with bedrooms, a study, a small laboratory, a meditation room, and even a small plant cultivation room with a basic temperature control array, obviously taking into account Rolin's possible magical plant research.

Master Evelyn has considered things very carefully.

Two Darkblade members sent by Captain Quinn were already waiting at the door.

A young man and woman, dressed in unassuming gray-brown casual clothes, their demeanor restrained, yet their eyes sharp and their movements efficient.

The man's name is Rex, and he excels at tracking and close-quarters combat.

The woman's name is Evan, and she is an expert in rune traps and ranged support.

They were responsible for Rolin's daily security within the city of Wooden Tower, ostensibly for protection but actually for surveillance, though they did provide some convenience.

At least you no longer have to worry about being spied on by unknown forces when you go out.

Luo Lin had no objection to this. After a brief introduction, he had them guard the perimeter.

The interior of the small building has been cleaned and basic necessities are readily available.

Rowling quickly settled in.

Bach seemed quite satisfied with his new environment, occupying the top of a tall bookshelf in the study as his new nest.

Duan Yu and Lan Yu were also brought over by Ellie and flew around in the courtyard.

That afternoon, the promised catalog of materials from Master Sophia arrived—a thick roll of parchment, meticulously categorized and listing all the books in the Parliament Library related to the Observer Civilization, Ancient Runes, Autonomous Constructs, Purification Protocols, and more.

Rubbings, research report indexes, and even some classified file numbers that require special access.

Rowling spent an entire night skimming through it and was deeply impressed.

The Secret Language Council's centuries of accumulated knowledge is indeed extraordinary, and the value of much of its information is immeasurable.

But it will take time to process all of this.

On the third day, Master Evelyn came over in person.

She still looked a little tired, but her eyes were bright.

"This is the key to your personal lab, the one in the building next door." She handed Rolin a black metal key. "Basic equipment..."

"All materials are ready. If you need any special materials, please write an application report, sign it, and then go to the logistics department to collect them."

"The tokens for the Starry Sky area remain valid. You can go three times a week for two hours each time. You can arrange the time yourself, but avoid peak hours."

"Use Star Essence sparingly; its production is very low."

"In addition," she lowered her voice, "the joint observation team has started operating and will conduct a full examination of your body and markings once a week. Sophia, the old man from the medical department, and Quinn will all be sending people."

"Just cooperate, but you need to be careful about the core of [Quiet Dust Star] and Moon Silver Flower."

Luo Lin nodded and noted it down.

"Regarding research, I'll give you a few initial directions." Master Evelyn walked to the desk in her study, picked up a quill pen, and quickly wrote on a blank parchment: "First, deepen the reverse deduction of the energy structure and rune logic of the rule substrate fragments, and attempt to build a more complete protocol simulation model."

"Second, combine your perceptions of the ruins with the sense of connection marked, and analyze the hierarchical characteristics and potential weaknesses of the observer's civilization energy system."

"Third, study the interaction principle between the Pale Hand's death magic and the observer's unit energy structure, and find effective ways to counteract or purify it."

"Fourth, try to use your special perception to conduct resonance experiments with other observer civilization artifact fragments in the Council's inventory to obtain more information."

Be careful. All experiments must be conducted within a high-level protective array. I will set it up for you.

After she finished writing, she pushed the parchment to Rowling: "No need to rush, take it one step at a time."

"Your primary task is still to improve your own strength."

"Research should be conducted to better understand and respond to threats; let's not get our priorities backward."

"I understand." Rowling took the parchment, looked at the clear goal on it, and felt that the road ahead was clearer.

After Master Evelyn left, Rowling did not immediately devote himself to the research.

He first familiarized himself with the new environment, and then took Rick and Evan to the logistics department. Using his newly acquired permissions and resource quotas, he exchanged for a batch of basic experimental materials, high-quality blank scrolls and rune ink, as well as several bottles of potions to help with mental concentration and energy stability.

Along the way, they encountered many members of parliament who cast surprised and curious glances at the Special Research Assistant badge on Rowling's chest, but no one went up to bother him.

Rowling could sense that he had become a minor "celebrity" within the parliament.

Back in the small building, Luo Lin first went to the personal laboratory next door.

The laboratory was several times larger than the one in the small building, and it was divided into two rooms, an inner and an outer one.

The outer room contains workbenches and a general experimental area, where standard equipment such as beakers of various sizes, tubing, crystal vessels, energy sensors, and rune engraving knives are placed.

The inner room is the core experimental area with enhanced protection. The walls and floors are plated with a layer of dark silver metal and are covered with densely packed isolation, stabilization, and absorption runes. In the center, there is also a liftable isolation platform for placing dangerous items.

Master Evelyn was indeed well prepared.

Luo Lin sorted and put away the materials he had exchanged.

Then, he returned to his study and began to carefully study the catalog of materials given by Master Sophia, marking the most urgently needed and most valuable documents, preparing to retrieve them from the library the next day.

In the evening, Ellie came over and brought several herbs that she had cultivated herself, which had a calming effect, and planted them in a corner of the courtyard.

She has now been officially promoted to junior apprentice in the Nature Department, has her own small experimental plot, and is full of enthusiasm.

"Mr. Rowling, you're a top-tier research assistant now!" Ellie's eyes sparkled. "I've heard so many people talking about you!"

"Just an empty title." Luo Lin smiled. "How's your cultivation progress?"

"I'm about to break through to the second level of the 'Azure Wood Spiritual Art'!" Ellie said excitedly. "Instructor Edna said that my natural affinity is very good, but I lack practical experience."

"She also gave me a task: to try to cultivate a type of moonshine moss that has a slight resistance to the magical environment of death, saying it might be helpful for research in the north."

It seems that all departments of parliament are indeed preparing for possible changes.

After seeing Ellie off, Rowling began his first training session since arriving at his new residence.

He didn't go to the Starlight Chamber, but stayed in the meditation room.

He sat cross-legged, activated the [Quiet Dust Star], and sank his consciousness into the depths.

The star power surged through his body, becoming even more powerful and condensed than before.

Mental strength is like a sharpened blade, keen and resilient.

The mark on my wrist remains silent, the connection is cold.

But tonight, as the cultivation deepened and the spirit and stellar power reached a state of high coordination, that regular pulse sensation returned through the connection.

Thump—thump—thump—

Slow, heavy, cold.

This time, Luo Lin did not panic. Instead, he focused his mind and carefully observed the details of each "pulse".

The interval is approximately twice the normal heart rate.

The duration is very short, only three times each time.

The intensity is slightly more stable than it seemed last time.

He silently wrote down this information.

Then, trying to send a faint, non-aggressive, or non-probing signal during the intervals between the "pulse" readings...

The spiritual energy containing only the stable rhythm of [Quiet Dust Star] was "sent" over along the connection.

no respond.

The sense of connection was like a bottomless, icy pool, swallowing up this wisp of spiritual power without leaving a ripple.

Luo Lin was not discouraged and continued to cultivate while maintaining his awareness of the connection.

Silent all night.

The next day, Luo Lin got up early. He first went to the Starry Sky Chamber to cultivate for two hours, adjusting his condition to its best.

Then proceed to the Parliament Central Library.

With his badge as a top-level research assistant, he was able to enter the depths of the library without any trouble.

The towering bookshelves were like a maze, and the air was filled with the strange smell of old paper, parchment, and magical ink.

Based on the catalog index, he quickly found the first batch of target materials.

* *Ancient Autonomous Construct Energy Loop Diagram (Fragment)*, *Comparative Table of Symbols of Pre-Great Silence Civilization (Third Edition)*, *On Rule Anomalies and Protocol Response Mechanisms (Internal Parliamentary Research Report, AD7743)*, *Chronicle of the Pale Hand Activities (Excerpt)*, *Introduction to Spatial Stability Theory*

Holding a thick stack of books and files, Luo Lin found a quiet corner in the reading area, sat down, and began to bury himself in reading.

These materials contain a vast amount of information, much of which is difficult and obscure, involving specialized fields such as ancient languages, advanced semiotics, and spatial theory.

Fortunately, Rowling had the notes of Master Veranica and the guidance of Master Evelyn as a foundation, plus the clear thinking and powerful memory brought by [Quiet Dust Star]. Although his reading speed was not fast, his efficiency in understanding and absorbing information was very high.

He focuses on the energy structure characteristics and runic logic of the observer civilization's creations.

From these materials, he gradually pieced together a clearer picture: the Observer civilization's technological system was highly standardized and modular, its energy utilization was extremely efficient, and its rune logic focused more on abstract concepts such as "condition judgment," "state feedback," and "protocol execution," which was very different from the current wizarding system, which focused on element simulation and energy shaping.

This also explains why conventional spells are ineffective against them.

The energy structure of an attack is easily parsed, deflected, or absorbed by its efficient defense protocols.

Special attacks that disrupt energy stability, such as the Silent Arrow, or those that exploit protocol vulnerabilities for camouflage and interference, can be surprisingly effective.

The death magic of the Pale Hand seems to disrupt the stability of the observer unit by polluting and eroding the energy structure itself, which is a different approach.

Based on his personal experience in the ruins, Rowling gained a deeper understanding of the power of the Purifiers and Cleansers, and also vaguely grasped some possible ways to deal with them.

He spent the entire day in the library until the closing bell rang in the evening. Only then did Luo Lin rub his slightly sore eyes, complete the borrowing procedures, and return to the small building.

Over the next few days, life settled into a regular and fulfilling rhythm.

In the morning, they cultivate among the stars or engage in restorative combat training.

In the afternoon, I would consult materials at the library or conduct some basic energy structure analysis and rune deduction experiments in my own laboratory.

In the evening, I studied my notes, practiced the [Quiet Dust Star] technique, and tried to make extremely cautious, non-feedback "contact" with the "pulse" marked on the other end.

The joint observation team visits weekly.

Led by an experienced physician from the medical department, recorded by a scholar sent by Master Sophia, and personally supervised by Captain Quinn.

They will use various instruments and spells to conduct a comprehensive examination of Rolin, focusing on monitoring the mark's condition and mental fluctuations.

The process was somewhat cumbersome, but Luo Lin cooperated fully, and the test results always showed "stable, with no abnormal changes".

Master Evelyn would come every two or three days to listen to the progress of Rowling's research, answer some questions, and also bring some new developments within the council.

"Representatives from the Eternal Tower and the Emerald Forest have arrived in the Wooden Tower City and are staying in the reception area."

"Negotiations for the formation of the joint investigation team are underway, and the arguments are fierce, with everyone wanting to gain more control and a larger share of resources," Master Evelyn once brought news, her tone slightly sarcastic. "However, we have the most intelligence on the Northern Ruins, and they have to concede."

"Any new developments from the Pale Hand?" Rowling asked.

"Not yet. The patrols and reconnaissance efforts in the north have increased several times over, but apart from finding some abandoned temporary camps and traces of activity by a small number of low-level members, we haven't found their main force."

"They either suffered heavy losses when the passage collapsed, or—they are still hiding deeper inside, or they entered that node through other means." Master Evelyn frowned slightly. "The latter is more troublesome."

Time flies by in the midst of busyness.