Wizard: Starting with Symbiosis with Algae

After the call ended, Ruby put the communicator back on the corner of the table and reached out to pull down the leash.

The worms swarmed in.

She opened the door beneath the electrolysis tank.

Lynn saw an iron cage there, which must have been the food refrigeration facility on the airship.

It's perfect for shutting down worms now.

Ruby stuffed the worms in one by one.

Then I looked at the neatly arranged packets of worm powder on the table.

She counted them: 135 packs, enough for the short term.

"You're here, you must be exhausted. Have some worm powder first."

Lynn took the bag, tore open the seal, poured the contents into his mouth, patted his chest, and swallowed it in one gulp.

The lab reeked of worms. Ruby had clearly just used the grinder.

Dried worms ground into powder are quite delicious, if you can ignore the rough texture caused by the small, hard shell fragments.

It tastes similar to cordyceps, with a mushroom aroma and a hint of fishiness, and a very faint sweet aftertaste.

As for the worms, they didn't seem to have any aversion to the smell.

There was even some joy.

Lynn found it quite strange.

Worms have the potential to cannibalize their own kind.

This is not a good sign; if they cannibalize each other, the breeding efficiency will definitely be greatly reduced.

However, this is a question that Ruby, who specializes in studying worms, should consider, so Lynn said...

"I feel much better. Madam, I hope you can be more specific about that phone call; we're in the same boat now, navigating in the dark."

Ruby put down her pen and spoke frankly and fairly.

Yes, on the same boat.

"I will explain the communication we just had to each other."

"Ms. Ruby, you speak."

Ruby explained:

"first."

"The academy will definitely send someone to find us. Don't worry. I didn't agree to that person's support because the academy isn't coming."

"As for why I'm so certain, it's quite simple."

"We both made a mistake in recruitment, and it was a complete failure. Even if you bear secondary responsibility, the college will never let us off the hook."

In Lynn's memory, the wizarding academy valued talent above all else, and the deaths of these talented individuals were a great loss.

Damaging the college's property is punishable.

But the force is estimated to be not too strong.

People are a valuable resource.

Ruby continued

"However, I regret to inform you that the academy has more important matters to attend to than catching two idiots and sending them to jail for unpaid labor. Even if the people in charge of the rescue team say they'll bring the spaceship over within twelve days, the reality will be much different."

"So, in order to speed up our rescue, someone contacted me this time, and I used 250 magic stones to get help from that senior who was concerned about our situation."

"He might come in person, or he might only send his servants. But there will definitely be supplies. It will make us more comfortable."

Since it's a private business, it's not hard to understand.

The risk of thunderstorms is still too high.

"It's good that you have a plan."

"Yes, so when we get back to the academy, you should pay me seventy-five magic stones for a ride."

"no problem."

Wizarding civilizations have a deep-seated obsession with the exchange of value. Ruby is already a conscientious wizard; she doesn't want Lynn to pay half.

After saying that, Ruby stood up, picked up a dark gray protective suit from the back of her chair, and put it on.

Walking to the lab bench, I picked up the tweezers with one hand and used the other to place a few worm fragments and black worm eggs onto the microscope slide. I turned on the bottom light and bent down to adjust the focus.

"Since you've agreed, let's continue working."

"Go and compost the worms' metabolites. I remember you were a wizard's apprentice studying herbalism; you're better at this than I am."

"And I need to try to reproduce the worms."

……

Lynn carried the basin of worm metabolites to the river outside.

The oxygen content indoors is high. If the worms' metabolites are spread out directly, the warm environment will cause bacteria to decompose them, and the resulting fermentation gases will quickly fill the entire cave. They're already in a bad situation; if their sleeping area also smells of ammonia, their mood will only worsen.

Fortunately, worms have a single diet, feeding only on fungal mats, and their metabolic products are relatively clean, so they don't have a strong odor when refrigerated.

He chose a flat, sandy spot by the river and first used stones to create a shallow pit about half a meter square. Then he poured the worm excrement into the pit, smoothed it out with his hands, and covered it with a thin layer of shredded fungus. The fungus was extra material scraped back from grazing; it was semi-dry and crumbled into pieces when squeezed by hand.

Once you've done all that, you've completed most of the steps.

He scooped water from the river and first wetted the fungal carpet layer. Only after the sand at the bottom of the pit was fully saturated with water did he stop, then used an iron rod to stir the compost pile a few times to break up the clumps of metabolites.

Finally, he inserted a 50cm heating rod into the compost heap to accelerate the reproduction of microorganisms, and then turned around and carried out a bag of large pieces of worm fragments from the cave.

He scattered the debris on the surface of the compost pile and then covered it with a layer of nutritious river sand.

These are the particles sieved out during the grinding process. They are coarser than powder, with particles ranging from five millimeters to one centimeter. Their absorption efficiency should be quite good.

A few hours later, the compost pile was finished. Lynn straightened up and glanced back at the direction of the cave.

Ruby remained motionless in front of the microscope, her gray silhouette in the protective suit unwavering. She was extremely focused.

"I used to think Ruby was just a big-breasted, brainless woman. Now I see I was only half right."

"If that's the case, there must be other reasons for the crash."

....

Lynn also had his own things to do. He squatted by the manure pile, searching through his memory for data on potato seeds.

The concentration of the leachate used to grow these potatoes needs to be tested to ensure it meets the required standards.

But you can't just use potatoes directly.

Not fast enough

The time cost is too high

Lynn has a faster way.

Blue-green algae.

Algae are most sensitive to the nutrient levels of water. If blue light doesn't react to the water, it's highly likely that it will be usable.

林恩念头一动，按50:1.100:1，1000：1的比例调配出不同浓度的浸出液。

Blue-light algae extend from the outer side of the arm. The tentacles of the blue-light algae sense the concentration of moisture and nutrients and automatically extend downwards, with the algal filaments at the ends gently resting on the surface of the moist fungal carpet.

A few minutes later, the base of the algal filaments began to contract rhythmically.

The ratio of 1000:1 is the most active.

Therefore, this concentration, after being slightly diluted, becomes the concentration suitable for use as a culture medium.

Blue-light algae absorbs abundant nutrients (worm metabolites). It is currently fixing magical energy.

[With fixed magic power, your magic power has increased slightly...]

[Magic +0.01]

Lynn gave a soft snort.

There was an unexpected bonus.

Since potatoes don't need magic.

He soaked out all the fertilizer.

Twenty minutes later, the panel's prompts stopped.

[Magic +0.05]

The metabolites of dozens of worms, after being absorbed by the cyanobacteria, only increased the magic power by a total of 0.05. It's unclear whether this is because the worm metabolites themselves are of low quality, or because the cyanobacteria's conversion efficiency for this type of nutrient is too low.

Lynn pulled out a huge white plastic tarpaulin and spread it out on a relatively flat, open spot by the river. He secured the four corners with stones and hardened the edges to create simple drainage ditches. He began laying the base.