Wizard: Starting with Symbiosis with Algae

Brightness gradually appeared outside the test station's windows. A warm, moist airflow bypassed the gaps in the spaceship and brushed against Lynn's nostrils.

It was oxygen, nitrogen, and some sweet-smelling gas that resembled magical crystals. Lynn's heart calmed as he inhaled it. He looked out through the condensation forming on the barrier.

Their spaceship was being slowly led into a huge ecosphere. From the outside, the ecosphere looked like a giant transparent bottle, filled with countless strange plants. It seemed that the ecosphere had undergone energy optimization to reduce the frequency of resupply.

Several colorless tentacles extended from the outer wall of the eco-chamber, swaying slowly in space.

The tentacles were transparent and extremely long, roughly estimated at 60-200 meters, like the tentacles of a jellyfish. They gently and patiently captured the trash and debris that tried to approach the wizarding world. Every ship that legally entered the wizarding world would be touched by those transparent tentacles.

Those that don't meet the requirements will be thrown directly out of the ecosystem by these large tentacles.

Lynn was amazed by such a huge and beautiful creature.

"Somewhat like hydras filter-feeding on the seabed?"

"It does look very similar," Ruby nodded, but she noticed some grammatical errors in Lynn's words.

Actually, these tentacles are a type of hydra found in space.

How can you say a hydra looks like a hydra? The wizard said it requires wisdom. It's not good for the left brain to attack the right brain.

As a race as abundant as the worms, the hydroids are also ubiquitous. If you see something with tentacles, it's probably a hydroid if it's not a mimicry like a mimic.

However, Ruby had no intention of delving into such trivial details.

All she wants now is to go home, get a good night's sleep, eat something, and then do something more meaningful.

For example, take another nap.

....

In front of the testing site.

The ships maintained a certain distance from each other.

One ship after another moved forward quietly, at a leisurely pace.

Perhaps due to the off-season, there weren't many spaceships waiting, with only a few small airships scattered around the various berths of the eco-capsule.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Lynn and his group passed the initial test of the tentacles and were about to enter the second valve.

A spaceship with a smooth hull, sleek lines, and emitting pale blue flames drifted over.

Its hull is bright blue, and its smoothness and speed when turning are far more advanced than that "Little Helper" tugboat.

It went straight up to the test station, used two mechanical arms to firmly hold the hull, and pulled Lynn and the others out of the line.

Several ships at the lock ahead sounded their horns in confusion, protesting angrily because they had been cut in line.

"What are you doing!"

"I was here first! We've been waiting for ages!"

"I'm going to report this to your superiors. You're abusing your privileges."

The bright blue spaceship simply ignored any protests it didn't want to hear.

He then spoke in a calm, electronic voice to Lynn and the others.

"Respected pioneer, I have reported your deeds. Please disembark and cooperate with our work. El, a third-level wizard apprentice, will assist you with a quick review."

Ruby seemed quite familiar with this, and without asking any further questions, she got up to organize her equipment.

Joe patted the half-metal leg.

Lynn then disembarked and boarded the blue spaceship.

Are these a few third-level wizard apprentices specifically sent to welcome them?

That's quite a grand affair.

Lynn sat down and ate something casually.

However, it seems that the person who answered the hotline at the time was not this one, but a guy named Monte, whom Lynn remembered as also a third-level wizard apprentice.

..

Lynn and the others were led into a spacious room alone. The faint sounds of numerous phone calls could be heard from behind them; some were giving reports, others arguing.

Lynn rested on the sofa for a while.

A laser beam shot out from a scanner on the ceiling, moving back and forth over each person.

Lynn held her breath, as quiet as a stone.

Try your best to keep your expression normal.

As time passed, a "GG" appeared on the large screen in the room.

"Herbal Academy, the most ambitious pioneer, the formal wizard Edgar, with 23 apprentices, completed the exploration of the archipelago world, and was awarded the Level 2 Pioneer Medal... Melsu, Junior Pioneer Medal, is treated as an academy assistant and tuition is waived..."

"The Worm Academy, the most promising pioneers, 55 wizard apprentices...."

Joe's eyes widened; he had the illusion that he had wasted his entire life.

Can you get the benefits of an academy assistant just by winning the Junior Pioneer Medal?

That was the position he had dreamed of day and night, and he had worked hard for it for ten years.

Can you become a wizard's assistant by obtaining a basic medal?

What has he been doing for the past ten years?

The scan quickly ended, much to Joe's surprise.

Lynn noticed Joe's odd behavior; he pursed his lips and frowned.

"What's wrong, Joe?"

"Nothing much..."

However, the risks were indeed very high. Including the new students they found, only three of their 80 people survived.

Thinking of this, Joe felt a chill run down his spine, and recalling the horror of the worms covering the ground, he changed the subject.

"I was just wondering, what kind of things can this detect?"

Lynn thought so too.

Entry testing is perfectly justifiable; every civilized world has its own rules.

Since Joe had almost no experience going out, the two of them suppressed their surprise and looked at Ruby with confusion.

Ruby seemed quite knowledgeable about this. Rubbing her aching neck, she explained, "It's mainly to test for several viruses that pose a significant threat to wizard apprentices and our equipment. As for ordinary biological viruses, even if an outbreak occurs, with qualified wizards present, they won't cause much of a problem."

Lynn noticed the key words in Ruby's words, which he didn't understand.

"Biological?"

"Yes." Ruby's expression turned serious, and she unconsciously stopped rubbing her neck. She lowered her eyes, as if recalling some unpleasant memory.

"My elders encountered a virus that caused metal to exude magic and crystallize directly. That virus almost completely destroyed the research team's weapons and equipment. The drill bit of the drilling machine shattered into powder in the borehole, and the communicator in their hands turned into a stone covered with silver crystal clusters."

She looked up at the buzzing scanner on the ceiling.

"To deal with the impact of the crystallization virus and other strange things on production and daily life, we have set up a complete set of epidemic detection stations. We also test for biological viruses along the way."

A creature that was both man and woman, but in short, not human, came towards us.

El grasped Lynn's hand and said

"Hello, I'm your pioneering assistant, Mr. Al Lynn, Ms. Ruby, and Joe, hello."

"Ruby, you're absolutely right. That's how our testing came about."

"And we are pleased to inform you that you have passed the plague test."

After saying that, she took out a vial of reagent from her chest cavity.

"This is the most recent outbreak of iron flu. If you observe similar symptoms, please contact me again."

Al took the sample after it had been rendered harmless.

Lynn nodded.

"no problem."

"Your data on the successful land reclamation still needs further verification. Please wait a moment."

Joe asked first, "Why is there a review process? I remember the hotline applications were approved directly, weren't they?"

"The main reason for the delay in the review is that you actually hunted the strongest creature on the planet, which means you completely overcame the nature of Dune," El said.

Joe had no further doubts: "Okay, please continue."

El pulled out three brass-colored medals and continued...

"Here is the Unranked Pioneer Medal. Please keep it safe. You can use it to offset up to 300 magic stones in your legitimate purchases in the Wizarding World."

"We will now send you to the surface. More privileges will be unlocked later, and the planet you explore will be featured in related news reports. Do you have any further questions?"

Lynn was very satisfied with this, while Ruby was somewhat surprised.

However, Joe, holding Al's hand, seemed somewhat puzzled.

But if the other two have no objections, then he has no objections either.

He is an excellent opportunist.

El explained

"Awarding the Pioneer Medal before the verification process is unprecedented. Please rest assured, we will take seriously everyone who contributes to the wizarding world."

All three of them were stunned for a moment.

Victory is one thing, but it wasn't all that easy.

Lynn stroked the skin that had become symbiotic with the pike, feeling a mix of lingering fear and reminiscence as he spoke.

"We're just lucky to be alive."

"You are too modest. No wizarding apprentice could have accomplished such a great feat."

Lynn is most afraid of being told what to do, so she'll use the magic stones for now.

However, that's not what Lynn is most concerned about right now.

He looked at the test tube.

Tiny water droplets condensed on the transparent glass tube.

Inside the tube, there was a silvery mass that was slowly and restlessly wriggling.

It was a strange silver color, with the heaviness of mercury and the lightness of metal foil.

Even after it was rendered harmless, Lynn instinctively felt that it must be a good thing.

How can you refuse something that's delivered to your door?

Lynn's heart skipped a beat.

"Hello, could I please take a look at the iron test sample?"

El glanced at him. She didn't ask any further questions. She took a test tube from the sample bag and handed it to him.

"Dear pioneer, as you wish."

Lynn took the test tube and held it up to her eyes.

The silvery object slowly rotated inside the tube; upon closer inspection, its surface was covered with a layer of crystals.

A notification appeared in front of Lynn.