Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 88 Goodbye Old Friend
The next day, the Reeves family's employees indeed brought a set of medium-quality seed screening equipment and a set of single-element separation equipment.

Another middle-aged man, a second-class wizard apprentice, with a complicated expression, moved a unique alchemy hut, typical of Lilith's cottages, next to Locke's three-piece wooden house and small botanical garden alchemy hut.

Locke inspected the alchemy hut and confirmed that this small to medium-sized plantation contained a hundred-acre magical field.

The magic field is somewhat overgrown and shows signs of over-cultivation, with the soil deteriorating due to excessive development. However, considering that this plantation has been rented out for a long time, this is not surprising.

After all, they are only renting it, so naturally they won't cherish the botanical garden like the real owners would.

However, this problem is easy to solve. By spreading a large amount of nutrient soil and nutrient solution inside the 100-acre magic field, the problem of soil magic degradation can be solved within a few days.

The only problem is that it's quite expensive. The nutrient soil and nutrient solution needed for five acres of magic fields for half a year would cost 100 magic stones each. For 100 acres, it would probably cost 2,000 magic stones.

That's a huge number.

Of course, I only need to cultivate a few dozen acres of magic fields for the time being, so I don't need that many magic stones for now.

Locke pondered. "Buying Blood-Soaked Dragon Sunflower and Star Tears will cost 2100 magic stones every month. Add to that the rental fee for the Radiation Cauldron, and it will cost an additional 500 magic stones every month."

"Not to mention that there will definitely be more miscellaneous expenses in the future. When I learn advanced meditation methods, I will definitely need to consume more expensive resources for the accompanying meditation methods."

"In the world of first-class wizard apprentices, you really can't get anywhere without money."

"Fortunately, I don't need to rent the Focus Spell Monocular anymore," Locke thought. "To pass the Potions Assistant exam, I still need to buy a complete set of Potions Assistant-level equipment."

"I also need to spend another 500 magic stones at the public classroom to buy the course on refining Concentration Ointment."

"If I do the math, I'm spending close to three thousand magic stones every month now, and that will definitely increase in the near future. If I want to continue to improve, I'll need to spend even more magic stones."

Locke's current savings, after being used up for various miscellaneous expenses, are reduced to only 2,800 magic stones.

His main source of income is his five acres of Super Mandrake Vine Magic Field, which earns him about a thousand magic stones each month.

The ten acres of iron wire grass I recently established should be able to earn 2,500 magic stones a month in the future.

That adds up to 3,500 magic stones, which is barely enough to break even, but this income can only barely sustain the current lifestyle and is not enough to make any further progress.

Fortunately, because Super Mandragora and Eleusine indica are both revolutionary new varieties of magical plants, they have no trouble selling.

The current output is just enough to consume through Lijin Secrets, so the income is relatively stable.

Later, when demand decreases, or when a wizard breaks the spell and obtains the seeds of the two magical plants and starts selling pirated copies, I should be able to develop more new varieties of magical plants.

So there's no need to worry about this.

After examining the body, Locke nodded to the middle-aged second-class wizard apprentice from the Reeves family. "It's fine, I've checked it."

The second-class wizard apprentice bowed slightly to Locke. "Lord Augustine, then I shall take my leave."

"The Reeves family will always be your friends."

"Our family cherishes our friendship with you very much."

Locke nodded, considering how much the other party had done. "I understand."

After the Reeves family members had all left, Locke re-entered the small to medium-sized plantation and began to examine it carefully to confirm that nothing had been tampered with.

Next, Locke began to plan in his mind how to plant it, starting with transplanting his ten acres of goosegrass from his teacher's botanical garden.

Secondly, I started to consider my third 'work'.

After all, only by expanding the scale of the plantation can we earn more magic stones, and we can't expand it arbitrarily.

If they expand too much without proper planning, the production will be too large, and the wizarding apprentices in the southeastern region won't be able to consume it all, leading to unsold stock and a very bad situation. Fortunately, with the ability to synthesize magic cubes, they can continuously create new varieties of magical plants.

“We can take a look at the Palm Fire Lotus.” Locke said thoughtfully. “The Palm Fire Lotus is only the size of a palm. It is a common magical plant of low to medium level, but it has complementary effects with many spells.”

"For example, the plant-based skills [Fingertip Fire Breath], [Secondary Plant Flame Tongue], [Secondary Plant Heating], and the most classic 0.5-ring skill [Scorched Earth Bomb]!"

Scorched Earth Bomb is a spell that many second-class wizard apprentices, as well as first-class wizard apprentices, learn.

This spell is very special; it exists as a unique companion spell for the Palm Fire Lotus and is generally not used with other magical plants.

This spell has a very high energy level; it will create an explosion at the cost of a palm-sized fire lotus.

With its fast casting speed, requiring almost no additional incantations and nearly instantaneous activation, this spell deals significant damage, is quick to cast, and is difficult to dodge. Therefore, it is the most popular spellcasting model for plant-based wizards in combat.

For a second-class wizard apprentice, this is enough to be used as a trump card.

For first-class wizard apprentices, the Palm Fire Lotus is relatively inexpensive and is very useful as a means of wearing down opponents and testing their abilities.

In the southeastern corner of the region, this thing is positioned as a magic bomb that can be used to increase the number of units.

It's basic and simple, but it's definitely easy to use.

Locke made up his mind. "A single Palm Fire Lotus costs only 5 magic stones, but we'll need at least several hundred to test the synthesis recipe."

"It's another few thousand magic stones, but it's worth the money."

"I can use the upgraded Palm Fire Lotus to participate in the White Wizard Association's Breeder Competition, and it can also serve as a trump card to better deal with possible assassination attempts by the Blood Curse Court."

Locke pondered, "Moreover, the Palm Fire Lotus is a magical flower, so I should use the magic resonance cultivation method and the hybridization cultivation method to cultivate the Palm Fire Lotus."

"Wait a minute." Locke's eyes lit up. "If I use the Palm Fire Lotus, whose plant essence I've altered using the magic resonance cultivation method, to synthesize it, will the description of the synthesized Palm Fire Lotus include the optimal magic resonance frequency because I've already oriented the synthesis?"

“If this guess is correct, then I can solve the problem of how fast I can learn the Magic Resonance Cultivation Method.” Locke’s eyes were filled with fervor. “My speed in learning the three major cultivation methods is not very fast, even with full resources.”

"After all, even if I used the Blood-Soaked Dragon Sunflower to improve my wizard talent level, it's only level 4."

"But if my approach works, then I can use the synthetic Rubik's Cube to obtain the optimal magical resonance frequency of various synthetic plants, which is equivalent to learning code by observing the code thinking of top programmers every day."

"My learning speed will increase dozens of times!"

"My learning speed in the Magic Resonance Nurturing Method is likely to surpass that of the three major nurturing methods."

Locke decided on the development direction for the third magical plant and then left the small to medium-sized botanical garden.

At the same time, he unexpectedly saw two third-class wizard apprentices standing outside his alchemy hut complex.

They are also my old friends.

Lauen and Pierre.

The two stood at the edge of the wooden houses, looking somewhat timid and hesitant, neither daring to look up.

When the two saw Locke walk out of the house, their eyes lit up.

Locke asked in confusion, "Laun, Pierre, what do you two want with me? Why are you still only third-class wizard apprentices?"

The light that had just appeared in Pierre and Lauen's eyes vanished instantly.

The two people had cracked expressions.

(End of this chapter)