My inventory is full of monster materials.

Chapter 98 Lynx Academy

Morris glanced at Dylan beside him, whose eyes widened in shock.

The fact that Dylan was taken in by Morris as his successor speaks volumes about his exceptional talent.

But Dylan knew in his heart that he was still in the growth stage.

From just encountering Mark's new paper to academic exchanges with his advisor, he couldn't help but discover the gap between himself and them.

Moreover, Dylan never imagined that he would have the opportunity to participate in a special project that even his mentor valued highly, let alone serve as the deputy leader of the project team.

However, after a moment's hesitation, Morris agreed immediately.

"Okay! It's settled then."

But before Mark could speak, Dylan hastily stated his position.

"Mentor, I'm not capable enough, I'm afraid I might..."

"Dylan!"

Mark interrupted him, his expression serious, his words full of encouragement.

"Don't you want to participate in this great cause? Don't you want to stand on the podium at the College of San Lorenzo, just like your mentor, and speak eloquently?"

The series of rhetorical questions finally ignited Dylan's inner desire.

The young man, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, was filled with excitement. His clenched hands trembled slightly, and his eyes shone with anticipation and determination.

This time, it was Mark's turn to speak up for Professor Morris.

"Dylan, show some spirit! Don't let me down, and don't let your mentor's good intentions go to waste!"

Dylan suddenly turned his head and looked at Morris beside him.

The white-bearded old man nodded slightly, like an eagle on the edge of a cliff watching its fledglings, eager to take flight.

"breathe--

—

Dylan took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, his eyes becoming increasingly resolute, and nodded heavily.

"Okay! I'll join your research group!"

clap~

Mark clapped his hands with a smile and stepped forward to give Dylan a gentle hug.

"With your help, I feel like we're one step closer to the success of our project!"

Dylan blushed slightly and scratched his head a little embarrassedly.

"Stop making fun of me."

"Ha ha."

Mark burst into laughter.

The atmosphere instantly became more relaxed.

Morris stood to the side, watching the two young men with a satisfied smile on his lips.

In fact, Morris knew perfectly well that Mark's inclusion of his student in the research group was partly due to their close relationship, but it was also inseparable from their intertwined interests.

Morris devoted most of his life to academic research, never married, had no children, and had long regarded Dylan as his own son.

Mark, however, precisely grasped his weakness.

Imagine, as a parent, what could be more gratifying than seeing your child succeed?

This is why Morris, to a limited extent, violated his academic principles that he had upheld for many years and accepted Mark's proposal.

From that moment on, Maurice's attitude toward Mark had subtly shifted from initially admiring the younger man to becoming a business partner.

"Alright, my team leader, what are your plans for the project now?"

Morris stepped forward, his voice tinged with a hint of mockery.

Mark suppressed his smile, paused to think for a moment, then took a brass key from his pocket, handed it to Dylan, and gave him detailed instructions.

"Dylan, take this key and go to the Daphne Inn in Pinewood Town. Bring back the ogre heart from my secret room, as well as some scattered research manuscripts, and bring them all back to the Association."

"My experimental environment is too rudimentary. From now on, the main base of our research group will be located here at the association."

"Also, go to the glowing herbalist shop in town and find Mr. Clyde Sharp; he might be of great help with this matter."

Upon hearing the last name, Maurice suddenly stopped and murmured softly.

"Clyde Sharp...I've heard of that name."

"He is a newly emerging alchemist who is quite famous in Sergei City. He came to the association a few days ago to update his professional status."

"But Mark, why do you think he'd be helpful to our project?"

"6

'

Mark hesitated slightly.

Clyde once refined the core of a brain-core slime into an oracle potion, so he must have had in-depth research and understanding of neuro-hallucinogens.

However, this information involves Clyde's personal privacy and cannot be easily disclosed.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Marx explained to Maurice with reservations.

"My adventure team and I once worked on a mission with Mr. Clyde, and neuro-hallucinogens were a key element in that mission."

"Given his profession, I speculate that he should have some knowledge of this, which might provide some ideas for our research."

"Okay, I understand."

Morris nodded slightly.

"Clyde Sharp should still be in Serge City. I'll send him an invitation tomorrow to come to the association and discuss the collaboration on the 0mega-3 project in person."

From the old professor's tone, Mark could tell that he and Clyde were not familiar with each other.

In addition, given that Clyde had already gained fame and was somewhat capricious, Mark offered a friendly reminder.

"Professor Morris, perhaps you could add my name to the invitation? I happen to have something to ask him."

Morris sensed the disdain in her words, and angrily puffed out his beard, glared, and snorted coldly.

"Hmph! I'm a specially appointed professor at the Mage's Association, a person of some standing. I don't need you to tell me what to do!"

"6

'

Mark was speechless for a moment.

Fortunately, Dylan stepped in to smooth things over, approaching Maurice and gently offering words of advice.

"Mentor, although Mr. Clyde has registered his professional information with the Magicians' Association, his main affairs are with the Mandela Merchant Guild, and he is not strictly managed by the association."

"Besides, I heard that his schedule is very tight recently, and he may not be able to arrive at the association on time. I think we should do as Mark said. They seem to have a good relationship."

The advice given by one's own students is ultimately different.

Morris clearly took Dylan's words to heart and didn't refuse again, but instead waved his hands impatiently and shouted.

"I know! Let's not talk about that now. Let's talk about the Lynx Society. I heard from Dylan that you're interested in having a nominal scholar status with the association?"

Lynx Academy!

Mark initially wanted to obtain a nominal scholar status to improve his social standing, but now that's certainly unnecessary.

However, since the old professor had already brought it up, it wouldn't be good to refuse his kind offer.

Mark nodded seriously.

"Yes."

Morris, unaware of Mark's veiled questions, simply continued to ask.

"How much do you know about the mainstream schools of thought in biology today? And how much do you know about the Lynx Society?"

'

Mark hesitated for a moment before responding truthfully.

"I've heard Dylan mention it before; the Lynx Society is an organization primarily focused on biological research, but I don't know the specific details. As for anything else... I know even less."

Upon hearing this, Maurice was not angry; he simply nodded and said...

"Then let me give you a brief explanation..."

As the old professor recounted his story, Mark gradually learned that the current field of biology is mainly divided into two mainstream schools of thought: the divinely ordained school and the naturalistic school.

The Divinely Giving School's philosophy is a top-down approach, with its core tenet being "all things are divinely given."

As the name suggests, all life in the world was created by the gods.

According to this school of thought, to understand the essence of life, one only needs to pray, meditate, and ask the divine to obtain the answer.

This approach of skipping the process and going straight for the "answer" may seem absurd, but it is not entirely without reason.

Because there really are gods in this world, and they really do create new life.

Even the origin of humankind has been debated for millions of years without a definitive conclusion.

But one thing is certain: this idea deviates from the essence of biology.

As for the philosophy of the natural school, it takes a bottom-up approach, with the core idea being "to go into nature and investigate things to gain knowledge."

The naturalists do not deny the influence of deities on life, but rather emphasize the natural evolution and laws of life.

However, the natural school is very complex, with many factions and differing viewpoints, making it difficult to form a unified understanding.

"...The core principle of the Lynx Society I founded is to study the mysteries of nature through observation, experimentation, and induction."

After saying that, Maurice looked at Mark with a serious expression.

"Mark, tell me, would you be willing to join the society, uphold this original aspiration, and delve deeper into biology with us?"

Mark placed one hand on his chest, bowed slightly, his expression respectful yet firm, and spoke softly.

"I do."

"good!"

Morris smiled with satisfaction and solemnly declared.

"In my capacity as president of the Lynx Academy, I hereby formally recruit you as a core member of the academy! Little Dylan, go and fetch our academy emblem for me."

"Yes, mentor!"

Dylan happily agreed and turned to leave quickly.

A short while later, he returned carrying an exquisite little brocade box. When the box was opened, a gold lynx head badge lay quietly inside.

The lynx on the badge has sharp, lifelike eyes, exuding a sense of rigor and focus, which is the symbol of the Lynx Academy.

Morris picked up the badge himself, pinned it on Mark's chest, and then gently ran his hand over it again—this was the second time he had pinned a badge on Mark that day.

After he finished putting it on, Maurice laughed and patted Mark on the shoulder, looking very pleased.

"At the club meeting next month, I'll introduce you to the other members and let everyone know that our Lynx Club has gained another formidable member!"

"Thank you, President Xie."

Mark bowed slightly, his tone respectful.

The three looked at each other and smiled, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

But just then, a sharp, piercing alarm suddenly sounded outside the door.

Beep—! Beep!

Morris and Dylan exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what had happened, but the intensity of the alarm indicated it was no small matter.

In contrast, Mark, standing to the side, lowered his eyelids, concealing his true feelings.

The group quickly walked to the door, and Morris was the first to stop a black-robed mage who was jogging hurriedly in the corridor, and questioned him sternly.

"What's all the commotion about? What happened? Why is the alarm going off?!"

The black-robed mage recognized Maurice, his expression hardening. He bowed respectfully and spoke in a low voice.

"Professor Morris, something terrible has happened. Mage Zeffer... he's dead in his office!"

"!!

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