There was something Link wasn't aware of. The person
who replied to his message that morning and invited him for an interview wasn't this girl, but the tower spirit of the Intelligent Management Center Tower at the Third Botanical Garden.
According to Link's file found on the academy's information network, the tower spirit determined that Link had mastered the Small Mist Rain spell and the Growth Induction spell, making him suitable for the part-time position, hence the invitation.
This girl was also coming to the Third Botanical Garden for a part-time job, but unlike Link's plant cultivator position, hers was acting head of the garden.
If she performed well, she might be able to remove the "acting" prefix and officially join the Rivosos Biological and Medical Academy.
As for the so-called interview, it was just a formality for the acting head of the garden. Without a clear reason, such as Link not actually knowing the Small Mist Rain spell and the Growth Induction spell, the acting head of the garden couldn't refuse Link's application.
The girl had initially wanted to find fault.
But Link confidently said, "We can verify it on the spot," which prevented the girl from expressing her emotions.
Hmm…
the girl didn't dislike Link for no reason.
She was a local from the Tudor region on the west coast of the main continent, attending the North Campus of the Junior Academy and paying tuition.
The local wizarding apprentices of the North Campus had always looked down on the new students from the South Campus who attended school for free, considering them all bumpkins from remote islands in the Storm Sea. They believed these new students would not only compete with them for educational resources but also for jobs and other resources in the future.
Therefore, the girl's attitude towards Link was so cold, her rejection undisguised.
If Link knew the inside story, he would secretly think, "I love seeing that look on your face—you can't stand me, but you can't do anything about it."
It was still early, so Link left the Third Botanical Garden but didn't go to the library.
Tomorrow he would officially start his part-time job at the Third Botanical Garden. Although he didn't know why the girl was so hostile, as long as he did his job well, he wouldn't have to worry about anyone causing trouble.
One must be strong to succeed, so Link planned to improve his proficiency in two wizarding arts.
Link went to the experimental building and opened a wizarding lab.
Link practiced the Lesser Mist Rain and the Fertility Induction spell repeatedly until his mental and magical energy were completely depleted before returning to his dormitory.
He washed up, meditated, and went to sleep.
This was the first time Link had gone to bed so early since enrolling.
...
The next day, Saturday.
He spent the entire day conducting experiments in the laboratory building.
Although he had mastered the Lesser Mist Rain and the Fertility Induction spell, he had only mastered them. To improve his proficiency in these two 0-ring spells, Link needed to use spells more, think more, observe more, and experiment more.
The three pillars of the wizarding system are mental energy, magical energy, and knowledge.
Knowledge comes from books, from teachers' instruction, and from observing, analyzing, and experimenting with nature.
By evening, Jasmine returned to her dormitory without waiting for Link to speak.
She was obedient and cute, but her lonely figure made one feel a pang of pity.
Perhaps this was the effect Jasmine wanted to achieve?
Link sighed inwardly. The sorceress's skills had clearly deepened; she was no longer as naive and clumsy as she had been at the beginning.
Unfortunately, he ran into Link.
"Brain Closure Technique," a swift and decisive move to sever all emotional ties!
Link turned calmly, his mind free of distractions, and quickly arrived at the Third Botanical Garden.
He swiped his ID at the identification scanner next to the small gate and entered smoothly.
His personal AI then vibrated.
Link took out his AI, unlocked the screen, and saw a notification about his work assignments and requirements for the coming week.
After carefully reading the notification, Link followed the map navigation to the work location specified in the notification.
The Third Botanical Garden was vast,
with several rows of greenhouses and a large open field. For the next week, Link would be working in the third greenhouse in the third row, responsible for casting a small mist rain spell on a certain plant seed already sown in the soil, nourishing the seed and awakening its vitality.
Entering the greenhouse, Link found a brief introduction to the seed at the entrance, but no requirements for casting the small mist rain spell, such as how many times a day to cast it, or how much rain was needed each time.
Perhaps it wasn't missing, but someone was deliberately withholding it?
Link recalled the girl's attitude from yesterday and made a guess.
But he didn't just go there based on guesswork.
What if it wasn't malicious, but a test deliberately arranged by the botanical garden?
After all, Link was a wizarding apprentice, and studying was his top priority.
The academy provided part-time jobs not to help apprentices earn money, nor to save labor, but to allow them to better apply their knowledge in practice and better master witchcraft.
Thinking this, Link squatted down and randomly selected a few spots to dig up seeds from the soil.
Combining the knowledge from his botany course and self-study in the library, comparing the shape, color, size, and other aspects, Link quickly determined that these were indeed seeds of the Silver Star Flower.
The Silver Star Flower, as its name suggests, blooms like twinkling silver stars in the night sky. It is an extraordinary plant, and its stamens can be used as an adjuvant in several medicines that promote wound healing.
This flower is very valuable to wizarding apprentices.
However, for some reason, this batch of Silver Star Flower seeds had a problem; they were dull and difficult to germinate without careful cultivation.
Furthermore, Link discovered that simply using the Minor Mist Rain spell could nourish the dim vitality of the Silver Star Flower seeds, but it couldn't make them germinate.
Link buried the seeds back in their original spot and randomly dug up some more from a few other places.
Unsurprisingly, all these seeds had the same problem.
Link racked his brains, thinking of a solution.
After a moment, Link decided to trust the solution he had devised, inspired by "Pomona Sprout's botanical talent" and combined with his own knowledge: one Minor Mist Rain spell every morning, two Minor Mist Rain spells every evening, and a growth-inducing spell every two days.
There was a reason why the botanical garden's recruitment information specifically emphasized that applicants must master the Minor Mist Rain and growth-inducing spells.
"Indeed, is this a test?"
Link thought to himself.
Feeling that he had solved the puzzle set by the academy, Link took action, his consciousness sinking into his sea of consciousness, skillfully constructing the magical model of the Minor Mist Rain spell.
A few seconds later, rain began to fall inside the greenhouse.
By the time the predetermined rainfall had finished, Link's mental and magical energy was more than half depleted.
Ignoring the filth, Link sat down on the ridge and began to meditate silently.
There are two kinds of meditation.
One method Link uses is the deep meditation he performs every night before bed, which consumes a large amount of mental energy to solidify the rune structure, thereby increasing his mental energy and absorbing magic power.
The other is the shallow meditation Link is currently using, which restores his mental and magical energy.
Once his energy is fully restored, Link casts another spell of rain and ends his work for the day.