638: Failed Great Magic
Inside the thirtieth underground level of the Research Institute's Group 2, Wizard Zalan Bailey walked into Wizard Ciss's office.
Wizard Zalan Bailey looked up at Wizard Ciss, who possessed vast magic pressure and a terrifying aura, looming before him like the sky.
"Teacher Ciss, I have returned."
Wizard Ciss's face was filled with smiles, extremely delighted, as he stood up and clapped gently: "I know. The moment you entered the Research Institute, you released your magic pressure; of course, I knew that your magic pressure had broken through the shackles of 9999, completing the second transcendence of your racial soul."
"Very good. You have done very well, Zalan Bailey."
"Zalan, many newcomers have arrived at the Research Institute recently, but it is a pity that everyone is very busy lately, otherwise I could introduce them to you. You would become very good friends."
Wizard Zalan Bailey smiled slightly and dismissed it: "No. Let's forget it, Teacher Ciss. After becoming a Second Ring Wizard, I discovered that many interpersonal relationships have become unnecessary burdens. I view all things in a more essential way."
"The truly important things are not those."
Wizard Ciss was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "Indeed. As a Second Ring Wizard, one's perspective is truly completely different from that of a One-Ring Wizard. Zalan, I really did not expect you to become a Second Ring Wizard before the True Knowledge Institute's deployment. This truly gave me a shock."
"Can you tell me about your successful experience?"
Wizard Zalan Bailey laughed: "During my past five years at Golden Crown Mountain, within the Dragon Blood Assembly's Plane exploration project, I helped a Second Ring Wizard conquer a Plane. As a reward, he gave me the opportunity to utilize that Plane's world stone."
"However, the overall conquest work was actually done by that Second Ring Wizard. I was just helping out on the side."
Wizard Ciss nodded and said: "Conquering a Plane indeed requires many hands."
"Then, what about the energy cycle..."
Wizard Zalan Bailey laughed: "In the work of Group 2, I learned about the energy-locking structures of many magic plants. This knowledge is extremely helpful for constructing Great Magic. With the help of that Star Ring Wizard, I completed the construction of my Great Magic."
Wizard Ciss was quite pleasantly surprised. "Most researchers who join my Group 2 never discover this point, but I did not expect you to have noticed it."
"Those researchers focus on the specific drought-resistance mechanisms of various magic plants, observing the structural changes of magic plants and the changes in the components of their natural magic structures, yet they never thought that the true value of our Group 2's research lies in the energy-locking structures of magic plants."
Wizard Ciss said: "In fact, isn't the nature of this entire world a type of large-scale energy-locking structure? Plant communities lock energy sources from various places, such as the energy of sunlight, into the ecological chain, and thus all things obtain this energy."
"Studying energy-locking structures is of great help in creating better Great Magic."
Wizard Zalan Bailey nodded proudly. "So Teacher Ciss knew all of this."
Wizard Ciss laughed: "There are some things I do indeed know. It is not that I do not want to say them, but that speaking them is useless. For wizards who cannot understand, saying it is the same as not saying anything. For wizards who can understand, saying it might instead mislead them."
"Therefore, it is better not to say it."
"Zalan Bailey, hurry and tell me about your Great Magic. As your direct supervisor, I am proud of the achievements you have attained."
Wizard Ciss said: "I have been busy and overwhelmed lately. I didn't even notice that you had achieved such an accomplishment. I assume you have already reported to the various departments of the academy, right? Has anyone looked for you recently?"
Wizard Zalan Bailey spread out his right hand, and a sea buckthorn appeared in his hand. "My Great Magic is Sea Buckthorn Ecology."
Behind the single sea buckthorn, a continuous stretch of sea buckthorn quickly appeared, and beneath the sea buckthorn lay a desolate Gobi desert.
"I noticed that the energy-locking structures of plants can be applied to ecology, so I optimized the energy-locking structure of the ecology of a desert Gobi in a medium-scale Plane."
Wizard Ciss's face was full of gratified smiles, and he nodded repeatedly.
Wizard Zalan Bailey was even prouder as he explained his Great Magic. "I discovered that in an ecology, the more homogenized it is, the more one can strengthen the ecology's energy-locking structure, retaining more external energy within it. Therefore, my Sea Buckthorn Ecology rejects other plants, leaving only sea buckthorn."
"Only in this way can it be singular and efficient."
The smile on Wizard Ciss's face faded by three points, and his eyes were complex.
Wizard Zalan Bailey continued: "I was lucky; that Star Ring Wizard was satisfied with the fruits of my labor. He gave me a Sun Gem, so I utilized the brilliance of the Sun Gem, took a shortcut, and used the Sun Gem's special ability to strengthen my ecology."
"My Flame Sea Buckthorn can absorb the heat energy of the Sun Gem buried underground, and it transformed that world, causing it to stop desertification directly."
"The birth of the sea buckthorn community improved the local precipitation, improved the local soil, and turned sand into soil."
The smile on Wizard Ciss's face faded by another three points. "Hmm... using this method of external energy can indeed accelerate the formation of the ecology."
"But..."
Wizard Zalan Bailey said even more proudly: "At the same time, I referenced the energy structure of our Research Institute's thirtieth underground level and unexpectedly realized that this itself is an energy-locking structure. I followed the steps, copying it bit by bit, making my sea buckthorn community correspond one-to-one with the external structure of the thirtieth underground level of the Research Institute, completing the final ecological energy-locking. Ultimately, I completed my Great Magic: Sea Buckthorn Ecology."
"And I obtained the recognition of that world's world will, gaining the authority to use the world stone."
At this moment, the smile on Wizard Ciss's face had completely disappeared.
He looked at Wizard Zalan Bailey with a complex and meaningful gaze.
Wizard Zalan Bailey had not yet noticed the abnormality in the other's gaze and instead expressed his thanks to Wizard Ciss. "Teacher Ciss, thank you. I did not expect that the research in Group 2 was essentially researching how to construct Great Magic."
"My Sea Buckthorn Ecology prevented the environmental deterioration of that world, so the world will rewarded me with a world stone. It turns out it is not only by conquering a world that one can obtain the recognition of a world stone."
"Likewise, my Sea Buckthorn Ecology has the structure of the thirtieth underground level and the geothermal brilliance of the Sun Gem. Therefore, my Great Magic possesses a very powerful energy-locking structure; it can store a great deal of energy, raise the temperature to an extremely high level in a short time, and release the geothermal energy all at once."
The sea buckthorn community in the palm of his right hand turned into a cluster of flames, as if it were a vast forest of fire.
There was not much joy left on Wizard Ciss's face; he sighed imperceptibly and then said to him: "Zalan Bailey... hmm, for you to become a Second Ring Wizard is already quite difficult."
"It is worth being proud of. In the Endless Void, how many creatures spend their whole lives pursuing the second transcendence, yet are never able to achieve it. Those who have achieved the second transcendence are already crowned as gods and demons in the Endless Void and in many Planes."
"They are truly powerful existences."
"Many people also call us Magic Gods; Second Ring Wizards conquer the Void, and our prestige spreads far and wide."
A look of complacency appeared on Wizard Zalan Bailey's face. "Teacher Ciss, since I have returned and also won the previous bet, shouldn't you tilt some resources toward me according to the previous agreement?"
"I heard that a researcher from the Hall of Advanced True Knowledge recently came to Group 2. You should still keep your word, right?"
Wizard Ciss immediately frowned and gave him an awkward look. "Of course. I certainly keep my word. But the resources within our group are currently limited..."
Wizard Ciss frowned. "However, since you are a Second Ring Wizard, it will certainly be provided to you first. Not to mention, we have a betting agreement."
"Rest assured about this."
Wizard Zalan Bailey left, satisfied.
After he left, Wizard Ciss shook his head slightly, looking in the direction he had gone. "It seems the Patrol Executive Team did not invite him to join."
"Although he completed the Great Magic, it was only barely completed. He took too many shortcuts, relying on external objects, parasitism rather than symbiosis, lowering the difficulty of energy accumulation."
"He imitated the form rather than understanding the essence, reducing the difficulty of structural design. Moreover, he also disregarded redundant design, pursuing homogenized efficiency."
"Sigh, even among Great Magic, there are distinctions of superiority and inferiority."
For Great Magic of the same level, because of the varying degrees of quality in their respective Spell Model designs, the efficiency of converting a wizard's magic pressure into damage will also be different.
Therefore, even with Great Magic, there will still be distinctions of high and low.
And when Wizard Ciss heard what Wizard Zalan Bailey said, he knew that he had completely misunderstood the work of Group 2, and even more so, misunderstood the significance of energy-locking structures to ecology.
Becoming an ordinary Second Ring Wizard is likely the highlight of his life.
In the future, he will likely become a Star Ring Wizard at most by grinding out time.
It is just that although Wizard Ciss could see through these things, there was no need to point them out.
After all, even he could not be sure whether this wizard would be able to make a comeback in the future.
Wizard Ciss shook his head slightly. "Zalan Bailey's aptitude is, after all, a bit lacking. Although he successfully constructed the Great Magic by relying on the conditions of my Yunze Wetland, that Great Magic is neither fish nor fowl."
"He was also too impatient. If he had been willing to spend another ten years, he wouldn't have been so impatient to construct such a piece of junk. Unless this thing is completely torn down and started over, it is purely a drag on his own progress. But Great Magic is a wizard's second soul; it cannot be easily changed, and one can only make tweaks on the original foundation."
"If one makes major changes, it is very easy to kill oneself first."
"He was too impatient."
Wizard Ciss shook his head. "Forget it. It seems I should not demand too much; for him to become a Second Ring Wizard is already very good. Why should I have more and higher expectations?"
"The fact that my Group 2 has gained another Second Ring Wizard is what is most important."
"It is just that Zalan Bailey seems to have great hostility toward Locke; this is troublesome."
...
Locke went to Witch Catherine and invited Witch Shirley Holmes, and while bringing Shirley along, he headed to the location where Warwick was staying at the Dragon Blood Market.
In a guest room of the Dragon Blood Market castle, Wizard Warwick saw Locke arrive and was practically ready to jump up in anger. "You brat, you finally arrived."
"I have been waiting for you for nearly two months."
Locke smiled slightly and changed the subject. "How is our Golden Crown Mountain's Dragon Blood Market?"
Warwick coughed, his expression odd. "Hmm, the items in your market are indeed quite complete. And there are quite a few places that provide free libraries; during this time, I have read quite a few books and have gained quite a few insights."
"Perhaps calming down in this kind of place, finding some of your free benefits here, and reading free books for two months has indeed been of some help to me."
"I should have done this sooner."
In fact, it was a great help.
On the eighth day of Warwick's stay here, he discovered that there were many free benefits in the Dragon Blood Market castle; for example, some shops would give out trial products of potions and magic agricultural products, and various alchemy workshops would hold events in front of their doors, offering free trials of Magic items or free repairs of Magic items...
As a Black Wizard, Warwick quickly learned how to reasonably utilize these shops' free activities without spending money.
Therefore, in these two months, he not only did not waste time, but actually had a certain level of improvement.
This was also one of the reasons why he could keep waiting here.
Locke looked at Witch Shirley Holmes. "This is my senior, Witch Shirley. She is also a Holy Master and is simultaneously an Archaeologist. She will be acting with us this time."
Warwick looked at Witch Shirley in surprise. "A Holy Master..."
"A Holy Master wants to enter the Black Wizard Land with us? Truly a rare sight; I personally don't have a problem with it."
Witch Shirley looked coldly at Warwick, as if looking at a dead object, her eyes carrying a sense of disgust.
Warwick asked Locke: "Locke, can we leave now?"
Locke said: "Of course."
"I am already prepared. Senior Shirley, how about you?"
Hearing Locke's voice, the expression on Witch Shirley's face softened slightly. "I can leave at any time."
Locke asked Warwick: "Our destination is the Qionghua Enclave Wizard Land. Are we going by wizard airship?"
Warwick nodded and said: "Of course, then let's go purchase the boat tickets now."
"I hope we can arrive at the Qionghua Enclave within two months."
Locke said: "Yunze Wetland has a network channel that can go directly to the Qionghua Enclave; it will take about a month to arrive."
The three of them headed to the wizard airship docking area of Golden Crown Mountain.
Warwick had invited Locke, so the boat tickets were paid for by him, while Witch Shirley, in accordance with the previous agreement, purchased her own boat ticket worth 10,000 magic stones.
The three of them sat on the wizard airship together, heading toward their destination, the Qionghua Enclave.