895: Large Integrated Flying Weapon Platform and Attila's Chain of Lightning
The Great Mingli Dragon Sparrow transformed into a streak of flame, flying out of the Group 2 Research Institute and arriving above the Dune Plane.
At this moment, the heavy element particles of the Dune Plane condensed into a mass of dark clouds.
The dark clouds pressed down like a heavy city wall, looming over everyone's heads and causing the sunlight to refract into an eerie purple-red glow.
The Great Mingli Dragon Sparrow let out a sharp cry, followed by magic pressure transforming into ripples that made the air tremble, sweeping across the entire Dune Plane.
The dark clouds formed by the dense heavy element particles in the sky of the Dune Plane were torn apart and cleared by the explosions generated by the flames burning the air.
The entire cloud layer was pierced by the soaring Great Mingli Dragon Sparrow, leaving a gaping hole.
The scale of that massive hole was impressively large.
Inside Wizard Sith's office at the Group 2 Research Institute, Wizard Sith stepped out and, along with other wizards, walked to the hollow spiral staircase of the institute, looking up at the flicker of flame wings tearing through the dark clouds in the sky.
Wizard Sith felt the magical fluctuations of the dragon breath in the air, which even he found somewhat intimidating, and nodded.
"Not bad. It seems Locke has created another classic Magic Plant masterpiece."
The other wizards on the thirtieth underground floor were discussing fervently.
"What kind of Magic Plant is that? I've never seen anything like it before."
"That seems to be a Magic Plant from the Great Green Leaf Dragon Finch series independently developed by Wizard Augustine. From the Apprentice-level Magic Plant to the One-Ring Magic Plant, they all seem to have been independently developed by Wizard Locke."
"Independently developing a series of flying magic plant? That's impossible... To think such a person is right here beside me."
The wizards in this institute were mostly Breeders, so they knew the difficulty of what Locke had achieved.
That was independently developing an entire series!
And the current final product appeared to be an extremely powerful flying magic plant.
Unfortunately, although everyone was curious, Locke had not made the relevant data public. They could only look up at the Magic Plant in the sky, speculating on the specific flight performance of this flying magic plant Locke had independently developed, thereby indirectly inferring the flight data of the Great Mingli Dragon Sparrow.
At this time, a Crystallized Wizard researcher frowned. Based on the displacement of Locke's flying magic plant and the corresponding changes in the magic tide's concentration gradient, he was calculating the magic pressure conversion flight rate of this Magic Plant.
This was a golden indicator for flying magic plants.
It was the ratio of magic pressure converted into flight speed, representing the Magic Plant's utilization efficiency of magic pressure.
Generally, Apprentice-level Magic Plants only had a measly 0.5 or so, and for a One-Ring flying magic plant, this indicator was between 2-3, but for a second ring magic plant, this value should be around 7-8.
However, at this moment, the Crystallized Wizard researcher's expression changed slightly because he calculated the ratio to be 11.
"That's hardly possible. Currently, the best ordinary Second Ring stage flying magic plant in Yunze Wetland was developed by a Star Ring Wizard in the team of Throne Finley Gallagher over at Bonifacius University, called the [Angel Feather Fern]."
"Its magic pressure conversion flight rate is only 10.8. Could it be that Wizard Augustus's Magic Plant really surpasses that Angel Feather Fern?"
A friend beside him whispered, "It's hard to say. This is just a rough ratio you calculated; I think it's likely a miscalculation. Regardless, the key ratio data for Wizard Augustine's flying magic plant should indeed be excellent."
"I just don't know if he has developed a matching Spell Model. If the set is fully developed, I'm prepared to buy a Great Green Leaf Dragon Finch myself."
"However, Alsace doesn't seem to be selling them. Isn't Great Wizard Augustine cooperating very well with Alsace?"
Another Crystallized Wizard researcher looking up at the Great Mingli Dragon Sparrow in the sky said, "Perhaps he just hasn't reached a cooperation agreement with Alsace yet."
On the tenth underground floor of the Dune Plane research institute, Locke used the equipment in the laboratory to conduct a trait test on the Great Mingli Dragon Sparrow, and all the data was very impressive.
The combination of that special red dragon breath and the flying magic plant was excellent, making the performance of this Magic Plant extremely good.
"The magic pressure conversion flight rate is 11.2."
Locke was stunned for a moment because after this ratio reached around 10, every 0.1 increase was a massive improvement.
Locke said, "My flying magic plant has already surpassed all ordinary Second Ring Level flying magic plants in Yunze Wetland, hasn't it?"
The completion of this Magic Plant did not involve the Horadric Cube.
Only during the 'Sword Mound' period did he use the Horadric Cube to speed up research.
But honestly, as long as he was given enough time, he could have developed this Magic Plant himself.
Locke pondered to himself.
'If all the work were developed entirely by myself, with sufficient funds and good luck, I would only need fifteen years to create it.'
Under long-term effort and construction, repeatedly breaking through the limits of racial souls, and driven by the construction of two Ultimate Magics, his own talent in Breeding Science and Botany was constantly being elevated.
Locke felt more and more that the Horadric Cube was, in a sense, just an accelerator, while his every choice would influence his ultimate height.
Douglas and Witch Mason rushed over, and Douglas said to Locke, "Congratulations, Little Boss, you've added another new work."
"Is this flying magic plant going to be entered in the Golden Cup? I would like to take the initiative to deliver this Magic Plant to the Hui Ming Borderland for the competition for you."
Witch Mason hesitated to speak. During this time, because Douglas had been so capable—exceptionally capable—his influence was actually rising.
Witch Freya looked at him with some displeasure.
"The Team Leader's Magic Plant is so important, how could you have the ability to escort it properly? Besides, you're a Black Wizard; once you leave Golden Crown Mountain, it's not even certain if you'll come back."
Wizard Barrett said briefly, "Douglas, you forgot. You cannot leave Golden Crown Mountain for the time being."
Douglas's excitement cooled down. He was so focused on thinking about how to help Locke transport the Magic Plant to the Hui Ming Borderland that he forgot his own status.
Wizard Barrett said to Locke, "Team Leader, I'll go."
Locke nodded slightly. "That's fine. Anyway, the first-class fund projects for the three of you have all been completed and closed."
With his help, the first-class project funds for these three had not only been approved but had also been completed.
Basically, they all used the new energy-locking structures found in the pineapple Magic Plants he had given them, or old energy-locking structures with new uses.
However, they were all only at the First Ring Crystallization level.
Locke said, "But I should still keep the mother plant in my hands."
"Just send over one of the offspring plants."
Locke used Flower Blooms and Withers on this Magic Plant. With a point of his finger, the Magic Plant immediately blossomed and bore fruit, then began to wither after extreme prosperity. Finally, the adult Magic Plant disappeared, turning into three highly viable fertile seeds.
Locke then took out five pieces of verdant spirit breath obtained from the Three Caves World. The Forest Sanctuary had already established an Ecological Corridor in that world that formed a channel with his own Forest Sanctuary. All things related to nature could be transmitted through this invisible Ecological Corridor.
It just took a little time for the transmission.
Although a complete mining well had not yet been established in the Three Caves World, some pure verdant spirit breath from the surface of that super-vein had already been collected by him and fallen into his palm, ten pieces in total.
And to develop that super-vein, professional wizard talent would be needed.
Locke raised his right hand, and the five pieces of verdant spirit breath in his palm were immediately enveloped by Primordial Fire. Under the effect of the Potion Circulation Extraction Method, the Primordial Fire split into five types of magical flames, extracting the energy from within the verdant spirit breath.
Instantly, countless life energies flowed toward the three seeds in front of him.
verdant spirit breath was the secret life force of all things.
With its energy replenishment, two seeds soon fell into the soil, then took root and sprouted, greedily absorbing this energy.
In just three hours, the two seeds completed their development into adult Magic Plants.
Namely, two adult Great Mingli Dragon Sparrows.
Locke put away the third seed. Five pieces of verdant spirit breath could only allow two Great Mingli Dragon Sparrows to grow fully, and it had also cost him a great deal of energy.
Douglas immediately brought over a cup of wizard tea, green fish tea, and handed it over.
"Little Boss, please drink."
Locke took the green fish tea and took a sip.
Witch Freya, standing by, was speechless and secretly rolled her eyes at Douglas. One could only say there were compatibility issues between people.
Witch Freya usually found Douglas annoying, and now she felt he was like a sycophant. However, she also knew she couldn't argue with him in front of Locke, so she could only make small facial expressions.
Witch Freya looked at Locke and said happily, "Team Leader, using this Magic Plant to participate in the Golden Cup flying magic plant Competition, I think you can easily win the championship."
"Then you can win your second high-prestige competition at the Second Ring Level. Congratulations, congratulations."
Locke said, "We'll see. It would be good to win, of course. The point is that this Magic Plant itself is very practical for me."
"There should be many experts at the Golden Cup as well. Barrett, it'll be hard on you; help me deliver it. Having you deliver it is more reassuring than using a wizard courier."
After all, the Magic Dragon Rose was not his own work.
It had many internal hidden dangers.
And the power of the original Four-Winged Great Green Leaf Dragon Sparrow couldn't compare to the Magic Dragon Rose. But now it was fine; with the Great Mingli Dragon Sparrow, he had an additional trump card.
Wizard Barrett scratched his head.
"True, those wizard couriers mostly deliver things that aren't very important. For something truly important like this, if it's lost, the price would be hard to determine. Even if it's lost, they'd probably only compensate the Team Leader based on the price of an ordinary second ring magic plant."
Witch Freya also chimed in, "In the neighboring Group 4, there was a researcher who wanted to save some money while participating in a competition in another Wizard Land. Plus, he didn't have good interpersonal relations and had no reliable students, so he sent his entry, a Magic Plant, via courier. In the end, the courier was lost, and that wizard courier only compensated him three times the price of an ordinary First Ring Magic Plant."
Locke looked at her in surprise.
Douglas said, "This... this was clearly a setup."
Witch Mason said, "Either the wizard courier stole it themselves, or it was intercepted by someone with ulterior motives along the way. Such an entry simply cannot be measured by the price of an ordinary First Ring Magic Plant."
"If it's lost, it would be too much of a loss. There's a lot to be said about this."
Locke asked in confusion, "Didn't he buy insurance?"
Witch Freya said, "He didn't have the money to buy it, Group Leader. The premium for wizard insurance is estimated at 20% of the declared value. In his eyes, that work of his was definitely going to win the championship, so based on the estimated potential of a winning entry... the premium was more than all his savings..."
"He felt his work was a priceless treasure, but now that it's lost, because he didn't purchase insurance, he can only be compensated according to the material costs of the items. Being able to get three times that is already because he made such a huge fuss."
Locke nodded. He sealed a Great Mingli Dragon Sparrow into a magic box, then activated the magic lock seal that came with the box. He handed the unlock codebook to Wizard Barrett, along with 130,000 magic stones.
Wizard Barrett was stunned for a moment.
"Group Leader, this is too much. The travel expenses only total thirty thousand magic stones. Even if you hire me, at most you only need to give me twenty thousand..."
Locke shook his head slightly.
"The remaining money is your remuneration. After all, it will take you two months for the round trip. Giving you fifty thousand magic stones a month is already considered low given your abilities."
With a smile on his face, Wizard Barrett said cheerfully, "Group Leader, you are truly generous. Rest assured, I will definitely deliver your entry to the Golden Cup."
Locke nodded.
If you want others to work, you have to give them money.
Although the market rate for hiring a wizard to escort Magic Plants is about ten to twenty thousand per month, he had taken the initiative to give Barrett a premium, paying him the equivalent of fifty thousand magic stones per month.
After all, Barrett was a Crystallized Wizard and a researcher at Golden Crown Mountain.
The only reason he would do this job for Locke was that he was a member of Locke's small team; one couldn't value his services based on those wizards on the market who actively offered escort services.
Saving money on such matters would only lead to greater losses for himself.
Furthermore, once Barrett delivered the work, Locke wouldn't have to bother recruiting another local wizard to operate the flying magic plant for the flight competition to verify its performance level.
So, Barrett could handle this matter on his behalf.
This was the immense benefit of having manpower.
After Barrett left, Witch Mason and Witch Freya took the initiative to check the magic arrays and pack up the materials.
Locke called Douglas over and spoke to 'him' as they walked, "After developing this Great Mingli Dragon Sparrow, I suddenly realized something."
With a wave of Locke's hand, ten First Ring level Four-Winged Great Green Leaf Dragon Sparrows suddenly flew through the air of the ecological garden laboratory.
Douglas adopted an expression of listening intently.
"Little Boss, what are your thoughts?"
Locke said, "I think if I further develop the original series of the Great Green Leaf Dragon Finch, it could be made into a weapon that automatically attacks enemies. I need to cultivate matching parasitic Magic Plants and corresponding spells for the Great Green Leaf Dragon Finch; it seems it can be used as a platform for carrying weapons."
"What do you think of this idea?"
"An integrated offensive platform."
Douglas was dumbfounded, his mind completely jammed.
But the Lagemen Witch King behind him said in his mind, "I think this idea is not bad. Douglas, tell him that I believe the [Chain Lightning] Spell Model is a path."
Douglas haltingly repeated the Lagemen Witch King's thoughts.
Sometimes, he felt as if he were merely a medium for communication between Locke and the Lagemen Witch King, though he did indeed gain things from the dialogue between the two.
When their lines of thought collided, wonderful ideas often emerged.
Being able to listen to this collision of thoughts at every moment was itself a stroke of luck for Douglas; he was a witness to the wisdom of both Locke and the Lagemen Witch King.
Locke asked, "Why? The Chain Lightning series of magic is very old. While the technical data is complete and one can learn it just by looking at free materials, isn't Chain Lightning a spell of the Evocation School?"
The Lagemen Witch King said in Douglas's mind, "Don't let your thinking become rigid. Besides, this was originally your own line of thought. Doesn't the golden dragon claw air pineapple also have spells from the Enchantment School on it? I believe your golden dragon claw air pineapple is powerful not just because of your innovation in the Spirit Breath Cultivation Method, nor just because of the special Imaginary Root you cultivated."
"There is also one more point... you enchanted it with an important Gold Magic Spell Model."
"As long as you can enchant a suitable Enchantment Magic Array onto the surface of a Magic Plant, why stick rigidly to what is a Magic Plant and what is an alchemical item? The Spell Models of the Enchantment School split from those of the Alchemy School long ago."
Locke nodded repeatedly. The Lagemen Witch King was undoubtedly also a beneficiary of their dialogue; he was rapidly absorbing the essence of this era through his communication with Locke.
Currently, he was no longer the same as before.
He was completely different from when he had first awakened.
Douglas relayed the Witch King's words.
Locke said, "What you say is true. But why choose Chain Lightning specifically?"
Douglas paused, waiting for the Lagemen Witch King in his mind to speak.
The Lagemen Witch King said, "Tell the Locke kid that we have a unique Chain Lightning spell in our hands. It is an ancient magical inheritance, something you obtained by chance, the subtleties of which have long been lost to the world."
Douglas was stunned. He asked within his sea of consciousness, "Witch King Master, don't you usually treasure the magical inheritance of the Gate of Lightning very much? Aside from me, you haven't given the Gate of Lightning inheritance to anyone. Even I can only learn according to the inheritance you provide step by step."
The Lagemen Witch King said in a low voice, "The Gate of Lightning was a prominent school in the Wizarding World of the past, but in today's Wizarding World, its fame has long vanished into history. It wouldn't be bad to hand it over to the Locke kid now and use his hands to carry forward the magic of our [Gate of Lightning]."
"The reason I don't give it to you all at once but tell you bit by bit is that the magic of the Gate of Lightning has long fallen behind. But one cannot say that many spells lack unique insights in their logic; therefore, as long as they are correspondingly modernized, the magic of the Gate of Lightning can still shine brilliantly in this era."
The Lagemen Witch King said deeply, "Things of the past don't just represent backwardness; they also represent a solid foundation built step by step. Our Gate of Lightning magic will also release a dazzling light in this era."
Douglas was secretly astonished. He hadn't expected his Witch King Master to be so magnanimous as to take the initiative to provide Locke with the special secret techniques of the Gate of Lightning.
Did he admire Locke that much?
Douglas said, "Master, I understand."
Then, Douglas faithfully relayed the special Chain Lightning magic provided by the Lagemen Witch King to Locke.
After listening, Locke was secretly alarmed by the foundation of the ancient Witch King.
The other party seemed to have absorbed infinite wisdom from this era; the Spell Model he gave Locke had clearly undergone modernization.
Thinking carefully, Douglas was able to easily access the library at Golden Crown Mountain, entering the free areas within it.
And it was precisely this that allowed this ancient Witch King to absorb the essence of Golden Crown Mountain's knowledge.
It seemed his teacher was allowing the Witch King's actions.
Locke pondered the Spell Model Douglas had just recited to him.
This Spell Model was very special.
General lightning magic mainly focuses on collecting and gathering the discrete electromagnetic energy in the air to launch an attack on the enemy, ionizing the enemy at the moment of impact so that every subsequent attack has enhanced penetration and increased damage.
But this spell from the Gate of Lightning, called [Attila's Chain of Lightning], had an extra step: compression.
It required continuous compression, then an instantaneous explosion upon the enemy, releasing all its power in a single moment.
Therefore, this Attila's Chain of Lightning Spell Model was very powerful.
And Douglas had relayed the entire Spell Model to him, from Apprentice-level magic to First Ring magic, and even Second Ring magic.
Locke glanced at Douglas.
'Has this Witch King's soul already noticed that I've realized his existence?'
To have a First Ring Crystallization Wizard recite a Second Ring Spell Model was quite heaven-defying.
Unless the soul of a Third Ring Wizard was mixed within his soul, elevating his rank!
In fact, in Locke's view, Douglas's greatest cheat right now was that the soul of a Third Ring Wizard had entered his own, elevating his rank and allowing him to directly encounter things that his original soul would have been unable to withstand.
Locke nodded slightly.
"So that's how it is. Attila's Chain of Lightning requires powerful life energy to compress the lightning magic. One portion of life energy compresses one portion of lightning magic energy. Thus, if it can be made into an Enchantment Magic Array and placed on the Great Green Leaf Dragon Finch, the two would be a case of 1+1 being greater than 2. My Great Green Leaf Dragon Finch possesses powerful life energy."
"While I cannot understand the Second Ring lightning Spell Model, I can still force myself to understand the First Ring version."
Locke mused, "As for the Second Ring, if I find a Second Ring Enchanter, he should be able to understand it. Enchanters who enchant magic arrays for Magic items are already supposed to understand the magic of the four elements, as it's something they frequently encounter. I just need a reliable Enchanter..."
He didn't seem to know such a powerful being within his social circles in the White Wizard Society.
The figure of Old Pirate Henry flashed through Locke's mind.
Right, isn't he an Enchanter?
I'll try asking him.
Locke said to Douglas, "Douglas, I want to thank you, but I am someone who never likes to owe favors. You asked me last time how to manifest a complete Kingdom Domain in this era; I can give that part of the knowledge to you."
Douglas froze on the spot, ecstatic—but he wasn't ecstatic for himself, he was ecstatic because the Lagemen Witch King was ecstatic.
Douglas said, 'Master, you've always wanted to know this. I didn't expect Mr. Augustine to tell us directly.'
The Lagemen Witch King said, 'He is a true wizard, broad-minded. I have also always been curious why I cannot use the Kingdom Domain in this era, yet he can.'
'Listen to him carefully.'
'What exactly am I still missing?'