On the evening of June 28, 2025, in Locke's second plantation, beside the ten-acre magical field of Emerald Iris Lichen that shimmered like a jeweled forest, Locke crouched before a shield-shaped Emerald Iris Lichen rootstock. Under the reflection of the Differential Magic Mirror, he carefully guided the contaminated Super Mandrake Vine, grafting it onto the Emerald Iris Lichen.
The wounds of the two clashed violently.
But just as he had envisioned countless times in his blueprints, Locke meticulously employed the Magic Resonance Breeding Method, adjusting different frequencies to alter the conflicting magical structures between them with magical energy.
Gradually, the wounds between the two began to heal, though occasionally spurting a viscous fluid filled with tiny white bubbles. Unfazed, Locke continued to methodically adjust the magical frequencies under the Differential Magic Mirror's reflection.
Under Locke's precise manipulation, the grafting of the two magic plants was soon completed. Their wounds fused together, and the Super Mandrake Vine underwent a positive transformation. Shortly after, the mutated Emerald Iris Lichen also began to change.
The originally shield-shaped Emerald Iris Lichen now bore concentric circular patterns on its surface, forming an eye-like design—complete with whites and pupils, strikingly lifelike.
"It's done." A faint smile of satisfaction appeared on Locke's face.
He bent down and used a tool to slice open the surface of the Emerald Iris Lichen, collecting the fungal secretion it exuded. He then dripped it into a mixture of twenty-one common cursed blood samples he had gathered in the Healing Hand treatment room.
The moment the secretion touched the mixed blood, it reacted like fire meeting ice. The blended curses within the blood rapidly dissipated. In almost no time, the once-filthy black blood transformed into a healthy, vibrant red.
"Success." Encouragement flickered in Locke's eyes. "Through the Grafting Breeding Method, I've indeed utilized the Emerald Iris Lichen's own mechanisms to induce a magical plant mutation."
"This Emerald Iris Lichen has completely mutated into a new type of magic lichen, with its own unique traits and properties."
"Moreover, the fungal secretion on its surface now possesses broad-spectrum resistance to ordinary curses. The blood contained multiple curses, yet upon contact with the secretion, they all faded away." Locke pondered.
From his Astral Ring, he retrieved a [Cursed Stone] he had purchased earlier at the Chimera Market. The stone resembled an ordinary pebble in appearance.
Crushing it would release the curse stored within.
Cursed Stones couldn't contain particularly powerful curses, so they were typically used by White Wizards for experimentation and research.
Now, Locke crushed the Cursed Stone. Instantly, the 0.3-circle Bleeding Curse hidden within struck the mutated Emerald Iris Lichen in the magical field before him.
Instantly, the eye-like patterns on the surface of the Emerald Iris Lichen shimmered with an eerie glow, then unexpectedly reflected the curse back. It transformed into an emerald light that fell upon the crushed Cursed Stone in his hand, completely purifying the residual curse within.
A flash of excitement crossed Locke's eyes.
Previous tests had only proven that this Emerald Iris Lichen had developed broad-spectrum Magic Resistance.
But this real combat test confirmed that, just as he had hypothesized, this lichen had indeed acquired a certain curse-reflection ability.
"Back when I purchased that B-grade paper, I read about how grafting Tiff Loron Vine onto a defensive combat Magic Plant accidentally produced a weak ability to reflect offensive magic," Locke mused.
"That's when I guessed that the automatic counterattack trait of magic vines could be partially inherited by defensive Magic Plants."
"The author of that paper conducted several follow-up experiments which all failed. In his article, he proposed multiple hypotheses about these failures and his earlier accidental success. One suggestion was that his Mana precision wasn't sufficient."
"That's why all subsequent experiments failed, and why his paper only scored 71 points - barely B-grade. Had he discovered how to improve the success rate, it might have been rated A-grade."
Locke continued: "So following his suggestion, I replicated his hypothesized ideal scenario of grafting magic vines with defensive Magic Plants, renting both a Differential Magic Mirror and a Focusing Monocle."
"Then, using the Deep Blue Treasure Diamond to enhance my Mana precision, I reduced the magical component conflict between the Super Mandrake Vine and Emerald Iris Lichen. Surprisingly, it worked."
A satisfied gleam appeared in Locke's eyes. He had only intended to try this experiment, especially since the final Magic Plant Curse had unexpectedly targeted his creation - the Super Mandrake Vine.
This coincidence allowed him to complete the experiment hypothesized in that purchased paper using his own Super Mandrake Vine.
Unexpectedly, it led him to cultivate a defensive Magic Plant that slightly exceeded his expectations.
"The article system in Lilith's Cottage, or rather in White Wizard society, is truly valuable," Locke reflected.
"Had I not purchased those six B-grade papers, even if I could eventually develop a defensive Magic Plant, it would have taken much longer, and the results certainly wouldn't be as good as this."
"That paper gave me tremendous inspiration."
"I need to think of a new name for this variant lichen," Locke pondered. "Though unfortunately, in the Synthetic Magic Cube system, it's already classified as Level 7."
"Probably because its original form, the Emerald Iris Lichen, was already a Level 7 synthetic plant."
Remembering the Greek myth from his previous life where Perseus used his shield to reflect Medusa's petrifying curse, Locke declared: "Then let's call it Perseus' Eye Lichen."
"This mutated lichen's shape resembles a shield, and it does possess some magical counterattack capability."
"It actually fits quite well with that mythological tale. After all, I'm the original creator—what I choose to name it is what it shall be called. There's no need to care whether others understand the meaning behind the name 'Perseus' Eye.'"
"Next, I'll use this combat Magic Plant to conduct further practical combat data tests, then write a report, and within half a month, enter it into the Custom Magic Plant competition hosted by the combat department."
Locke pondered: "If I can make it into the top three, it could earn me another Academy Centralized Procurement order."
"Moreover, since I've successfully replicated the experiment hypothesized in that B-grade paper, I can delve deeper into this field. This way, I should be able to produce my first A-grade paper at Lilith's Cottage."
An A-grade paper could bring him more Contribution Points and greater prestige. And Contribution Points, in turn, would mean opportunities to exchange for entry into Wizard secret realms.
Prestige would bring him more conveniences, along with various titles and additional rewards from Lilith's Cottage.
(End of Chapter)