Room 107.
Locke nodded approvingly as he surveyed the room filled with mid-tier parasitic Magic Plants.
The quality of the Magic Plant seeds in this room was quite good even among mid-tier varieties, belonging to the rarer category.
After a brief selection, he indeed found two parasitic Magic Plants suitable as additional ammunition for the Rot Soil Konjac King: the tuber mine and the thunderbolt electric potato.
The tuber mine was a parasitic potato-like Magic Plant with a dull, grayish appearance. It had to parasitize inside other Magic Plants, its surface covered with parasitic aerial roots that could draw energy from its host.
In return, the tuber mine would protect the host plant. When the host was in danger, the tuber mine would explode.
Similarly, the thunderbolt electric potato was also a parasitic Magic Plant.
Its electric potato vine had a pale purple parasitic aerial root (a root that grows in the air).
The vine was adorned with numerous electric potatoes, which would explode upon contact with an enemy, dealing a certain amount of lightning-element damage.
In essence, the thunderbolt electric potato contained a natural magical structure similar to the [electric palm technique], meaning its explosion was naturally equivalent to a 0.3-ring evocation school spell.
Locke deliberated between the tuber mine and the thunderbolt electric potato and ultimately chose the latter. The reason was his lack of elemental-damage-type spells, and the thunderbolt electric potato could effectively compensate for this weakness.
The tuber mine, on the other hand, was purely an explosive-type spell without any elemental damage.
The thunderbolt electric potato vine was a parasitic Magic Plant that could parasitize inside his Rot Soil Konjac King, forming a symbiotic relationship. His rare, mid-to-high-quality Magic Plant would provide it with energy. Additionally, by making slight adjustments to his spell model, the Mayfly firecracker, he could likely increase the attack power of the thunderbolt electric potatoes to a 0.5-ring level.
This way, the thunderbolt electric potato ammunition wouldn't be useless in his battles.
When the Mayfly firecracker fired spore cannonballs outward, it could simultaneously launch thunderbolt electric potatoes to increase damage. Alternatively, the thunderbolt electric potatoes could be fired independently. In any case, their applications were quite versatile, effectively supplementing his combat deficiencies.
After exchanging ten seeds of this parasitic Magic Plant with Ruby, the two of them walked along the hollowed-out metal floors of the underground space toward the mine elevator.
Ruby repeatedly thanked Locke for his guidance along the way, while Locke nodded in acknowledgment, silently planning his next steps in his mind.
First, he needed to cultivate the thunderbolt electric potato vine and the Great Azure Leaf Banana as soon as possible. Second, he had to quickly master the Metal Frenzy series of spells that complemented the Blast Pea. Additionally, he had to complete the tasks assigned by the academy.
He also needed to finish the third-phase experimental work on the Bear Spirit Emerald Bile Potion and expedite the sales of the Emerald Iris Lichen and Perseus' Eye. At the same time, his sixth Magic Plant creation would likely focus on the flying Magic Plant, the [Great Azure Leaf Banana].
As for his personal pharmaceutical room, which had just opened, Locke knew he needed to quickly solidify the sales of Memory Ointment while also considering what new potion to develop after the Bear Spirit Emerald Bile Potion.
He needed to decide soon which direction his personal pharmaceutical room would take in terms of potion specialization.
Locke turned his attention to several potions he frequently used during meditation—such as the Tears of Stars Potion, the Bleeding Dragon Potion, and the Energy Potion.
However, these potions were extremely difficult to produce, and their recipes had not been publicly disclosed.
This was precisely why he had avoided synthesizing them before.
Magic Potions and Magic Plants were vastly different.
With Magic Plants, one didn't need to know the exact breeding method or original formula—synthesis alone could provide the means to improve them, with the only requirement being the purchase of the original seeds.
But when synthesizing Magic Potions, he could only obtain information on how to improve the formula, not the original recipe itself. Without the original recipe, even with improvement data, he would have nowhere to start.
Moreover, these potions required precise dosages and consistent intake—stability and regularity were far more important than a one-time boost in potency.
That was why Locke had chosen not to synthesize these potions while lacking sufficient funds.
However, once his pharmaceutical room stabilized, he might consider specializing in improving these commonly used meditation potions.
Not only would this reduce his expenses on cultivation potions, but it might also allow him to earn more money while further accelerating his meditation progress.
Though he didn't know why, even Sophia the Witch had repeatedly emphasized that he should reach 800 units of spiritual power as soon as possible.
Doing so would significantly increase his chances of becoming a Formal Wizard.
At the same time, Locke wondered how the custom Magic Plant competition, hosted by the academy's combat division, was progressing.
Today should be the deadline for submissions.
Would his Perseus' Eye Lichen be able to take first place?
The academy had many skilled Breeders, so he couldn't afford to underestimate the competition.
Winning this contest would greatly benefit him, both financially and in terms of reputation.
On the mine elevator, Ruby watched Locke lost in thought and wisely remained silent, stealing admiring glances at him.
'One day, I'll become a Formal Breeder like this Augustine senior—someone who protects and balances the natural ecosystem.'
...
In the office of the Custom Magic Plant Competition Committee, located among the many Alchemy Cabins of the combat division in Lilith's Cottage, the Formal Wizards overseeing the event were organizing the submitted entries.
Aside from these Formal Wizards, the office also housed procurement officers like Zach from the combat division, as well as other procurement officers specializing in Magic Plants.
They were all gathered here, reviewing the competition submissions alongside the Formal Wizards.
Jonas Cortes, a Senior Breeder, was one of the main judges for this competition.
He addressed his colleagues and the procurement bidding officials, saying, "First, everyone needs to organize the submitted application materials."
"And preliminarily arrange a ranking list."
"The primary principle is that actual combat performance outweighs technical specifications. The breeder's past achievements and the level of their workshop are also important evaluation criteria."
"Some magic plants developed by small workshops may look impressive on paper, but in practical use, they're full of flaws—essentially mediocre."
"After the initial ranking, we'll have a rough idea of which entries are likely to win the championship."
"Then comes the actual combat testing of these submitted magic plant entries. The top three will be determined by the best practical performance!"
"We can offer them procurement contracts as rewards."
"Of course, throughout this process, the comprehensive combat data of these magic plants from past usage will carry greater weight in scoring."
"This approach will be safer."
"So we must also collect and review whether the original versions of these magic plant entries have been used in past wars and what their combat records were like."
(End of Chapter)