Chapter 246: I Want to Play

Huh? What a coincidence? Both sides in the fight know each other? Nagris and Ang hurried forward and grabbed a bystander dressed completely differently, one who was grinning with delight: "What's going on?"

"Who the hell is pulling me? My fire-immune silk robe is expensive…" The bystander grumbled, reluctantly turning around—but when he saw Ang's access pass, he snapped to attention in terror: "Director, I'm sorry, I didn't say anything!"

On Ang's access pass, a black star flickered slowly—this was the Death Star, Obenli's emblem.

Just showing one access pass could make someone tremble—Obenli's title as Head of Discipline was no empty boast.

Nagris's voice emerged from Ang's body: "Don't be afraid, tell us what happened."

"Oh, this is an old routine, real entertaining—Druids from the Agrimancer Academy, students of Spring Wind Druid, going head-to-head with Du Binqi's people. They fight every now and then, don't know how many times already." Seeing the big man with the Death Star pass wasn't going to punish him, the silk-robed bystander immediately perked up and began explaining.

"Druids? Fighting? Are they brawling or casting spells?" Nagris asked curiously—could Druids turn into bears and beat each other up?

"No, they use illusionary simulation arrays to compete in breeding techniques and climate control—all sorts of methods to make crops grow faster and better," the bystander explained.

Hearing "illusionary simulation array," even Ang couldn't help pushing his way to the front of the viewing platform; the mages he shoved aside had no time to speak before being flung to the side—these weakling mages couldn't possibly withstand the Golden Skeleton's shoving.

Seeing Ang's attention shift, the silk-robed bystander quickly slipped away and ran off.

Arriving at the square pit, Ang finally saw clearly inside: a rectangular depression five meters long, ten meters wide, about one meter deep, now projected by illusion into a river, rows of farmland, and miniature crops in exact scale.

The situation inside was already clear: on the left, Du Binqi's students had simulated a vine plant, its tendrils sprawling wildly over wooden trellises, bearing massive fruits—resembling breadfruit.

On Spring Wind Druid's side, it was still the original cereal rice variety; though heavy with grain, it was obvious to the naked eye that the yield was far lower than Du Binqi's.

The numbers on the illusionary simulation array confirmed it: Du Binqi's side displayed 1, 00 jin per mu; Spring Wind Druid's side showed only 600 jin—a 40% gap.

Spring Wind Druid's students protested angrily: "You're cheating! Vine plants have high cultivation costs, low resistance, low yield, low starch content—they're unsuitable as staple crops! You're cheating!"

Du Binqi's students burst into laughter: "Lose and admit it! Are you too cowardly to accept defeat, Spring Wind Druid student? Did we restrict what crops to use? Did we limit cultivation costs? As for low yield? Open your eyes—1, 00 jin per mu! If our master grew it, the yield would be even higher."

He added: "Also, our master has already improved the low-starch flaw—this vine breadfruit has very high starch content. We measured it from the fruit, and the simulation array has already verified and updated the data. Just admit defeat, hahaha."

Nagris was stunned—these students' conversation revealed several key facts: the simulation array's data was built on real-world measurements, meaning it could replicate actual crops grown in reality.

That meant the simulation results would be extremely accurate? If it worked in the array, there was a high chance it could work in reality? Kuba da—this was a cultivation simulation array? Had the Star Alliance's magic advanced this far?

Just this simulation array alone revealed the Star Republic's strength—its students could train and perfect their magic skills merely by testing inside the array.

Other magic academies still relied on hands-on practice, limited by their own mana—they'd exhaust themselves after just a few attempts.

This difference was subtle in elemental magic, but for Druids and Alchemy—professions requiring massive experimentation, ratios, and comparisons—it was nothing short of divine.

Input data on fertilizers, magic, materials, arrays, and more—then endlessly combine them. Once successful, test them in reality.

If it succeeded, it saved enormous time, energy, mana, and materials.

If it failed, input the failure data to correct the simulation, making it more accurate.

Why was Ang faster and better at breeding? Because he had a divine technique—the Rapid Death Aura. While others needed a full growing season to harvest, he got results in three hours—naturally faster.

This illusionary simulation array served a similar function to the Rapid Death Aura, accelerating crops through illusion to rapidly produce results.

Kuba da—this was a great thing.

Not only did Nagris think so—Ang thought so too, murmuring: "I want this."

"Fine, ask Obenli later—we'll buy a few," Nagris said.

On the other side, Spring Wind Druid's students were speechless, faces ashen. The opponents were right—there had been no restrictions on crop type or cultivation cost. Their defeat was inevitable; they could only blame themselves for not setting limits beforehand.

But losing was one thing—enduring humiliation was another. These young, fiery students couldn't swallow the mockery. The lead Spring Wind Druid student shouted: "Not fair! Let's do another round—this time no using…"

Before he finished, his companions frantically tugged his robe, whispering urgently: "Senior, we're out of mana crystals."

"Alchemists rich, agrimancers poor, elementalists pawn their underwear"—this epic, sung endlessly by bards, laid bare the harsh realities of magic academies.

Alchemists were rich because only the wealthy could afford alchemy—the Golden Rod and materials alone could drain a noble's entire fortune.

Sawa's pharmacist needed alchemy—her baron's fortune was already spent. Imagine how expensive it was.

But those who mastered alchemy earned money like water.

Agrimancers were poor—those who weren't poor couldn't become agrimancers. Constant exposure to sun and wind was unbearable for nobles and the rich. Even Du Binqi and Spring Wind, great Druids, looked like old farmers—what of ordinary agrimancer mages?

Poor agrimancer students couldn't even afford a second mana crystal for the illusionary simulation.

The lead Spring Wind student's face flushed red then pale—he gritted his teeth, helpless. Without mana crystals, the illusion array wouldn't activate.

Ang pushed forward, pulled out a bag of mana crystals, dumped them onto the control table, and pointed at the illusion array: "I want to play."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Ah! It's the old witch's pass! Shut up, don't say anything—this guy has the old witch's pass!"

"But what's his intent? He shoved aside Spring Wind Druid's students—he's challenging Du Binqi's?"