Chapter 29

Without any troublesome entanglements, Lin Ke's life returned to tranquility.

Apart from daily chores, Lin Ke devoted all his energy and time to study.

Part-time work also falls within the scope of study, right?

Thus, another three days passed.

Today is Wednesday of the seventh week since enrollment.

This is the sixth day of Lin Ke's part-time work at the Third Botanical Garden.

Evening.

Lin Ke entered the third greenhouse in the third row.

As usual, he randomly checked the condition of the silver star flower seeds, confirmed that the seeds' state was within the expected development range, and then began today's work.

He first cast a superior minor mist rain spell.

After days of practice and actual use, Lin Ke can now cast this zero-circle spell in about three seconds, believing the day he reaches the combat standard of two seconds is not far off.

The mist of the minor mist rain spell reduces battlefield visibility, facilitating concealment, maneuvering, and ambush; the rain creates favorable conditions for casting offensive water-type spells. As an auxiliary combat spell, its performance is still commendable.

Immediately after, he cast the growth spell, likewise taking about three seconds.

However, this zero-circle spell is not suitable for actual combat; even carrying some vines, shrubs, or similar seeds with entangling and concealing functions does not change that.

To make plant seeds sprout, grow, and mature instantly consumes too much mental and magical power, making the cost‑benefit ratio too low.

With that amount of mental and magical power being squandered, it would be better to learn a few offensive and defensive spells.

Unless in special terrain, such as places with lush vegetation, the growth spell has room to be useful.

Even so, other wood-type spells can substitute it, such as the zero-circle spell Thorny Entanglement, which consumes the same amount but yields better results.

Thorny Entanglement can even be upgraded to a first-circle spell, Thorny Constriction.

After finishing the growth spell, Lin Ke could feel that the vital energy contained in the silver star flower seeds was fully saturated.

All that was needed was a trigger, and the seeds in the soil would all break through the ground and sprout.

Lin Ke sat on the ridge, did a brief meditation, and as soon as his mental and magical power recovered, he immediately cast another superior minor mist rain spell.

The rain pattered down onto the soil.

The silver star flower seeds buried in the soil absorbed water, one after another pushing up the earth covering them, breaking through the surface and sprouting successively.

Thanks to Pomona Sprout's botanical talent, plus his own high affinity for the wood element, Lin Ke could clearly sense the joy of the silver star flowers, and a feeling of moved arose in his heart.

This is the joy of new life; this is the power of life.

Lin Ke immersed himself in that feeling and insight.

After a moment, Lin Ke felt refreshed; not only had the mental and magical power he previously expended fully recovered, but he could clearly sense that his mental and magical power had improved somewhat.

It was not an increase in quantity, but an improvement in quality.

It was like changing from a frivolous qi to a nimble qi.

Lin Ke does not yet know what changes this improvement will bring, but it is ultimately a good thing.

And the successful sprouting of the silver star flower seeds means that the first task assigned to Lin Ke by the botanical garden can now be said to have been completed a day ahead of schedule.

However, Lin Ke did not rush to submit it; instead, he planned to observe for another day, and submit it tomorrow after confirming there were no problems.

Moreover, there are some questions about the silver star flower seeds, germination, and cultivation that it is time to explore.

Lin Ke took out the notebook specially used for recording the silver star flower germination log, noted down the seeds' condition, today's procedures, and changes, then walked out of the greenhouse and left the botanical garden.

Not long after Lin Ke left, Sophie Lucy entered the third greenhouse in the third row again, and what met her eyes was a expanse of tender white sprouts breaking through the soil.

This made Sophie feel quite astonished.

Six days—she actually succeeded in germination in just six days!

That is one day earlier than the method she knew to have the best cost‑effectiveness.

Moreover, looking at this expanse of tender white sprouts, the germination success rate is nearly seventy percent.

The silver star flower seeds in the greenhouse were those scattered by Su Qi; she estimated by sight and mental calculation, deducing this probability.

Do not underestimate the significance of merely being one day ahead.

Furthermore, do not underestimate this merely seventy percent germination success rate.

Silver star flowers have been in the wizarding world for less than twenty years; because their stamens are highly effective in healing external wounds, they have been used as an additive, prompting improvements to the formulas of many external wound potions on the market.

This further lowered the price of external wound potions, allowing more ordinary people and wizarding apprentices to afford them.

And the growth period of silver star flowers, under the stimulation of spells and nutrient solutions, can be shortened to three days.

What has always limited silver star flower yield are the seed quality rate, germination duration, and germination success rate.

Moreover, because external wound potions made with silver star flower stamens as raw material are unsuitable for formal wizards and above, no formal wizard wishes to spend precious time improving silver star flower seeds, refining germination methods, or optimizing cultivation plans.

This leaves silver star flowers and related potions in a rather awkward situation.

The effect is excellent, the market welcomes it, but production cannot keep up.

As a low‑end product that cannot command a high price, this results in thin profit margins.

If that country bumpkin truly did not use nutrient solutions or potions, it would mean he has mastered or developed a new method for germinating silver star flowers.

This is no longer merely a question of high or low economic value; it can be turned into research results, published as a 'paper', to earn 'credits', thereby improving benefits and status.

The 'credits' of the Rivorsoth Biological and Medical College can be exchanged for many things, such as spells, magical implements, or secret documents not even found in the high‑level archives.

Moreover, there are only two ways for wizarding apprentices to obtain 'credits':

One is to publish a 'paper'; the other is to achieve a ranking in the annual North‑South division competition organized by the college.

Compared with competing against hundreds or thousands for the scarce top‑ten spots in the two divisions, publishing a 'paper' is undoubtedly easier.

If you have relatively high research talent and strong research ability,

Sophie Lucy is such a genius.

Although she had just entered second year and still needed a considerable time to be promoted to third‑grade wizarding apprentice, she became the acting head of the Third Botanical Garden precisely because she published a fairly good 'paper' in the first half of the year.

Thus, she only obtained this position after some maneuvering.

Having tasted the sweetness of publishing a paper, Sophie Lucia has been longing to try it again.

Unfortunately, several months have passed, and she still hasn't found a good research entry point, let alone produced any worthwhile results.

Now, she has discovered a heaven-sent opportunity.

As long as she can figure out the silver-star-flower germination method mastered or developed by that country bumpkin, she can launch the project, set up experiments, collect data, then write it up as a paper and post it on the intranet hidden beneath the official website.

Now the key is how to obtain the germination method.

Regarding time, please don't nitpick. I have carefully looked up relevant materials, considering the relationship between mass and gravity, and gravity and time. Alas, being a poor student, I simply can't grasp it; I can only assume it matches Earth's time. I emphasize: the wizard world is a shattered and reassembled realm, with a large surface area and mass similar to Earth's.

(End of chapter)