Chapter 67: Research: Four Draws and the Final Exam

The research ran into a bottleneck, lasting a full four weeks.

It was mainly because the required prerequisite knowledge was simply too much, with no teacher to teach, relying purely on self-study, making those piles of materials and literature truly hard to digest.

After chewing on it for a while, Lin Ke simply set aside the pharmacology and formulation parts of the experiment temporarily, and focused on researching all aspects of the plant known as Lixuan Grass.

"Pomona Sprout's Plant Talent" is still top-notch.

Lin Ke tried out every operation he had done or not done on the Silver Star Flower, and any idea that came to him when inspiration struck, he tested them all on the Lixuan Grass.

Some had a positive effect, some had no effect at all, and some actually produced a reverse effect.

In short, the result was that the extremely rare Lixuan Grass in the Tudor Region had been studied by Lin Ke inside and out.

Unfortunately, the research results could not be written up as a paper for publication.

At least not in the short term.

Lin Ke truly did not want to have his work snatched away again.

Thus, the research came to a halt once again.

However, the public opinion attacks against Lin Ke showed no letup, and were actually trending toward escalation.

Harold Andrews, lurking behind the scenes, was dead set on doing Lin Ke in!

What can be tolerated, what cannot be tolerated?

Lin Ke had once attempted to take revenge on Harold Andrews, but before the action could even begin, it was sabotaged by an intelligent law enforcement puppet.

Therefore, he had no choice but to shelve the idea of carrying out revenge at that time.

Now that the vacation is approaching, Lin Ke does not believe Harold Andrews can hide in the academy for a month and a half, and has already begun preparing for a thorough revenge!

Before that, he decided to stop procrastinating and go ahead with the fourth card draw that could have been done earlier.

The reason he delayed until now was that he considered Pomona Sprout's Plant Talent and Filius Flitwick's Charm Talent had not been sufficiently developed and utilized like the Brain Seal Technique.

Drawing again in the short term does not necessarily yield something helpful for the current predicament, and would instead distract him.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Now, four weeks have passed, and these two talents have seen further development.

Going forward, there is certainly still room for development, but this requires gradual effort, improving little by little.

So, it's time to spend money again and pull a card.

"Eurogod possession."

Lin Ke washed his hands and bathed, purified his body and mind, recited the incantation, and silently prayed, "System, give me a draw!"

Plain and unadorned, the card draw with no special effects was completed in an instant.

The only effect on the real world was that Lin Ke's Magic Stone reserves decreased by 100.

【Linke Grand

Wizard Aptitude: Fourth Tier Middle

Wizard Rank: Second-Class Wizard Apprentice

Zero-Tier Wizardry: Lesser Mist Rain Technique, Water Ball Technique, Water Shield Technique, Purify Water Technique (Water), Growth Technique, Wither Technique, Leaf Arrow Technique, Thorn Entanglement (Wood).

Card Pack: "Severus Snape's Potion Talent" Talent Card

Used: "Brain Seal Technique" Study Card, "Pomona Sprout's Plant Talent" Talent Card, "Filius Flitwick's Charm Talent" Talent Card

Draw Count: 0 (1 Standard Grade-2 Magic Stone)

After viewing the panel's content, Lin Ke did not know how to express his complicated feelings.

One could say the system came through, delivering "Severus Snape's Potion Talent" just in time when the research hit a snag.

This undoubtedly greatly boosts Lin Ke's self-study efficiency in potion-making, and will surely also be of great use in research, development, and brewing potions.

But what the heck is this price hike again!

Standard Grade-1 Magic Stone is the currency circulating between ordinary folks and wizard apprentices, while Standard Grade-2 Magic Stone is the currency used among full-fledged wizards.

The market price of one Standard Grade-2 Magic Stone equals one thousand Standard Grade-1 Magic Stones.

According to the formula that the cost of a draw after the system equals current draw consumption times ten, it seems correct.

But there's a price without a market; no one will exchange a Standard Grade-2 Magic Stone for you at the price of one thousand Standard Grade-1 Magic Stones.

Basically, it's always twelve hundred Standard Grade-1 Magic Stones, sometimes even a bit higher.

"Really damn need money!"

Lin Ke couldn't help but curse the system again.

Moments later, Lin Ke composed himself and used the newly acquired talent card.

As expected, the instantaneous effect, identical to that of the first two talent cards upon use, appeared.

Lin Ke felt that his understanding of the painstakingly absorbed potion‑knowledge from the past four weeks immediately improved considerably.

With further review, his comprehension will surely improve even more.

However, potion‑studies as a college discipline and potion‑making as a popular profession are obviously not that simple.

Lin Ke is still far from entering the field, with plenty left to learn.

Compared to others, what is Lin Ke's advantage?

Naturally, it is the super‑strong memory from the Brain Seal Technique, the heightened sensitivity to material properties from Pomona Sprout's Plant Talent, and the talent boost from Severus Snape's Potion Talent.

It can be said that the obstacles to becoming a potion‑researcher and/or potion‑maker have been largely cleared away.

The only things that can impede Lin Ke are advanced potion‑knowledge and potion formulas.

Even if Magic Stones can't solve these two obstacles, credits can somewhat overcome them.

Let's leave it at that for now, no need to overthink.

……

As the twentieth week, i. e., the final week of the autumn semester, arrived, an event that made most of the Storm Sea Newblood nervous was about to occur.

The academy is about to hold the final exams!

Everything that happened before the midterm exams is starting to happen again.

In every classroom of the teaching building and the library's reading rooms, people are studying all night.

It's chaotic, like a vegetable market.

If he couldn't still hide in the lab, Lin Ke would have nowhere to study in peace.

After two days of noise on campus, the final exams were held as scheduled on Thursday.

As before, the practical exam came first, covering Botany, Zoology, and Human Anatomy.

However, the scope and difficulty have increased to varying degrees compared with the midterm exam.

The vast majority of newbloods were ruthlessly tormented by the exam content.

Walking out of the exam hall, people with vacant eyes were everywhere.

The theory exam was held on Friday, covering Mathematics, Runic Studies, A Brief History of Wizard Civilization, An Overview of Mental Power and Meditation, and The Essence, Origin, and Development of Wizardry.

Compared with the midterm, the weight of Mathematics and Runic Studies was increased, but the hardest question appeared in The Essence, Origin, and Development of Wizardry.

The Essence, Origin, and Development of Wizardry had only one question, asking examinees to describe the history of the classic wizardry—spherical wizardry—and the characteristics and differences of the elemental spherical wizardries of each school.

To answer this question well, one must hold oneself to the standards of writing a thesis.

The arguments must be clear, the evidence solid, and the discussion and analysis thorough.

The breadth and depth of knowledge involved cannot be obtained merely by self-studying textbooks; one must have the habit of extracurricular reading and literature to possess it.

By answering this question, and combining it with the various unusual phenomena he had observed daily, Lin Ke's understanding of the academy deepened somewhat.

The academy has always only guaranteed the minimum.

The upper limit—whether in life, study, or combat, in all aspects—must be explored, reached, and broken by the newbloods themselves.

The academy should greatly value exploration and innovation, but it never emphasizes publicity.

Everything depends on individual comprehension.

Lately my mindset has been a bit off, and my writing state isn't right. I'll pause for a few days, relying on stored drafts to tide over. I'll review the already-released chapters, fixing what I can; if I can't, it's just that my current writing ability is insufficient. The outline also needs further refinement.

(End of chapter)