Chapter 437: Additional Investment and Special Laboratory

In the office that Alicia was using, which belonged to Grand Wizard Sulla, Alicia handed a funding slip to Locke. "Grandfather gave me some dirt on three Plutarch family crystallization wizards, and I also asked my father Gregory to help out and put in some effort..."

Alicia handed Locke a document stamped with a magical seal. Locke saw that an application for three million magic stones in funding had been approved.

"Three million?" Locke was stunned. This was an enormous sum of money he had never seen before.

Alicia smiled. "Yes, the Plutarch family has decided to add an additional investment of three hundred magic crystal cards for you, and won't add any new requirements. You just need to compete in the name of the Plutarch family and provide us with some seeds of the finished products. As for the specific cultivation methods, you're free to publish articles and apply for patents."

"Grandfather said that after all, from the beginning, his support for your competition was only to complete the transaction of helping him perfect that magic. So this time you compete, everything about the cultivation methods in your research group still belongs to you alone. Even with additional funding, it won't exceed the limits of the original contract."

"I know the competition in the Cloud Marsh Cup you're participating in is very fierce. Three million might not be enough, but I want to help you as much as possible. Only with sufficient funding will you have the possibility of creating the work within a year."

"Now you should have a total of 420 magic crystal cards in hand, right?"

Alicia said, "The Cloud Marsh Cup competition is full of difficulties. Moreover, our Land of Six Towers is severely lacking in both equipment and talent, so our only advantage might be funding."

"Although I don't know how much investment other contestants will receive, I've fought for you to the maximum extent the funding our Land of Six Towers can give you."

Locke calculated in his mind. "Well, if all this money is used to produce results, I can create a bunch of finished products in an extremely short time."

"I can also change my previous approach of careful budgeting. This way I'll have greater confidence, and the finished products I create will definitely be more refined."

Alicia smiled. "That's good then. Oh, and Locke, you need to pay attention to rest. I've rarely seen wizards with dark circles under their eyes, but you've had them during this period."

Alicia said, "Besides that, the Plutarch family will also give your research group access to the highest-level laboratory, and you can access all related project materials from the Plutarch family."

"This time it's our family's full support for you. Both Grandfather and I hope you can achieve good results in the Cloud Marsh Cup competition."

Alicia said, "Grandfather said he hopes you can achieve a top five ranking. As long as you can get a top five result, all the investment in you will be very worthwhile. And if you can achieve a top three result, he'll give you the primordial fire."

Locke nodded. "Thank you."

Top three, that would be third place, right?

He could get the bronze cup.

It seemed Grand Wizard Sulla wanted to use him to win the Cloud Marsh Cup bronze cup, thereby elevating Alicia's prestige.

From the moment he passed the third preliminary round, this Cloud Marsh Cup competition was no longer a joke, but had become a competition that attracted the attention of most wizards in the Land of Six Towers, becoming a major project invested in by Alicia.

Its significance was no longer ordinary.

Grand Wizard Sulla was probably anxious to use the completion of this major project to establish Alicia's management position in the Plutarch family.

It was just that he probably couldn't fulfill his wish.

His goal from the beginning wasn't third place, but the championship!

Looking at the second additional investment document in his hand, Locke's confidence greatly increased. With this investment and an even more advanced laboratory for his use, after he returned, he could completely purchase large amounts of equipment and magical plant materials, use the exhaustive method to continuously breed and synthesize, and use the finite element cultivation method to collect the special plant essence from the subspecies he obtained.

Locke thought of the equipment he had always wanted to purchase before but couldn't afford and had to give up. The most expensive breeding equipment at the First Circle stage were:

Dragon Crystal Ecological Dome, which could simulate various extreme magical power climates in an ecosystem. It cost one million per set, and the monthly consumables cost one hundred thousand magic stones.

It could simulate any extreme environment.

Moreover, magical plants could be accelerated inside. Even Magical Plant Kings, First Circle magical plants, could be made to complete their growth in an extremely brief time using consumables, just like apprentice-stage magical plants.

It greatly reduced the breeding cycle.

This was essential equipment for breeding high-level magical plants, but his previous laboratory never had it.

He could only endure the long cycles of breeding First Circle magical plants. A single First Circle magical plant required half a month to a month to cultivate, and this was still based on using nutrient soil, nutrient solution, and moss marrow freely every day.

But if he had the Dragon Crystal Ecological Dome, he could shorten the breeding time for First Circle magical plants to just a few days.

This increased his breeding speed by who knows how many times, at least more than tenfold.

This was the difference between having high-level experimental equipment and not having it.

Now that he had money, of course he wanted to find a way to get a set.

Besides that, the holographic magical plant sequencing scanner and super-large radiation furnace that he had been longing for could now be purchased.

And the moss marrow that originally needed to be rationed daily could now be made available for everyone in the laboratory to use.

Although Locke had long known that the Plutarch family would add additional investment, he hadn't expected them to be so generous this time.

This way, his hope of winning the championship would become even greater.

'Having money is really effective. Any research can be accelerated because of it.' Locke sighed. Without this huge sum of money, he couldn't hire so many people or purchase so much advanced equipment.

Originally, that project seemed too early for him. He would at least have to wait until the First Circle crystallization stage, or even Second Circle, before he could start it, after all, it was originally a project with Second Circle breeders participating.

But now, with the sponsorship of so many magic stones, Locke's confidence greatly increased.

Locke said to Alicia, "By the way, recently I've noticed that those family wizards have strange attitudes toward me. They're full of jealousy toward the wizards in my research group, and even frequently provoke the wizards I'm leading."

"Alicia, do you know about this situation?"

Alicia nodded very seriously. "I know. In fact, right now there's a whole bunch of wizards requesting that I, as the financial backer, obtain your consent to replace half the wizards in your research group with our family wizards."

"Look at these lists on my desk. They're all family wizards who want to gild themselves and freeload on reputation. These people aren't thinking about winning the championship, but want to be able to go to the Cloud Marsh Cup finals venue. Even just going there would be worth it for them."

Alicia said, "These people can't understand the significant role civilian wizards have played in this competition, so they only think you're personally capable and want to follow you."

"I've already rejected all these people. But recently you'd better have the wizards in your research group be careful. Family wizards in the Land of Six Towers, as you achieve results, will increase their hostility toward you. Especially now that I've refused to let them join, it's stimulating them even more."

"Like mad dogs that bite randomly, although they don't dare do anything openly or provoke you, they've even begun to worship you extremely, just like they worship those excellent wizards from outside, subconsciously wanting to regard you as their leader."

"But now you, this leader, have chosen others. So they'll want to attack the people you've chosen and retake their ecological niche. Therefore, I think from now on, they'll ostracize, mock, and provoke your research group wizards."

Alicia sighed. "So the real battle is only about to begin now. The closer to success, the more difficult it becomes."

"Locke, your research group will have to overcome new difficulties next. The good thing is, I can now openly give your research group privileges without arousing anyone's doubts."