Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 95 The Super-Giant Public Botanical Garden
Within the vast botanical garden, towering mountains rise one after another, and an artificial sun hangs high in the sky, constantly radiating specific magical radiation. Locke is quite certain that it is a magical resonance cultivation device that is more advanced than the radiation cauldron.

In this space, which resembles a small otherworld, even the gentle breeze blowing in your face is filled with magical fluctuations.

Inside the botanical garden, many high-ranking slaves were working, while first-class wizard apprentices walked among them, instructing second-class wizard apprentices on how to maintain the magical plants, or personally protecting those fragile magical plants.

The second-class wizard apprentice, who had signed a contract with the Public Botanical Garden, bowed to Locke. "Lord Augustine, welcome to the most important area of ​​Lilith's Lodge, the Public Botanical Garden."

"Please follow me. This area is a private planting area. The five hundred acres of magical plant fields that you need to maintain belong to public magical fields. They are assigned to first-class wizard apprentices and breeders like you by the academy, and you take turns managing a portion of them."

Locke understood; it was somewhat like the well-field system.

Most of the magic fields in the public botanical garden are for public use, but at least one-third of them are shared with others as private magic fields.

The second-class wizard apprentice stole a glance at Locke; Locke's youthful age caught his attention.

Most of those who can work in the public botanical garden are from the seventy-two native wizard families; they have connections to find such good jobs.

But when he thought about how he, with his excellent conditions and outstanding family background, had been stuck at the second-class wizard apprentice level for almost five years, while this wizard prodigy from the mortal world overseas was already a first-class wizard apprentice, he felt a little depressed.

Moreover, he dared not show his frustration to Locke.

This second-class wizard apprentice could only obediently perform his duties and introduce Locke to the work areas that Locke was responsible for.

This second-class wizard apprentice led Locke for about 7 kilometers, and wherever they went, they saw magical fields planted with all sorts of magical plants.

Many slaves were harvesting mature magical plants in the fields. Most of these magical plants were not combat magical plants, but magical plants used as raw materials for potion making.

"Lord Augustine, we've arrived. You will be in charge of these 500 acres of magical fields for one month, and then the academy will entrust someone else to manage them for the following month." The second-class wizard apprentice bowed to Locke, with a slightly obsequious tone. "The public botanical garden has a complete set of nutrient solutions and potting soil, as well as farming tools for various magical plants, special magical insecticides, and magical plant herbicides for specific weeds."

"Lord Augustine, if you need anything in the future, you can always come to me for help."

"In addition, you can also outsource work."

The second-class wizard apprentice chuckled, “You can hire a few second-class wizard apprentices to help you with your work; you just need to provide guidance from the sidelines.”

"Some of the magical plants are too dangerous, and a second-level wizard apprentice may not be able to handle them. Moreover, according to the academy's regulations, you must at least be here to watch over them."

“Lord Augustine, I am Thomas Beren. Please feel free to come to me if you need anything.”

Locke glanced at the second-class wizard apprentice with surprise. Beren... This should be a member of one of the seventy-two local wizard families, the Beren family. That family also seems to have a few first-class wizard apprentices.

However, like the Reeves family, those first-class wizard apprentices had no chance of advancing and were nearing the end of their lifespans.

The seventy-two native wizard families have been facing a shortage of successors.

Locke said indifferently, "Yes, I understand."

After Thomas left, Locke turned his attention to his surroundings and saw that, besides himself, there were quite a few first-class wizard apprentices cooking in the academy's public fields.

Each person lives on approximately 500 mu (about 33 hectares).

At first glance, there are at least twenty first-class wizard apprentices working here.

"First-class wizard apprentices have long lifespans, while second- and third-class apprentices often fail to advance within ten years, losing their academy stipends and even being forced to drop out, becoming wandering wizards," Locke pondered. "Or they might be forced to enter a less prestigious academy."

'But first-class wizard apprentices are extremely valuable, and the academy can continuously subsidize them. First-class wizard apprentices also have a lifespan of at least two hundred years, so the number of first-class wizard apprentices within the academy should be quite large.'

'These are all things that have accumulated over time and remain.'

It often takes more than ten years for a first-class wizard apprentice to become a full wizard. Those with little hope of advancement, who have been stuck as first-class wizard apprentices for fifty or sixty years, are still prepared to give it their all and become full wizards.

If you don't become a formal wizard before the age of forty, your chances of success will drop significantly, but it's not to say they're completely nonexistent.

These first-class wizard apprentices are often surrounded by servants, and there are also many second-class wizard apprentices around them.

When Locke entered, a few first-class wizard apprentices glanced at him a few times, and a few nodded to him before ignoring him completely.

After all, Locke had only just become a first-class wizard apprentice, while some of them were only a few steps away from becoming full-fledged wizards, while others, although hopeless of becoming full-fledged wizards, had been first-class wizard apprentices for fifty or sixty years and were highly experienced.

Moreover, they all wore breeder badges and certificates.

Seeing the Breeder's Assistant badge and certificate on Locke's persona, these people couldn't help but show disdain, and naturally had no intention of befriending him. Wizards are pragmatic.

Since they saw no benefit in befriending him, these veteran first-class wizard apprentices naturally lost interest in him.

Some senior first-class wizard apprentices would gather in twos and threes to chat or exchange ideas, and delegate tasks to the second-class wizard apprentices they had hired.

Locke overheard several first-class wizard apprentices complimenting a female first-class wizard apprentice named Mary.

“Senior Mary, you must be the first-class wizard apprentice in the academy who is closest to becoming a formal wizard... I’m so envious.”

Mary said detachedly, "Yes. I will participate in the Breeder Competition next year and start accumulating resources. A first-class wizard apprentice needs to accumulate a lot of resources to become a full-fledged wizard."

"You guys should also start preparing soon."

The first-class wizard apprentices surrounding her burst into laughter.

"We're still a long way off. We might have to wait another ten years or so before we reach your level, Senior Mary."

"I recently took on an academy mission and cultivated a batch of verbena magic plants, earning a lot of magic stones."

“That’s probably because of the Blood Curse Tribunal that they issued this emergency mission. Verbena doesn’t have much other use,” Mary said. “I heard that the Academy, in retaliation against the Blood Curse Tribunal, threw verbena, which causes vampires to have a magical allergy when they touch it, into the upper reaches of the water source used by the Blood Curse Tribunal. I heard that many wizarding apprentices of the Blood Curse Tribunal died as a result.”

As they were talking, Mary suddenly looked up at a young male first-class wizard apprentice not far away, nodded slightly to him, and greeted him, "Angron, you've arrived."

"I heard you got a breeder assistant certificate, I didn't know it was true."

Angron largely ignored everyone else and greeted Mary. "My recent mental enhancement potion project hasn't been very successful. To learn from this experience, I applied to Professor Harun Vera for a Breeder Assistant certificate and then came to work at the public plantation."

“Mary, I didn’t expect you to be here too. That’s great! We can chat with each other. It’s so boring without anyone to talk to.”

Mary smiled and nodded. She had the same thought, since she couldn't really get anything out of the wizard apprentices surrounding her.

Angron glanced at Locke, who was not far away. Locke was a new face, so he slightly caught his attention.

But Angron soon turned his attention to Mary, who was also a formal wizard seed, and chatted and laughed with her.

Locke withdrew his gaze from observing the people around him.

He didn't take the initiative to greet you. When you're feeling weak, it's best not to focus on socializing, but rather on improving yourself. Friends will naturally come to you.

Otherwise, forcing yourself into those circles will only backfire.

Locke had no idea that he would encounter Angron, the first-class wizard apprentice, here.

The other person looked strong, with muscles all over his body, quite different from the image of an ordinary wizard apprentice. He had a buzz cut, clean and neat, but his eyes were gloomy, and he did look like the kind of person who would do anything.

Locke turned to look at the 500 acres of magical fields he was responsible for. "The academy probably took into account that I only have a Breeder Assistant Certificate, so they didn't assign me any complicated magical plant care tasks. They only assigned me the simplest magical plants."

"fair enough."

"Logically, it would be much simpler for me."

"The first step is to eliminate specific harmful fungi from the phoenix feather flowers, which requires a special antibacterial gel."

Locke spent the rest of the day working in the public botanical garden.

However, he worked all day without any other first-class wizard apprentices coming to talk to him, and lower-class wizard apprentices didn't dare to bother him.

Therefore, Locke was able to enjoy some peace and quiet.

As evening fell, when Locke returned to his cabin complex, he entered the small to medium-sized botanical garden that the Reeves family had given him. By then, the minotaur slaves had already tidied up the garden, spreading a large amount of nutrient-rich soil throughout.

Locke inspected the area. "About a week later, we should be able to cultivate twenty acres of new magic fields."

Locke looked at the Horadric Cube spinning in the void, where it was currently synthesizing three ordinary [Palm Lotus].

My third magical plant should be ready in a week.

(End of this chapter)