The Blast Pea, a rare Magic Plant, wasn't something that grew naturally in the wild.
This Magic Plant was born in a Breeder's laboratory, created by a Senior Breeder who grafted an ordinary pea with several powerful Magic Plants to cultivate this special variant.
As a result, the seeds of this potent Magic Plant couldn't grow normally in a natural environment.
They required a specific, undisclosed procedure developed by that Senior Breeder for the seeds to properly develop.
This special procedure hadn't yet been revealed by its creator.
Locke looked at the Blast Pea on the reward list and said, "I want one of these Magic Plants."
The dwarf scholar Ol recorded his choice and tilted his head. "Are you certain, Breeder Locke? Once confirmed, it cannot be changed."
Locke nodded.
The dwarf scholar Ol said, "The public library has a resource storage warehouse. Rewards of this level can be collected directly within the library. I'll arrange for someone to retrieve it for you."
"What will your second reward be?"
Locke fell into deep thought as he studied the list. With the Blast Pea, he could learn a powerful 0.8-circle offensive plant magic spell. As for defensive Magic Plants, he already had Perseus' Eye Lichen, which specialized against Curse Magic.
After his modifications, Perseus' Eye Lichen also had some resistance to physical attacks.
Besides, he still had the Nightwalker Feather Cloak.
The list is full of rare items—I should choose carefully and pick what I need most right now. But there aren't any Potions to increase Mana or Magical Resources here, probably because they're too valuable. There also aren't any special escape-type Enchanted Items.
After careful consideration, Locke said to the dwarf scholar Ol, "I'll take another Blast Pea. Do you still have enough of them in your resource warehouse?"
With two Blast Peas, Locke only needed to acquire a third one soon to attempt synthesis.
Even if he couldn't find a special synthesis formula, simply combining three rare Magic Plants would significantly enhance their traits—a major gain.
Especially for a Magic Plant meant to complement his primary offensive Spell. Every improvement in its traits would noticeably boost the power of his magic.
The dwarf scholar Ol hesitated. "Well, we do have some left."
"There are four Blast Peas in storage, all preserved at low temperatures using special enchantment magic arrays."
"But isn't this a duplicate choice?"
Locke smiled. "I just happen to be very interested in Blast Peas. By the way, could I purchase the remaining two Blast Peas from your library's warehouse with Magic Stones? If so, Scholar Ol, you can name a price."
The dwarf scholar Ol immediately shook his head. "Breeder Locke, I'd be happy to help you with this. A talented breeder like you would naturally be interested in rare Magic Plants like the Blast Pea, but unfortunately, the academy has special regulations regarding this."
"The resources in the warehouse cannot be purchased with Magic Stones."
"Those are special rewards reserved for academy students."
A flash of disappointment crossed Locke's eyes. Since there were no Blast Peas circulating in the Chimera Market recently, the chances of gathering three rare Magic Plants for synthesis within the remaining month were slim.
However, the dwarf scholar Ol changed his tone. "But Breeder Locke, you can still purchase them using Contribution Points."
"Breeder Locke, you've published six B-grade articles, earning you 300 Contribution Points, and two A-grade articles, which granted you 200 Contribution Points."
"Additionally, the title of Excellent Apprentice comes with 100 Contribution Points. That means you currently have a total of 600 Contribution Points. You could exchange 400 Contribution Points for one Blast Pea from the warehouse."
Locke nodded slightly. In the library, the exchange rate between Contribution Points and Magic Stones was 1:10, meaning 400 Contribution Points equated to 4,000 Magic Stones in equivalent funds.
Wait, no—Contribution Points were actually much harder to obtain than Magic Stones. According to Lilith's Cottage Academy's practices, this equivalent fund should be doubled.
In other words, one Blast Pea could be exchanged for 400 Contribution Points within the library, but in the market, it might cost up to 8,000 Magic Stones to acquire one.
Moreover, even with the money, it wasn't something one could buy immediately—there would be waiting lists and delays.
Locke narrowed his eyes. No wonder wizard apprentices in the academy were so eager to publish as many high-quality articles as possible.
Essentially, the title of Excellent Apprentice alone had granted him two rare Magic Plants worth 800 Contribution Points, equivalent to 16,000 Magic Stones in the Chimera Market.
This was an amount an ordinary First Class Wizard Apprentice could never afford.
But they could earn it by publishing articles. This was the motivation driving those First Class Wizard Apprentices to compete for titles, honors, and accolades.
The dwarf scholar Ol considerately asked Locke, "Breeder Locke, would you like to make the exchange?"
Locke frowned. For others, earning Contribution Points was as difficult as scaling the heavens—requiring painstaking effort, borrowing research resources from others, and sheer despair if their mentor wasn't supportive.
But for him, publishing articles was as easy as eating and drinking.
As long as he kept developing new Magic Potions and new Magic Plants, writing articles would be effortless.
The only issue was that a bunch of First Class Wizard Apprentices might try to leech off him.
He would never lack Contribution Points.
Still, Locke asked one more question. "How many Contribution Points are usually needed to exchange for entry into the Wizard secret realm?"
The dwarf scholar Ol smiled knowingly. Everyone worked so hard to publish articles and accumulate Contribution Points—wasn't it all for the chance to enter the Wizard secret realm?
"Generally speaking, an average Wizard secret realm requires about fifteen hundred Contribution Points."
"For secret realms at the level of the Forbidden Forest, at least two thousand Contribution Points are needed."
"The Contribution Points required to enter a Wizard secret realm aren't fixed—they fluctuate depending on the time period. It's determined by how many wizard apprentices enter during the same period. This involves many complex factors because some secret realms belong solely to the academy, some are shared among several Wizard academies, and others are managed by the White Wizard Association."
The dwarf scholar Ol pointed to a wall at the back of the library and said, "If there are recent fluctuations in Contribution Point exchanges, we'll post notices on the bulletin board over there."
"These pricing adjustments have always been managed by us Omniscience Scholars through macro-control."
Locke frowned slightly. An ordinary secret realm generally cost over fifteen hundred, while a high-level one required more than two thousand.
He quickly recalled the level and quantity of articles published by Sophia the Witch and the Contribution Points they could be exchanged for. "At this exchange rate, my mentor Sophia the Witch could only enter a Wizard secret realm four or five times."
The dwarf scholar Ol widened his eyes. "Being able to enter four or five times is already a lot."
"Many First Class Wizard Apprentices can't even enter once. Sometimes, they can benefit from certain perks. Some Wizard Mentors have opportunities to enter low-level secret realms, which are the only chances mediocre First Class Wizard Apprentices get to enter such places."
"That's why Wizard Mentors hold significant influence."
"As for outstanding First Class Wizard Apprentices, many titles and honors come with opportunities to enter secret realms. So, they can compete for titles and honors as a way to gain access."
The dwarf scholar Ol raised a finger to give an example. "For instance, the title of Wizard Seed comes with the privilege of entering one ordinary Wizard secret realm per year and one high-level secret realm every five years."
--Enjoying the story? Want more chapters? Check out my Patreon and support me for 40+ advance chapters.
Just search for "LegendaryTL" on Patreon!"
Thanks!