Watching Harper excitedly record the data from the test, then rubbing his hands as he walked over, Ron smiled and asked, "So the reaction zone can officially be put into use now, right?"
"That's right!" Harper was thrilled. This was the first time he had personally operated such precise experimental equipment.
Back at the Royal Capital Magic Academy, due to Harper's terrible track record in experiments, the person in charge of the lab never dared approve his equipment requests—
especially the expensive ones.
Only someone as wealthy as Ron would dare hand over such a massive reaction zone to him.
"We still need to follow the lab's procedures for all experiments," Ron reminded him. "You'll need to regularly apply to Edith and report your experiment schedule. Safety comes first."
"Don't worry!" Harper patted his chest confidently.
Watching his overly confident expression, Ron's eyelid twitched slightly—something about this still felt unreliable…
So after leaving the reaction zone, Ron went to find Edith and instructed her to strictly review all of Harper's experiments to avoid any mishaps.
"Rest assured, Your Highness Ron," Edith said, jingling a key in her hand. "The control room key is with me. I won't let Harper mess around."
"My Puppet Tree link is with you. If there's anything you can't decide, report it to me when I connect each day," Ron added before leaving.
Sitting in the carriage, Ron opened the system panel and checked the newly triggered side quest.
"Exploring the relationship between magic power and elements…" Ron stroked his chin, sensing something deeper behind the task.
It was almost as if the system already knew there was a fundamental connection between magic power and elements.
Of course, he wasn't naïve enough to ask directly.
If the task existed, there was no way the system would just hand over the answer.
But if such a relationship truly existed—and had yet to be discovered by the magical community—then Illya and Harper's research was undoubtedly meaningful.
Once proven, it could potentially usher in a whole new era of magic.
The more Ron thought about it, the more intrigued he became.
Unfortunately, his own magical knowledge was rather shallow.
He could use magic, but he wasn't really a combat mage, nor a research mage.
If anything, he was… more like a "decorative mage."
Maybe he should start practicing magic during morning training as well.
With that thought, Ron shifted his focus to the reward he had just received.
He first absorbed the Mimic Grass Cultivation Method, then opened its description.
---
[Mimic Grass]:
"A perennial herbaceous plant with dense fibrous roots and upright stems, growing up to 120 cm tall."
"Leaf sheaths are loose; ligules are membranous; leaves are flat with rough surfaces and edges. The panicle is cylindrical and gray-green; spikelets are oblong, with stiff hairs along the ridges. Caryopses are oblong, flowering and fruiting from June to August."
"Mimic Grass possesses an extremely advanced light-sensing system, capable of recording surrounding environments and the characteristics of individuals."
"When encountering danger or when necessary, Mimic Grass secretes special microscopic particles that attach to moisture in the air, forming visual imitations of other objects to disguise itself."
"Other organisms can establish a bloodlink with Mimic Grass by dripping blood onto it, gaining control over it and all subsequently grown Mimic Grass."
"Once linked, any recorded images within the Mimic Grass can be reproduced through mimicry."
"The fruit of Mimic Grass is thumb-sized and contains abundant mimic secretions. Crushing and dispersing it into the air expands the range of its mimicry."
---
After reading the description, Ron fell into silence.
…What exactly was this supposed to be used for?
It seemed like a survival tool?
Using mimicry to disguise oneself and avoid danger?
But beyond that…?
Ron reread the description, letting his thoughts wander. In the end, he decided it would be better to grow one and see its effects firsthand.
Returning to the shop, with some time before dinner, Ron immediately entered the dimensional space and waved his hand, exchanging for 5 square meters of cultivation space.
For him now, that was trivial.
Spending over twenty thousand wealth points didn't even make him blink.
He took out the Mimic Grass seed from his [Inventory] and planted it.
Under his skilled control, the first Mimic Grass fully grew in just ten minutes.
It stood over a meter tall, with a top resembling a foxtail—covered in soft fibers, within which were plump, thumb-sized fruits.
Ron forced out a drop of blood from his fingertip and used his mind to guide it into the cultivation space, letting it drip onto the plant.
In the next instant, he felt a connection form.
It was as if the Mimic Grass would obey any command he gave.
Through this link, Ron could vaguely sense that its light-sensing system had begun recording its surroundings.
However, since the cultivation space was isolated, it could only record the soil and sunlight within that limited area.
With a thought, one of the fruits at the top burst open, spraying mimic secretions into the air.
Soon, a mound of dark brown soil appeared before him—completely concealing the Mimic Grass itself.
According to the description, this was merely an illusion, not a real object.
To Ron's naked eye, however, it looked perfectly real.
To test it, he willed the Mimic Grass out of the cultivation space.
The moment it appeared outside, it "saw" Ron and recorded his image.
Through their connection, Ron immediately sensed that his appearance had been imprinted—though only vaguely.
With another thought—
The Mimic Grass transformed into an image identical to Ron.
"Huh!" Ron clicked his tongue in amazement. He reached out to touch it.
His hand passed straight through.
No physical substance.
When he reached lower, he could still feel the plant's foxtail body—meaning the Mimic Grass itself still existed beneath the illusion.
"Feels like it could be used as a static projection… huh?"
At that moment, Ron had an idea.
He took a few steps within the dimensional space, then controlled the Mimic Grass again.
The "Ron" it projected… started walking too.
"This isn't just a photo—it can record video?"
Ron was genuinely surprised.
This was basically a holographic projection device!
Excited, he immediately cast a Water Control Spell and commanded the Mimic Grass to replicate it.
As the mimic secretions spread, a lifelike water sphere appeared before him.
If Ron hadn't reached out and felt nothing—and noticed that the image became blurry as it moved farther from the Mimic Grass—
He wouldn't have been able to tell the difference from a real spell at all.