Chapter 723
Chapter 723 - 709: Small Goal
1,864 words
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10 min read
Two of the "Three Giants" were traveling together, and even though they tried to be low-key, the scene was still quite a spectacle... especially when, in a certain sense, they represented the largest local official authority.
Confronted with a tree trunk blocking their way, the large truck simply crushed it beneath its wheels.
Atop the roof of the vehicle, Meow was delighting in its scouting duties.
The vehicle was the same monster truck from before, with its twisted transformation parts removed, a little maintenance done, and now it was being used as their ride again.
The two trucks carried at least twenty to thirty people, most of them Wang Xier’s personnel... Considering her age and background, her own strength was quite impressive, but it couldn’t compare with Lu Ping’an’s "combat power." Having a bodyguard team was essential.
The other truck carried various "experts." Simply persuading people to join them with empty words wouldn’t be enough; they needed these specialists to communicate, promise, and use their own achievements as proof to provide convincing evidence.
There were too many of them that Lu Ping’an’s side had even brought along a "newcomer."
𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"Teacher, I’m counting on you later."
Professor Wen, who had been conducting research in the courtyard, was also invited. He had quite a reputation in the academic circles of the ancient city, so he could help when it was time for the Ninth Vocational High School teachers to be their allies.
"Fine, I have a headache with my own research at the moment anyway."
Professor Wen was helpless too, as he was dissatisfied with the current progress of his research.
His team was strong and was originally the main force of research for the Rebirth corps. They had some confidence and ambition, believing this time they could soar along with the students... but they didn’t expect that the Beast Tamer team next door would be hacking their way through with several bug-level guardians. They had succeeded one after another, and they even had a practical zoo.
Now, their only achievement was the development of the "Plant Rapid Growth Agent"... but that could be considered more of a discovery than an invention. More and more independent teams had found the amazing uses of "black ash."
Some teams even wanted to set fire to the mountains again, but due to the difficulty of finding the great forest wood, they had no choice but to give up their plan.
Days ago, the focus of Professor Wen’s research was on the great forest wood... To research other plants, they needed materials. However, they had initially burned everything down, and then the Aus people attacked, leaving no time for new projects.
Now, they have collected numerous new plants along the way and started several new projects, but their research progress was still quite worrying.
As a matter of fact, the latest progress reports showed no signs of progress, not even a clear direction, let alone results.
This wasn’t because their abilities were lacking or their luck was bad, it was simply the normal pace for research teams... What gardener team doesn’t take four or five years, iterating through a dozen or more generations, to find the correct research direction?
Yes, the research direction and goal are more important than the research outcome.
Through gradual exploration, trial and error, iteration, they slowly completed the spectrum and characteristic lists of local magical plants and demons, constructed their biological chains and evolutionary relationships, and most of the time, it was only after more than half of the basic work was completed that results began to appear. It was then that the researchers could identify which direction had the most potential for excavation.
Magical creatures were more straightforward to understand, while for magical plants you needed to explore their characteristics and limitations step by step – through the positions they take in the biological chain, their influence on other living organisms, and their own growth, reproduction, and chemical composition. By the time you grasped all this, several years might have passed... This process was a time-consuming one, and under normal circumstances, not something that could be rushed.
High-level gardeners could speed up this process, making plants grow faster and bypassing certain limitations, but all the required steps and procedures had to be followed.
"...Our progress is a bit slow."
For the first time, the old professor faced his student feeling somewhat lacking in confidence, like a contractor who had taken money but didn’t complete the job when confronted by the client.
He knew it wasn’t their fault; it was just that the client in front of them was simply too outrageous. They casually rolled up their sleeves and got to work, producing one result after another.
Now, the most significant contribution Professor Wen and his team could make to the Rebirth corps was to help complete the "gigantification" research. This involved using the "Great Forest Wood Growth Element" on individual magical plants, studying their various values and characteristics after gigantification.
Frankly, this was just tedious work that even a beginner could do, and it was somewhat humiliating for them... But as they hadn’t produced any other research results, they had nothing else to say.
"It’s okay, it’s okay. I was actually planning to ask you for tutoring lessons, but I’ve just been too busy recently..."
Lu Ping’an knew better and wouldn’t say anything unnecessary.
Unlike the readily found magical creatures, plants were comparatively static, and those valuable medicinal herbs, offensive plants, and special plants typically stayed quiet in certain environments.
It wasn’t just about spotting them at a glance; even if you lived with these plants for several decades, you might still not understand their mystery.
Discovering something required steadiness as it was only through a wide range of inventory and verification, a lot of time might lead to some lucky encounters, and harvests could be made someday.
"Alright, you need to make time to read the notes I gave you. If there is something you don’t understand, I can explain it to you. Try to finish it within two months."
Upon hearing this, Lu Ping’an showed a subtle expression, seeming a bit embarrassed. Still, he managed to squeeze out a polite smile.
Seeing this, Professor Wen also laughed.
"There are many things you don’t understand? That’s normal, as your foundation might be a bit weak. You’ll get there eventually."
Lu Ping’an laughed awkwardly, nodded his head, and didn’t say anything else.
In fact, it wasn’t that he encountered difficulties or didn’t understand; he had read it all in just one night.
The content expected to be studied in three months? Lu Ping’an felt as if he had read a novel, instantly grasping many things he had encountered for the first time, forming a complete knowledge system in his mind.
The title of "third-tier Taboo Scholar" was laid out there, and his ridiculously high level of taboo knowledge made him like a super erudite scholar in certain fields, easily analyzing the "basics" of his series.
Anyway, he had been busy recently and didn’t have time to read books, so there was no need to dampen the enthusiasm of the old professors.
He was quite satisfied with the work of Professor Wen and others, and didn’t expect them to come up with any results in a short time... Only experts would understand that just starting research would bring continuous benefits.
Investigating surrounding plants inevitably touched on plant-centered hydrology and natural environment, and long-term powerful intelligence resources. Just knowing where to live, which fruits to eat, and which water sources to drink from was very valuable.
Gardeners were different from Beast Tamers. Beast Tamers studied more about demons and animals themselves, while Gardeners dealt with an "environment," an independent garden simulating a small world.
Each magic plant could be mass-produced by providing the needed "environment." Professor Wen’s greatest academic achievement in his life was the planting and mass production of several new magic plants, which meant tailor-made environments for them.
Air, humidity were only the foundation. The specific components in the soil, water, and sunlight needs, among other things, would all be determined in time.
Of course, this was under the category of high-level environments. The "Court Gardener" profession of the "Pavilion Master" and their unique "scenery" were very telling.
Beast Tamers easily achieved results because they could quickly transform local animals into resources, and animals could adapt to changes in the external environment... However, changes in the environment were lethal for many plants, and Gardeners’ first duty was to provide a suitable growth environment for them.
It was for this reason that the Gardener series was bound to be a long-term investment with slow effectiveness, and support from Magic Alchemists, craftsmen, and other professions were needed.
Lu Ping’an wasn’t in a hurry. Scholar Gardener and Battle Gardener like him were different; nothing could be rushed, and many valuable gains were often by-products of their research.
Sometimes, while researching, they might even inadvertently discover local specific physical rules and biological characteristics.
Plants were in direct contact with the inorganic natural world, and their existence often contained the most fundamental secrets of the world.
Facing the somewhat anxious Professor Wen, Lu Ping’an reassured his teacher and told him to take it easy and keep going.
Actually, he had a big project on his hands that they could do...
"Don’t worry, don’t worry... I’m more interested in local basic information than the quick results."
The big project on Lu Ping’an’s hands was the demonization and mass production of the "great forest wood."
Others wouldn’t even dare to think about this. Not to mention how much pollution it would take to demonize that kind of monster, what would happen after demonization, and how could it be cleaned up? Even if it was demonized, would you take it with you?
However, all these were not problems for Lu Ping’an, a gardener with a "world-class garden."
There was no need to explain how outrageous the "Accelerated Growth" ability of the great forest wood was, but it was difficult to say how much effect it would have after leaving this world’s limitations.
Even if he only managed to demonize it successfully, the mass production of the "Demonized Growth Potion" alone would be extremely valuable.
In a sense, it was also a common approach for professionals to explore the world.
Can’t take local treasures with you? Bring them after demonization.
Are local beasts strong? Bring them after demonization.
As for local beauties... cough cough.
Lu Ping’an put this plan on his schedule but hadn’t mentioned it to Professor Wen and others.
He knew that as soon as he spoke up, these people would drop their current fundamental research and focus on this challenging project... In the end, they wouldn’t have done anything and yielded no results for several years.
"...Let’s wait until the Aus people are dealt with and the place is completely peaceful."
— End of Chapter 723 —