Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Four Failures, Hesitation
Twelve minutes later.
On the vast prairie, a pure black spaceship descended like a meteor, coming to an abrupt halt only three meters above the ground before gently landing.
"The speed of 3.4 rings is truly exhilarating." In the spaceship’s control room, Lor reluctantly dispersed the Elemental Energy.
When leaving the spaceship’s docking area, he was delayed by two minutes due to congestion, yet he still managed to cross a thousand and one hundred miles within twelve minutes.
"Click—"
Lor opened both the upper and lower doors of the spaceship, flew out, and said at the first door, "Everyone, come out."
Ten dizzy Level 2 Wizard Apprentices were pulled out by Kateya and Levan using the Floating Technique, either kneeling or lying on the ground, retching non-stop.
"Sir Lor, your spaceship’s speed was too much for the apprentices," Kateya complained helplessly.
"I’ll be careful next time." A trace of embarrassment flashed across Lor’s face, "Let them recover before attempting to build the model. Meanwhile, I can take this time to break down the model."
He had been eager to test the spaceship’s maximum speed, forgetting that the apprentices’ bodies couldn’t withstand such speed.
"Yes." Kateya nodded, moved aside with a stack of Soul Contracts, focusing on the apprentices’ state, waiting for them to recover.
Meanwhile, Lor took out two pieces of parchment, planning the parts each apprentice needed to verify.
This time, the two Witchcrafts he wanted to fuse were the 0.9-ring Flame Wall and the 1.9+0.2-ring Lava Eruption.
The 0.9-ring Flame Wall was manageable; all apprentices could learn it.
The Lava Eruption was challenging, requiring it to be divided into ten sub-models for each apprentice to verify part of it.
He wrote on the parchment for a full two hours, finally completing the decomposition of the Elemental junctions and Lava Eruption Witchcraft Model, and divided them into numbers 1 through 10.
"Are they ready to start?" After preparation, Lor looked up and asked Kateya.
"They’ve recovered." Kateya nodded, "I’ve had them sign the Soul Contracts as well, so we can begin the experiment anytime."
"Alright, I’ve labeled the numbers, go ahead and distribute them." Lor handed over eleven pieces of parchment.
Among these eleven pieces, ten recorded Lor’s Sea of Consciousness version of the Flame Wall, while one had the labeled junction and partial model of Lava Eruption.
This incomplete version of Lava Eruption, even if successfully fused with the Flame Wall, couldn’t even initiate half of the Small Meteor Witchcraft.
They could only achieve certain aspects of the Small Meteor Witchcraft, such as manifesting a small stone falling from the sky out of nowhere.
Or determining a precise location and accurately hitting it with a randomly thrown stone, etc.
"Yes." Kateya took the parchments and distributed them to the ten apprentices.
The apprentices, now recovered, took the parchments and began optimizing their Flame Wall models.
Lor, having nothing else to do, returned to the second level of the spaceship to meditate.
...
Six hours later, as dusk fell.
The Wizard Apprentices completed the Witchcraft Fusion according to the Elemental junctions, forming a line to await inspection.
Kateya took out a Communication Ball and sent a message to Lor.
In a short while, Lor flew out from the second level of the spaceship.
"Let’s begin." Lor nodded at the Wizard Apprentices.
Number 1, conjuring a stone in the air, successful.
Number 2, channeling Earth Elemental Power from the Divine Realm Layer, failed.
Number 3, failed.
Number 7...
Number 10, causing a rock infused with the Power of Fire Element to explode in place, successful.
"Four directions failed; definitely need to find more Elemental junctions."
Lor sighed, thinking, "But this experiment wasn’t a total waste. The successful directions won’t need apprentices next time."
This time, he brought in ten apprentices at once, costing 5000 contribution points.
Occasionally purchasing various basic rune constructions, his remaining balance was just over 700,000 contribution points. If a hundred more experiment failures happened, he’d go bankrupt.
For now, conducting one-ring Witchcraft Fusion experiments was manageable, but later, when hundreds or thousands of apprentices would be needed for a single experiment, the cumulative cost in contribution points would be terrifying.
As for selling Core Witchcraft Models for contribution points, that was out of the question for him.
He didn’t want to suddenly get hit on the head by a Small Meteor Witchcraft and die senselessly.
"I truly hope the players will descend again this era..."
Lor looked towards the direction of the Betula Continent, filled with hope.
He was genuinely poor, unable to afford investing in local apprentices!
"Master, was it successful?" Levan asked curiously, seeing Lor no longer focused on the apprentices.
"Half-successful," Lor replied and then addressed the apprentices, "The experiment is over, you can leave now."
"Yes, Master Wizard."
The apprentices bowed and started heading back into the spaceship.
For some reason, their legs would involuntarily tremble a bit as they stepped into the spaceship.
Kateya and Levan followed suit into the first level of the spaceship.
Lor returned to the second level of the spaceship, adjusted its flight direction, and headed towards the Nelson Wizard Tower.
...
Fifteen minutes later.
Lor returned to his laboratory but did not immediately begin meditating. Instead, he took out a Communication Ball to contact Agular, activating it with Spiritual Power and saying:
"Master, I’ve researched your Witchcraft System and discovered some potential breakthrough directions. Do you have time to take a look?"
It had been two months since returning to the Wizard Tower, and it was time to submit the research direction he had written earlier to his mentor.
"I’m here."
Agular’s speed was as fast as ever; within less than two seconds, he was outside Lor’s laboratory door.
Lor rose to open the door and handed Agular a parchment filled with writing, smiling as he said:
"Master, these are some insights I had while studying your Witchcraft System. I hope they’ll be helpful to you."
Agular accepted the parchment, slightly moved to see it filled with writing, "Thank you for your efforts."
He was well aware that Lor, having just broken through the one-ring level, needed time to research his Fusion Witchcraft System.
Yet, despite being so busy, Lor took the time to provide research inspiration and even filled an entire page, showing how much thought he’d put into it.
"It was just convenient," Lor said nonchalantly, waving his hand. "Master, you should try those directions out soon to see if they work."
"Alright."
Agular, feeling greatly touched just from scanning the parchment’s contents, was even more eager than Lor to verify them one by one.
However, leaving just like that didn’t sit right with him.
The thorn in his heart was named Gu Lei.
"I... sigh~"
Agular hesitated for a long time, ultimately saying nothing and leaving with a sigh.
If he succeeded in his breakthrough, everything would be fine, but should he fail, the Earth and Fire Faction would be left with only Gu Lei as their second-ring wizard.
Lor’s growth needed time, and until he matured, Gu Lei was the pillar of the Earth and Fire Faction.
No matter what, he shouldn’t intervene to assist Lor right now.
"Gu Lei..." Lor whispered to himself upon closing the laboratory door.
He had clearly seen Agular’s hesitation before leaving and understood why.
In truth, he didn’t need Agular’s intervention. As soon as the Small Meteor Witchcraft was completed, Gu Lei’s death knell would sound.
Lor vividly remembered Gu Lei’s hostility when he first exited the Divine Realm, reaching the twenty-seventh level.
If not for introducing Levan in time, who knows what would have happened that day.
"Soon, the Small Meteor Witchcraft is already halfway complete."