Silver-Ring Green Sprout?
Locke's double, aboard the Airship, quickly looked up the relevant information. It was a special Apprentice-Level Magic Plant that could grow on the ocean's surface, and it was classified as a food crop.
Silver-Ring Green Sprout was a grain, but it tasted bad, was hard to digest, and had little nutritional value. Its sole advantage was that it could grow in seawater and produce an extraordinarily high yield.
It was one of Golden Crown Mountain's research achievements.
A strange look flashed through Locke's eyes. Two buds of the Demon Dragon Rose bit into Old Henry's shoulders. "Why are you trying to destroy the Silver-Ring Green Sprout?"
Old Henry cried out in pain.
"You should ask yourselves. You hypocritical White Wizards. The Mediterranean Great World is an enormous world.
"But its surface is trapped in eternal winter, while underground lies a vast ocean dotted with scattered islands. Its people have long faced food shortages and can only buy grain from the Rose Council."
"Hasn't the Mediterranean Great World's grain market always belonged to the Rose Council? But Golden Crown Mountain plans to sell them those grain seeds, throw in a First-Class Wizard Apprentice, and send him over to transfer the technology."
"Once the natives learn to grow food crops on the sea, the Rose Council loses out."
Old Henry looked disdainful.
"Every coin in a White Wizard's hands is filthy. We rob you with a clear conscience."
Locke suddenly understood. This was commercial competition.
He checked the records. Silver-Ring Green Sprout was the result of a Second-Ring Fund project under the Youth Cadre Fund that his teacher had once secured.
And his second senior fellow disciple, Heidegger, was overseeing that line of research.
Clearly, this was not a conflict between the Rose Council and Golden Crown Mountain. It