In the dormitory, Locke's double continued preparing to explore the plane, while Locke himself began reading the magic book written by Russell.
After reading Russell's book on Golden Dogtail Grass, Locke learned that Dogtail Grass had many subtypes.
There were at least a hundred of them. The most basic was Green Dogtail Grass, also jokingly called a weed.
It was a First-Ring Magic Plant, after all. It might be a weed in a First-Ring Breeder's fields, but anywhere else, it was the King of Magic Plants. Calling it a weed was hardly fair.
There were also dozens of degenerate, Apprentice-Level forms of Green Dogtail Grass.
Then there were dozens of partially degenerate First-Ring varieties, a handful of evolved Green Dogtail Grass varieties, and one variety that had evolved again into a Second-Ring Magic Plant: Golden Dogtail Grass.
Russell wrote: "The sheer size of the Dogtail Grass Family is what makes it so fascinating. Of all its members, Golden Dogtail Grass holds the greatest appeal for me."
"As we have seen throughout this book, nearly every subtype of Green Dogtail Grass is undergoing some form of degeneration. Many subspecies have almost become ordinary plants, while many others stand on the brink of degeneration. Yet Golden Dogtail Grass alone has escaped that danger and evolved again into a Second-Ring Magic Plant."
"I will set aside Green Dogtail Grass's unusual mechanism of degeneration for now. That subject could fill ten magic books on its own. This book instead focuses on an overview of research into Golden Dogtail Grass..."
Locke finished the book over the course of the morning and learned a great deal. It described in detail the pathways of Golden Dogtail Grass's various natural magical structures.
Unfortunately, it was only an overview. It repeatedly stressed the plant's importance, special value, and unique