Processing Magical Plants

Luo Lin clutched his protesting stomach, forced himself to his feet, and began searching through the wooden cabin.

The belongings left behind by the previous owner were pitifully few. In the corner of a wooden chest, he found only several diamond-shaped crystals glimmering with a faint light.

According to the previous owner's memories, these were the common currency of the wizarding world: Magic Stones.

He counted them. There were only three Lower-grade Magic Stones, along with a crude identity plaque.

He recalled that the academy's contribution points were not physical objects, but numbers recorded within the identity plaque.

Luo Lin immediately sent his spiritual power into the plaque, and a line of information appeared:

[Contribution Points: 18]

"Too poor!"

Luo Lin sighed. These few resources were not even enough for several decent meals at the academy cafeteria.

Let alone buying any resources that could aid his cultivation.

He had to earn contribution points or Magic Stones immediately.

When he pushed open the wooden door, an even more biting cold wind struck his face, jolting Luo Lin awake.

Quite a few gray-robed figures were already moving through the apprentice district. Most hurried along with grave expressions.

There was little interaction between them, and the air was thick with oppression and competition.

Following the previous owner's memories, Luo Lin headed toward the academy's public area and its task hall.

It was the primary place for apprentices to obtain resources.

The task hall was an enormous stone building, bustling with voices. It had more of a lived-in atmosphere than the frigid residential area, but it was also far more chaotic.

A massive spell screen floated in midair, densely covered with scrolling task information:

[Collect Ghostface Flowers. Reward: 10 contribution points. Risk at your own discretion.]

[Clean up Abandoned Laboratory No. 3. Reward: 15 contribution points. Note: Low-level radiation residue present.]

[Process Gargoyle heart fragments. Requirement: Remove all blood vessels and neural tissue. Reward: 5 contribution points per piece.]

[Long-term purchase of properly processed Moonlight Moss. Reward: 2 contribution points per portion.]

[...]

Luo Lin scanned them quickly.

Collection tasks were risky, while cleanup tasks carried unknown dangers. Neither was the best choice for him right now.

In the end, his gaze settled on the material-processing tasks, especially the long-term Moonlight Moss purchase task.

Moonlight Moss...

Luo Lin recalled the scattered knowledge from Basic Magical Botany.

It was a magical plant with cold properties, commonly used in calming potions, but it was extremely susceptible to infestation by Shadow Fungus. On the surface, it looked as though it had rotted.

It was extremely troublesome to process. The usual method was to directly cut away the rotten portions, but that caused severe losses and could easily leave residue behind.

More importantly, the previous owner's memories mentioned that a obscure book recorded how this troublesome Shadow Fungus seemed to contain a catalytic component capable of mildly stimulating spiritual power.

It was merely considered a pure contaminant because extraction was incredibly difficult and not worth the effort.

"This task... might be worth trying."

Luo Lin calculated inwardly.

The effect brought by Efficient Scholar might allow him to solve this problem.

He walked up to the task counter and presented his identity plaque.

"I'll accept five Moonlight Moss processing tasks."

The gray-robed apprentice attendant behind the counter operated something expressionlessly. The contribution point number on Luo Lin's plaque changed, deducting five points as a deposit.

[Contribution Points: 13]

"Bring your own tools, or rent a basic set for 1 contribution point."

The attendant's voice was utterly flat.

"I'll rent it."

Luo Lin did not hesitate. He did not even have a decent small knife at the moment.

After another point was deducted, he received a bone knife and several preservative wooden boxes.

Rather than return to his drafty wooden cabin, Luo Lin spent another contribution point to rent a public basic material-processing room.

Though simple, it at least had walls to block the wind, a level stone worktable, and a basic cleansing formation, ensuring that the process would not be disturbed or contaminated.

He placed five clumps of moss that gave off a faint rotten stench and flickered with irregular, dim phosphorescence onto the stone table.

Luo Lin picked up the bone knife, took a deep breath, and focused.

The Efficient Scholar talent activated soundlessly.

In an instant, the knife in his hand seemed to become an extension of his arm. An indescribable sense of familiarity and control surged through him.

The fine patterns on the moss, the variations in shade, the boundary between decay and intact tissue—all of it became clearer than ever in his eyes.

He did not cut away large sections as the conventional method called for.

Instead, he held his breath and focused. His wrist was steadier than any beginner's, and the knife tip moved like the most precise probe, beginning to peel away the fungus with extreme care along the paths where the Shadow Fungus mycelia had infiltrated.

It was an operation that was almost artistic.

To others, this task required more than ten cautious minutes per portion, with a low success rate to boot.

But in Luo Lin's hands, it was effortless.

His movements were precise and efficient, always separating the gray Shadow Fungus from the glowing moss body at exactly the right moment.

The 25% reduction in time was reflected not merely in speed, but in the fluidity of the process and the near-total absence of wasted movements.

Before long, one portion of Moonlight Moss had been successfully processed.

[Basic Potion Material Processing 23%]

The progress on the panel had increased by 1%!

Luo Lin's heart settled. The talent's effect truly worked on material processing!

Without pausing, Luo Lin immediately began processing the second portion of Moonlight Moss.

This time, his technique was even more practiced and his speed even faster.

The previously vague knowledge in his mind regarding Moonlight Moss's structure, toughness, distribution, and so on became clear and concrete through hands-on work and the talent's enhancement.

[Basic Potion Material Processing (24%)]

[Basic Magical Botany (9%)]

It was not only his processing skill; his understanding of the magical plant itself was also deepening!

He became completely immersed in this process of efficient learning and improvement, ignoring the passage of time and temporarily forgetting his hunger and exhaustion.

Half an hour later, all five portions of Moonlight Moss had been processed.

On the left side of the stone table lay five neat clumps of flawless, high-quality Moonlight Moss, their phosphorescence flowing softly.

On the right were five small clusters of constantly writhing gray-black mycelia that radiated a cold aura—the completely removed Shadow Fungus.

[Basic Potion Material Processing (28%)]

[Basic Magical Botany (13%)]

Luo Lin had not only successfully completed the task, but also advanced both of his areas of knowledge.

After placing the perfectly processed Moonlight Moss into wooden boxes, Luo Lin prepared to turn in the task.

As for the five small clusters of Shadow Fungus, he carefully stored them in separate containers.

Those were his true first pot of gold—the excess profit brought by the combination of knowledge and his golden finger!

When Luo Lin handed the five wooden boxes back at the task counter, the expressionless gray-robed apprentice attendant opened them for inspection, and a barely perceptible flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

The Moonlight Moss had been processed so perfectly that it was even better than the work of many veterans.

"Five portions of Moonlight Moss, processed perfectly. Reward: 10 contribution points."

The attendant operated the system, and the number on Luo Lin's plaque changed.

[Contribution Points: 21]

The deposit was returned, and combined with the task reward, he had netted ten points.

The attendant then added, seemingly casually,

"The workshop has a long-term need for this kind of processed material. If you can provide it steadily, the price can be raised by ten percent."

Luo Lin's heart stirred, but his expression remained calm. He merely nodded slightly.

"Thank you for telling me. I'll consider it."

He did not agree immediately. Caution was the first rule of survival.

Being too conspicuous or displaying an unusually reliable special ability could both attract unnecessary trouble.

With 21 contribution points now, it was still not much, but it had eased his immediate predicament.

Hunger gnawed at him again.

Without hesitation, Luo Lin headed for the academy's public cafeteria.

The cafeteria was equally simple, but at least the food it provided was hot.

He spent 3 contribution points on a meal of unknown beast meat, thick soup, and hard bread, then wolfed it down.

As the hot food entered his stomach, a warm current spread through his limbs, dispelling some of the cold and weakness.

Luo Lin could clearly feel his body's condition slowly recovering.

With his stomach full, Luo Lin did not rest. He immediately headed toward his next destination.

The academy library!

He needed knowledge, and even more than that, he needed a formula that could make use of those few clusters of Shadow Fungus.

Earning hard money through material processing alone was far too slow.

He had to turn the resources in his hands into something that could directly increase his strength.