As evening fell, Locke found Zach and submitted a report to the academy's combat department about participating in the directional Magic Plant competition.
The Emerald Iris Lichen and related research, after accumulating over such a long period, had finally yielded an explosive breakthrough in results.
The competition, Magic Potion Shop orders, and clinic treatments could all utilize the Emerald Iris Lichen and Bear Spirit Emerald Bile Potion.
His personal Pharmaceutical Room and three Plantations could also develop rapidly.
Moreover, he could obtain more Magical Resources to support his Meditation Method training.
At the same time, Locke returned to his residence and began preparing for the covert operation three weeks later. After all, this operation was crucial for his teacher, the Witch Sophia.
It was the key to her ability to break free from Lilith's Cottage and escape the contracts binding her.
In the makeshift laboratory within Locke's three-room suite, he stared blankly at the fossil of a Three-Eyed Tiger Eye Cat before him.
This fossil had cost him 1,200 Magic Stones.
Its size was enormous—so much so that a single workbench couldn't accommodate the entire fossil.
However, this fossil wasn't the complete remains of a Three-Eyed Tiger Eye Cat; it was merely half of the hind leg of this ancient magic creature.
One could imagine just how massive the actual Three-Eyed Tiger Eye Cat must have been. Its size likely dwarfed that of modern Magical Creatures in every aspect.
Locke snapped his fingers, and the Tombstone Grimoire automatically floated before him, its pages flipping on their own. The edges of the grimoire emitted an eerie, dark magical glow.
"Let's see how the archaeological scholars from the Black Wizard faction handle fossilized bones. The first step is preservation—preventing further damage to the fossilized bones."
"Even simply leaving the fossilized bones exposed to air could destroy the Negative Energy Particle information stored within or damage their physical structure."
"Thus, preservation and maintenance are crucial. Preservation must consider two points: first, how to reinforce its fragile areas; second, the reinforcement method must not affect the Negative Energy Particle information stored within."
Since he was learning from scratch, Locke's eyes sparkled with fascination. The archaeological knowledge passed down from the Black Wizard territory was eye-opening—an entirely new system of knowledge he had never encountered before.
As Locke skimmed through the Tombstone Grimoire, he saw that handling such fossilized bones required reading the grimoire's [Anatomical Structure Chapter], [Burial Stress Analysis Chapter], [Negative Energy Particle Preservation Chapter], and [Storage Temperature Control Chapter].
Locke applied Memory Ointment to his temples to enhance his memory and quickly began reading these four chapters.
Archaeology was undoubtedly one of the most complex fields among the Black Wizards. Just the method of preserving fossilized bones alone was a vast subject to study.
Archaeological scholars needed to learn how to process and identify the structure and shape of fossilized bones, how to restore them, and how to locate missing parts.
They also had to master the appropriate temperatures and preservation methods to avoid damaging the Negative Energy Particle information contained within.
Locke, now a First Class Wizard Apprentice, was learning from a higher vantage point, which naturally accelerated his progress.
Moreover, since he was working for himself rather than others, some operations didn't need to be overly meticulous—just functional enough would suffice.
Following the instructions in the Grimoire, Locke carefully processed the fossilized bones on the workbench. "Preservation requires a special amber formed from Ephemera Sealing Resin. This resin is one of the few materials that doesn't interfere with any Negative Energy Particles while also isolating them from external reactions."
"It's a commonly used material among Archaeological Scholars for preserving fossilized bones."
"Ephemera Sealing Resin can be bought at the Chimera Market, and it's not expensive." After a moment of thought, Locke set out on his Engel Swift-Spin Snail to the Chimera Market.
He spent 50 Magic Stones to purchase enough resin to cover the fossilized bones on his lab workbench.
By the time Locke returned to his laboratory, half an hour had passed. He sighed. "I really should hire an assistant at some point. I can't do everything myself. My time is becoming more valuable now."
"Unfortunately, Sophia's three students are too low in magical rank. Otherwise, I could have had them assist me and saved some funds."
Following the instructions in the Tombstone Grimoire, Locke meticulously coated the fossilized bones with Ephemera Sealing Resin, encasing the entire fossil in a transparent, gem-like amber.
Its shape resembled an egg, though its size was far larger.
"After preservation, the standard procedure for Archaeological Scholars is to use the Historical Projection Spell Model to record its Negative Energy Particle field into an alchemical storage device, such as a True Sight Crystal Ball."
"This way, if the fossilized bones are lost or damaged in the future, I'll still have a recorded copy for study—or even partial restoration."
Locke shook his head slightly. "But I haven't learned the Historical Projection Spell Model yet. That Spell isn't just 0.8-ring difficulty; it also requires some familiarity with the Negative Energy Particle Periodic Table."
"So I'll just skip this step for now."
The core of an Archaeological Scholar's work lies in memorizing the Negative Energy Particle Periodic Table and swiftly identifying all 210 Negative Energy Particles—along with their subspecies—to master the so-called Moduo Language.
Only by mastering the Moduo Language can one grasp the spell models of archaeology.
Thus, Locke's greatest challenge now was learning this unique language.
He looked up at the fossil specimen he had prepared and nodded slightly. Though there were still many shortcomings, it was a decent effort for a beginner.
Of course, there were flaws—such as not using the Dark Energy Particle Blade, a common tool among Archaeological Scholars, to remove dust and stray Elemental Particles from the fossilized bones. These impurities should have been cleared, as they could slightly distort the Negative Energy Particle field.
For archaeological scholars, the quality of specimens they personally handle serves as a clear reflection of their archaeological expertise.
Locke attempted to learn the Dark Energy Particle Blade spell, which would coat his fingers with several blades enveloped in dark energy particles. Being purely composed of dark energy particles, these blades wouldn't disrupt the negative energy particle field on fossilized bones upon contact.
Unfortunately, due to Locke's limited proficiency in the Moduo Language, he quickly realized after a brief attempt that he currently couldn't use the Dark Energy Particle Blade at all.
"Step one is to prepare the fossilized bones into qualified specimens and document them."
"Step two involves investigating the fossilized bones. I need to read the negative energy particle information covering their surfaces—this method allows me to access historical memories lingering on these fossils while also improving my Moduo Language skills."
Locke studied the Tombstone Grimoire while staring at the fossil bone specimen, but after just five minutes, he rubbed his eyes.
"This isn't working—the efficiency is too low. McCarthy was right; I have no talent in the field of mana discernment. My learning pace is painfully slow, and under these circumstances, my accuracy in mastering the Moduo Language won't be high either."
Locke's gaze shifted. "So I'll have to resort to unconventional methods... I'll have to rely on potions."
He produced a vial of Eye Demon Potion from his hand.
He had originally purchased three tubes of Eye Demon Potion, having already used two recently. Now, he was about to consume another.
After using this one, his meditation efficiency would improve for some time, so it couldn't be considered a waste.
Moreover, Locke strongly suspected that the abyssal energy contained within the Eye Demon Potion—enhancing mental sensitivity—could sharpen his discernment of negative energy particles.
However, this improvement was akin to dancing on a knife's edge. The slightest misstep could leave severe side effects on his psyche.
If not for the Deep Purple Gem in his possession, he wouldn't dare to enhance his archaeological skills while relying on potions.
(End of Chapter)