30: Ideological Outline 2.0
After explaining all the arrangements, Lin Bufan gently patted the feathers of the Azure Wind Bird. This agile avian spread its wings and soared, steadily bringing Li Wen and Chen Ping down onto a bustling street in the city center.
Li Wen spent his free time reviewing until late at night before finally closing his eyes to rest.
The next day, as the first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds and illuminated the solemn and mysterious gate of the Spirit Imperial Research Institute, Li Wen was already standing outside.
He looked up at the closed gate, muttering to himself.
“This should be the place, right?”
He carefully examined the access control system, but found no traces of a manual opening mechanism, only a surface as smooth as a mirror.
After continuous study of the access control, he realized his current situation was like an employee showing up for work, only to find the boss had locked him out.
However, even the most advanced machinery couldn't withstand primitive methods.
Li Wen: Don’t they say there’s always a way out? As long as I want to go, the path is right under my feet.
“Hey—”
“Is anyone inside? Someone open the door for me.”
Li Wen shouted with all his might, using every ounce of strength.
He thought, even if his Senior Brother didn't hear him, that kid Lu Chen should come and open the door for him, right?
However, the reality was quite different from Li Wen's guess. Inside the institute, upon hearing the commotion outside, Lu Chen thought, “Who on earth is that? So noisy, it's probably some clueless salesman.”
“Who cares?” He was currently focused on preparing a more suitable jade powder meal for the Green Vine Snake, based on its Growth status.
He simply put on his Bluetooth earphones and concentrated on tackling the homework his teacher had assigned.
After waiting for another ten minutes, Lin Bufan finally remembered that it was already the agreed-upon time with Li Wen, and he still hadn't arrived.
His first words upon meeting were: “I'm sorry, I was so incredibly stupid, I forgot to register your iris recognition.”
Li Wen: Good heavens, you really treat everyone equally; your aversion to stupidity extends even to yourself.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, I’ll register you in a moment. Although the teacher is a bit stingy, the research institute’s experimental equipment is very advanced, and many areas require authorization to use.”
“I'll register your iris first, so the school's system can also be interconnected. Later, you can just ask the teacher to grant you permission.”
Since Li Wen had already become the teacher's disciple, Lin Bufan already assumed he would be able to get into Tiannan University.
The iris registration process was also very simple; it was just a matter of staring at a mechanical eye for a while, and the scan was complete.
Walking into Lin Bufan's area, Li Wen could even more keenly feel his Senior Brother's extraordinary qualities—neatness, it was simply too neat.
It was completely out of place with the other areas; all the instruments were arranged perfectly, including the beakers, which were sorted by size.
“First, I must emphasize one point: all instruments here must be returned to their original place after use.”
“All the reagents I asked you to get have been labeled; just bring them to me.”
“If you have any questions, ask them directly, and I will answer you, but do not interrupt your current task.”
“Those are all my requirements, understood?”
Li Wen thought, “Isn’t he quite easy to get along with?” He had prepared himself for a difficult relationship, but it turned out his Senior Brother was just a clean freak.
What on earth did Lu Chen do to make his Senior Brother so exasperated? What was there to look down on?
He remembered that although Lu Chen was a bit lacking in emotional intelligence, he shouldn't be so arrogant, right?
“Clear and understood,” Li Wen immediately responded.
“Then I’ll start preparing the experiment. When I don’t call you, you can just sit here and review.”
Li Wen: Paid review?
Reviewing alone definitely won't do; that's too lonely!
Ya Bao had already been sent to the dojo for the day, so Li Wen only had Qing Yan, one pet, with him.
However, he was worried that if he summoned Qing Yan, it might secretly steal materials from the lab, and he couldn't afford to compensate for those things right now.
So, the moment Qing Yan appeared in the summoning circle, Li Wen sternly warned it: “You absolutely cannot steal materials. If you do, you won't have any food rations in the future.”
“Ying~”
“Can't eat? But I'm hungry.”
Qing Yan’s tone was so aggrieved it sounded like it was about to cry.
Li Wen then remembered that he hadn't fed Qing Yan since it finished learning Skills yesterday.
Yes, how could he say “in the future”? At most, it would be a month's worth of food.
Realizing his tone had been too harsh, he took out a few leaves from his pocket and handed them to Qing Yan.
But Ya Bao had already started training actively, eager to become stronger, while Qing Yan still only knew how to eat. Such a contrast between pets of the same person was truly a bit hard to accept.
This showed that 'Pet Education' was really important. Perhaps he should also set a guiding principle for Qing Yan.
Since Qing Yan loved to eat so much, then it should strive for food.
Seeing Qing Yan with food in its mouth, its mood gradually stabilized.
Li Wen softened his tone and said, “It’s not that I’m unwilling to spend money on you; it’s just that cultivating you and Ya Bao has cost too much money.”
“You see, whether it’s food or evolution materials, I’ve worked hard to earn it.”
“And my abilities are limited, so I can’t get many of these materials here that look very delicious.”
“But if you can produce higher-grade Insect Silk, then that can be exchanged for money, and then I can buy you more food.”
A small insect, with big doubts.
“Ying?”
“Money? Can be exchanged for food.”
The art of persuasion was still effective, and Li Wen continued to press on.
“Exactly. In human society, you can’t just eat anything you see; you need to exchange money for it, and your Insect Silk can be exchanged for money.”
“Ying~ Ying~”
“Money, I want money, money for food.”
This reaction was right, absolutely right; this was the good pet in Li Wen's heart.
“Then you need to work hard to train the Insect Silk Skill, and then evolve, and you can earn more money.”
“Ying~”
“Evolve, evolve.”
OK, the guiding principle was complete. Although he didn’t know the outcome, at least it wouldn’t continue to act like a useless young master… Early education class finished; now it was time to review.
“Dragon Blood Grass, a leader-level material, born in the death place of high-level Dragon Faction pets. Because it is accompanied by the strong resentment of the deceased pet, it needs to be consumed with various materials to exert its maximum effect.”
“After consumption, there is a small chance to obtain the Dragon's Might Skill, purify Dragon Faction bloodline, and increase mental power.”
“Spirit Heart Jade, a leader-level material, a rare gemstone with a warm, jade-like luster, containing faint spiritual fluctuations. It usually grows deep in mountains rich in spiritual energy, formed after thousands of years of gestation.”
“When ground into powder and consumed, it can enhance the intelligence and spirituality of spirit beasts, helping them to comprehend Skills and tactics faster…”
Just as he was concentrating, his Senior Brother also finished his preparations.
“You can take a break; we’re about to start the experiment.”