Time flew by in one month. During this month, Locke lived in the White Elephant Tower, spending every day either meditating or traveling between the four projects.

He had become familiar with the Land of Six Towers, at least the White Elephant Tower area.

The locations of those four projects couldn't possibly all be inside the White Elephant Tower, but rather in some small wizard towers outside the White Elephant Tower.

Locke hired convoys here to go there, continuously traveling back and forth between four cities in the Land of Six Towers during the month, entering the wizard towers within to observe these projects he favored, and helping all four projects obtain funding from the association branch.

At this time, in a small wizard tower in the center of a city called Villas.

Locke, together with Wizard Collins and his assistants, as well as a witch assistant Claudia Mendez assigned to him by the Philade family, stood in the wizard tower's core building area, that is, in the wizard tower's core energy pool.

In the azure blue arcane energy pool, thirty Shadow Eye Grass plants grew in this energy pool, rapidly sprouting and maturing. Irrigated by the pool water, they swiftly transformed into mature plants.

Wizard towers could gather magical energy from surrounding earth veins and the air, condensing it into an arcane energy pool. Or rather, the arcane energy pool was the most core component of this wizard tower, also the most valuable place.

Under the energy irrigation of this arcane energy pool, ordinary magical plants could accelerate their growth. This had always been a very important research resource in the Land of Six Towers.

It was just a pity that most wizard towers, even small ones, belonged to those family wizards. At least one had to be a lower-level prestigious family to serve as tower master.

Wizard Collins had served as a teaching assistant at Magic Gem University for over fifty years, but he had never independently commanded a wizard tower and been able to independently use such precious resources. Yet Locke used less than a day to apply for this resource.

In old Wizard Collins' eyes, Locke could be considered a figure with powerful resources and far-reaching connections even in the Land of Six Towers.

Wizard Collins ordered his assistants to conduct certain tests on the magical plant characteristics of the eye grass. After the tests were completed, Wizard Collins excitedly said to Locke, "Lord Locke, thank you for applying for resources for me, and the usage rights of this wizard tower, allowing me to use this wizard tower's arcane energy pool for research."

"Also, many of your viewpoints and ideas played a crucial role in my completion of this project. Now the various characteristics of the eye grass are basically complete. Next, with just some slight modifications, we can publish an article."

Wizard Collins bowed to Locke, "Lord Locke, your contribution to this project is obvious to all. You provided many ideas, funding, and equipment. Therefore, I want to list you as first author."

Locke waved his hand, "No need. Don't even give me fifth author."

"Participating in your project is my greatest gain."

Wizard Collins showed a puzzled expression. But didn't family wizards take over their projects precisely to get first author or corresponding author positions?

Locke was telling the truth. He didn't want to have a relatively mediocre quality project or article under his name at all, even if he was just a corresponding author helping others submit.

Locke said to old Wizard Collins, "Give me twenty mature eye grass plants you cultivated. Also, I need to use this wizard tower's arcane energy pool. I have some new ideas about eye grass that I want to try separately."

Old Wizard Collins bowed to Locke, "New ideas?"

"Try it?"

"Alright, Lord Locke, as you wish. Currently, I basically don't need to use much equipment or resources anymore. Next, I'll stay in my office at the academy and work with my students to write the article with full effort."

Old Wizard Collins seemed to have been burned by family wizards before. Now that Locke wanted nothing, it instead made him somewhat afraid. Therefore, he was very eager to immediately write the article, then publish it, even apply for a patent.

Locke nodded at him casually. Old Wizard Collins bowed to Locke, then said, "Thank you again. If not for your funding, this project of mine definitely couldn't have been completed. This magical plant Shadow Eye Grass definitely wouldn't have been born."

"It's just a pity that I was recently dismissed by Magic Gem University."

Locke nodded slightly. The other party being dismissed by the university was beyond what he could manage.

After all, their cooperation was just this eye grass magical plant project. The wizard members at Magic Gem University were complex and intertwined. Who knew what reason old Wizard Collins was kicked out for?

However, helping him complete this project should at least allow his future days to be more comfortable. Just living off the patent rights and sales fees from this eye grass magical plant should be enough to support his normal life.

After all, he was getting on in years and didn't need to use many magical resources.

After old Wizard Collins and his students left with ten eye grass plants, Locke looked at Claudia Mendez, who had been standing silently behind him, and asked, "Claudia, you have something to say? If you want to say something, just say it."

Claudia was a blood elf First Circle wizard who studied Abjuration School magic.

Of course, she was just an ordinary Abjuration School wizard. After all, she was just a wizard from the Land of Six Towers, definitely not as formidable as barrier masters from Takamagahara.

Claudia was a formal wizard guard arranged for Locke by Wizard Anthony. This was a high-treatment standard configuration Wizard Anthony gave his fellow students.

This way, when his other junior sisters and brothers came here in the future, they could also be arranged to have a formal wizard guard.

After all, Wizard Anthony could say this was according to convention, because Locke also enjoyed this treatment.

Claudia bowed to Locke. Since being arranged by Wizard Anthony as Locke's guard, she had regarded herself as Locke's subordinate, "Lord Augustine, that group of lowly commoner wizards being favored by you is already very lucky."

"They even dare not proactively offer you first author and corresponding author positions. You're really too tolerant toward them."

"You're a core member of the Philade family."

"He was too disrespectful to you in your presence."

Locke shook his head slightly, "No, corresponding author and first author positions for articles of that level being given to me would be troublesome."

Claudia couldn't quite understand and showed a puzzled expression, but said nothing.

Locke collected the remaining twenty eye grass plants in the arcane energy pool into his ring, then had Claudia go outside the wizard tower to handle other matters.

After she left, Locke immediately placed three eye grass plants into his Synthesis Cube and began testing special synthesis formulas for eye grass.

"Twenty plants might not be enough. I still need to plant some using eye grass seeds. Fortunately, Wizard Collins and his team spent the fund fees very frugally. Currently, there are still fifty thousand magic stones left."

"They only spent less than half?" Locke shook his head slightly. "With these magic stones, plus having this arcane energy pool, it should be enough for me to cultivate some mature eye grass and synthesize them."

"It must be said, arcane energy pool technology is indeed very good with many functions." Locke looked at the azure blue pool where magical energy had almost condensed into liquid and thought, "But correspondingly, wizard towers continuously extract magical power from the surrounding environment."

"If not for the Land of Six Towers' special location, ordinary wizard lands being extracted like this would quickly have their resources depleted. This should be the biggest root cause limiting wizard tower technology from circulating everywhere." Locke frowned, "That's not right."

"Wizards inside wizard towers can receive energy infusion, magical power increasing several times out of thin air, possessing powerful combat power amplification, ensuring this wizard is undefeated within the same level."

"And the Forest Sanctuary actually also has the effect of infusing magical energy into my body. Wizard towers and Forest Sanctuary have similar effects. And Wizard Lewis said that the Forest Sanctuary was a permanent defensive field magic he researched in order to advance to Second Circle wizard." A thought flashed through Locke, "Could it be that there's also some kind of connection between wizard towers and Second Circle wizards?"

"That's not right either."

"Since wizard towers are no longer mainstream in the current wizard world, this indicates that the connection between Second Circle and wizard towers isn't significant."