I Arrived At Wizard World While Cultivating Immortality Chapter 790: The Contract

“Quite good.”

In the laboratory, cold blue illumination fell quietly.

Faint red traces still lingered in the air from the blood sacrifice array’s operation, threads of energy fluctuation spreading slowly like ripples on water before settling bit by bit into stillness.

Clark felt out the change in his own mental energy, and those eyes of his, always still as an old well, paused for an instant.

Then he looked at Jie Ming. “The effect of this technique of yours is very good.”

His tone was flat, without the slightest fluctuation of feeling.

But anyone who knew him understood that from Clark this was already extremely high praise.

On the other side, a childlike figure had already sprung out, unable to wait.

Anton Buchanan felt out the change in himself, and that young face, which looked no more than ten years old, lit up at once.

“Hahahaha! Very good indeed!”

He nodded again and again, his smile as bright as a child with a new toy.

Anyone who did not know who he was would find it hard to believe that this little fellow, who did not even come up to the height of the experiment bench, was a genuine eighth-level wizard.

As his laughter rang out, rings of nearly transparent force field spread outward without pause, and the whole laboratory seemed to contract gently with his breathing, as though the entire space were conforming to his will.

When Jie Ming had contacted Clark, his mentor happened to be with Grandmaster Anton Buchanan, comparing notes on their recent research. Having heard Jie Ming’s account of the Blood Sacrifice Method, the two of them became interested at very nearly the same moment.

As it happened, one of them had just advanced to the seventh level and the other to the eighth, making them exactly the two categories of target customer this technique would have in future, so Jie Ming immediately invited them both.

The two of them likewise felt that experiencing it in person beat reviewing experimental data remotely.

So they came directly to Jie Ming’s laboratory through the teleportation array.

Of course, there was another, very practical reason they had come in person.

Jie Ming could now produce sixth-level clones, but he was still some way from reliably producing seventh or eighth-level life. As for the other reason, that was naturally resources…

At that thought, Jie Ming felt a certain helplessness.

After refining the first array eye of the All-Heavens Star Grand Array, his purse had been all but entirely emptied.

Never mind eighth-level clones.

Even cultivating those few clones of Viola had exhausted the last of his reserves.

So the two high-level wizards had simply brought their own materials.

Produced on site, each sacrificing himself to himself, which was why the laboratory had just seen that scene.

Jie Ming now stood at the array control console, recording each set of experimental data.

Viola leaned against the wall with her arms folded, the picture of someone enjoying the show and hoping it got livelier.

Clark’s expression remained detached as he stood quietly on the array patterns beside the pods, observing and carefully feeling out the changes in his own mind. And Anton Buchanan sat cross-legged on the edge of the experiment bench, two short legs dangling and swinging.

It was fair to say that, quite rarely, three generations of the Noren Workshop line, master, student and student’s student, were gathered in one laboratory at this moment.

At last Clark raised his head first. His expression scarcely changed as he said mildly:

“Mental energy gain is stable, soul structure intact, and at this stage no side effects are detectable whatsoever. It can be confirmed that Jie Ming’s technique represents a genuine breakthrough.”

“For a seventh-level wizard who has just completed law solidification, it can greatly shorten the mental energy accumulation cycle. On balance, this technique’s cost-effectiveness is higher than any comparable auxiliary method I currently know of.”

On the other side, Anton Buchanan had long since jumped down, unable to wait.

He trotted over to Jie Ming, rose on tiptoe, and slapped a hand down on the puppet’s shoulder.

“Boy! Do not listen to Clark being so conservative about it. Let me tell you…” He laughed until his eyes narrowed.

“If you put this technique of yours out there, those old fellows who have just made eighth level will go absolutely mad!”

Jie Ming could not help a laugh. “Grandmaster, do not tease me. Is it really that extreme?”

“Extreme?” Anton widened his eyes. “Do you know how many resources I spent when I had just advanced to the eighth level, getting my mental energy above the safety line?”

“I do not.”

“I do not care to remember it myself.” Anton waved a hand, wincing. “Suffice to say it was worse than you imagine.”

“And to put it bluntly, the cost of producing these few eighth-level clones, set against what I burned through back then, is practically free.” Viola listened for a while and could not help cutting in. “Grandmaster, past the eighth level, are there not simply no potions that raise mental energy directly?”

Anton waggled his head, wearing an expression that said “you are still young.”

“Potions that raise mental energy directly are useless, of course. Auxiliary potions still have a little effect, though the effect is barely better than nothing.” As he spoke, he held up a plump index finger. “What actually works is raw materials.”

“Raw materials?” Viola blinked.

“That is right.” Anton nodded as if it were obvious. “Put plainly, a potion’s effect is to make certain materials undergo a qualitative change into something stronger, but there are also materials that strengthen mental energy on their own. Given enough volume, brute force will carry the day.”

“After I advanced to the eighth level, to pile up mental energy as fast as possible… all told, I drained the entire life of seven or eight mid-sized planes and refined it into essence to make up my mental energy.”

The air went quiet for a moment.

Grandmaster Anton Buchanan said it lightly enough, but everyone present could appreciate the outrageous consumption behind it.

The corner of Viola’s mouth twitched. “Seven or eight… mid-sized planes?”

“Mm-hm.” Anton nodded, looking rather pained himself.

“And even so the effect was not very good. In the end it only raised me a small step. Converted over, it comes to about the effect of that one clone just now.”

Jie Ming began calculating rapidly.

The standard for a mid-sized plane is a volume at or above that of a medium star, with the largest being continental-type planes about the volume of an entire solar system.

For universe-type planes, because of the difference in matter density, the largest specification can approach the spiral arm of a galaxy.

And the entire life of seven or eight mid-sized planes had bought only… a gain equivalent to one eighth-level clone.

“It seems… I underestimated this technique’s general applicability,” Jie Ming thought silently.

When Anton had finished, Clark looked back at Jie Ming and asked the most crucial question:

“How do you intend to sell this technique? Sell the technique, or sell the service?”

At that, the other two turned to look at Jie Ming as well.

Hearing Mentor Clark’s question, Jie Ming sank into thought.

Selling the technique meant obtaining a large quantity of high-level military merits, but after the peak, subsequent sales volume would fall considerably. Selling the service meant a continuous stream of income in future.

But the problem with that was obvious too. Providing a service meant no telling how many wizards would come looking for him personally.

He could hardly spend the rest of his life doing no research at all, standing in a laboratory performing blood sacrifices for other people every day.

And that way, unless the client was an eighth-level wizard, earning high-level military merits from the technique would be somewhat difficult… though what he was short of at the moment was low-level merits.

At that thought, Jie Ming could not help shaking his head.

That way of making money was far too inefficient.

After a moment’s silence, he finally raised his head and gave the three of them a slight smile. “I have a third option.”

All three looked at him.

“Upload it to the magic network terminal and hand it to the Star Ring Federation to promote officially.”

Jie Ming opened his terminal and uploaded the complete, organized technical material on the Blood Sacrifice Method to the official technology trading platform.

Viola craned over to watch for a while and could not help clicking her tongue.

“You really are willing to part with it. Handing it to the Star Ring Federation means other wizards are by default permitted to research the technique. If you sold it privately you could sign contracts with them allowing use but not research.”

“Under normal circumstances, if you were willing to sell it with a clause permitting research, you could even trade core knowledge directly with some newly advanced eighth-level wizards.”

Grandmaster Anton Buchanan nodded too. “The little one is right. In the period right after an eighth-level wizard advances, core knowledge iterates very fast. To trade for a technique that can directly shorten the mental energy accumulation cycle, they might well bring out things even I would envy. Trading for knowledge like that with a research permit attached really would not be a loss.”

Clark stood to one side, watching quietly, and said nothing.

Jie Ming shook his head. “Bite off more than you can chew and you choke. The things I already have to research are backed up who knows how many years. I would rather keep the profit in my own hands for now.”

“Besides, if the technique gets researched, then it gets researched. At worst I will research something new.”

Anton Buchanan sat on the experiment bench, two short legs swinging, gnawing on some snack he had produced from somewhere. “Heh heh heh heh… young people do have drive. Good, I support you!”

The corner of Jie Ming’s mouth twitched. “Thank you, Grandmaster.”

Before long the last analysis diagram of the blood sacrifice array’s structure finished uploading.

Jie Ming lightly tapped confirm.

Hmmm…

With a faint tremor, the whole submission interface abruptly turned a soft pale gold.

At the center of the laboratory, a stream of pure white data rose out of the terminal’s core, countless runes pouring down like a waterfall and converging rapidly in midair. In the space of a few breaths, a humanoid projection took shape.

It was a figure of no distinguishable sex or age, composed entirely of data streams, and at its appearance the whole laboratory seemed to fall silent for an instant. At the sight of it, Viola’s expression turned serious, and Clark shifted his gaze over pointedly.

Only Grandmaster Anton Buchanan still wore his grin, though he did obediently hop down from the experiment bench.

“Lord Felix.” Jie Ming bowed respectfully.

The artificial intelligence Felix, core intellect of the entire Star Ring Federation magic network, and supreme administrator of all the federation’s official technology review, military merit settlement and strategic assessment systems.

An ordinary wizard might never see it once in a lifetime.

For it to project itself down of its own accord meant the submitted technique had reached a level capable of affecting the entire federation, or even the entire civilization. Felix lowered its head slowly and looked at Jie Ming.

In those calm eyes, countless data streams flashed past at high speed, analysis results generating one after another.

It inclined its head slightly, its tone respectful and its voice level:

“Wizard Jie Ming, I did not expect us to meet again so soon.”

“It has been three thousand six hundred and seventy-two years since you last submitted a technique with federation promotion value.”

“The Stabilizing Field Regulation Protocol you developed continues, as of now, to take effect across the whole of the wizard civilization.” “The federation technology database has maintained your comprehensive research rating at excellent or above throughout. Thank you sincerely for your contribution to the civilization.” Hearing that, Viola could not help whistling. “Ooh, listen to that. An officially certified excellent scientist.”

Jie Ming gave her a helpless look.

Felix paid their exchange no attention and went on:

“Preliminary review of the Blood Sacrifice Method technique you have just submitted is complete.”

An enormous data screen unfolded before them all, assessment results refreshing across it continuously:

[Safety rating: extremely high]

[Technical maturity: 97.8%]

[Reproducibility: excellent]

[Promotion value: extremely high]

[Strategic value: excellent]

Felix went on explaining beside them:

“By comprehensive assessment, this technique can reliably raise the rate of mental energy growth for sixth-level, seventh-level and newly advanced eighth-level wizards.” “For low-level wizards, it provides a reliable aptitude enhancement effect, and possesses clear promotion value.”

“Under the Federation Strategic Technology Promotion Regulations, I will promote this technique as widely as possible across the entire wizard civilization, and you will receive the maximum proportion of military merit revenue share from it.”

At that, it waved a hand lightly, and a contract giving off a pale golden glow appeared before them.

“From today, whenever any wizard purchases or uses this technique, you will receive the corresponding share of the proceeds.”

Viola turned to Jie Ming with a look of bitter, heartfelt regret. “You are about to get rich!”

Anton simply laughed out loud. “I told you so! Something like this is absolutely going to make a fortune!”

But then Felix paused. It looked at Jie Ming.

“However… regrettably, by comprehensive judgment, your technique falls one last step short of a civilization-level strategic achievement.”

The screen changed again, and new assessment results surfaced slowly:

[First-Level Cultivation Protocol: application standard not met]

At that line, Viola could not help frowning, and Clark sighed lightly. Anton stroked his chin with some regret as well. Jie Ming alone remained calm.

Felix went on explaining:

“The Blood Sacrifice Method can indeed raise a civilization’s overall strength. But the increase is concentrated mainly among low and mid-level wizards, and among wizards who have just advanced to the high levels.”

“For veteran eighth-level wizards, since their mental energy has long since approached the limitless, the long-term benefit this technique provides is extremely limited.” “Setting ninth-level wizards aside, veteran eighth-level wizards account for over ninety-eight percent of the entire wizard civilization’s combat power. Therefore it is insufficient to produce a qualitative change in the civilization’s war potential.”

“By federation strategic assessment standards, it does not yet suffice to obtain a First-Level Cultivation Protocol.”

Having said that, it waited quietly for Jie Ming’s response.

The laboratory was silent for a few seconds, and then Jie Ming laughed, quite easily:

“I understand. In fact, I never intended to apply for a First-Level Cultivation Protocol with it.”

At that, Viola could not help turning to look at him, Anton wore a thoughtful expression, and Clark showed a gratified smile. Jie Ming was not putting on a brave face. He genuinely meant it.

Because he understood perfectly well that a wizard’s power comes mainly from knowledge, so even though he had misjudged the situation with high-level wizards, he had still positioned the Blood Sacrifice Method as a tool for making money.

So from the very beginning, Jie Ming had never been disappointed.

He looked at Felix.

“I submitted this technique only to secure a steady income of low-level military merits. However… I hope that in future, if I no longer need low-level merits, I may switch the revenue model to a high-level military merit share.”

Felix nodded lightly, with almost no pause:

“The request is reasonable. A revenue model conversion clause will be added to the contract. You may apply at any time in future to adjust the settlement of proceeds from low-level military merits to high-level ones, and no new promotion agreement will be required at that time.”

At that, Anton laughed. “Not bad. You think ahead, boy.”

Mentor Clark nodded in agreement as well.

As for Viola… having grasped what Jie Ming’s words implied, she was still immersed in her own feelings, looking thoroughly pained. Felix waved a hand, and the pale golden contract drifted slowly down before Jie Ming.

“The contract has been generated. Please confirm.”

Though he knew Felix was unlikely to pull any tricks, Jie Ming still read through every clause carefully.

Revenue proportion, intellectual property, scope of promotion, revenue conversion… he confirmed that every item matched what they had just discussed, with nothing hidden. He did not hesitate, and laid his palm lightly at the center of the contract.

Hmmm…

As a soft golden radiance spread outward, the contract was formally established!