Chapter 77: Ecological Experimental Field

Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Ecological Experimental Field

Chen Shang carefully counted the valuable items on his person.

It would be a pity to sell the Half-Divine Artifact, Natural Fury. The Exotic Bead? Even more impossible. He had yet to study it, and its value could not be measured by a mere tens of thousands of Wizard Coins.

Should he sell the Samadhi True Flame? He smiled bitterly. If there was suitable knowledge, it wouldn’t be impossible to trade, but exchanging it for Wizard Coins would be too great a loss.

He could now understand Solem’s feelings when he fused with the Titan Bloodline.

How to balance the proportion of investing in the present versus the future was a profound study. Sometimes, one had to make choices. Time and opportunity waited for no one; ten thousand years was too long—one had to seize the day.

Chen Shang opened the quest interface and began filtering.

First, he couldn’t leave the laboratory for long periods; his Cultivation and Zhong Kui’s Rune Carving couldn’t stop. Second, it couldn’t be too dangerous; he didn’t want to throw his life away just to make some money.

Finally, the compensation had to be reasonable, preferably enough to cover his basic expenses.

After flipping through dozens of pages, his gaze stopped on one particular task.

First Level Wizard Hathaway was recruiting an assistant to manage an ecological experimental field. The location was within the Starfall Half-Plane, so there was no need to travel outside.

Job description: Feeding, caring for, and recording Biological data in the experimental field. Remuneration: Three thousand Wizard Coins per month, with relevant experimental equipment provided.

Requirements: Second Level Apprentice or above, possessing biological affinity abilities or related experience.

Chen Shang clicked open the details.

Hathaway was a First Level Wizard of the Starfall Laboratory. She had a project on "Biological Energy Circulation," so she had set up an ecological field and collected creatures from different Planes to study their Energy metabolism.

Now, she needed an assistant to handle the daily feeding and recording work so that she could maintain her Concentration on other experiments.

Offering a monthly salary of three thousand, it naturally wouldn’t be just simple "feeding and caring." After all, an Ordinary Mechanical Puppet could do that kind of work.

Therefore, the focus was on "recording data." This job required the comprehensive analysis and deconstruction of Biological Runes; otherwise, biological affinity abilities wouldn’t be required.

Chen Shang thought about it; this task was quite suitable. First, he was good at it. Second, he didn’t need to run around outside, it wouldn’t delay his Cultivation, and he might even have the chance to harvest some traits.

He clicked "Apply." A few minutes later, a reply arrived. Hathaway’s assistant sent a message:

"Interview tomorrow at 9:00 AM at the entrance of the Star Song Experimental Field. Bring your Identity Card and proof of your biological affinity abilities."

Chen Shang turned off the Crystal Plate and leaned back in his chair. Golden Crow leaned in, "Boss, are you going on a mission?"

"Yeah."

"Then what about your Rune Mechanical Armor and Samadhi True Flame?"

"I already spend my daytime doing experiments. It’s just a change of scenery."

Surtr also ran over and pounced onto Chen Shang’s lap, a heavy weight.

The little guy was now half a person’s height and wreathed in flames. He had initially mastered Three Heads and Six Arms; when he used it, he looked like a mutant, but the power was quite good.

At this rate, in a few more months, he would be taller than Chen Shang.

"Boss, I’ll work hard to make money and support myself too!"

Chen Shang was amused. "Alright, I’ll be waiting."

Early the next morning, Chen Shang changed into his Wizard Apprentice robes, hung the Space Book around his neck, and followed the address to the Star Song Experimental Field.

This place wasn’t close to Chen Shang’s laboratory, but with Teleportation Gates scattered throughout the entire Half-Plane, distance lost its meaning.

As the white light faded, Chen Shang stood before a magnificent building. The silver-white door had no handles, and a lush, leafy tree was painted on its surface.

Standing at the entrance was a short-haired woman in a gray uniform. She wore a pair of Crystal Stone Glasses and held a Crystal Plate.

"Are you Chen Shang?"

"Yes."

"Please follow me."

Upon entering the experimental field, he found it much larger than he had anticipated. The dome was translucent, allowing sunlight to cascade down and brightly illuminate the entire Space.

The ground was covered in fertile soil where patches of grass grew wildly. In the distance, there were trees, shrubs, streams, and flower beds...

The assistant led him inward along a gravel path. As they crossed a meadow, they encountered several deer-like creatures with slender legs, silver-white fur, and translucent antlers.

Further away, there were lizard-like creatures basking on rocks, their scales gleaming with a metallic luster in the sunlight.

The assistant didn’t stop, leading him to a small white building.

"Please wait a moment. Ms. Hathaway will be right with you."

Chen Shang sat down and waited for about fifteen minutes before footsteps echoed from deep within the corridor.

A woman walked out, wearing a dark green robe. Her dark brown hair was braided loosely and hung over her chest.

First Level Wizard, Hathaway.

"Are you Chen Shang?" She sat across from him, holding a Crystal Plate.

"Yes."

"I’ve read your application. Second Level Apprentice, research direction: biological Mechanical Armor." She flipped through the records on the Crystal Plate. "I read your paper; your Plant Type Mechanical Armor is quite good."

"Thank you for the praise."

"But a paper is just a paper. I need to see your actual capabilities."

Chen Shang thought for a moment and held out his hand. A ball of green light emerged; this was the Affinity for Plants and Trees he had collected from the Elf Race.

Hathaway nodded. "Plant Affinity. What else?"

Chen Shang took out a Da Wa from his Space Book and demonstrated his Mechanical Design Thoughts.

Hathaway’s eyes lit up. She scrutinized Da Wa for a moment before retracting her gaze, standing up, and recording something on her Crystal Plate. "You’re very good. I’m hiring you. Start work tomorrow."

Chen Shang also stood up. "Thank you."

Hathaway waved her hand and stopped at the door. "The Ecological Garden is divided into two areas."

She pointed at the meadow and wooden cabins outside the window. "The front area is entirely volunteers. Creatures from various Planes who willingly participate in the experiments. They are rational, gentle, and the work is easy.

"The back area holds death row inmates from various Planes. It’s more dangerous, so you need to be mindful of your safety."

Chen Shang nodded. The experimental procedures of the Wizard Alliance were now highly standardized and regulated; it wasn’t like the legends where everything was simply sliced up for research.

For long-term observation experiments like "Biological Energy Circulation," dead specimens couldn’t provide data; live subjects were required. Volunteers participated willingly, contributing their data in exchange for remuneration or opportunities for evolution.

Death row inmates were a different story. Various Planes sent them over with the mindset of putting waste to good use, which was also considered a way of supporting the Wizards’ work.

Hathaway took a Crystal Plate from her assistant and handed it to Chen Shang. "Your task is to record the status of these creatures daily, and write a comprehensive report every ten days."

On the Crystal Plate was a list containing the names, ID numbers, and data points required for dozens of creatures—such as food intake, activity levels, excretion, Energy fluctuation peaks, body temperature curves...

Chen Shang quickly scanned the list. Anyone could record data, but writing a comprehensive report required analytical skills. This was truly trading knowledge for money.