Locke said to Wizard Sophia, "Mentor, I'll be heading to the Germplasm Repository now."
Wizard Sophia showed slight surprise. "The Germplasm Repository? Oh, you're going to purchase seeds there. The public Germplasm Repository at Lilith's Cottage is indeed excellent, quite impressive."
"It preserves a vast collection of experimental seeds," Wizard Sophia continued. "I still have several exchange privileges for the repository. I'll allocate you one Second-Class seed exchange privilege and one Third-Class seed exchange privilege."
"These privileges are of no use remaining in my hands. You can use them to freely obtain some Magic Plant seeds for your experiments."
Wizard Sophia retrieved two application forms from her office drawer, both already stamped with the official seal of Lilith's Cottage Academy.
Locke felt pleasantly surprised.
He had heard that the Germplasm Repository, being the shared seed preservation facility for all Breeders at Lilith's Cottage, required Contribution Points to obtain exchange privileges.
Just the Third-Class seed exchange privilege was quite expensive.
Not to mention the Second-Class one.
Apart from using Contribution Points, these privileges could only be obtained by completing special academy missions or earning particular academy title rewards that granted free access to germplasm resources.
Therefore, free exchange privileges for Lilith's Cottage's Germplasm Repository were absolutely worth acquiring.
Most Wizard Mentors had numerous students, and even if they distributed benefits, each student wouldn't receive many such privileges.
But since Wizard Sophia currently only had Locke as her First Class Wizard Apprentice student, and considering her imminent departure, she had become even more generous than before.
After thanking Wizard Sophia, Locke took the two stamped application forms, mounted his Engel Swift-Spin Snail, and headed for the Germplasm Repository's location in the port city.
The Germplasm Repository of Lilith's Cottage was located five hundred meters underground.
Constructors from the earth magic branch of the Shaping School had been commissioned to build this underground palace using earth elemental magic, preserving vast quantities of seeds for Breeders.
The underground palace contained numerous Alchemy Cabins.
Its entrance was guarded by specialized Second-Class Wizard Apprentices and even First Class Wizard Apprentices.
After all, the Germplasm Repository was critically important.
Many standard Magic Plant models relied on the repository for preservation.
Should Lilith's Cottage's numerous Magical Fields be destroyed and Magic Plants eradicated, the Germplasm Repository would be essential for restoring them.
Upon reaching the entrance and passing inspection, Locke boarded a steel-and-wood mine elevator.
With a loud clang, the steel cables began turning, gradually lowering the elevator platform.
Accompanying Locke was a female Wood Elf Second-Class Wizard Apprentice named Ruby, who had green hair and sparkling eyes beneath her bangs.
At that moment, the Wood Elf apprentice was gazing at Locke with admiration, particularly at the Excellent Apprentice Badge and official Breeder Badge displayed on his chest.
For the Wood Elves who revere nature, becoming a Breeder is the ultimate dream of their lives.
Ruby spoke to Locke in a reverent tone, "Senior Augustine, welcome to our Germplasm Repository."
"The Germplasm Repository preserves seeds of many Magic Plants. Some of these plants no longer exist in the outside world due to environmental changes."
"The temperature and humidity inside the seed vault are maintained at specific levels. The most crucial factors for preserving Magic Plant seeds are air temperature and humidity."
"Different Magic Plant seeds require specific temperature and humidity conditions. That's why there's a large Weather Control Device below to stabilize the temperature of the Germplasm Repository and maintain the specialized conditions in each room."
Ruby was clearly eager to showcase her expertise to Locke, speaking nonstop.
With admiration in her voice, Ruby continued, "So later, we'll need you to visit the drying chamber to dry your clothes. This prevents any moisture you carry from altering the humidity in the air."
"Sigh, I failed the Breeder Assistant exam again this year. The theory test was just too difficult. I really want to become a Breeder like you. This is my third time failing the Breeder Assistant exam—my performance in the theory tests has always been poor."
By now, the mine elevator had descended about 400 meters underground. Looking up, the shaft was pitch black, with only a few Magic Mine Lamps still glowing.
Locke frowned slightly. He hadn't intended to interfere in her life, but hearing about her three failed attempts, he couldn't help but speak up. "Your foundational theory has too many gaps."
"It's no surprise you can't pass the Breeder Assistant theory exam. Let me correct two points for you. First, maintaining constant temperature and humidity in the Germplasm Repository is indeed important, but what's even more critical is maintaining a constant Magical Tide Gradient."
"Second, the reason I need to go to the drying chamber isn't just because of the moisture on me—that's only part of it. The air humidity where Magic Plant seeds are stored must indeed stay within a certain range. If it's too high, the seeds will sprout; if it's too low, the internal moisture will dehydrate, damaging the structural water inside the seeds and killing them."
"But the main reason I need to go to the drying chamber is to match my body temperature with that of the Germplasm Repository. A temperature variation of more than 2 degrees Celsius can reduce a seed's lifespan by at least 50%."
"Therefore, everyone entering the Germplasm Repository must go through the drying chamber—to balance both temperature and moisture."
Ruby's face flushed with embarrassment. She had only wanted to flaunt her professionalism in front of a certified Breeder, but after just a few sentences, she had already made so many mistakes.
Locke's high-level guidance, delivered in just a few words, swept away all the errors in her previous understanding, giving her a clearer and more precise grasp of her work in the Germplasm Repository.
Gratefully, Ruby said to Locke, "Thank you, Breeder Augustine. You're right—it seems my theoretical knowledge really is full of gaps."
"Rather, the theoretical portion of the Breeder Assistant exam is extremely challenging. I'll put in more effort in that area."
"Thank you for your guidance. Your words today have been very helpful to me."
At that moment, the mine elevator let out a loud clang as it landed—clearly, they had now reached the 500-meter-deep underground level.
Down here, all the rock formations seemed to have been reinforced with earth magic, making them incredibly sturdy. Additionally, the underground structure had likely been further fortified with special Magical Materials developed by Alchemists.
Even a Wizard war of ordinary magnitude would struggle to threaten this Germplasm Repository, which was as impenetrable as a fortress.
Locke stepped out of the mine elevator and saw that this underground space contained numerous rooms and tunnels, each sealed with Magic Alloy doors and protective locks from the Warding School.
The passageways were illuminated by Magic Mine Lamps.
Looking down, Locke noticed that about a hundred meters beneath the perforated iron platform under his feet, there was a massive, already activated Weather Control Device.
This device was regulating the temperature, humidity, and even the gradient of magical energy tides within the Germplasm Repository.
No wonder storing agricultural products was such a troublesome and costly affair.
Instantly, Locke recalled Zach's absurd demand—that he maintain a hundred acres of Crystal Palmfire Lotus in the Magical Field without any orders.
What a joke.
As Locke walked out of the mine elevator, he saw that in some of the doorless rooms within the underground facility, several Second-Class Wizard Apprentices were busy sorting and processing seeds.
More common seeds were displayed on metal shelves in a shared room.
Those shelves were lined with rows of translucent petri dishes, each containing seeds of varying sizes and colors—each one as exqu
isite as a gemstone.
Locke asked, "Where are the seed exchange areas for second and third-tier access? Take me there."
"I need to make an exchange."
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