Yolanda had previously revealed the background of this task, which was vaguely related to the upper echelons of the Millennium Empire. If the problem of artificial cultivation of the Bloody Taro could be solved, it might bring about a great opportunity, which could not be replaced by the discovery of the secrets of the Ghoul Face Flower.
Charlie temporarily put aside the two choices and returned to the cultivation room of the Bloody Taro, fully immersing himself in the research work.
At this time, two days and one night had passed since Charlie's last departure from the cultivation room. He used "Life Detection" on the Bloody Taro and found that its vitality had decreased by two points. Compared to the previous weakening trend, it can be said that his method has achieved results, which gave Charlie more enthusiasm.
Yolanda said beside him, "The first small step has been taken steadily. The current results can be considered a discovery. Let the teacher help you open up connections and publish it in the 'Today's Alchemy' of the Millennium Empire."
"What is 'Today's Alchemy'?"
Yolanda explained with a smile, "It is a newspaper that has just emerged in recent years. I heard that it was the brainchild of an imperial princess. She felt that we need an open and sharing environment, so she took the lead in launching two newspapers under her personal name: 'Millennium Magic News' and 'Today's Alchemy'.
Due to the signing of several magic masters as special columnists for the newspaper, each issue will have some insights, and it has a huge influence in the empire. In just the past three years, it has become an authoritative newspaper in the industry, spreading throughout the Millennium Empire and gradually penetrating the Wagran Continent."
It turned out that someone had already developed this kind of ideological awareness. Charlie couldn't help but feel curious about this mysterious princess: "Well, it's quite an idea, but this kind of thing can only be pushed forward efficiently with the support of the royal family, right?"
"Yes! With the entire state machinery behind it, money and manpower are abundant!" Yolanda sighed repeatedly and said with a smile, "Junior, if you publish that research method, I think it will have a sensational effect, and the teacher will also benefit from it. I envy you, your brain is too smart."
Charlie smiled and said, "Such a major discovery is certainly not the result of a single person. Senior has also been of great help! However, I don't think we need to rush right now. If we put forward the theory now, it can only attract people's attention for a while. If we can combine it with an amazing experimental result and release a comprehensive analysis method and conclusion, that will be truly valuable!"
Yolanda's eyes lit up, and she said, "Junior is still thinking thoroughly. Next, it's up to you."
"I'll do my best!" Charlie didn't have much confidence in achieving a decisive result.
Given the lack of advanced research equipment, Charlie's options were indeed limited. He had already tried many attempts: finding suitable lighting; improving the pH properties of the soil; increasing air humidity and temperature, etc. There were not many cards left to play, and if he played all of them without achieving the expected effect, the experiment would be at an impasse.
Yolanda sighed, "If it were easy to solve, it wouldn't have stumped so many alchemists. The fact that you've gotten to this point is already remarkable."
Charlie nodded silently, put on a sachet containing taro powder, and loosened the soil around the Bloody Taro with an iron rake, carefully avoiding the thorny vines buried on the surface. He gently combed the soil, interspersing a small amount of self-made organic fertilizer and watering it from time to time, performing the three procedures in an orderly manner...
This was Charlie's last trump card.
Yolanda asked, "Junior, what are you doing?"
In her eyes, Charlie was dancing on the edge of a knife, which was really heart-pounding. Many people who raised the Bloody Taro were afraid of it and kept their distance. Charlie actually dared to get close to it and "provoke" it repeatedly?!
Yolanda had seen Charlie pick the thorny vines out of the soil and then bury them back, but the Bloody Taro did not react in any way. After all, the effect of the taro powder, although not bad, was not good enough to completely avoid the risk, otherwise the three previous gardeners would not have paid with their lives.
Charlie smiled and said, "I'm loosening the soil for it. Plants, like humans, need their roots and stems to breathe. Maintaining a loose and moist soil will make it feel comfortable."
Yolanda felt she had learned another lesson: "Is it that if you make it feel comfortable, it won't attack you?"
"This question is more complicated. It may attack you for many reasons, such as being startled, or being provoked, or sensing a threat, or being in a state of hunger..."
As Charlie was speaking, he gradually stopped.
The inspiration was like a tender shoot buried in the soil, and after being stimulated by a ray of light, it grew vigorously. Charlie quickly associated it with the flash of inspiration that had surfaced in his mind a few days ago.
He remembered that at that time, a question had flashed through his mind: "Logically speaking, a powerful predator should not be so fragile."
Yes! Maybe it shouldn't be treated purely as a plant. Thinking about it this way, could he find inspiration from the methods of raising animals?
Now the inspiration has finally been linked together, and Charlie couldn't help but laugh out loud, which made Yolanda rather stunned, and then delighted.
"Junior, do you have a solution?"
"Yes! It's just a guess, and I need to verify it." Charlie suppressed his surging emotions and smiled, "Senior, I'm afraid I need to ask you for one more favor."
"Go ahead and say it."
"Get me some meat."
"What? Meat? Raw meat?"
"Yes."
Although she didn't understand the reason, Yolanda still rushed out. Soon, she arrived at the kitchen of the botanical garden, not caring about getting her hands dirty, and directly grabbed a few pieces of beef prepared for dinner, hurrying back to the cultivation room, leaving a group of cooks in a daze, unable to figure out what was going on for a long time.
"Will these pieces of meat work?" Yolanda brought the good beef.
Charlie frowned slightly, retreated to the edge of the field, and said, "Let's try it."
Yolanda, following Charlie's instructions, threw the pieces of beef into the field.
Suddenly, several black shadows emerged from the ground, grabbing the pieces of beef. In the blink of an eye, the beef was shredded into a mess, squeezed out from the cracks of the twisted vines. A few yellow-green tentacles, like the fangs of a poisonous snake, licked the shredded meat and then retracted, and the thorny vines relaxed, softening like noodles, and then sank back into the soil.
If it weren't for the remnants of the shredded meat left in the muddy ground, one would not dare believe that the Bloody Taro had reacted so violently.
Yolanda's face turned pale. This was the first time she had witnessed the Bloody Taro's attack method - swift and sudden. If the beef had been replaced with a person, it would have been a dead person, and she would not have been an exception.
Charlie subconsciously pushed his glasses, but found that he was pushing an empty space. His eyes were shining as he said, "Senior, can you get some live creatures, preferably magical beasts, but not too strong."
"Oh!" Yolanda paused for a moment, then came to her senses, but couldn't help but be amazed by Charlie's idea: "Will that be useful?"
"I don't know, let's try it."
Although she had doubts, Yolanda still implemented Charlie's plan. This time, she went straight to the breeding ground and brought back three Magic Ear Rabbits, which were suitable for adaptation. This type of creature is an entry-level magical beast, without any attacking power, controlling wind magic, and is the most difficult to capture in the wild due to its extraordinary speed.
"What are you planning to do?" Yolanda held the three pure white, fluffy little lives, feeling somewhat reluctant.
Charlie smiled and said, "If you don't want to do it, let me do it. Sacrificing for the cause of science is also a glorious death for them!"
Yolanda was already used to his occasional strange remarks, and she just gave him a blank look, then grabbed one of the Magic Ear Rabbits by the ear and tossed it in.
This rabbit had a spiritual nature. Before it even landed, it sensed the danger and adjusted its landing posture. It bolted away like a flash, ready to leap out of the dangerous area.
However, to everyone's surprise, the thorny vines, as if stimulated by something, suddenly burst out of the ground, kicking up a storm of mud, and the magic danced like demons.
The Magic Ear Rabbit was directly trapped in the woven trap of the thorny vines, and before it could land, it was firmly bound. The sharp thorns pierced into the rabbit's body, and the lively rabbit immediately wilted.
Then, from the hollow thorny spines, a few thin snake-like tongues extended, burrowing into the Magic Ear Rabbit's body, and with one powerful suction, the snake tongues quickly turned blood-red and visibly thickened. Not only did they s*ck the rabbit's blood, but they also drained its scarce magical power.
Watching the fur gradually darkening and the body gradually shriveling, and then seeing the swaying and satisfied appearance of the taro leaves, the two were once again shocked.
How could there be such a fierce and terrifying plant in the world?!
Yolanda had not yet recovered from the shock when Charlie threw a life detection spell over, and sure enough, the Bloody Taro's vitality had increased slightly.
This seemed to be an amazing discovery!
Thinking of the dead gardeners, Charlie asked, "Senior, was that the same way the dead gardeners died?"
Yolanda was awakened by him and thought for a moment, saying, "I didn't see it with my own eyes, but I heard they were also drained of blood."
"Did its vitality increase the last time?"
Yolanda shook her head, "No, because such a big incident happened, everyone didn't pay attention to its changes. I only occasionally found that its vitality declined more slowly than usual in those few days, but I didn't really consider the connection."
Charlie could basically draw a conclusion: "From the phenomenon, it has very harsh environmental requirements, and it supplements its energy by sucking the blood of magical beasts. This is the fundamental reason why the Bloody Taro is hard to raise."
A problem that had plagued the entire alchemy world of the Millennium Empire was being solved bit by bit.
Yolanda heaved a sigh of relief and smiled, "Congratulations, Junior."
Charlie smiled and said, "It's not time to celebrate yet. I still need a few more days to conduct a few more experiments to verify the correctness of the conclusion and grasp some more specific data, such as: what type of magical beast does it prefer? What is the daily blood-sucking routine? What is the exchange relationship between blood and its own vitality?
Only by grasping its rules can we be convincing. We need to make the conclusion as detailed as possible, so that others have no room for补充."
Yolanda first showed an admiring expression, then smiled and said, "Junior's attitude is truly admirable. If you didn't say that last sentence, your image in my heart would be even greater."
Charlie laughed and said, "Am I not allowed to have this little bit of self-interest?"