The meeting ended, and Ron shook hands with each of the reviewers in farewell.
When he shook hands with Chester, Chester leaned slightly forward, using magic to transmit a message in a low voice:
"Young man, some theories are best left untouched, especially those that connect with the great ones."
Ron was slightly taken aback, but maintained his composure outwardly. "Thank you for your advice, Professor Chester."
Leaving the review office building, he stepped into the glaring sunlight, filled with complex emotions.
magic stones, this amount of money was not even enough to buy an advanced guide system, much less support the initial experiments of his grand vision.
Walking on the road back to his residence, Ron’s thoughts kept drifting back to the scenes at the review meeting.
He carefully recollected his presentation, trying to pinpoint what exactly had touched the reviewers’ nerves.
"It seemed that when I mentioned the concept of the ’King of Illusions’ and the consciousness sharing network, the atmosphere completely changed."
He pondered for a moment and speculated the conclusion:
"Is it that this concept in itself violates some ethical norms, or is it that everything related to the ’King of Illusions’ is considered taboo?"
He recalled the vague record in Lance’s notes about ’consciousness archiving,’ and Lance himself mentioned that the idea was somewhat overly bold.
"Perhaps this idea is not just ’bold,’ but touches upon some boundaries of the Wizard World."
Ron gradually began to realize: "Or, there might be some history and hidden truths behind this that I have yet to understand."
In any case, the funding of 50 magic stones and the Associate Professor’s warning clearly indicated one thing:
His grand vision would not receive any support from the School Alliance at this stage.
"In another light, perhaps this is not such a bad thing either," Ron reassured himself, tidying up his mood:
"It is indeed not prudent to push forward such a colossal plan without fully understanding the underlying risks."
Fortunately, the perfection of the Mobile Simulation Battle Device itself would not be greatly affected.
Despite the limited funds, he could still supplement the research funding through teaching income and other means.
On the other hand, the simulation subject database provided by the School Alliance would also offer essential support for the functionality tests of the device.
"Let’s accomplish the tasks at hand, then consider the further plans."
Ron admonished himself internally, while curiosity quietly blossomed at the bottom of his heart.
He was quite intrigued by the mysterious ’King of Illusions’ and the creatures of ’Fairyland’ she ruled.
"Fairyland... Fairies, are they the kind of fairies I’m thinking of?" His heart surged with a desire for research.
Moreover, Lance’s notes mentioned that his own void skeleton remnants were handed over to this friend for safekeeping...
Putting aside these unattainable goals, before that, he must act more carefully and discreetly.
The academic circle in the Central Lands was far more complex than it appeared on the surface; the slightest carelessness could touch upon some dangerous boundaries.
He lightly shook his head, temporarily suppressing these thoughts.
Passing by a crystal ornament shop, Ron suddenly remembered that he still needed to contact Reynolds.
Although the grand vision of the ’consciousness network’ was temporarily obstructed, the plan to cultivate his own ’Autophagic Slime Monster’ could still proceed.
He took a small Communication Crystal from the Spatial Bag, gently infused it with magic, and selected Reynolds’ Communication Badge.
The crystal immediately emitted a faint blue glow, indicating it was trying to connect.
A moment later, Reynolds’ voice came through the crystal.
It was accompanied by some subtle noise and echoes, suggesting the other party was in a region with an unstable magic field.
"Ron! It’s been a while. I didn’t expect you to contact me proactively."
Reynolds’ voice sounded weary: "I heard you made quite a stir at the Lance Festival recently?"
"Not really, it was just a competition," Ron said nonchalantly, not wanting to dwell on the topic, quickly shifting to the main subject:
"I recently have a small project and need to procure some abyssal materials. I heard the observation station is about to hold a quarterly resource exchange meet?"
"Ah! You mean that," Reynolds’ voice became enthusiastic:
"That’s right, it starts in three days and lasts for a week.
It’s a rare opportunity; many explorers bring back various samples, and the prices are much cheaper than through regular channels."
"What specific materials will be available? Is there a detailed list?" Ron asked directly, cutting to the chase.
"Of course, there is. I can request a reference list from the management, but..."
Reynolds’ voice suddenly turned mysterious:
"If you tell me what you need, I might be able to look out for you in advance, even secure you better prices. I have some connections here."
Ron thought for a moment and decided to speak frankly.
As an internal member of the Abyssal Observation Station, Reynolds could indeed provide considerable convenience in material procurement.
"I need the basic materials for cultivating an ’Autophagic Slime Monster,’ especially ’Void Mucus’ and ’Mutagenic Catalyst.’
He listed his requirements:
"Additionally, if there are high-energy content abyss crystals or similar items, I’d be very interested."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the Communication Crystal, then Reynolds’ voice, drawing breath, came:
"You’re cultivating a specialized type of Autophagic Slime Monster? Are you serious? That’s usually the realm of a Master of Modulation!"
His voice was filled with amazement, then quickly turned to excitement: