Wizard: Starting With Synthesized Gems - Chapter 1009

Chapter 1001: The Frenzy to Buy the Great Blue Leaf Dragon Sparrow and the Conversation with the Witch Catherine!

Along the Tianjiang River, at the Great Green Leaf Dragonfly service station beneath the two couple statues next to the Tide Grand Wizard Tower, a long queue had formed. The official wizards of the Tide Grand Wizard Tower were either buying the Great Green Leaf Dragonflies and Multi-eyed Pineapples themselves, or sending their students to purchase them.

At this moment, the skies above the Tide Grand Wizard Tower were filled with Great Green Leaf Dragonflies of various sizes.

An ordinary first-ring wizard, who had just become an official wizard, was having difficulty getting to the front of the line. He saw a wizard seed student with a magic pressure of 800 ahead of him in the queue and immediately opened his mouth to speak.

“This student, you…”

The wizard seed turned around and quickly bowed, saying, “Lord Osh Condin, I’m sorry, but my teacher required me to order three Great Green Leaf Dragonflies this morning; he urgently needs them at the front. So I had to buy them as soon as possible.”

Wizard Osh Condin knew that the other person’s teacher was a second-ring wizard and the chief wizard mentor of the Tide Grand Wizard Tower.

Although the wizard apprentice before him was merely a minor character with only 800 magic power, the second-circle wizard behind him was not someone to be trifled with. Wizard Osh Condin scanned the apprentice, trying to find fault with him, but the apprentice appeared fearful and cautious, his manners impeccable.

Sensing the gazes of several wizards around him, Osh Condin could only cough and say in a guiding and admonishing tone, “I understand. But even so, there’s no need to act so hastily and lack composure. It’s not befitting an apprentice of our Tide High Wizarding Tower. Fine, you can go ahead of me in line.”

Wizard Osh Condin considered it and realized he had no choice but to concede, given the apprentice’s backing from a second-circle wizard. However, being cut in line in front of everyone was certainly displeasing to him, so he felt compelled to find fault and berate the student.

The wizard apprentice seemed genuinely convinced that Wizard Osh Condin was angry. He now regretted his earlier rashness, but in order to complete the task given to him by his teacher, he couldn’t afford to worry about anything else.

“Lord Osh Condin, you’re absolutely right. I’m sorry, I’ll correct my rudeness as soon as possible.”

Wizard Osh Condin snorted coldly. He turned his head and was speechless. A liquefaction wizard from Dalton Woods was trying to cut in line in front of him. It was one thing for

a second-circle wizard from his own school to cut in line, but

why was this outsider trying to do the same?

Osh Condin grabbed the liquefaction wizard from Dalton Woods who had stepped in front of him. “Sir, this is our Tide Wizarding Tower.” The liquefaction wizard used his magical pressure to push Osh Condin away. He said, “I know. But this is a shop in Silver Peach Garden, not your Tide Wizarding Tower. Anyone can come here. Is there a rule that says I can’t come? You were busy talking and didn’t queue up, so of course I had to join the queue. Besides, I’ve come all this way, and it’s not easy for me to make the round trip.”

Wizard Osh Condin was furious.

There was no way around it; after Wizard Anriel returned and news of the Great Green Leaf Dragon Sparrow’s victory spread, this magical plant suddenly became incredibly popular. Not only were the wizards from their own school eager to buy one, but even nearby registered wizards, having witnessed Anriel’s feat of defeating three registered wizards, were also rushing to purchase one.

Because only fifty Great Green Leaf Dragon Sparrows were sold each day, and there was currently a promotional period—meaning enchanting scrolls were free and multi-eyed pineapples were included—the queue of wizards was overflowing, making the Great Green Leaf Dragon Sparrow service station incredibly busy. Wizard

Osh Condin said, “But everything should be done on a first-come, first-served basis. I did say a few words at the door, but that was precisely to help with queuing. There are only fifty Great Green Leaf Dragon Sparrows available for sale each day, so don’t cut in line.”

The liquefied wizard from Dalton Woods immediately turned cold.

“What did you say?”

He was a liquefaction wizard, while the person opposite him was just an ordinary first-ring wizard with a magic pressure of just over 1000. He naturally had a psychological advantage, so he questioned him condescendingly.

However, this wizard quickly realized that he was on someone else’s turf, and seeing that Wizard Osh Condin seemed a bit impatient, he thought for a moment and said, “It’s not a big deal. Wizard, you’re too impatient. If you want to go to the front of the line, then go ahead and queue up. I’ll follow behind you, is that alright?”

Wizard Osh Condin realized his lapse in composure, so he said, “Then it’s settled. I just hope that the two of us can buy the Great Green Leaf Dragon Sparrow today.”

Wizard Osh Condin walked to the front and joined the queue behind others, while muttering to himself, “There are only fifty spots a day. Our academy invested a lot of money to open the service station, and how come as soon as it opened, wizards from other places are coming to compete with us for benefits? Such a big discount is obviously Silver Peach Garden and Archmage Augustine giving back to our academy. These wizards from other places…,”

“The academy really should impose some restrictions on them, otherwise they’ll take all the perks.”

Osch Condin, a newly promoted official wizard, muttered to himself. He was almost thirty-five, in the prime of his youth.

He glanced at the queue ahead, calculating whether he could buy the Great Green Leaf Dragon Sparrow today. Some wizards weren’t buying just one, so he hadn’t gotten a turn in line yesterday, the day before, or even the day before that.

Having just become an official wizard, he was planning to return to a mortal duchy within the Tide Grand Wizard Tower. That was where he was born. He was originally the only son of a knight under a mortal duke. Later, while undergoing knight training, he joined the pre-wizard education system at the junior academy, where his magical talent was discovered, leading him down the path of a wizard. Along the way, he could be considered a genius.

This was the perfect time to return home. Firstly, to return in glory to his hometown; secondly, to see how his family and homeland were faring in the mortal world; and thirdly, this was one of the ways the Tide Wizarding Tower maintained its position in the mortal realm. As a formal wizard, he could return there to select talent for the academy. After all, he could choose people from his family and friends to serve him in the wizarding world.

Wizarding civilization had never sought to establish a nation in the mortal world, because by simply establishing academies, they could obtain taxes and labor from mortals through education.

Wherever an academy was located, that place was declared to belong to that particular wizarding academy.

“I want to return home in glory, but it’s not very safe to go back like this. If I could use the 90,000 magic stones I borrowed, plus the 10,000 magic stones I saved, to buy the Great Azure Leaf Dragon Sparrow before I leave, that would be perfect,”

Wizard Oshcondin pondered.

“I just don’t know if I’ll get a turn today. My ticket is for tomorrow… If I can’t get one, it’ll be troublesome, a real headache!” In the Silver Peach Garden, Wizard Terence and Witch Peach interacted with Locke very enthusiastically. Wizard Terence said, “We’ve already made a gross profit of over 15 million magic stones in the last two days. This explosive growth should last a long time. I wonder if it can last a month.” Witch Peach said, “A month? This is the only service station along the entire Tianjiang River right now, so I think it can last for several months.”

Witch Peach poured Locke a cup of tea.

“Manager Augustine, our Silver Peach Garden’s position has become increasingly secure recently. The number of wizards submitting their resumes to me these past few days is countless. However, I don’t want to just take them all,”

said Wizard Terence. “There’s really no need. Some veteran employees wanted to come back, but I refused them all. Getting rid of these cancerous elements has already taken a lot of work; bringing them back… to continue their corruption?”

Wizard Terence chuckled. “Now that I think about it, Manager Augustine’s decision to directly discard those corrupt elements, while perhaps a bit drastic, has indeed been effective.”

“Those people could never truly contribute to Silver Peach Garden’s strength. Hoping they could at least serve as numbers is, in retrospect, a mistake. Quality over quantity is key,”

Locke nodded. “It seems this place is indeed well-managed. Terence, how’s the war data collection for the Great Azure Leaf Dragon Sparrow going?” Wizard Terence replied, “Don’t worry, Manager, I’ve been personally overseeing it.”

“Currently, with our Great Green Leaf Dragonfly entering the war, it has already brought about some changes in the situation for the Tide Grand Wizard Tower and the White Ice Tower. In the foreseeable future, as the wizards of the Tide Grand Wizard Tower gradually increase their purchases of our Great Green Leaf Dragonfly, it may even allow them to turn the tide of battle,”

said Witch Beeki. “I can attest to this, not just based on the reported data. Some of my friends have recently told me about their wonderful experiences using the Great Green Leaf Dragonfly. Each of the Great Green Leaf Dragonfly and the Multi-Eyed Pineapple’s magical plant characteristics is simple and clear, making them incredibly smooth to use.” “A typical one…” “A Ring Wizard manipulating the Great Azure Leaf Dragon Sparrow could potentially defeat a Wizard at the Vaporization stage. Of course, based on the combat data I’ve gathered so far, I originally thought a First-Ring Wizard could defeat a Liquefaction Wizard with this, but currently, that seems unrealistic. Moreover, if the Vaporization Wizards on the White Ice Tower’s side are powerful enough, it would be very difficult for a First-Ring Wizard to defeat them using the Great Azure Leaf Dragon Sparrow.” “After all, there is still an objective gap in strength. But this cannot overshadow the enormous ability the Great Azure Leaf Dragon Sparrow grants to the Tide Great Wizard Tower on the battlefield, allowing them to fight beyond their level.”

Locke nodded; that was to be expected.

Firstly, the gap between the four stages of a First-Ring Wizard’s mental power is not as large as that of a Second-Ring Wizard.

Essentially, the First-Ring system only has four major levels, while the four major levels in the Second-Ring system are simply a drastic compression of wizard civilization into four. In the Endless Void, other races might have dozens of levels, and many civilizations trapped in the intermediate-level advancement trap could even create sixty levels.

Therefore, at the first level, using a good magical artifact, a low-level wizard might be able to turn the tide of battle, or at least remain undefeated. The Great Azure Leaf Dragon Sparrow has been specially bred, and its performance in all aspects, as well as the life magic it contains, is unparalleled. Of course, for a first-level wizard, this price is absolutely exorbitant, practically astronomical.

A typical first-level magical artifact costs 10,000 magic stones, requiring a first-level wizard to save diligently.

Even during the subsidy period, his Great Azure Leaf Dragon Sparrow would cost 100,000 magic stones, equivalent to ten first-level magical artifacts or one crystallized magical artifact. This is a significant financial burden for ordinary wizards.

He plans to gradually increase the selling price as the Great Azure Leaf Dragon Sparrow gains a better reputation.

However, compared to traditional magical artifacts that are difficult for low-level wizards to control, the Great Azure Leaf Dragon Sparrow’s semi-automatic attack mode allows them to utilize it effectively and achieve some victories.

Locke said, “Keep running. If everything goes smoothly, we’ll be able to build a second one soon. My initial goal is to build seven service stations, covering the entire Tianjiang River area, and start building additional services such as maintenance, turning this industry into a cash cow that can steadily bring me huge income. This will also benefit you, especially Wizard Terence.”

Wizard Terence paused for a moment, then smiled bitterly, “Star Ring Wizard, if you don’t advance, you fall behind. Every day we have to consume and process a large amount of resources, and over the years, my magical pressure has indeed declined.”

“From the second ring onwards, every step upward has been so heavy.”

“It’s like the heavy pressure of civilization.”

Locke looked at Wizard Terence and said, “Don’t be afraid. As long as we manage Silver Peach Garden well, we will have enough resources, and you can increase your magical pressure.”

Wizard Terence paused, then smiled somewhat bitterly. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Locke, but to him, Locke seemed to be thinking too simply.

In Locke’s eyes, it seemed as if continuous improvement was a matter of course.

But is it really a matter of course?

In fact, most people stagnate or even regress after reaching a certain level.

Some people have lost their willpower, some have bad luck, some lack resources, and some lack talent.

Terence, the wizard, felt a slight bitterness in his heart as he sensed Locke’s aura, which was like the rising sun. The Star Ring wizards who remained along the Tianjiang River had long since given up hope of rapidly increasing their magical pressure. However, since Locke had spoken, he couldn’t contradict him and spoil his mood.

Terence quickly concealed his bitter smile, then thought of the future of Silver Peach Garden and smiled at Locke, “Master, you’re right. As long as Silver Peach Garden prospers, we’ll all have resources.”

At this moment, the witch Shirley entered and nodded to Locke.

“I’ve sent that apprentice back to Golden Crown Mountain. The Ethics and Morality Review Committee of Golden Crown Mountain will handle the rest. Lord Locke, the committee seems very angry about the undead.”

Locke gestured for the witch Peach and the wizard Terence to leave, and the two obediently departed.

Locke smiled and asked his senior, “What’s wrong? What does the committee want to do?”

The witch Shirley sighed.

“The main problem is that Heidi the Witch died. The responsibility for the illegal experiment can’t be shifted onto an apprentice; when something goes wrong, someone has to be held accountable. That’s where the committee is in this awkward position. Alright, junior, I’ll continue investigating the undead here, and also assist you on behalf of the academy.”

Locke laughed. “Senior, I’ll pay you. With your help, things will definitely be easier for me.”

The Witch Shirley said, “Locke, the academy has already paid. Also, don’t be so generous; generosity isn’t one of the eight virtues of a white wizard.” Locke joked with her for a few moments, then returned to his laboratory in the Tide Wizarding Tower. He went to a machine he had made that continuously flowed water, where he saw many corn roots and silks, with wisps of verdant spiritual energy flowing through the water. This machine cost him four and a half million magic stones.

Its prototype was a magical creature egg-sorting machine used by a summoning school of wizards. Locke purchased it and then invited various alchemists and water magic wizards from the Tianjiang River—who happened to be skilled in water magic—to modify it according to his requirements.

Originally, the machine could sort different magical creature eggs using flowing water, but Locke modified it to separate a special kind of spiritual energy from the verdant spiritual energy. Currently

, in the rapidly flowing water, some pebbles float. The water flows at the same speed, but every moment, different currents containing different magical powers attract substances that react specifically, and these substances are then absorbed onto the corresponding pebbles. In short, this simply utilizes the fluidity of water magic, the different fluidity of different magical substances in water, and the varying degrees of attraction between different types of water magic and different magical substances.

At this moment, Locke saw a long, columnar spiritual energy seemingly separating from a wisp of verdant spiritual energy in his hand.

This scene was fleeting.

“It seems that with a few more adjustments to the equipment, we can completely separate this special spiritual energy,”

Locke’s eyes brightened.

The Spiritual Macro is the hidden true form of all things, requiring a wizard’s special perception of it. This is because it’s a special kind of knowledge beyond ordinary understanding. Even if you want to share it with others, if they lack sufficient spiritual awareness, they’ll misunderstand it.

Seeing it through other means without sufficient spiritual awareness is a huge burden and difficult to comprehend. Of course, there are few other means, as the Spiritual Macro is far more difficult than perceiving the Spiritual Energy.

The Spiritual Energy, however, is different.

This hidden vitality of all things is something every living being can more easily sense and touch, and once seen and understood, it’s difficult to misunderstand.

This is why the requirements for Potions Masters and Breeders differ at the second stage.

Locke stretched.

“Keep trying. Strange, why do I feel so tired lately?”

“Just hang in there a little longer, try to extract this spiritual energy within a week. Oh, and while you’re at it, apply for a college grant. This college’s grant should have some external reviewers from Elliott… it offers quite a bit of freedom.”

At this moment, in Elliott’s office, Wizard Thaws stormed in, looking annoyed. He glanced at his young assistant who was processing documents nearby, then looked at the Dean of Elliott and asked, “Why, Dean?”

The Dean of Elliott was taken aback.

“What? On what grounds?”

Wizard Thaws said, “We’re all second-circle wizards. Although I’m just an ordinary second-circle wizard, Dean, when I first joined the Tide Wizarding Tower last year, you didn’t tell me this. You told me the Tide Wizarding Tower wouldn’t favor favoritism, and everyone’s opportunities would be equal. Now, as a wizard just starting out in the Tide Wizarding Tower, I naturally need the academy’s funds as a stepping stone. The first-circle and second-circle academy funds are designed as accelerators for starting out. Now that I’m about to get started, you want me not to participate this year and to give the project to Locke Augustine.” “I’m not convinced.”

Dean Elliott coughed, releasing his magical pressure appropriately.

“Calm down, Wizard Thaws.”

Wizard Thaws’s face paled slightly, and he calmed down a little.

Dean Elliott said, “This is all for the development of our academy.”

“How about this, as compensation, I can help you apply for other local school-level funds, or even other regional funds. I can use my connections to apply for a young wizard fund for you… that’s a good starting point.” “

These aren’t necessities, at most they’ll give you some experience. But for an outsider like Locke, without this fund, he can’t apply for the Two Rivers Coast Fund.”

Wizard Thaws slammed his documents on Dean Elliott’s desk.

“I don’t care about all that. I won’t lose face. We’re both second-ring wizards, and I’m not that much older, I’m only a hundred years old, still quite young.”

“I mean, I’m not going to give up. I still intend to participate in this year’s academy fund.”

Wizard Elliott paused, taken aback.

“Wait, Wizard Thaws, I’m not trying to discourage you. It’s just that you definitely can’t beat Locke in the application. I’m only giving you this suggestion to save your time.” Wizard

Thaws snorted.

“In other aspects, I may not be as good as Locke; Lord Augustine, but this is just an application for an internal grant, so the difficulty should be limited. Within this limited scope, if I give it my all, and he does it casually, I might still win.”

“If I win and he loses, that’s his problem, something the academy should consider, not mine.”

Wizard Thaws seemed somewhat provoked.

Both were second-circle wizards invited by the headmaster, but he was a direct member of the academy, not a guest. In his eyes, how could he show favoritism? Although his abilities were inferior to Locke’s, it was just an internal grant; how much ability did he need?

Wasn’t he enough?

How could the academy, having promised him he could apply this year, suddenly go back on their word?

Wizard Thaws felt a strong urge to challenge fate.

He was determined to try.

As Dean Elliott watched him leave his office, the water magic clone on his desk automatically dissipated, transforming into a puddle of water. This puddle then shrank to a single droplet, while the young “assistant” sat in his wheelchair.

He raised a finger.

The droplet automatically moved to the space above his raised index finger.

Dean Elliott placed the droplet on a desert succulent in front of him.

“Honestly, young people are so impetuous.”

“Oh well, he’ll know why he’s having headaches once he hits a wall.”

Dean Elliott glanced at the documents on his desk—Lock’s past achievements: five second-ring, first-zone victories, the Silent Holy Grail, the Cloud Ze Cup, the Golden Cup, and the Small Rest Cup, plus two more projects equivalent to second-ring level. “

Sigh,

” Dean Elliott mused. “Perhaps I was wrong. We wizards never learn until we hit a wall. My sudden decision to have Wizard Thames withdraw this year was a miscalculation. Let him learn from his mistakes. Young people always need more experience. I should prepare to help him with another grant application…”

Meanwhile, on the seventh floor of the True Knowledge Academy at Golden Crown Mountain, in the office of the witch Catherine, the Red Dragon Throne and the Green Dragon Throne were playing Wizard’s Chess. This was a game of Wizard’s Chess that, once started, couldn’t be easily stopped.

Upon seeing Locke arrive, Catherine suddenly made a wrong move, allowing the Green Dragon Throne to win.

The Green Dragon Witch sighed. “Katya, you’re being incredibly disrespectful to chess.”

“If everyone acted like you, what would be the point of chess?”

said the witch Catherine. “I’m not really into it, and I would have lost anyway. So you won, don’t take it to heart.” “Look, my student has arrived.”

Locke hadn’t expected a second Throne-level witch to be present. He immediately bowed to his teacher first, then to the Green Dragon Witch.

The Green Dragon Witch turned and nodded to Locke.

“Locke, you’ve arrived. This is our second meeting.”

“Right now, we have a particularly difficult task for you to handle,”

the Red Dragon Witch said. “Wait. Actually, what we need him to do is the same as what he did along the Tianjiang River—it’s all to complete the ‘virtual forging.'”

“And then achieve ‘false forging.'”

“Locke, I have three apples here. Take a look and see if there’s any difference.”

The Witch Catherine placed three apples on the table. Locke looked at them and saw that the three apples looked exactly the same—the same magical pressure, the same spirituality, the same spiritual energy. The three apples seemed to be the same kind, even from the same branch. The Witch Catherine pointed to the three apples and asked, “Can you see any difference between the three apples?”

Locke frowned upon seeing this. He thought carefully for a moment.

Because no matter how he looked at them, the three apples seemed identical.

But if they were the same, then why ask him?

After careful consideration, Locke honestly expressed his feelings.

“I’m sorry, teacher, I really don’t see any difference between these three apples. Could there be something different about them?”

Catherine the Witch frowned. The

Green Dragon Witch sighed immediately, “Red Dragon, this child is too young. I told you he wasn’t suitable. It seems that very difficult task is beyond his capabilities.” “

He can’t see the difference between these three apples at all.”

Locke was dumbfounded.

He suddenly had the illusion that he had entered the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes.

These three apples looked exactly the same. If there was any difference, it was that each apple was unique in its details, but that wasn’t what the two throne-level witches were asking him.

Locke said, “Teacher, may I touch the three apples myself?”

Catherine the Witch tossed the three apples to Locke.

Locke caught them, activated his innate magic eye, and put on a monocle of concentration. After observing them for a considerable time, he was absolutely certain that these were three very ordinary apprentice-level red apples!

Locke couldn’t tell the difference between the three, but he immediately realized that as fruits, there was another important way to distinguish them—the taste.

Under the astonished gaze of the Green Dragon Witch and the expected look of the Red Dragon Witch, Locke took three bites of an apple, one after another.

“Hmm…they all taste the same. Wait…”

Locke held up two apples, somewhat unsure.

“Teacher, these two apples taste the same. But this one…”

Locke held up an apple in his left hand.

“At first, I also thought they tasted the same, but after tasting them carefully, I felt that the flavor… had a repulsive and disgusting smell.” The Green Dragon Witch paused for a moment, then laughed, “What, you can do that? Katya, as a Star Ring Wizard, to be able to do this, your student’s eyesight is indeed quite good.”

Locke turned to Ekaterina the Witch and asked, “Teacher, please enlighten me. Was I right or wrong?” Ekaterina the Witch replied, “Keep these three apples. You can preserve them with magic. In the future, as you reach a new realm, you may have new insights. You ask me whether I was wrong or not. I cannot answer that, because even for the same person, the right or wrong of an answer can differ at different times.”

Locke nodded and placed the three apples into his Star Ring.

The witch Catherine said, “I can see the subtle differences between the two apples… but your current level of mastery of magic is clearly insufficient. It seems you’ve had a new adventure recently.” “

Locke, now the Senate is demanding that we…”

She recounted the events of the previous academy meeting.

Locke frowned immediately.

“Teacher, the Senate is afraid to develop on its own, so it wants to drag us into it. However, I’m just a low-level wizard, so I can’t really comment…”

The Green Dragon Throne smiled and said, “It’s alright, just speak. Katya and I are just guiding the younger generation. Speak quickly, don’t be afraid of saying the wrong thing. No matter how you think, what you say in front of us will only be full of errors.”

Locke said, “I think if we really follow the Senate’s development plan, we will completely lose the benefits of the wizarding world’s development and isolate ourselves. We’ll be like exiling ourselves. The Three Swamps are interconnected; if we miss out on development, the academies of the Golden Crown Mountain will try to replace us.”

The Green Dragon Witch chuckled.

“That’s quite an interesting analogy. Your students are much more witty than we are. I’ll use that analogy to talk about the Fist of the Tyrant Wizard next time,” said the witch Catherine. “It’s just young people being naive and talking nonsense. Don’t go and stir up trouble for the Fist of the Tyrant Throne.”

“Besides, he might think you said it yourself.”

The Green Dragon Throne stopped laughing and handed Locke a green dragon crystal.

“Place this on the seed of that iron tree, and the iron tree will take root and sprout.”

“This is a gift for you.” “

However, getting the iron tree to bloom still depends on your own efforts.”

Locke took the dragon crystal, then looked at his teacher, the witch Catherine, with a puzzled expression. Catherine nodded. The Green Dragon Throne said, “Locke, you don’t need to think about anything now, because everything has been arranged by us. You just need to carry it out. No matter what happens, you don’t need to be afraid. The only thing you need to be afraid of is fear itself. As long as you’re not afraid, nothing will happen. There’s no danger. But if you are afraid, we can’t guarantee anything.”

The Green Dragon Witch looked at Locke, and suddenly her smile vanished.

“You’re a high-ring wizard now, it’s time for you to learn about the world of high-ring wizards, even just a little bit, it will be good for you. When I was your age, I did a lot for my mentor and took the blame for a lot of things. Compared to that, you young people are really lucky.” “

The environment back then was much harsher. It was much harder to acquire knowledge then. Wizard mentors back then had far more power over the life and death of their students. It’s nothing like today, with ethics committees, academic committees, and all sorts of other committees constantly scrutinizing you, and the civilization points of the Eye of Truth serving as a credential, constantly constraining high-ring wizards…”

“But it’s nothing. We’ve been through the rain, so we naturally want to hold an umbrella for you descendants. Otherwise, why would we have gone through all this trouble to get to this point? If our descendants are in the same situation as us predecessors, or even worse, then it’s our dereliction of duty. Fortunately, the predecessors of Golden Crown Mountain weren’t too derelict in their duties.”

She looked at the Red Dragon Witch and said, “Alright. I’ll be leaving now. You and your student can spend the rest of the time alone. I hope your student can truly do this well.”

The Green Dragon Witch pushed open the office door, and a sinister glint flashed in her eyes.

“This is the time for us predecessors to fulfill our duties. Katya, this time the entire Five Dragon Thrones support you. If you suddenly back down, then we’ll step in. Don’t blame us for not giving you a chance afterwards. If this succeeds, we’ll trust you, and from now on, we’ll follow your lead within the Academic Committee!”

Locke couldn’t understand her conversation with his teacher at all, so he remained silent throughout.

After the Green Dragon Witch left, there was a moment of silence between the Witch Catherine and Locke.

The witch Catherine asked Locke, “What were your thoughts, observations, and experiences during your trip to the Tianjiang River?”

Locke replied, “Teacher, I can’t lie to you, but I only opened a shop alliance along the Tianjiang River and briefly contacted the Tide Grand Wizard Tower. I didn’t have any deep interactions with the wizards there.”

The witch Catherine said, “Then you can try to delve deeper. It’s easier to become a Moon Ring Wizard in the lower-level wizarding lands, of course, that’s for wizarding geniuses. Wizards with insufficient basic talent have a greater chance of advancing in the higher-level wizarding lands. The concentration of magical tides is different.”

Locke said, “Teacher, I found that the Tianjiang River seems to value interpersonal relationships and connections more.”

“The people there…”

The witch Catherine said, “Locke, in your opinion, what constitutes excellence, what is average, and what is wicked in a wizarding land?” Locke paused for a moment. “Each wizard may have a different perspective on these things,”

said Ekaterina. “Yes, each wizard may have their own ideas. But everyone will ultimately make a judgment. In the higher wizarding realms, ambitious wizards are in the majority. Their definition of excellence and mediocrity is deeply tied to performance, the number of projects, the quality of writing, and long-term development.”

“But in the ordinary wizarding realms, it’s different. If the number of wizards who want short-term gains exceeds the number who want long-term gains, then those who pursue long-term gains seem ridiculous and foolish, and are likely to be eliminated prematurely. Ordinary wizarding realms easily fall into a vicious cycle: pursuing long-term gains seems foolish and ridiculous, while pursuing short-term gains severely damages the overall interests of society.” Ekaterina continued, “Similarly, people have their own scales for judging what is good and what is bad. But this is based on a normal society. If there are too many people with evil intentions and wicked thoughts in that society, then bad becomes good, and good becomes bad. People cannot distinguish between good and bad.”

“Locke, you can gain a deeper understanding of the Tianjiang River region, and in the process, you can accelerate your virtual forging. I believe you have the talent for this, but I don’t recommend it to most wizards. It will only confuse them,”

said the witch Catherine. “The reason I’m telling you all this is to tell you one thing—just because most people support something doesn’t mean it’s a good thing. What I’m about to ask you to do is likely something most wizards won’t agree with. But don’t worry, I’ll take responsibility for everything, right or wrong. Go, Locke.” “

Locke, have you noticed that the evil aura in our wizarding world is growing stronger? This might be related to the increasing number of undead. If their numbers continue to rise, some wizards might lose their sense of right and wrong. Locke, don’t be misled by the power of the undead; in fact, they are nothing…” Locke bowed to the Red Dragon Throne.

“Teacher, I didn’t quite understand. I’ll try my best to comprehend it.”