Wizard: Starting With Synthesized Gems - Chapter 535

Chapter 532 Meeting Albert Again

The Celtic wizard said to Locke, “Your timing is quite good. Jinmanshan has three opportunities a year to apply for the Zhenzhi Academy project fund: January 1st to January 7th, May 1st to May 7th, and September 1st to September 7th.”

“It’s May 3rd now. If you wait a few days to finish your project application, you’ll have to wait until September 1st to submit it. Time is of the essence. You can only stay in the Zhenzhi Academy for a total of five years, just like you can only stay in Jinman Mountain for five years. These five years are extremely precious to you.”

This is also the reason why Witch Ekaterina asked herself to join the group six months in advance.

Locke understood that this action almost allowed him to spend half a year in the Zhenzhi Academy for free. After all, during this period of time, he still enjoyed various benefits.

The Celtic wizard asked Locke, “You should be clear about the four-level Zhenzhi Academy fund project, right?”

Locke nodded and said, “I understand, Professor Celtic. This point was also specifically discussed in the Everything Class. The Zhenzhi Academy Fund Project is divided into four levels, from the lowest fourth-level Zhenzhi Academy Fund Project to the third, second, and highest first-level Zhenzhi Academy Fund Project.”

“Generally speaking, the Zhenzhi Academy funding projects we refer to are third- and fourth-class projects. Almost every researcher can apply for these levels of Zhenzhi Academy funding projects.”

Locke said, “You can only apply once for each level of the Zhenzhi Academy Fund Project. So, this time I’m applying for the third-level Zhenzhi Academy Fund Project.”

Second-class and first-class Zhenzhi Academy Fund projects cannot be applied for directly. Only after applying for a third-class Zhenzhi Academy Fund project and being approved, submitting project information, and achieving research results that exceed the expectations of the fund committee and unexpected results, can you apply for second-class and first-class Zhenzhi Academy Fund projects.

This is also the reason why most researchers have been working on a Zhenzhi Academy funding project for five years.

Because if their project is done well, they can continue to deepen and expand the results and apply for more advanced Zhenzhiyuan fund projects.

If you do well in the third class, you can get the second class. If you do well in the second class, you can apply for the first class.

And if you can apply for first prize and still exceed the task… then you may be able to apply for… special funding.

And that is also the purpose of many young first-ring wizards and super geniuses coming to this Academy of True Knowledge.

Director Morrison of the Yunze Cup Event Committee once said to himself that if he wanted to make full use of the Zhenzhi Academy, he had to get all the projects available here, that is, the three major projects.

But in fact, after Locke entered the Institute of True Knowledge, he found that it was not easy for most researchers to achieve a second-class Institute of True Knowledge funding project, let alone a first-class one.

As for the sub-topics of special funding and key individual projects, that is another matter.

To obtain special funding, one must compete for resources with all the super-genius first-ring wizards in the entire Academy of True Knowledge.

Because there are only one or two places allocated to the Zhenzhi Academy in a year.

As for the sub-topics of the key individual projects, that depends on the mood of Queen Catherine the Great, and it is entirely up to the three-ring wizard to decide.

But who can understand the thoughts of a three-ring wizard?

So, this becomes more difficult.

The lack of standards actually means that the standards can be infinitely high.

The Celtic wizard stamped his magic seal on Locke’s project application and said, “Then go ahead and apply.”

Locke said: “Thank you, Lord Celtic.”

The Celtic wizard did not give any response, but just looked at Locke’s leaving back and frowned slightly.

…

A day later, in the Dragon Fern Garden of Golden Crown Mountain, in the office of Witch Ekaterina on the top floor of the Zhenzhi Academy Castle, the Celtic wizard saluted Witch Ekaterina cautiously and explained his work to her.

Witch Ekaterina casually flipped through the magic book in her hand. “You’re doing a good job. Celtic, you need to step up.”

The Celtic wizard knew what Witch Catherine was talking about, and sweat immediately covered his forehead.

Witch Ekaterina asked, “Kelter, let’s not talk about your own affairs for now. Let me ask you, how is the performance of the new little wizard? What do you think of him?”

“I want to ask you about his character.”

The golden dragon behind the wall behind Witch Catherine suddenly opened its sleeping eyes, then closed them again and fell into dragon sleep.

Inside the office.

The Celtic wizard wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, “Your Majesty, I think that the young wizard named Locke Augustine does have some talent.”

Although Witch Catherine didn’t say it, she knew in her heart that the Celtic wizard was picky.

This immediately piqued her interest, and she raised her eyebrows and said, “Hmm? Your opinion of him is somewhat beyond my expectations. Tell me more about it.”

The Celtic wizard said, “He used two months, along with some initial research funding, to produce impressive preliminary experimental data.”

“The quality of the data is very high. He has keen observation and insight.”

“However, his personality is very problematic,” the Celtic wizard said. “I gave him some good advice several times, but he ignored it.”

“He ignored the research progress of the six groups and only cared about what was in front of him. He was also too impatient. He had too many projects to tackle at once. I doubted he could finish them all.”

“After all, whether he can complete the project or not is crucial to whether he can move from a third-class Zhenzhi Academy Fund project to a second-class Zhenzhi Academy Fund project.”

The Celtic wizard said, “I’m going to wait until he hits a wall, then I’ll try to offer him some advice. Whether he listens or not is up to him.”

Witch Ekaterina smiled and said, “I see. It sounds like our new wizards are indeed a bit unruly and don’t obey the orders of our Celtic wizards.”

“You go ahead, Celtic.”

“Celtic, make things more beautiful. I don’t like simple things, nor do I like things that are ugly. You know what I want.”

“Also, you can arrange students for Locke.”

The Celtic wizard saluted the witch Ekaterina, then turned and left respectfully.

He stole a glance in awe at the witch Ekaterina, who was reading from a book of spells.

Every time he communicated with the witch Ekaterina, he felt terrified.

Just as he could never feel the magic pressure of the witch Ekaterina, he could never see the specific thoughts of the witch Ekaterina.

After the Celtic wizard left, Witch Catherine put down the magic book in her hand, and the wall behind her suddenly disappeared completely. It turned out that the wall was an illusion created from beginning to end.

The golden dragon Fafnir raised its head, sneezed, and said, “It looks a little bad, Ekaterina.”

“The senior wizard of that little dragon cub didn’t think very highly of him.”

“This confirms my previous point. No matter how excellent a wizard from the outside world is, they still have huge shortcomings. And it is these shortcomings that determine a wizard’s ultimate success.”

Witch Ekaterina shook her head slightly. “That’s just Celtic’s opinion.”

“It is very dangerous to understand a person only through the one-sided evaluation of others.”

“Fafnir.”

Witch Ekaterina said, “Let’s see the results of his first project at the Institute of True Knowledge.”

Fafnir sneezed and fell asleep again.

…

In the study, Locke placed his palm on the red crystal matrix, and suddenly a number 8900 popped up on it.

Locke said: “We are getting closer and closer to the first ring crystallization.”

“I’m still 100 points away. I estimate that within the near future, I can be promoted to a wizard at the first crystallization stage. This rapid progress is partly due to the high concentration gradient of the magic tide in the Golden Crown Mountain.”

“Next, I will have to wait about half a month to a month before I know whether my project application will be approved.”

Locke summoned the Gray Mist Slate and used the video dialogue function to contact Albert, who was able to use the Gray Mist Slate using special methods.

At this time, Locke saw the alchemy cabin of Lilith’s cabin, which was familiar yet unfamiliar.

He had lived in this kind of wooden house for four years and studied magic for four years, but he had not seen Lilith’s cabin for more than two years.

The bearded and aged man in front of him almost made Locke associate him with the once cheerful and talkative wizard king, Albert.

At this time, Albert’s eyes drooped, his head was full of black hair mixed with white hair, and his eyes were like an old man in his twilight years.

When Albert saw Locke, his pupils shrank slightly, and then he immediately stood up and saluted Locke. “Master Augustine.”

“Hello.”

Locke frowned slightly. “It’s only been two years since we last met, why should we be so distant? Albert, just like you said to me once—we should call each other by our own names. So, you and I are still friends. You don’t have to call me Sir, just call me by my name.”

There was some more reaction in Albert’s eyes.

In his eyes, Locke now seemed so powerful and majestic, speaking in a steady and mature manner, and his words could easily affect his mood.

Albert’s mind emerged the first time he met Locke at the dock of the port city of Lilith Cottage. Locke looked a little immature. Then he looked at Locke now, who was wearing a formal wizard’s white wizard robe and a large number of prominent identity badges.

Today, the identities and status of the two people are very different.

They are incomparable.

He is a first-class wizard apprentice with an almost hopeless future, and Locke is no longer the ordinary first-class wizard apprentice who just joined the wizarding world and was born in the mortal world. Instead, he is a researcher at the Advanced Academy of Truth in the Three Lakes.

High position and power.

Locke frowned slightly. He thought of the time when he and Albert fought side by side in Rashid Talil’s curse ritual research institute. Suddenly, his tone became more concerned. “Albert, don’t give up hope. You still have one last chance.”

There was some color in Albert’s eyes, and then he suddenly said: “Locke, can you give me some ibog pepper water?”

The two smiled at each other.

The rift that had arisen suddenly melted away in this joke.

Back then, when they boarded mortal ships, disguised as smuggling noble merchants, they used to sit below the decks of the ships, enduring the dirty and cramped spaces.

Albert asked Locke for a drink of psychedelic iboga pepper water to deceive his senses and make them mistakenly believe that they were in a clean and tidy place.

The shared experience, now transformed into a touching memory, brought the two closer together.

Albert looked at Locke, and then, as if truly thinking, he said, “Lord Harlan Vera, tell me, Locke, you are already a wizard at the first liquefaction stage, and a researcher at the Academy of Advanced True Knowledge.”

“Locke, you, like Sophia, have come too far compared to us.”

“Andy will never move on. He’s stuck in the past, and I’m probably going to be stuck in the present.”

Locke didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Albert, when did you learn to speak like a lyric poem, the saddest kind at that? This is not the you I know.”

Locke turned serious. “Failure is normal. Success is always built on countless failures.”

“And you still have one chance to succeed. The principle behind the Mist Force, a permanent defensive force field, is very different from that of ordinary permanent defensive force fields.”

“I’ve read your profile,” Locke said. “After all, I don’t get 30,000 magic stones a month for nothing. Every time you’re about to advance to a full-fledged wizard, does your magic power become disrupted, causing you to fail?”

Albert nodded and said, “Well, Locke, Madam Morgana thinks there might be something wrong with my soul, so I will never be able to become a formal wizard in this lifetime.”

“I am at most a first-class wizard apprentice.”

“Besides, no one in the southeast corner can cure me.”

Locke pondered for a moment. “There’s indeed very little research on the soul in the Southeastern Region. The only place with the most extensive necromancy data is the Ghost Church within the Dark Wizards Alliance.”

“But I’m in Yunze Wetland, where I can access more abundant information. Please send me another copy of the specific information about your soul. What I saw before was only other people’s records of you. I was just guessing that there might be something wrong with your soul.”

Locke’s eyes glowed with a magical azure glow. “But a cursory examination hasn’t revealed any physical changes in your soul.”

“The power of Mist is, after all, a special permanent defensive force field, so perhaps you can use this special permanent defensive force field to advance to a full-fledged wizard.”

“After all, every time you advance, your mana suddenly conflicts with the spell model of the permanent defense field engraved on the surface of your soul.”

“Fortunately, you didn’t have many models of the Eternal Defense Field spell engraved on your soul before, so you were able to engrave the Forest Sanctuary.”

A glimmer of hope flashed in Albert’s eyes. “I only slightly engraved it before, and my magic power became extremely chaotic.”

“I don’t know why, but other people never seem to encounter this problem.”

Locke had read Albert’s information before, and only then did he understand why Lilith’s cabin wanted Albert to come to the Mist Power Research Institute to be the first first-class wizard apprentice in a cooperative project with them.

“The Forest Sanctuary is indeed unique. The main rune of its defensive force field is not on one’s soul, but within the forest itself.”

“If it was the inscription of defensive magic that caused Albert’s soul to become abnormal, perhaps having Albert inscribe the Forest Sanctuary would not cause this kind of mana chaos. But why did this phenomenon occur?”

‘This point is very attractive to me, a potion master.’

(End of this chapter)