Wizard: Starting With Synthesized Gems - Chapter 753

Chapter 750 Three Million Wizard Tax! Labor Service and Dimensional Expansion!

Locke understood that Catherine the Witch hadn’t directly assigned him any key sub-projects.

After all, Catherine’s plans seemed interconnected, an art only a third-circle wizard could master.

The arrangement of the projects possessed an artistic synergy.

Therefore, unless he could demonstrate some ability and gain her trust, it would be difficult to enter her true plan.

Although he was her collaborating wizard, and perhaps even closer, that was all.

For wizards, only profit was eternal.

To obtain that project, he had to demonstrate his value, proving he wasn’t just a student or a newcomer, but a reliable and capable wizard.

Fortunately, his previous actions had already earned her trust.

Both the Spellfighting Tournament and the Silent Grail Tournament had undoubtedly gained Catherine’s basic trust in his abilities, so after becoming a second-circle wizard, she would directly entrust him with a task, asking him to orchestrate it.

Although, even now, she didn’t fully understand the background and consequences of this task.

And now, the other party had assigned her two more tasks.

Clearly, these two tasks would determine her assessment of her abilities and were related to whether she could win the project.

The witch Catherine said, “These two rings are prototypes of magical wedding rings; you can think of them as test rings. Test rings record some data, which I need to make clear to you beforehand.”

“If you can use them, along with the Heart Charm and the dragon bloodline, to successfully create, or nearly complete, the test data will come to me. This will greatly benefit my development of magical wedding rings.”

“Alright, Locke.”

The witch Catherine placed a magic mirror in front of Locke. “Pass through this mirror, and you can return to the carriage. Wizard Chad and the others won’t notice. As you’ve just become a second-circle wizard, the Academic Committee will arrange a celebration banquet for you.”

“Furthermore, any second-circle wizard from Golden Crown Mountain will automatically receive a mid-level academy designation.”

Locke stepped into the magic mirror, and the next moment, he was back in the carriage. Inside

the carriage, the mirror avatar mimicking him mechanically stood up from its seat, a smile playing on its lips, as if it possessed self-awareness.

He gave himself a strange look, then bowed to himself before disappearing into the magic mirror door inside the carriage.

Locke was astonished by this.

“Teacher’s magic mirror magic seems to be used in a particularly wondrous way, forming its own system. It’s not the usage of the alchemy school, nor is it the usage of the enchanting school. It’s like using magic mirror magic from alchemy and enchanting to create a new magical path in botany.”

The essence of Locke’s Evolution Moon is the Moon Magic Mirror, and the Aura Ecological Charm is actually the Mirror Ecological Charm, which was also the reference book that the witch Catherine had recommended to him.

Therefore, Locke saw the key to it.

Locke said, “Perhaps my Evolution Moon can also create such clones, no… this involves a lot of basic knowledge, and it also requires special modifications to my Evolution Moon. It would take at least ten years to complete. Forget it…”

Compared to that, he would rather focus on improving his magic power and strive to complete the second forging as soon as possible to become a Star Ring Wizard.

Locke calmed his mind and began to circulate the advanced meditation technique, transforming himself into a cosmic force wave, rapidly accumulating mana within its layers.

Then, he opened his eyes, sitting in the carriage, a look of disbelief in his eyes.

“Minimal. An exquisitely refined advanced meditation technique, capable of breaking through the shackles of the first to second ring, has negligible effect on mana improvement beyond the second ring.”

Normally, a wizard’s spirit merging with the force wave would allow for rapid mana advancement, but now, while he felt his mental strength had increased, even with the aid of the force torrent of the Great Void Force Plane, it was difficult to significantly increase his mana.

‘This is normal,’

Locke suddenly realized.

‘My current magical pressure is comparable to one-thirtieth to one-fifteenth of the magical pressure of a small-scale plane.’ “

This is no longer the magical pressure that an ordinary individual can achieve.”

“Therefore, for me, the energy-dense areas in the Great Void with higher energy than mine are actually only a few regions. The energy density of most areas is even lower than mine. The resources required for each level of advancement for a second-ring wizard are astronomical.”

“Even using advanced meditation techniques to enter the state of ‘I am not myself’ through ‘no thought,’ and receiving the assistance of the Force Wave, I still cannot make myself progress quickly at the second-ring stage. From another perspective, for a second-ring wizard, only resources produced in advanced worlds like the Wizarding World will be effective for me. Resources from medium-sized worlds like the Silent Plane and the Mage Plane are unlikely to be effective for me.”

Locke thought: ‘No wonder second-ring wizards are all so old. The breakthrough of each level within the second-ring realm is probably more difficult than the combined breakthrough of all levels in the first-ring stage.’

‘The higher I go, the greater my abilities become, and the more money I earn, but the more difficult it is to obtain the resources that are truly useful to me.’ Outside the magic

carriage, Wizard Chad ordered the driver to slow down, then rolled down the window and asked Locke through it, “Locke, I called you once before, why didn’t you answer? Is there a problem?”

Locke hesitated for a moment, then rolled down his window and said, “I was thinking about something.”

Wizard Chad smiled, his eyes narrowing. “As expected of a champion, even during your return to school, you’re so diligent and don’t waste a single moment.”

On the other side, in two carriages, Antoine and the witch Preston, seemingly drawn in by Locke’s influence, were also reading.

Wizard Chad smiled at Locke, “I called you for no other reason than to ask you what kind of doppelganger spell you need to learn, since you’ve just become a second-circle wizard?”

Locke was taken aback. “A clone spell?”

Wizard Chad said. “Yes. Our signature spell as second-ring wizards isn’t a massive spell, but a clone spell. Because of the existence of massive spells, we can basically multitask. So, it gives us the possibility of developing a clone spell.”

“With a clone spell, we can turn a day into 48 hours!”

“Your main body can be here, and your clone can be there.”

“Generally speaking, a second-ring wizard will have at least one clone! Some sun-ring wizards may even have three or four clones. These clones are not just for show; each clone is equivalent to the original.”

Wizard Chad said, “The clone magic that the Golden Crown Mountain Academic Committee usually studies is the [Peach Fruit Avatar].”

“Using a peach fruit as the core, an independent life form avatar is created, which can exert combat power between the first and second rings.”

“Our second-ring wizards at Luxu Bridge generally use the [Tea Tree Avatar]. The greatest use of these clone magics is not for fighting, but for doing things. Think about it, you are controlling two bodies…”

“Therefore, for a second-ring wizard, a major spell can correspond to a clone equivalent to the original. If it’s not like that, then the clone is meaningless; it’s just something that can be used for temporary combat…”

Locke suddenly understood; so that’s how it is.

Chad the Wizard chuckled, “Besides these commonly used clone spells, I also have a rare, special clone spell I obtained from ancient ruins, called [Wooden Dragon Avatar]. How about it, are you interested? With this second-circle spell model, you can create the perfect second-circle clone for yourself. It’s not expensive, only six million magic stones.”

Locke’s lips twitched.

Good heavens, so it turned out his senior had come to him to sell his spellbook because he was a new second-circle wizard and desperately needed a clone spell.

Chad the Wizard handed Locke a business card across two carriages.

“I own a shop alliance that specializes in selling spellbooks; it’s called Chad’s Spellbook Bookstore.”

“It’s in Dragonblood Market. Feel free to go there if you need anything.”

“That’s my senior’s business. This Wooden Dragon Avatar is also quite special, with many benefits…”

Locke smiled and politely declined.

First, he didn’t understand clone spells.

Buying it rashly would be unwise.

Second, he didn’t have that much money on him at the moment.

Locke said, “Senior, I plan to learn about the world of the Second Ring first before considering the issue of clone magic.”

Wizard Chad chuckled, “I see. I just thought you’d really need a book on clone magic, that’s why I recommended it. Don’t mind, don’t mind.”

Seeing Locke’s strange expression, he said, “Now that you’re a Second Ring wizard, you should go back to your hometown at least once in a while. After all, becoming a Second Ring wizard is an achievement few wizards can attain; it’s a significant milestone in your life.”

“Many Second Ring wizards go back to visit during this period. It’s only natural. Both Golden Crown Mountain and Lu Xu Bridge will grant relevant leave. Of course, leave is leave, but work still needs to be done, so usually, a clone is left behind.”

“That way, you can take a vacation, go back to visit your family, and work at Golden Crown Mountain again. Vacation and work will never conflict, isn’t that convenient?”

Locke’s eyes widened, and he coughed.

“Senior Chad, this clone magic is only popular in the Three Swamps, right?”

Wizard Chad paused for a moment, then thought for a second.

“It’s only really popular in the Cloud Marsh Wetlands. Wizards in the Thunder Marsh Lowlands are more relaxed, while wizards in the Rain Marsh prefer to enjoy themselves more.” “

Although the clone magic is useful, the energy required and the mental drain are doubled. Moreover, no matter how many clones you have, if neither clone sleeps, the damage caused is also doubled…”

Wizard Chad said, “Because the clone magic doesn’t increase total energy, not all wizards choose it. Apart from all the second-ring wizards in the Cloud Marsh Wetlands, second-ring wizards in other places either use it or they don’t.”

Locke nodded slightly, indeed. “What about the Starfield Sea?”

Wizard Chad paused for a moment, then raised his middle finger and shook it on the car window.

“Let’s put it this way, we in Yunze Wetlands are working incredibly hard, aren’t we? But in Yunze Wetlands, not working hard only means having no future. But in the Starfield Sea, not working hard means you’ll starve to death. Starve to death in the literal sense.”

“In the Starfield Sea, not working hard is a matter of survival, while in Yunze Wetlands, not working hard only means being marginalized. That’s the difference. So, in the Starfield Sea… anything that can improve your competitiveness even slightly will be used. Including the clone magic, which many wizards consider to have significant side effects.”

Locke nodded slightly.

He chatted with Wizard Chad for a few more minutes about the second-ring world, and then the two ended their conversation.

Locke sat in the magic carriage and began to think.

Wizard Chad’s words had given him a jolt.

He had been away from the Southeast Corner Region for so long, he really should go back and take a look.

Locke also thought of the starting point of everything, the Corfu Island world, that mortal island world.

Thinking about it carefully, it all suddenly became clear.

He, a wizard apprentice who came from a mortal island, had now become a second-ring wizard, a second-ring wizard with a respected position in the Southeast Corner Region.

Looking back now, he realized that he had already reached a high position in the wizarding world.

If he hadn’t gone to the Starfield Sea, but instead sought a teaching position in the Cloud Marsh Wetlands, he could have gone to any of the seven top academies.

Similarly, he would be a welcome guest at any wizarding organization in the Eastern Realm right now.

It was time to go back and visit.

Of course, the prerequisite was to first learn a clone spell, so he could do research and visit his family at the same time.

Locke sat in the carriage, beginning to plan his future development.

Since it was so difficult for a second-circle wizard to advance, he needed to make good use of the two special first-circle projects, which were equivalent to benefits.

He should help his teacher complete the data monitoring work for the wedding ring testing rings as soon as possible.

At the same time, the business dispute with those two shop alliances should have temporarily come to an end; the stock prices of those two shop alliances should have been falling these past few days.

Secondly, he needed to improve his resume.

Locke opened the Water Hyacinth System and found some letters in the system’s backend. Upon closer inspection, these letters were from all over the Eastern Realm.

There were even recruitment letters from some wizarding academies in the Starfield Sea.

Obviously, when you are a talented person, it’s not you begging to enter a wizarding university, but rather those wizarding universities begging you to work for them.

Locke frowned as he glanced at the information from the three wizarding universities in the Starfield Sea that had secretly sent him messages.

“They all seem to be on the fringes of the Starfield Sea. I have a feeling they’re about to close down.”

Locke quickly used the free library’s search function on the Water Hyacinth system to look up the three. While “about to close down” was an exaggeration, these three wizarding universities were indeed among the best in the Starfield Sea, though not at the very bottom.

No wonder they had proactively sent him messages inviting him to teach there.

Moreover, they offered a whole host of seemingly wonderful benefits, even promising him a direct appointment as a lecturer without any assessment period.

Locke pondered for a moment.

“They’re all pretty average. Before, I thought any university in the Starfield Sea that wanted me was fine, as long as it was a slightly better one. But now, my expectations have risen.” “

Wait a little longer, there will be better ones. Besides, I still have a lot to finish at the Golden Crown Mountain True Knowledge Academy.”

Locke sat in the carriage, checking how much wizarding tax he would have to pay to join the Wizarding Council.

He opened the Wizard Council interface within the Water Hyacinth System and saw the Wizard Tax displayed above

it—3 million. Locke was astonished.

“Three million magic stones a year?”

“No wonder the Silent Witch was forced into desperation when she first became a second-ring wizard, forced to open a trading market in the Silent Plane to offset her tax.”

Locke blinked, completely speechless.

This tax was simply too high.

Six million magic stones in two years, thirty million magic stones in ten years.

That’s equivalent to paying 250,000 magic stones in membership fees every month!

His highest monthly income at the first-ring stage was only 300,000.

That already exceeded what an ordinary first-ring wizard could earn.

That was based on having a large number of new products and his own brand.

Of course, because of his early planning, his Augustus Wizard Shoes were already in production, so he estimated his actual income would far exceed 300,000.

But not every second-ring wizard was as good at marketing as he was, or had so many unique products.

In other words, most second-circle wizards absolutely cannot pay taxes in the early stages.

You can’t possibly invest all your earnings in taxes; you also need to conduct research, purchase equipment, recruit staff, and so on.

Locke frowned, clicking on the Wizard Council interface, which showed that if he couldn’t pay, taxes would accumulate, but no interest would be charged. He could pay the outstanding taxes when he had the funds.

During the tax arrears period, he still retained voting rights and the exemptions of second-circle wizards.

It would simply continue to deduct from his civilization credit score.

This civilization credit score is related to bank loans, planar conquest services, priority in grant applications, and so on.

After all, if your civilization credit score is low, it proves your economic situation is not good and your abilities are insufficient, naturally project reviewers will take these factors into account.

Wait, this tax is too high!

Second-circle wizards are clearly helping first-circle wizards bear a portion of the tax burden; it’s very likely that if first-circle wizards pay their taxes, the tax burden on second-circle wizards could be reduced by a third, or even more!

Locke thought about it carefully and realized that this fixed tax system was a very high tax for low-ring second-circle wizards, but only a relatively ordinary tax for high-ring second-circle wizards.

In other words, it was unfavorable to low-ring second-circle wizards and favorable to high-ring second-circle wizards.

Secondly, Locke discovered that if the tax could not be paid, there was a way: the tax could be converted into labor. If

they couldn’t pay the money, they would have to do the work.

Locke saw a special prompt below, indicating that if they couldn’t pay the tax for the year, they could go to the White Wizard Association’s tax office to apply for labor in lieu of tax. As long as they completed a specific task of the White Wizard Association, they could directly reduce their tax for the following year.

That is, three million magic stones in tax!

Locke sat in the magic carriage and began to think: ‘Obviously, very few ordinary second-circle wizards can pay their taxes in full.’

‘Therefore, the White Wizard Association uses this method to make second-circle wizards all over the world work for them.’

Brilliant, this move.

Make second-circle wizards owe taxes, and then they can only be forced to work for them.

Thus, the White Wizarding Association transformed from a vague, conceptual organization into a powerful force capable of commanding a large number of second-circle wizards.

Locke reviewed the related benefits; since an annual membership fee of three million magic stones was required, there were naturally substantial perks.

First, first-circle wizards undoubtedly enjoyed these benefits.

For one thing, the overall social environment under the White Wizarding Association’s jurisdiction was essentially a form of welfare.

Similarly, second-circle wizards paid taxes and thus gained voting rights, which was both a benefit and a right.

There were numerous other miscellaneous benefits, and second-circle wizards possessed considerable special extra-legal rights.

Leaving aside these miscellaneous benefits, there were three main ones.

The first major benefit was that the White Wizarding Association would distribute one second-circle-level potion beneficial for magical power enhancement to each second-circle wizard annually.

The types and effects vary, but they are always announced annually through the White Wizarding Association.

The second major benefit is that the White Wizarding Association will open a second-circle wizarding secret realm, the Forbidden Library, to all paying membership fees.

Entry is allowed once every ten years.

This is a second-circle wizarding secret realm of the White Wizarding Association, arguably the largest second-circle wizarding secret realm in the wizarding world.

According to the description, the library contains all-encompassing special knowledge, and each wizard who enters will receive different things based on their talents and personal qualities.

For many wizards who lack the resources to enter a second-circle wizarding secret realm, this is their only chance to access a second-circle level secret realm.

During the years when they cannot enter the secret realm, they are said to receive the Light of Wisdom from the library.

This is a special spiritual enhancement resource, which can even be shared with their students.

The acquisition of resources from the Forbidden Library is highly dependent on aptitude, especially in certain areas.

Therefore, for wizards with low aptitude in specific areas, the greatest use of going to the library is to scavenge the Light of Wisdom!

The third major benefit is patent protection.

At the second-ring wizarding stage, things are quite different from the first-ring stage. At the first-ring stage, the entire wizarding world largely disregarded patent protection.

However, at the second-ring stage, patents are highly valued.

This is probably because much of the research conducted by first-ring wizards is repetitive, and it’s difficult to say that there hasn’t been some borrowing or plagiarism.

Wizards like Locke and Sophia are actually in the minority.

After all, when you’re just starting out, your skill level isn’t high, and the best way to improve is through borrowing…

Moreover, the research of first-ring wizards is mostly focused on atmosphere, at least within the overall wizarding civilization of the Eastern Frontier.

Therefore, society as a whole is relatively indifferent to the patent rights of first-ring wizards.

Second-ring wizards are different.

The first major difference is that second-ring wizards are all paying membership fees.

They paid money!

Naturally, the White Wizarding Association, having received the money, must work for the wizards who paid it.

The White Wizarding Association established a special committee to review the patent rights of second-circle wizards, called the Patent Committee. This resulted in a very high level of importance being placed on patents at the second-circle stage.

Locke also noticed that there was a planar expansion option in the Wizarding Council interface.

“It seems that as long as you join the planar expansion project and are in the process of planar expansion, you can always enjoy the tax reduction policy.”

“But apart from those freelance wizards, no one should be able to freely and independently carry out planar expansion. Because they still have to work within the academy.”

“Wait, second-circle wizards have clone magic, and a day has forty-eight hours, so it might not be impossible.”

(End of this chapter)