Wizard: Starting With Synthesized Gems - Chapter 766

Chapter 763 Soras’s Barefoot Reaction and the Inner Circle of the Catherine Witch

At the Solas’s Barefoot technical seminar in Yunze Wetlands, all the high-ranking members of the shop alliance lowered their heads, holding Ganoderma lucidum plants, checking Arthas’s sales charts. When they saw that Augustus’s Wizard Shoes had become the fifth item actually on sale, and had even been pre-sold, with sales quickly rising to third,

many of the Solas’s Barefoot wizards closed their eyes.

The second-ring designer of Solas’s Barefoot revealed a cold smile, while the many crystallization, liquefaction, and gasification wizard designers of Solas’s Barefoot, who were allowed to attend the technical seminar as observers, all lowered their heads, revealing dejected expressions.

The Moon Ring Supervisor was practically grinding his teeth to powder.

“Now we’re second. The top two wizard shoes on the Arthas sales charts are both Augustus Wizard Shoes.”

“Those traditional wizard shoe shop alliances, and wizard shoe brands, are utterly useless. Before we, Solas, left Arthas barefoot, they couldn’t even crack the top five. Now that we and Melochy Magicstep have left Arthas, they’ve actually lost their top two spots.”

The Moon Ring manager frowned. If this continued, it would alarm the higher-ups.

The mainstream wizard shoe shop alliance in Cloudswamp Wetlands all pointed to one place—the Rose Council and the Rose Witch.

Wizard shoes were her and her two third-ring wizard students’ backyard; everyone knew that.

The problem was, even if they used their influence to pressure Locke Augustine, the issue was that Locke Augustine was backed by the Red Dragon Witch, Catherine the Witch.

The Red Dragon Throne and the Rose Throne had always been rivals.

The Moon Ring manager only now realized something was wrong; they might have already been drawn into the war for the throne.

No…no way.

The Moon Ring manager lowered her head, a thoughtful expression on her face.

‘It can’t be a battle for the thrones; the two thrones are too close on the Ladder of Truth. If war breaks out, the consequences would be far too great, potentially even causing… significant internal strife within the field of botany.’

‘So, is it just normal business competition?’

The Moon Ring manager began to ponder the complexity of the current situation.

The Rose Throne’s foundation lay in the study of rose language, but two of her third-ring wizard students were based on wizard shoes.

Solas’s Barefoot and Melochy’s Magic Step each had a third-ring wizard behind them.

Therefore, these two shop alliances would remain firmly established in Cloud Marsh Wetlands.

The two alliances represented different sub-fields of technology.

As long as Augustus’s Wizard Shoes didn’t reach the level of a Sun Ring wizard, it would be difficult to truly threaten the foundation of the two shop alliances.

But now, Locke had become a second-ring wizard, which meant he could truly influence the two shop alliances in terms of business competition.

Initially, they underestimated the Augustus Wizard Shoes brand, believing it to be a fleeting phenomenon or at best destined for a lukewarm existence.

Locke Augustine himself was expected to take at least five to ten years to become a second-circle wizard.

But who could have imagined that he would become a second-circle wizard after the Silent Grail War?

And by then, it was too late for their assassination attempt.

The Moon Ring Wizard Director had closed his eyes; the former head of the crisis management department had been dismissed; and within Solas’s Footsteps, an ordinary second-circle witch had been arrested and sentenced to ten years imprisonment and fifteen years of community service.

One Crystallized Wizard and two Gasification Wizards were sentenced to death, and five Liquefaction Wizards involved were imprisoned for thirty years and sentenced to fifty years of community service.

Because of this incident, Solas’s Footsteps not only lost at least hundreds of millions of magic stones (for talent development), but also lost a pool of potential talent.

After all, it was the Golden Crown Mountain that directly held them accountable.

Therefore, he was severely punished by his superiors, his salary reduced by at least half, and many resources stripped away.

At that moment, the supervisor already regretted it. He should have agreed to buy an unused Worldstone for Locke in the first place.

The Moon Ring supervisor sighed.

If he had agreed then, he could have saved Solas’s Lightfoot at least two hundred million in losses.

Even for Solas’s Lightfoot, losing that much money might not be a problem for the time being due to their high health, but if it happened frequently, it would cause issues.

Besides, he was just an administrative supervisor for Solas’s Lightfoot.

His own health wasn’t that high.

If things continued like this, he feared he would be held accountable by his superiors.

The Moon Ring supervisor [Hollmu] frowned. As the administrative supervisor of Solas’s Lightfoot, a hint of regret finally appeared on his arrogant face.

He tapped the table, the sound of his fingers seeming to echo in the ears of every one-ring designer in Solas’s Lightfoot.

“That’s why I’ve said it before, Solas Barefoot isn’t just about gimmicks. Gimmicks are necessary, product and service lines are necessary, but quality, and the pursuit of technological advancement, are also essential.”

“Have you all forgotten how Solas Barefoot got where it is?”

“Have you forgotten our shop alliance culture?”

The first-ring designers present all lowered their heads, silent, while the second-ring designers sneered, remaining unmoved.

Holm was shrewd; he knew that the more critical the moment, the faster he needed to find someone to take the blame. He looked at the first-ring chief technician at the technical seminar, immediately preparing to unleash his traditional skills.

Shifting blame had to be done early and at any time; if he was even a step too slow, he might not be able to get away with it.

“Michael, you are a rising star cultivated by Solas Barefoot, a technical reserve cadre, a future generation of magic weavers.”

“You are a genius among our magic shoemakers. I ask you, in this period of time, have you produced any new wizard shoes?”

Michael’s face was grim.

As an assistant wizarding instructor and a prospective lecturer mage in the Rose Council, he was a student of the third-ring wizards and the sun-ring wizards in the Rose Council.

Therefore, they are considered direct descendants of the Rose Council and the Solas Lightfoot.

The Solas Lightfoot has always had two promotion paths: one is a direct path for their sect, and the other is a path for ordinary employees.

Even if ordinary employees are diligent, they rarely gain trust and their future achievements are limited. Whether they pursue administrative positions or technical careers, they are unlikely to be trusted or nurtured.

But the man before him, Holm, the head of the Moon Ring, was appointed as the main manager of Solas’s Blindfoot, an administrative head, and the highest-ranking executive. This was naturally because he was also a Chair Wizard of the Rose Council, and had even signed a contract with the Rose Council as a wizarding mentor (wizarding mentors not recognized by the White Wizarding Association are essentially senior Chair Wizards; after leaving the Rose Council, the White Wizarding Association can only recognize them as Chair Wizards).

This Holm was originally his senior in the laboratory.

Therefore, after thinking for a moment, Wizard Michael suppressed his anger, stood up, and apologized, saying, “Head of Holm, I’m sorry, I didn’t expect the Augustus Wizarding Shoes brand to release a second hit so quickly.”

“And I just looked at the specifications of his wizarding shoes, and I can only say that, if it’s true, then… then…”

Wizard Michael sighed.

“That truly represents the best level of first-ring wizard shoes currently available in Cloudze Wetlands. Without a doubt.”

“To achieve this level with pure magical plant wizard shoes is unimaginable,”

Wizard Michael said. “Of course, if it’s fake, that’s a different story.”

Supervisor Holm gave him a cold look. “How could it be fake? Don’t mistake your negligence for an enemy weakness.”

“Arthas’s trading system is very sophisticated. The person in charge of the Augustus wizard shoe brand is a top-tier trader. Since pre-sales are now possible, they must have already confirmed the magical plant’s characteristics.”

Wizard Michael lowered his head and said, “That’s indeed the case. It’s true that our Thoras Barefoot R&D department has been somewhat negligent in the first-ring wizard shoe field.”

“But…but…if the performance of these plant-based wizard shoes is genuine, then even if our first-ring wizard shoe R&D department of Solas’s Barefoot works overtime, it’s impossible to improve the performance to a higher level in a short time.”

The chief designer of the second ring suddenly spoke up: “Michael, even if we invested 30 million in your first-ring R&D department, wouldn’t that work?”

Wizard Michael bowed, a troubled look on his face.

“In my experience, it is indeed difficult to do. Perhaps it’s because he is a second-ring wizard, and I am just a crystallized wizard. I really can’t imagine how using the pure plant-based wizard shoe technology route can surpass the quality of wizard shoes designed by magic weavers.”

“Especially the designs of top magic weavers like us.”

Wizard Michael sincerely asked for advice: “Logically speaking, a pair of wizard shoes requires the cooperation of many sub-fields, from materials to structure to aerodynamics and other disciplines, many aspects of cooperation. A pair of wizard shoes is a pair of magical artifacts.”

“Initially…”

Wizard Michael paused, then looked around and began to recount the history of Solas’s Barefoot, which everyone knows.

“Three hundred years ago, although there were some wizard shoe shop alliances, they were small in scale; there were no large alliances specializing in shoes.”

“Wizard shoes were sold in shops as ordinary magical artifacts, not even a mainstream item. But our third-circle wizard from Soras Barefoot proposed the principles of ‘Speed, Professionalism, and Culture,’ and with these three concepts, a specialized wizard shoe shop was established.” “

Thus, the first alliance specializing in wizard shoes appeared. Although magic shoemakers were quite common at the time, they simply treated their wizard shoes as ordinary magical artifacts to be sold.” “

But Lord Soras believed that this sales model was insufficient to elevate the status of magic shoemakers or enhance the professionalism of wizard shoes. Therefore, he founded Soras Barefoot and ultimately triumphed through specialization. Today, the department store wizard alliance that tried to suppress us back then, [Oreble], has declined, while our Soras Barefoot is thriving every day.”

“Relying on the alliance culture of professional wizard shoe shops, we have always maintained that our wizard shoes are superior in quality, always better in performance, and have established many barriers in terms of culture, but…”

Wizard Michael frowned and said, “I didn’t expect that the competitor would not be from our fellow wizard weavers, but from a field that we cannot influence.”

The chief designer of the second ring closed his eyes and said dismissively.

“Back then, Oreble didn’t want to give up on the wizard shoe industry, but later, thanks to Lord Solas’s efforts, they finally had to.”

“Solas’s barefoot won through professionalism, so professionalism is actually the most important of our many barriers.”

“However, every industry produces geniuses. A genius, with their individual ability, can suddenly reverse the industry’s situation, causing a leap forward.” “

In the past three hundred years, Solas’s barefoot has also encountered some geniuses in the field of magic weaving. However, these geniuses, as long as they pursued the path of magic shoemaking, would eventually join the Rose Council, thus becoming our own people. Even if some established their own small brands, we could simply acquire them secretly. But this time, the one challenging us isn’t a magic weaver in the field of magic shoemaking, but a breeder…”

“That’s what caught us off guard. But actually, it’s not a big problem.”

The chief second-ring designer considered for a moment and said, “The field of wizard shoes has become a mature technology after thousands of years of accumulation. And the first-ring wizard shoes designed by the other side referenced our wizard shoe technology standards and technology in every aspect. But there is one thing that the other side can’t overcome.”

“What is the biggest difference between magical plants and magical artifacts? Magical artifacts are just objects, while magical plants are living beings. It’s relatively easy for an object to reach the magical pressure of the second ring, but it is much more difficult for a living being to reach the magical pressure of the second ring.”

“Imaginary root… If the other side can make a second-ring wizard shoe now, they should release it immediately.”

“But since they can’t, it means that the other side is stuck on the imaginary root.”

The Moon Ring supervisor’s eyes lit up.

“So, as long as the other side doesn’t overcome the cost-effectiveness of the imaginary root, they won’t be able to mass-produce wizard shoes. They’ll be stuck at the first-ring level.”

“They’ll never truly amount to anything. As expected of a Grand Wizard of the Sun Ring. Your insight is truly remarkable.”

“Then, if that’s the case, as long as we hold onto the first-ring wizard shoe market and continue to suppress them there, that so-called pure magic plant wizard shoe craze will never arrive…”

The second-ring chief designer nodded slightly, remaining silent and offering no clear statement.

Wizard Michael’s eyes also brightened slightly.

That’s right.

Many breeders are currently observing in secret, waiting to see what the final outcome of Augustus’s wizard shoes will be. If the result is good, many of them will enter the industry.

That’s what Solas’s barefoot fears most.

But if that Grand Wizard Augustine can’t overcome the problem of mass-producing the imaginary root,

then it’s a different story.

Perhaps this is why many breeders are still observing and haven’t yet entered the market.

Michael the Wizard said, “Then our first-tier R&D department should quickly develop a new product that can stabilize the market. Although its performance cannot compare with that black hummingbird pineapple shoe, it can remove many… unnecessary functions, retaining only the basic ones. With our brand’s past reputation and our efforts in offline sales, there shouldn’t be much of a problem.”

“Of course, after-sales service still cannot be neglected…”

Solas, the chief designer of the second-tier wizards, remained calm. He had initially taken a wait-and-see approach to this matter, but who could have imagined that the wind would blow so strong?

But as long as the Augustus Wizard Shoes hadn’t actually entered the second-tier market, there shouldn’t be a big problem.

Manager Holm nodded in agreement.

“With a few slight changes, we should be able to handle the current crisis.”

At the same time, his Ganoderma lucidum plant vibrated, and his expression changed slightly because it was the Wizard Board of Directors contacting him directly.

Manager Holm hesitated for a moment, but still chose to accept the video call.

A wizard director spoke up, “Holmu, the stock price of Solas’s Barefoot, after a brief period of stability, has experienced a second decline. The board is very dissatisfied with you.”

“The board has now decided, after discussion, to send an acting administrative head to the Solas’s Barefoot headquarters.”

Holmu’s body stiffened. “Please wait, gentlemen, could you give me another chance…”

The wizard director continued, “This acting administrative head is the eldest daughter of the Tacitus family, and the granddaughter of the Rose Throne. She’s not only here as the acting administrative head of Solas’s Barefoot, but has also been appointed acting head by Melochy Magic Step.” “

In other words, she is simultaneously the acting head of the alliance of two top wizard shops in Cloudze Wetlands.”

“She will coordinate the resources of the two shop alliances.”

All the wizards at the technical seminar were startled, realizing the unusual situation.

In other words, the Rose Council’s reaction to the breeder invasion was so strong.

Was this just a prestige-building exercise?

Or did the higher-ups genuinely believe that a newly developed wizard shoe brand could threaten the mature magic shoemaking industry?

Manager Holm paused for a moment before asking, “So, may I ask, when will this lady arrive, and what is her approximate magic level?”

The wizard director replied in a deep voice, “Magic level is not important, but it represents the will of those above. This lady has already infiltrated your two shop alliances and is currently conducting undercover investigations. For now, you don’t need to change anything; just continue with your normal operations.”

“This lady will observe your working style and read our Solas’s documents to develop a comprehensive plan to revitalize Solas’s Barefoot.”

“She is a researcher from the Rose Council’s High-Level Institute of Truth, of noble status and with a distinguished family background. She will undoubtedly be able to help Solas’s Barefoot regain its dominance.”

The wizard director then presented the current sales report for the first-tier wizard shoes in Cloudswamp Wetlands.

“Look, a year ago, six of the top ten best-selling wizard shoes in Yunze Wetland were from our Solas Barefoot line, and the remaining four were from Melochy Magic Steps.”

“But things have changed.”

“Today, for the first time, a pair of Magic Pineapple wizard shoes has entered this hidden ranking, ranking seventh. It’s expected that next year, more Augustus wizard shoes will enter the top ten of this hidden ranking.” “

Therefore, we really need to make some changes to prevent this from happening.”

Director Holm gritted his teeth.

“Yes.”

The wizard director disappeared.

Meanwhile, at the technical seminar, many wizards were whispering amongst themselves, surprised that someone had suddenly been sent down from above, and even conducted a covert investigation.

…

At Golden Crown Mountain, in a small wizard town halfway up the mountain, Locke discovered that the witch Catherine had chosen the entire wizard town as the venue for her celebration banquet.

Wizards from all over Yunze Wetland had gathered in this small town, exchanging greetings with the witch Catherine in the town square.

This was undoubtedly a gathering of masters and disciples, and also a banquet announcing Golden Crown Mountain’s dominance for the next decade.

Therefore, Locke knew he wasn’t the true protagonist, so he simply greeted the many wizard guests in silence and walked silently through the wizard town.

Many wizards who had received favors from Catherine, or who had currently reached agreements with her, had come to this wizard town.

The seven top wizarding academies of Yunze Wetland had also sent third-ring wizards to represent them in the celebration.

The ten top shop alliances of Yunze Wetland also had third-ring wizard directors present.

In addition, the heads of various organizations in Yunze Wetland, the directors of the White Wizarding Association, and representatives of wizarding forces from the Three Swamps outside Yunze Wetland were all there.

Catherine seemed extremely adept at handling these interpersonal relationships.

Locke, however, was introduced to an even smaller social circle—the circle of Catherine the Witch’s true disciples.

This circle was quite small.

Within a villa, there were five wizards—Catherine the Witch’s true disciples, her strict master-disciple relationship, not students under the academy’s mentor system, but more like the ancient master-disciple relationship.

And to this day, there were only five such students.

After all, whether it was the Sith wizard or the Celtic leader, they were merely Catherine the Witch’s subordinates, part of her academic lineage, simply students or colleagues at the academy.

Even the witch Shirley was merely a student-mentor relationship within the Golden Crown Mountain academic system, not truly Catherine the Witch’s private student.

At most, it was like the relationship between Locke and Williams.

But this private gathering represented an even smaller circle.

Within this circle were Catherine the Witch’s true core network—the true master-disciple relationship.

Locke knew that being introduced into this circle itself represented a form of affirmation.

This was a very prestigious treatment.

Locke, however, felt a growing sense of doubt.

Why?

He was merely a collaborating wizard of Catherine the Witch, or perhaps a dragon-blooded wizard, but even that shouldn’t have led him into this circle.

Locke looked at the five wizards before him. Four of them were actually third-ring wizards, and the last one, who looked young, was a sun-ring wizard.

The five were chatting and laughing, and when they sensed Locke’s arrival, they all looked at him.

One of the third-ring wizards said, “Is this our junior brother? Come here. We’ve heard our teacher mention you.”

(End of Chapter)