Wizard: Starting With Synthesized Gems - Chapter 801

Chapter 798 Three Curses Guaranteed and New Forms of Committee Oversight

Locke glanced at the student’s file that Christine had given him and nodded, saying, “Not bad. You can try talking to Professor Harlen Vera and Dean Earl Thompson about a cross-academy training contract. These are your own matters.”

“I’ve looked at this student’s file. If Lilith Hut reaches a cooperation agreement with you, then I have no objections. However, to complete the Forest Sanctuary, it’s not just about the student’s personal talent; he also needs to prepare at least 1.5 million magic stones in resources.”

The Green Witch Christine’s face showed a hint of joy.

Because in this way, she would essentially have Locke’s permission. As for needing to negotiate with Lilith Hut, she was originally a wizard from Lilith Hut.

She was quite confident that she could reach a cooperation agreement with Lilith Hut.

On the other hand, Harlen Vera and Dean Earl Thompson had no objections. Cross-academy training was quite common, and it was also a way to enhance Lilith Hut’s status.

It could be said that due to the war between the Black and White Wizards, coupled with the continuous appearances of Sophia and her apprentice, the status of Lilith’s Hut in the Southeastern Region would rise sharply.

As long as no other external academic faction suddenly entered the fray or made any moves

, Locke’s handling was quite reasonable.

It saved face for both the Green Witch and Lilith’s Hut.

At least three valuable collaborations were achieved at one banquet.

This was very practical.

After the banquet, Locke returned to his alchemy hut in Lilith’s Hut. It seemed that because he and Sophia had only been away for a short time, the alchemy hut complex where they lived hadn’t been moved by the academy at all; everything was as usual, even the internal facilities remained unchanged.

It was clear that the academy was sending third-class wizard apprentices to maintain it regularly.

Locke first sent his treasure map to Hussein through the Water Gourd System, awaiting Hussein’s response. At the same time, he used this time to make it appear as if Ling Hong had arrived.

Two hours later, Locke received a response from Hussein.

“I’m sorry, I can’t fulfill the agreement. I can’t unlock this map.”

Hussein sent a message.

“You can change the agreement.”

“This treasure map has very powerful protective spells. The first layer of protective spells is fake; it looks like it’s only at the ordinary second-ring level. After unlocking the first layer, I found a star-ring level protective spell underneath. After unlocking the first layer, there was only a ten-minute delay before the first layer of protective spells automatically reverted.” “

With the first and second layers of protective spells, there’s no guarantee that there won’t be a third or even more layers.”

Hussein said, “I checked the Mithril Law Firm’s information for you. The Mithril Law Firm often accepts missions that require us to unlock treasure maps left behind from the pure-blooded era of humans, so I used my privileges to check the relevant information for you.”

Locke sent a message in the Water Hyacinth system asking, “How is it?”

Hussein replied, “I found two possibilities.” “The first possibility is that this is a common protective magic map encryption method from the pure-blood era of humanity, called the ‘Triple Magic Key.’ This means that if one doesn’t meet certain bloodline requirements, they must unlock three protective spells consecutively, with only ten minutes between each unlock.

The second possibility is even worse. This magic map could very well be a ‘Five-fold Magic Key.’ That is, the final layer is a Sun Ring-level protective spell. The five overlapping keys, through complex calculations, can achieve an effect very close to a third-ring level protective spell.

Currently, it’s impossible to determine whether it’s a triple or five-fold key. This type of multi-key was phased out because its unlocking password was too complex, and it was extremely easy to lose over time. Often, even the wizarding organizations lost the ability to unlock the key and unlock the magical inheritance.”

Hussein sent a wry smile avatar.

“Because I’m a general partner at Mithril Law Firm, and I might be promoted to senior partner soon, I know this.” Many wizarding universities possess magical legacies whose codes they’ve forgotten, and they seek us out to unlock them. “

Therefore, Locke, I lack the ability to unlock this wizard map with its unknown number of magical keys. If you require assistance, I can introduce you to one of my colleagues.”

Locke directly inquired, “How much does your colleague charge per transaction?”

Hussein replied, “That depends on the situation. A typical second-tier lawyer can’t handle this map. The design standard for multiple keys specifies the time required for both technical and brute-force unlocking. In other words, even for us, brute-force unlocking requires manpower, resources, and time.” “

This is precisely the basic idea behind the protective magic model of multiple magic keys. Even against skilled wizards capable of skillfully or brute-forcely breaking magical locks, it forces them to waste a significant amount of time. Therefore, I estimate your deal will require at least ten million magic stones, even considering I can negotiate a discount for you.” “

Furthermore, you may need to sign a contract, sharing a portion of the equivalent magic stones from the wizard’s treasure.”

Locke was somewhat speechless.

Millions of magic stones to unlock such a wizard’s treasure map?

What lies behind this wizard’s treasure map is still uncertain, and spending millions of magic stones at a time is simply too wasteful.

Moreover, even if the map is unlocked, organizing an expedition will cost money.

No wonder unlocking wizard’s treasure maps is a project requiring a huge investment of assets.

‘Zoe the Witch, holding this map, probably didn’t expect it to be so complex. After all, she’s just a crystallization wizard; naturally, she wouldn’t have anticipated that the wizard’s treasure map she painstakingly identified in her spare time would be a task she could never complete in her lifetime.’

Locke thought in astonishment, ‘Choosing the wrong path leads to this.

Going in the opposite direction.

No matter how much effort you pour into it, you’ll find it difficult to achieve results.

The key is that for a long time, you won’t even know whether you should give up or persevere in this direction, because giving up might mean handing over the results that are within reach, just a thin veil away; persevering might mean walking down a path without turning back, where the road ahead will only grow darker.’

Locke pondered for a moment and decided to temporarily abandon the exploration of this wizarding treasure map.

He would consider it again after he had established himself at the second ring stage and become a Star Ring Wizard.

After all, exploring this wizarding treasure map was somewhat of a gamble; no one knew what this map from the pure-blooded era of humanity pointed to.

Perhaps it’s just the bloodline treasure of certain wizards with special bloodlines from that era.

‘These magical defenses weren’t intended to completely hide the treasure. Because with future technological advancements, that would be almost impossible. So, their idea was to increase the cost and effort for wizards of non-hereditary bloodlines to decipher and find the treasures they left behind.’

Hussein seemed very apologetic, after all, Locke had previously helped him deal with the Ghost Cult and the second-circle dark wizard of the Pale Gift Seeker’s Bone Palace, but now he couldn’t unlock the magic map for Locke.

Locke replied, ‘It’s alright. After all, this can’t be forced.’ ‘

It’s not a big deal for me.’

‘Hussein, anyway, you and that Isaac wizard can both go with me on planar exploration. The three of us should be enough to form a planar exploration team. At most, we’ll just need to hire a few more experienced first-circle wizards.’ ‘Then

, let’s say you provide two people. It’s equivalent to completing two of my tasks, which meets the principle of equivalence in our transaction.’

Hussein said somewhat embarrassedly, “Alright, then I won’t ask for payment this time when I go on this dimensional exploration.” Locke

asked, “Besides that, I want to hire you to help me draft three contracts.”

Locke briefly explained that he needed to draft a fund sponsorship contract, a cooperation contract between the Forest Sanctuary (stipulating the obligations of the Forest Alliance and using law to strengthen the cooperative relationship between the Forest Alliance), and a confidentiality contract for dimensional information regarding the trip to the Louis Plane.

Locke didn’t want to save money, so he went through the normal transaction with Hussein, the rising star lawyer at the Mithril Law Firm.

After all, these three contracts were too important.

Only by spending money could he buy a guaranteed quality cooperation.

Saving money in such a crucial area was simply suicidal.

In the end, the two agreed that Locke would spend a total of 1.5 million magic stones to have him create the three contracts, and also have him draft ten copies of each magical contract.

Locke planned to keep them at Lilith’s Cottage as soon as they were finished to avoid having to send each contract back and forth.

After all, there were huge chasms between the various wizarding lands, and the logistics costs were very high.

Hussein stated, “Don’t worry, Locke, the contracts I draft will never have any obvious loopholes. I’ve received rigorous training from Mithril Law Firm, and we often have clients seeking our help to draft reasonable and comprehensive contracts. By the way, you can choose the collateral for the three contracts.”

“Aztec cursed gold coins, or the Mithril Codex, are both fine.”

“Oh, and by the way, our Mithril Law Firm has recently established a partial cooperation with the White Wizard Association in the Central Region—the Origin Land, so we can also use their cursed collateral, [Hanging River Water].”

Locke knew that these collaterals were essentially powerful curse magic protecting the validity of the agreement. The Aztec cursed gold coin was a universal collateral provided by the White Wizard Association.

A replica of an Aztec cursed gold coin would be affixed to the contract; if someone violated it, the coin would flip, applying the curse’s power to the violator.

Because the essence of a contract isn’t about agreeing to some universal law that must be followed—that’s not the logic of commercial contracts.

The essence of a contract is providing the consequences of breach.

In other words, if someone can afford the cost, he can break the rules.

Locke asked, “What are the characteristics of the Mithril Codex and the Suspended River Water?”

Hussein quickly replied, “The Aztec Cursed Coin, when flipped, will inflict a powerful curse on a wizard. It won’t be fatal, but it will cause their body to decay.”

“The Mithril Codex, as a major magical artifact of Mithril wizards, has close cooperation with the various departments of the White Wizarding Association. Therefore, if someone violates the contract, the main punishment is to pay compensation.”

“To make up for your losses.” “

The Suspended River Water is a unique cursed guarantee of the White Wizarding Association of the Origin Land. It is the water of the River of Origin, naturally incredibly heavy. Its water flows from top to bottom, and nothing can float on its surface. Only magical power can make objects float on the Suspended River. So, if a drop of Suspended River Water is placed on a magical contract, and someone violates the agreement, the magical power protecting their soul will be withdrawn, and the Suspended River Water will fall towards their soul.”

Locke nodded slightly. He had also heard of the River of Origin; it was a magical river that brought abundant magical resources to the Central Region, but also much destruction.

The entire river was suspended in mid-air, dozens of meters above the ground, reminiscent of the Weak Water from ancient mythology.

It was said that the Central Boundary had previously devoted considerable effort to controlling this suspended river.

Locke pondered for a moment and said, “I’ll pay you the money at the Fairy Bank in a few days. Let’s use the Mithril Codex as collateral.”

The Mithril Codex would make it easier to get others to pay him; if the other party couldn’t afford to pay, he would at most gain a debt slave.

He was just short of workers.

If it weren’t for the limited number of student slots at Golden Crown Mountain, Locke would have wanted to take in a few more first-class wizard apprentices.

Unfortunately, first-class wizard apprentices at Golden Crown Mountain were considered precious gems, rare resources even for formal wizards.

After all, the quality of Golden Crown Mountain’s apprentices was too high.

He couldn’t possibly acquire a third one in a short time.

Hussein said, “Alright, don’t worry about the money. I trust your character. You’re a researcher at Golden Crown Mountain who’s currently enjoying a high reputation; you wouldn’t break your promise for such a small amount of money.”

“I also think using the Mithril Codex as collateral would be better. That way, you might even be able to acquire a few debt slaves.”

“By the way, if you’re short of workers lately, you can check out the talent market under our Mithril Law Firm. There are many people there who have become debt slaves or are heavily indebted because they lost their cases. We even opened a special talent market for that. After all, those people aren’t really able to help the law firm with its work, so we can only rent them out.”

Locke put away the Ganoderma lucidum plant and then shook his head.

“Mithril Law Firm truly lives up to its reputation as a firm that makes money through litigation.”

“They’ve got so many debt slaves they’ve practically opened a talent market just for them.”

Locke messaged Hussein.

“There’s one more thing. I want to set up a fund committee to help me oversee the fund.”

Overseeing a fund like this requires either hiring professionals or students.

But hiring professionals has a problem: if you don’t manage anything, you can easily be sidelined.

So, Locke wanted to find a reliable friend to handle this.

And Hussein was the perfect candidate.

Hussein thought for a moment, then messaged Locke.

‘The Southeast Corner is too small; there are no law firms here, and Mithril Law Firm doesn’t have a branch here either.’

‘But Locke, don’t worry. I’m familiar with your situation. I’ve provided this kind of service to many clients; in fact, I started my business this way.’ “

Hussein said, ‘Normally, as a second-circle archmage, the biggest fear is not being able to effectively control the committee after its formation.

Therefore, it’s often necessary to hire professional lawyers to manage the committee for them.

Because of the distances between wizarding lands, the costs are considerable.

Often, the annual legal expenses reach millions of magic stones.’

Locke frowned.

This expense was indeed quite painful for him at the moment.

It wasn’t an investment that could generate returns, but rather an investment in oversight.

Hussein said, ‘So, I innovated. Because of my rich experience in checks and balances and mutual suspicion within the Blood Curse Court, I innovated a new form of committee oversight at Mithril Law Firm and provided corresponding legal counsel.’

‘This allowed me to accumulate a lot of wealth and reputation in the early stages. However, let’s consider this service free. After all, I didn’t fulfill my previous agreement to help you decipher that wizarding treasure map.’

Hussein sent a message. ” “I don’t like breaking agreements.”

“I can create a contract for you, for just 30,000 magic stones; you pay the cost price. I’ll have all your committee staff in the southeastern corner sign this contract, collectively inflicting a curse. If anyone breaks the agreement, they will collectively curse the entire committee.”

“Therefore, it will be governed by human nature. The committee will develop its own checks and balances.”

Locke’s eyes brightened; this was indeed a brilliant move.

It could save wizards a considerable amount of legal expenses.

Hussein didn’t rely entirely on the magical contract for security; instead, he used it as a starting point to create a system of checks and balances within human nature, ensuring the committee could fulfill its duties.

Locke asked, “Hussein, my friend, how much would I pay you for normal legal advice?”

Hussein replied, “Not expensive, about 200,000 to 300,000. I’ve calculated the prices. A typical committee’s audit and legal services would cost at least one to two million, but with my methods, the cost can be reduced to around 500,000.”

“Sometimes I can even make a little extra money.”

“There was a special client from the Southern District. I helped him set up a committee, design contracts, and successfully, despite his committee’s misconduct, used the law to help him earn a million magic stones from his committee. I also received 100,000 magic stones myself.”

“Since then, he’s frequently asked to work with me.”

Hussein said, “I can’t say exactly who it is, but it’s a wizard from the Wizarding Lands in the Southern District. Many of the shop alliances there don’t earn their money through business, but through attracting investment or deliberately suing committees and other shop alliances.”

“I’ve certainly broadened my horizons. Mithril Law Firm is an excellent platform; it’s through this platform that I’ve been able to access so many high-level clients.”

Locke nodded slightly, holding the Ganoderma lucidum plant.

“Indeed, a platform is very important.”

No wonder Hussein was able to become a second-circle wizard in such a short time; it turns out he updated the [Committee Oversight System], found a legal practice exclusively for him, and also found a powerful figure from the Southern District.

At the same time, Locke secretly remembered this important detail—’The Southern District’s shop alliance likes to use lawsuits to extract money from its partners.’ “

Hussein said, ‘No matter where you come from, money is the most important thing in the white wizarding society.’

‘The reason you and I were able to advance to second-circle wizards so quickly, besides talent, is that we each found our own way to make money. Locke, your talent is stronger than mine, and your insight is also superior; you always manage to bring in more projects.’

‘As for me, I can only use the humanity I learned from my experience at the Blood Curse Court to try and make a living in the legal profession within the white wizarding society. Fortunately, no one can escape the realm of humanity.’

Locke and Hussein exchanged a few more words, finalizing their specific cooperation.

He contacted Harlan Vera through the Gray Mist Slab and, leveraging Harlan Vera’s network, formed a six-person foundation committee specifically to review the use of funds for his Forest Alliance Fund and the Louis Plane project. Harlan Vera

served as the chairman of his foundation committee,

a position he readily accepted .

In return, Locke would pay the six members of the foundation committee 10,000 magic stones annually, totaling 60,000 magic stones per year.”

This committee is responsible for overseeing the use of the one million magic stones that Locke injected into each of the two funds, and for monitoring the applicants.

In this way, Locke, through the committee and the two major funds, had established a foothold in the Southeastern Region.

After ending his call with Hussein, Locke calculated his expenses.

The contract with Hussein cost 1.53 million magic stones, plus the 60,000 magic stones paid to the committee this year, and the 2 million magic stones invested in the two major funds.

Therefore, his investment in Lilith’s Cottage totaled 3.59 million magic stones.

At this moment, Harlen Vera sent him a message:

‘Locke, do you want to organize another breeder competition in your name? Haha, if you’re interested, I think with your current reputation, many wizards will be vying to join.’

Locke felt a headache coming on. Professor Harlen Vera certainly wanted to create a well-known competition in the Southeastern Region.

This would further enhance his network of connections.

A network of connections is a subordinate product of an academic lineage; many networks combined form an entire academic lineage.

Of course, because the academic lineage at Lilith’s Hut was severed, only a network of relationships remained, not the actual academic lineage.

The entire Southeast Corner Region was merely the outermost edge of the academic lineage of high-ring wizards in the Eastern Boundary.

Even the Four Seasons Garden and the University of Verdandia were at risk of losing contact with the main academic lineage at any time.

However, his current problem was a lack of money.

Locke replied, “No need, Professor Harlan.”

“I don’t need to establish my own competition yet.”

The cost of establishing a competition would even exceed that of establishing a foundation. After all, establishing a foundation only requires reviewing the use and application of funding, while the competition committee needs to provide a sum of money every few years to be responsible for operating the competition.

And as far as Locke knew, most competitions in the wizarding world were difficult to recoup their costs.

Large-scale commercial competitions like the Cloud Ze Cup and the Silent Holy Grail, which could make money, were very successful competitions. They were generally competitions built by high-ring wizards, requiring a large network of connections and the business model that only high-ring wizards could use to make such competitions profitable.

As an ordinary second-ring wizard, it was still too early for him to establish such a competition.

Harlan Vera seemed quite regretful, sending a message through the Gray Mist Slab:

‘Alright. A breeding genius like you should have a breeding competition named after you.’

‘That way, we can inspire those students to learn from you.’

(End of Chapter)