Wizard: Starting With Synthesized Gems - Chapter 907

Chapter 902 The Palace of Tenochtitella and the Golden Potion

The three-legged golden bird on Locke’s shoulder flapped its wings and took flight.

“This wizard is quite good. Fighting alongside you reminds me of a bygone era.”

“You possess a high aptitude for golden magic. In this historically rich region, I think you should be able to see many remnants of the past, phantoms that will never appear in the present.”

“Welcome to our Merry Ruins.”

“It’s a pity you’ve never witnessed the splendor of our border between light and darkness. The once-immortal palaces are all closed. If you could have come during its most glorious time, I could have taken you into the Palace of Tenochtitella to receive the blessing of golden magic.”

“In the past, every guest invited to the Palace of Tenochtitella was given the Golden Potion, a symbol of immortality.”

The three-legged golden bird suddenly vanished, transforming into a golden force that shot towards the sun in the sky. Locke then saw that the sun’s light had become noticeably brighter.

The golden sun seemed like molten gold at sunset.

Locke seemed to see a magnificent, immortal palace complex within that sun, but he couldn’t tell if it was an illusion or something he actually saw.

Locke looked at the sun in the sky, puzzled.

“Is it my imagination? No, the sun in the Boundary Between Light and Darkness is different from other places. I think it’s likely been modified in some way. Perhaps there really was a palace complex within that sun, but it’s now closed to everyone.”

The Boundary Between Light and Darkness’s foundation was terrifying.

The five ancient city clusters of the Golden Dynasty in the Boundary Between Light and Darkness might only be the tip of the iceberg of their past power. The three most powerful city clusters that once represented the Boundary Between Light and Darkness might have already closed and exist in areas inaccessible to ordinary wizards.

Locke quickly searched for the [Palace of Tenochtitella] in the Boundary Between Light and Darkness using the Water Hyacinth System, but found no related information in the free magic book.

He did find the Golden Potion, though.

“The Three-Ring Potion, an incredible masterpiece created at the pinnacle of potion-making, is now permanently lost. Its specific effects are unknown; it was once only possessed by those in the Boundary Between Light and Darkness. It is said that consuming it grants the blessing of golden magic.”

Locke’s expression was strange as he looked up at the sky above the Boundary Between

Light and Darkness. The guardian of the Merry Ruins, the three-legged golden bird, told him that his talent for golden magic allowed him to see many past illusions in this region. Perhaps that ancient city complex, located deep within the sun and incredibly majestic, was indeed real.

Perhaps it still exists now.

But since no information could be found in the water hyacinth system of the Cloud Marsh Wetlands, it was very likely that the entrance had been closed.

The Boundary Between Light and Darkness was simply a region full of history and ruins, a treasure trove for archaeological wizards.

At this moment, Barrett, holding the magic box, stepped on an earthworm that Locke had previously smashed into pieces, turning it into a small worm. The earthworm was instantly crushed into pieces.

The fragments of flesh and blood, due to the remaining golden magic within them, instantly transformed into smaller earthworms, which quickly burrowed into the earth and disappeared.

Barrett the wizard said to Locke, “Team Leader, I’m so sorry that I had to require your personal intervention. If you hadn’t suddenly appeared, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have even been able to deliver your entry to the competition venue. I’m sorry.”

“Team Leader, I’ve disappointed you.”

Barrett the wizard bowed deeply to Locke, a look of guilt on his face.

He felt utterly useless.

As a researcher from the Institute of True Knowledge on Golden Crown Mountain, he had failed to perform this escort duty properly; it was simply foolish.

The two crystallizing wizards behind him looked at Locke with fear, then bowed respectfully to him and thanked him.

“Thank you for your help, Archmage. We are wizards from Neher University in the Spiral Basin.”

“My mentor is Archmage Yennefer, a senior wizarding mentor at Neher University.”

“My mentor is Archmage Callum Frost, the chief wizarding mentor at Neher University.”

The two wizards showed great respect for Locke; his intervention had left a deep impression on them.

Locke didn’t respond to the three, instead looking at the magic box one of the wizards was holding.

Upon seeing Locke approach, the wizard’s face broke into a smile tinged with awe.

“Hello… Ah? Sir, this is my entry for an competition, given to me by my mentor, Archmage Yennefer. According to wizarding law, you cannot…”

The next moment, Locke forcefully used magical pressure to open the magic box.

Instantly, a golden apple rolled out of the box. It was a golden apple, the fruit of a mature Golden Apple Tree, a ring-shaped magical plant. Locke’s Forest Sanctuary contained Golden Apple Trees.

According to the Three-Legged Golden Bird, the earthworms were attracted by the golden apple.

The wizard was stunned, as if struck by lightning.

“How is this possible? My mentor gave me an entry for the competition. I watched her put a flying magical plant into this magic box. Why is there a golden apple inside? How is this possible?”

Locke said, “Golden apples are the favorite food of earthworms. That second-ring magical creature is targeting you because you’re carrying a golden apple.”

The crystallized wizard swallowed hard.

He was also a formal wizard, possessing the pride of a first-ring wizard and the bottom line of a super-individual.

At this moment, he gritted his teeth, his eyes revealing incomprehension and even resentment towards the witch Yennefer.

His companion immediately moved away from him, looking at him with suspicion.

“So, Curtis Langley’s death is related to you, and your mentor even tried to prevent our mentors’ entries from reaching the designated competition location.”

The wizard immediately said aggrievedly, “I’m also in danger. If I had known about this plan, how could I, as a first-ring crystallized wizard, a proper wizard, possibly do such a suicidal mission that even a first-class wizard apprentice wouldn’t do?” “

And she even bought the tickets for us. The entire route planning, from the time to the location, even the people we would encounter… everything was fixed.”

Locke glanced at him.

Then he could confirm one thing: Yennefer, his old friend, truly lived up to her name; after all these years, she hadn’t changed at all.

But he hadn’t expected her to climb so fast, actually becoming a second-ring wizard and a senior wizarding instructor at the best wizarding university in the Spiral Basin.

This promotion speed was quite fast.

She was clearly not following the path of herself, Edgar, or Diana.

However, she seemed to be doing quite well on her chosen track, now even better than Diana, though… her methods appeared rather unsavory.

At this moment, the Witcher forces of the Merry Ruins had already surrounded the area.

A Star Ring Wizard emerged from the Witcher force, dressed in a golden wizard’s robe.

“If you have anything to say, come to our Witcher Division first.”

“And the two wizards’ magic boxes, may we inspect them?”

The Star Ring Wizard nodded to Locke.

“Great Wizard, thank you for your help.”

Locke said, “Yes. Barrett, let them inspect.”

After Barrett opened the magic box and underwent inspection by the Witcher forces, Locke led him away from the wilderness towards the competition venue.

On the way, Barrett, holding the magic box, asked Locke, “Team leader, are we just going to let this go?”

Locke replied, “Yennefer has already paid the price; she’ll probably be blacklisted by the Golden Cup. She’s always been reckless, always rushing forward without considering the consequences. For profit, she’ll relentlessly charge forward, willing to sacrifice everything.”

“But she never thinks about how to end things.”

“But this time it’s not a conflict between us. She’s already paid the price,”

Locke said. “But this time she’s just a tool in someone else’s hands. They hired her to sabotage my entry, and might even try to steal the Great Roaring Dragon Sparrow.” “

I don’t know who hired her, but from the perspective of who benefits, who has the most motivation to orchestrate this is probably the contestant using the magical plant crystallization technology. I don’t know if anyone will participate in this competition with a flying magical plant created using this technology. But we’ll find out tomorrow.”

Locke and Barrett hired two magical carriages along the way and then traveled to the designated competition location at the Merri Ruins.

Locke found a wizard’s inn to stay in. Along the way, he felt the number of gazes directed at him gradually decrease, and once he entered the city center of the Merri Ruins, all those gazes disappeared.

Soon, a group of wizards suddenly arrived at the inn, all seemingly wanting to get to know Locke. They immediately introduced themselves to prove their worth.

They clearly wanted to befriend Locke.

On the second floor of the inn, Barrett said to Locke, “Quite a few wizards have come to befriend us, especially a wizard from the Dragonfall Lands – Wind Chaser Sanctuary. He says he’s Bruce, the Sun Ring Wizard.”

“He wants to meet you,”

Barrett tentatively asked Locke. “Team leader, should we meet him?”

Locke closed his eyes, entering a deep meditative state.

“No.”

“The competition is tomorrow. If I win, my work will have a commercial partnership with the Wind Chaser Sanctuary. His coming to me at this time won’t benefit my interests at all.”

“Let’s keep it business as it is,”

Barrett said, pausing for a moment before smiling.

“The group leader is still so calm and collected.”

“Then I’ll just send them all away.”

Soon, Wizard Barrett went down from the second floor and ran to the first floor to announce that Locke was busy and didn’t intend to associate with these wizards.

The wizards weren’t angry.

After all, they were just jumping on the bandwagon, hoping to gain some benefit, but they didn’t really have much hope of befriending Locke.

Bruce, the Sun Ring Wizard, however, was turned away. He pursed his lips, wanting to stop the young crystallized wizard and ask him properly.

Refusing those scoundrels was one thing

, but he was a Sun Ring Wizard, a Sun Ring Wizard from the Windbound Holy Land, a Sun Ring Wizard from the Dragonfall Land!

Three thoughts immediately flashed through Bruce’s mind:

‘Has the other party never heard of the Dragonfall Land?’

‘Has the other party never heard of the Windbound Holy Land?’

‘Does the other party know that he wants to establish a partnership with him before the competition, bypassing the Golden Dynasty’s Golden Grail competition committee located in the middle?’ As a wizard from a top-tier wizarding university whose predecessor was a shop alliance, Bruce

possessed a strong business acumen. He instinctively wanted to protect his university’s interests, so he immediately realized that without the Golden Grail tournament committee acting as an intermediary, cooperating with Locke would be far more in his best interest.

Therefore, Bruce’s idealistic plan was to sign another contract with a different wizard at the Golden Grail, a nominal one that would meet the requirements of the White Wizarding Association of Dragonfall Lands regarding cooperation with the border region between the Dark and Light.

Privately, he was urging Locke to withdraw from the Golden Grail competition and forge a private business partnership with him.

While this might not be in Locke’s best interest, it perfectly aligned with the interests of the Windseekers’ Sanctuary, and Bruce believed he could accomplish this with his abilities.

He didn’t see anything wrong with his actions.

Protecting his shop alliance at all costs was typical of a businessman.

However, he hadn’t expected Locke to treat him like one of the surrounding rabble of wizards.

Why?

Wouldn’t most people immediately stand up to greet him upon hearing his name?

The Moon Ring Witch’s secretary beside Bruce the Wizard smiled.

She suddenly stopped Barrett the Wizard and said, “This Crystallized Wizard, we are the Wizarding Holy Land of Dragonfall—the Windbringer’s Holy Land, one of the best wizarding academies in wizarding civilization capable of creating the finest flying machines.”

“This is Mr. Bruce Sun Ring.” “

He holds a prestigious position and controls countless commercial interests. Anyone who becomes his friend will never have to worry about money again. Becoming friends with Mr. Bruce will grant you access to the elite circle.”

Barrett the Wizard bowed to the two.

“Two great wizards, but my team leader says he’s very busy today, and everything must be done strictly by business.”

The words “strict by business” resonated like thunder in the minds of the Moon Ring Witch and Bruce Sun Ring.

The Moon Ring Witch suddenly smiled.

Bruce the Wizard stood with his hands behind his back. “I understand. Tell your boss he’s got guts.”

Bruce the Wizard turned and left, his secretary immediately following him.

The Moon Ring Witch said softly, “Teacher Bruce, I’ve rarely seen you give up so decisively.”

“In the past, weren’t you determined to achieve your goal no matter what? I remember once a genius alchemist from the Star Ring Wizard refused to see us. You simply jumped onto his delivery truck while someone was delivering materials, bypassed his defensive magic array, and infiltrated his home.”

“That’s how you met him and persuaded that genius to cooperate with us.”

“Why are you giving up so easily today?”

the Moon Ring Witch asked. “Is it because you think he’s not valuable? I think he’s quite interesting.”

Wizard Bruce, hands behind his back, said, “As a business negotiation expert, I can accurately sense any opportunity. But I gave up because there was no opportunity.”

“The situation you described was that the other party was inherently weak-willed, so he tried to maintain his composure by refusing to see me. At that time, I knew that if I could successfully meet him, I could persuade him. He was like someone about to collapse; I only needed to add a straw to break the camel’s back.”

“But this time is different. This man is resolute; he won’t see me because he genuinely has no interest. If I were to approach him, it would only lower my standing.”

Wizard Bruce took a few steps, then suddenly stopped and said to his secretary, “Investigate this man’s background. I need all his past information. This man is definitely not a simple opponent. His wizarding rank is low now, but I believe he will be extraordinary in the future.”

“Of course, this is only a possibility.”

The Moon Ring Witch looked at her leader with surprise.

She hadn’t expected her Sun Ring wizard leader to be so optimistic about a wizard she had never met.

In her eyes, he was just a somewhat interesting young second-ring wizard.

Perhaps he had some talent, which was why he dared to refuse such an opportunity, unaware of the principle that delay can lead to change. If

you don’t seize something immediately, it might be taken by someone else.

A normal person who understands this principle of delay can’t refuse an opportunity.

The Moon Ring Witch, however, kept silent, remembering that her leader and de facto mentor was a renowned business expert, and became even more interested in the wizard named Augustine.

…

The Sun Ring Wizard Director of the Golden Grail Tournament Committee, upon hearing from his subordinates that the wizard Bruce had visited Locke Augustine at the wizarding inn but was refused entry, was overjoyed. One

wizard

asked in surprise, “I don’t know why Augustine would refuse to meet him. He’s the vice-dean of the top wizarding university in the Land of Dragonfall! Meeting him would surely give him a chance to rise through the ranks!”

The Sun Ring Wizard Director beamed.

Since arriving in their border region, Bruce had always worn a sullen face; if it weren’t for the opportunity to earn money through representation, he wouldn’t have bothered to curry favor with such a person.

Who knew that Locke Augustine from the Land of Three Swamps could actually make such a figure suffer such a setback?

It was truly gratifying.

The head wizard of the Sun Rings tapped his fingers on the table and said, “Then you’re wrong. Who do you think gives you the opportunity to rise to the top? For a true genius, their own abilities are their greatest asset.”

“A breeder genius like Locke Augustine is the kind of person the Windbound Sanctuary should be eager to befriend. Not the other way around.”

“If he were to go see Bruce, that would be unnecessary.”

…

At the cusp of day and night, the sun rose and set.

The next day arrived quickly.

Locke led the wizard Barrett to the designated competition venue

for the Golden Grail. It was a vast sky, filled with many dragons bound by chains, their chains creating racing tracks.

Along these tracks, some flying magical creatures, though bound by chains and shackled with magical locks, were also present.

These locks had countdown devices;

clearly, they would unlock one by one over time and attack the contestants.

However, these were only first-ring magical creatures.

Therefore, only crystallized wizards could pilot them. Of course, if a contestant wanted a vaporized or liquefied wizard to pilot, the competition committee wouldn’t refuse, and the referees wouldn’t penalize them, but second-ring wizards couldn’t participate. This

was because only when the wizard’s level was lower than the magical plant’s level could the magical plant’s performance be best showcased, rather than relying on the wizard’s own talent.

At this moment, Wizard Barrett, dressed in a wizard’s robe and carrying the Great Roaring Dragon Sparrow on his back, was able to manipulate the Great Roaring Dragon Sparrow. Although a first-ring wizard’s magical pressure was insufficient to power a second-ring magical plant, Locke had already stored enough magical power within it.

Thus, Wizard Barrett was able to control the Great Roaring Dragon Sparrow.

The contestants and pilots, guided by the staff, stood on the takeoff runway.

Thousands of True Sight Crystals floated in mid-air, recording the entire flight competition.

Two hosts in golden robes announced after a solemn ringing of golden bells, “I hereby declare the 347th Golden Grail Flying Magical Plant Competition at the Boundary Between Radiance and Gloom begins. Please, 32 contestants, take your positions.”

Locke, sitting in the viewing platform, saw Wizard Barrett standing in position 7 on the takeoff runway, while there were 28 wizards on the runway, not 32.

The host announced, “Yesterday, four contestants voluntarily withdrew from the competition. They are from the Rose Council of Yunze Wetlands…”

Locke’s eyes flickered. The host had revealed the contestants’ schools, wizarding locations, and the names of their entries. Of the four who withdrew, three were from other wizarding locations, primarily the Mamluk Great Rift Valley and the Spiral Basin.

But the remaining contestant was from Yunze Wetlands and was a wizard from the Rose Council. Judging from the name of the magical plant, it was clearly a magical plant crystallization technique.

“It seems the person who hired a dark wizard and devised a plan to carry golden apples in the wilderness to attract earthworms from the golden swarm is a wizard from the Rose Council,”

Locke thought coldly.

“It shouldn’t be the Rose Throne’s lineage, but the one that proposed the plant crystallization technology.”

“It’s not targeting me specifically, but rather preventing a strong contender from emerging. My Great Roaring Dragon Sparrow has been seen by many wizards in Group 2. So it’s normal for the data to be leaked.” “

Therefore, they originally wanted to eliminate my entry to ensure the plant crystallization technology’s magical plant wins. Then, they would leverage the Golden Grail and the Wind-Gathering Sanctuary in the Dragonfall Land to continuously increase the popularity of the plant crystallization technology.” “

That’s how the two entries from the Spiral Basin withdrew. But this time, it’s not just me being targeted, but also the wizards from the Mamluk Great Rift Valley. Is it because that wizarding land also has a strong entry that might overshadow the flying magical plants created by the plant crystallization technology?”

And now, having realized they can’t guarantee their entry won’t be allowed to participate, they’ve simply withdrawn from the competition.

That makes sense.

Since they can’t win, they simply won’t participate.

Locke frowned. If that plant crystallization technology is truly so powerful, why resort to such methods?

(End of Chapter)