Wizard: Starting With Synthesized Gems

Witch Camilla glanced at Locke, then took ten Cancer natal witch porcelain pieces from her astral ring and placed them on the table.

Locke immediately took out two hundred magic crystal cards in return.

Locke examined the ten Cancer natal witch porcelain pieces, confirmed there were no issues, and then said, "Thank you. Camilla, would you like to be a guest at Golden Crown Mountain for a few days? I can arrange accommodations for you."

Camilla pressed her lips together, then decisively took her sister's hand and said, "I'll pass. I have no interest in being a guest here and having my sister end up in some inexplicable danger again because of it."

Camilla's sister was still a little confused and had not noticed at all that her current state was peculiar.

Locke looked regretfully at the witch. If Witch Camilla had agreed to stay at Golden Crown Mountain for a few days, he could have taken the opportunity to study this witch in more depth.

After a portion of her human spiritual power had been stolen, leaving her in the half-beast state, Locke had used Full Moon Growth to fuse Lunar Essence into her in place of the missing part.

So in a certain sense, this witch could no longer be considered a pure-blooded human.

In the era of pure-blood supremacy, she might very well have been treated as a heretic and eliminated.

Witch Camilla took her sister's hand and hurried out. After leaving the Feathered Serpent Pavilion, she immediately hired a carriage and departed.

Locke stood on the second floor of the Feathered Serpent Pavilion, watching the two of them leave in a magic carriage on the street. "Thanks to the Demon Hub City's research. With this, all I need to do is use the current Full Moon Growth spell model to create a Porcelain Moon Growth, and then proceed with the synthesis."

Locke took out the Moon Witch Stone. "This witch stone contains the deepest spiritual power of the lunar plane. An ordinary wizard has no way to link different forms of spiritual power together, but I can use Full Moon Growth to layer different forms of spiritual power on top of one another. As long as the two do not conflict, they will slowly fuse, or at the very least stack on top of each other."

Stacking, fusion, mounting, and conflict were in fact four distinct states.

They were the different reactions between substances at the spiritual power level.

The blank spiritual power of the Zero Potion had the special effect of being able to mount onto different living beings. What could be mounted could also be removed.

Full Moon Growth generally only stacked different forms of spiritual power on top of one another, while the special spiritual power would fuse with plants and produce a more remarkable effect, accelerating their evolution. As long as enough energy was input, it could produce the Crescent Mark.

At that moment, Locke summoned a Full Moon Growth, then combined the spell-formed moon with the witch porcelain, creating a Porcelain Moon Growth.

Before long, three Porcelain Moon Growths were complete.

Locke drank a vial of Holy Spring Nectar potion and continued producing Porcelain Moons. Because creating a Porcelain Moon Growth consumed a large amount of magic pressure, he did not need to drink any weakening potions today. His excess magical power would be consumed in the process regardless.

...

In the Dune Plane, at Group 2's facility, inside the public office on the thirtieth underground floor, Wizard Zalan Bailey's eyes were already showing considerable impatience. An enormous magic pressure bore down upon Witch Mason.

Witch Mason immediately felt as though a great mountain were pressing down on her heart. Above and below, there seemed to be no escape.

Witch Mason's face flushed red. "I did inform Team Leader Locke. It's just that the team leader has many things on his plate and has been quite busy, which is why he hasn't gone to see you."

Wizard Zalan Bailey's expression soured. "Is that so?"

In the next instant, the terrifying magic pressure that had descended upon Witch Mason vanished without a trace. Witch Mason sank back onto her stool, and Wizard Barrett and Witch Freya immediately came rushing over, murmuring in low voices to ask if she was alright.

In the public office, some researchers who witnessed this chose to look away and quietly leave. Others hesitated, wanting to speak, but after a moment's thought, decided not to say anything.

After all, Zalan Bailey was a Second Circle wizard within Group 2 who was at the height of his influence, and he hadn't actually done anything overtly out of line.

Wizard Zalan Bailey clasped his hands behind his back and said, "I invited Locke to meet with me several times, and he simply ignored every one of them."

"It seems he has considerable objections toward me."

Wizard Zalan Bailey put on an expression that said he had it all figured out, and said with a cold smile, "I know he's been quite dissatisfied lately with me taking research resources from his group. But I am a Second Circle wizard and he is a First Circle wizard."

"He cannot blame me for that. I originally thought we could become friends and collaborate, but it seems he has gently declined my goodwill."

Wizard Zalan Bailey let out a cold snort and turned to leave.

Witch Mason let out a long breath of relief the moment she saw him go.

Witch Freya held Witch Mason steady and said in a low voice, "That was completely outrageous. We're all in the same research facility, and he actually dared to treat you like that."

Witch Mason's face was pale. When Wizard Zalan Bailey had suddenly directed his full magic pressure at her, an ordinary life form would have had their soul shattered instantly.

The soul of a First Circle wizard was protected by a permanent defensive force field, which was the only reason there was no structural damage to her soul. But even so, her soul had still taken a significant impact.

Without the intervention of potion science or similar methods, at a normal rate of recovery, it was estimated it would take over a year before she fully healed.

Such was the gap between a Second Circle wizard and a First Circle wizard.

Witch Freya said, "When the team leader gets back, I'm going to tell him everything you went through."

Witch Mason quickly said, "Please don't. The team leader is about to go participate in the Grand Magic modeling competition. That is no ordinary competition. From what I've heard, all the participants have been preparing for years."

"It's a competition attended by the best First Circle wizards from the top academies of the Cloud Marsh Wetlands."

"I don't want to distract the team leader because of what happened to me," Witch Mason said quietly.

Witch Freya said, "But..."

Wizard Barrett handed her a vial of potion. "Drink this. Let it help your soul recover."

Witch Mason nodded, then said, "This afternoon we get to use the large metal telescope again. We're only the last little bit away from fully analyzing the energy-locking structure of the Glandular Root Pouch."

"Let's finish the structural analysis of the Glandular Root Pouch as quickly as possible. Hopefully this will be of some help to Locke."

At the same time, Wizard Zalan Bailey had returned to his private exclusive studio on the thirtieth underground floor.

He found Wizard Tucker there.

Wizard Tucker seemed somewhat agitated. "Zalan, something is off. You said before that that Second Circle wizard friend of yours could bring in an environmental shop alliance's industrial chain for you at a low price."

"So why is it that when I recently tested the wastewater on a whim, just a simple test, I found the heavy-element particle levels in the wastewater to be severely above the limit?"

Zalan Bailey's expression shifted slightly. He looked at Wizard Tucker with suspicion. "Tucker, choose your words carefully."

"I've already put in five hundred thousand magic stones, front to back, to purify the pollution."

"The entire plan cannot possibly have a problem."

Wizard Tucker was startled by Zalan Bailey's increasingly cold demeanor. He also knew that Zalan Bailey was now a Second Circle wizard.

The relationship between the two of them could never go back to what it had been. But thinking back to the warm and appreciative attitude Zalan Bailey used to show him, Wizard Tucker felt a chill in his heart.

Wizard Tucker took out a test report and a wastewater sample from his astral ring. "Look, here is my test report, and this is the sample. Bailey, if you don't believe me, you can test it yourself with the test strips."

Wizard Zalan Bailey glanced at the report with a sour expression, scanning the data, but chose not to take it from him, and instead said, "The detection precision of test strips made by alchemists is not very high."

"This requires professional personnel using professional instruments to test. Give the sample to me, and I'll find someone to test it."

A look of doubt passed through Wizard Zalan Bailey's eyes. "This shouldn't be happening. That's the environmental shop alliance my friend recommended to me. Since I've already paid five hundred thousand magic stones, they should have carried out professional processing."

"Could it be that they're directly discharging the wastewater and waste gas untreated?"

Wizard Zalan Bailey was alarmed. He walked out of his office, stood in the courtyard, and looked out toward the gray sky.

According to his design, he was using the side effects of pollution to counteract the sunlight from the Solar Plane, lowering the surface temperature of the entire Dune Plane.

The ideal outcome was to bring the surface temperature of the Dune Plane down to forty degrees Celsius.

That way, instead of waiting more than ten years, he could directly attempt to transform the entire Dune Plane.

Although Zalan Bailey had approaches that were more suitable and more cautious, he was about to finish his posting and truly could not wait another ten years.

He simply did not have the time.

"The rate of temperature decrease does seem to have some issues." Wizard Zalan Bailey murmured to himself. At this point, he no longer had any mental space to think about Locke repeatedly avoiding him.

He was burning with anxiety.

He desperately wanted to know what the test results on the wastewater sample in his hand would reveal.

Wizard Zalan Bailey looked at Wizard Tucker and said, "Tucker, help me keep an eye on Locke Augustine. If he shows up at the research facility recently, tell me immediately."

"This person has been deliberately avoiding me time and again, and it irritates me greatly. I want to see for myself, when I meet him in person, what attitude and reaction this person whom Team Leader Cis praises so highly and whom several Third Circle wizards believe is certain to become a Second Circle wizard actually has toward me."

Wizard Tucker immediately said, "Of course."

"But, Bailey, you'd better find someone to check on that wastewater as soon as possible. I have a feeling the shop alliance you hired... never built any wastewater treatment line at all."

"I already thought the speed at which they built those processing plants was far too fast. And five hundred thousand magic stones... that pricing was also far too cheap."

Wizard Zalan Bailey's face went white.

At the time, he had assumed the low price was a gesture of respect toward him, a specially discounted rate, and had been shocked they were willing to process the wastewater of an entire plane for less than a million magic stones.

He had even thought he had gotten a great deal.

...

Inside the Feathered Serpent Pavilion, Locke had already produced ten Porcelain Moons. He now placed two of the Porcelain Moon Growths and the Moon Fern Climbing Fern directly inside one of them and began the synthesis.

"I hope a good result comes out of this." Locke thought. "If it does, it will once again elevate the essence of my Grand Magic."

"What is referred to as potential at the Second Circle stage largely refers to the height of a Grand Magic's essence."

Locke descended from the Feathered Serpent Pavilion. There was one more matter he had been putting off, the fourth round of the Ladder.

The half-dragon store owner asked Locke, "Esteemed guest, would you like to challenge the fourth round of the Ladder now?"

Locke said, "Yes."

The half-dragon store owner said, "Very well. By the way, esteemed guest, the necromancer from the Southern Wizard Capital in the fourth round of the Ladder passed away two months ago."

Locke calculated the timing and realized it was probably right around the time he had first come out of the Abyssal Ruins.

There would have been no way for him to have gotten there in time no matter how fast he moved.

And before entering the Abyssal Ruins and encountering the Reverse Refinement Method, he had not yet figured out how to pass the fourth round of the Ladder.

Locke asked, "What happens then?"

The half-dragon store owner smiled. "It is not a major issue. Before he died, he sold his body data to our Feathered Serpent Pavilion."

"Please follow me."

Locke followed the half-dragon through the corridor and into a room. Inside the room stood an oval magic mirror about the height of a person.

In the mirror, the reflections of the half-dragon and Locke appeared.

The edges of the mirror were lined with gold leaf.

The half-dragon recited an incantation, and at once, Locke's and the half-dragon's reflections in the mirror disappeared. In their place, a wooden puppet appeared.

The wooden puppet walked out from within the mirror.

The half-dragon said, "This is the Heavenly Light Divine Mirror."

"It is a Third Circle magical instrument. It can copy a set of identity data and use true illusion to replicate a corresponding body. It is an advanced large-scale piece of equipment for potion masters."

"Of course, that is only one of its functions."

Locke looked at the Heavenly Light Divine Mirror and asked, "I don't need to pay a fee for this, do I?"

The half-dragon store owner immediately bowed and said, "Of course not. Among the fifty-three wizard lands of the Eastern Border Region, a potion master who can reach the fourth round of the Ladder is already a dragon among men."

"Extraordinarily rare."

"You are all outstanding potion masters. The cost of the Third Circle magical instrument used in this test is covered entirely by the Feathered Serpent Pavilion."

Locke muttered, "I'm starting to think your Feathered Serpent Pavilion is a charitable organization."

The half-dragon produced a stiff smile. "Potion masters say that quite often. But the Feathered Serpent Pavilion always has its own purposes."

"I don't know what those purposes are myself. I only follow the instructions from above."

Locke nodded and looked at the wooden puppet carrying the necromancer's body data.

The half-dragon store owner said, "Please."

He withdrew from the room. As the door closed behind him, Locke stepped forward and began preparing to resolve the problem of the conflict between the necromantic magic and the transformation energy within the body.

The half-dragon store owner returned to the counter and used the light communication device to send a message to senior figures in the Star Domain Sea. "The potion master you specifically ordered me to keep watch over has come this time to challenge the fourth round of the Ladder. I will inform you of the specific result shortly."

Very quickly, a reply came through the light communication device. "Very good. If he can pass the fourth round of the Ladder, I will have you promoted immediately and allowed to leave this shop. If he cannot pass the fourth round of the Ladder, you may settle in comfortably as the manager of this little store."