Wizard: Starting With Synthesized Gems

A First Circle crystallization-stage wizard from the Storm Tower let out a cold laugh. "And what does that have to do with you?"

Wizard Smith glanced at him coldly. "This is Wizard Locke Augustine, a researcher at the Origin Academy on Golden Crown Mountain."

"Watch your tone, Aston."

Wizard Aston, being a weather wizard, looked at Locke in surprise. Only then did he notice the badge of the Origin Academy at Golden Crown Mountain that Locke was wearing, and a flash of embarrassment crossed his eyes.

Wizard Aston promptly cleared his throat, gave Locke a nod, then stepped back and moved aside.

Wizard Smith did his best to suppress his weakness and said to Locke, "Right. After I obtained the Revelation Witch Stone, I used it immediately on the spot."

"When I tried to return afterward, I ran into a bit of trouble."

The half-dragon store owner said to him, "Esteemed guest from the Storm Tower, is there something you need from our Feathered Serpent Pavilion?"

One of the Storm Tower wizards standing beside Wizard Smith cast an anxious glance at Wizard Smith, then looked toward Locke with a cautious eye.

Locke took a look at the people surrounding Wizard Smith and noticed that the wizard leader from the Thunder Demon Society was not among them. He immediately had a guess as to what had happened.

Locke said to Wizard Smith, "The abyssal energy on you seems to have accumulated quite heavily."

Wizard Smith raised an eyebrow slightly. "It's fine."

Locke said, "Then I won't disturb you any further. It looks like you have your hands full. I'll be on my way, Wizard Smith."

"Wizard Smith, there are only two months left before we take part in the Silent Chalice Competition. You once said that my trading the Revelation Witch Stone to you was aiding the enemy, and that you would make me regret it."

Wizard Smith's face remained perfectly calm. It was unclear whether he was masking his weakness or whether he genuinely had no reaction.

He gave a nod. "Of course. Those words still stand."

Locke turned and walked out of the Feathered Serpent Pavilion. "Then, until we meet again."

Wizard Smith watched his retreating figure with a strange look in his eyes.

At that moment, a First Circle wizard from the Storm Tower, seeing that Locke had finally left, immediately and impatiently turned to the half-dragon store owner. "We need to recruit a potion master who specializes in healing-type potions."

"Furthermore, they must have deep expertise in abyssal pharmacology. Name any price, just get that person here immediately. Your Feathered Serpent Pavilion has the most complete information on potion masters."

The half-dragon store owner nodded and said, "That is indeed the case. But abyssal pharmacology... there are few potion masters who study that field to begin with, and you require someone who also specializes in healing pharmacology. That combination will be rather difficult to find on short notice."

Wizard Smith finally could no longer maintain the illusion concealing him. The illusion that had enveloped him dissipated, and it became apparent that nearly half of his right side had transformed into a demon's body.

Wizard Smith said weakly, "Are you telling me that even the Feathered Serpent Pavilion cannot find a potion master who meets the requirements?"

The half-dragon said, "The guest who just left, according to the records we have on file, simultaneously excels in both healing pharmacology and abyssal pharmacology."

The First Circle wizards from the Storm Tower immediately lit up with expressions of delighted surprise.

After all, they had all come along with Wizard Smith, and if something happened to Wizard Smith, the Smith Family would certainly take it out on them.

Even as formal wizards, they would not simply submit to being punished, but their future prospects would be greatly constrained regardless.

Wizard Smith said flatly, "No. Not him. He won't do."

Wizard Smith looked toward the Storm Tower wizards and said quietly, "Locke Augustine is a participant in the Silent Chalice Competition. If I let him treat me, he could use the opportunity of treating me to steal a look at my magic."

"That is absolutely out of the question."

Wizard Aston said anxiously, "But Lord Smith, if you are not treated quickly, you will be forced into full abyssalization. Those remnants of the Thunder Demon Society, we should have sent all of them to the black wizard factories long ago!"

Another Storm Tower wizard said, "I've already had him sold off to a black factory. Please rest assured, Lord Smith. It's just that no one expected that worthless wretch would actually dare to scheme against you."

"And to scheme against you to this degree, no less..."

Wizard Smith's expression was grim. He looked toward the half-dragon store owner and said, "I can offer a higher price. Is it possible to help me post my task request to the Second Circle potion master listings?"

The half-dragon store owner immediately refused. "That is against the rules. It requires you yourself to be a Second Circle wizard."

Wizard Smith immediately used the water hyacinth network to contact a Second Circle wizard of the Smith Family. "Can the task be posted under a different name?"

The half-dragon store owner said, "Yes, that is possible."

...

After leaving the Feathered Serpent Pavilion, Locke shook his head slightly. "That fellow Smith, just before the competition is about to begin, he goes and gets himself into that state. That Revelation Witch Stone was problematic from the start. The wizard from the Thunder Demon Society must have found a way to detonate that trap and prevent Smith from getting through it cleanly."

"He probably never imagined he would suffer such a significant blow because of some minor figure. With abyssal energy erosion that severe, I wonder whether he'll be able to recover within two months."

Locke mounted the Rainbow Sparrow and returned to Little Peach Mountain, then entered the Dune Plane and made his way back to Group 2's research facility base.

He found Witch Mason and the others, and together with them began working to complete the Tier 1 funding project.

Locke wanted to wrap it up as quickly as possible before the competition began.

Locke glanced at Witch Mason. "You all seem to be in a rather low mood. Did something happen?"

Witch Mason paused, setting down what she was doing. "Nothing's wrong. Locke, the Throne said that both you and I can join that society now."

Locke was momentarily taken aback.

Did that mean he had passed Golden Crown Mountain's evaluation?

...

The next day, on the seventh floor of Witch Yekaterina's castle.

Inside Witch Yekaterina's office, Locke met a Second Circle wizard dressed in the robes of the Landbridge.

The man was a round, fair-faced fellow who gave the impression of being easy to get along with.

Witch Yekaterina introduced him to Locke. "This is moon ring Wizard Chad Schultz. He has chosen to remain at Landbridge as an instructor, and is now a formal wizard mentor."

Locke was mildly surprised, since the position of formal wizard mentor in the Three Marsh Lands was not easy to obtain.

The man before him looked to be around forty years old, yet he was already a moon ring Wizard, and a formal wizard mentor at Landbridge to boot.

Locke gave a respectful bow. "Lord Chad, I had no idea you were already a formal wizard mentor at Landbridge at such a young age. That is truly impressive."

Wizard Chad Schultz narrowed his eyes, as though looking at a younger version of himself. "It's nothing remarkable, nothing remarkable. You're only twenty-three this year, aren't you? That is quite young indeed. When I took part in the Silent Chalice Competition, I was already thirty."

"At your age, people were also calling me a genius. Of course, at my current age, being called a genius is no longer quite appropriate."

Wizard Chad Schultz smiled. "What being called a genius really means is that a person has great future potential, but for now is simply a young wizard."

"These days, I would be more than satisfied if someone were to call me a great wizard. Ah, I still have much to work toward."

Wizard Chad Schultz said, "By the time you reach my age, even if you are not a moon ring Wizard, you should at least be a star ring wizard."

It was only then that something became much clearer to Locke: every high-circle wizard had been called a genius when they were young.

Witch Yekaterina said, with some impatience, "The two of you can exchange pleasantries somewhere else. Chad Schultz, I am entrusting Locke to you. See to it that you teach him properly."

Wizard Chad Schultz immediately became serious and gave Witch Yekaterina a respectful bow. "Throne, ten years ago you gave me guidance, and it was because of that guidance that I was able to win the championship at the Spell Combat Competition. For ten years I have been looking for a way to repay that kindness, but you have always turned me down."

"This time, I can finally settle that debt."

With that, the two of them left Witch Yekaterina's office.

Wizard Chad Schultz walked alongside Locke across Golden Crown Mountain. He looked up at the golden sun at the mountain's peak and felt the surging magical tides rolling through Golden Crown Mountain. "How nostalgic."

"Locke, right? You had better put on a good showing at the Silent Chalice Competition this time."

A smile spread across Wizard Chad Schultz's round face. "Last time, I was eliminated in third place. Which is to say, I was the second person to be knocked out of that Silent Plane."

"The first person to be knocked out was the participant from the Storm Tower."

"In any case, Golden Crown Mountain ended up at the very bottom of the rankings in the last competition. This time, you had better do us proud. Ideally, you should aim for second place."

Locke raised an eyebrow. "Senior Chad, since we are entering a competition, naturally the goal should be first place."

Wizard Chad Schultz paused for a moment, then laughed. "Of course. That is a fair point. From what I know, the main participants from the last Silent Chalice Competition have all chosen to return to their home academies to provide guidance to the current batch of competitors."

"My old rivals, hmm, I haven't seen them in quite a few years. The days when I competed alongside them still feel vivid in my memory."

Wizard Chad Schultz fell into reminiscence.

He came back to himself and smiled at Locke. "Let's head down from Golden Crown Mountain first. Space on the mountain is worth its weight in gold. Let's find a forest at the foot of the mountain. I'd like to take a look at the blueprint magic of your Grand Magic."

"As a former competitor, I can give you an assessment of your chances of winning."

Wizard Chad Schultz adopted a mildly challenging look. "How about it? Having to display your Grand Magic in front of an old senior must be a bit of pressure, surely."

"But relax, relax. If Golden Crown Mountain chose someone like you, with no background to speak of, as their competitor, you must certainly have something exceptional about you."

Locke nodded. "Of course, Senior Chad."

Wizard Chad Schultz looked at Locke with a hint of surprise. "Composed and dignified. A fine bearing."

"To be honest, I had originally assumed this generation's competitor would be that proud little white dragon princess from Preston."

"This generation, Landbridge has no one, and Golden Crown Mountain had no one either. Yet here, in this final year, you showed up."

Wizard Chad Schultz said, "Ah, for an academy, truly exceptional talent is still a scarce resource. For ordinary talent, resources outweigh them. For truly exceptional talent, they outweigh the resources."

The two had already made their way down the mountain path, past the treant guards, and into an ordinary magical plant forest at the foot of the mountain.

Wizard Chad Schultz said, "Locke, and that is precisely why the Silent Chalice Competition matters so much. It determines the allocation of student quotas for the Unclaimed Lands."

He gave a brief explanation of what the Unclaimed Lands were.

Only then did Locke learn that there were regions whose ownership was still under dispute.

Wizard Chad Schultz clasped his hands behind his back and said, "Before you demonstrate your Grand Magic, I have one question for you. What is Golden Crown Mountain, Landbridge?"

Locke blinked. "Golden Crown Mountain, Landbridge is one of the seven top-tier academies of the Cloud Marsh Wetlands, a primary initiator of the Demon Realm Wars, a renowned high-efficiency agricultural region..."

Wizard Chad Schultz's expression shifted to one of understanding, and he seemed somewhat stirred and eager, as though he had been waiting years to hear exactly this response.

"You appear to know nothing of our Golden Crown Mountain's history."

"From its very beginning, Golden Crown Mountain was built as a place of refuge for heterogeneous wizards, a fortress constructed to protect those who, during the age of pure-blood supremacy, were hunted by pure-blood human wizards using brutal magic."

"In other words, Golden Crown Mountain was originally a wizard military fortress. The reason the academy has three directors is because it carried over the three-superintendent system from that military fortress era."

"The first superintendent was responsible for logistics, the second for internal security, and the third for military affairs."

A flash of surprise crossed Locke's eyes.

He had not looked into this carefully before, and his knowledge of it was indeed quite sparse.

Wizard Chad Schultz clasped his hands behind his back and said, "How can one represent Golden Crown Mountain without knowing its past, or go out and strive for honor, for Golden Crown Mountain's future and for one's own?"

"Golden Crown Mountain once existed as a military fortress to protect the weak, and so the spirit of that time is still preserved here today. But from the Age of Enlightenment onward, Golden Crown Mountain became a renowned high-value agricultural region, a leading representative of high-value breeding in the Eastern Border Region, holding a dominant and influential position in the field of breeding science."

"The Twelve Peaches of Golden Crown Mountain represent one of the highest achievements in the field of breeding science in the Eastern Border Region."

"The Six Teas of Landbridge are equally among the highest achievements in the field of breeding science in the Eastern Border Region."

"The Twelve Peaches and Six Teas of Golden Crown Mountain and Landbridge are very well known."

Wizard Chad Schultz smiled. "Beyond that, Golden Crown Mountain produces a vast quantity of magical foodstuffs each year. It is a key partner of the Witch's Kitchen shop alliance, and an important grain-producing region in the Cloud Marsh Wetlands."

"The behind-the-scenes owner of Witch's Kitchen is, in fact, a wizard who graduated from our Golden Crown Mountain."

"Golden Crown Mountain stands for food."

"And for advanced breeding science. Of course, Golden Crown Mountain is also a renowned dragon wizard community, and the birthplace of wave studies."

"Golden Crown Mountain holds the belief that an abundance of food is of the utmost importance. Therefore, over many years, it has devoted itself to research in the agricultural field, ensuring that the wizard world will never face a food shortage. Several food-related plans have been led and initiated entirely by our Golden Crown Mountain, and it continues to strengthen the standing of breeding science and agriculture."

Wizard Chad Schultz continued, "Golden Crown Mountain is also the founder of the no-waste principle, and is one of the most important bases of the Wizard World Agricultural Management Committee."

Locke found himself nodding. His understanding of Golden Crown Mountain was now far more complete.

Wizard Chad Schultz produced a packet of wizard tea. "After all that talk, it would be better to simply let you have a taste. One of our Golden Crown Mountain's Six Teas, White Phoenix Tea."

"As a wizard of our Golden Crown Mountain, have you ever drunk White Phoenix before?"

Locke hesitated for a moment. "I've never even heard of it."

Wizard Chad Schultz grew very animated. "Has Golden Crown Mountain stopped telling its wizards what White Phoenix Tea is, one of the Twelve Peaches, Six Teas, and Three Rices of Golden Crown Mountain? That is simply unacceptable. How can a wizard of Golden Crown Mountain not know about one of Golden Crown Mountain's most famous achievements?"