520: External Researcher and Meeting an Old Friend
One month later.
On the Wizard Ship, Locke raised his magic pressure from 8,100 to 8,500. Due to his compression method, the backflow from the Natural Prime Force Plane, and his First Ring Crystallization Stage Three-Eyed Tiger-Eyed Cat raising his own upper limit, Locke's progress speed appeared extremely abnormal in the eyes of other Liquefaction Stage wizards.
Even for a wizard genius, jumping from 8,100 to 8,500 would take several years, yet Locke had bypassed that time entirely.
This was the benefit of having a compression method—a shortcut.
By then, the wizard airship had already arrived over the Yunze Wetland. Locke looked down from the wizard airship at the shimmering surface of Yun Lake; it was like a mirror created by nature, reflecting all the light back into the sky.
It was filled with a sense of wonder.
The vast Yun Lake covered a total area larger than a dozen Wizard Lands combined. It was shared by the Three Ze Lands and Dragonfall Land, which resulted in the Three Ze Lands being long and narrow, essentially forming the shores of Yun Lake.
The airship was scheduled to stop at a city near Golden Crown Mountain. Consequently, Locke was currently sitting in a seat in the airship's public library; he set down his book and was chatting with his teacher, Harlan Vera, via the grey mist slate.
This month's edition of southeast had published his article. The problem that had plagued Liliths Cottage for over five hundred years had finally been resolved, and the existence of Mister Power had been proven.
Harlan Vera raised a cup of wizard wine toward Locke, expressing his gratitude: "Locke, on behalf of all the wizards in Liliths Cottage, I thank you. Your article has proven Liliths Cottage's past claims; at least a portion of them was correct."
"Mister Power is indeed a special force formed after the superposition and combination of three Eternal Defense Fields."
Since the airship did not allow the consumption of wizard wine, Locke could only substitute it with tea, using a cup of Duck Head Tea instead.
Locke took a sip of the Duck Head Tea, and a refreshing fragrance immediately lingered between his teeth. Tides of special water elements constantly surged between his tongue and teeth, awakening his life breath and creating a unique tactile sensation.
That was a sensation that mortal tea could never produce.
Immediately following his breath, clear air circulated through his lungs, and the residual medicinal toxins in his body vanished into thin air. Furthermore, his perception of and affinity for the water and wood elements increased slightly out of nowhere.
Locke said to Harlan Vera, "I am also a wizard from Liliths Cottage. Doing something for my alma mater is only right."
Harlan Vera smiled and said, "Your article has indeed significantly elevated the status and reputation of Liliths Cottage in the Southeast Corner Region. If this article had been published elsewhere, its effect would not have been as great as it is now in southeast."
"southeast is a monthly publication with a new edition every month, and it is subscribed to by many wizards in our Wizard Land. Since your article is the lead feature of this edition, many One-Ring Wizards in the Southeast Corner Region now know about Mister Power and that Liliths Cottage possesses this power. This is a tremendous boost to the quality of our student recruitment."
"As you know, for a wizard organization, student recruitment is the key factor that determines whether it can survive and prosper in the future," Harlan Vera said. "The most deceptive part is that the quality of recruitment doesn't affect our present; it only affects our future."
"Secondly, the matter of Mister Power has increased our standing with the White Wizard Association. As an academy with a unique ancient heritage, we are bound to have some distinct privileges. Protecting civilization and supporting the development of diversity has always been a major piece of political correctness for the White Wizard headquarters."
Locke nodded.
Harlan Vera glanced at the Duck Head Tea in Locke's hand and asked curiously, "Locke, that looks like a type of wizard green tea, and it seems very unique? I can tell it's an unparalleled fine tea just by sensing the changes in your magic pressure."
Locke paused for a moment and then said, "Oh, Teacher Harlan, this is a specialty of the Yunze Wetland gifted to me by the airship staff. The Golden Crown Mountain I'm heading to this time seems to be the best high-efficiency agricultural zone in the Yunze Wetland."
"There is an independent wizard organization at Golden Crown Mountain called Lu Xu Bridge. Their specialty is wizard tea, and this is one of the famous teas they grow, called Duck Head Tea."
"It is indeed excellent. I've never seen a wizard tea that can completely eliminate the medicinal toxicity in my body while also restoring my life essence and making me feel unprecedentedly comfortable. It seems to have restored something else as well, while slightly increasing my perception of wood and water elements."
Perception of other elemental particles was one thing, but the fact that Duck Head Tea could increase his perception of wood element particles was somewhat terrifying.
His affinity for wood element composite particles was already more than twice that of an ordinary Child of the Elements.
After all, as a Natural Guardian, he possessed the unconditional favor of nature.
Yet, Duck Head Tea could actually briefly increase his affinity even further.
It truly lived up to its reputation as a famous wizard tea of Lu Xu Bridge.
Harlan Vera was also taken aback upon hearing the name of Lu Xu Bridge. "Lu Xu Bridge... I recall that name as well. It is indeed one of the very famous tea-producing regions, though I didn't realize Lu Xu Bridge and Golden Crown Mountain were so closely linked."
"Golden Crown Mountain is also a very famous wizard organization among the Breeder community. Many of Liliths Cottage's excellent magic plant seeds were purchased from Golden Crown Mountain."
"Golden Crown Mountain is best at cultivating agricultural-type magic plants."
Harlan Vera laughed and said, "After you've seen more of the world, don't forget to come back to our mentor's circle gatherings and tell your seniors about the things outside."
"Among the Formal Wizards I have taught, you are doing the best, aside from a few like Bazel."
"The Yunze Cup championship, the Hall of Advanced True Knowledge—these are things that ordinary Formal Wizards in the Southeast Corner Region wouldn't even dare to dream of. In a sense, you are already at the peak among the ordinary Formal Wizards who remained in the Southeast Corner Region."
Locke remembered that Wizard Bazel was a Second Ring Wizard who basically never attended their gatherings, but every so often, he would have someone bring a gift to Teacher Harlan Vera.
The Wizard World is a society formed with master-disciple relationships as its bonds; therefore, these relationships are held in extreme regard here.
Locke said, "That goes without saying."
"Teacher Harlan."
Harlan Vera said, "Right, besides that, Academy Head Earl Thompson also wants to establish a partnership with you and invite you to join Liliths Cottage's Mister Origin Research Institute as an External Researcher."
"In truth, you don't really have to do anything; they just want to cite your article regarding Mister Power."
"We will pay you ten thousand magic stones every month—that is, one magic crystal card—which totals twelve magic crystal cards a year. In exchange, you would need to answer a limited number of questions for us on the grey mist slate; it won't take much of your time."
Harlan Vera said with a slight headache, "Locke, I'm not here to be a lobbyist. It's just that as a Senior Wizard Tutor of Liliths Cottage, I'm in this position, so I can only try to propose it to you. You can refuse."
"I know that entering the Hall of Advanced True Knowledge doesn't mean everything is fine; rather, it is the start of an even more difficult learning process."
"So, if you find it difficult, you can decline."
Locke nodded slightly. Clearly, after he published the article on Mister Power, it changed the Academy Head of Liliths Cottage's original views on the Forest Sanctuary and Mister Power.
The other party likely wanted him to help Liliths Cottage regain the Forest Sanctuary and Mister Power.
However, this matter indeed presented no conflict of interest for him; in fact, it was beneficial.
The reason was simple.
Liliths Cottage was his origin, and he could never change that. Anyone looking at his resume would immediately see the fact that he had studied at Liliths Cottage for four years.
If the prestige of Liliths Cottage could be raised, it would be advantageous for him as well.
That was why Locke did not refuse immediately but was instead considering the feasibility.
He was no longer a student of Liliths Cottage, so he needed to establish a sense of boundaries with them, letting Liliths Cottage understand what they could cooperate on and what they could not demand of him.
This was also what he, as a Formal Wizard—an adult in the Wizard World—ought to do.
After thinking it over, Locke said, "Teacher Harlan, I know what Academy Head Earl is thinking. But studying the Forest Sanctuary requires a massive capital investment. I spent over a million magic stones just to construct my own Forest Sanctuary."
"This amount of money is not something an ordinary Formal Wizard can produce. Secondly, there are still requirements for talent; this path is not suitable for all wizards."
"However, helping my alma mater regain Mister Power is also beneficial for me, but I have two major requirements."
Harlan Vera said, "Locke, please go ahead."
Harlan Vera sighed with emotion, "You've truly grown up. Talking to you is like talking to a mature Formal Wizard; the atmosphere involuntarily becomes serious. I can feel the independent will in your words, which is good. If the magic of a One-Ring Wizard lacks this independent will, it will appear extremely fragile."
"Although I am also a believer in technicism, I believe that only wizards with an independent will can go further on the path of pursuing the truth."
Locke nodded and said, "Teacher Harlan, my requirements for the academy are: first, if the academy wants me to help them regain Mister Power and the Forest Sanctuary, they need to be prepared to invest a large amount of funds, at least over one million magic stones, and even that might not be enough."
"I'm only talking about training one Wizard Apprentice; if there are more people, even more money will be needed. It's best to be prepared for this."
"Second, I feel that ten thousand magic stones a month is too little."
"Even if it doesn't take up too much of my time, I'm still not satisfied with this monthly salary."
Locke said, "Business is business, Teacher Harlan. You should be able to understand me."
Harlan Vera curled his lips and nodded. "Even if you didn't say it, I wasn't satisfied with the price Academy Head Earl gave either."
"It makes my student's time seem very cheap. I wouldn't let you sign a contract with that monthly salary either, as it would affect the future cooperation between my other students and Liliths Cottage. On this issue, my interests are completely aligned with yours—that is, to get the academy to give you as much of a monthly salary as possible."
"Thirty thousand magic stones a month, how about it?"
Locke thought for a moment. Although the Hall of Advanced True Knowledge only gave him twenty thousand a month, the circumstances of the two jobs were different.
The Hall of Advanced True Knowledge was providing him with a platform; it was half work and half study.
So, twenty thousand magic stones a month was already considered generous.
However, if he were to participate in the Liliths Cottage Research Institute as an external hire, it would be pure work, and Mister Power was a very critical matter.
If Liliths Cottage weren't his alma mater, and the Forest Sanctuary and Mister Power weren't originally part of Liliths Cottage, and if he didn't want to elevate his alma mater's status and further enhance his resume, he wouldn't even consider this cooperation.
Therefore, after some thought, Locke said, "Teacher Harlan, if you give me three magic crystal cards a month, I can accept that."
"But could you give me three magic crystal cards first?"
Locke coughed and said somewhat awkwardly, "To be honest, I only have five thousand magic stones left on hand. I got this by selling some of my standard consumable potions."
"Cough, cough..."
"I'm really short on money right now. I spent all my money earlier to construct the Forest Sanctuary."
Harlan Vera smiled understandingly. "Being out on your own is indeed difficult, and there's no one to provide a safety net for you."
"I can understand you very well. As a young One-Ring Wizard, if you don't stay in the Southeast Corner Region, money will indeed be a big problem. You'll need money in even more places once you go to a new location."
"I will immediately transfer the magic crystal cards to you through the local Goblin Family Bank."
Harlan Vera said, "If it's still not enough by then, you can ask to borrow from me first."
"Although your teacher's savings aren't that much, I can prioritize lending to you."
Locke was somewhat moved. "Thank you, teacher. But don't worry, I'm not that short on money. Once I land, I can go to the Goblin Bank to collect sixty thousand magic stones from Lady Irina. I also have a partnership with the Plutarch Family in Six Towers Land and can collect a sum of money there; I'm just a bit short on cash lately."
"By the way, Teacher Harlan, if I join the Mister Research Center as an External Researcher, who is the student the academy needs me to co-train?"
Harlan Vera laughed and said, "The suggestion you made earlier is very reasonable. After all, the plan to reacquire Mister Power has just begun, and whether it will succeed is still an unknown. Moreover, it requires special magic plants like the Hydra Magic Plant, so our academy will likely only train one Wizard Apprentice first."
"Hmm... it's an old acquaintance of yours—Albert."
Locke was stunned for a moment. "Albert? How many years has it been, and he still hasn't become a Formal Wizard? Three years ago, when I first met him, his mana had already reached 800, right? When I left, his mana was 900..."
The image of Harlan Vera within the grey mist slate sighed. "Last year and the year before, Albert tried to break through, but he failed both times."
"To obtain two Advancement Potions, he spent all his wealth and exhausted his connections. Even Lady Morgana is somewhat... disappointed in him."
"But Albert is, after all, a candidate seed for Liliths Cottage. The academy has invested a lot of resources in him, and as an asset of the academy, they don't want to give up on him just like that. Therefore, they finally gave him a chance to join the Mister Power Reappearance Project."
"As a condition, he also signed numerous contracts with the academy in advance. If he truly becomes a Formal Wizard, he will stay at Liliths Cottage for life."
Harlan Vera said, "Besides considering the sunk costs, Albert is currently the First-Class Wizard Apprentice in the academy's Botany department who is closest to becoming a Formal Wizard. Although he has failed to break through three times and has burned through much of his lifespan, fortunately, his talent is decent, so the amount of lifespan burned each time he failed wasn't that high."
"Therefore, the academy has judged that he should have one last chance for a breakthrough. If he fails again, there really won't be another opportunity."
"Thus, this Mister Project is an opportunity for him, and his last one. Of course, failing to break through three times also has one benefit: he is truly very close to success. It's just that for some reason, all his previous attempts failed."
"One could say his luck is just very bad."
Harlan Vera took a look and sighed, "Advancing to a Formal Wizard is just that difficult. Sometimes, a wizard who seems completely capable of success and bound to succeed just happens to get stuck at this juncture, unable to move forward forever."
"Wasting a lifetime, only to end in a regrettable and dismal conclusion."
Harlan Vera said, "The academy believes that by changing the breakthrough route—for example, giving up on using Eternal Defense Fields like Life Force Field or Oak Demon Armor and switching to learning Forest Sanctuary—he might be able to break through this time. To be honest, the academy doesn't know why he fails every time either."
Locke nodded slightly. Sometimes, advancing to a Formal Wizard really does involve some metaphysics.
Metaphysics means there is no way to accurately predict the trajectory and conditions of every breakthrough.
There are too many related parameters.
So, one can only rely on a bit of luck.
Clearly, Liliths Cottage believes that Albert is very close to becoming a Formal Wizard, but since they don't know why he fails every time, they can't bear to give up on this within-reach fruit. At this juncture, since Locke published an article on Mister Power, Liliths Cottage decided to optimize their assets, allowing Albert—this high-quality asset on the verge of value destruction—to try using Mister Power to become a One-Ring Wizard.
Locke nodded. "Since it's an acquaintance, it'll be much easier to handle."
"Teacher Harlan, I agree to this. You can send the contract over. I'll contact Albert when the time comes."
Harlan Vera nodded and said, "Alright. This is just a small matter; you should still focus on your own affairs. After all, it's just a minor issue at the Wizard Apprentice level."
"It's just... Albert is a bit different from before. You'd better be mentally prepared."
Locke fell silent for a moment.
The original Albert was a very optimistic person. After experiencing these successive blows, his personality would likely have undergone a huge change.
Locke closed the grey mist slate. By then, the airship had arrived near Golden Crown Mountain, which looked extremely beautiful.
Golden Crown Mountain is actually composed of four mountains, three small and one large.