519: This Heart, This Thought, Never Changed!
On the grey mist slate, Witch Yekaterina sent a reply. 'Hmm, it's quite good that you were able to publish your article so quickly.'
'I've read your two manuscripts, and they are both quite good. Congratulations, the manuscript for southeast has been accepted, but Green Grass Cloud Marsh has rejected you again. Alright, I have to get to work, you should buy your ticket and come over as soon as possible.'
Locke was stunned for a moment. Clearly, Witch Yekaterina possessed special channels that allowed her to learn the results faster than him, the author submitting the work.
This must be the privilege of a Third Ring Wizard.
The rights possessed by a Third Ring Wizard were beyond his current imagination, so he had no idea what method she used to learn the results faster than he did.
Locke gave a bitter smile. As expected of a tier 1 journal in Cloud Marsh, his article had failed to pass with Green Grass Cloud Marsh again.
Thinking about it, it was probably as the editor-in-chief of Cloud Marsh had said: his claim in the article about using Mister Power to accelerate the process of becoming a First Ring Crystallization Wizard currently lacked empirical evidence.
After all, he only had 8100 magic pressure right now, and there was still a long way to go before becoming a First Ring Crystallization Wizard.
Locke deliberated for a moment and tentatively sent a message to Witch Yekaterina. 'Mentor, do you have any suggestions for me?'
Locke hadn't originally expected Witch Yekaterina to reply, as she was a Third Ring Wizard, and even if she notified him personally, she would only have time to say a few words.
But to his surprise, the next moment, a reply from Witch Yekaterina appeared on the grey mist slate.
Witch Yekaterina replied: 'There is no need to continue lowering the rank of the journals. Your article can be submitted to a tier 1 journal of Yunze Wetland; it just lacks key evidence to support it. Wait until you become a First Ring Crystallization Wizard before submitting it.'
'Don't worry about it being published by someone else first, because I have already read it.'
'Also, it is excellent that you were able to publish a tier 2 journal article before entering the institute. Tier 2 journals of Yunze Wetland are not easy to get into either. Bringing a tier 2 journal article with you already puts you ahead of many people in our Hall of Advanced True Knowledge in terms of performance evaluation.'
'It's just that if you had asked me about the principles of Mister Power beforehand, I could have arranged more suitable journals for you, and you would have had a chance to aim for a tier 1 journal.'
Locke sensed that Witch Yekaterina was implying he had been somewhat wasteful.
Locke shook his head slightly. Before this, he hadn't even thought that he could actively contact Witch Yekaterina, let alone that a Third Ring Wizard would be his cooperative mentor.
If he had known he had such a backer, he would definitely have consulted her frequently, provided she didn't find him annoying.
Locke sent a message to Witch Yekaterina explaining why he had submitted to southeast: because the Mister Power originated from Liliths Cottage in the Southeast Corner Region, so logically and emotionally, he could only publish it in southeast.
However, after sending the message, Locke noticed that Witch Yekaterina did not reply. After waiting for a while and confirming that she wouldn't reply, he stood up and began ordering the servants in the room to pack his luggage.
At the same time, he prepared to go to the airship management department of the White Wizard Association in Six Towers Land to buy a ticket. However, he didn't have enough money for the ticket on him, so he would have to sell some of the magic potions he had stored for personal consumption to recoup some funds.
Tickets to the Three Ze Lands were very cheap due to various reasons, including the developed artificial network in the Three Ze Lands, unlike tickets to other Wizard Lands which could cost tens of thousands of magic stones.
A ticket to the Three Ze Lands basically only cost between five thousand and ten thousand magic stones.
It depended on the distance between your Wizard Land and the Three Ze Lands.
And Six Towers Land, where Locke was located, was not too far from Yunze Wetland, so it seemed he could buy a standard ticket for just five thousand magic stones.
...
On Golden Crown Mountain, in the Dragon Fern Garden, a massive golden dragon lay lazily on a volcano. It looked toward the volcano, where Witch Yekaterina was conducting magic plant breeding experiments, and said: "It's strange, I rarely see you make a losing deal."
"Wizard."
"You rejected a Senior Breeder with rich work experience at our academy and a First Ring Crystallization Wizard, yet chose a First Ring Liquefaction Wizard from out of town. This really doesn't look like your usual choice, Yekaterina, my friend."
This Third Ring level True Dragon, the golden dragon, let out a dragon sneeze. Suddenly, dragon breath erupted, and a stream of holy dragon flames spewed out.
Dragon breath was the innate weapon of many dragon creatures and was naturally the most powerful magic.
The golden dragon's breath was holy dragon flames and Justice Verdict Breath; silver dragons spewed holy ice breath and Wisdom Judgment Breath; bronze dragons spewed holy lightning and holy storm; bronze dragons were True Dragons that controlled storms...
True Dragon breath varied, possessing powerful and incredible strength.
Even those giant dragons that liked to pretend they were True Dragons possessed different kinds of dragon breath. Giant dragons were very similar to True Dragons, but their power levels were completely different.
Witch Yekaterina glanced at the golden dragon. "We are just in a cooperative relationship, Fafner."
"Besides, that child is the Yunze Cup champion."
The golden dragon Fafner sneezed. Every True Dragon possessed wisdom accumulated over time. "What determines a Wizard's upper limit is never their strengths, but their weaknesses."
"You and I both know that even if Wizards from outside have a strength, their comprehensive performance is not as good as the Wizards from our Golden Crown Mountain."
"He comes from an outside Wizard Land. I imagine his head is filled with low-end problems like how to improve the traits of magic plants, how to increase the combat power of a magic plant, or the healing effect of a magic plant, or how much energy a magic plant can provide."
"It is not easy to change a person's thinking pattern, Yekaterina. He has been poisoned by the ideology of low-ring Wizards from outside for too long."
Witch Yekaterina placed a fire lotus into the volcanic magma and began observing the lotus root at the bottom, which was the variation of the lotus flower's underground stem (rhizome). "You have a great prejudice against him, Fafner. You cannot classify all the problems of a Wizard as being because he is just an outsider."
"Fafner, tell me, what are you actually worried about?"
Fafner looked at Witch Yekaterina and finally couldn't help but warn: "That child is very strange. He has an undying dragon scale on him. That is not something a First Ring Wizard can obtain. Even you, can you make an undying dragon scale appear on yourself through plundering? No. The power of a True Dragon cannot be plundered; this is a theorem."
"The only ones who get schemed against by Wizards are those stupid giant dragons who only think about destruction and are vain enough to like pretending to be True Dragons."
Fafner reminded Witch Yekaterina. "That child has a very complex problem behind him. That problem is huge. My advice is, it is best not to get involved. Besides, I still think his comprehensive ability is not as good as our own formally graduated Wizards."
"Considering everything, I originally suggested that you not let him enter our Hall of Advanced True Knowledge, but who knew, you still let him in."
"Moreover, you need to suppress the True Dragon bloodline in your body every moment. Living with that child day and night will only make you more uncomfortable."
Witch Yekaterina, dressed in black with gold trim, was observing the changes in the roots of the fire lotus. "I know all these things you said. I actually only care about whether he can work, because I want to obtain the ten-person fund. I need many reliable assistants. Including him, I need many excellent First Ring Wizards and Second Ring Wizards to join my project. This point is the important reason I chose him."
"And I am still very confident in his abilities. Therefore, the two problems you mentioned are not problems. Besides..."
Witch Yekaterina said: "The bloodline problem in my body should also be properly addressed."
"Letting him stay by my side and constantly stimulating the True Dragon bloodline in my body is better this way; it makes it easier for me to completely suppress this bloodline and make me the master."
"To make my identity as a Wizard the master."
The golden dragon Fafner sneezed. "Forget it, at the end of the day, it's just a little First Ring Wizard. You can do whatever you want."
"As long as it doesn't affect our project."
"Since he is the Yunze Cup champion, even if he has some shortcomings, he should still be able to work. As for who is right and who is wrong between us, it will be easy to see once he enters the True Knowledge Institute."
The golden dragon Fafner's view was different from Witch Yekaterina's. He was somewhat skeptical that Locke would be unable to keep up with the work rhythm of the Hall of Advanced True Knowledge, especially regarding thought patterns, which would not be easily changed in a short time.
The golden dragon said: "If your project can be completed, it will also be very beneficial for our Dragon Race."
"This is why I established a partnership with your Golden Crown Mountain. Of course, to some extent, I only established a partnership with you personally. Other Wizards of Golden Crown Mountain will not know of my existence."
...
Locke sold some scattered magic potions stored in his astral ring, exchanged them for ten thousand magic stones, and immediately went to the wizard airship management department to buy a ticket.
The departure time of the ticket was the next day.
Locke was prepared to leave Six Towers Land the next day. Everything here, all affairs and projects, had ended. Many people he was familiar with had also chosen to leave because they had found better opportunities thanks to the Yunze Cup.
As time passed, the number of Wizards he was familiar with here would become fewer and fewer.
That evening, Locke returned to his residence, prepared to pack up, and then set off to leave.
Inside the residence, Locke unexpectedly found it pitch black.
He had just wanted to order the servants to turn on the magic lights when he sensed Alicia's magic pressure inside the residence.
Moreover, there was not a single servant in his residence.
In the two years he had spent in Six Towers Land, Locke and Alicia had often discussed Potionology together, and their relationship had become extremely good. They were also at the age of young love.
Locke smelled the faint, clean scent emanating from Alicia, like the fragrance of some green grass, and there was also a special rose fragrance; that should be a special incense made from a branch of Potionology called Incenseology.
Its function was to calm the mind, and also...
With Alicia's abilities, she could, of course, easily craft it.
Alicia walked over and whispered: "Don't turn on the lights."
Then, the girl's soft limbs touched his waist, and she hugged him.
Locke's heart was startled, and he had just wanted to push her away, but his mind flashed with the bits and pieces of the two years they had spent together.
Moreover, they were both 22 years old, exactly the right age.
Locke also had some vague feelings for Alicia.
Alicia gently shook the hair by Locke's ear and asked: "Can you really not stay?"
Locke said softly: "Alicia, you know my choice."
The two were silent for a moment.
Two years had passed, Locke had become more handsome and tall, and Alicia had shed the innocence of a girl. In the process of governance, she had become independent and powerful, and the wizard robe she wore had changed from amaranth red to bright red.
Locke looked at Alicia, who was hugging him in the mirror, and suddenly said: "Perhaps... you could come with me?"
In the mirror, Alicia looked at Locke's face, a flash of regret appearing in her eyes, but soon this regret was cut off, turning into a firm choice. "Can I go with you? Can I? I also want to go with you, I also want to go to a bigger place, a broader world."
"But... Grandfather needs me, the Plutarch Family and Six Towers Land also need me. I can only stay here."
"Leaving is your choice, and staying is my choice."
"We both have our own careers; we cannot compromise for the sake of the other."
Alicia whispered: "Am I too greedy? I want to have everything."
Locke said: "No."
Alicia said: "Perhaps we can only be comrades, just like what Grandfather said. As the head of the Plutarch Family, it is indeed not suitable for me to have a spouse, so... you are my best choice."
"You are leaving, and I only... love you. I will not fall in love with anyone else in the future, so..."
The two were in the prime of their youth, filled with the breath of youth, and this was also the first time they had experienced such a thing, and both were people they had feelings for.
Locke thought for a moment and did not refuse.
After one night, the next morning, Locke looked at the sleeping Alicia, got up and left, then sighed slightly.
If he could, he would also want to take Alicia to the Cloud Marsh, but as she herself said.
It was she who chose Six Towers Land and the Plutarch Family, and did not choose him.
Just as he chose the truth, and did not choose her.
Locke had already packed up in advance, so he put the things in the house into his astral ring, wrote a farewell letter, pushed the door open, and left.
The moment Locke closed the door, Alicia, who was pretending to sleep, opened her eyes.
She put on her bright red wizard robe, and a sense of majesty appeared on her out of thin air, and at the same time, her magic pressure had already approached the Liquefaction Stage.
Alicia turned to look at herself in the mirror, a tear flowed from the corner of her eye, crossing her face, and at the same time, she used a secret technique to summon the soul of Great Wizard Sura. "Grandfather, you said I didn't follow him, was it the wrong choice?"
"In the future, I will never be able to feel happiness from anyone else."
Great Wizard Sura did not look up, feeling guilty. "Alicia, you..."
Alicia's eyes quickly became sharp. "Grandfather, it doesn't matter, because this time it has nothing to do with you; this is what I wanted myself. This is my own choice."
"Because the Augustus Potion Shop has had more and more Wizards defecting to us recently, I should also reach the First Ring Crystallization Stage as soon as possible, and then use that Magician World to break through and become a Second Ring Wizard."
"Once I become a Second Ring Wizard, I can start reforming Six Towers Land. This Wizard Land always needs someone to put energy into it, to change it."
A sense of responsibility flashed in Alicia's eyes. "I have enjoyed privileges here, so I must give back to this place."
"This heart, this thought, never changed!"