524: Receiving Benefits from the True Knowledge Institute
Locke Augustine, Wizard Daniel, and Wizard Matthew walked up to the mountainside together.
The architecture inside the Golden Crown Mountain academy was primarily in a medieval ancient castle style, but the interiors featured various modern and bustling styles, such as Baroque, minimalist, Gothic, and so on.
Following Wizard Matthew, Locke passed through several buildings; the academy's architecture followed the path of integrating bustling beauty with nature.
Within the academy, buildings were situated among magic plant gardens of varying sizes, with countless flower gardens and many flower fairies flying above them.
There were Rose Fairies with rose petal wings, as well as Daffodil Fairies with daffodil wings, Lily Fairies, Bluebell Fairies, and Tulip Fairies.
These special fae creatures, classified as flower fairies, had become the most common servants, guides, and hardworking staff tending to the gardens within the Golden Crown Mountain academy.
Because Wizard Matthew was walking too quickly through the corridors of the magic plant gardens, he almost collided with a palm-sized Rose Fairy flying towards him; to Locke's surprise, this flower fairy possessed the magic pressure of a Formal Wizard.
One had to know that the flower fairy race was unlike wizards.
Wizards viewed transcending their own racial soul limits as the norm and possessed complete methods, whereas for a flower fairy to become a First Ring-level existence, they either had to be naturally favored by the power of nature or undergo mutations due to certain events later in life.
Locke's gaze fell upon the wings on the back of this Rose Fairy; behind her, there was not only a pair of her original rose petal wings but also a pair of pink peach blossom petal wings.
Clearly, those acquired, modified magic plant peach blossom petal wings were the key to her achieving the magic pressure of a Formal Wizard and reaching her first racial soul limit breakthrough.
The Rose Fairy looked up, and upon seeing it was Wizard Matthew, she was immediately furious. "How many times have you almost bumped into me this semester, Matthew? Why do you always walk so fast!"
Wizard Matthew felt a bit aggrieved. "You aren't flying slowly yourself."
The Rose Fairy was immediately angry and circled around Wizard Matthew's head; as flower fairies flew, they shed magic pollen, creating little specks of starlight around Wizard Matthew.
Seeing that the flower fairy Margaret was angry, Wizard Matthew quickly pointed to the two wizards behind him and said softly, "These two are researchers who have just joined our Golden Crown Mountain."
"Lady Margaret..."
Margaret glanced in surprise at Locke and Wizard Daniel behind Wizard Matthew, and her pretty face flushed slightly. "How rude of me. I originally thought they were two students; it turns out they are two researchers."
Margaret bowed slightly to Locke and Wizard Daniel.
"I have been truly rude in your presence."
Locke nodded slightly without speaking.
Wizard Daniel exclaimed in surprise: "A Formal Wizard-level flower fairy is truly rare, and there are so many flower fairies around here."
"I have never seen such a large-scale flower fairy community in the Fission Mausoleum Plain."
Wizard Matthew took the initiative to explain: "Golden Crown Mountain has a special cooperative relationship with the Fairy Wilderness Plane, and this cooperation has a history of three thousand years."
"Therefore, we have a large number of flower fairies. These fairies serve us, and at the same time, the academy is responsible for providing resources to cultivate them. The [Peach Blossom Wings] on Lady Margaret's back is one such cooperation project, a small project led by our ordinary True Knowledge Institute. This project allowed seven students from the True Knowledge Institute to obtain their graduation credentials."
Locke nodded slightly. Viewed this way, the graduation conditions for the ordinary True Knowledge Institute were far lower than those of their Hall of Advanced True Knowledge.
Although the [Peach Blossom Wings] on Lady Margaret's back helped flower fairies achieve their first racial transcendence, if this contribution were divided into seven parts and still allowed ordinary True Knowledge Institute students to graduate, then the contribution did not seem like much.
Lady Margaret exchanged greetings with Locke and Daniel, then happily flew away, leaving a trail of magic pollen in the air.
Wizard Matthew watched Lady Margaret's retreating figure, shook his head slightly, and smiled bitterly: "Lady Margaret has no ill intentions; she just doesn't look where she's going when she flies."
"By the way, Golden Crown Mountain advocates for the harmonious coexistence of civilization and nature, so there are many high-level Treants and high-level fairies on Golden Crown Mountain. However, these are just minor issues; as long as you pay a little attention, it will be fine."
"The True Knowledge Institute is right ahead."
The three walked out of the garden and saw a towering ancient castle ahead, its surface covered in green vines, with some special flower pots hanging from the castle, in which magic plants were planted.
Several wizards were stepping on anti-gravity boot Magic items made by Alchemists, walking on the castle walls and watering those magic plant pots.
Wizard Matthew introduced: "Every inch of land on Golden Crown Mountain is worth gold, and the surface of this castle condenses a large amount of magic energy, so there are vertical magic fields hanging on the surface of the castle."
Wizard Daniel retorted: "Vertical magic fields? This is simply squeezing in wherever there is space."
Wizard Matthew wiped his nose. "On Golden Crown Mountain, any area with a bit of special magic energy is definitely a scarce resource. Even renting these vertical magic fields is not cheap; I remember it costs one thousand magic stones per acre per year."
Wizard Daniel raised his eyebrows, showing a surprised expression.
Wizard Matthew said: "Vertical magic fields are indeed one of the cheapest types of magic fields. I remember the only thing cheaper than vertical magic fields is the discrete magic field."
"Underground magic fields used to be very cheap too, but later, because geothermal technology was applied perfectly, the rental price went up. I remember it costs five thousand magic stones per acre per year."
Daniel asked: "Discrete magic field? What is that? I have a bad feeling about this."
Wizard Matthew explained to Locke and Wizard Daniel: "It means that the area of one acre of magic field is not all together, but rather a piece here and a piece there, totaling one acre when counted for you. They might even give you a little extra land area, and plus it's cheap, so some Breeders who don't have much money, or Breeders who like to take advantage, rent this kind of magic field."
Locke understood; this was simply finding places in nooks and crannies where you could barely open up a magic field.
Discrete magic field... this name was truly too high-sounding.
Locke looked up at the sky of Golden Crown Mountain; the Golden Crown Mountain academy was more like a three-dimensional academy, with a large number of wizards in the sky, on the surface, and underground.
There were many Cloud Whales and Rainbow Sparrows in the sky, serving as mounts for wizards and even Wizard Apprentices. In addition to these transportation tools created by Weather Masters collecting natural phenomena using magic, there were also some flying magic pets, such as Radiant Unicorns, Griffins, Chimeras, Wyverns, etc.
Besides that, there were some flying magic plants, such as Pumpkin Hot Air Balloons, Ginkgo Flying Wings, etc.
Locke even saw a wizard in the Liquefaction Stage, with two rocket bamboos tied to his legs, moving rapidly in the sky like a rocket soldier.
After Wizard Matthew greeted a Treant at the entrance of the True Knowledge Institute castle, he took the two of them into the True Knowledge Institute and went straight to the office of the personnel management department.
After the two completed the procedures and reported in, Wizard Matthew said to them: "Then I will take you to the finance department to collect your benefits, and you will be considered formally joined to our True Knowledge Institute."
"Please follow me."
The three walked through a granite corridor into an office on the third floor of the castle. The office had exquisite and gorgeous decorations, the floor was covered with a soft and thick magic wool carpet, and Magic Paintings hung on the walls around, but they were not portraits, but landscapes.
Unlike the Six Towers Land, which likes to hang portraits on the walls, the Yunze Wetland area seems to prefer hanging Magic Paintings related to scenery on the walls.
Of course, occasionally there would be one or two personal portraits placed together with portraits of magic creatures, hanging on the wall.
The office director was a wizard in the First Ring Crystallization Stage. He stood up on his own to welcome Locke and Daniel.
"Hello, Researcher Daniel, Researcher Augustine."
"You can call me Wizard Freud." Wizard Freud looked at Locke in surprise. "Wizards who can enter our True Knowledge Institute at the First Ring Liquefaction Stage are few and far between."
"Truly impressive."
Locke nodded slightly. Actually, on the way here, even Wizard Matthew had mentioned this.
In the True Knowledge Institute, even among researchers in the ordinary True Knowledge Institute, only a few were in the First Ring Liquefaction Stage.
And as a researcher of the Hall of Advanced True Knowledge, not being a wizard in the Crystallization Stage was indeed very eye-catching.
He still needed to advance to the Crystallization Stage as soon as possible.
Wizard Freud said: "Regarding the specific monthly salary, we will send it to your dormitory every month according to the conditions signed in the previous contract."
"Remember to keep the specific amount of your salary confidential."
"Besides that, these things are for you."
Wizard Freud gave Locke and Wizard Daniel a badge each. The shape of the badge was very unique; it looked like a giant dragon, but upon closer inspection, it was a mountain peak.
"This represents your status as a Golden Crown Mountain researcher. With the academy badge, you can also freely enter and exit Golden Crown Mountain."
"In addition, here is the key for you. The dormitories on Golden Crown Mountain are protected by independent magic locks, which can only be opened with a magic key."
"By the way, according to the contract, in addition to providing a decent residence where the magic tide concentration gradient meets certain requirements and the area meets the requirements, we also stipulate that a set of transportation tools must be provided."
"You two, make your choice." Director Freud handed a list to Locke and Wizard Daniel. "You can choose any one of the transportation tools on this list. During your time at the True Knowledge Institute, it will be handed to you for use. You can use it at will, but it cannot be damaged or stolen."
"In that case, you will have to pay for it."
"There are magic creature flying objects, magic plant flying objects, as well as flying devices made by Weather Masters and Alchemists, which can be used as your public transportation."
Locke looked at the list; this meant they were providing them with a car and housing in the Yunze Wetland.
Daniel was extremely excited and whispered to Locke: "Some of the magic transportation tools on this list are very ordinary, but some are very rare, such as Cloud Whales and Rainbow Sparrows. Cloud Whales are a special type of cloud cluster created by Weather Masters, with excellent flight capabilities. The best part is their carrying capacity, defensive capabilities, and durability."
"Rainbow Sparrows are also good; they are a special kind of rainbow, and their carrying capacity is also very strong."
"I choose the Rainbow Sparrow."
Locke Augustine did not care much about this; he thought for a moment and chose the Cloud Whale.
"Then I will take the Cloud Whale."
Wizard Daniel whispered a suggestion to Locke, "I think we might be able to take turns sitting in them later on, so that we can both experience both of these rare modes of transport."
Director Freud laughed, "The two modes of transport you chose are indeed the best."
"For the Cloud Whale and the Rainbow Sparrow, it is only because you are from the Hall of Advanced True Knowledge that you have such special benefits. Otherwise, for such good things, you would have to wait in line for at least half a year to get a turn."
Director Freud said, "I will also arrange for students to deliver the Cloud Whale and the Rainbow Sparrow to your dormitory. Besides that, there are a few more things to give you."
"According to the contract, each of you has obtained one opportunity to enter a One-Ring Wizard Secret Realm."
"There is also research startup funding. In addition to that, there are some things we didn't discuss in the contract, but these are benefits provided to you free of charge by Golden Crown Mountain."
Wizard Freud took two large peaches out of the drawer. These peaches were neither quite like jade nor quite like fruit flesh; they were red and white, and extremely beautiful.
"These are two water jade peaches. You two should eat them."
Wizard Matthew swallowed hard.
Locke took it and tentatively took a bite. The fruit flesh turned into water the moment it entered his mouth. Although it was called a peach, it had no chewiness at all, as if he had drunk honey water.
The next moment, Locke's mana surged. The peach's fragrance blended with his mana, nourishing his soul. By the time Locke finished the entire peach, the mana within his body had been infinitely nourished and had even increased significantly.
Locke took out the red crystal matrix from his astral ring and tested it, discovering that he currently had 8700 magic pressure.
He had just eaten one peach, and it had directly increased his magic pressure by 100 out of thin air!
Locke was stunned.
Meanwhile, Wizard Daniel beside him was also in disbelief, his mind still lost in the infinitely wonderful taste of the water jade peach.
Wizard Daniel also took out the red crystal matrix to test, discovering that his mana had increased by 10 points.
This was 10 points of mana at the Crystallization Stage!
Wizard Matthew twitched his nose, greedily inhaling the lingering fragrance of the two water jade peaches in the air.
Wizard Matthew whispered, "The water jade peach is one of the specialties of Golden Crown Mountain. Golden Crown Mountain has many magic plant peach varieties, the most famous of which are twelve types in total. The water jade peach is one of them, specifically for One-Ring Wizards to consume."
"Consuming a water jade peach will greatly increase one's mana, and the added mana is clear and pure, without any side effects."
Wizard Matthew said, "The effect of the water jade peach is immense. If consumed by a Wizard Apprentice, it is enough to greatly reduce the difficulty when they are at the critical point of advancing to a Formal Wizard."
"When used by a Formal Wizard, it is enough to greatly increase their mana, and even if their mana was originally chaotic, it can stabilize after consumption."
Wizard Matthew looked at Locke and Wizard Daniel with envy. "This is a benefit unique to your Hall of Advanced True Knowledge. Everyone gets to consume a water jade peach worth one hundred thousand magic stones upon joining for the first time; it is truly enviable."
Wizard Matthew said, "When we wizards of the ordinary True Knowledge Institute join, we only get to eat white dew peaches worth thirty thousand magic stones. White dew peaches can only increase our mana growth rate; they cannot provide us with pure mana out of thin air."
Locke asked in surprise, "The mana gained from eating a water jade peach is so pure; if someone were to eat water jade peaches continuously, wouldn't they be able to quickly reach the limit of magic pressure for the First Ring stage?"
Wizard Matthew showed a wry smile.
Wizard Freud clapped, "Ambitious. It is a pity, however, that Golden Crown Mountain's twelve special magic plant peach agricultural products have limited yields and are only produced at specific times. For instance, this water jade peach is only produced during the second month of spring this year."
"The white dew peach that Wizard Matthew mentioned just now is only produced in January."
"There are twelve months in a year, and every month Golden Crown Mountain produces a unique magic plant peach. These magic plant peach agricultural products, with their limited yields and limited availability, cannot be bought even if you have money. This is because these things must be provided to those high-level wizards, and also distributed as benefits to you wizards, and even to those students."
"Therefore, the quantity circulating in the market is extremely scarce." Director Freud laughed, "I think the simplest way for you to continue obtaining water jade peaches is to perform well according to the academy's requirements."
"Look, this is the school's point ranking system. Everything you do within the True Knowledge Institute will earn you points. Publishing articles will earn points, doing projects will earn points, and if you do nothing, your score will not change at all."
"The academy has set up a whole bunch of benefits internally; as long as your scores reach the requirement, you can obtain the stored water jade peaches."
"Wizards in the top thirty percent of the point ranking can get a white dew peach, and wizards in the top ten percent can get a water jade peach. In addition, if you publish in a first district journal, you can also get a water jade peach."
"Training a Formal Wizard can also earn you a water jade peach, and completing one of the three major projects within the True Knowledge Institute can also earn you a water jade peach as a reward."
Wizard Freud laughed, "You two, you're still thinking about the taste of that water jade peach, right?"
Wizard Daniel was an honest man; he nodded and said, "Even the dishes made by the best Flavorist I have ever eaten cannot compare to the deliciousness of that water jade peach just now. That special taste leaves me with endless aftertaste."
Wizard Freud nodded and said, "Besides being able to enhance mana, the water jade peach can also replenish your own life essence and purify some defects within your life essence."
"Therefore, you will instinctively desire to eat the water jade peach again. In other words, consuming the water jade peach can even slightly improve your talent."
Wizard Freud said, "So, if you two want to obtain another water jade peach, then work hard."
"A first district article, training a Formal Wizard student, or completing one of the three major projects within the True Knowledge Institute—as long as you achieve one of these things, you can immediately obtain a water jade peach that wizards outside dream of."
"Moreover, regardless of the water jade peach, even without this peach, these are things you were meant to do anyway. The academy has simply given you some extra benefits."
Daniel swallowed hard and gave a wry smile. "As expected of Golden Crown Mountain; this method of motivating wizards is truly superb."
"I'm actually still missing the scent of that water jade peach from just now."
This longing was not due to dependency or addiction, but rather a pure, living being's simple desire for that rare magic plant agricultural crop that could enhance life essence.
It was just like how people naturally pursue beautiful things.
Locke thought, "No wonder they say that what Golden Crown Mountain excels at is not cultivating combat-type magic plants, but being a model for efficient agricultural zones in the Eastern Border Region."
"These twelve special peach agricultural crops are truly t