Lilith's Cottage, First Floor of the Public Library.
The dwarven scholar Ol's eyes lit up when he saw Locke enter the library, vigorously waving his short arms. "Breeder Locke, congratulations! Out of the six articles you previously published in the public library, four were rated B-grade, and two were rated A-grade."
"This is the evaluation letter that was supposed to be mailed to you, but who would have thought you'd come here today yourself."
Locke nodded slightly. The result was roughly within his expectations. "Which two articles were rated A-grade?"
The dwarven scholar Ol smiled. "Your article on using the Grafting Breeding Method to graft magic vines with defensive magic plants, thereby improving the success rate of granting them Magical Counterattack abilities, was rated 80 points."
"Within just one week, it's already been borrowed over twenty times."
"Truly remarkable for someone so young. To produce such a high-quality article in such a short time..."
Locke raised an eyebrow. Since Lilith's Cottage had many breeders, it was only natural that his article would attract considerable interest, leading to numerous citations and readings.
The dwarven scholar Ol continued, "The other A-grade article is your research summary on defensive magic plants against Curse Magic. The Omniscience Scholars unanimously agreed that although you haven't disclosed the specific cultivation method for Emerald Iris Lichen, the overview you provided on cultivating such magic plants in this article is highly valuable."
"Thus, it was also rated 80 points. Both articles represent substantial breakthroughs in existing theories or technologies."
"So far, this article has been borrowed over thirty times in the past week."
The dwarven scholar Ol praised, "Breeder Locke, the borrowing frequency of these two articles is quite notable even among A-grade works."
Locke gave a slight nod. "That's not surprising. Both articles address technical fields currently in demand at Lilith's Cottage. I suspect some of the borrowers might even be my colleagues from the Healing Hand Clinic."
The slight regret was that both A-grade articles belonged to the breeder field.
His two previously published Potionology articles had only received B-grade ratings.
But this wasn't unexpected either.
His investment in the breeder field far exceeded his efforts in Potionology, where he was still just getting started.
Locke handed over five recently written articles—along with two others authored by Angulo and Essie—to the dwarven scholar Ol.
The dwarven scholar Ol looked puzzled. "Seven articles? Breeder Locke, are you publishing again? And seven at once?"
Locke shook his head slightly. "Only five are mine. The other two were written by my friends Angulo and Essie—their full names are at the end. Currently, we're a team at the Healing Hand Clinic."
"These seven papers are merely reports on the therapeutic effects of Bear Spirit Emerald Bile Potion on various curse victims. The five I wrote summarize short-term treatment outcomes for patients suffering from Consciousness Split Curse, Multiple Self Curse, Manic Curse, Anxiety Curse, and Depression Curse."
"My colleagues' contributions—Angulo wrote a summary of short-term treatment effects on Thousand Blades Curse patients, while Essie documented the results for Blood Curse cases."
The dwarven scholar Ol nodded slightly. "So you essentially designed the research framework and materials for your colleagues."
"That means they were practically just your assistants. They merely followed your lead to produce two likely B-grade papers—quite fortunate for them."
"It's a shame the Southeast Corner Domain banned co-authorship 150 years ago to prevent disputes over credit between Wizard Mentors and wizard apprentices. Otherwise, your name should have preceded both of theirs."
Locke gave a slight nod. Some projects were simply too much for one person, and involving friends not only provided assistance but also facilitated mutual benefit and strengthened alliances.
He wasn't particularly attached to these derivative summary papers—there would be countless more in the future. After compiling short-term treatment data, long-term studies could follow, yielding an abundance of publishable material.
Moreover, even if Angulo and Essie published these papers, any discerning reader would recognize the truth. After all, he was the inventor of both Emerald Iris Lichen and Bear Spirit Emerald Bile Potion. In essence, the two were merely his assistants.
As he spoke with Locke, the dwarven scholar Ol rapidly skimmed through the seven papers, demonstrating why he was renowned as an Omniscience Scholar whose expertise lay in textual analysis. His reading speed was astonishing—with just a few glances, he grasped the core insights of each paper.
"A single potion demonstrating remarkable efficacy against so many curses, with outstanding post-treatment outcomes!" Ol marveled. "This must be the broad-spectrum magic resistance you described in your previous paper."
"When combined with a First Class Wizard Apprentice's Magic Pressure Soul Structure, this potion's Magic Resistance can defend against most Curse Magic."
The dwarven scholar's admiration grew. "Breeder Locke, to achieve such results at your age is extraordinary."
Locke responded modestly, "This potion hasn't completed Phase III trials yet—it hasn't obtained production certification. There's still considerable distance from mass production."
He attached an application document. "This is my proposal for the Academy's Apprentice Fund—an application for outstanding project funding."
"I'm requesting support to cultivate one hundred acres of Emerald Iris Lichen Magical Fields."
Ol smiled approvingly. "For an exceptional project like yours to go unfunded would be unconscionable."
"Hmm? You're additionally requesting a medium-sized Plantation in this application? That does complicate matters. Medium plantations are always in high demand with limited availability."
The dwarf scholar Ol stated, "Very well, Breeder Locke. I will submit your project application. At the same time, there is another matter to inform you about."
Locke showed a puzzled expression. "What else is there?"
Dwarf scholar Ol explained, "It's regarding a title conferral."
He produced an exquisitely crafted box embedded with gemstones. Opening it, he retrieved a silver badge with intricate and ornate patterns, shaped like a shield.
"Breeder Locke, since becoming a First Class Wizard Apprentice, you have published six B-grade papers and two A-grade papers within a year. As such, the academy leadership has granted you the title of Excellent Apprentice."
"This achievement can only be attained by publishing five B-grade papers and one A-grade paper within a specific timeframe."
"This badge represents your honor and also comes with corresponding rewards."
"Here is the list of reward items associated with the Excellent Apprentice title. You may select two items from it as your reward."
Locke accepted both the list and the badge, fastening the latter onto his attire before examining the so-called reward list.
He noticed that the items listed were of exceptionally high grade—not only expensive but also difficult to procure even at the Chimera Market.
Excluding the opportunity to enter a Secret Realm, the items listed here were far superior in quality compared to those offered for First Class Wizard Apprentices.
Locke even spotted several extremely rare Magic Plants among them.
"Withered Flower Seed—this is truly rare. It's said that planting this seed on a corpse will grow a Language-Speaking Flower with a red, flexible tongue, capable of answering three questions related to the deceased's final month."
"However, I don't particularly need seeds for such rare Magic Plants."
"What I require is something to enhance my combat capabilities."
With his inheritance of knowledge as an Archaeological Scholar, Locke scanned the list further and discovered another rare Magic Plant: "Blast Pea."
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