Wizard: Starting With Synthesized Gems

The Rose Witch looked toward her granddaughter, Rose Tacitus.

Rose Tacitus was a young witch wearing a wizard robe themed around black roses, topped with a large black rose wizard hat. On the fingers of her right hand were three rings of different rose designs, all exquisite and expensive alchemical items, while her left hand wore a Black Beauty gilded rose bracelet.

At the same time, on the left shoulder of her black wizard robe was a Second Circle magical plant, the Black Demon God Rose. The Black Demon God Rose's virtual roots pierced out from the edges of her garment, radiating a powerful and terrifying magic pressure, the entire rose drifting upward with black magic pressure like overlapping shadows.

The Black Demon God Rose itself resembled an iron flower, its petals like tempered iron blocks saturated with the darkness of night, a faint metallic chill gleaming at their edges, and the curling veins deep within the flower's heart resembling solidified molten gold.

Rose Tacitus's magic pressure was approximately at the peak of an ordinary Second Circle wizard, over nineteen thousand, yet she was not old, only twenty-five this year. As a distinguished descendant of the Tacitus family, an ancient wizard family and the same clan as the Rose Witch, she had passed the entrance examination into the Rose Council's advanced Origin Academy.

At this moment, Witch Rose rose from her seat and bowed toward the Rose Witch. "Great-grandmother, whatever you instruct, I will carry out."

"Great-grandmother, I can be of help to you. I have always wanted to join your cause and become your right hand, a core member of your team."

Witch Rose seemed somewhat agitated, because this was an important task the Rose Witch was giving her.

Only a Second Circle wizard could be entrusted with important responsibilities. Unlike First Circle wizards, who could only stay within academies and follow the rules.

The Tacitus family was an ancient wizard surname. In the distant past, it had produced Wizard Kings and wizard monarchs, rising multiple times and falling multiple times.

As a descendant of the Tacitus family, a junior member of one of the Rose Council's founding families, she both wanted to carry on the glory of her family line and aspired to inherit the Rose Witch's legacy.

Her parents and grandparents had all cautioned her that responsibility was commensurate with power, and that only by becoming a core technical contributor within the Rose Throne's team would she have any possibility of inheriting the glory of both the Tacitus name and the Rose Witch.

And now that she had become a Second Circle wizard, being gradually entrusted with increasingly important tasks, she seemed to be getting a little closer to that goal.

The Rose Witch gave a satisfied nod and smiled. "Among all the descendants of the Tacitus family, you are the one I hold in highest regard. Only there is one issue. The expectation I have for you is not for you to become a core technical contributor within several of my research groups. You are a descendant of my family, and I have other expectations for you."

A flash of unwillingness crossed Rose's face, but even with her naturally proud temperament, she did not dare let it show before the Rose Witch.

So an ordinary Second Circle wizard still could not become a core technical contributor in the Rose Witch's team.

The Rose Witch seemed not to have noticed her emotion at all.

"I have other expectations for you. And so... for now, go and practice on the student of Witch Yekaterina, my current greatest academic rival."

"The Cloud Marsh Wetlands' wizard shoe market has always been my private back garden, my own patch of land. But now Witch Yekaterina has moved into it. My two students, Rod and Macedonia, are also quite displeased about this, because that is an industry in which they hold some shares, though not a large direct stake."

Witch Rose said, "Great-grandmother, this is purely a declaration of war against us from the Red Dragon Throne's lineage at Golden Crown Mountain. They have crossed the line."

"We have not touched any of their back garden markets."

The Rose Witch smiled and said, "Rod and Macedonia cannot conveniently act directly. Doing so would certainly draw out the Third Circle wizards on Yekaterina's side. This would easily escalate into a Three-Circle War."

"That is something we are going to great lengths to avoid. A Three-Circle War can easily trigger a chain reaction. Especially within the Truth Ladder, where my system and Katya's are positioned too closely to each other. Even a sustained period of conflict between Third Circle wizards on either side could easily cause our two systems to collide, which would be an extremely serious mutually destructive outcome."

None of the Second Circle wizards present understood any of this.

The Rose Witch continued to herself, "And so I need you to go to Solas Light Foot and Melechi Magic Step as my representative, consolidate the two of them, stop them from continuing to tear each other apart, and have them truly unite to resist Augustus Wizard Shoes."

Witch Rose asked, "Great-grandmother, to what degree do I need to take this?"

The Rose Witch said, "He has already become a Second Circle wizard. He should be able to establish a shop alliance very soon. Once a shop alliance is established, it becomes very difficult to eliminate. At the extreme, even if he himself were to die, the shop alliance would still be on file with the White Wizard Association. It can be easily inherited, transferred, or sold."

A shop alliance was an asset.

And moreover, an asset that had been registered on file with the White Wizard Association.

Each Second Circle wizard had only one chance to register a shop alliance with the White Wizard Association, which showed just how much weight such a shop alliance carried.

The Rose Witch said, "And so all I want you to do is suppress Locke Augustine's shop alliance and keep it perpetually in a state of irrelevance. That is the ideal goal. The minimum acceptable goal is to keep Augustus Wizard Shoes at the level of a third-tier shop alliance in the Cloud Marsh Wetlands."

A look of surprise flashed through Witch Rose's eyes.

"Third-tier?"

"Is great-grandmother not giving those breeder-grown magical plants a bit too much credit?"

Witch Rose was not a breeder. She was merely a botanical wizard and a magical weaver of the old textile school.

"Third-tier? That is already too generous an assessment of him."

Witch Rose was brimming with confidence.

"Understood, Great-grandmother. I will help you ensure that Golden Crown Mountain's ambitions come to nothing and that the Red Dragon Throne's hopes are dashed."

The Rose Witch intended to test this junior she held in high hopes, "Tell me your plan of action. Even when a lion hunts a rabbit, it uses its full strength. I am asking you in advance to see how you answer."

"If your answer is good, this task is yours. Otherwise..."

The Rose Witch gave a slight shake of her head, her twin tails swaying in the air. The mature witch before her felt her composure waver and for a moment became somewhat flustered.

Witch Rose said, "I have two points. I looked at that man's magical plant wizard shoes earlier. I believe he cut a great many corners. First, the concept of pure magical plant technology was not one he originated. The wizard who originally proposed it died while exploring a colonial world, which is what allowed him to use the already publicly available technical patents however he pleased."

"Second, he has made a success of the First Circle magical plant level, but even in First Circle magical plant wizard shoes, he has only produced one notably outstanding flagship product to date, let alone making any progress at the Second Circle level. And without entering the Second Circle in wizard shoe sales, it will always be small-scale work that cannot grow beyond a certain size."

"In simple terms, he lacks depth of foundation."

Witch Rose said, "As long as I steadily develop the advantages of the two shop alliances, put our deep foundations on display, shape our brand appeal, and create the value of established brands, we can win effortlessly without even fighting."

The Rose Witch gave a slight nod.

"Conventional enough. But already serviceable."

Still a lower-circle way of thinking.

But already a reasonably capable consolidating wizard. At least she knew to rely on the deep accumulation of the two shop alliances, which meant a large margin for error.

One would imagine that dealing with Locke Augustine was more than within her means.

Rose Tacitus's capabilities were ordinary, and so she needed to find someone to give her some practice.

Talented people were all developed through teaching.

The Rose Witch considered her own greatest ability to be not her magical research, but her ability to recognize talent and put people to good use.

Hearing the Rose Witch's praise, Witch Rose immediately felt her confidence surge.

Only she noticed that the Rose Witch's assessment of her still remained somewhere in the middle ground, and so she quietly made up her mind to do this task well and earn the Rose Witch's trust in her.

To become a core technical contributor in a field within the Rose Witch's team would require at minimum reaching sun ring wizard level, along with a distinctive capability not already present in the team.

Like the unique accumulated research in ecological corridor theory that Lady Witch Lana possessed.

Only then could one become a useful person within the team.

Of course, this had to be approached step by step.

At the very least, she needed to get a sub-topic under the key individual plan from the Rose Witch. That was important.

Money was only the lesser part. What mattered most was the honor, and the things that could be accessed through this as a stepping stone.

The key individual plan was a project the Cloud Marsh Wetlands' White Wizard Association was fully funding and hoped to see produce results. Once an ordinary Second Circle wizard managed to take on such a project, it meant getting ahead-of-schedule access to many things beyond their current scope, and obtaining resources that would be of great benefit to their future.

Generally speaking, a key plan at the level of a wizard land like the Cloud Marsh Wetlands would require at minimum a sun ring wizard before one could get involved.

And the gap between a sun ring wizard and an ordinary Second Circle wizard was like the difference between heaven and earth.

The Rose Witch glanced at Witch Rose, who was deep in thought, then turned and looked at Witch Esther, saying to her, "Esther, this is a Silver Ring Tribulation Peach."

"Please help me accelerate its growth."

Witch Esther nodded. "Of course, Throne. I am glad to serve you."

Witch Esther took the peach tree in hand, and the Silver Ring Tribulation Peach rapidly transformed under her touch, continuously thickening. In less than ten minutes, it had grown an entire ten years' worth of rings out of nowhere.

The Rose Witch observed from beside her, nodding with satisfaction. "I see. The principle of this accelerated growth has your Grand Magic at its core and is not an ordinary Second Circle spell. That means other wizards will find it very difficult to learn."

The construction of a Grand Magic was an extremely dangerous matter, intrinsically tied to the Second Circle advancement, and could absolutely not be easily replicated.

Witch Esther's smile did not change, as though she was completely unbothered by the fact that the Rose Witch had just now attempted to examine her magic and, drawing on the insight and understanding of magic belonging to a Third Circle Throne, had tried to forcibly grasp the principles of her dendrology magic in return.

It was of no consequence.

Because the Grand Magic was one of the few things in a Second Circle wizard's hands that even a Third Circle wizard could not so simply see through and learn.

The Rose Witch took the Silver Ring Tribulation Peach back from Esther's hands, now ten years older in growth.

The Rose Witch reflected, "It takes ten years to grow a tree, a hundred years to cultivate a person."

"Dendrology is truly the discipline the Rose Council most needs to strengthen. Now it is all right. With your return, the level of our Rose Council's scholarship in this discipline will make rapid strides forward within twenty years."

"Everyone, let us return to the Rose Council first. Very soon, we will need to make another trip to Golden Crown Mountain. After all, Witch Yekaterina's most treasured disciple has advanced to Second Circle."

The Rose Witch said, "I imagine Katya will hold a banquet for him. At that time, approximately half the high-circle wizards of the Cloud Marsh Wetlands will attend themselves or send their students to attend."

"Katya, through a series of moves this year, has elevated her standing within Golden Crown Mountain and the Cloud Marsh Council. Times have changed. In the past, I as the Rose Witch of the Rose Council held the advantage in terms of political influence. But now she is no less powerful than I am in that regard."

"This truly is a pivotal year."

A flash of discontent crossed the Rose Witch's eyes.

...

At Golden Crown Mountain, Locke returned to his dormitory first and met with Wizard Daniel.

Wizard Daniel was looking at Locke in a state of near disbelief, feeling the vast and abyssal magic pressure emanating from Locke that seemed like an ocean.

"Locke, you are a Second Circle wizard now?"

Wizard Daniel's eyes were full of wonder.

"Good heavens. You joined Golden Crown Mountain and became a Second Circle wizard in your first year? Do you know, I have read through the history of Golden Crown Mountain's Origin Academy, and no one has ever done this before. You are simply an extraordinary genius."

"No one. Ever."

Locke gave a slight nod.

In truth, there were far too many fortunate coincidences embedded in this outcome.

The Spell Combat Competition and the Silent Chalice competition had accelerated his rapid growth. In both competitions he had obtained the Sacred Dragon's magical inheritance and constructed his Grand Magic.

At the same time, there had also been two unexpected boons. One was the exploration of the unnamed Abyssal Ruin of the King of the Age of Stars, and the other was Witch Yekaterina arranging for him to enter the Dune Plane, where he had inadvertently discovered the special symbiotic relationship between the Dune People and the Stone Spirits.

Of course, the most important thing of all was his Synthesis Cube.

But at this moment, all of his accumulated resources had been spent, and each step forward as a Second Circle wizard required resources whose quantity and grade were simply incomparable to the First Circle stage.

And so he needed to start accumulating all over again, and needed to accumulate a more impressive academic record to compete for a top teaching position in the Star Domain Sea.

Locke's ambitions had also been rising step by step alongside his progress.

In the very beginning, he had not even been able to tell the difference in grade between the Star Domain Sea and the Cloud Marsh Wetlands, nor between the wizard academies within them.

But now, he was not going to join just any university in the Star Domain Sea.

Since he was going to enter the Star Domain Sea, he might as well go straight for the best.

Because only by entering the best universities could he explore the most cutting-edge things and experience the best growth.

And before all of that, he still needed to pull up some further information about entering the Star Domain Sea, to confirm whether his current level was sufficient to enter the top universities of the Star Domain Sea and secure a top-tier teaching position.

Fortunately, after becoming a Second Circle wizard, time was something he now had.

A normal Second Circle wizard's lifespan was a thousand years, but given his immortal dragon scale, the years he could live would be even longer.

At the Second Circle stage, because new levels could continuously be opened, unlike wizard apprentices and First Circle wizards who would encounter level barriers, the Second Circle stage theoretically allowed one to continuously raise their power ceiling as new levels were unlocked.

This also meant that the power systems at the Second Circle stage would be extraordinarily varied, with enormous differences between the upper and lower limits.

Wizard Daniel seemed extremely pleased and took out a bottle of wizard wine, just about to head into Locke's dormitory with him to celebrate.

But then he stood at Locke's door with a bottle of wizard wine in hand, and a sudden trace of hesitation and probing appeared in his eyes toward Locke.

Wizard Daniel looked at Locke and said, "Locke... my lord, may I enter your room and share a drink with you?"

Locke raised an eyebrow and made a welcoming gesture.

"Lord Daniel, please."

Wizard Daniel immediately burst into laughter, confirming that Locke was still willing to treat him as an equal. Only then did he completely relax, walk into the dormitory, and say to Locke, "A Second Circle wizard calling a crystallization wizard 'my lord.' The world truly has turned upside down."

Wizard Daniel and Locke sat at the dining table and had a casual drink together.

In truth, neither of them drank wizard wine very often. After all, it was one of the rare beverages capable of numbing even a formal wizard's mind.

Under the influence of the wine, Wizard Daniel began talking with Locke about all of his various experiences and insights since arriving at Golden Crown Mountain, and then turned to the subject of the straightforward wizards back home in Fission Ridge.

Wizard Daniel let out a small belch.

"The wizards of the Cloud Marsh Wetlands truly love to say one thing and mean another. They are the most fond of using metrics to assess everyone, yet on our very first day entering Golden Crown Mountain, they told us to engage in abstract thinking."

"Fortunately I did not listen."

"And the con artists here are truly numerous. Especially the female ones."

Wizard Daniel looked toward Locke and said, "I wonder, in the Second Circle world, are there still female con artists?"

Locke thought for a moment, took a sip of wizard wine, and then said, "Second Circle wizards are all standouts... probably... possibly..."

He could not be entirely certain either.

Wizard Daniel said, "The two of us entered Golden Crown Mountain at the same time. Today you have become a Second Circle wizard before me. I am happy, I am glad for you."

"Back in Fission Ridge, I never once experienced the feeling of being decisively left behind. I never expected that coming to Golden Crown Mountain, I would first nearly become a debt slave, and then encounter you, and Antoine, Witch Preston, Witch Juliana..."

"And the recent one, Wizard Alex, who won the First Circle championship of the Three Kings Tournament."

"He is First Circle assistant wizard instructor at Golden Crown Mountain. Golden Crown Mountain is filled with hidden talent and exceptional people. At most, we are among the more outstanding and distinguished members of this cohort, but looking further back, there are plenty of wizards who are stronger than me. Of course, within this cohort, you have already surpassed me."

Wizard Daniel said with a slightly tipsy voice, "It is only by coming to Golden Crown Mountain that one can see a world like this. If I had stayed in Fission Ridge, I might still be feeling self-satisfied with what I have achieved by now."

"But having seen all of you, I can no longer endure the idea of going back to Fission Ridge and keeping my head down."

"Better to be the tail of a phoenix than the head of a chicken. Locke, you must think the same way. Do you remember when we first met, you told me your goal was the Star Domain Sea? Back then I thought your ambitions were vast. But looking at your development now, it feels like another lifetime."

Wizard Daniel said, "Perhaps I should also set my sights higher. Being around people like you all, if I continue to set low standards for myself, I could not forgive myself."

Locke smiled. "You can definitely do it, Daniel. With your talent, you can absolutely keep going upward."

Wizard Daniel said, "My primary target is not actually the Star Domain Sea. As wonderful as the Star Domain Sea may be, thinking about it carefully, I am a weather wizard. What I want is to go to the sacred ground of weather wizards in the Eastern Border Region, the top-level academy in the Thunder Marsh Lowlands, Magdeburg."

"I am someone who naturally loves to enjoy life. The Thunder Marsh Lowlands has a great deal of wizard entertainment, and Magdeburg possesses top-tier meteorology that is not inferior to the Star Domain Sea's."

"It is the top wizard university of the Thunder Marsh Lowlands."

Locke thought about it. He had heard of Magdeburg. The Cloud Marsh Wetlands had ten major districts, seven top wizard universities, and an uncountable number of small and medium wizard academies, with relatively balanced overall development and a focus on fair competition.

The Thunder Marsh Lowlands adopted a strategy of concentrated development, with only three super wizard academies internally and a collection of small wizard academies.

In other words, the Thunder Marsh Lowlands had essentially only three major wizard universities.

Everything else was small wizard academies of little significance.

And the overall strength of the Thunder Marsh Lowlands had ranked first among the three marshes for the past twenty years.

Magdeburg, in turn, was the top-ranked academy in the Thunder Marsh Lowlands.

One could imagine how formidable the super wizard universities of the Thunder Marsh Lowlands, like Magdeburg and Root Crown Court, truly were.

Magdeburg possessed magical resources and research capabilities that could hold their own against many wizard universities in the Star Domain Sea.

From another angle, the reason the Thunder Marsh Lowlands used this strategy of weakening the middle tier and concentrating resources at the top was precisely in order to compete with the Star Domain Sea in certain specific fields.

Locke gave a slight nod. "Magdeburg. That is a fine choice. Keep working hard."

"Daniel, you have said so much to me today. Is there something on your mind?"

Daniel paused, then opened a bottle of peach blossom brew wizard wine, poured some of this expensive wizard wine into Locke's cup, and then smiled. "It is like this, Locke. I have found that your two latest wizard shoes pair very well with an invention of mine. So I wanted to recommend it to you."

"Your two latest Snow Crown wizard shoe models both need to gather moisture from the air to condense ice trails. But what if there is no moisture in the air?"

"What if the environment is dry?"

Locke blinked. "That is a very valid consideration, Daniel. Please continue."

Daniel said, "I believe that incorporating content from the sub-field of spiritual mist study within meteorology into your wizard shoes could optimize their performance."

"I have a spiritual mist that would serve very well as a supplementary patch for your wizard shoes."

"And furthermore, if you need it, I could even take on a part-time role for you."

Locke smiled to himself. So today Daniel had not only come to catch up with him, but had also taken the opportunity to find himself some part-time work and recommend to him a component that might come in useful.

Locke looked at the special mist Daniel called the Viren Mist, examining it briefly, and found it impressive.

It was something that at ordinary times resembled a latex-like paste, but with just a slight infusion of magical power would transform into a special spiritual mist.

Its characteristics were indeed well-suited to his wizard shoes. It could even enhance some of the magical plant properties of the Snow Crown wizard shoes, though exactly how much improvement it could offer would need further testing.