Wizard: Starting With Synthesized Gems

Trouble?

Locke had clearly sensed that the two of them seemed to know something, so he had already reached out through the water hyacinth network to ask Wizard Kelt. Wizard Kelt replied promptly, but only told him that the matter involved information that only Second Circle wizards were privy to, and so it was genuinely inconvenient to elaborate.

However, if it became truly urgent and would affect him, Wizard Kelt would find a way to warn him in advance and help him steer clear of certain things.

A strange look flashed through Locke's eyes. 'The way a First Circle wizard and a Second Circle wizard perceive the world is fundamentally different. But since Wizard Kelt put it that way, it means the problem has not yet grown serious enough to pose an immediate threat to me.'

'These two were probably trying to use this to frighten me, or they mistakenly assumed I had learned something in advance, which is why they thought I was fishing in troubled waters.'

'But what exactly is it?'

Locke racked his brain, then decided to let it go. Once he became a Second Circle wizard, he would naturally come to understand such things in due course.

Locke looked at the two of them and said, "So then, does this mean the negotiation has fallen through?"

Wizard Luwen suddenly reached out and stopped Locke from standing, gesturing for him to wait. The veneer of amiability was gone from his expression, replaced by something cold and blunt. "Well, how should I put this. Wizard Locke, let me give you an example. It is true that the purely plant-based wizard shoes you have designed have, in terms of performance, genuinely surprised our shop alliances."

"But the commercial logic of our shop alliances is still different from the logic of your Origin Academy. Let me give you an example. There was once a First Circle wizard with some talent, by the name of Brown, who was an enchanter. What did he do? He optimized a critical enchanting technique for wizard shoes, and I may as well tell you its name, it was called the Raven Enchantment."

"This enchantment array could partially substitute for the high-quality materials that magical weavers had developed, making it possible to use inferior materials in place of our premium ones. At the time, just like you now, he stirred up quite a commotion and made everyone restless."

Wizard Luwen said, "He partnered with a small-scale shop alliance and also sought to overthrow us. But do you know what happened afterward? The man has since fallen into debt slavery, his future completely ruined, and he never became a Second Circle wizard."

"The shop alliance that partnered with him was called the Zarita Wizard Shoes Shop Alliance, and it remains utterly obscure to this day. Nothing has changed."

"I am not threatening you. I am simply stating a fact."

Wizard Luwen pointed at a report and said, "Have a look. The annual revenue of our two top-tier wizard shoe shop alliances is measured in the billions."

"Even if we make the wrong decisions, even if we go down the wrong path, even if our technology is temporarily inferior to some of your products, even if our marketing is flawed, even if our costs are higher, even if we look down on customers and impose all manner of demands on them, we will still win comfortably in the end. Do you know why?"

Witch Jesse laughed coldly. "The reason is simple, and it is twofold. First, our two shop alliances pool vast sums of capital through the stock market every year. This capital gives us a comfortable margin for error."

"Second, we have professional legal teams. The issue of low pricing alone in the wizard shoes you have designed already meets the standard for malicious competition. Do not think that Golden Crown Mountain can protect you. As long as we have solid grounds and win against you in court, no one can protect you."

"You..."

Someone walked in through the door.

"Is that so? How strange that I was unaware of what laws my friend here has supposedly broken. You two seem to enjoy baring your teeth in here. Are you taking advantage of my friend's presumed ignorance of the laws set by the White Wizard Association?"

Locke turned around to see Hussein, the tall and imposing contract wizard with a characteristically aggressive air, strolling in with an amused smile.

He was dressed in a tailored, form-fitting wizard robe that looked as sharp and straight as a well-cut suit.

He walked in and closed the door behind him, though not completely, leaving a narrow gap.

Hussein said, "Fundamentally speaking, what you two sell and what my friend sells are not even the same category of product. You sell shoes. What my friend sells is, at most, magical plants. Even the Breeder Association has not raised any objection to him, and I have no idea how you two can sit here and claim with such conviction that my friend has broken the law."

"The way I see it, the two of you are the ones spreading falsehoods."

Witch Jesse said with displeasure, "And who are you? He is a senior researcher at Golden Crown Mountain, so I can overlook his rudeness toward us. But who exactly are you?"

Hussein smiled with easy confidence, then handed over his business card with both hands. "I am Hussein, a partner at the Mithril Law Firm. You should both have heard my name recently."

Wizard Luwen and Witch Jesse immediately exchanged a glance. The contempt in their eyes vanished at once, and the displeasure along with it. They straightened up and their expressions grew serious.

The two exchanged a silent look.

Hussein was merely a First Circle crystallization-stage wizard, which in itself was nothing remarkable.

But the issue was that Hussein had just helped the Mithril Law Firm win a major case involving a billion magic stones in inherited family assets for a First Circle wizard client.

His name had become widely known.

How did these two know? Because as representative wizards for shop alliances, they regularly encountered all manner of disputes.

The kind of person you are determines the kind of situations you encounter.

As a result, the two of them were very familiar with all the major law firms, and naturally knew the formidable reputation of the Mithril Law Firm.

As had been said before, a mere First Circle wizard they could afford to dismiss, but if that First Circle wizard was someone with a degree of renown who worked at a top-tier law firm in the Cloud Marsh Wetlands, that was an entirely different matter.

Elsewhere, they might use the status of Second Circle wizards to intimidate lower-ranking wizards, but against a contract wizard thoroughly versed in every aspect of White Wizard law, it was a different story entirely.

Of course, Second Circle wizards enjoyed extensive legal immunities, and certain provocative acts would not be taken seriously as long as they did not result in substantial losses.

Beyond that, if a Second Circle wizard wanted to play dirty, they could simply hire black wizards from the black market to do it.

So for a First Circle wizard, a Second Circle wizard still held an absolutely dominant and crushing position.

But the issue was that neither Locke nor Hussein were people who could be pushed around carelessly, given their respective backgrounds and records.

On the premise that they could not be carelessly pushed around, it truly came down to following the law.

And of the four people present, the one most fluent in the law was the contract wizard Hussein, who had just won a case over a billion-magic-stone inheritance and earned himself five hundred thousand magic stones in the process.

Wizard Luwen and Witch Jesse exchanged a glance, and both began to have thoughts of backing down.

Because the bottom-line condition Locke had put forward was something neither of them could satisfy, and even if they escalated it upward, the probability of it being approved was not high.

So it was, for all practical purposes, a failed negotiation.

Just now, they had only been trying one last time to intimidate Locke through legal threats and an implicit show of force, but with Hussein present, that was clearly no longer possible.

The two of them rose at once. Their expressions were not particularly pleasant, but they gave a brief farewell and left.

Locke watched them go and exhaled in relief. Sitting in a room and negotiating directly with two Second Circle wizards had, to be honest, been quite a strain.

Even knowing they would not dare do anything to him at Golden Crown Mountain, being in such close proximity and facing two Second Circle wizards head-on was enormously pressuring.

Fortunately, Hussein happened to be in Golden Crown Mountain on business recently, and Locke had just hired him for fifty thousand magic stones to represent him in the talks.

He had originally thought it might be unnecessary, but as it turned out, it was absolutely necessary.

If not for his lawyer being present just now, those two Second Circle wizards would likely have kept at him relentlessly and refused to let him leave.

Now, seeing that there was nothing to be gained, they had taken themselves off quietly.

Hussein took a sip of the wizard tea on the table. "Eye Demon Wizard, I was actually looking forward to seeing you, a First Circle wizard, take on two Second Circle wizards."

"It's a shame I came in too early. Missed my chance."

Locke laughed. "A First Circle wizard taking on two Second Circle wizards? Now that I have entered the soul decline period, I understand just how vast the gap between First and Second Circle really is."

"That said, even if those two had moved against me just now, I could have made a calm escape and turned around to take them to court."

Hussein said, "Second Circle wizards have very broad immunities. As long as you didn't end up crippled or severely injured, taking them to court wouldn't win you anything."

"This has to do with the fact that the current wizard law operates under the Representative Population Standard Method. The specifics would go over your head even if I explained them. You just need to understand that in court, the number of people a Second Circle wizard is presumed to represent is by default larger than the number you represent."

"By the same token, the number you represent is far greater than that of mortals and apprentices. The system of white wizard society is truly sophisticated. Compared to it, the societies of black wizards, ah, though they vary from place to place, are that much more primitive and underdeveloped."

Hussein said, "Though I don't think black wizards themselves are inherently primitive or underdeveloped. In any case, there are some things I'm still exploring."

Locke smiled. "It is hard to believe those words are coming from the former top-seeded candidate of the Blood Curse Court's First Sequence."

Hussein smiled. "Now that I understand the law, why would I want to fight and kill?"

"In my view, being a black wizard is something with genuine potential. It's just that the black wizards we've encountered so far genuinely don't have much of a future."

"As for the specific reasons, I'm still thinking it through."

Hussein shifted the subject. "By the way, Locke, are you really certain you want to keep going head to head against those two top-tier wizard shoe shop alliances?"

"White wizards cannot move against others themselves, but they can absolutely hire black wizards to do it. Going up against them like this carries some real risk to your personal safety. Are the stakes really that high?"

Locke gave a nod. "They are. I have already proven that this market works. I am fully confident that if I keep pushing forward, I can replace Solas Light Foot and Melechi Magic Step."

"And as a breeder, pioneering an era of purely plant-based wizard shoes would be quite the legacy."

Hussein laughed. "Bold. Worthy of the Eye Demon Wizard. Half a year since we last met, and you are still this hot-blooded, and even more daring than before."

"But you are right that given your standing, you are actually not in that much danger. You already have far more of an advantage than most wizards without a background. You have a Throne wizard behind you. Those two shop alliances don't even have a Throne wizard."

"If you didn't have the courage to go through with it given all that, I would genuinely start to wonder whether you were still the same Eye Demon Wizard."

"Alright, good luck. Locke, I have already subscribed to your Grand Magic Modeling Competition in advance."

"It cost me one hundred and fifty thousand magic stones."

Locke blinked, incredulous. "One hundred and fifty thousand magic stones?"

Hussein said, "Right. Of course, you don't really watch competitions, do you? Tickets for competitions are always expensive, but the Silent Chalice is genuinely the priciest tier there is."

"One hundred and fifty thousand magic stones only gets you an ordinary seat. Apparently, simply watching the Silent Chalice Competition is enormously beneficial for those of us working toward constructing a Grand Magic. That is why the tickets are priced so high."

"And during the competition, the truly important secrets will have mosaics applied by the production team to protect confidential information for you."

Hussein said, "But I also really do want to see the battles among the finest young talents at the First Circle level in the Cloud Marsh Wetlands."

"So I bought one. Whatever you do out there, I will be watching."

Locke pressed his lips together and gave a nod. "Good. Enjoy the show."

Hussein closed the door, then paused. "Actually, there is something I wanted to ask you about. The reason I came to Golden Crown Mountain was not because of a client. I am looking for something."

"It would be of no use to you, but it is very useful to me."

"Based on my current leads, it should be somewhere in the Golden Crown Mountain district. But the map shows the area as a place called the Golden Palace Lands. Do you know what that refers to?"

"I am not very familiar with the names of the factions in the Golden Crown Mountain district."

Locke thought for a moment. "The Golden Palace Lands? The Eternal Glory Hall? The Eternal Glory Hall specializes in light magic and breeding science. Their buildings are designed in the style of a hall or palace, though dark in color ordinarily. But when magical light is applied, wouldn't they appear golden? They are also known for cultivating light-attribute magical plants."

"You might want to go and look around there."

Hussein thought it over. "The Eternal Glory Hall? Alright. I'll go take a look. Thanks, Locke."

Hussein seemed to be in a hurry and moved to leave at once. "Locke, see you at the Grand Magic Modeling Competition. What I mean is, I'll see you from the audience seats."

"It's one of the largest-scale commercial competitions in the Cloud Marsh Wetlands, and the most prestigious First Circle competition there is."

"I look forward to seeing what you can do." Hussein said, "Show these wizards what a wizard from the southeastern quadrant is made of."

"If you manage to take the championship, that would be wonderful."

"That way, the next time I mention being from the southeastern quadrant, these wizards might at least know what the southeastern quadrant is, instead of assuming it's the name of a wizard academy..."

Locke broke into an amused smile. A wizard academy?

Well, the southeastern quadrant was indeed not a particularly well-known wizard territory. For a wizard to have never heard of it was entirely normal.

Generally speaking, only breeders and botanical wizards would have reason to read the journal Eastern Quadrant. For wizards outside those two fields, never having heard of the southeastern quadrant was par for the course.

And in a top-tier competition like this one in the Cloud Marsh Wetlands, winning the championship would indeed go a long way toward putting one's place of origin on the map.