Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 445 The Invisible Battle of Compressed Magic Pressure

Locke stared coldly at the wizard Sphinx, who was extremely nervous and even involuntarily took a step back, trying to explain to Locke that he was truly completely unaware of the matter.

The wizard Sphinx was clearly in the wrong. "I really knew nothing about this. I am also very angry about it. If you need, I can ask my student to make compensation for your student."

"Also... about the bill, it might really be a misunderstanding, and I can return your information to you."

The wizard Sphinx became increasingly uneasy as he spoke, because Locke's gaze toward him grew colder and colder.

Just then, a wizard's voice suddenly came from not far away.

“Gentlemen, I have detected two magical pressure reactions from formal wizards in the apprentice area. You are both first-ring wizards in the liquefaction stage. The fact that you are releasing your magical pressure at full power is enough to damage the souls of even first-class wizard apprentices who spend a long time in such an intense magical pressure environment.”

The visitor was none other than Alicia Plutarch's father, the wizard Gregory Nick.

He is also a crystallized wizard of the Plutarch family's bloodline.

As a first-ring crystallized wizard, Gregory's magic pressure is over 9000, while Locke's magic pressure is only over 6100, a qualitative difference between the two.

Although I can double my magic pressure to 9000 using the Beast Panel, and then use Abyss Energy to externally enhance my magic pressure, I can get 9000+ magic pressure.

However, he was unable to use the ritual magic unique to first-ring crystallization wizards.

Locke felt a chill when he recalled the ritual magic he had once been subjected to by the leader of the Ghost Cult, which dragged him into the Styx plane and nearly drowned him there, making him a scapegoat. He couldn't think of a better way to deal with ritual magic for the time being.

The ritual magic unique to first-ring crystallized wizards possesses a unique and overwhelming power over wizards below the crystallization level.

Locke could only think of two ways to deal with it.

The first method is to stack a permanent defensive force field to forcibly resist ritual magic, but the success rate is less than 10% according to my calculations.

Unless the project from the Starry Sea can be completed, the success rate can only increase to over 90%.

The second is to strike before the opponent can use ritual magic, so that the opponent has no time to use any ritual magic.

As far as I know, the casting animation for ritual magic is quite long.

This is actually the most realistic way for a wizard in the liquefaction stage to fight a wizard in the crystallization stage, but the risk is still very high.

However, there was no need for Locke to be enemies with the wizard before him.

Locke and the wizard Sphinx bowed to Gregory.

Gregory swept his gaze gently over Wizard Sphinx and Locke. His eyes lingered on Locke for a moment, and after looking him up and down, he revealed a satisfied look. Then he asked the two of them again, "What exactly happened that made two wizards at the liquefaction stage so furious in a student dormitory area?"

"Huh? Why is this place so messy? This is the property of my Plutarch family. Who dares to cause trouble here?"

The wizard Sphinx immediately lowered his head guiltily.

Locke had already directly transmitted the compressed historical projection to the hands of the wizard Gregory. "Your Excellency, Gregory, does the Land of the Six Towers, and the Plutarch family, not have their own laws and regulations?"

After reading it, the wizard Gregory's expression turned slightly cold, and he looked at the wizard Sphinx with a stern gaze. "Barnaby Cooper is your student, isn't he? How dare he do such a thing on our Plutarch family's territory? Have you considered the reputation of our family?"

Wizard Sphinx hurriedly said, "I really don't know. I've been trying to explain to Wizard Augustine, but he won't listen to me. He even used his magical pressure to attack my magical pressure. You can see that my magic is in a state of extreme chaos right now."

Wizard Sphinx said with some lingering fear that the students watching the show nearby didn't know what had happened, but in fact, Locke and he had been engaged in a high-level and technically challenging magical pressure battle in this dormitory corridor.

Locke's compressed magical pressure enveloped his shoulders, forcing him to lie down. Under this technique of compressed magical pressure, he could only barely resist with his own magical pressure. If this continued for too long, he would inevitably collapse.

If it weren't for the sudden arrival of the wizard Gregory, he would have certainly suffered a loss today.

This invisible battle of magical pressure, due to its high degree of compression, meant that the surrounding students did not notice anything unusual.

But in reality, this demonstrates the results of Locke's daily practice of the "compression method" for maintaining a constant defensive force field.

He was able to overwhelm the magical pressure of the wizard Sphinx by using the compression technique. Judging from the comparison between the two, although the other party also knew the compression technique, it was clear that the compression technique he used was not as efficient as his own.

Wizard Sphinx was utterly dismayed, for two official wizards were staring at him with icy eyes, suspecting him of condoning his students' sabotage of the Plutarch family's valuable assets.

Wizard Sphinx quickly said, "Barnaby Cooper is the heir of the prestigious Cooper family, and he is first in line of succession."

"Therefore, he has more autonomy than other wizarding apprentices."

“I’ve never even punished him before, after all, I have to consider the Cooper family’s opinion.”

Gregory the Wizard said coldly, "That's your own business. How you deal with the Cooper family is your responsibility as a wizard mentor. But our Plutarch family is the current ruling family of the Six Towers, and Grand Wizard Sura is the ruling wizard of the Six Towers."

"Even if he were the heir of the Cooper family, a mid-ranking noble family, or even if he were the heir of another ruling family, the Basil family, he would still be subject to the strict laws of my Six Towers Land if he dared to do this."

"As for the Cooper family's reaction, that's something you, as their wizard mentor, should handle yourself."

Wizard Sphinx finally realized that his current situation was very dangerous. Because Locke had directly presented evidence of his student, Barnaby Cooper, damaging the Plutarch family's assets, he could easily fall into suspicion against the Plutarch family.

Based on the evidence Locke currently possesses, it is sufficient to send Barnaby Cooper to the wizarding prison.

Comparing relationships and backgrounds?

Who among the Six Towers can surpass the Plutarch family?!

However, if he were to deal with Barnaby Cooper carelessly, he would offend the Cooper family.

The Cooper family will not be hostile to the Plutarch family because the evidence is conclusive. The Land of the Six Towers has its own rules, and everyone will accept the punishment within those rules. However, the Cooper family will definitely have a problem with him personally.

Realizing this, Wizard Sphinx broke out in a cold sweat and completely abandoned any hope of getting away with it. He looked at Locke and said, "Wait a minute, Lord Locke, Lord Gregory, everything between wizards can be measured by trade."

"The main victims of this incident are all students in Lord Locke's research group, while the perpetrators are mainly my students. So how about we make a reasonable deal to minimize this incident?"

Upon hearing this, Gregory glanced at Locke, ready to see how Locke would handle the situation.

As the mentor of the victimized students, his attitude will indeed largely determine the course of this matter.

Whether it's about minimizing the problem, ignoring the feelings of a few students, or protecting the stability and harmony of the environment, it all depends on the professor's thinking.

Upon hearing this, Locke immediately replied, "I'll let it go if you want me to."

Wizard Sphinx breathed a sigh of relief.

Gregory the wizard nodded to himself.

Indeed, it's normal for an outsider wizard to sacrifice the feelings of a few students for his own convenience.

When he was young, this was the only way he could handle such situations.

Otherwise, if they fall out with the other wizards in this environment, how will they be able to get along with the Plutarch family in the future?

It's normal to be bullied a little when you're young; after all, everyone goes through that. Many wizards who have stayed here for a long time develop a smooth personality and naturally find it easier to take advantage of others.

In his early years when he first came to the land of the Six Towers, he suffered many such losses, both overt and covert.

Some losses are simply too much for young people to bear. Locke looked at Wizard Sphinx and smiled, "I won't pursue this matter on the condition that, as compensation for my student Leopold, you give him a bottle of advancement potion. Similarly, my other students who suffered losses, totaling six, should also receive at least one bottle of advancement potion."

"As the mentor of the victim's students, I will not pursue this matter with you. As for the other damages you caused, I can only report the facts. This is a matter for your Plutarch family, and how you are punished is none of my concern."

Leopold and the other six students, who had been prepared to suffer this loss, looked at Locke in surprise upon hearing his proposal, and were also deeply moved.

Leopold pursed his lips, almost on the verge of tears.

They have always been bullied, exploited, and suppressed in this White Dragon Tower, and have never enjoyed such a luxury as justice.

Over time, their personalities either became timid and hesitant or went to extremes.

Their environment shaped their character.

Today, Locke actually asked other wizard mentors for two bottles of advancement potions for them.

Gregory glanced at Locke in disbelief, but after thinking for a moment, he didn't say anything, letting Locke negotiate with the wizard Sphinx on his own.

Wizard Sphinx reacted strongly, his body stiffening as he said with some annoyance, "Wizard Locke, Advancement Potions are an important teaching resource in the Six Towers. They are special magical resources that wizard instructors decide and allocate to their students. Moreover, only when a student's mental strength reaches 800 can they apply to the White Wizard Association headquarters for one bottle of Advancement Potion."

"Advanced potions are a form of hard currency in the Six Towers, you know that, right?"

"You actually asked me for two bottles of advancement potions!" Wizard Sphinx froze. "I can't even distribute them all to my own students."

Another benefit of commoner students, and the biggest reason they can enroll, is that some rewards, especially the truly important ones, are all handled by the White Wizard Association headquarters.

Therefore, even if the family wizards of the Six Towers Lands control the White Wizard Association branch here, they will not be able to obtain those rewards.

That's why the Land of Six Towers needs these commoner wizards to enroll and reach 800 mana as soon as possible. Then their wizard mentors can obtain advancement potions and distribute these advancement potions to the family wizards.

Especially those family wizards who need multiple potions to advance their level, not just one.

The fate of most commoner wizards is simply to become potion miners in the Six Towers, while only a small number of commoner wizards can become official wizards through means such as writing articles.

The wizard Sphinx looked at Locke in disbelief, his earlier relief turning into a renewed anxiety.

Locke glanced at him coldly, took a half step forward, and used the abyssal energy hidden in his eyes.

The Mastermind Control Potion is also an Abyss Potion. He had taken one bottle before, so his current Abyss Energy is equivalent to 1050 Magic Pressure. The ratio of Abyss Energy to Normal Magic Pressure remains at 0.17, only slightly higher than before, but not by much.

The safety line is 0.3, so I can control it very well.

At this moment, the aggressive and violent abyssal energy pressed down on the wizard Sphinx in front of him. The combined magical pressure of the two reached 7150, far exceeding the wizard Sphinx's magical pressure of just over 6000.

Moreover, Locke's compression technique was extremely skillful. His magical pressure was highly condensed after compression. Combined with the violent nature of the abyss energy, the magical pressure that Sphinx Wizard was using to protect himself was like a magnetic field facing a violent solar storm. In a very short time, it was completely blown away by Locke's compressed magical pressure. His body was completely exposed without any protection. The next moment, Locke's magical pressure directly slammed him into the wall.

With a 'bang', the magic stone, white milkstone, shattered.

The wizard Sphinx spat out a mouthful of blood, and his Perpetual Defensive Force Field Bloodline Shield - Dragon Scorpion Back Armor automatically deployed, hardening his skin into dragon scorpion armor.

Wizard Sphinx's expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected the gap between him and Locke to be so vast. Locke had simply used compressed magic pressure to send him flying and force him to activate a permanent defensive force field.

The wizard Sphinx felt the magical pressure still enveloping him like a storm, and felt immense pressure in his heart.

The compressed magic was almost solidified, and even with his Dragon Scorpion Armor activated, it still swept him up like a whirlpool in the ocean, trapping him inside for a moment.

Under immense pressure, Wizard Sphinx finally relented. "Alright, I'll give your students two bottles of advancement potions."

Locke said directly, "Immediately."

Wizard Sphinx's expression changed slightly. He hadn't expected Locke to be so shrewd at such a young age. He didn't believe Locke's verbal promises at all. So he could only take out two bottles of advancement potions from his astral ring and apologize to Locke, saying, "Lord Locke, your methods are truly superb. I am completely convinced. These are two bottles of advancement potions. I don't want to become your enemy, you know that."

Locke took the two bottles of advancement potions from his hand and gave him a cold look.

I still believe that if you strike once, you'll avoid a hundred.

From the very beginning, the wizard Sphinx was full of hostility and contempt for the wizards in his research group, and no matter how much he tried to compromise, it was useless.

Because they despise you from the very beginning, no matter how much you beg for mercy, it will be useless and will only provoke them to target you further.

Only by making the other party afraid and inflicting pain will he dare not do it again.

Locke learned from the Yunze Cup group what happens when you're easily swayed. Marius Lawrence, the wizard from Dragonfall Land, had his research group almost shut down because he was too easily swayed.

One of the biggest challenges in evaluating a junior mentor in a research group is whether they can take on responsibilities.

To prevent the wizards of the Six Towers from continuing to harass the wizards in his research group, Locke must use swift and decisive measures to suppress all those who are disobedient, making them not only suffer but also pay a price. Only in this way can he curb all the underhanded actions hidden behind the scenes.

Otherwise, with this constant harassment, how can my research group possibly get anything done?

Locke shaped the historical projection in his hand into an information sphere, placed it into the True Knowledge Crystal, and then gave it to the wizard Gregory, saying, "This is evidence that Barnaby Cooper led the sabotage of the Plutarch family."

“The Tower of the White Dragon has its own laws. Laws that cannot punish people will lose all binding force. Therefore, I will entrust it to the Plutarch family.”

Wizard Sphinx's face paled, and he almost stumbled as he walked. He had sacrificed so much—two precious bottles of advancement potions, resources he himself possessed in limited quantities and difficult to obtain through trade or favors—all in an attempt to persuade Locke not to pursue the matter and to lessen Barnaby Cooper's guilt.

In this way, he could give the Cooper family an explanation.

To everyone's surprise, even after he paid with two potions of advancement potion, Locke still chose to hand over the evidence to the wizard Gregory.

With such clear evidence, the Plutarch family would inevitably punish Barnaby Cooper severely, as they would naturally want to maintain their authority.

We cannot tolerate such provocation from a mere heir of a mid-ranking noble family.

Gregory was surprised by Locke's swift and decisive actions. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the awe in the eyes of the wizard apprentices as they looked at Locke, and he immediately understood that Locke was making an example of them.

The chicken that was killed was a wizard at the liquefaction stage, the heir of a mid-grade prestigious family, while the monkey was a wizard from the entire Six Towers Land.

'When I was young, why didn't I have that kind of courage? If I had, perhaps so many things I regret later wouldn't have happened.'

"That's what the wizard Gregory thought."

Wizard Sphinx gave a wry smile. He was utterly terrified of Locke and harbored no resentment whatsoever. Instead, he said to Locke, "Lord Locke, please come with me. I will take you to Barnaby Cooper..."

A flash of anger towards Barnaby crossed the wizard Sphinx's eyes. He feared the Cooper family, not a mere young family wizard.

He now feels that he has lost face, and it is all the student's fault.

He was also seething with anger. Since he couldn't afford to offend anyone present, he could only vent his anger on Barnaby Cooper, the student, when he got back.

Moreover, he was the one who provoked all this. He was clearly in the right, but in the end, he was the one who was completely in the wrong.

He also lost two bottles of advancement potions and made a huge embarrassment in front of many students.

Wizard Sphinx stamped his foot and muttered, "Barnaby, that damned idiot!"

(End of this chapter)