Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 515 A Wider World!

Director Morrison said somewhat apologetically, "Little Locke, I regret to say that I was unable to secure any favorable contracts for you at the Advanced Institute of Truth at Bonifacius University."

Locke stood up, bowed to Director Morrison, and said, "I am already very grateful to the Director."

Although Director Morrison, as a second-circle wizard, and the young cadre wizards might feel slightly regretful for not being able to help him negotiate better terms, as a young first-circle wizard himself, it would be best to express his respect.

Director Morrison smiled with satisfaction. "But it doesn't matter, I've already negotiated the terms for you at Golden Crown Mountain."

"If you join their Advanced True Knowledge Institute, your monthly salary can be increased from 10,000 magic stones to 20,000 magic stones."

"However, you need to keep this part a secret and not tell anyone else. The Advanced Institute of Truth at Mount Golden Crown implements a salary secrecy system. In order to prevent the wizards from becoming restless, they do not know each other's monthly benefits."

"In addition, once you enter that Advanced Knowledge Academy, you can choose any advanced meditation method you like."

Upon hearing this, Locke looked up in astonishment. "Director Morrison, is this a perk offered to every advanced academy of truth?"

Director Morrison smiled smugly, enjoying Locke's expression. It was worth all the effort he had put into persuading Catherine and the Dean of the Advanced Institute of Truth at Mount Golden Crown.

"Of course not. Although it is easy to obtain advanced meditation techniques at the Advanced True Knowledge Academy, it is not possible for you to obtain them as soon as you enter. You will have to wait at least half a year before you are eligible to apply."

"Moreover, it's not guaranteed that it will be approved."

"There are a bunch of prerequisites that require you to meet them. Only when you meet the requirements of the True Knowledge Institute will you be given the advanced meditation method."

"But I stepped in and negotiated this most important benefit for you, so you can receive a set of advanced meditation techniques as soon as you join."

Director Morrison smiled.

Locke thanked Director Morrison again. "Thank you, Director Morrison."

Director Morrison said, "In addition to these two basic benefits, you also enjoy the research start-up funding after entering the True Knowledge Academy, which has doubled from 100,000 to 200,000 magic stones."

"In addition to your salary, in other words, the True Knowledge Academy will pay you a total of 140 million magic stones over the next five years."

"In addition, the Advanced Institute of Truth will provide you with free staff dormitory accommodation and allow you to share laboratory equipment with researchers and mentors within the Advanced Institute of Truth."

Locke nodded slightly.

No wonder the Advanced Institute of Truth is a place that all wizards dream of. As soon as I arrived, they promised to provide me with funds worth 140 million magic stones over the next five years.

They also provided a range of basic benefits necessary for living and conducting experiments.

This is a timely resource for many wizards who lack the funds to further their research into the magic they wish to study.

Director Morrison said, "In addition to the resources worth 140 million magic stones, you will receive two more benefits after entering the Advanced True Knowledge Academy."

"The first benefit is that you can apply for the True Knowledge Academy Project Fund. Once you're in, you can start with a small True Knowledge Academy project, which will give you about 20 to 50 magic stones."

"For specific costs, please refer to your project budget and the required funds."

"Basically, as long as you enter the Institute of True Knowledge and apply for the Institute of True Knowledge Fund, the White Wizard Association headquarters will approve it."

“Everyone at Zhenzhi Academy can apply for the Zhenzhi Academy Fund once, and they are almost always approved, so this is considered a benefit of entering Zhenzhi Academy.”

Locke nodded slightly. Indeed, especially for wizards who are not good at attracting projects and investments, the benefits of the True Knowledge Institute are a considerable resource supplement for them.

"The second benefit is the opportunity to apply for the Special Grant Fund. That is the White Wizard Association's real support for the Institute of True Knowledge. The amount of Special Grant for ordinary Institutes of True Knowledge is one million to two million magic stones, while the amount of Special Grant for your advanced Institute of True Knowledge is... between three million and five million magic stones."

"With so many magic stones, we can indeed do some truly meaningful research, unlike the small-scale projects you did before."

Locke glanced at Wizard Morrison with a puzzled look. In his view, the research and magical plants developed by himself, Wizard Edgar, Witch Diana, Witch Yennefer, and Wizard Alaric were far from trivial. They possessed great practicality and widespread applicability.

But Locke keenly sensed that the wizard Morrison seemed to be using the second principle to evaluate their research, so he cautiously remained silent.

This principle is precisely why I need to go to a higher level.

Locke listened as Wizard Morrison continued, “Many wizards enter the Institute of True Knowledge with the primary goal of obtaining funding for this top-tier grant project. However, the top-tier grant is different from the Institute of True Knowledge’s own grant. It’s not something anyone can get; it’s a merit-based selection process, one in ten thousand. Even within the Institute of True Knowledge, the number of wizards who can obtain this grant is still a very small minority.”

"That's one of your biggest goals in going to the Advanced Truth Academy!"

"The second goal, of course, is the exit certificate. That's the only thing that represents your satisfactory performance in the Advanced Institute of Truth and that can gain the trust of those wizarding schools."

"As you've seen, the conditions for leaving Jinmianshan are that, in addition to the Zhenzhi Institute Fund and the Special Funding Fund, you also need to try to get a sub-project of a key program from your cooperating supervisor."

"In other words, if you go to the Institute of True Knowledge, you must complete at least these three major projects to achieve a perfect outcome," Wizard Morrison instructed. "And ordinary wizards, even if they think they are geniuses before entering, will soon be humbled by the Institute of True Knowledge."

“Genius wizards outside the Institute of True Knowledge are one in ten thousand, but inside the Institute of True Knowledge, they are everywhere.”

"Therefore, many confident wizards thought they could obtain all three funds before entering the Institute of True Knowledge, but unfortunately, they only received one ordinary Institute of True Knowledge fund at most."

Wizard Morrison sent the contract he had negotiated with the witch Catherine to Locke via the Gray Mist Slate. "Look at this contract. In it, you will also have the right to freely allocate the funds without interference from anyone, and you don't need to find a cooperating mentor's signature."

"At the same time, you also have the authority to recruit assistants, but there is a limit: you can only recruit two."

"Generally speaking, other wizards can only hire one assistant in the Advanced Institute of Knowledge."

Wizard Morrison said, "Since I didn't expect Bonifacio University's attitude, I've changed my previous advice to you. After all, the college's strengths are secondary; the treatment you receive is what you truly have in your own hands."

"My personal suggestion is that you choose Jinmian Mountain."

"Jinmian Mountain has 37 colleges and universities. The main campus has 22 colleges and universities, known as the 22 Gardens. There are also 15 colleges and universities, or 15 gardens, distributed outside the campus."

"And if you want to go, then you should go to the Dragon Fern Garden, one of the twenty-two gardens in the headquarters."

"The thirty-seven colleges of Mount Jinmian are divided among three major powers. The first major power is the Senate, which is the actual leader of the colleges and manages the finances and rules. The second major power is the Academic Committee, which is mainly composed of representatives of major academic authorities and is in charge of the academic authority of Mount Jinmian, project review, and so on."

"The third major force is the Deacon Inspection Team, which is a product of the joint efforts of the heads of major laboratories on Golden Crown Mountain."

"Thirty-seven gardens, each under the jurisdiction of an organization within these three academies."

"Moreover, Mount Golden Crown has a wizarding academy that is actually independent, but still closely connected with it and cooperating with it on various levels—Luxu Bridge Academy."

"Luxu Bridge Academy is no smaller than Golden Crown Mountain Academy. Together, they make up the seven top wizarding academies of Yunze Wetland."

Locke then realized that the wizarding academy in Yunze Wetland had a more complex organizational structure than the wizarding academies in the Southeast Corner Region and the Six Towers Land, consisting of various branches and schools.

Locke asked in a low voice, "Director Morrison, how many first-ring wizards are there in total on Golden Crown Mountain?"

Wizard Morrison smiled. "I don't know the exact number, but I can tell you that there are probably a little over a hundred full-fledged wizards in a garden."

Locke did a quick calculation and concluded that the total number of formal wizards in all the gardens was roughly several thousand!

The total number of official wizards at Lilith's Hut was close to one hundred before she left.

Back then, when the four wizarding organizations of the Black Wizard Alliance in the southeastern corner of the region joined forces, they could only mobilize a little over a hundred first-ring wizards at a time.

The war between black and white wizards in the southeastern corner of the region, which took place on the side of Golden Crown Mountain University... was basically just a small-scale brawl between two universities.

At this moment, Locke finally realized just how enormous Mount Jinmian and Luxu Bridge truly were!
(End of this chapter)