Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 587 You're taking your promises way too seriously.
After parting ways with the Celtic group leader, Locke took the documents and returned to his dormitory.

He looked at his information again, first the three generations of the Senate, the Academic Committee, and the Deacon Group. This time, at least three people would be nominated to participate in the competition.

Everyone is a descendant of the Third Ring Wizards and enjoys countless resources.

He possesses countless pieces of equipment.

His only advantage over them was his 'talent'.

"The three major factions of Mount Golden Crown all want to control the spots in the Silent Holy Grail's planar conquest competition. For the three major factions, a mere planar coordinate should not be a big deal."

Locke pondered, "There may be other interests at play, which is beyond my current knowledge."

“Secondly, there are those real researchers within the Institute of True Knowledge who have no real background.” Locke looked at what the Celtic group leader considered his two biggest rivals.

The first opponent is Emerson Nelson, a wizard from the Power School. He is forty-five years old this year. He entered the Golden Crown Mountain at the age of forty and was just short of the age limit.

He has been at Mount Jinmian for five years.

He has completed a first-class project grant, but has not worked on any special-class grants or key single-project sub-projects.

Logically, he should have left Jinmian Mountain by the end of this year.

Clearly, Emerson Nelson, a proponent of the kinetic school, wants to make one last push before leaving Golden Crown Mountain this year.

If he succeeds, he can participate in the interdimensional conquest competition; even if he fails, he will still benefit greatly.

At least his time at the True Knowledge Institute has reached its limit, and he has no choice but to leave.

Emerson Nelson's magic pressure has reached 9999. He is a native wizard of Cloudze Wetlands and a wizard from Golden Crown Mountain. His teachers at each stage are all outstanding wizards.

His base stats and spell pool are unmatched by ordinary wizards, and I've heard that his permanent defensive field is also unique.

"Gravity Well?" Locke read the permanent defensive force field of this power school. The opponent's permanent defensive force field, combined with the elemental fission pool device of the special wizard tower, can achieve an effect greater than 2.

It was the proud research result of a sun-ring wizard he followed during his wizarding apprenticeship.

Although multiple permanent defensive force fields cannot be used, the advantages of the original permanent defensive force field can be maximized.

At the same time, Locke looked at his second formidable opponent in the information—the Sera Witch.

"Born in the Southern Witch Capital, a bloodline wizard, a researcher at the Advanced Institute of True Knowledge, and a bloodline modifier, specializing in using spells to enhance and improve phoenix-type bloodlines."

Locke frowned. "It's said she was born with the bloodline of a second-ring Flamebird, and this is her fourth year at the academy. She wants to become a second-ring wizard and obtain special assistance in that end. She's been stuck at the first-ring limit for at least three years. She's forty years old this year."

"The Permanent Defense Force Field is the Flame Sparrow Domain, which is intertwined with the Phoenix bloodline."

"She used to be a member of the demon hunter team and personally hunted down dozens of first-ring dark wizards. She's a real expert in combat."

The Witcher team in the Three Swamps is something that can enhance one's resume and make it more politically correct, and it can also slightly embellish one's resume.

Actually, it's quite useful.

Locke pondered, "Just looking at their paper stats, they're actually not as high as the three third-generation members of the Senate, the Academic Committee, and the Deacon. But these two are also my formidable rivals, because they are true geniuses."

"They should still have some trump cards up their sleeves. And... like me, they can continuously improve through battle."

"Besides, the other participants have also been stuck at the limit of the first ring for many years without making any progress. It's just unknown what kind of participants the small and medium-sized wizarding organizations in the Golden Crown Mountain region will send to participate this time."

"Although most of the time, these wizards from small and medium-sized wizarding organizations are just there to make up the numbers, there have been some dark horses that have suddenly emerged in past sports festivals."

"Faced with so many formidable rivals, I need even greater strength. Fortunately, I am now rich."

After thinking for a moment, Locke took out two luxury magical plants and continued learning the Peach Arch Thorn Arrow magic.

After practicing for an hour, he began to think about how to complete the fourth round of the Heavenly Ladder test at the Feathered Serpent Pavilion. At the same time, he poured the waste from making potions onto the obelisk stone golem.

A rock the size of a basketball rolled across the workbench like a kitten turning over.

……

On the seventh floor of the True Knowledge Castle, the witch Catherine heard the results from both the Celtic group leader and the second group leader, Sith George.

She smiled and looked at the golden dragon Fafnir beside her. "How is it? It seems our little dragon has adapted to the Cloud Marsh Wetlands."

"Isn't it a bit beyond your expectations?"

Fafnir, the Golden Dragon, sneezed. "I did underestimate him. Even superintuition can't explain his current achievements. He must have had a high aptitude for breeding, which, combined with his superintuition, made him even more formidable."

"But I've always distrusted wizards from outside the school. Oh well, he is indeed very talented. Perhaps it was the right thing for you to choose him over the wizard from our school."

Jinlong said, "He's been doing quite well lately."

The witch Catherine said, “Don’t underestimate wizards from remote places. They may not have received the best magical training, but the fact that they have come here proves their potential.”

“Fafner, I am not a native wizard of Yunze Wetland either.”

Jinlong looked at Ekaterina in surprise. "This is the first time I've heard of this. You've completely hidden your past, apart from your academic background, so that outsiders have no way of knowing it."

"So you're not a native wizard."

Ekaterina laughed and said, "Wisdom is power, and power is wisdom. If others know about my past, they can guess my thoughts, and thus my wisdom will be inferior to theirs, and their power will be greater than mine."

"On the contrary, the more information I have about him, the more power I have over him."

Fafnir, the Golden Dragon, gave Ekaterina a deep look. "It's hard to believe that these words came from a witch from the first ring era who, out of her love of beauty, studied the phenomenon of seven-colored flowers blooming on a single branch."

Catherine the Witch smirked. "So here's the question: who told you this story? Thomasson? Or some other wizard? And who told those wizards? That's right, I told you."

"So... was the story I told them true or false?"

Fafnir, the Golden Dragon, turned to look at the witch Catherine. He suddenly rose from the ground like a golden mountain, his spiritual energy surging and shifting, his terrifying dragon eyes fixed on Catherine. "Indeed, that story is far too different from your own character. You have never been an idealist, much less someone who enjoys superficial things. Having been with you for so long, if any illusory concept could capture your attention, it must be because that concept could bring you more long-term benefits."

“Ekaterina, speaking of which, he has already passed the second-class True Knowledge Institute fund. When will you begin your test for him? It should be about time, right?” Fafnir the Golden Dragon said, “He has been living a peaceful life for far too long. At your pace, it’s time to let him experience the real cold.”

"The chill that Griffin and Hoover once felt. Success without failure is not worth mentioning."

With a wave of her hand, the witch Catherine covered the magic mirror with a black cloth woven with a red dragon pattern. "There's no rush."

"You seem to think he's a good match."

Fafnir sneezed and said, "I recognized his talent from the beginning, but I didn't expect it to be this strong. I just thought he was troublesome and not cost-effective. But now it seems I might have been wrong."

"I just hope he can withstand your real test."

“By the way, that Daniel seems to be undergoing a test as well. I must say, the wizards of your Golden Crown Mountain are really strange. This welcoming tradition is just too awful.” Golden Dragon said, “It’s not that there are no wizards left, but that they never got up again.”

Catherine the Witch laughed, "I think so too. It's absolutely awful."

"But we have different expectations for the researchers at the Advanced Institute of Truth."

……

A month later, in the laboratory, Locke compiled the eight articles that had previously been approved by the second-class grant project and sent them to Qingcao Yunze in turn.

Meanwhile, inside the makeshift laboratory, Locke entered a state of "flow." Without any thoughts, the spirituality within him seemed to drift with the current. He stretched out his left hand, and the Golden Palace Remnant Branch floating in front of him began to bend and deform, automatically transforming into a bow and arrow. The tree trunk was the bow, and the phoenix spirituality of the Golden Palace Remnant Branch became the bowstring.

At the same time, Locke raised his right hand, uttered a spell, and a fast-growing branch hanging from the little golden date fell into his hand.

Ordinary jujube trees hanging from branches quickly burst into flames.

That is the flame of civilization.

Immediately afterward, under the raging flames, the jujube branch transformed into an arrow, which Locke nocked onto the bow of the Golden Palace Remains.

Instantly, the two forces combined, and a terrifying magical pressure infused with the fire of civilization descended. Locke remained still, but the wall several feet in front of him began to melt, and flames erupted where his feet stood.

The magical pressure transformed into flames, turning the entire makeshift laboratory into a high-temperature oven.

Locke didn't even fire the arrow.

Locke chanted the incantation, dispelling the spell. "Using the Peach Blossom Thorn Arrow, I can fire continuously the fast-growing branches of the Little Golden Jujube Hanging Tree, which combine the power of the Fire of Civilization."

"My normal output magic ability has been directly increased by one or two levels."

"Now, whoever opposes me, I only need to draw my bow and shoot arrows continuously. Legend has it that the peach-bow arrow can shoot down anything, even sunlight and moonlight."

The two luxury magical plants that come with the Peach Arch Thorn Arrow already possess second-circle characteristics. This magic can also be linked with the spirituality of the Flame of Civilization, further enhancing the magic and giving it the special ability to shoot down anything.

With this magic, Locke gained the confidence to compete with the young, first-generation wizards of the Golden Crown Mountain region.

Locke used the Astral Ring to store the two luxury magical plants.

At the same time, he pondered, "I wonder how my eight articles submitted to Qingcao Yunze and my 28 articles submitted to Life and Reproduction are doing."

I had initially planned to submit my paper to "Environment and Plants," a Q2 journal, since it's a top-tier Q2 journal.

Who knew that my two articles on the symbiotic relationship between pineapple-type magical plants and magical creatures would be rejected by the journal *Environment and Plants*?

It's probably because I'm the corresponding author and lack persuasiveness.

Therefore, Locke directly asked Schneider to write 26 articles in the past month, and then submit them all to Life and Propagation this month.

Wizard Hayes should be very happy.

……

In the editor-in-chief's office of Qingcao Yunze, a moon ring wizard who is also the editor-in-chief of the journal is looking at eight articles sent over by an editor.

The editor in charge said, "Editor-in-chief, all eight articles are of very high quality. Six of them are related to the natural magical structural components, one is a general overview of the ecological niche of pineapple-type magical plants, and the other is... an article on No. 2 tyrannosaurus and tyrannosaurus cultivation technology."

"Eight articles, and so far they have all been recognized by their peers... but the problem is that this is too many. Are we going to publish eight articles by one wizard in one issue?"

"Editor-in-chief, you make a decision."

The editor-in-chief of Qingcao Yunze tapped the table with his fingers. After careful consideration, he said, "Ta-da! These eight articles are all common in our Qingcao Yunze journal. That wizard just... discovered a lot of natural magical structural components at once."

"But this doesn't affect the quality of these articles. Given that, what reason do we have to refuse them!"

"Go and write a thank-you letter to that wizard. If possible, we hope he will submit more articles to our journal in the future."

……

Inside the office of the journal *Life and Reproduction*, Wizard Hayes paused for a moment upon seeing the 28 articles his assistant had brought him, then looked at his junior assistant, who was in the first stage of liquefaction. "Junior, these are all... submissions from Wizard Locke Augustine?"

The wizard nodded and said, "Senior brother, all these articles have been approved by their peers. In fact, there are no doubts; they are all outstanding studies. If it weren't for the issue of the corresponding author, they could even be published in a top-tier journal in the second quartile."

“Our journal happens to have relatively few articles, so this way we can put together a high-quality monthly issue. Professor Barbatos will definitely be very happy.”

"Senior brother, where did you find such a great writer who is so good at publishing articles?"

Wizard Hayes was taken aback for a moment, then felt slightly speechless. "Little Locke, I just asked you to give our journal priority, who knew you would submit 28 high-quality articles to us at once."

"You're such a good person when it comes to keeping your promises."

"This is... a real gem."

Wizard Hayes smiled. "I happened to be passing by Mount Golden Crown that day, so I went there to visit a promising young man I had previously admired. That's what you call good judgment."

Wizard Hayes watched with satisfaction as he looked at his junior brother with adoration.

(End of this chapter)