Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 632 Augustus Series Wizard Shoes, Business Competition, New Plans!
Another week passed, and Locke was in his study, deep in thought, reading the reply from Lana, the Sun Ring Wizard of the Rose Council.

He discussed the idea of ​​the ecological corridor with the witch Lana three times, and each time it was very helpful.

At this moment, Locke threw some oak seeds onto a wooden table in front of him. The seeds quickly took root and sprouted, and then some small trees, about the size of grass, grew from the table.

The small trees on the table have grown into a canopy covering both sides, like a sacred path. At the same time, specks of natural energy flow through this path, seemingly resonating with a distant forest.

“This is an ecological corridor created according to the ideas of the witch Lana.” Locke fell into deep thought. “I corresponded with her for a whole month. She revealed some of the spell models to me. Combined with my own research, I have created a prototype of the ecological corridor.”

"But if we use this as the foundation of the Forest Alliance Spell... that won't work."

"This sacred path seems good, but it requires a connecting path between different forests. This completely contradicts the Forest Alliance's idea of ​​connecting the forest sanctuaries of different wizards to form a larger forest kingdom."

“The forest sanctuaries of the various wizards move around to each other. How can we connect them using such a tangible divine path?”

Locke fell into deep thought. "But whenever I have a new idea and tell the witch Lana, wanting to share my opinion with her, I always get rejected by her."

"It seems my idea won't work. Should I tell her my real needs? If I do, will it change some of her views and get her to help me think of things?"

Locke also inquired with the witch Catherine, but she never replied.

He wasn't surprised by this.

Because most of the researchers in the Institute of True Knowledge have Catherine the Witch as friends in the Water Hyacinth System, and most researchers receive the same treatment when sending messages to Catherine the Witch.

A researcher once sent a barrage of messages to Catherine the Witch in the middle of the night, but nothing happened the next day except that he was blocked.

Locke picked up his quill and wrote a few lines on the letter, then suddenly remembered something and put the quill down.

He frowned. "The Forest Alliance Spell is related to my secret of advancing to the second ring, and I shouldn't tell others about it. Besides, even if I did tell her, what good would it do? Unless I reveal all the spell models of my Forest Sanctuary to her, she really can't help me. But even if I were willing to reveal them, to really perfect them, I estimate it would require at least a million magic stones and a large number of wizard talents."

“I have no relation to her, so why would she help me like this? It makes little difference whether I tell her or not.” Locke slapped his forehead. “Since the witch Lana doesn’t approve of my approach, I’ll just ignore her. I’ve already gained enough knowledge from her; I can’t get any more.”

Locke made up his mind, and a primal fire ignited on the letter. "Let's go back to the beginning and try to redesign a spell model according to my original ideas."

"But this requires a sum of money, and a research group. I should try to find more ways to make money."

Locke waved his hand, and instantly all the miniature trees on the table shrank from tiny trees into two rows of saplings and seeds, which then fell into his hand automatically.

Locke left the dormitory, jumped onto the cloud whale, and headed to the Witch's Kitchen to see Scarlett the Witch.

……

In the Rose Council, in Lana the Witch's office, Lana casually asked her first-ring wizard assistant, "Any letters from Mount Golden Crown today?"

The assistant shook his head. "No. That kid writes to the Sun Ring Wizard far too many times. Perhaps he's already been reprimanded by his superiors. After all, it's very impolite."

The witch Lana smiled. "Impolite? Not really. It's rare to see such a bold young wizard. Besides, when I discussed things with him, I found his thinking to be good; although not the smartest, his ideas are clear."

“Discussing with him is like discussing with a second-circle wizard. If I’m not mistaken, he’s already very close to becoming a second-circle wizard. Therefore, I’m willing to mentor this junior.”

"It's just that his ideas are wildly unrealistic. He always thinks about useless things. If he could spend more time with me, I could help him, as his mentor, guide his thinking and make it more grounded in reality."

At that moment, the wizard Fleming walked into the office.

Lana the witch's expression immediately turned ugly. "Why don't I have such a clever cooperating wizard student?"

Lana the witch looked at Fleming the wizard and was dissatisfied with him no matter how she looked at him; she felt inexplicably annoyed.

The wizard Fleming was completely dumbfounded and stood frozen in place.

Then he leaves?
The witch Lana sighed, giving the wizard Fleming a disapproving look. "You have absolutely no sense of propriety. I really don't know how you became a certified wizard."

"Go do something for me. The Chaos Battlefield is opening in a week, and I need you to help me debug a campaign-level magic device..."

"The academic rankings in the Three Swamps are so complicated. Other regions only need to compare publications, projects, and talent, but in the Three Swamps... Hmph, those big shots in the White Wizarding Association who sit in their offices all day actually think that everything else is fake, except for the outcome of the war. They want to use the outcome of the war to help determine the academic standing of each university..."

The wizard Fleming was a little scared and didn't know whether he should respond. He looked at the witch Lana, whose eyes clearly showed her dissatisfaction with him, and had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Those Chaos Disciples in the Chaos World are no match for us Rose Language Magicians."

The witch Lana glanced at him, and the wizard Fleming was already extremely nervous.

Contrary to her usual self, the witch Lana smiled and said, "Well, at least you've said something that sounds human."

As if granted a pardon, the wizard Fleming breathed a sigh of relief before leaving her office.

……

In Dragonblood Market Castle, Locke and Scarlett the Witch sit together in room number 23.

Scarlett the Witch looked at him in surprise. "What? I was hoping you'd treat me to a meal. Who knew you'd be out of money so quickly?"

Scarlett the Witch gave a wry smile. "My dear Mr. Locke, did you go to the gambling den? Or to speculate in stocks?"

Locke said, "It's even more terrifying than those two. I'm going to do some research."

Most of the funds have been invested in the Forest Sanctuary.

Another portion of the funds was invested in the Queen's Chessboard to analyze the characteristics and structure of the primal force level of the light in the four planes of the Night Meteor.

Scarlett the Witch's expression changed to one of understanding. "My goodness. In just one month, you managed to consume eight million magic stones through research."

"Sigh, some wizards complain that even gambling and stock trading can cost more money than they spend on research. But it's good to have results; the worst thing is to gain nothing at all."

Locke nodded slightly, agreeing wholeheartedly.

Scarlett the Witch said, "Then it's my treat this time. Take a look at the menu. By the way, Locke, the reason I called you out is to ask if you want to continue running the Augustus Wizard Shoes brand. If you do, then we need to release the next style of wizard shoes."

"While your last wizard shoes sold well, and while the buzz surrounding your Golden Crown Mountain region spellfighting championship hasn't died down."

Locke nodded. "Of course, since wizard shoes are so profitable, I certainly can't give them up."

Scarlett the Witch gave Locke a file. "Look," she said, "this is the stock market fluctuation caused by your wizard shoes. Now a whole bunch of wizards hate you to death."

Locke glanced at it.

The majority of the impact is still on industries related to the No. 1 Overlord Essence, while the impact on industries related to Wizard Shoes is currently minimal.

After all, this is different from the overall impact of the No. 2 Overlord Element. It is just a pure magic plant wizard shoe, which cannot threaten the major textile workshops in the Golden Crown Mountain region.

Magical robes, wizard hats, and wizard shoes are the three pillar industries of the magic weavers in the Golden Crown Mountain region.

Scarlett the Witch said, "I guessed that the great Augustine, the genius breeder, would definitely continue to develop in the direction of wizard shoes. So, I have already applied for the Augustus Wizard Shoes trademark for you. Fortunately, I was one step ahead."

Locke asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

Scarlett the Witch took a sip of her witch watermelon juice and said, "If I had been even a step slower, those magic weavers would have registered the trademark first. And there are also some lawsuits involved... In short, there's a lot going on. You haven't been involved in this industry much, so you don't know how complicated it is."

"But don't worry, you have me, a top trader, and Arthas, plus you're a researcher at Golden Crown Mountain, so they won't dare to go too far."

"Moreover, the headquarters of the Holy Wizard Court of the White Wizard Association of the Golden Crown Mountain Region is located on your Golden Crown Mountain, and your mentor is a scholar advisor within that court."

"Therefore, it is basically very difficult for them to make things difficult for you on a legal level."

Scarlett the Witch said, "When I was a silver-level trader, I encountered many complicated situations. For example, once one of my partner wizards released a pair of magical plant gloves, and the magical weavers thought it offended them."

"They used a bunch of design patents they had applied for to sue my partner wizard in court, saying that he had infringed on the design patents held by their magic weaver."

Locke frowned. "This shouldn't be of much use, right?"

Scarlett the Witch laughed and said, "Locke, in this world, it's not just about winning a battle that makes people back down. Increasing the other party's costs is enough to solve most problems."

"My partner wizard was so bothered that it eventually led to an investigation by the ethics and morality review committee. As you know, even the court is not as terrifying as those holy wizards on the ethics and morality review committee, so my partner wizard simply gave up all research and development on related magical plant products."

"That's how the matter was settled."

Scarlett the Witch said, "The magic weavers of Yunze Wetlands are relatively closed off as a whole, and they tend to be ruthless, due to the personalities of some high-level wizards."

"They've already registered a whole bunch of useless design patents in areas like magic clothes, wizard shoes, and wizard hats, just so they can use those design patents to mess around with you wizards when they encounter competitors."

"As for why we haven't done that now..."

Scarlett the Witch gave a mysterious smile. "That's because Locke, you have powerful connections. I really hope some fool dares to mess with you in court. Most of my clients aren't as high-ranking as you."

"So, we're always bullied by those magic weavers. They say we can't sell this, we can't sell that."

"Anything that sells well should not be sold!"

"But I reckon if they use that tactic against you, they might end up in the wizarding prison. The nearby courts are all run by people from Golden Crown Mountain, and they're almost entirely controlled by Catherine the Witch. There's nothing wrong with that; everyone knows it."

“Many wizards who offended that throne-lord were tricked by the court,” Scarlett the Witch said. “Besides this method of dragging the other party into a lawsuit, there are even more ingenious methods.”

"For example, deliberately sending someone with a criminal record into a competitor's studio, then immediately reporting it, attracting the attention of the ethics review committee, the academic committees of various colleges, and several departments of the White Wizard Association to investigate."

“Furthermore, there are even cases where people hire wizards from the other company’s studio to trick them into signing non-compete agreements, then let the other company ‘accidentally’ develop a technical collaboration with its former employer, and then sue them for unfair competition.”

Scarlett the Witch said, "If this situation were to occur, even Lady Catherine the Witch wouldn't be able to openly help you. Besides, she is, after all, the Throne Queen; I don't think she would help her student unconditionally."

"I'm telling you this so that Locke you'll be extremely careful. There might be a magic weaver who tries to harm you."

Locke frowned. "I didn't expect the magic weavers of Yunze Wetlands to be so ruthless."

“They seem completely different from breeders.”

He had previously damaged the stock prices of several breeders' euphorbia products, but after the witch Catherine stood up for him, no one held it against him anymore.

Scarlett the Witch said, "Different professions are not inherently different, but the people who practice them are different. And the personality of a high-ring wizard in a profession... can greatly influence the atmosphere of the entire profession."

"The academic forefront of magic weavers lies at Boniface University and the Rose Council. The problem lies with the Rose Council; its overall academic style is..."

Scarlett the Witch coughed. "Never mind, I won't say anymore. That's not something a mere first-stage crystallization wizard like me can comment on."

"There are already a large number of breeders, including many high-ring wizards, each with their own distinct personality. This has ironically led to a more tolerant and forgiving breeder profession."

"Actually, the field of magic weaving is relatively good, thanks to the support from Boniface University. But if it were flower language studies, that would be laughable."

"The environment is even worse where the Flower Language Master is."

"The Magic Flower Shop is a well-known place where shady workshops are likely to emerge. They exploit wizard apprentices, for example, making you do menial tasks for decades without teaching you any real skills."

"Force foreign wizards to deal with highly poisonous magical flowers, shortening their lifespans and making them work for their magical flower shop."

Scarlett the Witch shook her head slightly. "The problems are so numerous that they're laughable. The Rose Council is too big for them to handle; they're even struggling to manage themselves."

"Who would have thought that the most beautiful and charming flower shop could harbor the darkest industry ecosystem!"

Locke frowned and said, "So, nobody's going to do anything about it? The ethics review committee isn't going to do anything about it?"

Scarlett the Witch shook her head. "We definitely have to intervene. But that's the Rose Council! Even the White Wizarding Association's branch has to give them some face. Besides, there's always a way around the rules."

"Even if you go undercover, as soon as you appear at the first place, the second and third places will know immediately. In short, the industry ecosystem of magic weavers is relatively poor, and the academy of the Rose Council is rather strange."

Locke nodded slightly.

Scarlett the Witch asked Locke, "Is there any progress on the second pair of wizard shoes? It would be best if it were a product made from Tyrant Essence No. 2. Your Tyrant Essence No. 2 has left a deep impression on everyone."

"You could develop a whole line of Domineering Wizard Shoes! That would be easier to promote and leave a deeper impression on wizards."

Locke said, "During the time I was researching pineapples, I accumulated a lot of technical knowledge about them. I have two pineapples that I think are suitable for making wizard shoes, just like the Hummingbird Pineapple."

"We can continue the design of the first Hummingbird Pineapple Wizard Shoes and make more of them. They are the Snow-capped Pineapple and the Flame Pineapple."

"I can first enhance both of them to see if it can improve their performance, and then make them according to the idea of ​​the Hummingbird Pineapple Wizard Shoes. The overall framework of the Hummingbird Pineapple Wizard Shoes is excellent."

"I am confident that I can create two types of wizard shoes that will be of great help to wizards."

Locke said, "But I need...funds."

"Scarlett, do you have any ideas on how to get the funds for me to develop new wizard shoes in a short time?"

Maintaining the previous production of the five-headed hydra, hydra, and hummingbird pineapple wizard shoes' magic fields also requires a certain amount of funds.

If Scarlett hadn't had some seeds in stock, Locke wouldn't even be able to ship them out.

There was no other way; the research was too expensive, and Locke needed to raise his power to a satisfactory level before exploring the abyss.

So, they poured a lot of money into it.

Scarlett the Witch wasn't surprised. "Indeed. A genius like you earns a lot of money, and spends a lot too. But it's alright, I can try to get Arthas to sponsor your research."

"You already have two best-selling products in our Alsace, so you already have certain privileges."

"I expect to be able to secure a commercial sponsorship of 200,000 magic stones for you within three days. This will serve as an investment and support for your development of new products."

Scarlett the Witch asked, "Is two hundred thousand enough? Otherwise, I can use my savings to help you out."

Locke thought for a moment. "Hmm, two hundred thousand should be enough."

Scarlett the Witch smiled and said, "Well, I hope you can develop two products as soon as possible. Because in the Golden Crown Mountain region, there are two more small festivals coming up: World Walking Day and Shoe Exchange Day."

"Wizard shoes will sell particularly well these next couple of days."

"Moreover, I heard that the five major wars are about to begin one after another. We can only sell in the Golden Crown Mountain region, but soon Golden Crown Mountain will truly start the Demon World War with the Twin Demon Realms."

"That's not just another small skirmish like last time!"

“During the war, sales of wizard shoes will surely rise again.” Scarlett the witch looked up, and Locke said, “So I want to make a request of you.”

"Could you develop another set of wizard shoes specifically for the Demon War? This is information about the Demon War."

"The requirements are roughly that the wizard shoes should be wear-resistant, have some anti-theft features, and be able to counter detection, track, and prevent spatial disturbances."

"In addition to that, it also needs the basic functions of wizard shoes. These are the basic war functions such as acceleration, resistance to void forces, protection of the feet, and adaptation to the laws of the world."

Locke raised an eyebrow. "Those are quite high requirements."

Scarlett the Witch said, "This request is just an extra one. It doesn't matter if you can't do it or don't have time to do it."

"This is actually a collective requirement put out to tender by Golden Crown Mountain and various wizarding organizations. During the Demon Realm War, the various wizarding organizations sent sets of equipment to their wizards..."

"This set can guarantee the minimum performance in wizarding warfare and improve the overall strength of the academy. The bidding is divided into internal bidding and external bidding."

"Each product can only be distributed to one wizarding academy in principle. After all, the major wizarding academies do not want their Demon Realm War sets to be the same as those of other wizarding organizations. If this principle is violated, they are likely to be collectively and secretly boycotted."

"You are a researcher at the Golden Crown Mountain True Knowledge Institute, so you are generally not considered for internal bidding. However, the final results of internal and external bidding will be compared, and the product with better performance and greater trustworthiness will be selected."

"The entire Golden Crown Mountain, as well as other wizarding academies, will be open to bidding as a supplement. If better options become available, they may also consider public bidding."

"The wizard set includes a wizard's robe, wizard's shoes, wizard's gloves, wizard's sword and wand, as well as a wizard's hat, a magic ring, and a magic necklace."

"It is only for wizards to borrow during the war, and it needs to be returned after the war."

Locke nodded. "I can give it a try."

Scarlett the Witch laughed and said, "Go ahead and give it a try. But it's okay if you fail. After all, the competition is fierce. Out of countless wizard shoe designs, only one will pass the Golden Crown Mountain's review."

"Moreover, even if you pass the review and outcompete everyone, if you don't win the internal bidding design in the final comparison between the internal and external bidding, then in the end it will all be for nothing."

"Because the requirements are so strict, many wizards who are not capable enough will not participate. But I think you can give it a try."

Scarlett the Witch said, "If it works out, you'll make a fortune, and it will be very good for your reputation."

“Once our wizard shoes participate in the Demon War alongside the Golden Crown Mountain and perform well,” Scarlett the Witch paused, a complex look of desire and ambition flashing in her eyes, “then this achievement can be used to support the creation of our Augustus series of wizard shoes.”

"This brand of wizard shoes could sell even better. Perhaps we could set up a dedicated studio, rent an area in the colony world of Arthas, and focus on production. We could earn more, gain a higher status in Arthas, and negotiate better contracts."

"Let this wizard shoe brand become a famous wizard shoe brand. Let it stand alongside the renowned wizard shoe brands founded by the magic weavers of Yunze Wetlands!"

"It's those famous wizard weaver brands—Vikos, Ortham, Thranduil...and the two most famous wizard shoe brands in Cloudswamp Wetlands—Melochi Magic Steps and Solas Barefoot (30K)!"

Locke nodded. "Scarlett, you've planned everything. But you seem quite excited?"

Scarlett the Witch laughed, "Don't laugh at me. If I can successfully establish such a brand for you, I might get promoted to platinum trader!"

"If I can become a Platinum Trader, I will have the resources to raise my Magic Pressure to the first-ring limit, or even become a second-ring Wizard."

"Of course, these things are still just a fantasy of mine at the moment."

Scarlett the Witch took a sip of wizard's tea and pondered, "My requirements aren't as high as yours, you geniuses. Just give me a World Stone from a colony plane, and I'll become a second-circle wizard."

"There's no need to be outstanding in everything."

"After all... with my talent, second-circle wizard is the limit."

(End of this chapter)