Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 663 After this parting, will we ever meet again?
In the Starfield Sea, inside the editorial office of the journal "First Ring History," several second-ring wizards were whispering amongst themselves.

"Have you heard? Mysterious Heaven is very concerned about the Starfield Sea's ascension plan. It believes that this could disrupt the distribution of all wizarding lands in the wizarding world, causing serious problems in the wizarding world's void orbit and affecting various large-scale magical equipment in the near-Earth void orbit."

"Mysterious Heaven believes this could result in the loss of trillions of assets. Therefore, it has begun to order our Starfield Sea to recalculate the impact on the near-Earth orbit of the void before proceeding with the demon ascension."

"I remember that the Eye of Truth itself also operates in near-Earth void orbit. This is indeed a problem, but as long as the high-level wizards of the Starfield Sea make careful designs, this problem should be solvable. If this is a problem, I think the [Magic Network] in the Southern Ridge Magic City is the real problem! I heard that they have recently created a prototype of that Magic Network."

"Hehe... Magic Network? What a joke. I'm just worried that someone might release a magical virus into their Magic Network, and then their entire Magic Network system will... really become a huge joke. Hahahaha... I'm just kidding. I guess the Southern Ling Magic City will build a firewall."

"In addition, the Jungle Hand of Green Steel City has given us a serious warning. They want us to purchase their green environmental services, or they will stop our ascension plan. Incidentally, the Southern Ridge Magic City in the Southern Boundary is unable to resist the comprehensive green civilization plan proposed by their leader, the Wizarding Land of Green Steel City, so it is said that they have already purchased the Jungle Hand's environmental service proposal."

"The Hand of the Jungle? They're a bunch of lunatics..." a regular second-ring wizard muttered. "The Ascension Plan is imperative. The difficulty for wizards to advance to the second or first ring is simply too high now. The number of qualified wizards is insufficient to support the Starfield Sea's [Magic Industry 5.0 New Concept], so we need to carry out the Ascension Plan."

"Once they complete the ascension, first-class wizard apprentices who would otherwise never become full-fledged wizards can become full-fledged wizards. First-circle wizards who would never become second-circle wizards may become second-circle wizards."

"This is the future of civilization, therefore I believe the high-level wizards of the Starfield Sea will not abandon this plan. However, let's wait and see; these things take a long time to calculate..."

The second-ring wizard editors in the office of "First Ring History" burst into laughter.

"Indeed, for wizards of our level right now, it's just casual conversation. Although those high-ring wizards are currently clashing, it's still far from over. The real moment that could change the world will come when we second-ring wizards have to make our choices."

A second-circle wizard glanced at the submissions on their table. "Any good articles lately?"

Another second-ring wizard colleague casually remarked, "The number of wizards submitting articles has surged recently, but the quality hasn't improved as much as expected. While there are some decent articles, they're just average. However, this is normal; archaeological discoveries heavily rely on finding major sites, so it's impossible to have a major discovery every month."

"Overall, the number and quality of submissions to our Starfield Sea are gradually increasing. This is a good thing for our journal. However, the quality of articles submitted by wizards from the outside wizarding lands is slightly lower."

"It's not that they aren't good enough, it's just that they don't have access to the best education and the best resources."

The wizards in the office nodded in agreement.

Starfield Sea draws on the best talents from the fifty-three wizarding lands around it, a gathering of heroes. In other places, hard work might help him gain a foothold, but in Starfield Sea, hard work is just the most basic and cheapest thing.

Many low-level wizards in the Starfield Sea work very hard.

The second-ring wizard who spoke first nodded slightly. "We just have to be more patient with submissions from wizards in other wizarding lands. After all, this is their current level..."

"Alright. Enough with the small talk, let's get back to work. Look, the director is coming back."

He casually picked up a manuscript sent from the White Wizarding Association's Dispatch Department. "Four unknown little wizards? The Enclave of Jade Flower, the Ash Cult... Never heard of them. Do they have an archaeology department there?"

He was about to throw the article into the nearby trash can, but hesitated after noticing the presence of two wizards from the Golden Crown Mountain background. "Golden Crown Mountain... Golden Crown Mountain is renowned for its research in efficient agriculture, and it's also a prestigious university in Yunze Wetland with a history spanning thousands of years."

"The results of the several Demon Realm Wars have been quite good. A few days ago, when I attended an academic conference, I heard some friends mention that Mount Jinmian has many special bloodline inheritances, especially in the area of ​​dragons... I just haven't heard that Mount Jinmian is good at archaeology."

After thinking it over, the second-ring wizard editor decided that just because of the reputation of Golden Crown Mountain and Cloud Marsh Wetland, he had to take a look.

The Land of Three Swamps has always been an important ally of the Starry Sea in controlling the fifty-three wizarding lands in the Eastern Boundary, and is also one of the wizarding lands in the Eastern Boundary that is closest to the Starry Sea.

Besides these, there are the Southern Witch Capital, the Border of Darkness and Light, the Siming Waters, and the Land of Dragon's Fall, which are on the same level as the Three Swamps in the eastern region.

However, the Southern Wizarding Capital is the stronghold of the Black Wizards in the Eastern Boundary.

The border between darkness and light is the former territory of the leader of the Eastern Boundary Wizard.

Siming Waters and Dragonfall Land formed a small alliance, resisting the trend of Starfield Sea siphoning talent and resources in the eastern boundary. They were full of independence and were relatively far away from Starfield Sea.

It is sufficient to protect itself, and even to siphon resources from that small area of ​​Wizard Lands in the Eastern Boundary.

Speaking of which, among the wealthiest wizarding lands in the Eastern Boundary, the Starfield Sea's true ally is the Land of Three Swamps.

Of course, they also knew that if the Three Swamps had the opportunity to compete with the Starry Sea for businesses, resources, and prestigious wizarding academies, they would certainly not let the opportunity pass them by.

The second-circle wizard casually flipped through the article, immediately drawn to the title: "Excavation Report of the Tomb of the Nameless King's Wife?"

He looked at the introduction again, “The archaeological findings of the Age of Stars are indeed one of our favorite areas of historical research, and it is no exaggeration to say that they are our darlings. However, the part about the nameless king being denamed and cursed is a blank area in current archaeological research.”

"Do archaeology wizards from the outer wizarding lands have this level of skill?!" The second-ring wizard sat up straight.

He read the entire article, his expression growing increasingly serious. "A team has actually cracked the true identity of the Nameless King."

"I want to mark it as a priority reviewer, but I'll just find someone to review it directly."

He quickly found three colleagues and sent them the article information in a package.

Then, after a moment's hesitation, he quickly contacted his second-circle wizard friend on the committee for the Istoria Archaeology Prize to inquire about the news and confirmed that they had also received the submission.

The second-circle wizard sat in his chair, lost in thought. "It seems the winner of this year's Istoria Archaeology Prize has already been announced."

"This article fills a gap in the research on the Nameless King. It's hard to believe that such a result was not made by our Starfield Sea archaeology wizards, but by four first-ring wizards from outside wizarding lands."

"Golden Crown Mountain..."

Meanwhile, in the office of the committee for the Istoria Archaeological Prize, an article was also delivered to the Third Ring Wizard Istoria.

After reading the article and the related archaeological evidence, Istoria, as the chairman of the award, checked for any forgery, raised his head, and nodded slightly to everyone.

"The arguments are detailed; this is indeed an article that fills a gap in the Age of Stars. These four young archaeologists are all very good."

“I am very grateful to them.”

The wizard of Istoria took off his glasses and placed them on the table. He then picked up the submitted article with his gloved hands and gracefully removed his gloves.

"I have been studying the Age of Stars for countless years. At this age, to see a group of young wizards from the outside world working so hard and filling the research gaps in the Age of Stars is truly moving."

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this team will likely be the winner of one of the prizes in the Istoria Awards this year."

Several second-circle wizards in the Istoria Awards Committee office looked at each other in disbelief. They had never expected that this year's winner of the prestigious Istoria Awards would be from an outside wizarding community.

The Wizard of Istoria was a third-circle wizard who was very close to a fourth-circle wizard, and the awards he established have become very famous in the archaeological community due to the accumulation of various historical reasons.

Although the three-ring prizes are not very prestigious, and the two-ring prizes are even less prestigious, they are nothing special in the Starry Sea, just small prizes.

However, the prizes in the first round are highly prestigious.

In previous years, this honor was awarded to archaeological wizards from the Starfield Sea, but this year, everyone will have to watch as this honor is handed over to an unknown team from the wizarding lands outside the region.

As the wizard Istoria opened her hand, a copy of "Chronicles of the Age of Stars" appeared in the office. The powerful crown magic caused all the wizards' expressions to change.

Inside the office, all the wizards felt that they could hardly use any archaeological magic.

A Chronicle of the Age of Stars.

Apart from the second-ring Sun Ring wizards, who could barely maintain their own selves and at least preserve their power under the power of the Crown Magic "Chronicles of the Age of Stars," all the other wizards felt the heavy pressure of the era weighing on their shoulders.

The wizard Istoria picked up her magic quill and, in this powerful crown magic book, the Chronicle of the Age of Stars, wrote the missing piece: the section on the nameless king. "A civilization without a past, how can it speak of a future?"

"The future is important, it is the key. But only by grasping the present can we grasp the future. And I believe that only by mastering the past can we grasp the present. This is precisely my definition of archaeology and history as the Wizard of Istoria."

"Archaeology is about grasping the future by understanding the theories of the past."

Behind "Chronicles of the Age of Stars" appear countless galaxies, and the sound of bells keeps ringing.

Wizard Istoria said with satisfaction, "I must thank those four children; they helped me fill this gap in my historical research. My chronicle is becoming more and more complete, and I have a premonition that the moment my chronicle is finished will be the moment I become a fourth-circle wizard. I will become the holder of historical knowledge in the Age of Stars!"

Inside the office, many second-circle wizards bowed to the wizard of Istoria, both as a sign of respect for their boss and as an expression of admiration for this pioneer of archaeology.

Wizard Istoria shook her head slightly, her magic quill pausing as she pondered, "Something's not right. Sigh, they're just four first-ring kids after all. They don't seem to have figured out the real secret hidden behind the ruins they're investigating."

“No.” The wizard Istoria looked at the section of the article written by Locke, and sensed Locke’s unspoken meaning between the lines. “Even when examining the same ruins, working in a team, an individual’s intelligence is enough to help them see things differently from the others in the team. Did this child realize that?”

“Barry James. Could you help me find all of this kid’s previous articles? I want to read them all; it won’t take much time anyway. Also, from now on, you need to bring me all the articles he publishes in journals.”

Inside the office, many second-ring wizards looked surprised.

Barry James, a Moon Ring wizard and secretary to this Third Ring wizard, immediately bowed. "Yes, sir."

For archaeological wizards, studying the articles of their peers and using comparison, exegesis, and textual criticism to solve old problems with new methods can yield a great deal of research results.

Therefore, they are not surprised that they read articles by their peers.

However, Wizard James immediately realized Wizard Istoria's thoughts: 'Master, you want to read this young outsider wizard's writings to figure out what he hasn't fully expressed, and you believe that this wizard's writings have philological value.'

'He's just a first-ring wizard, isn't he?'

'Boss, are you really that concerned about this wizard? What exactly did he glean from the wizard's writings?'

……

Half a day later, the Void Battleship docked at its mooring site.

Locke and the still-shaken passengers disembarked from the wizard airship.

At this moment, everything near Mount Jinmian seemed to have remained unchanged, and the demonic storm that was affecting the entire Yunze Wetland was nowhere to be seen.

Even though the Twin Demon Realms are about to launch a demon war against Yunze Wetland, Jinmian Mountain, as its main base, remains peaceful, and that divine light that connects heaven and earth is still as sacred as ever.

The sun seemed like a bright wheel of light hanging behind the one large and three small peaks of Mount Jinmian.

Locke looked at the witch Shirley and asked curiously, "Senior sister, I've wanted to ask you this before. You've always hated dark wizards, so why were you so engrossed in reading on the Void Battleship, without even looking up to see what evil things those dark wizards outside the Void Battleship were doing?"

The witch Shirley looked at Locke in surprise and said, "Junior brother, I don't need to pay attention to the thoughts and actions of a bunch of dead people."

"No, dark wizards aren't even human. A person without faith is not a human being."

"Those humanoid creatures who can't repay their debts and resort to the Twin Demon Realms, selling everything—their souls and bodies—to become puppets of the demon realm, don't deserve to be called human!"

“I find it an eyesore to look at those people who owe money and don’t pay it back.”

The witch Shirley snorted coldly.

Locke pursed his lips, then pondered how to respond. Well, holy priests probably all hate people who owe money and don't pay it back.

After all, keeping one's word is the foundation of the eight virtues of a wizard.

In the eyes of the Holy Masters, a person with a bad reputation is probably no different from an evil criminal.

The witch Shirley said to Locke, "Junior brother, I need to go back and digest what I've learned from this exploration."

"I will soon be attempting to construct a great magic spell and become a second-circle wizard. Therefore, it will be difficult for us to meet during this time. Although I would like to support you in participating in the Silent Grail Plane Conquest Tournament, I am afraid that I will be willing but unable to do so."

Locke asked in surprise, "Senior sister, you're going to advance to the second-circle wizard level?"

The witch Shirley nodded matter-of-factly. "I don't have such lofty goals as you. I just want to become a second-ring wizard. I don't even dare to dream of a third-ring wizard."

"Now that I have accumulated enough from this exploration, why should I continue to refine my blueprint for constructing ultimate magic? I can directly attempt to construct ultimate magic. Moreover, after the ultimate magic is constructed, there are four opportunities to reforge it."

“If there are any flaws, I can always improve them later,” the witch Shirley thought for a moment. “If I become a second-circle wizard, it will be very beneficial to His Majesty’s power. The resources that a second-circle holy mage can leverage are enormous.”

"Only then can His Majesty's power on the side of the Holy Tribunal be further consolidated."

“However, don’t follow my example.” Shirley walked outside the dock with Locke, worried that Locke would also be eager to build his own Great Magic after hearing this. “Great Magic can indeed be repaired and refined through the next four forgings. But once the initial foundation is built, no matter how you repair it, you can only improve upon the existing foundation and it’s difficult to enhance its essence much.”

“You have the Plane Conquest Tournament, that tournament… um… I’ve been following the Throne for a long time, so I know a little about it. I reckon the Throne will tell you these things soon. Participating in that tournament is a perk in itself.”

Locke looked at her in confusion. "Senior sister, what do you mean?"

The Silent Grail Tournament is also known as the Great Magic Modeling Tournament. The Silent Witch has already negotiated with the world consciousness of that world. The moment you four contestants enter, you will gain the recognition of the world consciousness and can imprint your soul mark on the World Stone without spending much effort.

"Of course, with the Silent Grail present, this is just a simulation."

“The entire world will restart after the competition,” said the witch Shirley. “But for you contestants, this is equivalent to getting a free modeling experience!”

"Moreover, the experience gained after the competition, as well as the various things obtained from it, can be retained. The Silent Grail Tournament is originally a means to help wizards advance to the second ring. The large amount of magical components obtained in the competition can be taken directly to a medium-sized plane."

"Therefore, after the competition, there is a high probability that the four main participants will become second-circle wizards immediately after the competition."

The witch Shirley slowly revealed the secret. "This is a perk the Silent Witch has given to you researchers of the Institute of True Knowledge."

"Otherwise, why do you think we encounter so many wizards from various factions in the Spellfighting Tournament? It's simply because the Silent Grail Plane Conquest Tournament is extremely important, both for individuals and for the wizarding organizations behind them."

"For wizarding organizations, it's about student recruitment. The rankings in this competition will determine the allocation of recruitment quotas for the four academies in some controversial recruitment areas."

The witch Shirley said, "So, junior brother, you are different from me. You have a bright future, so please don't try to become a second-circle wizard before the Silent Grail. That would mean you would lose your right to participate and miss out on a free modeling opportunity."

Locke laughed and said, "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. I was able to simulate great magic by borrowing the kingdom's domain from that era to use the Historical Boundary Marker Spell."

"But at present, I don't have a single World Stone."

The witch Shirley nodded to Locke. "Junior brother, the next time we meet, we might both be second-circle wizards. But who knows? If I'm unlucky, you might never see me again."

Locke's expression changed slightly.

The witch Shirley explained, "The danger of constructing great magic varies from person to person; I've simply tried a radical method this time. If successful, I will be unparalleled in combat, and those dark wizards will be like stray dogs before me."

"If I fail, we will never see each other again."

Locke said, "Senior sister, we wizards are here to explore the truth of the world. Isn't preserving our own lives the most important thing?"

The witch Shirley said, “That is certainly true for you wizards. But for us holy wizards, the pursuit of truth is like sacrificing our lives for it.”

"If we Holy Wizards want to advance to the second ring, we cannot lose our beliefs. Therefore, it is best to succeed on the first try. Otherwise, the second or third time, unlike wizards from other schools, will likely be difficult to succeed."

Locke watched the witch Shirley's departing figure and sighed softly.

After this parting, I don't know if we'll ever have the chance to meet again.

He noticed out of the corner of his eye that some unfamiliar wizards were watching him, so he quickened his pace and left the spot, bumping into the three witches, Mason and her companions, who had come to greet him upon his return.

Mason Witch exclaimed with delight, "Boss, we're here!"

Freya the witch and Barrett the wizard are beckoning to Locke.

Locke noticed that the group of unfamiliar wizards stopped in their tracks upon seeing this scene.

Locke looked at the three of them and asked curiously, "What's wrong? You three seem so listless."

Mason Witch said, "It's nothing, I've just been busy with work lately. Boss, don't worry about it."

Barrett the wizard laughed and said, "It's good that you're back, boss."

Freya glanced at the two of them, then said to Locke in a half-coquettish tone, "Team leader, you've been gone for three months, so you don't know what's going on. You don't know, after you left, a high-and-mighty second-circle wizard researcher came to Team 2..."

"These days have been tough without you..."

(End of this chapter)