Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 669 The Apocalyptic Witch Stone, Is It in Your Hands?

The wizard Forbes took out a sample of wizard shoes from his astral ring and put them on his feet.

The scaly leaves of the large snow-capped pineapple adapted to his feet, conforming to his feet, and underwent some slight morphological changes.

Forbes Wizard was slightly surprised, because when he tested wizard shoes before, those newly established wizard shoe brands always had some kind of minor problem.

Because the manufacturers and designers of the newly established wizard shoe brand lack relevant experience, they are already doing a great job of ensuring the main functions are done well, let alone paying attention to the small details in every aspect.

However, the production technology and design drawings of this newly established wizard shoe brand are quite reasonable and complete.

The Forbes Wizard said, "This researcher must have found a well-established manufacturer to produce it, otherwise the details wouldn't be so exquisite. Look at this enchantment; although it didn't use any particularly high-end technology, it was engraved following the unique pattern of the pineapple magic plant's leaves."

"The technology is mature."

Wizard Luca glanced at the data and said, "It's a production line from Arthas. The Arthas Shop Alliance has been investing in the production capacity of various colonies recently, and it seems to be paying off."

“This Augustine wizard has a deep partnership with the Arthas Shop Alliance. He has connections, so it’s quite normal for him to invite excellent production teams to produce for him.”

"Forbes, how do these wizard shoes feel?"

"Can it still be used?"

The Forbes wizard felt the sensation in his feet; wearing these wizard shoes was not much different from wearing ordinary shoes.

But with just a slight movement, the specialized fleshy root of the Great Snow Pinscher, resembling the icy blade of an ice skate, carved a line of ice across the ground, filling the earth with icy magic.

"Hmm?" Forbes Wizard let out a soft exclamation. He slid across the ground, leaving a trail of ice. In an instant, he had slid a distance of one thousand meters across the ground.

With a slight push of his feet, Forbes Wizard created an ice track resembling a railway beneath his feet, and he glided along it at an incredible speed, like a waltz.

Moreover, it wasn't just his speed that was impressive; under the influence of these wizard shoes, his movement was fluid, agile, smooth, and swift.

One semicircle after another appeared in mid-air.

Forbes Wizard's expression turned serious. "This is truly surprising. It's not just usable; the performance of these plant-based wizard shoes is comparable to the latest iterations of Melochy Magic Steps and Solas Barefoot (30k)."

With a slight angular shift of his right foot, Forbes Wizard created a rapidly spinning circle on the ice railroad track in mid-air, and he himself drifted quickly along the spiral track.

He was a Moon Ring Wizard, so he mastered the use of the Great Snow Pinscher very quickly.

As long as his feet deviate in a certain direction, he can automatically use the properties of the snow-capped pineapple to glide through a spiral track in the sky, which makes his movement very graceful.

Forbes Wizard looked incredulous. “It’s hard to believe this is the work of a small brand just established by an individual wizard. Its performance is excellent, comparable to Melochy Magic Step and Solas Lightfoot (30k).

"Although after careful use, I noticed that in some details, the performance is more than sufficient and the details are still relatively lacking, it does not affect the details of its use as a weapon of war. It is just a matter of comfort and a little bit of learning."

The use and learning of various wizard shoes, such as Melochy Magic Step and Solas Barefoot (30k), are all specially adjusted.

Therefore, wizards will find it very simple to use these two brands of wizard shoes, as long as you only use their basic functions.

Both the Radiant Ranger 01 and the Shadow Dancer 86 possess this characteristic.

However, when Forbes Wizard used the Big Snow Pineapple 02 (the first version was the regular Big Snow Pineapple), he still noticed some unfamiliarity with its use.

However, this is a trivial matter.

Since wizards are the ones who use wizard shoes, learning how to use them is the lowest-cost option for them.

No wizard could be completely clueless about a pair of wizard shoes.

Forbes Wizard landed on the ground, and the snow-capped pineapple transformed into two fireflies, landing in his hands. He looked at Luca Wizard with a serious expression and said, "If I told you that these wizard shoes not only don't seem like the work of a novice, but rather the work of a master, would you believe me?"

Wizard Luca raised an eyebrow. "Putting aside the fact that this is just a new brand, the biggest difference between the Plant Wizard Shoes and the Artifact Wizard Shoes probably lies in their energy and craftsmanship. The Artifact Wizard Shoes have mature craftsmanship, and most importantly, they address the energy issue."

"Magic artifacts can be various energy-based alchemical devices, while magical plants require the use of plant roots or leaves to absorb and transform specific magical tides and various energies from the outside."

"Among movable objects, magical plants of the same volume cannot achieve the same energy output and durability as the magical wizard shoes."

"That's the key point."

"As botanical wizards, we should both be aware of this. Among miniaturized, fast-moving objects, plants have always been the weaker party."

Forbes Wizard shook his head and said, "These plant-themed wizard shoes have performance comparable to the top-tier first-level magical artifact wizard shoes from Cloud Marsh Wetlands."

Wizard Luca lowered his head in thought. "That's strange. Look at the size of these two pineapples, they're so small, barely the size of a palm. How can magical plants of this size perform like that? I can't understand it. How did he solve the problems of energy conversion efficiency and energy absorption efficiency?"

"If that's the case, I think there's likely more than one special energy-locking structure within this magical plant."

Wizard Luca kept conceiving in his mind the unique energy-locking structures of various magical plants, and then tried to use his magical knowledge in the field of breeding to create a method to make the magical plant wizard shoes in front of him.

But he shook his head slightly in response.

Because his reason told him... he couldn't do it.

Based on his understanding of first-ring magical plants, without imaginary roots, it would be absolutely impossible to achieve this level of efficiency in absorbing and converting magical energy. However, if imaginary roots were added to a magical plant, due to the characteristics of imaginary roots, this magical plant would inevitably develop towards the second-ring stage.

The cost and the magical power required for the user would both increase, making these wizard shoes no longer a part of their testing process.

Moreover, even with the addition of imaginary roots, the magical plants cannot move so quickly due to the characteristics of imaginary roots.

This was the Achilles' heel of the former pure magic plant wizard shoes.

Wizard Luca looked at the pair of wizard shoes that Wizard Forbes had handed him. As a breeder, his curiosity compelled him to investigate how Locke had managed to do it.

But his goal was thwarted by the triple illusion leaves on the wizard's shoes.

"Triple Illusion Leaf? He even managed to get his hands on something like that. It seems he had planned all this out in advance."

The Forbes wizard chuckled, "This Augustine wizard must have foreseen that a wizard would want to unravel the mystery of his magical plant wizard shoes."

"However, I advise you not to delve too deeply into this matter. He is backed by the Academic Committee and Catherine's Throne."

"You dare to crack His Technique before His Highness's students have even published their articles?"

Wizard Luca coughed. “Triple Illusion Leaf is a mature, anti-crack precious plant factor. Since he has put this precious plant factor into this pineapple magic plant, it will be very difficult to crack it in a short period of time, unless he voluntarily discloses the relevant plant essence and plant factor.”

"However, I am still very curious about how he was able to enhance the magical plant to this extent."

The wizard Luca, with his hands behind his back, said, "The younger generation is truly formidable."

Wizard Luca himself put on the wizard shoes and tested them, confirming that these first-ring wizard shoes did indeed have the ability to rival the top-tier first-ring wizard shoes.

Wizard Luca said, "Incredible. The Air Pineapple Wizard Shoes weren't his original creation. The young first-ring breeder who provoked the Magic Weavers, was tricked by them, and died during the conquest of the plane was the main creator of the Air Pineapple Wizard Shoes concept."

"But before he could become a second-circle wizard and continue his research on the path of air pineapple wizard shoes, he died mysteriously."

"However, he is the only wizard who has been able to enhance the air plant wizard shoes to this extent. His research in the field of pineapple magic plants is extremely in-depth. I really don't know what kind of energy-locking structure he has mastered that can increase the energy absorption efficiency of this air plant magic plant so much."

Wizard Luca exclaimed, "Truly a worthy disciple of the Throne Wizard!"

The Forbes Wizard coughed. "Luca, we're both getting on in years. We should know it's best to avoid discussing sensitive topics. We don't have any evidence."

"Would a magic weaver really kill a breeder who has the potential to advance to the second-circle wizard level and whose main research focus is on air plant magic wizard shoes? You can't just say things like that without evidence."

"Moreover, before Locke Augustine, no one would have thought that this was a promising path."

Wizard Luca nodded. "Indeed."

The two continued testing, testing about twenty-one well-known wizard shoe shops in Yunze Wetland, all of which sent over their samples this time.

However, after discussion, the two decided that there were only three final candidates for approval: the Shadow Dancer 86 version of Melochy's Magic Step, the Radiant Wanderer 01 version of Solas's Barefoot (30k), and the Snow-capped Pineapple 02 version of Augustus's Wizard Shoes.

The two began to discuss. "Twenty-one submissions, including works from our own team, have all been tested and scored. However, as testers, we can still provide a rather subjective final evaluation."

"After testing, among these 21 wizard shoes, only the products of two established top wizard shoe brands and the dark horse brand Augustus Wizard Shoes are of the same level."

The Forbes wizard pondered, "I think we should choose the Augustus Wizard brand as our final evaluation."

"As for the final result, the War Council will hold another meeting to discuss it."

As is customary, their final evaluations essentially determine which design方案 will be adopted.

Wizard Luca hesitated. "From an emotional standpoint, we should choose the Augustus Wizard Shoes. But from a rational standpoint, I think we need to consider this carefully."

"Does a newly established wizard shoe brand really have such a high production capacity?"

"This is just a sample. If anything goes wrong, we'll be the ones who get fined."

The wizard Forbes said, "He can cooperate with Arthas, and since he has a stable partnership with Arthas, we don't need to worry about his production capacity."

Wizard Luca nodded. "That's true. But there's another problem: using a wizard shoe brand that no one has ever heard of before carries a certain risk for both of us."

"If the war goes well, we'll consider ourselves as having a keen eye for talent." "If we perform poorly in the war, we might run into some trouble."

The Forbes Wizard suddenly spoke up: "By the way, what are the prices of the Radiant Ranger and the Shadow Dancer? And what is the price of the Snow Pinscher?"

Wizard Luca quickly flipped through the data. "Hmm... the price of a pair of Radiant Rangers is 35, and the price of a pair of Shadow Dancers is 30."

"Hmm? The price of Merroy's Magic Steps is so low this year?"

The Forbes wizard sneered. "A pair of wizard shoes selling for this price is almost three times the price of a magical artifact of the same level. Custom-made magical artifacts and luxury magical artifacts can easily cost half a million, but these are mass-produced wizard shoes."

"They actually sold them for such a high price. Now they've only reduced the price by 50,000, do you expect me to thank them? How much do Augustus's wizard shoes cost?"

Wizard Luca flipped through the documents, then blinked, somewhat incredulous. "Fifty...fifty thousand?"

"The other party only quoted 50,000."

"No, this price is way too low."

Wizard Luca rubbed his eyes. "The average price of wizard shoes is 2 to 5 times that of magical artifacts of the same level. This is the first time I've seen wizard shoes sold for less than the average price of magical artifacts."

"fifty thousand……"

The Forbes Wizard looked at the first three products of the Augustus Wizard Shoes brand. "Their previous products were 20,000 magic stones a pair. These are 50,000 magic stones a pair. For them, this is already double the selling price."

"I saw meticulousness, dedication, passion, and professionalism in this Augustus Wizard Shoes brand," said Forbes Wizard. "It has the professionalism of an established wizard shoe brand, as well as the humility of a new brand."

“I see the future in it. Since the unit price is so low, we don’t feel any pressure choosing it. Even if something goes wrong, they can’t blame us later. After all, this thing is very cheap.”

Wizard Luca pondered for a moment, hesitated, and then said, "That is indeed the case. Then let's put the Augustus Wizard Shoes on the list in our final selection of wizard shoes."

When he said this, Wizard Luca was still somewhat dazed.

Even Jinmianshan cannot be without seniority bias. After all, established store alliances or brands are more stable, more mature in cooperation, and less prone to errors.

Therefore, in all their past reviews, they have rarely chosen the work of such a complete newcomer.

If the works submitted by the magic weavers were even slightly more cost-effective, even if it were only half as much again, he would immediately reject the Forbes Wizard's choice.

After all, for war equipment, the most important thing is that everything is stable.

However, the magic weavers have gone too far lately.

Perhaps it is indeed time to give newcomers a chance.

After further discussion, and confirming that Locke's wizard shoes were also quite effective at preventing theft, the two dared to write their decision on the opinion form.

He immediately recommended to the War Council the purchase of the Augustus Wizard Shoes brand's Snow-Topped Pineapple 02 edition.

The Demon Realm War is a war between Mount Golden Crown and the Twin Demon Realms under certain constraints, so the equipment purchased by Mount Golden Crown is subject to certain regulations.

Purchases should not be made arbitrarily.

During war, magical items of tactical level or higher cannot be used.

Only single-soldier level items can be used.

If the intensity of the war is not controlled, and the Golden Crown Mountain and the Twin Demon Realms continue to use strategic weapons, it could easily lead to a real firefight between the two major wizarding forces, which would be detrimental to both sides.

If the scale of the war gets out of control, it could turn into a terrible thing that destroys everyone, including the Cloud Marsh Wetlands and the Twin Demon Realms, which could be destroyed in the war.

After writing his opinion, Forbes Wizard laughed and said, "Hopefully, this incident will teach those magic weavers a lesson, put some pressure on them, and make them reflect on their actions. After all, Locke's identity is very important, and it's not something that can be easily erased."

Wizard Luca shook his head slightly. "Do you know how deeply entrenched the problem is? These two shop alliances are far too large. Not just these two shop alliances, the entire magic weaver industry is rotten to the core. Even if some wizards decide to distance themselves from them, they are often persecuted by those who have colluded with them."

"These are not the most crucial factors. The most crucial factors are those high-ringed magic weavers in the Rose Council."

"If the source of the water is smelly, how can the river not smelly?"

"Forget it. That young man should be able to make a fortune this time. I wonder if his wizard shoe brand can really survive."

……

Golden Crown Mountain, Dragon Blood Gathering, Witch's Kitchen, Room 1.

Inside the private room, Wizard Smith, dressed in a white wizard's robe adorned with three white bird feathers on his shoulders, smiled gently at Locke and said, "Brother Augustine, it's good to see you again. I've been ordered by the third-ring wizard of Storm Tower to visit your Golden Crown Mountain several times recently."

"Oh, this is the wizard leader of the Thunder Demon Society."

“You two must have met before.” Wizard Smith stood up, looking completely different from Antoine, not at all arrogant or domineering.

He was gentle and refined, like an ordinary young teacher; his clothes were not fancy, just plain.

Locke sat down in front of him and noticed that the wizard leader of the Thunder Demon Society was looking at him with hatred.

A malicious glint flashed in Locke's eyes. He then casually sat down in front of the two men, took a glass of wizard's wine from in front of Wizard Smith, and poured it into the empty glass in front of him.

He picked up the wine glass and smelled it. "Peach Blossom Wine?"

"This wizard's wine can get even a wizard at the first stage of crystallization drunk. It's expensive; I remember a pot costs five thousand magic stones."

"Smith, you're really willing to do that."

Locke drank it down directly. As a potion master, he wasn't afraid that someone would poison him.

Wizard Smith's pupils immediately contracted slightly.

The Thunder Demon Wizard, who had been looking at Locke with hatred, now had a hint of fear in his eyes.

For some reason, he felt a chill run down his spine. He was still alive, but it felt as if he was already on the verge of death.

Locke looked at Wizard Smith and said, "Speak, what do you want with me?"

Wizard Smith seemed somewhat taken aback by Locke's behavior. He smiled and said, "Locke, it's natural for people of our status to communicate easily."

“A few days ago, I asked this wizard to go to the River of Abyss for me, hoping to obtain a special resource.”

"Unfortunately, it seems that the Thunder Demon Society had a conflict with you, so almost the entire army was wiped out."

Locke said, "It has nothing to do with me. I didn't kill anyone. If you think there's a problem, you can go to the Holy Tribunal or the Ethics and Morality Review Committee."

Wizard Smith frowned. He had already been there, and if there was any chance of winning, there was no need to waste time talking here.

Wizard Smith chuckled, "But..."

Locke said, "What do you want to trade? If not, then we won't waste any more time. Also, the Thunder Demon Society's affairs have nothing to do with me."

"The Thunder Demon Society should consider who put you in this predicament. That's your true enemy. Enough with the nonsense, what do you want to trade? If not, I'm leaving."

The leader of the Thunder Demon Society wizards fell into deep thought, secretly glancing up at Wizard Smith with a complicated expression.

Wizard Smith frowned. He felt like he had met his match; the wizard in front of him seemed completely unmoved.

The fake smile on Wizard Smith's face vanished. "I see. Perhaps it will be easier to communicate if we speak frankly. I ask you, did you obtain the Apocalyptic Stone in the wizarding ruins?"

Locke asked, "What is that?"

Wizard Smith looked at Locke with a puzzled expression. "So you didn't go there for the Apocalypse Stone. Then what were you there for?"

"It is a special natural witch stone that fell into the wizarding world from the outer world by means of a meteor. We in the Storm Tower had previously observed that an Apocalypse Witch Stone fell into that ruin, and the people sent out by the Rose Council did the same."

Wizard Smith wore a mocking expression towards the Rose Council. "Those cowards in the Rose Council, they sent their own people into the ruins this time, and they ended up with almost a total annihilation. I must say, you were quite ruthless."

Locke said, "I'll say it again, these things have nothing to do with me."

Wizard Smith clearly didn't believe it.

His eyes were strange, as if he was convinced that the near-total annihilation of the Storm Tower's affiliated wizarding organization, the Thunder Demon Society, and a small research group of the Rose Council was entirely due to Locke's scheming.

Or it could be the scheme of another female holy priestess.

However, the Holy Priestess went into seclusion as soon as she returned and has since disappeared. Moreover, after discussion, they determined that the person with the highest status among the four was Locke Augustine.

Those two minor characters from the Qionghua Enclave were insignificant.

The entire operation was more like three wizards accompanying the Crown Prince of Golden Crown Mountain, just like his status in Storm Tower.

Therefore, Wizard Smith prejudged the idea that the Apocalypse Stone was very likely in Locke's hands at this moment.

(End of this chapter)