Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 734 Crimson Deep Court, the Dark Wizard of the Holy School!
Locke and Edgar accepted the Silent Witch's gift, and after a rather lengthy award ceremony and his relatively simple acceptance speech, carriages departed from the Silent Throne.

The magic carriage started from the Silent Throne and traveled in all directions.

A match has come to an end; victory is certainly cause for celebration, but defeat can also be a cause for joy.

After the grand event at Yunze Wetlands, many wizards will have to hurry back to work overtime. Many second-circle wizards came here using clone magic, and their original bodies or clones are still working.

Locke and the others each boarded a magical carriage hired by Golden Crown Mountain, and within half a day they traversed mountains and valleys, crossing dozens of mortal countries.

From plains to mountains, from hills to swamps, they traversed distances that ordinary people could hardly cross in a lifetime, in order to return to the Golden Crown Mountain region.

However, because the journey was long, and this time they weren't traveling by being beaten, the three of them, each in a magic carriage, gradually became drowsy.

The Preston Witch leaned against the carriage, yawning.

"The academy has indeed provided excellent benefits this time. The first-class wizard apprentice coachman they hired is a wizard specializing in beast taming magic within the summoning school, and driving the carriage is certainly comfortable for him."

She leaned lazily against the carriage and gradually fell asleep.

In another magical carriage, Antoine frowned. The carriage group had now entered a mountainous region of mortal territory. In this area, they could see a primary academy established by Little Rest Mountain, standing atop the mountain.

Among the junior academy was a second-class wizard apprentice from Little Rest Mountain. The old man, dressed in the robes of a headmaster, watched with slight panic as the group of young men and women of the junior academy looked at the procession of carriages passing by their Little Rest Mountain Verdun Junior Academy, amidst the reverent gazes of the students.

He felt terrifying demonic pressure passing by, like gods and demons, like mountains looming over his heart.

The dean quickly instructed the students not to go out at this time, so as not to provoke people they shouldn't.

At the same time, Locke and the others' magical carriage suddenly broke away from the group, heading towards a side road, and Chad's carriage immediately followed.

At that moment, a crimson river suddenly flowed through the valley, and the crimson water passed under the wheels of Locke's magic carriage.

The first-class wizard apprentice coachman who was driving Locke seemed to have just woken up from a dream, looking around strangely with a hint of doubt in his eyes.

"Strange, how did I end up driving here?"

He felt a spiritual connection with the two magical fiery steeds and comforted them.

At the same time, he turned to Locke inside the carriage and apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, sir. I don't know why I suddenly drove the carriage here."

Locke, inside the carriage, remained silent, sitting with his eyes closed, as if waiting for something.

A crimson river appeared beneath the entire carriage, flowing gently as if it had existed since time immemorial.

The next moment, the entire carriage shrank... proportionally, and the magical carriage appeared in a rushing red river.

The first-class wizard apprentice looked confused, finding it even harder to understand the current situation. The higher a high-ring wizard stands, the farther they can see.

He was merely a first-class wizard apprentice, and naturally, he was manipulated throughout the entire process.

Second-circle wizards were involved behind this attack.

He used an apprentice-level beast taming spell, "Lesser Old Horse Knows the Way," which prevented the two fiery spirit steeds from falling into the turbulent, crimson river, allowing them to attempt to escape the water.

But this river is like the Tongtian River.

The entire magic carriage was like a toy in the Tongtian River, unable to break free. No matter how hard the first-class wizard apprentice tried, the magic carriage sank deeper and deeper into the crimson river.

At this moment, even this first-class wizard apprentice sensed that something was wrong.

The crimson river...

Could this be Crimson Deep Garden from the Five Great Wars?

Crimson Deep Court, one of the five major black wizard groups in Cloud Marsh Wetlands, is characterized by its worship of a crimson deity who claims to be the supreme true god. However, these black wizards were originally a group of holy priests from a sacred school...

The first-class wizard apprentice's eyes widened. He turned around and tried to call out to Locke inside the carriage for a response, but Locke inside the carriage did not give any reply at all.

At the same time, a whirlpool suddenly appeared in the deep red river, and the entire carriage was pulled directly into the deep red whirlpool.

Then, as if it could fall indefinitely, the entire carriage plummeted rapidly, and it's unclear how long it fell.

The carriage finally touched the ground.

The first-class wizard apprentice hired by Mount Golden Crown had pale lips as he looked at the hellish scene before him. The ancient blood sacrifice magic had long been abolished, but Crimson Deepgard, as a group of madmen and lunatics in the wizarding world, would of course use this magic without any scruples.

A group of wizards dressed in bright red clothes, wearing bird-beak masks and pointed hats as tall as themselves, appeared around the carriage.

There are a total of eleven first-ring wizards, one second-ring dark wizard, and one second-ring ordinary wizard witch.

The second-circle dark wizard of Crimson Deep spoke to the witch Jesse beside him: "Although it took a little effort, we still managed to invite this wizard into our Crimson Deep's divine realm using our second-circle spell, the Advanced Homecoming Charm."

The Homecoming Instinct Spell, a sub-direction of the Sacred School of Deep Garden magic, allows one to subconsciously influence a target by obtaining a drop of their blood and their true name, causing them to involuntarily enter the divine realm of the Crimson Deep Garden.

With this technique, Crimson Deep Garden can accomplish many incredible feats, even surpassing the mental manipulation abilities of wizards from the Mind School and the Enchanting School. Furthermore, once someone joins the Crimson Deep Garden cult, their soul is cursed with this spell, and their name becomes known to Crimson Deep Garden.

Therefore, they can never leave the Crimson Deep again, because all their hard work to escape was only for the purpose of returning!

Crimson Deep is the dark wizarding version of the Holy School wizards. They are wizards of a faith lineage, but unfortunately, they do not believe in the eight fundamental virtues of white wizarding society, but rather in the three tenets of the supreme god of Crimson Deep.

The first tenet is that truth is dangerous, and therefore the path to seeking truth must be paved with blood.

Therefore, the cultists and sorcerers of Crimson Court, these madmen and lunatics, are all skilled killers.

The second tenet is that violence is a necessary means to pursue truth, therefore they need to master the art of violence.

The third tenet—pain is power—hence the dark wizards of Crimson Deep are a group of guys who enjoy self-torture.

At this moment, the witch Jesse looked at Locke, who was surrounded by the dark wizards of the Crimson Deep Court, and slowly walked forward, bursting into laughter.

"Locke, we meet again. I've been trying to persuade you for a long time to agree to Solas's Barefoot and Melochy's Magic Step cooperation request. But you refused and rejected our well-intentioned offer."

"Your Augustus Wizard Shoes are becoming increasingly popular, which will attract more and more breeding geniuses to the market. But you've forgotten that capital is profit-driven and mad. Capital will stop at nothing to keep expanding itself."

Jesse the Witch glared at Locke with hatred. "So, you're dead."

Locke, inside the carriage, finally spoke.

"So, you were abandoned?"

Jesse the witch was pale.

Because Locke was right, she was indeed abandoned by Solas the Lightfoot. As Solas the Lightfoot's wizard agent, she had long since gone bankrupt because she couldn't pay the wizard taxes, and later borrowed money to do research, accumulating a huge debt.

Solas barefoot was her creditor.

Now the creditors are starting to get scared. They've seen how much the Augustus Wizard Shoes brand has gained since Locke won the Spellfighting Tournament, and they've even made estimates about what would happen if Locke won the Silent Holy Grail.

Ultimately, the wizard shareholders of Solas's Barefoot Shop Alliance were horrified to discover that once Locke became a second-circle wizard, he would gain control of the most crucial right of a second-circle wizard—the right to establish shop alliances.

Once the shop alliance can be established, according to the conventions of the wizarding world, a large number of wizarding investors will invest in it.

Based on past experience, if it gets to that point, Solas's Lightfoot and Melochy's Magic Step won't be able to easily and brutally defeat the opponent.

The two sides will coexist.

Therefore, the alliance between the two major stores cannot allow this to happen.

The only opportunity to interrupt this course of events is a very brief period of time.

First, it's impossible for them to attack Locke before Locke participates in the Silent Grail event.

First, at that time, they were unsure whether they really wanted to escalate the conflict with Locke to this point, as doing so would inevitably incur significant costs.

For example, in this attack on Locke, at least one second-circle wizard will be imprisoned as a result, and more than a dozen first-circle wizards will be implicated to varying degrees.

Solas's Lightfoot and Melochy's Magic Step, the two shop alliances, are prepared to sacrifice these wizards to deal with the upcoming thunderous wrath of Mount Golden Crown, which could potentially affect all businesses in the Mount Golden Crown region.

If the cost of attacking Locke after the tournament is so high, then it's even less likely that an attack would be launched before the Silent Grail War, as that would easily be mistaken by Mount Golden Crown as an attack against Mount Golden Crown.

Secondly, it's even less likely to be an attack during a match.

Once Locke returns to Golden Crown Mountain, it will probably not be long before he becomes a second-circle wizard.

As a wizard of Golden Crown Mountain, it was relatively easy for him to come into contact with the World Stone.

Therefore, their only chance to attack is during the period when Locke returns from the Silent Throne to Mount Golden Crown.

Although it may seem like there's plenty of time, the attack could only take place within a short period of time.

In any case, they can only grasp it.

The witch Jesse sneered, "It's not like I'll have to sacrifice myself. I'll kill you and then escape from Cloud Marsh Wetlands immediately. Before that, I'll kill you little by little."

"Locke, you've ruined me." Inside the carriage, Locke said, "Your creditors forced you to do this, what does it have to do with me?"

"However, I didn't expect you to cooperate so deeply with the Black Wizard."

The witch Jesse, on the contrary, looked surprised. "What are you talking about? Don't you know that the five major powers behind the Five Great Wars have each received sponsorship from a top-tier wizarding university in Cloud Marsh Wetlands?"

"Our Rose Council is the patron of Crimson Deep Court."

"Storm Tower is the sponsor of the Twin Demon Realms..."

"The Five Great Wars initially started as a single wizarding faction sponsoring dark wizards to attack the territories of other top wizarding academies. However, it quickly evolved into a dynamic equilibrium system, and this action and tradition were recognized by the White Wizarding Association. The White Wizarding Association of Yunze Wetlands needs to utilize those dark wizards to ensure that the major wizarding universities in Yunze Wetlands are always able to compete for the top spot."

"Therefore, the relationship between the five major dark wizarding organizations and the seven top wizarding universities is one of mutual exploitation and is extremely complex. Oh, by the way, I actually mistook you for a wizard of my own caliber."

The witch Jesse was even more agitated.

In her view, even within Solas's value judgment, she, an ordinary second-ring wizard, was not as valuable as Locke, a first-ring wizard.

Therefore, Soras Lightfoot was willing to exchange her and some other first-ring wizards for Locke.

This is a typical example of asset-for-asset swaps that medium to large-sized store alliances like Solas Footwear would engage in.

By using one's inferior assets to fight against the enemy's superior assets, and relying on superior resources to win, the inferior currency can eliminate the superior currency.

Thinking about this made Jesse the Witch feel even worse.

Because she realized that in Solas's barefoot world, her value was considered lower than Locke's, something Locke had told her a few months earlier.

Their statuses are not equal.

This filled the witch Jesse with rage, which she directed at Locke. "Stop wasting time talking to him! Everyone, attack him together, kill him quickly, and then scatter and escape from here."

Once she killed Locke, she could foresee a life-or-death race against time.

But this was her only way out, a slave to debt.

However, at least for now, before those days of hardship, she could enjoy the thrill of killing a genius with her own hands.

Crushing it as easily as crushing an ant.

On the other side, the second-circle wizard of Crimson Deepgard glanced at Locke, then at her.

"That's ridiculous, Pelé."

"A second-circle wizard being driven to this point by a first-circle wizard? I say, Jesse, isn't your white wizarding society absurd? Being a white wizard is so boring. You might as well believe in the supreme true god and comprehend the true truth."

The next moment, a huge phantom of a mace suddenly appeared in the hand of this second-circle wizard from Crimson Deephouse.

Locke knew that it was the Holy Weapon series of magic from the Holy Wizard.

Sacred weapons are formed from the power of faith and the divine spirit within the artificial divine realms of wizards, and possess different abilities depending on the nature of each artificial divine realm.

Generally speaking, all holy weapons provide a significant bonus to damage against spirits.

Therefore, in theory, all the magic of the Holy School, even the Holy Magic of this group of black wizards, is specifically effective against necromancy.

The next moment, countless drops of blood gathered in this deep courtyard. In Locke's view, this special deep well space was a special version of the Dharma Realm.

But it seems to be more profound than the Dharma Realm.

At this moment, the mace was soaked with blood. Then, the second-ring dark wizard raised the mace and smashed it down toward Locke. The mace's handle automatically extended.

The next moment, the Golden Eye Grass that Locke had automatically summoned was smashed open, and the entire Golden Eye Grass was torn apart.

At the same time, a spell model appeared on the mace; it was the second-circle spell of the Crimson Deepgrounds system, [Blessing of the Martyrs].

When this hammer strikes a person, as a sacred weapon, it can instantly transform the victim's blood into the spirit that makes up the hammer, enhancing the weapon's combat power.

The entire Crimson Deepgard system, due to its extreme pursuit of violence and pain, makes the Deepgard dark wizards, as members of the sacred school, extremely powerful in combat.

Their sacred weapon magic system, as well as sacred servant magic, power spell system, and discipline magic are all extremely powerful!

At that moment, the sacred weapon slammed down towards Locke.

The eleven first-ring dark wizards then surrounded Locke, chanting hymns of praise—the very hymns of suffering.

The effect of this spell is that after Locke is killed, he can retain the ability to move and feel pain for a period of time, even though he has already been killed.

This spell was created by those madmen of the Crimson Deep in order to inflict more suffering.

At this moment, Locke summoned two more Golden Eye Grasses and used the first-circle spell Model, Connecting the Qi of the two Golden Eye Grasses that had undergone photosynthesis, in order to enhance their strength.

But the next moment, both golden-eyed grasses were also shattered by the hammer in an instant.

The sacred weapon, the spiked mace, possesses the special effect of inflicting double the pain upon the moment of injury, making it a veritable torture artifact.

At the same time, with an excited look in her eyes, the witch Jesse summoned a devil serpent vine and used a botanical spell to attack Locke.

The second-ringed demonic plant, the Devil Serpent Vine, resembled a winding, emerald-green venomous snake as it attacked Locke, preparing to be the first to strike him and taste his blood.

At the same time, the second-ring dark wizard chanted the second spell, Deep Garden Mantra - Paralysis.

Locke suddenly felt as if his entire body was paralyzed, half of his body was numb.

Inside the magic carriage, the hired first-class wizard apprentice was completely terrified. He never expected that he would encounter such a thing just because he had taken on a job!
On the magic carriage, Locke sighed slightly. He activated his water gourd system, but within the crimson deep court of the divine kingdom, he was naturally unable to contact the outside world.

But actually... he had already contacted the wizard Chad.

Just half an hour ago, the wizard Chad sent Locke a message.

"Based on my years of experience with strategic shifts on new routes, I think... well, we're being tracked. But we're currently mixed in with a large group, and I don't know if those trackers in the magic carriage convoy are tracking us, or someone else."

'The opposing team likely has two second-ring wizards and a dozen or so first-ring wizards. The two second-ring wizards' magical pressure is quite weak, barely exceeding ten thousand; it's pathetic.'

"This is quite a show of force. I want to report this to the Sun Ring Wizards at Golden Crown Mountain and let them handle it. I think this little incident should be over soon."

On the Water Hyacinth's chat system, Locke sent a message to Wizard Chad.

"No, Chad, I'm a bit short on cash lately, so I'm looking for a good opportunity to promote my wizard shoes. If that's the case, then I have a great idea."

"It's very simple to find out who's being targeted. We'll just break away from the convoy later, and then we'll know who they're after."

Chad the wizard immediately sent a message to Locke.

'Wait a minute, Locke, you just left the competition, and you shouldn't be a second-ring wizard anymore.'

"What you need to do now is go back and rest, process what you've gained in the competition, and then use the resources you acquired to become a second-circle wizard."

The last message Locke sent to Wizard Chad was—

"Excuse me, Senior Chad. I'm already a second-ring wizard. I'm really short on cash lately, so these people are giving me a convenient excuse to promote my wizard shoes. I might as well bully some newbies. Since everyone's here, I need to seize this last opportunity for promotion."

At this moment, Locke's magical pressure inside the magic carriage surged past 10,000, then past 13,000, then past 14,000, then 15,000, and finally reached... 16,000.

At this moment, the World Tree leaf in his hand emitted a faint green glow.

The moment Locke obtained the World Leaf, he instantly realized that if the World Stone was a world consciousness recognition certificate of a medium-sized plane, then this World Leaf was a world stone of the endless void level!

As a symbol of nature guardians, the World Tree leaf is a second-ring item and a symbol of the second ring.

Therefore, in fact, the moment he obtained the World Tree Leaf, he had already become a true second-circle wizard!

And even better!

Because the World Stone used is not limited to one plane, but is natural in the endless void.

Of course, as another reward for the competition, the coordinates of an unexplored dimension are also something I need.

No wizard could resist this coveted treasure.

The witch Jesse and the second-circle dark wizard felt the immense magical pressure that descended upon the carriage like the sun, and their expressions changed drastically.

what!
How can it be!

How could someone become a second-circle wizard the instant they leave the Silent Grail?
Doesn't he need any breathing room?

At this very moment, inside the magic carriage, Locke pressed one hand to his cheek and said, “Everyone, I, the Eye Demon Wizard, announced my arrival to everyone in the Cloud Marsh Wetlands when the Holy Grail was silenced.”

"What, didn't you receive the notification?"

A full moon rose behind Locke's magical carriage, its light shining brightly—the Great Magic: Evolution Moon!
(End of this chapter)