Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 743 Clash of Thrones, Thousand-Year Best Friends!

Locke breathed a sigh of relief; he had helped Esther escape the pursuit.

Although he still doesn't understand the full extent of Catherine the Witch's scheme, is Esther a traitor or an undercover agent?

On the surface, Esther is a traitor.

Of course, from her perspective, she might just be changing jobs, but the witch Catherine secretly helped her leave the Golden Crown region.

There's so much hidden information here.

At this moment, standing on the small void flying vehicle were two old acquaintances of Locke: one was Lana, the witch of the Rose Council, and the other was Nina, the witch of the Rose Council.

The two were dressed in two different types of rose clothing. One was a hazy gray-blue robe with a cup-shaped flower of blue roses, while the other was a wizard's robe in the style of the Ocean Song Rose. However, on the left shoulder of the robe was a real magical rose plant called the Ocean Song Rose.

The witch wearing this wizard's robe is Nina the witch.

The other one is an apricot-yellow robe shaped like a lord's crown, with an unusually fragrant golden celebration rose. It is also a wizard's robe themed around this rose, and on its right shoulder is a real rose magic plant, the Golden Celebration.

To Locke's surprise, the witch wearing the wizard's robe was Lana the witch.

It was Nina the Witch who reminded herself during the defense that she should buy a World Stone before participating in the competition.

In reality, he was implying that the high-ringed wizards of the Rose Council behind Solas the Lightfoot and Meloch the Magic Step would hire dark wizards to assassinate him after the competition.

The main reason she did this, besides having a good impression of her, was that the witch Lana had praised her many times in front of her.

He never expected that he would encounter these two familiar witches during Esther's defection.

Lana the witch glanced at Esther with a complicated expression, then looked at the Sith wizards who were chasing after them, as well as the other second-circle wizards.

"Siss, stop."

“Esther’s contract with your Golden Crown Mountain has expired, and she has already informed our Rose Witches in advance. His Majesty the Throne has agreed to let her join our Rose Council.”

"In that case, there's no need to damage the harmony between our two families."

“Afterwards, we will explain to Golden Crown Mountain separately and offer to compensate Esther for those unfinished contracts with Golden Crown Mountain.”

The Sith wizard looked indifferently at the witch Lana, then at the witch Esther, and then back at the witch Lana.

"If the Rose Council really doesn't want to damage its good relationship with Golden Crown Mountain, it shouldn't resort to such underhanded tactics."

"Undermining Jinmian Mountain is a serious provocation."

The Sith wizard said very firmly, "This is different from a small dispute like the Desert Rose. You've poached a Sun Ring Wizard from Golden Crown Mountain, which is tantamount to starting a war. You can decide when to start the war, but when it will end is not necessarily as you wish."

The Sith wizard asked, "Do you really want to start this conflict?"

Locke's eyes flickered; this was what he found most strange.

The defection of a Sun Ring wizard, not just an ordinary Second Ring wizard, is a significant loss for Golden Crown Mountain and will trigger a series of subsequent reactions.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, it's hard to believe that this is just a charade.

The witch Lana stood in front of the small flying vehicle, arms crossed, and smiled. "Go to war? Sith, you're exaggerating. If we were really that important to the academy, Esther would have a long-term contract, not just be a temporary worker."

“Since she’s a temporary worker, we can’t be that concerned about her leaving. Our Rose Council is willing to offer her a long-term contract.”

"In addition, there are a series of second-ring wizarding realm resources, and even priority selection rights to enter a third-ring wizarding realm. At the same time, we can promise to provide her with resources so that she can lead a team and apply for a Sun Ring Project Fund."

The witch Lana smiled and said, "We offer good treatment, so people come to us. Isn't that normal? Sith, don't make a fuss, okay? It's just a business transaction."

"We've only just finished fighting five major wars. You at Jinmian Mountain did a good job."

A hint of apprehension flashed in Lana the witch's eyes.

"But don't keep talking about war."

Among the five major battles this time, Golden Crown Mountain scored the highest score, which means that Golden Crown Mountain will become very powerful in the next ten years.

But precisely because of this, Esther had a reason to dig.

The project that the Red Dragon Queen of Golden Crown Mountain is applying for to apply for the Ten-Person Plan is almost identical to the project that the Rose Witch is applying for to apply for the Ten-Person Plan, and they are already in conflict.

Now both of them are vying to be the first to apply.

Whoever gets there first will get everything.

Academic disputes are matters of life and death, so Esther had to be investigated.

Esther the witch's eyes flickered as she turned to the Sith wizard and explained, "Sith, I don't want to be your enemy. But if you continue to be so aggressive and stubborn, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"Let me leave."

The Sith wizard snorted coldly.

"You don't want to be my enemy. Then why did you help Zaran Bailey become a second-circle wizard, speeding up his path to becoming a second-circle wizard, even though he might not have been able to become a second-circle wizard for most of his life?"

"But you accelerated his path to becoming a second-circle wizard, making him complacent and believing that he achieved it through his own efforts, completely ignoring the numerous instances of external assistance..."

Locke, who had been eavesdropping with his dragon ears perked up and was fighting alongside the Death Dragon against the second-circle wizards of Golden Crown Mountain, immediately understood what was happening.

It turned out to be the case.

He had long suspected that a huge conspiracy was hidden around Zaran Bailey, so he deliberately kept his distance from him to avoid being involved.

Looking back now, I realize that my decision was very wise.

It turns out that Zaran Bailey's ability to become a second-circle wizard was deliberately supported by the witch Esther.

Of course, this doesn't mean he didn't become a second-circle wizard on his own merits.

After all, to become a second-circle wizard, one has to rely on oneself for most things, but it seems that the witch Esther was behind the scenes, helping him to accelerate his growth and even cross the threshold that would normally take hundreds of years to cross.

This is probably what they call "pulling up seedlings to help them grow."

The Sith wizard stared intently at Esther the witch and said, "You made Zaran Bailey, an ordinary researcher, become a second-circle wizard ahead of time. To be honest, you ruined him, lowered his potential, and made him arrogant. You destroyed his sanity with success, and then you used deception to exploit him."

"After we arrested him, he told us everything. You often mentioned Locke in front of him and secretly instilled hostility towards Locke in his mind. Locke Augustine and Zaran Bailey are both valuable assets of Golden Crown Mountain, yet you have made them enemies."

"You deceived Zaran Bailey, leading him into a trap set by a conman. That conman roams around the Eastern Frontier, claiming to help various wizards establish purification factories in the colonies, but he doesn't actually possess that technology."

"He's just a fraud."

The Sith wizard said coldly, "Zaran Bailey doesn't realize that his so-called friend is just a big liar who talks nonsense and boasts everywhere."

"He was swindled out of all his money, but he didn't dare tell me and had to borrow from loan sharks. He fell into a series of scams and lost all his money, and at that moment, the Dune plane was also severely polluted."

The Sith wizard's eyes were cold, and he gritted his teeth.

“Esther, I have no grudge against you, so why do you want to ruin all my efforts over the past twenty years in the Dune Plane? Although the desert rose is one of the main raw materials for the love ring artifact proposed by the Rose Witch, it is only a small market and there are no technological barriers.”

Why did you go to such lengths?

Esther hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped herself.

The Sith wizard continued, "We've been friends for many years, and we even won a war against the demon realm together not long ago. If you have anything to say, you can come back to Mount Golden Crown with us and discuss it. Esther, you are the wizard of Mount Golden Crown..."

Locke, who was eavesdropping nearby, was terrified.

Good heavens, it turns out that the reason why the wizard Zaran Bailey was so hostile and jealous of me was because a third party was plotting against me in the dark.

Indeed, if there were no third party stirring things up in the dark, even if the wizard Zaran Bailey was jealous of him, he might not have been so hostile towards him.

If I hadn't happened to participate in this operation, I'm afraid these things would never have been discovered for a very long time to come.

It turns out that not long after I entered Jinmian Mountain, there were already such undercurrents around me.

Just why?

Why did the Rose Witch go through such a long and complicated process? (This is for group 2.)

But what exactly is Esther's stance?
If she is truly a traitor, then her defection of Zaran Bailey was likely just a ploy to cause trouble, and not a deliberate attempt to target herself.

I was just a tool she was using.

If she was an undercover agent sent by the teacher, then how much did Catherine the Witch know about these things?

Locke was momentarily confused.

Upon hearing this, the witch Lana, dressed in the golden celebration rose wizard's robe, immediately looked at the wizard Sith and said, "So you know nothing at all. Sith, you're wrong about one thing."

“Esther has always been a member of our Rose Council.”

A golden celebration rose bloomed on Lana the witch's shoulder, and instantly, beams of magical light shot out, affecting everyone's vision. At the same time, everyone saw a scene created by this magical spell. Within that scene, the appearance of Esther the witch in her youth appeared.

At this time, Esther the Witch was just an ordinary little girl. She was born on the streets of a free city-state in the Rose Council. She was the daughter of an ordinary gallery owner.

In the illusion, Esther the witch studied, took the exam for the local Rose Council's primary school, passed the exam, and entered the school. She quickly gained the attention of the second-class wizard apprentice headmaster of the primary school.

After being identified as a child of wood element, she rose rapidly through the ranks to the capital of a mortal kingdom under the jurisdiction of the Rose Council. There, she began her studies at an intermediate academy run by the Rose Council and became a third-class wizard apprentice in less than six months.

Originally, her destiny should have been to immediately pass the exam and be admitted to the advanced academy at the headquarters of the Rose Council, or the affiliated wizarding university of the Rose Council.

Regardless of which path she chooses, she will likely become an official wizard of the Rose Council in the future.

But then fate took a turn when a witch who looked like a little girl and wore a Baroque-style dress appeared before her. The little witch's dress was decorated with all sorts of rose and magical plant patterns.

She appeared before the young witch Esther, her hair styled in twin ponytails, her gaze filled with arrogance and disdain for everyone in the world.

Esther, who was standing nearby, glanced at this scene and bowed to the Rose Witch in the illusion.

The Rose Witch in the illusion looked at the Est Witch in front of her with indifference.

“Estelle, isn’t she? A rather interesting little girl.”

“I am the Third Throne Witch of the Rose Council.”

"I'm giving you a chance to rise to the top. I've seen your test results. Your magical accuracy is very high, but your synesthesia with magic is insufficient. In other words, you are a talented person, but your type of talent is not the best in our Rose Council."

The Rose Witch wore a malicious smile, making no attempt to hide her mocking gaze.

“Estelle, if you stay within the Rose Council's academic system, wherever you go, you'll always be second. A second place... more than enough, but never quite enough to be first. Are you willing?”

In the illusion, Esther the Witch immediately prayed to the Rose Witch for guidance on her future path.

The Rose Witch pointed in the direction of Mount Golden Crown and said, "This world is larger than you think. The Rose Council District is not the whole world, Esther."

"If this place isn't right for you, then go somewhere that is. A tree dies when transplanted, but a person thrives."

“Esther, I’m giving you a long-term and permanent task. If you accept, you can now become my teacher. If you refuse, you can pretend I was never here. I won’t tell you who I am, because that would only increase your future regret and make you unable to let go for the rest of your life.”

The Rose Witch stood with her hands behind her back and said, "I don't want to be so cruel. But I can't help it, I've always been so kind."

In the illusion, Esther undoubtedly chose the Rose Witch as her teacher.

The Rose Witch also extended her request for a long-term mission to Esther.

"From today onwards, you are my last disciple."

“Esther, a private master-disciple relationship is one thing, but a master-disciple relationship recognized by the White Wizarding Association is another.”

"When you become a more powerful wizard, you will understand—to call someone 'teacher'; to call someone 'teacher' and receive their acknowledgment that you are their student; and to call someone 'teacher' and receive their acknowledgment that you are their disciple."

"Those are three concepts. Although the title is the same, it's all because of one of the three pillars of this era—the mentorship system—which has confused the true definition of teacher and student in classical times."

The Rose Witch said, "You are now a third-class wizard apprentice, which is just right. You leave this intermediate academy under the Rose Council and go to take the exam for the intermediate academy on Golden Crown Mountain. After you pass the exam for the intermediate academy on Golden Crown Mountain, you will go to take the exam for the advanced academy on Golden Crown Mountain. I want you to become an apprentice under the student of the witch Catherine of Golden Crown Mountain."

"That would wash away the traces of the Rose Council from you. But that's not enough. You need to become a student of Catherine the Witch and work under her."

"As I have arranged, during your second-class wizard apprenticeship, you will be working with her students. During your first-class wizard apprenticeship, you can become an ordinary student under her. Then, I hope that during your formal wizardship, you can be addressed as her student by her own words."

The Rose Witch smiled. "And my disciple, when you become a second-circle wizard, that will be the time for you to return to your sect."

“This private mentor-apprentice relationship is different from the traditional mentorship system, so it will not cause conflict, and therefore no one will dare to gossip. In the future, it will be proof that you are a member of our Rose Council.”

In the illusion, Esther the Witch's eyes lit up as she bowed to the Rose Witch. "Thank you, teacher."

"I'm willing to go to Mount Jinmian."

Locke was dumbfounded as he watched the whole thing unfold.

Good heavens, Senior Esther, are you an undercover agent from Mount Golden Crown or the Rose Council?

Which side are you from?
In other words, the Rose Council used the mechanism that allowed third-class wizard apprentices to change teachers and lower-level schools and continuously pass exams to advance their ranks, thus re-examining Esther's learning experience and confirming her private affiliation through a private master-apprentice relationship.

That's strange.

Did his teacher, the witch Catherine, know about these things?
If she knew, why would she let herself help Esther?
If you don’t know…

Esther the Witch looked at Lana the Witch and the Sith Wizard, and at the same time glanced at the terrifying Death Dragon in the distance, the wizards on Mount Golden Crown responsible for blocking the Death Dragon, and the flock of flying dragons that blotted out the sky.

Esther the Witch said, "Actually, there's no need to go through all that trouble and put us all in a difficult situation. After all, this is a formidable place. The Death Dragon is already a terrifying enemy that ordinary second-ring wizards cannot defeat on their own, and it also poses a threat to us sun-ring wizards."

"Everyone, let's get straight to the point. I have always been a member of the Rose Council, before, now, and in the future. Therefore, there is no such thing as betrayal or not betrayal."

"Moreover, I know more than you, Sith, and you, Lana. You underestimate the closeness of my relationship with the Rose Witch. I am her last disciple, and she will not waste any more energy carefully nurturing a student until she becomes a fourth-circle wizard."

Esther the Witch sighed. "The research of the Rose Witch and the Red Dragon Witch has long been in conflict. Peach trees are also magical plants of the Rosaceae family, and their research often overlaps in many areas. Over time, they became enemies."

"Two hundred years ago, the Rose Witch discovered that the Red Dragon Witch's plan to acquire resources for the Ten-Person Project conflicted with her own research. At that time, she was already on the verge of success and had no choice but to make large-scale adjustments, so she could only use me as a pawn."

Everyone present fell silent.

I never imagined that the academic dispute over the Third Ring Road would escalate to such a brutal degree.

One project lasted for two hundred years, and the Rose Witch even spent two hundred years planning and cultivating a Sun Ring Wizard to act as a spy and uncover the secrets of the rival project team!

This is so curly!
Esther the Witch said, "Both of the Thrones are men of great talent and ambition, and are outstanding figures of their time. It is sad that their ideas often clash. Even if there is no enmity between them, it is more terrifying than if there were. Sith, I can tell you that the new energy-locking structures that your two groups have developed will be of great use to the Red Dragon Throne."

"Similarly, it also has a great effect on Teacher Rose."

Locke, who was swimming nearby, was eavesdropping with his dragon ears perked up, and he was deep in thought.

'If the Rose Council truly trusts her so much, why did they test me so many times just now?'

'Furthermore, what exactly is the teacher's ten-person project? From Group 2 to Group 6, and even Group 3 led by Esther, it seems the research content isn't entirely unrelated, but it's safe to say it has absolutely no connection.'

'As a project spanning over two centuries, the two thrones likely didn't want to attract more covetous and competitive individuals, so they concealed their true project. Probably only a select few within their ranks, and those in exceptional circumstances like the Witch Esther, would know even a fraction of it.'

At this moment, a magical pressure of the third ring level suddenly descended from the sky, even startling the third ring wizard of Golden Crown Mountain who had been hiding in the shadows observing the situation and ready to make a move at any time.

"Lord Throne?"

Esther was also stunned for a moment, as if she were very frightened.

"Lady Catherine, have you finally realized that I have truly betrayed you?"

Locke was completely bewildered.

No, what exactly is going on? I'm completely confused!

Senior, did you betray me or not?

Locke then realized that he was still a greenhorn.

Currently, I seem to be at the level of someone who has just been able to sit at the card table and act as a card for others, while someone who can actually play cards needs to be at least at the third level.

However, at this poker table, the Sun Ring Wizard, as the trump card, seems to be able to have its own personality.

Even the card players might consider the interests of the Sun Ring Wizards to some extent.

At that moment, a Dragon Peach King suddenly descended from the sky, intending to suppress Esther and all the wizards of the Rose Council around her under that peach.

In an instant, the peaches transformed into a mountain!

Momoyama!

In an instant, everyone felt as if the peach had fallen from the sky, as if a whole new world had descended upon them.

At this moment, all the demonic pressure from everyone became powerless.

It was as if everything was bound to happen.

Locke even felt that his magical pressure was so fragile, as if it had no effect at all.

The Demon Peach has transformed into a mountain, and will be used to suppress the world!
The next moment, a shower of cherry blossoms suddenly swept through the sky as two powerful, throne-level magical pressures clashed.

The Rose Witch's childlike voice appeared.

"Katya, this is the first time I've ever seen you so furious. Hahaha..."

"We've been best friends for a thousand years... For a thousand years, I don't know how many times we've secretly wished the other would just go out and die of bad luck, right?"

(End of this chapter)