Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 758 The Starfield Sea Exam and Reencounter with an Old Friend
Locke murmured, "The big exam?"

The second-ring wizard from the Starfield Sea chuckled softly, "That's right. Now that you're a second-ring wizard, you'll naturally be interested in learning about this knowledge, and it will be useful to you after you understand it."

"Unbelievable! A former little wizard has now become a second-circle wizard. Like Sophia the witch, your growth is quite extraordinary."

The other party did not seem surprised.

"The high-level wizards on this side of the Starfield Sea made a prophecy and used powerful magic to activate the fortune of the entire Eastern Realm over the past thousand years. Within the next hundred years, a leader who can guide the next generation will be born, and therefore, there will be countless geniuses."

"This is part of the demon ascension plan in itself."

“The Star Domain Sea always operates in the shadows, never planning to do things in advance. Therefore, the Demon Ascension Plan did not begin now, but rather a situation has only recently arisen that can no longer be concealed.”

"You are already a second-circle wizard, so this content is not taboo for you. I hope you can vote in the Cloudze Council against abolishing the tax exemption for first-circle wizards."

Locke knew that he currently had the right to vote.

Once someone has the right to vote, they have the most basic value to be courted.

Locke looked thoughtful. So that's how it is. At least a portion of the wizards in the Starfield Sea, or rather, the Academy City, need to maintain the tax exemption for first-ring wizards.

The reason is not hard to guess.

Because the number of second-ring wizards in most wizarding lands in the Eastern Boundary is extremely small, but the number of first-ring wizards is not small, granting first-ring wizards the right to vote would improve the status of ordinary wizarding lands in the Eastern Council and reduce the relative power of the Starfield Sea.

Locke had a vague feeling that this proposal was not ordinary.

Behind this proposal, there seems to be a turbulent vortex of struggle, but my current score is too low to see it clearly.

The second-ring wizard from the Starfield Sea opposite him said, "The witch Sophia came to our Citadel as a contract worker. In essence, she doesn't belong to the Citadel; she's just a laboratory assistant privately recruited by my teacher."

"Originally, he had a very low status; he was just someone who did odd jobs."

"To be honest, Sofia's chances of developing normally here won't be very good."

The second-circle wizard senior brother of the Sophia witch paused for a moment before saying, "In the Starfield Sea, wizards who enter in this way certainly take a shortcut, gaining a job, a place to live, and some of the benefits of the academy. But once they lose their usefulness, they can easily lose their source of livelihood in the Starfield Sea..."

"The ending is often tragic."

"When Sophia first arrived, she was only at the first level of crystallization. In the Starfield Sea, any mediocre wizard could reach that level with a little effort. So, her magic level wasn't unusual when she first arrived; it was just that my mentor had special requirements..."

"Her situation was actually very dangerous..."

"Everyone in the lab could see it clearly, but no one spoke up to warn her. Although we got along well with her, we didn't say anything. It wasn't because we were heartless, but because we respected fate's choice."

"We've seen too many... the fates of ordinary wizards who come to the Starfield Sea to chase their dreams..."

"Those who have no hope in the outer wizarding lands will have even less hope in the Starfield Sea. They just haven't figured that out."

Hearing the words of his second-ring wizard brother across from him, Locke, now a second-ring wizard himself, understood even more clearly the weight of those words.

So, in the Starfield Sea, will the difficulty of becoming a first-ring crystallized wizard be greatly reduced?
This is very likely.

Because in the Yunze Wetlands, it is much easier to become a second-circle wizard than in the Southeast Corner Region.

It could even be at least a hundred times lower.

In Yunze Wetlands, one can access the complete knowledge advancement path to become a second-circle wizard, while in the Southeast Corner Region, second-circle wizards are like legendary figures, and ordinary wizards don't even have the qualification to come into contact with them.

Clearly, the difficulty of becoming a second-circle wizard has been further reduced in the Starfield Sea.

In the Starfield Sea, the difficulty of becoming a first-ring wizard has been reduced to such an extent that it no longer distinguishes ordinary wizards from geniuses.

Sophia's second-ring senior brother spoke up: "But Sophia is different. She is indeed exceptionally talented and has shown us so many surprises. In this respect, perhaps you possess talent comparable to hers, because Sophia once told me herself that she believes you have talent no less than hers."

This second-ring senior clearly had a very high initial liking for Locke, perhaps thanks to the witch Sophia, and of course, also because Locke had participated in the Yunze Cup with a project he hadn't finished.

"Sophia proved her talent; after getting the job, she qualified for the big exam."

"The so-called major test is a new policy that the Starry Sea has implemented in the last hundred years."

“In the past, wizards from the Starfield Sea, wizards from the outer wizarding lands, wizards from the colonized worlds, and wizards from the non-colonized worlds all had to go through many hurdles and submit their resumes in order to obtain a teaching position they desired if they wanted to enter the Starfield Sea.”

"Because there are so many wizards entering the Starfield Sea, outstanding talents are unaware of their own limitations, so this inefficient method wastes a lot of resources. Therefore, provided that the requirements for recommendation letters, the number of journals and projects are met, a second-ring wizard can participate in the grand exam."

"Through the rankings and scores of the major exams, it is easier to be seen by the various universities in the Starfield Sea."

"The greatest significance of the Grand Exam is to break down the information barriers between individual wizards and wizarding academies, and to quantify the scope of the exam as much as possible."

Locke astutely grasped the crux of the problem. "So, it's just about getting noticed by top universities through major exams?"

Sophia's second-ring senior brother chuckled. "Yes, that's right."

"But that's enough."

"After all, most schools in the Starfield Sea don't even have the opportunity to select official wizards from such a major exam. During the Starfield Sea exam, many top and super wizarding academies in the Starfield Sea will pay attention to the participants. These super wizarding academies will naturally have their own judgment, observing the resumes of outstanding wizards with the same score to find the official wizards who best meet their requirements."

"Official wizard" is the official title passed down from the White Wizarding Association. In essence, even third-ring and fourth-ring wizards are considered official wizards.

"Formal wizard" is a very broad term.

Sophia's senior brother said, "Oh, right, the Starfield Sea Grand Examination has a collaboration with the Southern Realm, so if you're lucky, there might be a super wizard university from the Southern Realm that takes a liking to a formal wizard in this examination."

Locke asked doubtfully, "The Starfield Sea seems to be more closely related to the Mysterious Heaven. Is the Grand Examination actually a joint examination with the Southern Boundary Region?"

Opposite the clover ring, the senior brother seemed to be silent for a while before saying, "Mysterious Heaven is the location of the White Wizard Association headquarters. But Mysterious Heaven does not represent the White Wizard Association headquarters, but only the leader wizard land of the Northern Boundary."

"The Starry Sea and it are merely allies, and both are leader wizarding territories beneath the White Wizard Association headquarters, nothing more."

“It’s perfectly normal for Starfield Sea to cooperate with other leading wizarding lands in other fields. Sharing magic stones with Mysterious Heaven is already annoying enough.”

The senior suddenly changed the subject, "Sophia went to take the big exam, so she can't contact you for the time being. She had already sensed that you were only one step away from becoming a second-circle wizard, so she asked me to congratulate you on becoming a second-circle wizard on her behalf."

"If she can pass the major exam, she should be able to become a tenured lecturer in the academy."

“In the Starfield Sea, almost all teaching positions require waiting in line if obtained through normal means. In any case, the wait will be at least a hundred years. Of course, the small wizarding academies are an exception.”

“Locke Augustine, you should also be interested in the Grand Examination. It’s just too late this year. The Grand Examination is held every five years.”

"If you want to take the big exam, you need to obtain a participation certificate."

Locke said, "Thank you for the reminder, senior brother, but how do I obtain this kind of certificate?"

A soft chuckle came from the other end. "I knew you wanted to participate too. To get the credentials, you need to meet a few conditions. The first condition is that you must be at least a second-circle wizard and under 100 years old."

"The second condition is to have the corresponding number of second-ring journals and projects. The third is to have a letter of recommendation from a third-ring Throne Wizard or above in the Starfield Sea."

"The fourth is to work in the Starry Sea for a full year. Of course, there are other ways—for example, if you work on a project related to the Starry Sea, it can also be considered as working in the Starry Sea."

Locke calculated these participation conditions, and it was clear that these four conditions were a kind of preliminary screening threshold.

The Grand Exam was originally prepared for the most brilliant wizarding geniuses among geniuses.

The first condition has already been met.

The third requirement seems a bit strange, but I'm actually a wizard who's good at securing projects, so it's not difficult to solve.

If someone truly meets the requirements, they should be able to be found.

Locke asked, "Senior brother, what is the specific quantity required for the second condition? And what about the projects related to the Starfield Sea in the fourth condition...?"

The other side seemed somewhat surprised.

"You still need to ask me about the fourth condition? Don't you know that your Jinmian Mountain won the championship in the Three Kings Competition this year and secured the construction rights for the Tianjiang Riverfront project..."

"The wizarding land along the Tianjiang River was created by the main waterway of the Star Domain Sea. Being in charge of that wizarding land is equivalent to working for the Star Domain Sea."

"As for the second condition... you'll have to find out for yourself. To be honest, I don't know either."

Locke looked surprised as he entered the dormitory.

The second-ring wizard opposite the Three-Leaf Clover Ring said softly, "First of all, I am just an ordinary researcher in the laboratory of the Citadel. Although I am not a temporary worker, I do not hold any teaching position."

“My situation is different from yours and the witch Sophia’s. I am a native wizard of the Starfield Sea. My family has a ancestral research position in this laboratory, so I won’t starve. In the Starfield Sea, if you don’t work or are unable to work, you will starve.”

The other person's words revealed a deep sense of helplessness.

"The Grand Examination is too difficult for ordinary second-ring wizards, and just obtaining the certificate is difficult enough. You need to meet certain publication requirements in those projects and journals, and you also need a letter of recommendation from a third-ring Throne wizard..." "I would have a hard time meeting all of those requirements. The Witch Sophia gained the attention of high-ranking wizards through several competitions. Even so, she shouldn't have challenged it at the ordinary second-ring stage... It was far too risky."

“I advised her beforehand that she should at least be a Moon Ring Wizard, or even a Sun Ring Wizard, before taking the exam. However, she wanted to try first. Sigh, she publishes articles and completes projects so quickly, and she has received the favor of many high-ring wizards, so obtaining the major exam certificate isn't that difficult for her…”

"If it were me, every opportunity to take a major exam would be just as precious."

Locke realized that the other person seemed to have only casually mentioned the big exam, so they didn't even know much about the most important projects and journal publication metrics.

Of course, this shows that the standards for the major exams are somewhat hidden.

"That's right. The Grand Examination is actually an accelerated track within the teaching system of the Starfield Sea, hence the information is restricted. Only truly outstanding wizards have the ability to understand this track."

Locke pondered, 'This in itself is a form of selection.'

'Therefore, if I want to participate in this major exam and get on this fast track, I need to gather information myself. Of course, perhaps I can use this last opportunity to contact the Witch Sophia, who has passed the exam, and get the specific requirements from her.'

Locke pondered, "Although this senior of Professor Sophia doesn't seem to think highly of her."

I wonder if the teacher will pass the big exam and achieve a good score and ranking.

The other party clearly had no intention of cutting off contact immediately. After hesitating for a moment, they asked, "Wizard Locke, I have a scrapped project here that I might be able to assign to you. I wonder if you would be interested?"

'Hmm?' A hint of interest flashed in Locke's eyes.

Because of the Hydra plan that the other party and Sofia had given him, he was able to win the Yunze Cup.

It's no wonder this was a scrapped design from the Starfield Ocean's key laboratory; it's truly impressive.

Locke said, "Please speak, senior brother."

Sophia Witch's second-ring senior brother said, "I feel the time for our contact is almost up, so let's get straight to the point. This is a project that Sophia Witch and I worked on before, but it was later abandoned. It was due to cost issues, some technical difficulties, and mainly because neither Sophia Witch nor I had that much depth in evolutionary mechanics. Sophia Witch previously subscribed to the replays of the Silent Grail tournament, and I took the opportunity to watch them as well. Your Great Magic Evolution Moon seems particularly suitable for this project..."

"Perhaps this half-finished project can be completed in your hands. I'll pack this part of the data for you. Alright, Wizard Locke, goodbye."

"Hopefully, we will hear more about your reputation in the future."

The next moment, the second spell model on the Lucky Clover Ring suddenly shattered, the emerald green spell model turning into fragments that floated upwards and melted away like ice and snow.

At the same time, a large amount of compressed information appeared in Locke's mind. This information was only transmitted to his sea of ​​consciousness, and he needed to read it again to decipher it.

He closed his eyes, entered a meditative state, and began speed reading.

"I see. No wonder the teacher's senior brother thought that this project might be completed in my hands. This project itself is of great benefit to my Evolution Moon."

"This is a project related to advanced chemistry."

Locke said, "The powerful symbolic magical plant of the boundary between darkness and light, the Golden Wheat, has become extinct. But Teacher Sophia found the Golden Wheat in the wild, where it naturally hybridized and evolved over a long period of time into the second-ring magical plant, the Golden Foxtail Grass, and the first-ring magical plant, the Green Foxtail Grass."

"They want to use these two to reverse-evolve two magical plants, using an extract from a magical plant called the [Yellow-Cloak Mushroom], in an attempt to degenerate the Golden Foxtail Grass and the Green Foxtail Grass into... [Golden Wheat]."

Locke gasped. "So, this means that Professor Sophia is trying to achieve atavism?"

"Although it was a failure..."

Locke looked at the relevant materials and found that the research was still in the basic research stage, basically exploring the principles, and had not yet entered the translational research stage.

However, the project contained a wealth of evolutionary experimental data produced using advanced equipment from the Starry Sea, which greatly impressed Locke.

After reviewing some of the materials, Locke sat in his dormitory and pondered for a moment.

"This project seems a bit far-fetched. It's hard to say whether the extract from the yellow-skinned mushroom can really achieve atavism. In addition to the yellow-skinned mushroom, other magical plants were also used in the project."

"To be honest, even I think this research is a bit far-fetched."

This may be why Teacher Sophia and the others later gave up.

Locke glanced at the screen and saw that the experiment had already cost around ten million magic stones, but it seemed to have been abruptly stopped later.

Moreover, in essence, this was Professor Sophia's project, and that senior brother seemed to be just an accessory to her.

"Ten million... seems to be part of the funding from some kind of second-ring fund."

Locke gave a wry smile. "So, the teacher spent most of the funds of the Second Ring Fund, but didn't achieve any results, and was therefore forced to give up?"

"As expected of the Starfield Sea."

"They actually managed to approve such an outrageous project. The Starry Sea's ambition is truly astounding."

Locke sighed.

"That's why the Starfield Sea can stand at the forefront of wizard civilization and explore this world."

"With my knowledge of evolutionary biology, I couldn't think of a way to complete this project for a while."

"But the project is full of the teacher's ideas. I have benefited a lot just by reading these materials and felt the vitality of genius thinking."

"This project isn't urgent. Let's keep it for now and do it later when we have more free time, energy, and extra funds."

Locke read through the data from the project in his mind's eye. "Although it's mostly data on failures, I've learned a lot. It uses a lot of advanced equipment, which allows me to master many advanced analytical techniques from experiments in the Starfield Sea."

Locke pondered, "After becoming a second-circle wizard, I did come into contact with quite a few projects, but these were just project ideas, not funding."

"Whether it's using the ancestral golden foxtail grass to concoct the first second-circle potion using normal refining methods, or the two major requirements that Teacher Ekaterina gave me—to conduct testing and to design three types of pure magical plant wizard shoes that are mainstream in the Cloud Marsh Wetland—both are jobs that cost money."

"The only real project I got myself was the Black Swan pineapple breeding improvement project at Bonifacio University."

Locke's main body stroked his chin, thinking, "As long as I publish more articles and undertake more projects, it will eventually be beneficial for me to obtain the certification for the major exam in the future."

"Although I'm not sure yet whether I should go through the exam process to find a top-tier teaching position, there are many ways to find a teaching job, and I shouldn't limit myself."

Essentially, the Advanced Knowledge Institute of Mount Jinmian is the best Knowledge Institute.

Because, in principle, top-tier and super wizarding universities within the Starfield Sea do not establish True Knowledge Institutes, as this involves the issue of resource allocation.

On a larger scale, both excellent formal wizards and excellent wizarding apprentices are resources, and the top wizarding universities in the Starfield Sea already have too many of these resources. Therefore, under normal circumstances, the White Wizarding Association does not open a True Knowledge Academy there.

Therefore, the True Knowledge Institute on Mount Jinmian is already considered the most prestigious True Knowledge Institute.

At this moment, Locke's Ancient Tree Fruit clone had already gone directly to the wizard airship docking point at Golden Crown Mountain, paid 10,000 magic stones, and purchased a ticket to the Southeast Corner Region.

While Locke's main body spent a day in his room digesting the half-project data he had obtained from his second-ring senior brother in the Starfield Sea, his Ancient Tree Fruit clone had already boarded a wizard airship bound for the Southeast Corner Region.

On the wizard airship, Locke's Ancient Tree Fruit clone sat in the free library seat, ordered a wizard coffee, and the formal wizards passing by stopped and bowed to him.

After all, second-ring wizards are rarely seen on the wizard airships leading to the southeast corner region, and even first-ring crystallized wizards are considered experts.

Therefore, Locke's clone arriving on this ship was like blasting a fishpond!

At that moment, Locke sat down at the coffee table with a smile, picking up a potion-making book and beginning to read it.

Meanwhile, some wizards on the ship were whispering among themselves in a corner.

Two dark wizards who had infiltrated were whispering to each other.

"Oh no, there's a second-circle wizard on this ship! He wasn't on the passenger list before, did he buy a ticket and board at the last minute?"

"Boss Zoe has ordered us to cancel all operations. The exile magic of the Purple Path of Exile in the High Heavens is powerful, but it's impossible to banish a second-circle wizard, not even for half a minute!"

"That's all it can do."

Locke looked up, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes. At this moment, the two dark wizards did not notice that a fist-sized Shadow Eye Grass had appeared in their shadows.

'I never expected to run into an acquaintance on this ship.'

'What a coincidence.'

After boarding the ship, Locke used his powerful perception granted by his three-eyed bloodline to discover some unusual behavior in the wizards. He then planted eye grass in the shadows of these wizards.

As it turned out, there were indeed some gains.

“Zoe.” Locke smiled, his eyes narrowing. “You’re the first dark wizard to successfully fool me.”

(End of this chapter)