Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 761 Controlling Costs and Element Conversion Pools
The Victoria witch spoke up, "Could I take a look at that treasure map you showed me earlier?"

"I'm not particularly interested in a second-circle wizard's treasure map, but it seems to be a product of the pure-blooded human era."

Without hesitation, Locke took the treasure map out of his astral ring and handed it to the Victoria witch.

This treasure map itself contains magical elements, making it difficult to decipher.

The Victoria Witch is not a wizard of the Sealing School, and even if she were a third-circle wizard, it would be difficult for her to break the spell in a short time.

The Victoria Witch took the treasure map, looked at it, and then returned it to Locke.

"Yes, it's a product of the pure-blood era of humanity. In that era, there were pure-blood cults that, under the guise of exterminating heretical wizards, actually aimed to eradicate the transmission of specific magical knowledge."

"Many wizards of that era had to hide their magical heritage in the form of secret treasures to prevent it from disappearing. But once a wizard's secret treasure is hidden, it may result in a situation where no one can find it."

"Therefore, it is necessary to leave behind the treasure map. The treasure map itself is a second-level magical artifact with various functions, the main function of which is to select a suitable wizard."

"Generally speaking, they are wizards with specific bloodlines. Did you see the real treasure location above? The pure-blooded human era was an era in which all races attached great importance to their own bloodlines."

Locke shook his head slightly.

“Ms. Victoria, I’m not sure either. There was a result indicating a treasure location, but I don’t know if this result points to the actual location of the second-circle wizard’s treasure.”

The Victoria Witch nodded and said, "Then you'll need to spend your time confirming the results."

"This kind of second-ring magical artifact uses a lot of ancient technology, some of which has been completely lost, so it is difficult to find a way to crack it. If you try to crack it by force, you will damage the artifact itself and destroy all the treasure routes stored inside. Within the circle of sealing wizards, there has always been research on this aspect and a search for a way to completely crack this kind of ancient treasure map."

"It's just that due to various factors, and the fact that such treasure maps are not common in the world, even if they do appear on the market, most holders are unwilling to use them for research. Instead, they keep them to themselves or trade them on the market. Therefore, there are relatively few objects to study, so there is currently no universal method to crack them."

The Victorian witch chuckled, “If you’ve confirmed that you don’t meet the requirements, you can take it to the market and sell it. After all, this item is very valuable in the hands of a qualified wizard. Of course, if you don’t mind the trouble, you can recruit some wizard apprentices who might meet the requirements…”

"It's just a matter of verifying the results one by one to determine if the treasure location is real. Moreover, the southeastern corner region is a medium-magic area that is close to a low-magic environment. Staying there for a long time would have extremely high marginal costs for you."

Locke nodded slightly, understanding now.

The Victorian witch said, "There is another compromise. It is to seek the help of a skilled soothsayer or a renegade. With advanced prophetic magic, they can help you predict the locations that the seventeen targets will point to, as well as the changes in the related routes."

“Or you could invite a renegade to confuse the laws and break the inheritance conditions imposed on the sealing magic,” the Victoria witch said. “I remember that for renegade practitioners, this is something like ‘limited inheritance.’”

"There aren't many contract masters willing to do this. Becoming a transgressor requires some sacrifice."

Locke nodded.

Hussein had previously demonstrated the Confusion Charm to him, and to use the Confusion Charm, one needs to sign a pact with Hell, which would first result in the loss of a unique opportunity to sign a pact with a special plane, locking one into Hell.

Secondly, there seem to be some other side effects.

Making a pact with Hell is inherently a very dangerous thing, because Hell is arguably the most adept at manipulating contracts among all the unique planes.

Upon hearing the Victoria Witch's suggestion, Locke immediately thought of two people who might be able to help him. The first was Hussein.

The second one is Georgina the Witch.

Because he realized that having Georgina use the Loom of Fate and the [Heavenly Garment Hunt] to reverse-engineer the true target and correct route among the seventeen targets on the wizard's treasure map seemed to be a viable option.

Of course, Georgina the Witch is backed by a key laboratory at Boniface University. If I hand over the map to the wizard's treasure to her to decipher, it will probably be difficult to protect the treasure.

Although I don't care too much about this unexpected joy, there's no need to give it away to outsiders for no reason.

The Victoria Witch said, "It is indeed quite troublesome to make it possible to grow second-circle magical plants in a demiplane. How about this, you can pay me ten million magic stones, and I can use the [Thousand-Fold Alchemy Array] to help you fold the demiplane, but you will need to pay for the raw materials yourself. Little Locke."

Locke paused for a moment, then subtly extended his magic into the Astral Ring, used the Ganoderma lucidum plant to open the Water Gourd system, and accessed the information on the [Thousand-Layer Refining Array].

They discovered that it was an extremely advanced three-ring level alchemy array.

It's basically like folding paper, stacking an object together while keeping it intact. Because it's a three-ring level alchemy array, there's very little information about it.

Locke could only find one name.

The Victoria witch said, “I can use the Thousandfold Transmutation Array to fold several demiplanes together and fold them into the demiplane located in the warp that your right eye was originally connected to.”

"I estimate that it will take six demiplanes of similar size to the one in your right eye to create a folded version of the demiplane, with a total of six parallel spaces, so that the second-ring magic plant can grow."

The Victorian witch did a quick calculation.

"Six layers of parallel space can only meet your most basic needs, that is, allow your demiplane to grow second-ring magic plants. If you want more space, it would be best to find eight demiplanes, and I will use the Thousand-Layer Refining Array to overlap them and refine them into eight layers of parallel space for your demiplane."

"In this way, your demiplane will have nine existing worlds, and it is expected that your demiplane will undergo dimensional ascension."

The Victoria witch noticed a hint of difficulty in Locke's eyes. "Is there a problem?"

Locke gave a wry smile.

“Ms. Victoria, I don’t have that much money.”

Indeed, spending ten million magic stones to have a third-circle wizard use a third-circle transmutation array to forge something for you is definitely not expensive; on the contrary, it's a friendly price.

But at this moment, I grit my teeth and figure out that I can come up with the money.

But what about the cost-effectiveness afterwards?

Having worked on quite a few projects, and having honed my skills through so many small, first-level projects, I've become quite sensitive to cost control.

Forest Sanctuary is a magic spell that has no follow-up. Even the Forest Alliance Spell was derived and improved by myself based on the previous Dean Levi's work at Lilith's Hut.

The subsequent research and development of the Forest Sanctuary, the continued expansion of the Magic Plant Forest, and the further upgrading of the forest after it has already reached the level of an ancient forest all require a large amount of funds.

It will take at least several million.

Collecting the six demiplanes would require at least several million magic stones. Based on this calculation, and following the Victoria Witch's recommendation, he would have to spend thirty million magic stones on this project out of thin air!
This is too exaggerated.

If I put my money into this, even if I manage to scrape together the money eventually, it will severely delay me from doing other things.

'Right now, we should prioritize resources on the Wizard's Shoes, followed by Plane Conquest and the Testing Ring...'

Locke pondered, "Only by focusing resources on wizard shoes and creating a good product can I enter a positive cycle of income."

'Money can summon more money, like a snowball rolling downhill. If I had no money and spent it all at once, I don't know when I would be able to gather the more than ten million magic stones I have now.'

The Victoria witch paused for a moment, then calculated the cost for Locke and nodded in agreement.

"Learning to control costs and having the ability to manage money are key qualities for becoming an excellent wizard."

"It is also the most important quality."

“That’s really good, Locke. You know how to save money. Unlike my clerks and apprentices.”

The Victorian witch nodded to Locke with satisfaction.

“Then, helping you overlap spaces is a permanent solution. But if you want to control costs, I can give you a temporary solution. I can find someone to build an elemental conversion pool for your demiplane and use the technology of the Wizard Tower to temporarily strengthen that demiplane.”

"I estimate it will only cost five million magic stones."

"However, this approach is not as perfect as my first solution; it only addresses the symptoms, not the root cause."

"With a little setup, you can use the elemental conversion pool to convert void energy into elemental power, and then use its internal functions to convert elemental power into planar power. By using that planar power to strengthen your demiplane, you can turn it into an area where you can grow second-ring magical plants."

The Victoria Witch said, "Well, my friend said he has an elemental conversion pool that was taken from an abandoned second-ring wizard tower. It's not worth repairing and is nearing the end of its life, but it can be used normally for at least ten more years."

"If you want it, it will only cost one million magic stones. Consider it a friendly price. This one million can include shipping, installation, and other expenses."

Locke thought for a moment and then understood the reason.

It's mainly a matter of time.

Once a wizard reaches the second ring stage, even if he is a genius, it seems difficult for him to make rapid progress, because his energy density has already exceeded that of most areas in the endless void.

For a second-circle wizard, ten years is far too short a time.

Clearly, this element conversion pool is difficult to resell at a high price, so it is being sold to itself at a cost of one million.

The Element Conversion Pool is a core component of an advanced wizard tower.

Locke estimated that the price of a second-level elemental conversion pool would be at least five million, and that was only the cost of the pool itself, without including other expenses.

Therefore, this million-dollar expense is definitely worthwhile, as it can directly solve the problem of the demiplane being unable to withstand second-ring magical plants.

'Ten years is enough for me; it's basically like solving the demiplane problem directly.'

Locke pondered, "Ten years from now, I estimate there will be more funding, allowing for a more thorough solution to these kinds of problems."

The element conversion pool is indeed sufficient.

'While not as perfect as using a Thousand-Layer Transformation Array overlaid with a parallel space, the Elemental Conversion Pool already meets my basic requirements. Using a Thousand-Layer Transformation Array overlaid with a parallel space only improved the score from 60 to 80.'

The Thousand-Layer Refining Array, combined with parallel spaces, means that by folding space, a half-plane can achieve the minimum total magical pressure of a small-scale plane, thereby supporting the second-ring magical plant.

That would simulate a small-scale plane to the greatest extent possible, making it more perfect.

This is also why the Victorian witches initially recommended it.

Using the elemental conversion pool means treating that demiplane as a wizard's tower.

Locke chose the element conversion pool due to cost control and practical considerations.

Locke said to the witch Victoria, "Teacher Victoria, please help me install an element conversion pool in this demiplane."

He removed the contact lens from his right eye and placed it on the table.

The Victorian witch used tweezers to pick up the contact lens and then placed it in a magic box.

"Sure. You can come and pick it up in two weeks."

"I will find a construction team of architects I know to help you install the element conversion pool. You can rest assured that our Magic Glasses shop has the professional ability to keep our customers' information confidential."

The Victorian witch attached two lenses to Locke's contact lenses. "These are diaphragmatic lenses, which allow the construction team to enter and perform the work while concealing the client's information."

Locke stood up, bowed to the witch Victoria, and said, "Thank you, Teacher Victoria, for giving me the idea and helping me find a relatively inexpensive renovation plan."

The Victorian witch said, "You don't need to thank me. The owner of that nearly obsolete elemental conversion pool was originally looking for a wizard to give away for free."

"Some alchemists develop feelings for their creations, or even those they handle, regarding them as a kind of 'person,' and try to prolong their lives as much as possible. This alchemist was one such wizard."

The Victoria Witch said, “Speaking of which, your teacher will soon be throwing you a party to celebrate becoming a second-circle wizard. It’s next Wednesday.”

"Look, this is the invitation. It's going to be a big event."

Locke looked at the invitation letter.

He wasn't surprised by this, because the witch Catherine had sent him a message beforehand, telling him that she would be hosting a celebration party for him next week.

I originally thought it was just a gathering of fellow disciples, but who knew that the witch Catherine would make such a big fuss, as if she had other purposes.

The Victoria Witch laughed and said, "Don't be too nervous then. You're not the main character anyway. Just enjoy your own banquet."

(End of this chapter)