Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 763 Soras's Barefoot Reaction and the Inner Circle of the Catherine Witch

At the Solas Barefoot Technology Seminar in Yunze Wetlands, all the high-ranking members of the shop alliance were looking down, holding Ganoderma lucidum plants, checking Arthas's sales charts. When they saw that Augustus Wizard Shoes had become the fifth item actually on sale and had been pre-sold, and that sales had quickly risen to third place.

Many of the barefoot wizards of Soras closed their eyes.

The second-circle designer of Solas Lightfoot revealed a cold smile, while the many crystallization wizards, liquefaction wizards, and gasification wizard designers of Solas Lightfoot, who were allowed to attend the technical seminar as observers, all lowered their heads and showed signs of dejection.

The manager of the Moon Ring was about to grind his back teeth to pieces.

"Now it's in second place. Currently, the top two wizard shoes on the Arthas sales chart are both Augustus Wizard Shoes."

"Those traditional wizard shoe shops and wizard shoe brands are so useless. Before we, Solas, left Arthas barefoot, they couldn't even get into the top five. Now that we and Melochy Magicstep have left Arthas, they've actually lost their top two spots."

The manager of Yuehuan frowned. If this continued, it would alert the higher-ups.

The alliance of mainstream wizard shoe shops in Yunze Wetland all point to one place—the Rose Council and the Rose Witch.

The Wizard Shoes was her backyard, and everyone knew that she and her two third-ring wizard students were living in the same place.

The problem is that even if the overall situation is turned against Locke Augustine, the issue is that Locke Augustine is backed by the Red Dragon Witch, Catherine the Witch.

The Red Dragon Throne and the Rose Throne have always been rivals.

The Moon Ring Chief only now realized something was wrong; they might have already been drawn into the battle for the throne.

No...no, that won't happen.

The manager of the Moon Ring lowered his head, revealing a thoughtful expression.

'It won't be a battle for the thrones; the two thrones are too close on the Ladder of Truth. If war breaks out, the consequences would be far too great, potentially even causing... significant internal strife within the field of botany.'

So, is it just normal business competition?

The head of the Moon Ring project began to ponder just how complex the current situation truly was.

The foundation of the Rose Throne lies in the study of rose language, but the foundation of two of her third-ring wizard students is wizard shoes.

Solas walked barefoot and Melochy walked with magic steps, each with a third-ring wizard standing behind them.

Therefore, the alliance between these two shops will remain as stable as Mount Tai in Yunze Wetland.

The two stores represent different technological approaches in their respective niche markets.

As long as the Augustus Wizard Shoes don't reach the level of a Sun Ring Wizard, they won't be able to truly threaten the foundation of the alliance between the two shops.

But now that Locke has become a second-circle wizard, he can truly influence the alliance between the two shops in terms of business competition.

In the current situation, they initially did not pay enough attention to the Augustus Wizard Shoes brand, thinking it was just a flash in the pan, or at most just a lukewarm existence.

Locke Augustine himself would need at least five to ten years to become a second-circle wizard.

But who could have imagined that after the Silent Grail War, he would become a second-circle wizard?

Moreover, by this point, it was too late for them to assassinate him.

The head of the Moon Ring Wizards closed his eyes. The former head of the crisis management department had been dismissed. Also, within Soras's Barefoot, an ordinary second-ring witch had been arrested and sentenced by the court to ten years in prison and fifteen years of community service.

One crystallization wizard and two gasification wizards were sentenced to death, while five liquefaction wizards involved were imprisoned for thirty years and sentenced to fifty years of community service.

Because of this incident, Solas Lightfoot not only lost at least hundreds of millions of magic stones (for talent development), but also lost a pool of potential talents.

After all, it was Jinmianshan that directly held them accountable.

Therefore, he was severely punished by his superiors, his salary was reduced by at least half, and he was deprived of many resources.

By then, the supervisor already regretted it. He should have agreed to buy Locke a Worldstone that had never been used in the first place.

The manager of Yuehuan sighed.

If he had agreed at that time, he could have saved Solas at least 200 million in losses.

Even if Solas is naked and loses so much money, his health bar is high for a while and he's okay for the time being, but if this happens frequently, it will cause problems.

Moreover, he himself was merely an administrative manager at Solas's company.

His own health bar isn't that thick.

If this continues, he might be held accountable by his superiors.

Holm, the head of the Moon Ring, frowned. As the administrative head of Solas's bare feet, a hint of regret finally appeared on his arrogant face.

He tapped the table, the sound of his fingers striking the surface seeming to echo in the ears of every designer in Solas's Lightfoot.

"That's why I've said it before: Solas Footwear isn't about selling gimmicks. We need gimmicks, we need product and service lines, but we also need quality and the pursuit of technological advancement."

"Have you all forgotten how we, Soras, rose to power with bare feet?"

"Have you forgotten our store alliance culture?"

The designers of the First Ring Road all lowered their heads and remained silent, while the designers of the Second Ring Road sneered and did not make a move.

Holm was a shrewd man and knew that the more critical the moment, the more important it was to find someone to take the blame. He looked at the chief technology officer at the technical seminar and immediately began to use his traditional skills.

Shifting blame should be done early and at any time; if you're even a step too slow, you might not be able to shift the blame at all.

"Michael, you are a rising star nurtured by Soras, a technical reserve cadre, and a promising new generation of magic weavers."

“Your shoemakers are geniuses. I ask you, in this timeframe, have you produced any new wizard shoes?”

Michael looked grim.

As an assistant wizarding mentor and a prospective lecturer in the Rose Council, he is a student of the three-ring wizards and the sun-ring wizards on the Rose Council's side.

Therefore, they can be considered direct descendants of the Rose Council and Solas's bare feet.

Solas's Lightfoot has always had two promotion paths: one is a direct promotion path for their mentors, and the other is a promotion path for ordinary employees.

Even if ordinary employees work diligently, it is difficult to gain their trust and their future achievements are limited. Whether they pursue administrative positions or technical careers, they are unlikely to be trusted or trained.

But the Moon Ring Supervisor Holm, who was appointed to manage Solas Lightfoot, was the administrative supervisor and the highest-ranking manager. This was naturally because he was also a chair mage of the Rose Council. Moreover, he had signed a contract with the Rose Council as a wizard mentor (wizard mentors not recognized by the White Wizard Association are essentially senior chair mages. After leaving the Rose Council, the White Wizard Association can only recognize him as a chair mage).

This Holm was originally his senior in the lab.

Therefore, after thinking for a moment, Wizard Michael suppressed his anger, stood up, and apologized, saying, "Manager Holm, I'm sorry, I didn't expect the Augustus Wizard Shoes brand to release a second hit product so quickly."

"And I just checked the specifications of his wizard shoes, and all I can say is, if it's true, then... then..."

Wizard Michael sighed.

"That truly represents the best level of wizard shoes currently available in Yunze Wetland. There is no other like it."

"It's unbelievable that you can achieve this level with pure magic plant wizard shoes."

Michael the Wizard said, "Of course, if it's fake, that's a different story."

Supervisor Holm gave him a cold look. "How could it be fake? Don't mistake your negligence for a weakness in the enemy's defenses."

“Arthas has a very well-established trading system. The person in charge of the Augustus Wizard Shoes brand is a top-tier trader. Since pre-sales are now possible, the plant’s characteristics must have been confirmed in advance.”

Wizard Michael bowed his head and said, "That's true. It's indeed our Solas Barefoot research and development department that's been a bit lax with the wizard shoes in the first ring."

"But...but...if the performance of these magical plant wizard shoes is real, then even if our Solas Barefoot Wizard Shoes R&D department works overtime, it is impossible to improve the performance to a level that exceeds this in a short period of time."

The chief designer of the Second Ring Road suddenly spoke up: "Michael, is it not even acceptable to invest 30 million in your First Ring Road R&D department?"

Michael the Wizard bowed, a troubled look on his face.

"In my experience, it is indeed difficult to achieve. Perhaps it is because he is a second-circle wizard, while I am only a crystallization wizard. I really can't imagine how using the pure magic plant wizard shoe technology route can surpass the quality of wizard shoes designed by magic weavers."

"Especially the designs of top-tier weavers like us."

Wizard Michael earnestly inquired, saying, "Logically speaking, a pair of wizard shoes requires the cooperation of many specialized fields, from materials to structure to aerodynamics and other disciplines. A pair of wizard shoes is a magical artifact."

"The earliest..."

Wizard Michael paused, then looked around and began to recount the history of Solas's bare feet, a story known to everyone.

"Three hundred years ago, although there were some wizard shoe shop alliances, they were small in scale. There were no large shop alliances that specialized in making shoes at that time."

"Wizard shoes were sold in shops as ordinary magical artifacts, and were not even mainstream among magical artifacts. But our third-ring wizard from Solas, who was barefoot, proposed the three principles of speed, professionalism, and culture, and established a specialized wizard shoe shop."

"Thus, the first shop alliance specializing in selling wizard shoes appeared. Although wizard shoemakers were quite common at the time, they simply treated their wizard shoes as ordinary magical artifacts and sold them."

"But Lord Solas believed that this sales model would not be able to improve the status of us magic shoemakers, nor would it be able to improve the level of specialization of wizard shoes at that time. Therefore, he founded Solas Barefoot and eventually won by specializing in specialization. Now, the department store Wizard Alliance store [Oreble] that wanted to suppress us back then has declined, while our Solas Barefoot is thriving every day."

"Through the alliance culture of specialized wizard shoe stores, we have always maintained that our wizard shoes are superior in quality, always outperform others in performance, and have established many cultural barriers, but..."

Wizard Michael frowned and said, "I didn't expect that our competitors wouldn't be from fellow magic weavers, but from a field beyond our reach."

The chief designer of the Second Ring closed his eyes, unconvinced. "Back then, Oreble didn't want to give up on the wizard shoe field, but later, thanks to Lord Solas's efforts, he finally had no choice but to give up."

"Soras won by virtue of his professionalism, so professionalism is actually the most important of our many barriers."

"However, every industry produces its own geniuses. With their individual abilities, geniuses can suddenly reverse the situation in an industry and cause it to leap forward."

“In the past three hundred years, Solas has encountered some geniuses in the field of magic weaving. However, these geniuses, as long as they take the path of magic shoemaking, will eventually join the Rose Council, and thus become our own people. Even if some of them set up their own small brands, we can simply acquire them secretly. But this time, the one who is attacking us is not a magic weaver in the field of magic shoemaking, but a breeder…”

"That's what caught us off guard. But actually, it's not a big problem."

The chief second-ring designer considered for a moment and said, "The field of wizard shoes has become a mature technology after thousands of years of accumulation. The first-ring wizard shoes designed by the other party have referenced our wizard shoe technical standards and technical routes in all aspects. But there is one point that the other party cannot overcome."

"What is the biggest difference between magical plants and magical artifacts? A magical artifact is just an object, while a magical plant is a living being. It is relatively easy for an object to reach the magical pressure of the second ring, but it is much more difficult for a living being to reach the magical pressure of the second ring."

"Imaginary root... If the opponent can produce a second-level wizard's shoe right now, we should produce it immediately."

"But since they can't get out, it means that the other party is stuck on the imaginary root."

The manager of Yuehuan's eyes lit up.

"Therefore, as long as the other party does not overcome the problem of costing imaginary roots, there is no way to mass-produce wizard shoes. He will be trapped at the first level."

"It has never truly gained any real power. As expected of the Great Wizard of the Sun Ring. Your insight is indeed remarkable."

"So, if that's the case, as long as we protect the first-ring wizard shoe market and continue to suppress them in this market, that so-called wave of pure magic plant wizard shoes will never come..."

The chief designer of the second-circle wizard nodded slightly, without speaking or making a clear statement.

Michael the Wizard's eyes also brightened slightly.

Right.

Many breeders are now secretly watching to see what the final result of the Augustus Wizard Shoes will be. If the result is good, many of them will enter the industry.

That was what Solas, barefoot, feared most.

But what if the great wizard Augustine couldn't overcome the problem of mass-producing imaginary roots?

That's different.

Perhaps this is why many breeders are still observing and haven't taken action yet.

Michael the Wizard said, "Then our R&D department should quickly develop a new product that can stabilize the market. Although its performance cannot be compared with that Black Hummingbird Pineapple, it can remove many... unnecessary functions, retaining only the basic functions. With our brand's past reputation and our efforts in offline sales, there shouldn't be much of a problem."

"Of course, subsequent maintenance services still cannot be skipped..."

Solas, the chief architect of the second-circle wizarding class, remained calm and collected. He initially treated the matter as a mere spectator, but who could have imagined that the storm would blow so fiercely?

But as long as the Augustus Wizard Shoes haven't actually entered the second-tier market, then there's not much of a problem.

Supervisor Holm nodded in agreement.

"With a few minor changes, we should be able to handle the current crisis."

At the same time, his Ganoderma lucidum plant vibrated, and his expression changed slightly, because it turned out that the Wizard Board of Directors had contacted him directly.

After a moment's hesitation, Director Holm decided to accept the video call.

One of the directors, a Sun Ring Wizard, spoke up: "Holmu, Solas's barefoot stock price, after remaining stable for a short time, has experienced a second decline. The board is very dissatisfied with you."

"The board of directors has now decided, after discussion, to send an acting executive director to the Solas Barefoot headquarters."

Holm's body stiffened. "Please wait, gentlemen, could you give me another chance..."

The wizard director spoke up: "This acting administrator is the eldest daughter of the Tacitus family, and also the granddaughter of the Rose Throne. She is not only here to serve as the acting administrator of Soras Barefoot, but has also been appointed as the acting administrator by Melochy Magic Step."

"In other words, she is simultaneously the acting manager of the alliance of two top wizard shops in Yunze Wetland."

"She will coordinate the resources of the two shop alliances."

All the wizards at the technical seminar were jolted awake, realizing that something unusual was going on.

In other words, the Rose Council's reaction to the breeder invasion was surprisingly strong.

Are they here to get their resumes gilded?
Or does the higher-ups genuinely believe that a newly emerging wizard shoe brand can threaten the established magic shoemaker industry?

Supervisor Holm was silent for a moment before asking, "Then may I ask, sir, when will you arrive, and approximately what level of magic do you possess?"

The wizard director said in a deep voice, "The level of magic is not important, but it represents the will of those above. This person has already infiltrated the alliance between your two shops and is currently conducting a covert investigation. For now, you don't need to change anything; just continue with your normal operations."

"This lord will devise a comprehensive plan to revitalize Solas by observing your working style and reading our Solas documents."

“She is a senior researcher at the Rose Council’s Institute of Truth, of noble birth and with a distinguished family background. She will surely be able to help our Soras Lightfoot re-establish our dominance.”

The wizard director pulled out the current sales report for the first ring of wizard shoes in Yunze Wetland.

“Look, a year ago, six of the top ten best-selling wizard shoes in Yunze Wetland were our Solas Barefoot, and the remaining four were Melochy Magic Steps.”

"But things have changed now."

"Today, for the first time, a pair of Magic Pineapple Wizard Shoes has appeared in this hidden ranking, ranking seventh. It is expected that next year, more Wizard Shoes from Augustus will enter the top ten of this hidden ranking."

"Therefore, we do need to make certain changes to prevent this from happening."

Supervisor Holm gritted his teeth.

"Yes."

The wizard director disappeared.

At the technical seminar, many wizards were whispering among themselves, not expecting that someone would suddenly be sent down from above, and even conduct a covert investigation.

……

In a small wizarding town nestled on the mountainside of Golden Crown Mountain, Locke discovers that the witch Catherine has chosen the entire town as the venue for her celebratory feast.

Wizards from all over Yunze Wetland have come to this town and are communicating with the witch Catherine in the town square.

This was undoubtedly a gathering of disciples and a banquet for Jinmian Mountain to announce its dominant period for the next ten years.

Therefore, Locke knew that he was not the real protagonist, so he simply greeted the many wizard guests who came to the banquet in silence and walked silently through the wizard town.

Many wizards who had received favors from Catherine the Witch or who had made agreements with her came to this wizard town.

The seven top wizarding academies of Yunze Wetland also sent third-ring wizards to represent them in the celebration.

The top ten shops of Yunze Wetland also came to celebrate, as did wizard directors at the third ring level.

In addition, the heads of various organizations in Yunze Wetland, the directors of the White Wizard Association, and the representatives of wizarding forces in the Three Swamps outside Yunze Wetland all came.

Catherine the Witch seemed to be extremely adept at handling these interpersonal relationships.

Locke, on the other hand, was introduced into a smaller social circle, namely the circle of Catherine the Great's true disciples.

This circle is relatively small.

Inside a villa, there are five wizards, the true disciples of the witch Catherine, who are her master and apprentice in the strict sense, not students under the academy's mentor system, but more like the master-apprentice relationship of ancient times.

To date, there are only five such students.

After all, both the Sith wizards and the Celtic leaders were merely subordinates of Catherine the Witch, part of her academic lineage, and simply students or colleagues of the academy.

Even if it was the witch Shirley, she was only a student and mentor in the Golden Crown Mountain academic system, and could not actually be considered a true private student of the witch Catherine.

At best, it's a relationship like that between Locke and Williams.

But this private gathering represents an even smaller circle.

Within this circle lies Catherine the Great's true core network, that is, her true master and apprentices.

Locke knew that being brought into this circle was itself a form of affirmation.

This is a very important benefit.

However, Locke had some doubts.

Why?
I am merely a collaborating wizard of Catherine the Witch, or a dragon-blood wizard, but that shouldn't have led me into this circle.

Locke looked at the five wizards in front of him. Four of them were actually third-ring wizards, and the last one, who looked like a young wizard, was a sun-ring wizard.

The five people were chatting and laughing, and when they sensed Locke entering, they all looked at him.

A third-circle wizard said, "Is this our junior brother? Come here. Our teacher has mentioned you before."

(End of this chapter)