Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 772 Zaran Bailey, a Debt Slave, and the Evolutionary Moon Within the Forest Alliance Curse
In the laboratories of Yunze Wetland, Jinmian Mountain, and the two dune planes, the climate of the entire dune plane has completely spiraled out of control due to the previous design by the Rose Council. Air pollution has further damaged the ecology of the dune plane, leading to its deterioration.

Zaran Bailey's original plan was to restore some vegetation to the Dune Plane, thereby reversing its continued deterioration and creating a dual protection through vegetation and air pollution. However, with the environmental treatment that was never carried out, this plan has now turned into making the Dune Plane's situation even worse.

Zaran Bailey himself was burdened with enormous debts due to the huge demands from Mount Golden Crown. After auctioning off all his assets and taking out numerous loans, he was still insolvent and became a debt slave, signing a contract of servitude with the White Wizarding Association Bank, one of the five great banks.

The White Wizarding Association Bank will send a debt restructuring committee to auction off all of his existing assets, including a shop alliance he has established and the workforce he can possess for the next two hundred years.

In other words, he would need to work for the White Wizard Bank for free for two hundred years before he could pay off his debts and escape his status as a debt slave.

At this moment, Zhalan Bailey was wearing shackles on his ankles and a second-circle magic artifact of the Protection School around his neck. At the same time, his entire body was covered with a lot of sealing magic from the Protection School. Even his ultimate magic, Seabuckthorn Ecology, was sealed by the sealing magic chains of the Protection School. If he made the slightest move, all the magic on his body would erupt and suppress him in an instant.

The Sith wizard stood beside Locke and said, "Many laboratories in the Dune Plane are still usable. I'm contacting some of my friends to come and deal with the environmental pollution in the Dune Plane. Of course, the Academy will also send professional environmental protection wizards over; I heard they are ecological restoration engineering experts from the Hand of the Jungle."

The Sith wizard sighed.

"Back then, I was truly blinded by greed. It seems that even a Sun Ring Wizard, once controlled by his own greed, can become unable to control himself."

"I fully believed that Zaran Bailey's plan could help me win the technological blockade against the Rose Council in the shortest time, but I did not expect that it was also a trap."

Locke's true form stood beside him, inwardly marveling at how Zaran Bailey was actually a spy.

The loss of the Dune plane was clearly not enough to be made up by Zaran Bailey alone, and the Sith wizard dared not let the witch Catherine fill the gap, so he had to fill the rest himself.

In addition, Jinmianshan will bear part of the cost, so this problem can be considered solved.

The Sith wizard said regretfully, "I didn't expect that Zaran Bailey could become a second-circle wizard because he had the support of the wizards of the Rose Council. Of course, he himself did not notice anything unusual."

"He just thought he had a series of extraordinary adventures and that becoming a second-ring wizard would be very easy. He never imagined that he would become a pawn in the hands of a high-ring wizard."

"Those so-called adventures were all things that turned him into a pawn."

Locke reassured Sith Team Leader, "Team Leader, at least with the experts from the Hand of the Jungle coming, the Dune plane won't completely collapse."

Sith Team Leader nodded and said, "That's true. Although I usually hate the wizards of the Hand of the Jungle, when it comes to critical moments, only the ecology experts from that organization can help me stop this vicious cycle."

"The magical tidal energy in the Dune Plane is constantly decreasing. I originally wanted to draw upon the imaginary sea of ​​the Dune Plane to fill the present world in order to compensate for the decline in magical tidal energy and the collapse of the ecosystem. But after much consideration, I think it's not feasible. I'll just have to wait for the ecological restoration experts from the Hand of the Jungle to arrive."

Sith Team Leader said, "I was really ripped off because of Zaran Bailey. I lost at least 30 million magic stones."

"This is still the academy's mercy... The main debt was taken over by Zaran Bailey, so he needs to work for Mount Golden Crown for two hundred years."

Locke looked at Sith Group Leader and asked curiously, "Wasn't it the White Wizard Association's directly affiliated bank that lent him the loan and used it to pay off his debts?"

Sith Group Leader said, "Golden Crown Mountain believes he still has some labor value, so it paid the White Wizard Association to buy his debt contract."

Locke nodded. This meant that Golden Crown Mountain had purchased the debts of wizard Zhalan Bailey. So, in a roundabout way, Golden Crown Mountain became Zhalan Bailey's creditor, and Zhalan Bailey, due to his bankruptcy caused by the debts, had to work for Golden Crown Mountain for free for two hundred years.

After all, the mess he made was too big.

He was also pitiful.

No, actually, both the Sith wizards and the Zaran Bailey wizards became victims of the academic war between the Rose Witches and the Red Dragon Witches, and both of them had to bear the losses of the Dune plane.

Locke was inevitably alarmed and wary of this situation.

As one's magic level increases, the projects one undertakes will become larger and larger, and the greater one's abilities, the greater the changes one can make to the surrounding environment.

Then, the greater the responsibility one bears.

Therefore, I should take the lessons learned from the case of the wizards Zaran Bailey and Sith wizards as a warning.

When carrying out ecological restoration in the future, we must adhere to the principle of minimal intervention and avoid being short-sighted, lest we cause longer-term damage for short-term gains.

Clearly, the wizard Zaran Bailey fell into the trap because of his stupidity, while the Sith wizard fell into it because he was too hasty and failed to conduct a thorough investigation.

The Sith wizard nodded to Locke.

"Locke, thankfully I have someone like you in my Group 2. From now on, you will receive priority support from all the resources in my Group 2. Do whatever you want."

"I will have someone handle the environmental pollution in the dune plane. As for the water issue, I've already resolved it. I've reached an agreement with the Storm Tower, and they can restore our water supply."

"It's just that we can no longer grow desert roses at our base."

The Sith wizard said, "I will arrange for the apprentices to harvest and sell the dune roses that have already been planted as soon as possible. Locke, you can find some more drought-resistant desert crops for my two underground bases."

The Sith Wizard said, "I still maintain that if Group 2 wants to improve its research, it must focus on the commercial market. Only with sufficient external funding can we better conduct our research and complete the tasks that His Majesty the Throne has entrusted to you and me."

The Sith wizards had clearly become second-circle wizards along with Locke and regarded him as an equal.

Both a Sun Ring Wizard and a regular Second Ring Wizard are at the Second Ring stage; at most, one is an ordinary person, and the other is a powerful one.

But they have indeed reached the same social class.

The Sith wizard quickly left.

On the other side, Zaran Bailey, the wizard who was wearing magical shackles and working for Group 2 for free, looked at Locke with a complicated expression. After the Sith wizard left, he asked Locke in a hoarse voice, "Locke, you won your competition with me."

Locke glanced at him.

The wizard Zaran Bailey suddenly spoke up and asked, "Locke, you and I have never been enemies, have we? I was just a pawn of the Rose Council, and now I realize that I have been part of the Rose Council's scheme from beginning to end."

"And you are something the Rose Council has never been able to control. Everything about you makes the Rose Council tremble with fear."

Locke turned to leave the 15th basement level of Group 2 and return to his office on the 30th basement level. He had come here because he currently had priority access to Group 2.

This is equivalent to the thirty layers of magic fields in this laboratory, which I can call upon at any time.

Because desert roses are now banned, all the magic fields here must be cleared out.

Locke figured he could take the opportunity to grow some pineapple magical plants. After all, air plants are drought-resistant, so it wouldn't be unreasonable for him to use public resources for private purposes.

At this moment, the wizard Zaran Bailey spoke again in a hoarse voice: "Locke, actually I've come out ahead. Looking back on all my previous experiences, I realize how arrogant I was."

"That period of soul decay is too terrifying."

"If it weren't for the Rose Witch giving me a push in the dark, I wouldn't have been able to get across at all. Like someone stuck in a swamp, I couldn't break free no matter how hard I tried."

"So, I've already made a profit by becoming a second-circle wizard. As long as I'm a debt slave to Golden Crown Mountain for two hundred years... Golden Crown Mountain is my alma mater after all, so they won't make things too difficult for me."

“I’m already lucky. I’m grateful to Her Majesty Empress Catherine for her mercy. If it weren’t for her intervention, I’m afraid my situation would have been even more tragic. But I’m afraid my future is limited to this point. Two hundred years from now, I will only regress, not progress.”

“I am, after all, a debt slave, not a faculty member or student at Mount Golden Crown.”

Zaran Bailey said to Locke with a pursed mouth, "But I am still unwilling to be used as a pawn by the Rose Council without my knowledge, and to be completely under their control."

"Locke, I'm not reconciled."

Locke walked out of the fifteenth underground level. He had never liked Zaran Bailey since he started targeting him and then Mason Witch.

However, Locke also became more wary of the Rose Council.

He returned to the 30th underground level, and then he received a message from the Silent Grail Committee.

That is a spatial coordinate.

Three-dimensional space, plus one dimension of time, plus one dimension of virtual coordinates.

These five-dimensional coordinates can determine the location of that medium-sized world in the endless void.

The committee chairman told himself.

'Dear champion of this year, Locke, this is your prize: a previously unexplored dimension. The Silent Witch has given special instructions, allowing us to choose the best one for you.'

'This medium-sized plane is quite powerful for its size. Naturally, this also means the native inhabitants of this world are likely very powerful.'

'Champion Locke, you'd better be prepared. Colonizing different planes can be a huge springboard if used well, but if used poorly, it can bankrupt you.'

"The previous champion, Rush, made good use of the resources of the colonized plane he acquired, developing it himself and preventing the resources from falling into the hands of outsiders. This allowed him to become a Star Ring Wizard within three years."

The tournament committee chairman, Wizard Tongtatar, seems to be paying close attention to the movements of each champion and contestant.

Locke replied to the message.

'Thank you, Chairman and Silent Witch.'

'But even Rush the Wizard took three years to become a Star Ring Wizard?'

The wizard Tatar replied, "Yes, three years is quite a long time. Some ordinary second-ring wizards take anywhere from thirty to a hundred years to become star-ring wizards. Some even lack the talent, resources, background, and a benefactor to help them, so they remain forever as ordinary second-ring wizards."

"You can ask your teacher how to become a second-ring Star Ring Wizard; I won't presume to tell you. In short, you still need to read articles—reading too few won't help—and you also need resources. Having the resources of an entire, undeveloped, medium-sized world is what will allow you to quickly become a Star Ring Wizard and bypass the time required for extensive accumulation."

'Generally, the champion of the Silent Grail can become a Moon Ring Wizard within ten years. Rush Wizard had other extraordinary encounters, which is why he was able to become a Sun Ring Wizard.'

"There is a significant hurdle between Moon Ring Wizards and Sun Ring Wizards. It is a difficult task for everyone."

After a while, the wizard Tatar sent a message: 'But that's not necessarily true. The speed at which the contestants advance in each Silent Grail competition is getting faster and faster. Like the wizard Chad last time, according to past practice, he should still be a Star Ring Wizard, but last time I saw him he was already a Moon Ring Wizard.'

'He must have had his own extraordinary adventures.'

"This can be attributed to the recent rapid development of magic, the increasing availability of resources, and... with the upgrading of the magical tide, the difficulty of advancement in the Eastern Realm has been decreasing. In your generation, due to the Ascension Plan, the difficulty of advancement has decreased again."

'You've really caught a lucky break.'

Locke indicated that he understood. At the same time, he blinked his right eye. Beneath the 20,000 acres of sea in the demiplane within his right eye, an old elemental conversion pool had been installed, thus forcibly raising the magical tides of the entire demiplane, making it able to withstand the power of his Tree of Life.

Locke looked at his ten thousand acres of forest.

Because he superimposed the Realm of the Moon onto the Sacred Forest, the area of ​​his Sacred Forest increased from 5,000 mu to 10,000 mu.

There are apprentice-level tree beings everywhere here. There are 37 different types of these apprentice-level tree beings, all of which I obtained from the Silent Plane.

Meanwhile, there are a total of one thousand magical trees of the first ring here, including Gem Holly, White Birch, Beechwood, Sentinel Holly, and Queen of Thorns.

The ancient tree of life, which is part of the core of the forest, possesses an astonishing second-level magical pressure.

If the resources of this demiplane weren't insufficient, the magical pressure of the Tree of Life wouldn't be just over ten thousand, but rather the same as its own magical pressure, which would be sixteen thousand and one.

This forest has completely acquired the appearance of an ancient forest.

Its total magical pressure is unimaginable; if it continues to expand, it's unknown how far it can grow.

"With the expansion of the Forest Sanctuary, the more permanent defensive force fields I can record, the greater my total magical pressure will be."

Locke pondered, "Currently, I have seven permanent defensive force field spell models engraved, while the current forest should be able to support the engraving of 14 spell models. As the total magical pressure of the forest expands, the number of engravings is expected to increase further."

One reason I stopped increasing the number of options for my permanent defensive field was that I already had enough of the two Myster powers.

Another major reason was that the spell models of the seven permanent defensive force fields had already reached the upper limit of their respective forest sanctuaries.

Before he became a second-ring wizard and the Tree of Life broke through to the second ring, the strength of his Forest Sanctuary had already reached its limit.

Therefore, I only created 7 spell models in the first stage.

Even then, if spell models were forcibly created, only about nine could be recorded.

Nine should be the maximum.

This is limited by the ratio of a wizard's total magical pressure to the total magical pressure of the forest. Once the total magical pressure of the forest exceeds the wizard's total magical pressure, it becomes too much.

This wizard was no longer the core of the forest, but his status gradually weakened until he became just an ordinary tree in the forest.

Therefore, there is actually a limit to the number of spell inscriptions that can be recorded in the Forest Sanctuary at the first stage.

Unless the wizard doesn't care about his status being reduced to that of an ordinary tree in the forest, and instead expands the forest at will.

The forest has no limit, but the wizard's growth has a limit.

Without the Tree of Life, Locke estimated that at the first stage, he would only have six spell slots for permanent defensive fields.

At this moment, a moon appeared in the sky above the Forest Sanctuary; it was the Moon of Evolution.

Not only that, this moon also appeared above both the forest sanctuary of the Witch of Williams and the forest sanctuary of the Wizard of Albert.

Others' powerful magic is all within a medium-sized plane because it uses the second ring of the core world power certificate of a plane.

He used a leaf from the World Tree of the Natural Force Plane to prove his second ring.

Therefore, his ultimate magic underwent a special change.

Locke looked up at the sky above the Forest Sanctuary.

'I never imagined that my act of developing the Forest Alliance Charm to fulfill the last wish of the wizard Levi would bring me such a reward.'

'I'm not on a normal ultimate magic path at all right now.'

Locke looked at the moon in the sky and became troubled.

“Normal high-level magic is practiced in medium-sized worlds, using Worldstones. But I…”

He took out a World Stone, placed it in his palm, and smiled bitterly.

"What is this? I didn't use the Worldstone at all, but a leaf from the World Tree that is very similar to the Worldstone. I didn't prove the second level of the plane, I proved the second level of the endless void. Logically speaking, my ultimate magic should appear in the void."

"But I myself am in the void."

"Therefore, my great magic has become such a strange existence, existing only within my own Forest Alliance Spell."

Because he did not use the World Stone to achieve ultimate magic, the physical form of his ultimate magic did not exist in any medium-sized plane.

Rather, it exists in the present world of the Wizarding World, because this is part of the endless void.

He himself proved the immense magic of the natural force plane, and this place is part of the void nature.

Therefore, he could only entrust his Evolution Moon to the Forest Sanctuary and use the Forest Alliance Spell to appear above all Forest Sanctuaries.

Essentially, this means that all the wizards who learn from their own forest sanctuary lineage become part of their own ecological community, becoming an integral part of their great magic.

Locke didn't know if this would work.

Anyway, the current situation is strange.

"As long as more wizards use the Forest Sanctuary to become official wizards, I can make more official wizards... become my ecological community."

Locke said with a strange expression, "It seems I've taken a different path. I'll try to talk to Teacher Catherine the Witch again when I get the chance."

"Let's see what her insights are."

During his apprenticeship as a wizard, he used too many Rose Gems, which tainted his spiritual power with ethereal elements, making his spiritual power heavier than that of ordinary wizards.

It was only through long-term consumption of Wizard's Tea from Mount Golden Crown, as well as some magic potions and special magic peaches from Mount Golden Crown, that this side effect was purified.

Therefore, Locke was relatively accepting of the side effects that come with wizards researching magic.

This can be considered a risk that must be taken in the pursuit of truth.

"Speaking of which, I should be using the magic field in Group 2's lab to grow a large number of pineapple magic plants and make good use of the equipment here to complete my second-ring wizard's shoes design."

Locke thought to himself, 'While I'm at it, I'll use this opportunity to help Mason and her two companions complete their application for the First-Class Grant.'

"After all, we've used other people's labor; if we don't reward them for a long time, even the best of friends will resent us. To maintain a team's efficiency, we need to provide tangible benefits. I'm not a wizard lacking resources; it's best to share something real with them."

'Oh right, I almost forgot about the Ghostly Cult. I still need to visit the witch Stephania.'

At this moment, Locke's clone in the southeastern corner looked at the convoy he was following. He heard the seven gaseous wizards in the convoy discussing the latest strategic meeting of the Southeastern Corner Black Wizard Alliance held at the University of Verdandia.

Locke found it strange.

The headquarters of the White Wizards Association in the southeastern corner of the region seems to be located at the University of Verdandia.

Could it be that after I left the Southeast Corner, the dark wizards had already captured Verdandia University and occupied the White Wizard Association headquarters there?
'No, the Dark Wizarding Alliance certainly doesn't have that kind of power. There must be external intervention here. I wonder what happened to the Four Seasons Garden and Lilith's Cottage after the fall of Verdandia University. Patty must have been captured and brought into this convoy for that reason. But why hasn't the White Wizarding Association here requested help from its headquarters?'

Locke recalled the wizarding arts; he had previously read some wizarding arts and some of the simpler chapters.

By the way, the White Wizard Associations in various regions remain independent, just like independent countries.

However, if it seeks help from the White Wizarding Association headquarters, it means that it is no longer able to control the local wizarding lands, needs to pay a large amount of taxes, and needs to restructure its assets, which will attract strong jurisdiction from multiple departments of the White Wizarding Association headquarters, such as the Tax Division.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, the White Wizard Association branch will not request headquarters to intervene in this matter unless absolutely necessary.

This is no different from filing for bankruptcy with headquarters.

That would allow the entire interests of this wizarding land to be completely controlled by the association headquarters for a very long time!

Locke followed behind the convoy. Since the convoy was going to hold a strategic meeting of the Dark Wizard Alliance, he might as well follow them and participate.

Let's see who has intervened in the southeastern corner region.

Of course, the main purpose was to search for the Ghost Cult and find a way to obtain the magic cast by the Ghost Cult leader back then.

That magic inspired him to develop the Styx Imaginary Root server, and he absolutely had to obtain it, as it was likely related to the crucial key to whether he could conquer the Imaginary Root.

Locke looked at Patty at the back of the carriage.

"Patty is... seemingly dead, but not quite. I see, is she undergoing vampire transformation? The black wizard forcibly transformed her into a blood servant."

"Patty, you're really in a terrible situation."

At this moment, in the last carriage of the magic carriage convoy, Patty Aisa, a second-class apprentice witch, was serving Graeme Stein, the number one candidate for wizardry in the Blood Curse Court, with a bitter face.

Patty looked at Graeme Stein, whose face was tyrannical and whose temperament was unpredictable, and felt extremely bitter. She stepped forward from the carriage and said, "Lord Stein, the magical materials you need for the ritual have been prepared... right here."

She was holding a plate covered with the beating hearts of various creatures.

Stein sneered, picked up a still-beating cow's heart from the middle of the plate, and put it in his mouth to chew.

"tasty."

"I wonder what the heart of you, this lowly and weak white witch and sorceress, tastes like."

Patty turned pale and quickly knelt down, holding up the plate.

“Lord Stein… I served as a formal wizard and potion master at the University of Verdandia… I know a lot about identifying medicinal herbs; I studied herbal identification… By the way, I know a lot about different types of potions. With a blood servant like me, you will definitely have a greater advantage than other wizard candidates.”

(End of this chapter)