Chapter 1156

Chapter 1132 Catherine the Witch’s Farewell Feast

In the wizarding town, the entire town was currently hosting a banquet for her lineage, organized by Catherine the Witch. Locke saw many familiar faces, as well as many unfamiliar second-ring, star-ring, and moon-ring wizards. At the very heart of the town were his senior brother Georta, wizard Heidegger, witch Zoira, and witch Fiona.

Locke walked over, greeted wizard Trajan and his four senior brothers and sisters, and then took a seat at the table. No one doubted his strength as a core member of the Red Dragon Throne lineage; after all, not everyone had the experience of single-handedly taking on an entire star-ring breeder in the wizarding lands.

Catherine the Witch’s avatar instantly appeared at the head of the table. She gestured to her eldest disciple, Georta, who, with a faint smile, raised a peachwood wand and activated a shielding magic array covering the entire wizarding town.

The witch Catherine began, “Now I will show you a prophecy I received from the High Heaven Plains, a prophecy from the fourth-circle prophet, Master [Sok].”

Catherine waved her hand, and an illusion screen appeared in the sky. On this screen, the Rose Witch, now a fourth-circle wizard, plunged a rose sword into Catherine’s abdomen. In the void, the wizards of the Rose lineage launched an attack on the wizards of the Red Dragon lineage, exceeding the limits of lineage warfare.   Catherine

remained unmoved, instead picking up a cup of wizard’s tea and taking a small sip.   She then quietly awaited the crowd’s reaction.   The wizards present fell silent. Some showed worry for Catherine the Witch and themselves, some had complex and fearful expressions, and others were filled with righteous indignation.   Catherine the Witch set down her teacup. “Master Soko is a good friend of mine, and his prophecies have never been wrong. This shows that this is an unprecedentedly difficult war.” ”   Therefore, I have decided to let you decide yourselves whether to stay or leave before the formal showdown with the Rose School.   Staying is good, leaving is also fine. If the prophecy comes true, at least our school will not be wiped out.”   At this moment, the wizards of the entire wizarding town fell into an unusual silence.   In the Rose Council, in the rose-filled town, the Rose Witch presented to everyone the prophecy she had obtained at great expense from a fourth-circle prophetic wizard from Quinjol University.

“The resources needed to become a fourth-circle wizard are no longer readily available; the wizarding civilization has been searching for such resources in the void for years. Therefore, such resources require luck and timing.”

The Rose Witch pointed to the illusion screen, where Catherine the Witch, wielding the Sacred Peach Bow, used magic to pierce her abdomen, sending her plummeting into the depths of the void. Simultaneously, Trajan the Wizard suddenly led a wizarding army to massacre her students and the Tacitus family.

Many wizards present, witnessing this scene, were filled with rage and fury.

The Rose Throne said, “To reach the fourth-circle foundation, I asked the Master of Prophecy to foretell my fate, and this is the result of that prophecy.”

At this moment, although they were in two distant locations in the Cloud Marsh Wetlands, the Rose Witch and Catherine still spoke the same words, enunciating each one clearly.

“Therefore, this time we must win.”

Golden Crown Mountain, in the wizarding town.

Catherine the Witch said, “This is the consequence of failure. To break the prophecy, energy is needed. The wizards of the Prophecy School believe that a force called destiny flows within all things and all existence. They capture, analyze, and study it, naming it various types of weak spiritual touches.” “

To break this prophecy, we need to generate something that can counteract this powerful inertial force of destiny—that is, weak spiritual touches. This requires the collective effort of all the wizards in our lineage. This is a tough battle that I may not be able to win. My students, if you do not wish to be involved in this war, you can leave here first, or accept the school’s mission and temporarily leave this wizarding land.”

“

The core area of the lineage war is in the Cloud Marsh Wetlands.”

“You can decide for yourselves.”

Catherine the Witch looked at Trajan the Wizard, who then stood up. “Gentlemen,”

explained Wizard Trajan, ” to facilitate the collection of information on the decision of whether our lineage of wizards will remain or leave, I have created a spellbook to record your choices. After this banquet, there will be no more opportunities for you to freely withdraw. The opposing lineage will certainly target us with all its might.”

Catherine the Witch interjected, “If no wizard has shown the corresponding resolve, I suggest you temporarily leave Cloudswamp Wetlands. Trajan, you go and collect the information.”

At this moment, the wizards in the wizarding town began to ponder their current situation.

Whether to leave or stay, whether driven by emotional considerations or practical interests, it was a choice that required careful consideration.

Most wizards’ interests lie within a single wizarding territory. Leaving a territory temporarily would render their years of effort futile.

However, staying also carries significant risks.

The battle for dominance among wizarding lineages is raging; it’s a battle of virtue. Staying makes one vulnerable to inexplicable attacks.

Faced with Trajan, who approached them, the wizards hesitated, but ultimately made their decisions. Before writing, they bowed to Catherine the Witch and then wrote their choices in their spellbooks.

When Trajan stood before Zeno, Zeno pondered for a moment, his quill pen unused.

Trajan said expressionlessly, “Zeno, you must make a choice. Whatever you choose, it will be a contribution to our lineage.”

“No need for any psychological burden,”

Zeno gritted his teeth, writing two words in his spellbook: “Stay.”

Trajan’s lips curled slightly upon seeing his choice.

Then, he walked up to the Celtic wizard, a second-ring wizard.

“Celtic wizard, you’re considered an outsider in our lineage, merely a subordinate of the teacher. It’s your turn to make a choice.”

The Celtic wizard smiled and said, “The Red Dragon lineage allowed me to stay at Golden Crown Mountain; this is my only chance to remain. Golden Crown Mountain has high requirements; for a wizard from a humble background like me, being able to join even an outsider lineage is already quite good.”

The Celtic wizard immediately wrote “Stay” in his spellbook.

The Celtic wizard looked at Trajan, then at Locke with a complex expression, and said to Trajan, “I won’t leave.”

Trajan nodded to him, then walked up to a young Moon Ring wizard. This wizard looked awkwardly at the witch Catherine, then made a decision and wrote “Don’t Stay” in his spellbook.

“It’s not that I’m afraid, but I have a project at a crucial moment, and I want to complete it with my students. I plan to go to the Rezer Lowlands to take the project with me.”

Catherine the Witch nodded to him and said, “Osmar, I fully support you. I have great faith in your talent in vine toxicology.”

Next, more wizards wrote their decisions in Trajan’s magic book.

By the time Trajan arrived before Locke, all the thousand wizards present had already written their decisions in the magic book, and Locke raised his hand and wrote “Stay” with his magic quill.

This was expected.

Trajan walked to the main table.

At this moment, Georgeta the Witch rose and bowed to Catherine the Witch.

“Teacher, I’m so sorry I can’t stay here and fight alongside you. I have many students of my own. If I were alone, I would certainly be willing to stay. If I were just a Sun Ring Wizard, instead of a Three Ring Wizard who needs to rely on my own True Forging to raise a large group of wizards with extremely high magic levels, I would stay here without hesitation.”

“Teacher, I’ve decided to temporarily head to the Land of Dragonfall. I have a collaboration with a holy site there.”

“That collaboration is quite important to me. It’s a collaboration between the number one ranked holy site and me, which might give me a chance to be selected as a Throne-level Wizard. As you know, to be selected as a Throne-level Wizard, one needs solid qualifications and unparalleled research, as well as a bit of luck. If there are too many competitors in the same field, it’s possible to go for years without being selected. And if the chosen field is too niche and insignificant, it’s also very difficult to be selected—Teacher, I’m sorry.”

The witch Ekaterina wasn’t angry. “Georta, after I win, you must be the first to go home.”

Wizard Georta smiled knowingly. “Of course.”

“Teacher, I’m probably the student who’s been by your side the longest. It’s just a pity that I’m getting old, and my status is different from before. I’m no longer the naive young boy I used to be, able to go all in. I really miss the old days when I felt fearless.”

Georta looked at Trajan and Locke. “Junior brothers, you are in the most fearless time of your lives, the time when you don’t need to worry about your families. Enjoy this time, because once you reach the Third Ring, you won’t have such good days anymore.”

Wizard Trajan said with a smile, “Senior brother, you’re saying this as if you’re telling a child to grow up slowly, there’s no rush to become an adult. But for me, I wish I could become a Third Ring wizard this year. Aren’t you just being sarcastic?”

Georta shook his head helplessly and smiled, “Junior brother, you don’t know my current predicament.”

“Every day, students ask me for money. I have to pretend that I’m confident and that I have plenty of funds to allocate. And in the war of academic lineages, my situation is becoming increasingly difficult. Now, several years have passed, and this war of academic lineages is like invisible gunpowder, yet it’s far more intense than war. I’d rather lead the wizard legion into the abyss or hell, or fight against other super civilizations, than fight this war of academic lineages where the killers are killed with soft knives.”

“A few days ago, one of my students became a debt slave. He’s quite talented,”

Wizard Georta said helplessly, “but unfortunately, he was targeted by wizards from the Rose School. I’m furious, but unfortunately, my current financial situation isn’t very good either.”

These words silenced many of the wizards present, as their own financial situations were also precarious.

Wizards rarely avoided debt.

The requirements of Mount Golden Crown were already quite high.

And in the School Wars, everyone’s financial situation was generally affected. Of course, Locke purely enjoyed the benefits, because by fighting his way through the Rose School in the realm of wizard shoes, he had actually carved out a bloody path and even made some money in the School Wars.

Zoira the Witch also stood up and bowed to Ekaterina the Witch, saying, “Teacher, I also need to follow in the footsteps of my senior brother. I’m going to the Southern Witch Capital to establish a new business district. This period will be a temporary trip to explore new markets.”

“That market is extremely important to me.”

“If it weren’t for this matter, I wouldn’t mind staying.”

Ekaterina the Witch nodded in understanding. Her control over her third-ring wizard students was already relatively weak. They also had their own students and networks to manage, and their own businesses. She wanted to advance to the fourth ring, and her students also wanted to go further. Since Zoira’s plans conflicted with her current plans, this excellent third-ring witch would prioritize her own interests, which was understandable to everyone.

These third-ring students all relied on their own third-ring status,

not on the academic network’s third ring.

The academic network had them as an advantage; talent has its uses, and loyal subordinates naturally have their own paths to take.

Since these students can rely on their own efforts to reach the third level, they naturally wouldn’t risk all their resources for her. Moreover, according to the prophecy, she is at a great disadvantage. The witch Catherine is also happy to see her students disperse to prevent her doctrine from being completely suppressed by the Rose Council in one fell swoop.

Catherine the Witch turned to look at her second disciple, Heidegger, who had also stood up. Heidegger stood up somewhat awkwardly,

but remained silent.

Knowing her student’s personality, Catherine the Witch said, “Heidegger, do you also want to leave?”

Heidegger sighed. “One of my students recently discovered a vast world that once existed during the Great Void Exploration Era, but then mysteriously disappeared. My student and I proved that this world enters a state of ‘Manifestation’ and ‘Concealment’ at different times. This is the first time I’ve ever seen such a wondrous world.” “

I plan to dedicate my entire academic lineage to excavating and exploring that world.”

“Therefore, I have no time to attend to anything else. Other third-ring wizards have also noticed this world, but my exploration progress is currently ahead. According to wizarding law, the wizard who explores more than 80% of the world’s area, opens the World Hall, and obtains the World Stone will unconditionally possess primary ownership of that world and restrict other wizards exploring their local areas from acquiring related ownership rights. This is an ancient law, and its applicability is being questioned in various contexts.”

Wizard Heidegger said, “But the third-ring wizard competing with me for that world seems to want to use this method to exclude me from that world.”

“So—”

Witch Catherine nodded; the third-ring wizards themselves also had their own contradictions. “I understand. Heidegger, I understand your difficulties.”

Witch Catherine looked at the last third-ring disciple who hadn’t yet expressed his opinion. “Fiona, what about you?”

Fiona stood up and said, “Teacher, I’ve decided to stay here to help you.”

Catherine frowned. “Have you had a meeting with your students? I’m not sure what they think.”

Fiona smiled. “My students aren’t very capable, so I don’t need to consider their opinions too much.

What I say goes. My management style is much rougher than a teacher’s. I can’t be bothered with their specific ideas. Besides, I don’t have any projects that are important enough to be done at this time, nor do I find the Rose Council particularly terrifying.”

“Therefore, I will stay here,”

Wizard Heidegger coughed. “I need to set the record straight. I am indeed competing with a third-ring wizard from Quinnjoll for a Great World. The other resources of that Great World are secondary; the special states of Dao Yin and Dao Xian are extremely important to me. My main focus lately has been on gramineous magical plants. I’ve taken a liking to the unique environment of that world and believe it’s perfectly suited for cultivating several magical plants I possess.”

Catherine the Witch spoke up for him, “It’s good that Heidegger withdrew from the academic war. His rice market is crucial, one of the main grain markets in the Cloud Marsh Wetlands. If this rice market intervenes in our academic war and encounters vicious commercial competition, it could trigger an ethical crisis.”

Catherine the Witch flipped through Trajan’s spellbook and nodded. It was roughly as she had predicted; about half the wizards had left, including three of the third-ring wizards. Only her own disciple, the Witch Fiona, was prepared to stay. Fiona’s

decision to stay was likely because she didn’t have many markets to begin with, and her business plans and the commercialization of her academic achievements in recent years had been somewhat poor.

The other three students weren’t necessarily unwilling to help her, but rather they carried a heavier responsibility and couldn’t simply lead a group into battle like a second-ring wizard.

Ekaterina looked at the list; these direct disciples were her core students, all of whom had achieved their success through their own efforts, not through the lineage.

However, within her lineage, there were four third-ring wizards who had been cultivated through her lineage, and these individuals were still outside, not yet summoned by her.

This group was absolutely unlikely to leave the lineage war.

Ekaterina said, “Then your decisions regarding staying and leaving are made. Now, let’s begin our lineage’s internal auction.” “

This is the last time we will hold a lineage-wide auction in the near future, and we will not hold any more auctions like this until the lineage war ends.”

Locke and his fellow students exchanged glances, all feeling a unique sense of farewell and感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing sorrow, regret, and reflection).

In Rose Town, the Rose Throne glanced at her four third-ring wizards. These four had chosen to leave Cloudswamp Wetlands, avoiding the academic war. Only Wizard Soras sat smiling in his seat. He had chosen to stay because there were benefits; he could then receive the resources vacated by the wizards who chose to leave.

It was a gamble.

A gamble that the Rose Academy could win.

The Rose Throne wasn’t particularly concerned about their departure. Frankly, ordinary third-ring wizards were like chickens and dogs to her, easily killed with a flick of her finger.

As for academic assistance, these students and her research direction had long since diverged. Returning to help her would require a period of adjustment, and it was impossible for them to abandon their entire academy’s current research to help her. On the contrary, Soras’s academy’s research direction had always intersected with hers.

For third-ring wizards, it wasn’t possible to change their development strategy based solely on sentiment; there must be a factor of self-interest involved.

The Rose Throne pondered, considering the three-ring wizards under her wing who relied on her lineage; these people were unlikely to leave.

The Rose Throne spoke, “Then let’s begin the final auction for all lineages. I hope everyone can find something interesting.”

Wizard Solas stepped forward and said, “Teacher, I have a suggestion. According to my inside information, the White Wizard Association of Cloudze Wetlands, in order to enhance the strength of our Wizarding Land and ensure our Wizarding Land benefits from this Ascension Plan, is preparing to take the lead in establishing a Shop Alliance Resource Integration Committee.

“

The Rose Throne raised an eyebrow, puzzled, “How come I didn’t know about this?”

Wizard Solas said, “Teacher, you are extremely busy.”

“Too busy to know such trivial matters. This was a decision made by a department within the association, without going through the Wizarding Land Council’s procedures.”

The Rose Throne raised an eyebrow. “All decisions made without going through the Wizarding Lands Council process lack the Council’s backing, making it difficult to obtain substantial resources,”

Wizard Soras said. “Yes. But even so, I’ve heard the White Wizarding Association is serious. They want to integrate the current commercial resources of the entire Wizarding Lands, backed by the power of the Third Ring Wizards. It’s said that the Third Ring Wizards in the Starfield Sea are also involved, so it can’t be called child’s play.”

The Rose Throne understood his meaning. “I see. The academy directly responsible for the Eastern Frontier Ascension Project is the Happiness Academy. But since they’re secretly setting up a resource consolidation committee, it means this isn’t a project led by wizards from the Happiness Academy. It should be a project led by wizards from an academy with conflicting interests with the Happiness Academy.” “

Has the factional infighting in the Starfield Sea already affected the Three Swamps? Soras, you’re right. Since this is the case, our academy war needs to take this into consideration.”

Soras quickly said, “The Shop Alliance Resource Integration Committee plans to provide specialized consultants to major shop alliances of a certain size to integrate the magical and commercial resources of the entire Wizarding Land, as well as the transformation of magical research results. The expected goal, if everything goes well, is to enhance the strength of the shop alliance sector in Cloudze Wetlands, thereby gaining more benefits in the Ascension Plan.” “

So I want to invite specialized consultants to join my shop alliances. Teacher, perhaps we can also invite these specialized consultants to join your shop alliances.”

The Rose Throne looked at him with surprise, and after careful consideration, said, “Let’s start with your shop alliances first.”

“After all, this is only a decision made by some high-ring wizards and some departments of the local white wizarding association, and the future is uncertain.”

Wizard Soras smiled and said, “Alright.”

“Then let’s start with my shop alliances. It’s just icing on the cake. The key is still the strength of the wizards within our academy. I have already formulated a series of business plans and taken out all the articles I had accumulated before, distributing them to my students to enhance their project management abilities.”

“Teacher, I believe we can definitely win this battle of academic lineages. The prophecies of the prophets shouldn’t be ignored, but they shouldn’t be taken at face value either,”

said the wizard Solas. “I’ve always firmly believed in the saying: ‘Man can conquer nature.'”

Because the 100 million magic stones hadn’t arrived yet, and Locke’s regular monthly income was around a million, his previous miscellaneous income had mostly been spent in Despair Valley. Creating various gardens and grottoes and holding ritual magic

in Despair Valley, as well as maintaining the competition, required enormous funds. Many expenses were small and seemingly insignificant, but when added up, they amounted to a considerable sum. Currently, Locke only had three million magic stones. Therefore, although he saw some good items at the auction held by the witch Catherine’s lineage, he didn’t bid on them.

Most importantly, Locke hadn’t fully digested his gains at the Despair Valley Laboratory, and for the time being, he wasn’t particularly concerned about these magical resources.

Over the next week, Locke remained at Golden Crown Mountain, waiting for the witch Catherine to assign him work, the aforementioned students, and to create a Moon Ring clone for him. Otherwise, in his current state, it would be impossible for him to enter the Tianjiang Riverfront Competition.

During this time, Locke conducted some simple experiments in his dormitory.

First, he read the information on the Red Pepper Tree daily, examining the cultivation data collected by Catherine and the previous two Moon Ring leaders. Second, he began cultivating mycelium wizard robes using Cross-shaped Mushrooms.

In the makeshift laboratory of his dormitory, Locke finished preparing the poison he had given Nika that day. “The potions I’ve been concocting for Nika lately have become increasingly potent, from a poison that could only kill medium-sized canines to one that can kill a whale. I need to test the maximum level of poison his body can tolerate, to understand his specific constitution,”

Locke pondered. “Besides, the curse spell within him is incomplete, causing problems with the effectiveness of his curse reversal. I’m not skilled in curses, but perhaps I can compensate with potions. If I can completely compensate, then I can turn the curse into an advantage.”

An ordinary potion master might be helpless in this situation, as it’s a problem with curses.

But Locke felt it was worth trying, but first, he needed to clearly understand Nika’s tolerance limit.

Locke instructed one of his elven servants to deliver the potion to Nika, along with a bottle of his own concocted antidote, in case Nika couldn’t tolerate the poison and could immediately use the antidote to relieve his symptoms.

Then, Locke left the makeshift potion room and looked at the gray mushroom growing on a dead tree, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“A wizard’s robe may look like just a piece of clothing, but it’s actually an extremely complex magical artifact. From the collar to the hem, every part has different weaving requirements. Furthermore, when worn by a wizard, it often needs to enhance their permanent defensive field and adapt to complex environments. It’s the most frequently used magical artifact by wizards, even more so than wizard shoes.”

“Previously, only one Moon Ring wizard was in charge of this project, and he worked on it for five years. The reason there was no progress was that he wanted to use different cultivation methods to directly cultivate the *Croton* mushroom into a complete wizard’s robe. He tried various cultivation schemes, even consulting experts at different wizarding academies, sometimes even condescending to visit smaller academies to consult wizards with special cultivation methods. But no matter how hard he tried, the project made no progress and was disqualified.” “

However, after reviewing all his project materials, I believe his research method was inherently thankless and arduous from the start.”

“To cultivate a wizard’s robe directly from a single mushroom-type magical plant is too difficult,”

Locke pondered. “I can utilize the concept of a jungle, combining different mushrooms to form a jungle, and then using that jungle to create a wizard’s robe. The breeding cost of mushroom-type magical plants is relatively low.” “

About one-thirtieth of that of ordinary magical plants.

” “

However, mushroom-type magical plants also have an upper limit; their upper limit is much lower than other magical plants of the same level.

They also depend on the humidity in the air, but this is not a problem in the Cloud Marsh Wetlands. The issue of strength can also be solved using the jungle.”

Locke scratched his head. “Mushroom-type magical plants are just the fruiting bodies of fungi; they don’t have true organ differentiation, so their strength is always much lower than other types of magical plants of the same level. The higher the magic level, the more obvious this characteristic becomes.” “

However, these characteristics combined actually fit very well with my idea of starting from the jungle to create a pure mushroom wizard’s robe.”

Locke glanced at Louis, the person in charge of the previous project.

This Moon Ring Wizard seemed to have appeared in Wizard Town before, but I hadn’t paid much attention. Because this project was handled poorly, she lost a lot of resources and hadn’t received any similar important projects for at least ten years. It

‘s always been like this with Catherine the Witch; if an important project fails once, it’s very difficult to be reused.

There are just too many wizards vying for that opportunity.

Despite our harmonious relationship, Catherine’s standards are actually very high; countless wizards want to become her disciples.

Locke glanced at the mushrooms he had cultivated. “They should have already deposited my 100 million magic stones into my fairy family bank account today. When I went to the Dragonblood Market to collect the magic stones, I bought some mushroom-type magical plants to increase my synthesis materials.”

“Each part of a wizard’s robe can be composed of one or more types of mushrooms or mushroom mycelium, so I need a large quantity of high-quality mushrooms, whether for my own cultivation or for synthesis. I can first use basic cultivation methods to cultivate some mushroom materials, and then use finite element cultivation methods to combine the plant essences of these mushrooms.” “

Then I’ll enhance them using the spirit energy cultivation method.”

Locke quickly devised a plan; he had far more advantages than the average breeder.

For a breeder, the more cultivation methods they possess, the more tools they have, and the more adept they are at handling any project.

Currently, in terms of spiritual cultivation methods, he possesses the Ten King Bottles, ten types of bottle-world garden cave structures, and the Supreme Evil Path. Although he hasn’t yet mastered the palm-sized garden cave type, he already has a considerable number of bottle-world types.

This is all accumulated knowledge.

This means he can freely choose any of these bottle-world garden caves to cultivate the corresponding mushroom magic plant.

It is precisely because he possesses so many spiritual cultivation methods and the Ten King Bottles that Locke dares to start with the [Jungle] to cultivate his first mushroom wizard robe.

Dragon Blood Market.

When Locke confirmed that he had one hundred million magic stones in a fairy family bank on the streets of the castle, the fairies in the family bank looked at him differently. Not only did a high-ranking fairy immediately come to greet him personally, but they also enthusiastically recommended a series of risky or risk-free investment projects to Locke, hoping he would purchase their family bank’s recently launched products.

The fairy manager, a second-circle wizard, enthusiastically adjusted her golden glasses and said, “Our family bank specializes in magic tricks. We can turn one magic stone into two, and two into ten.”

“Honorable guest, a wizard as wealthy as you should buy our products.”

Locke had already reached the shop entrance when he noticed the fairy manager was still following him. If it weren’t for the fairy family bank’s good reputation, he would have switched banks. However, this incident served as a reminder to Locke.

As

his wealth increased, he would inevitably deposit a portion in various wizarding banks. Having too many magic stones on his person was inherently dangerous, and many strange spells could steal them. For these reasons, many wizards kept large sums of money in wizarding banks. After all

, wizarding banks could concentrate resources and set up defensive magic arrays to ensure the safety of funds.

However, seeing the fairy’s eager attitude, Locke secretly resolved to change his deposits at a different wizard bank every now and then, to prevent the fairy manager from secretly using his magic stones for investment.

He needed to keep his magic stones liquid to prevent the fairies from mistaking them for dead accounts that could be used temporarily.

Locke said to the fairy manager, “No need. I don’t need the magic to turn one magic stone into two. I just hope your bank won’t secretly turn my two magic stones into one.”

The fairy manager immediately bowed and said, “How could that be? We all have professional ethics. The biggest advantage our family bank has over other wizard banks is that we’ve been doing this for generations. If we mismanage our wizard clients’ money, we’ll lose face. We won’t be able to work in our family bank anymore.”

“Rest assured, our bank has a complete defensive magic array, there will absolutely be no problem. Only the magic key in your hand can access the magic stones in your account.” “

We only recognize the magic key in your hand, not you. That magic key has the highest anti-counterfeiting technology authentication—”

“We also have a related compensation agreement. As long as you can prove the property loss caused by the counterfeiting of the magic key, we will fully compensate you. However, if you are still worried, you can purchase this insurance—”

Locke had already left the Fairy Family Bank and headed to a relatively secluded corner of the Dragonblood Market. The air here had an unpleasant smell, and the empty space was littered with various kinds of rotten wood or piles of garbage, all covered with mushrooms.

This was the Magic Plant Recycling Ground.

The so-called Magic Plant Recycling Ground was where various discarded breeding materials could be sold, such as some plant seeds that had failed to be cultivated, or some adult magic plants that had died after being planted.

Wizards piled these magic plants together and then sowed fungi on them to grow different kinds of mushroom magic plants.

Because the fungal strains used are of high quality and diverse variety, while the corpses of the magical plants used to cultivate mushroom-type magical plants are incredibly varied, this kind of place easily produces all sorts of mushroom-type magical plants of varying quality. Most are degenerated or mutated mushroom-type magical plants, but in very rare cases, exceptionally high-quality or special-function mushroom-type magical plants may appear.

This cultivation method is called the “Recycling Yard Cultivation Method,” and it’s a relatively popular method for cultivating mushroom-type magical plants.

Dragonblood Market, as a large wizarding market, has even opened a niche business called the “Magic Plant Recycling Yard.”

The wizards of Golden Crown Mountain and the surrounding area call the recycling center a “bargain hunting ground.” This is because it not only boasts a wide variety of mutated mushrooms, requiring only keen eyesight to find the ones you need, but also a large quantity of dead magical plant seeds and half-dead magical plants. It’s not uncommon for breeders to find rare magical plants they need here, only to encounter unsuspecting wizards who have half-killed them, allowing them to revive the plants themselves – thus, they’ve made a bargain.

Therefore, Locke saw many wizards from Golden Crown Mountain and the surrounding academies loitering here, not to buy mushrooms or magical plants, but to look for unwanted magical plant junk.

The dead magical plants and dead seeds can also be bought at low prices.

Locke walked around the pile of dead magical plants, wearing a monocle of sunlight, observing the mushrooms that had grown, searching for magical plants that might be useful to him.

“As expected of the recycling method, these mushroom magical plants are of very high quality and come in many varieties.”

Locke picked up a mushroom with tweezers, its color so vibrant it looked like an oil painting, and then cut it off with a knife.

Along the way, Locke found many mushrooms of research value, which he collected one by one.

When Locke looked up and saw a patch of gray mushrooms growing on a dead tree, he was stunned. He had never seen such gray mushrooms before, and although the magical pressure was very low and the monocle of the Sunlight Mirror couldn’t reveal anything unusual, he could sense an unusually powerful spiritual energy flowing from the mushrooms.

However, this spiritual energy was so faint that Locke wasn’t sure.

But if something is unusual, it has research value. Locke subconsciously raised his hand to pick up the gray mushrooms with tweezers, but the next moment, he saw a pair of silver magical tweezers coming from another direction and grabbing the mushrooms.

Locke looked up and saw a Sun Ring Wizard wearing heart-shaped framed glasses looking up at him in surprise. He wasn’t a wizard from Golden Crown Mountain; his wizarding robes bore a magical badge called the “Resource Management Committee.”

The man’s eyes held a deep, honey-like smile. “This unfamiliar wizard, you’ve also taken a liking to this mushroom?”

“You have good taste; we two heroes share the same view. But I am indeed interested in this mushroom.”

“Are you doing taxonomic research, phylogenetic research, ecology, or perhaps interested in some substance in this mushroom? We can discuss how to allocate this mushroom, if our goals differ.”