Chapter 1171

Chapter 1146 The Golden Elixir Sand That Sold for 100 Million Magic Stones and Ling Hong’s Discovery and Design of Its Core Function!

This book is first published online by 𝕥𝕨𝕜𝕒𝕟.𝕔𝕠𝕞. In

the Crimson Garden Forest, Locke said to Wizard Gordon, “Wizard Gordon, please submit the article we wrote together to Razer. I’ve already contacted Razer’s editor, and my name can be listed as the corresponding author and first author.”

Wizard Gordon’s job was simply to help Locke organize experimental data and write Locke’s drafts and some of his dictation into an article.

Gordon the wizard said to Locke, “Okay—okay. Team Leader Locke, I’ll get it published for you as soon as I get back. The Rizer Lowlands aren’t a member of the Frontline Committee, so they should still accept submissions, right?”

Locke said to Gordon the wizard, “Gordon, you can use the remaining data to do a data analysis of my bottle worlds, observing the differences between my bottle worlds and existing conventional bottle worlds, as well as some other unpublished bottle worlds from other academic lines. I think it should be able to be published in Zone 2, and if it’s well-written, perhaps even Zone 1.”

“The Rizer Lowlands’ journal ‘Analysis and Comparison’ likes to publish this kind of article. If we submit to that journal, we might be able to try for a Zone 1 journal.”

Gordon the wizard was quite surprised, even a little flattered, because doing things for the team leader was usually an unspoken rule, the kind of thing where you could ask for a reward or not. Even if he wanted a reward, he would have to do a lot of work for Locke first, but he didn’t expect Locke to give him a direct benefit.

Immediately, Gordon the wizard became even more proactive. “Okay, Team Leader Locke.”

Locke nodded to him. Although he didn’t know who the dragon prodigies were in his research group, as the team leader, he had to be clear about rewards and punishments and give them enough room to maneuver. This was the only way to make these arrogant Star Ring Wizards and Second Ring Wizards work for him.

What could motivate them more than giving them the opportunity to publish papers or work on projects? Moreover

, these people were core members of the Red Dragon lineage, so he needed to be more cautious with them both morally and logically.

Locke nodded to Wizard Zeno, then called the Demon Wolf Giant and headed out of the corridor. The Golden Elixir Sand needed to complete its drug mechanism research and three phases of experiments before it could be put on the market. Therefore, they needed to recruit a large number of mortals and wizard apprentices to try using the Golden Elixir Sand and improve it in the process.

However, the mechanism of the Golden Elixir Sand was relatively simple, which was easy for him to do. The first phase could be done first, and the second and third phases could be done together to save time as much as possible.

Of course, Locke felt there was another thing that best served his interests.

His shop alliance, Gungnir, currently lacked sufficient personnel and a complete production chain. Even with his accelerated efforts, it would be difficult to fully capitalize on the current opportunity. Before completing Phase Three and obtaining a sales permit from the White Wizarding Association, the Venom world might already be gone from the wizarding world, and he would miss the opportunity.

Without the White Wizarding Association’s standard approval for this new potion, he could only sell a small amount privately; selling too much would violate wizarding law.

Therefore, there was actually another unorthodox method:

directly selling the potion, which had already been submitted for mechanism analysis and was eligible for Phase One, to other potion-making shop alliances!

This would directly generate substantial economic benefits.

Letting other shop alliances conduct Phase Three experiments

would be equivalent to selling a potion formula himself—the fastest way for him to profit.

Zeno the wizard, along with the Mario brothers and others, all bowed in respect to Locke as he left with the dire wolf giant. At this moment, Locke was the highest-level wizard among them.

The wolf giant whispered to Locke, “Teacher, where are we going?”

Locke looked at the wolf giant and noticed his magic pressure was already 800. “Wolf giant, I will apply for your potion advancement.”

“You can try to break through to become a first-ring wizard. If you become a first-ring potion master, you can work for my Gungnir if you wish. You will become my first employee, and you can help me a lot. Of course, if you have other ideas, that’s fine with you.”

“Your talent in potion-making is much better than I expected. If you study diligently, you may very well achieve great things in potion-making in the future.”

“Once you become a first-ring wizard, I will give you my Holy Spring Dew potion recipe. However, I still hope that you can have your own first-ring potion recipes in the future.”

The wolf giant said with delight, “Of course I would, teacher.”

Locke nodded. “We went to the only decent potions shop in Golden Crown Mountain, which

was opened by a Moon Ring Wizard from the Green Dragon lineage: [Green Crystal Shop Alliance].

The two rode a cloud whale and quickly arrived at Dragonblood Gathering. They then entered the Green Crystal Shop Alliance, went up to the second floor, and found the person in charge of the second ring area, a crystallized witch wearing a plain green wizard’s robe.”

Locke looked at the witch and said, “I need to find the wizard behind your Green Crystal. I want to sell the cooperation rights to a potion.”

The crystallized witch quickly stepped forward and bowed to him. “Hello, I’ll contact Lady [Idris] right away.”

Locke frowned and said, “I am Locke Augustine.”

The crystallized witch looked at Locke in surprise. “So it’s Senior Augustine. You want to see our boss? Okay, I’ll contact the boss of our Green Crystal immediately, the Crystal Witch [Gertrude Elion].”

Locke nodded. Gertrude Elion was the wizard boss behind Green Crystal. That Idris was just a second-circle witch, a partner, with not much authority. He definitely needed to talk to the boss behind Green Crystal.

Others’ opinions probably didn’t count.

After making the contact, the crystallized witch immediately invited Locke to the VIP room and respectfully brewed him a pot of wizard tea worth 100,000 magic stones—the “Cloudy Serenity Wizard Tea.” The tea was incredibly fragrant, making one want to take a sip. The dire wolf giant, standing behind Locke’s seat, drooled.

Locke glanced at the dire wolf giant, picked up the tea, and took a sip. “This wizard tea is for moon ring wizards. You can’t drink it. If you do, your magic will be purified, but for moon ring wizards, it can

purify impurities in their magic.”

The dire wolf giant said awkwardly, “I’ve made a fool of myself, teacher.”

“This wizard tea smells wonderful. After smelling it, all the fragrances and delicacies I’ve ever encountered before seem vulgar and tasteless, losing their appeal to me.”

At this moment, Gertrude Elion, a Moon Ring Wizard wearing a robe embroidered with various plain rose patterns, the robe itself leaning towards a pale green, emerged from behind the shop. She looked hurried and rather haggard, with a pair of black glasses perched on her nose. The left lens had a shattered glass, while the right one was intact. She seemed to have not slept in a long time, hence the dark circles under her eyes. Locke could also tell that she was rather embarrassed, because most Moon Ring Wizards and Star Ring Wizards would wear some magical rings, and witches liked to wear some magical ornaments, but she was completely n*ked, even her wizard robe seemed to have been patched.

Gertrude Elion, the witch, said to Locke, “Witcher Locke, I’ve heard of you. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting so long, but I’ve been very busy. I was halfway through an experiment and could only come to see you after I finished. My staff told me you want to collaborate with me?”

Gertrude Elion continued, slightly impatiently, “Although Green Crystal is the largest potion-making shop alliance in the Dragonblood Gathering, we don’t have much money. So I have no interest in purchasing any cutting-edge, newly cultivated medicinal magical plants, nor do I intend to engage in any projects that would increase additional expenses.” “

Even if Wizard Locke has any very promising magical plants, or any projects that you’d like to approach me with, Green Crystal doesn’t have the magical stones to buy them.”

“Then, Wizard Locke, what is it you want to see me about?”

Locke frowned. The moment he saw the witch, his magical power suddenly surged, but only for a moment before returning to calm.

He was absolutely certain that the sudden surge of magical power was not an illusion or a coincidence.

Gertrude Elion—

Lock sensed the other’s magical pressure and recalled her information: a Moon Ring Wizard of the Green Dragon Clan, with a magical pressure of 34,500, the owner of the Green Jade, nicknamed the Jade Witch, and a non-contractual high-level wizarding instructor at Golden Crown Mountain. Her status within the Green Dragon Clan was neither high nor low, somewhat marginalized, for the simple reason that Golden Crown Mountain wasn’t particularly skilled in Potions.

However, her position wasn’t low either, as she held a non-contractual high-level wizarding instructor position, indicating she wasn’t under pressure to be promoted or dismissed.

This also suggested she held a rather special position within the Green Dragon Clan, perhaps Golden Crown Mountain’s last effort to develop one of its few remaining disciplines in Potions.

Locke nodded and said to Gertrude Elion, “Ms. Elion, you’ve misunderstood me. I’m not here to collaborate on a new cutting-edge potion-making project or to buy my magical plants. You seem very busy, and I don’t intend to waste your time. Let’s get straight to the point. Look at this.”

Locke placed a True Sight Crystal and a bottle of Golden Elixir Sand in front of her.

Gertrude Elion gave Locke a strange look. She picked up the crystal ball. If it weren’t for the fact that she had heard of

Locke and that they were wizards from the Five-Colored Dragon Throne lineage, she wouldn’t have wanted to meet him.

After all, Green Crystal’s business was limited, her funds were limited, and there wasn’t much to discuss.

She was busy with her experiments—

the discovery and design of the key core component, Ling Hong.

Gertrude Elion’s face darkened at the thought, because she needed to find investors, otherwise, her research would soon have to be abandoned.

Gertrude glanced at Locke and said, “Let me make this clear beforehand, my funds are limited. If Wizard Locke wants me to invest, then you’ll be disappointed.”

Locke gestured for her to continue. “Please at least finish looking at it first.”

Gertrude looked at the Golden Elixir Sand. An orange potion?

For a Moon Ring Witch capable of concocting golden potions, orange potions were far too rudimentary. To her, they were not much different from ordinary second-ring colorless potions.

Gertrude activated her True Sight Crystal Ball. She felt somewhat agitated. Her experiment using the Queen’s Chessboard and the Spiritual Infant Mirror was only halfway done when Locke interrupted her. She was completely absorbed in thinking about the experiment, feeling that her design seemed sound, but for some reason, it hadn’t yielded any results. Her mind was preoccupied with these thoughts, and she had no interest in wasting time on conversation.

There were so many wizards in the world willing to make friends everywhere, so why was Wizard Locke Augustine targeting her?

The contents of the True Sight Crystal Ball began to play, revealing a massive mass of flesh that startled the Crystal Witch shop assistant, who let out a soft murmur.

“What—what is this thing? What kind of monster is this?”

the wolf giant stammered. “This is Lord Zeno, the Star Ring Wizard of Golden Crown Mountain. It’s just that my teacher’s treatment plan caused this.”

The Crystal Witch shop assistant from the second ring glared at him, finding the apprentice incredibly rude for daring to speak.

However, the Crystal Witch immediately realized that if this was the result of Locke’s treatment plan, then her words implied a questioning of Locke. Therefore, she quickly added, “So this is Lord Augustine’s magic. I was ignorant.”

At this moment, the Green Crystal Shop Alliance’s leader, the witch Tertrude, glanced at her, warning her not to interrupt.

Then, she looked at the True Sight Crystal. “This is the result of snake venom from the Venom World. Although I don’t know what happened before, considering that the God of Truth previously attacked the wizards of the Eastern Realm through the Root Realm, I can guess that the omnipotent divine power of the gods wanted to modify the bodies of the Zeno wizards, and you actually used the properties of snake venom from the Venom World to modify the Zeno wizards in return. Interesting.”

“However, the physical characteristics modified by the venom of the Venom World are all malignant and fragile.”

“If you want to use the mechanisms of these toxins to create a body-enhancing mechanism, it’s impossible.

I’ve done some preliminary research on the mechanisms of the toxins in the Venom World, and my conclusion is that under this mechanism, the laws of the plane tend towards deterioration, making it impossible to optimize physical strength.”

After seeing Locke’s treatment plan, the witch Gertrude clearly had much more patience with him, because she sensed from his line of thinking that Locke’s strength as a potion master was formidable.

Locke smiled, “As expected of a Moon Ring-level potion master, you saw through my thoughts.”

The witch Gertrude saw Locke use Golden Elixir Sand to cover Zeno’s body, then Zeno’s body turned into blood, covering the entire corridor and even corroding the corridor’s foundation stones made of high-grade magical materials.

What a vicious potion. The potion a person concocts will basically reveal a side of their personality; this person is extremely dangerous. Gertrude

the witch glanced warily at Locke. Skilled potion masters could glean insights into a person’s personality from the potions they concocted, and she immediately became more cautious of Locke.

Gertrude looked at the screen. But the effect was unexpectedly good. Under the influence of omnipotent divine power and complex snake venom, the wizard Zeno’s body structure had almost completely changed. In my opinion, his condition wasn’t that mutated body tissue covered his normal body, forming a fleshy ball, but rather that beneath that fleshy ball, his normal body parts and permanent defensive field were completely intertwined and entangled with the mutated tissue, the mutated tissue covering his permanent defensive field. “

If left untreated, the mutated tissue would combine with the permanent defensive field, making the condition even more dangerous. However, this

external potion used an extremely powerful offensive property, causing the mutated tissue to partially dissolve.

What a vicious potion, what a vicious person, and the effect is also vicious, but the potion’s effect is perfectly suited to the current situation. Hmm?”

Gertrude’s expression changed slightly. She had injected at least dozens of different types of poison into the Zeno wizard, and this potion could even neutralize the toxins in his body, proving its effectiveness. ” If

a shop alliance were to launch this potion now, they could not only make a fortune but also gain widespread fame.”

Gertrude placed the crystal ball of true vision. The crystallized witch behind her, though having also seen all the images, had limited knowledge and failed to realize the special nature of the Golden Elixir Sand at this particular time.

Gertrude looked at Locke and fell silent; for a moment, neither of them spoke.

After a while, the witch Gertrude clapped softly and said, “Although it’s only an orange potion, a good potion is only effective when it’s suitable for the ailment. Think about it carefully; most snake venom in the Venomous World is just strange, not magically potent, so it doesn’t really need a high-level potion. The blue potion, the Archangel Potion, is not only too high-level and not entirely suitable, but the Archangel Feathers used in the Archangel Potion are only produced in a few worlds.”

“If the war between the Frontline Council and the gods intensifies, the demand for the Archangel Potion will also increase, making it even more difficult to use it to treat snake venom, which has some alternative potions. Therefore, at this moment, the wizards of Cloudswamp Wetlands urgently need a broad-spectrum antidote that can replace the Archangel Potion for treating snake venom.”

The witch Gertrude said to Locke, “I know what you mean. I can help you with three phases of clinical trials.”

“You can give me money,”

Locke raised an eyebrow. Was Green Jade really that short of money?

The other party wasn’t oblivious to his intentions, but to be so desperate for money was a different story. A normal business alliance would want to be deeply involved in the project, perhaps even buying it out to

maximize profits .

However, his own goal was to acquire a large quantity of magic stones in the short term, and he also intended to cooperate with Green Jade.

Locke noticed the desire and restraint in the other party’s eyes, realizing that it wasn’t that he didn’t want to do it, but rather that he thought it was inappropriate, and coupled with his own cash shortage, he had asked for his money in exchange for Green Jade

‘s help in completing the Phase III clinical trials. It seemed that Gertrude the Witch was indeed a good person, without any desire to covet others’ achievements.

Locke asked, “I’ve been wanting to ask one thing: why is Green Jade so desperate for money?”

Gertrude the Witch coughed. “Ten years ago, I discovered a kind of spirit macro from a magical ore. I noticed that this spirit macro could react to and connect with multiple spirit macros, possessing a special binding mechanism. I determined that this was a completely new core-function spirit macro.”

Locke asked curiously, “If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be possible to apply for a lot of funding, whether it’s applying for

projects or attracting investment?”

The witch Gertrude sighed, walked behind Locke, and said, “No. Developing a core-function spirit macro is more expensive and complex than developing a potion formula. A potion formula merely uses existing data to find a certain possibility contained in these spirit macros and materials. Developing a core-function spirit macro, however, is venturing into the unknown, exploring the possibilities it contains. But what if this whole path is wrong?”

Locke met her gaze, sensing an astonishing spiritual intent emanating from the witch, an intent that could even suppress one’s own magic.

Golden Crown Mountain truly lives up to its reputation as the top wizarding academy in Cloud Swamp Wetlands; it’s teeming with talent. Any wizard you encounter here might be some kind of powerful being.

Gertrude the witch withdrew her gaze. “Even if it’s not wrong, what if the destination this path leads to is something the wizarding world doesn’t currently need? The potions that can be made won’t have much market potential. There are too many uncertainties, and Mount Golden Crown has never been known for its potions. Therefore, I can’t apply for many projects, nor can I raise much funding.

I did manage to get the White Wizarding Association’s second-ring fund for this project, but the problem is that that little bit of money is simply not enough. Therefore, we at Green Crystal are extremely short of money.”

Locke said, “Are you betting your hopes on this core function, Spirit Macro, and whether it will have a huge market after future development?”

Gertrude the witch shook her head. “That makes me sound like a gambler.”

“Not at all.”

“But if someone doesn’t care whether their achievements and contributions belong to them, then they care about nothing at all. They can accomplish far more than you and I, and far more than we can imagine. My desire, my goal, my ideal—to explore the unknown boundaries of potions—is that whether I make money in the future, whether the future achievements, contributions, and fame belong to me, these are other people’s business. What does it have to do with me?”

Gertrude and Locke exchanged glances.

Locke was silent for a moment.

It could only be said that the Moon Ring wizards were a group with absolutely vastly different backgrounds.

Locke said, “Ms. Gertrude, let’s focus on the Golden Elixir Sand I’m asking you to cooperate on. The Golden Elixir Sand doesn’t actually require much technology; it’s just that I’ve identified the right market, and right now the wizards of Cloud Marsh Wetlands need it.”

“My Gungnir is my Potions Shop Alliance. Currently, not only do we lack the conditions and capabilities to conduct Phase Three experiments, but we can’t even guarantee basic sales. Faced with such a fleeting opportunity, I still intend to cooperate with you. I will license this potion to your Green Crystal. Since your Green Crystal is currently short of funds, it’s only right that you cooperate with us, Gungnir, to achieve a win-win situation.” “

Therefore, we can sit down and discuss a price,”

Gertrude the witch said with a smile. “Such an important matter, Locke, you’ve gone straight to the point, which shows you’re indeed a straightforward person. I should have spoken to you at the Witch’s Kitchen, the Wizard’s Café, the Wizard’s Tavern, or the Wizard’s Tea House—that would have been more polite. But I’m truly short of money and have no patience for anything else.”

“Locke, thank you for your generosity.” “

Generally, potion makers should treat their newly created potion formulas like their own children. They cherish them greatly and would never simply give them away. Who would give away their child?”

The crystallized witch behind her coughed incessantly, afraid that Gertrude would turn away the lucrative business that had finally come to them.

What kind of talk was that?

It was practically an accusation against Locke. It

wasn’t easy for Green Crystal to find profitable business. In the entire Dragonblood Market, there weren’t many decent potion shops, so neither were skilled potion makers willing to work there, nor were there wizards seeking potions from there.

Therefore, Green Crystal’s business, as a relatively large first-tier potion shop alliance, was so sluggish.

Locke nodded. “You’re judging others by your own standards, Gertrude the Witch. Very well, let’s sit down and talk about the price now.”

Speaking of money, Gertrude the Witch swallowed hard. “How much do you want for authorization?”

“Name your price first.”

Locke was about to raise his finger to quote a price, but at that moment, the door to the private room was opened.

Gertrude the Witch’s eyes flashed with anger, and she was about to angrily rebuke the wizard who opened the door. She didn’t know why someone would be so rude as to barge into the private chat room.

However, when she saw who it was, the anger on her face immediately disappeared, because the person who came was her creditor, her financier, and her current partner.

Locke saw that the visitor was a middle-aged wizard in brown robes, also a Moon Ring wizard. He said curiously to Gertrude, “Ms. Elion, have you forgotten that today is the day we’re meeting with our investor? Do you remember my request for you to bring a bottle of good wizard’s wine? The other party is a wizard who loves wine, and he’s also an investor in potions. If we can get his investment—anyway, I know you’ve forgotten, so I bought a bottle of century-old wine myself.”

“Hmm? Do you have guests?”

The Rose Council, the Rose Gathering, all the buildings here are carved with exquisite patterns, mostly themed around various roses and rose bushes. Even the manhole covers and fountain decorations are all adorned with roses, making it as beautiful as a flower-filled town. The roadsides aren’t planted with greenery, but rather with exquisite little gardens.

In a rose-themed café, Argos sat facing a Moon Ring witch, constantly swirling his coffee with a spoon.

The Moon Ring Witch’s expression changed slightly after smelling the coffee.

“I never expected my teacher’s business to have such a problem. I want hand-ground coffee. I have no interest in these industrial products.”

This Moon Ring Witch had a slightly plump face, and the collar of her wizard’s robe extended past her chin, decorated with roses, making her look extremely beautiful.

Rosamund, a veteran Moon Ring Witch of the Rose Council, had spent many years traveling and owned numerous shop alliances, though they were scattered and not very well-established. She was most famous as a Flower Language Master, having won many championships, and worked in several junior wizard private banks, making her a renowned independent venture capitalist.

Rosamund and Argos were longtime friends.

They had even attended the same secondary school, so they had known each other for a long time and had a very good relationship.

The wizard Argos glanced at Rosamund with a hint of annoyance. “Lady Rosamund, you and your husband are both Moon Ring wizards. It seems you’ve been too happy in your marriage; we roughnecks couldn’t even tell the difference between hand-ground coffee and industrially produced coffee.”

Lady Rosamund chuckled. “The baristas in the Razer Lowlands have developed a whole bunch of standardized coffee machines, but that’s just lowering customer expectations to reduce their costs and increase their so-called efficiency. If you ask me, bad coffee should just go in the trash.”

Lady Rosamund elegantly picked up her coffee cup and poured the coffee into the trash can. “Argos, it seems like it’s been a long time since we last met since we became Moon Ring Wizards. You’re the kind of person who doesn’t come to me without a reason. So, tell me, what brings you here?”

Argos said, “I’m currently looking to acquire all the wizard shoe shops in Cloudswamp Wetlands. There’s a tricky one: the Augustus Shop Alliance, founded by Locke Augustine. Senior, you’re an excellent investor and a renowned negotiation expert in the industry. What do you think?”

Lady Rosamund smiled beautifully. “Well, I think Augustus has extremely high investment value. Locke Augustine is a wizard capable of forging universal truths and has won several prestigious competitions. He’s published at least nine articles in Zone 1, three of which are in Raize, and one in the front page of Yunze. I noticed him a long time ago because of his article in Yunze about cultivating Xuanwu bamboo and catching Xuanwu spiritual energy. However, I didn’t invest in him. After all, he’s a rising star from a rival academic lineage, and if I had invested, things would be complicated. Although it’s supposed to be a personal investment, it inevitably involves the issue of political stance.”

“You want to acquire Augustus? I think that’s unlikely.”

“I probably know more about the feud between Augustus and Solas the Barefoot than you do,”

Argos said. “That’s right. That’s why I’m asking you, the negotiation expert, to help. Also, it’s not an acquisition, but a joint investment. I want you to persuade the wizard Locke Augustine to distribute Augustus’s shares. I want to invest a large amount of capital in Augustus. My judgment is that an acquisition is indeed impossible, but I can make Augustus one of Solas the Barefoot’s own through investment.”

Lady Rosamund chuckled softly. “You have a good idea, but your coming to me suggests you didn’t even have the chance to meet that wizard, Locke Augustine. Logically, as a long-time Moon Ring wizard, he, a newcomer, shouldn’t be so arrogant; the world of the Moon Ring is still quite unfamiliar to him. Yet it still happened, and given your personality, it must be unbearable. Isn’t that right, Argos?”

Argos smiled helplessly, taking a sip of coffee. “The one who understands me is Lady Rosamund.”

Argos’s mind flashed back to when he first met Lady Rosamund. It was a secondary academy invested in and operated by the Tacitus family. At that time, they weren’t even wizarding apprentices, but rather magic enthusiasts and young people eager to enter.

Suddenly, an image flashed into his mind, impossible to banish: a Tacitus family second-class wizarding apprentice instructor. His vicious, ugly appearance assaulted Argos’s heart, making it impossible for him to forget. He had tried his best to blur the events of that year, but that phrase still lingered in his mind.

“You say you didn’t steal it, but only you and he went to that place. He comes from a wizarding family and has a powerful background. How could he possibly steal it? I think it’s clearly you who stole it.” “

Only you would steal things here!”

Mrs. Rosamund looked at him with gentle and understanding eyes.

“Hmm? Argos, you’ve been the Grand Wizard of the Moon Ring for so many years, why is your magical pressure still so chaotic? You’re the Grand Wizard of the Moon Ring, so many people look up to you, envy your status, and yearn for the same magical achievements as you. Why do you still seem so angry?”

Argos laughed. “How could that be? I’ve learned through special channels that Wizard Locke Augustine will definitely be giving a lecture at the Great World of the Dwarf Giants next week. You’ll come with me. You’re a negotiation expert; many people have said that negotiating with you often leads to unconsciously making concessions on certain aspects, and even feeling quite pleased with themselves afterward, willingly taking the loss.”

“I’ll bring a huge sum of money that Locke Augustine can’t take his eyes off, plus your performance, and the pressure that Solas puts on Augustus, I think there’s a greater than 90% chance that Locke Augustine will agree to let us invest in his Augustus.”

“The war between academic factions is all the rage between the Sun Ring wizards and the Third Ring wizards. Even if I wanted to contribute, I’d need to get Augustus involved. Only by removing the thorn in the side of the Red Dragon faction that’s been piercing the market we exclusively control can I completely drive Bonifaceus, the Bull’s Pavilion, and those obstructive wizards from the wizarding shoe market.”

Argos clenched his fist. “I hope to get your help, Senior.”

Lady Rosamund smiled gently, her beauty captivating. It wasn’t intentional; elegance was simply in her bones. “Since you’ve put it that way, I’ll naturally help you. Don’t worry, I’m an expert in negotiation. I’m confident I can help you achieve this, junior.”

“It’s not just to help you, but also to help our academic lineage. The wizard Trajan and Lady Fiona over there have recently seized a series of markets from us. You see, our teacher, the wizard Solas, hasn’t been in a good mood lately. If it can help our academic lineage and you, senior, I’m naturally happy to do it. My only condition is that I also participate in Augustus’s shares. Because I really believe in Augustus, I couldn’t participate before to avoid any issues.”

Argos breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s wonderful.”

“Neither you nor I are research-oriented, but we have our own interests and strengths in managing the Shop Alliance. If we work together, we can achieve something. Although the forefront of research is at the academy, the Shop Alliance can also be at the forefront in engineering-related matters. If we can manage the Solas Lightfoot well, then we might be able to apply

for the Sun Ring Fund in the future.”

“You can also cultivate more representative species of the Rosaceae family.”

“I remember you have a pink Rosaceae ‘Pink Dragon’s Gem’ rose, which is ranked 100th.”

Mrs. Rosamund smiled at Argos, “It was just luck. From now on, we’ll have to rely on you more, senior. I hope we can firmly control the Solas Lightfoot.”

Argos nodded. “If it’s not necessary, I don’t want to get entangled with Augustine. If he doesn’t accept this opportunity, then I’ll get serious; after all, he’s an enemy in the battle of academic lineages. I never leave my enemies any way out.”

At Golden Crown Mountain, in the Green Crystal Shop Alliance, the witch Gertrude wanted to push this suddenly intruding wizard out of the VIP room. The situation was strange; three three-ringed wizards were in one room, barely knowing each other. More importantly, Locke was about to negotiate with her, and she instinctively didn’t want him to know how much Green Crystal owed.

Knowing Green Crystal didn’t have much money was one thing; knowing how much debt it had, and roughly how much was due soon, was another.

The latter could easily be used as a reason to be suppressed in the cooperation.

The wizard, Fubang, looked at Locke and refused to leave.

“Who is this guest? Ms. Gertrude, it’s extremely rude of you to make me leave like this. Besides, there’s a problem. As your creditor and Green Crystal’s main investor, you can’t order me around like that. I’ll get angry. Hey, why are you pushing me?”

“You’re supposed to pay me 30 million magic stones in interest this month. If you keep pushing me like this, I won’t be able to pay you the interest flexibly.”

Locke remained calm, picking up a cup of wizard tea and drinking it, seemingly unaffected.

Wizard Fubang looked at Locke and smiled, “Green Crystal does owe that much money. Although I don’t know who you are, if you want to discuss business, you can talk to me. I can also represent Green Crystal. However, I need to protect Green Crystal’s interests.”

Witch Gertrude said helplessly. “This is Wizard Locke Augustine. Mr. Augustine, please excuse my pretense. This is my creditor and Green Crystal’s investor, Wizard Fubang.”

Wizard Fubang immediately looked surprised. “Wizard Locke? Aren’t you a specialist in Augustus? Isn’t that the wizard shoe market?”

Locke looked up at him. “Do you know me?”

“Mr. Fubang?”

Before the wizard could speak, Locke held up one finger. “I don’t want much, one hundred million magic stones.”

The witch Gertrude raised her eyebrows and widened her eyes. “Golden Elixir Sand hasn’t even undergone three phases of testing. Even if I

buy the license, I still need to activate the relevant business units of Green Linglong and conduct the three phases of testing as quickly as possible. Only by racing against time from this moment on can we catch this opportunity, and every extra minute gained can earn us more money.”

Locke pointed to the True Sight Crystal Ball and said, “The efficacy of Golden Elixir Sand has been proven.”

“I think it is indeed worth the price.”

The witch Gertrude wanted to negotiate the price with Locke. She thought one hundred million was a bit high, and she wanted to try to get it down to around sixty million, or even lower, because this was something that Green Linglong would need to invest a lot of money in later. However, the main prerequisite is to get this wizard, Fubang, out of the VIP room; otherwise, with Fubang here, she can’t exert herself.

Fubang has too many opinions, too strong a voice, while she also has her own; the two of them together will clash.

After reading the contents of the True Sight Crystal Ball, Fubang’s eyes flickered.

“I agree.

“