Chapter 1174

Chapter 1149: Ten articles published in one month, including the Starry Golden Dragon Claw and Air Pineapple Wizard Shoes!

Lady Rosamund stood up, carefully observing Wizard Argos’s expression to confirm he wasn’t joking.

A storm raged within Lady Rosamund’s heart, like a churning ocean. Those were first-tier journals! Locke could publish ten in a single month. She had seen countless Moon Ring wizards grit their teeth, striving for every available resource, just to publish one first-tier journal article. Countless freezing nights were spent revising their work, just to get published in first or second-tier journals.

Many Moon Ring wizards, in their pursuit of publication, had even followed in their mentors’ footsteps, doing what they once despised—exploiting their students.

For every Moon Ring wizard who worked so hard, there were countless others who, after repeated rejections, became disheartened and gave up.

Moon Ring—that was a threshold.

This is the endpoint of many exceptionally talented wizards’ lives, with their entire future revolving around the Moon Ring stage.

This book is first published on Taiwan Novel Network (twkkanan.com), offering a smooth reading experience with error-free and orderly chapters.

Wizards urge young wizards to publish as many first-zone works as possible in their youth to gain recognition and enhance their magical power. This is because the later one reaches the Moon Ring, the more limited they become within it.

Lady Rosamund had heard some high-ring wizards claim that the Moon Ring and Sun Ring were essentially on the same level, and therefore the Moon Ring was not worthwhile. However, she completely disbelieved this, as it only applied to wizards with true potential. For most wizards, the Moon Ring was their final destination.

Most Moon Ring wizards exhaust their potential to reach this level, and then spend their entire lives striving to publish as many first-zone works as possible.

However, at this moment, Locke had published ten articles in a row.

Rosamund’s lips were filled with bitterness. The magical carriage was still traveling towards the chariot racing viewing platform located on the near-earth track in the void, but the journey itself was making her feel unbearably oppressed.

The thought that the wizard Locke Augustine, whom she was about to face, was only thirty years old and had already achieved so much, even Rosamund, a wizard who considered herself unassuming, was now somewhat losing her composure.

Lady Rosamund asked Wizard Argos, “Is the news reliable? We all know that fake news is rampant in this world.”

“Behind every piece of fake news lies a malicious source,”

Wizard Argos said after a moment of silence. “At first, I was skeptical too. But this news comes from a private group on the Resource Integration Management Committee, which is currently quite powerful. Besides, think about it carefully, didn’t Locke Augustine demonstrate the Ten King Bottles Garden Cavern in the Despair Valley laboratory in the Rain Swamp Wizarding Lands? Every mature new Garden Cavern is easy to publish a section on.”

“Especially since Raize has a preference, so there are seven Raize sections and three Cloud Swamp sections. This number is exaggerated, but it’s logical,”

Wizard Argos said. “Although he’s only a newly promoted Moon Ring Wizard, he may have close to twenty sections on his hands. That’s more than either of us combined. No—I’m being polite about that. To put it another way, the number of sections he holds exceeds the number you and I have published.”

“Judging by the number of first-circle journals he’s published at his age and stage of development, he practically has the potential to become a third-circle wizard,”

said Wizard Argos. “In other words, the person we’re negotiating with this time is a very promising young man.

Promising young men are often very arrogant and look down on everyone else in the world. What do you think, Rosamund?”

Rosamund sat down again, this time opposite Wizard Argos.

“That’s true. But he’s gained ten new articles in Zone 1 journals, all in the field of breeding. He’s instantly become a minor expert in that field.”

“When we negotiate with him, our bargaining chips are effectively reduced.” “

Although I’m a negotiation expert, as a flower language master I can use everything around me to increase my charm and enhance my persuasiveness. But that requires confidence.”

Wizard Argos raised his head, looked at Witch Rosamund, and smiled, “Senior, you’re probably the most skilled flower language master at using magical bouquets to persuade your opponents. Your magical bouquet, ‘Pink Trade,’ remains a model of using the mystical meaning of flower language formed by magical bouquets and human spirituality to influence and persuade opponents. Even many enchanting schools of wizards have admitted their inferiority.”

“You call it the flower language of trade.”

“I remember the mystical meaning of the ‘Pink Trade’ magical bouquet is ‘Ecstasy.’ It will make a wizard fall into an ecstatic state, swayed by your words. If you tease them even slightly, they will feel guilty and ashamed in front of you.”

Rosamund nodded, saying, “I’m naturally confident in my ability to trade flower language. But the key is actually for me to project confidence in front of Locke Augustine.”

A massive spell appeared behind Rosamund—a peach-colored vase with a pair of scissors beside it. Flower language practitioners are a variant of breeders, so this massive spell, “Peach Cloud Vase Devouring,” utilized a significant amount of breeding magic. However, the crucial element was the thirty-three special magical rune system constructed by the founder of flower language—

the core of flower language: rose magic runes.

These thirty-three rose runes modified the basic magical properties of breeding, thus forming a unique massive spell of flower language.

Rosamund sighed. “Look, this is my ultimate magic, the Peach-Swallowing Cloud Vase, currently in the process of being forged. Every part of the vase, every magical rune, was personally crafted by me, possessing my own spirit. This means that even without a wizard holding the magical bouquet placed inside, it can still form a special mystical meaning in the language of flowers. Furthermore, my ‘Peach-Swallowing Cloud Vase’ can only be realized using this vase, strengthening the original mystical meaning of the magical bouquet.”

“This is because I firmly believe that without relying on the spirituality of others, I can create the best flower language by connecting with my own spirit. This is what I proposed in my first-district journal: a flower language master’s best magical bouquet is one that

believes in oneself and connects with the spirit of one’s own magical bouquet. Therefore, a flower language master must respect and love oneself; our magical bouquets are woven for ourselves.”

“This is also my constancy—unique beauty.”

“However, the moment I doubt myself, my homeostasis trembles. The more I doubt myself, the more unstable my homeostasis becomes, and the lower my dependence on magical pressure becomes, causing my magical pressure to constantly dissipate. The meaning of the flowers in the magical bouquets I create also diminishes in effectiveness.”

The witch Rosamund looked directly at Argos and said, “But how can you expect me to maintain confidence when facing a Moon Ring Wizard who has published ten chapters in the first district in a single month? Even before I’ve met him, I already feel doubt and unease about whether I can convince him. If I don’t feel doubt and unease, I’m simply unworthy of being a wizard; it’s a disrespect to knowledge and truth.” “

But if I feel unease, my homeostasis panics, and my false forging begins to shatter.”

“This is the principle behind ‘mental exhaustion.’ A wizard who hasn’t reached the stage of pseudo-forging, even if he doubts himself, will at most have his meditation affected. But whether it’s the first ring, no forging, or pseudo-forging, there’s no constancy, no constant virtue, so the impact is minimal. However, if a wizard in pseudo-forging begins to doubt himself, then pseudo-forging will begin to crumble.”

The witch Rosamund looked at Argos and said with a wry smile, “You never told me that the person I’m dealing with is such a powerful figure. Right now, I doubt myself, I’m jealous of Locke Augustine, and my condition is simply not good enough to negotiate with him. I’m still doubting the veracity of this news.”

Argos sat opposite her and said, “Senior, calm down.”

“I personally am determined to win this negotiation. This incident only proves that Locke Augustine is indeed worth our investment. Moreover, I need to acquire him, this Augustine, to complete my previous plan. There are internal struggles and factions within our academy; whoever does more work and achieves more results will have more say.”

“The Rose Academy system is vast, and it has long since moved beyond simply looking at performance,”

Wizard Argos said calmly, sitting opposite her. “In this world, getting credit and showing results to those above is the only right thing to do. Our Rose Academy has a long history and countless achievements. In other words, achievements are no longer our greatest pursuit, because we already have too many achievements, and we have won too many times. The Rose Council, the Rose Council Districts, countless wizarding colleges have lost to us in competitions, project applications, and journal publications. Our academy has won time and time again, until—we no longer lack for wins.”

Rosamund’s eyes widened.

Wizard Argos said, “So I hope you can overcome your awe of wizards who publish in top-tier journals. In my opinion, this is an unnecessary emotion.”

Argos tapped the armrest of the carriage seat with his fingers, a smirk playing on his lips. “When I was a regular second-ring wizard, I worked for my second senior brother. I witnessed firsthand the infighting between them. I saw them competing and trying to claim credit for each other’s work.” “

Professor Solas was in the Endless Void during that time, rarely returning to the laboratory. Therefore, he only knew and saw the results.” “

So, as long as the result is right, the process doesn’t matter. As long as we can persuade Locke Augustine to let us invest in his Augustus, we can achieve our goal. The wizard shoe market will directly fall into my

hands, and we can establish ourselves in Cloud Marsh Wetlands, never needing to leave again. We finally managed to break free from the direct control of the Rose Throne’s lineage through this war of academies, and now Solas’s bare feet are controlled by our own people. If we fail, we will truly disappoint Professor Solas.”

“Professor Solas is my great benefactor. He extended a helping hand to me during my darkest period.”

Wizard Argos closed his eyes, composed and unperturbed. “I need to help him, and I need to help myself, and more importantly, I need to help our little faction within the Rose School maintain its current prestige. Senior Sister Rosamund, I believe that as long as you and I work together, we can persuade that Locke Augustine.”

The witch Rosamund said, “What you say makes sense. I was too in awe of Locke’s Ten Chapters and One District. Junior, what do you plan to do?”

Argos smiled and said, “At worst, we’ll just give him some benefits. I’d rather do a loss than let Augustine become an obstacle for us. After subduing Augustine, the next step is to deal with those troublesome shops led by the Bull Pavilion. We can’t use the same appeasement methods we used against Augustine on these systematic, large-scale, long-established shop alliances with their own territories and long-standing customers. I want to make sure that Bull Pavilion group of shop alliances is wiped out and their wizard shareholders are burdened with huge loans.”

“Furthermore, Solas Lightfoot has absorbed so many shop alliances and possesses a large number of talented individuals. These wizarding talents still have—many unpublished articles.”

Argos laughed, “This is what I meant when I said that our lineage is no longer lacking in winners. We’ve long since moved beyond the more primitive performance-based winning stage and entered the stage where connections matter.”

“These wizards have unpublished articles in their hands. In order to stay in Solas Lightfoot and obtain those already limited

positions —because the shop alliances have merged—they need to offer something. So, as long as I remain the head of Solas Lightfoot, I can help our fellow disciples obtain some reapings.”

The witch Rosamund frowned. “Well—junior, you’re right. Your appointment as the administrative head of Solas’s Barefoot is a result of our faction’s rising status within the Rose School, and our teacher’s slight escape from the Throne Lord’s control. I will definitely help you. As for sharing the spoils later… let’s forget about that.”

The witch Rosamund whispered, “I never force anyone to do anything against their will.”

“I really want the first-division article. But what I want even more is my own.”

The wizard Argos smiled. “Senior, you’re still so kind, you haven’t changed at all. You’ve always been like this. Alright.”

Argos didn’t say much, because his only goal was to ensure Rosamund wasn’t afraid of Locke Augustine and to stabilize her homeostasis. He needed to use Rosamund’s Homeostasis—Dumei—to deal with Locke Augustine.

Homeostasis—Dumei was a very powerful pseudo-forge, though not as powerful as Emperor-level or Universal Truth-level, it was still a very powerful pseudo-forge within their faction.

Most importantly, it was incredibly effective in negotiations and transactions.

Although it wasn’t good at combat or research.

Argos watched the magic carriage enter the near-earth void orbit, the viewing arena gradually magnifying in his eyes. He

was internally processing the shock of Locke Augustine’s ten consecutive articles.

He was constantly being provoked, recalling his days at the secondary academy supported by the Tacitus family. The words of his former mentor appeared like a thunderbolt: “Argos, why are you fighting again? Why are you always causing trouble?” “

His grades are always so good, how could he possibly be the one provoking you?

He’s a genius in our academy!”

Argos’s eyes were filled with rage. For a moment, he almost couldn’t hide his overly active magical pressure. The witch Rosamund glanced at him, then looked back at the approaching chariot race stands.

On the stands of the Dwarven Great World, Locke and the wizard Lucky sat in the seats closest to the void track. When the pink chariot made a right turn and almost pushed the purple chariot off the void track made of the 11th Crystal of Time, half of the dwarf giant wizards in the arena roared with excitement, while the other half roared angrily as they saw their supported team about to be knocked off the track.

The wizard Lucky was so angry that his eyes almost popped out. “The purple chariot will win!”

“What’s going on today?”

“Hey, how come another team member was knocked off the void track?”

Wizard Lachi stood up. The wizard on the roof of the pink chariot, wielding a magic crossbow, had shot down the wizard on the roof of the purple chariot. The crossbowman of the purple chariot screamed as his magic crossbow flew from his hands, crashing into the No. 11 Time Crystal track and being crushed by the chariot’s wheels.

The Star Ring Wizard was thrown directly into the endless void.

“Go! Go!” the wizard Lucky shouted angrily.

Locke rubbed his ears. Lucky, realizing his voice was too loud, chuckled, sat back down, and said to Locke, “Don’t let my support for the Purple Team fool you; I’m a bit of a fanatic. The truth is, I bet on them to win. If they lose, I’ll lose everything. Half the wizards here who are yelling are because they bet on the Purple Team.”

“Chariot racing can resolve many conflicts in our dwarf world. All the funds the organizers receive will be used to establish a special chariot research fund.”

“The world of dwarf giants mainly relies on alchemy, but we’re just a satellite world, so only the academies within the alchemy school that build magical chariots are doing relatively well. The wizards of the enchanting school are doing much worse, but they’re still needed to build chariots, so this special fund was established to support them. Don’t underestimate this small competition; it involves dozens of factions, so it’s essentially a resource allocation mechanism for our dwarf giant world.”

Locke said to Wizard Lucky, “Nothing else. It’s just that the Star Ring Wizard seems to have fallen into the Void Vortex.

I remember the Void Vortex swallows and spits out those who fall in, sending them directly to the endless distance of the void.”

Wizard Lucky pointed to the arena, “It’s alright. Look, that contestant is wearing a wizard’s

robe specially designed by the Cloud Robe House—the Foam of Time—which can specifically defend against the Void Vortex’s energy. It’s advertised on the billboard; it costs nine million magic stones. Look, he climbed up; it seems he only suffered a minor head injury.”

“Special threads and unique weaving techniques were used. The textile wizards at Boniface University are truly skilled.”

Locke observed that the Star Ring Wizard had indeed emerged from the invisible energy vortex of the void. His wizard robe was damaged in parts, showing snagging threads and rising bubbles, like a fish blowing bubbles.

As these bubbles rose, parts of the robe began to disintegrate. “

So that’s it. It seems some special material that absorbs void energy was used. This is the latest achievement of the new textile school at Boniface University. That material should be an unstable volatile substance.”

Locke realized what the new textile school had done. He consulted the Water Hyacinth System and discovered a substance similar to this Time Bubble Wizard Robe called Still Space Silver, a substance that can only appear in very special spacetime vortices. This substance remains in a liquid state and can only be touched with a special magical alloy; otherwise, it will instantly evaporate upon contact with a finger and disappear immediately with the slightest physical disturbance.

However, this quiescent silver can absorb and annihilate the invisible energy of the void, and it can also resist spatial magic. Furthermore, it has been proven to possess a high capacity for absorbing magical energy.

The problem is, this substance, which can only remain in a liquid state, should theoretically be impossible to weave into clothing and fabric. Yet, the wizards of the new textile science have managed to do so.

Locke smiled.

No wonder the chief designer of the Cloud Garment House dared to accept his challenge that day.

However, even with such formidable new textile wizards, they haven’t yet had much of a significant impact on the old textile wizards in the field of wizard robes. This shows that the category of wizard robes has been refined to the point of being studied in every aspect over tens of thousands of years. Each hem likely has dozens of patents, reflecting the magical research achievements of textile science accumulated over millennia.

Wizard Lachi raised his fist with effort. “Come on, get up, Purple Team, you can do it!”

Wizard Lucky whispered. “If you don’t win, I’ll lose all one million magic stones I bet.”

Locke raised an eyebrow. He had initially thought this was just a relaxing competition, but now it seemed to be a resource-based game.

No wonder Wizard Lucky was so nervous; it was related to his interests.

Locke looked down at the message Scarlett the Witch had sent him on the Ganoderma lucidum plant.

“Lord Locke, I am Scarlett of Arthas. According to private information I obtained from the trading community, I learned that Solas the Lightfoot has recently been transferring a large amount of magic stone funds into the Cloudswamp Wetlands, and may be making a large investment. I immediately sensed that this might be related to our Augustus, and I did indeed find out. I highly suspect that the administrative head of Solas the Lightfoot, Wizard Argos, may want to come and see you.”

“Solas the Lightfoot wants to invest in your Augustus.”

Locke glanced at Wizard Ratchet. In the world of copying, rumors are rampant; if Wizard Ratchet had mentioned it to another wizard, the news that he would one day arrive in the world of the dwarves would easily spread. But it didn’t matter, because this was just normal business.

If the Wizard of Argos is indeed in the world of the Dwarf Giants right now…

After thanking Scarlett the Witch online, Locke continued watching the match, observing the effects of the wizard robes specially made by the House of Cloud Robes.

Locke’s fingers tapped lightly on the chair.

Argos. A student of the third-ring wizard Solas, a veteran moon ring wizard within the Rose School, and a highly experienced moon ring wizard. I’m really looking forward to it. Our positions are completely different, and with my business so thriving, how will he convince me to accept Solas’s investment, or rather, how will he personally invest in me? Locke

received a message from the White Dragon Princess on his Lingzhi Magic Plant channel. The White Dragon Princess of Golden Crown Mountain, a direct descendant of the Five-Colored Dragon Throne, also reminded him that the Wizard of Argos and the veteran moon ring wizard Rosamund of the Rose School might enter the world of the Dwarf Giants to find him. If he didn’t want to encounter them, he could leave in advance.

Locke watched the competition results while glancing at the Ganoderma lucidum plant in his hand, his fingers moving across its illusionary screen.

He had no reason to avoid it.

Argos and the unfamiliar senior witch of the Moon Ring were both major enemies of the Red Dragon lineage and

important figures in Solas’s Lightfoot.

But their conflict was merely a lineage rivalry, not a life-or-death feud. As a wizard pursuing profit, if the other party truly had a good business plan that piqued his interest, why wouldn’t he be happy to participate, just like how the wizard Lucky had dragged him to watch this chariot race.

Life offers many different sights; only through experience can one truly appreciate them.

Locke reviewed Rosamund’s resume and found she had three Zone 1 articles. All of her Zone 1 articles were submitted to *The Flower Language Master*, a Zone 1 journal of the Second Ring sponsored by the Rose Council. From these three articles, Locke saw the so-called “False Forging – Solitary Beauty”—a

special spiritual state that pursued solitary beauty, unrelated to others.

Locke quickly read the article about the fake forging, frowning as it involved too much floral language, making it somewhat difficult for him to read, especially the mechanism by which the fake forging enhanced mystical meaning, and the core of the fake forging itself. However, Locke still somewhat guessed why the Argos Wizard and the Rosamund Witch had arrived at the same time.

He looked at the Ganoderma lucidum plant, where he saw a thank-you message from the Green Linglong Shop Alliance and a summary of the Golden Elixir Sand’s sales, just as he had predicted; his Golden Elixir Sand had achieved high commercial profits.

At the same time, there was also a video sent to him by Queen Ella. It featured an acquaintance, Wizard Mike from the Kungudin Academy in the Golden Crown Mountain region, who was now a second-circle wizard. He was riding a pair of Starry Golden Dragon Claws Air Pineapple, entering the skies above the Venom World, and challenging a world lord within the Venom World, the Purple-Spotted Eight-Headed Serpent, in the core area of the Venom World.

The eight-headed, purple-spotted serpent, originally eight highly venomous rivers from that world, now had eight serpent heads with purple markings rising from them. The serpent spat out tongues of venom, glaring menacingly at the intruder, Mike, a wizard specializing in earth magic from the Evocation school of Kungudin Academy.

The serpent’s body seemed to encompass the entire world; its eyes were a deep crimson, flowing with venom as red as blood. “Human, how dare you trespass into the territory of the world’s most poisonous creature—the eight-headed, purple-spotted serpent!”

“Human, submit to me. I am the world’s most venomous serpent, and my legends are sung throughout countless worlds. I once bit off a great tree, causing it to fall and crush the kingdom beneath, plunging the world into chaos.”

“I once burrowed into an apple, leaving my venom within, turning the world inside into a deathly stillness.”

“I once bit a turtle’s tail, and that turtle died in the void, its shell still lingering there. Human, I am so great, are you not afraid when you see me? I am the ruler of this world! Human, I admire your power, serve the ruler of this world. You are too small to do many things I cannot, and I need a servant like you. As a reward, you will share in my power in this world.”

Wizard Mike looked at the giant snake with a grim expression. He had ventured too deep into this world. He had only intended to observe the mountain ranges, but he had inadvertently encountered this monster while following a continuous mountain range and measuring its spiritual energy.

However, when the purple-spotted eight-headed serpent mentioned the tortoise shell while boasting about itself, Wizard Mike’s eyes lit up slightly, and he asked curiously, “Do you still have the void coordinates of that tortoise shell? I suspect that the shell has transformed into

some kind of special type of land.”

The purple-spotted eight-headed serpent thought Wizard Mike was deliberately provoking it, and immediately lost any intention of subduing it. With a flick of its tail, the landscape changed course, and countless streams of venom attacked Wizard Mike.

“You’re asking for death.”

Wizard Mike finally realized that the other party was enraged. He quickly raised the spiral steel staff in his hand, and three earthen-yellow spell model rings appeared at the end of the staff. With a wave of his

hand, three stone pillars appeared on the ground, blocking the surging sea of venom. Then the stone pillars instantly shattered, and he stood on the surging tide of venom, rising with the tide of venom.

Wizard Mike noticed that his second-ring wizard robes were splattered with venom, and a small hole had been corroded in them. He stood atop the venomous tide, thanks to the golden magical insulation properties of the Starry Golden Dragon Claw – Air Pineapple, moving with the current.

“This serpent has Star Ring-level magical pressure,”

Wizard Mike muttered, his lips pale. “Luckily, it’s too big. I have a pair of wizard shoes that allow me to stand on the venomous river. I should thank Wizard Locke; if it weren’t for these shoes he developed, I would have been swept into the venomous tide, and my permanent defensive force field shell would have been corroded instantly.”

The damage to Wizard Mike’s second-ring robes was rapidly repairing itself.

Locke, while watching the video and the final moments of the chariot race, also saw a message from Queen Ella.

“The wizard Locke, this wizard Mike, is only a second-circle wizard, very young, but while surveying the mountain spirit field of the Venom World, he inadvertently wandered into the depths of the Venom World and discovered its first world lord, the Purple-Spotted Eight-Headed Serpent.”

He even recorded his near-death experience in that world, and after sharing it with his friends, the video circulated among many wizards. At this moment, this video is circulating throughout the wizarding circles of the Three Swamps. The first half of the video is just a relatively ordinary clip; watch how this wizard Mike escaped death later.

This video proves that he discovered the first world lord of the Venom World, and it also proves that your second-circle wizard shoes, the Starry Golden Dragon Claw Air Pineapple, should currently be the best second-circle wizard shoes in the Three Swamps.

I estimate that another batch of wizards will come to the Cloud Swamp Wetlands to buy wizard shoes.”

“It would be a real shame for you, Augustus, not to hurry up and develop the Moon Ring and Star Ring wizard shoes. I strongly suggest you develop the Star Ring and Moon Ring wizard shoes immediately. If you agree, I will send someone to deliver one of my personal collections to you, which may be helpful.”

Locke raised his eyebrows, pondering whether to divert some of his energy to the Star Ring wizard shoes or focus on his teacher’s project first. Just then, his teacher, Ekaterina, sent him a video. Locke opened it and found it was also a video from Wizard Mike. “

Ekaterina the witch sent a message. This video has also circulated among the third-ring wizards. I think your pure magic plant wizard shoes are indeed quite impressive. I sent someone to deliver a magic plant to you, which may be

helpful .”

Locke raised his eyebrows, not expecting that Wizard Mike’s video recording of surveying the mountain’s spiritual field would unexpectedly make him famous.

He opened the video and looked at the latter half.

At the same time, the dwarf giant wizard Lucky, sitting next to him, suddenly stood up and let out a loud laugh. He clenched his fists and waved them towards the sky in an excited gesture.

Locke looked up and saw that the first team to cross the finish line was the purple chariot team that Lucky had bet on.

Half of the wizard spectators in the stands cheered.

Locke saw that the race was over and the wizard spectators wanted to meet and interact with the wizards of the chariot teams, but he himself went in the opposite direction of the crowd, holding a magical plant and watching the video recording, while squeezing through the crowd and heading towards the outside.

He walked out of the stands and stood in the square outside the stands.

Meanwhile, the wizard Argos, who was about to arrive at the stands, looked at the magical plant in Locke’s hand, then looked up. When the square outside the chariot race track appeared outside the window of his magic carriage, he suddenly ordered the magic carriage to turn around.

The driver, a crystallized beast tamer of the Summoning School, exclaimed in surprise, “My lord, are you sure? We’re almost at your destination. In fact, we’re right above the plaza, ready to land at any moment

. If we turn back now, then—”

Argos said, “I’ll pay for the magic stones.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

He suppressed his anger, his eyes filled with rage.

The witch Rosamund stood up for the second time in the magical carriage, frowning and looking at him with suspicion, questioning, “Junior brother. I’ve seen Locke Augustine. Junior brother, according to our plan, we should meet him now and invite him to the Witch’s Kitchen in this world for business negotiations.”

“Why give up suddenly?”

“Giving up on this plan right before we even begin, and even before it might succeed?”

Wizard Argos showed Rosamund a video. In the latter half of the video, Wizard Mike, being chased by a purple-spotted eight-headed serpent, was about to be engulfed in its venom and swallowed by one of its heads. In a desperate attempt to survive, he activated the Starry Golden Dragon Claw – Air Pineapple while leaping upwards. The eight-headed serpent accidentally collided with it. The next moment, one of its heads screamed in agony as the superior-grade mystical technique, [Purification in Flow], was unleashed at full power. In an instant, the serpent’s head melted like a candle, turning back into liquid and falling to the ground, forming a river of venomous snakes.

The remaining seven heads of the eight-headed serpent were filled with rage. “What have you done to temporarily shatter one-eighth of my form? Human, I will make you pay the price, and you will remain in my territory forever. I am the Poison of the World, and you dare to treat me like this!”

Wizard Mike quickly drank a bottle of second-circle antidote, the [Spirit-Splitting Potion], then looked at his wizard shoes and breathed a sigh of relief.

Argos looked up at the witch Rosamund and said, “I could accept peace talks with Augustus, based on the premise that Augustus was just a small wizard shoe shop alliance. It had no history, no technological accumulation, no reputation, and no threat, so I could accept peace talks with it. But I misjudged Augustus’s power and potential. I cannot tolerate such an Augustus, and there is no need to invest in it. At this moment, I finally understand that the Augustus wizard shoe shop alliance must be eliminated and eradicated.” “

I originally thought that Augustus would not be able to form a conflict with us, Solas, for a long time. No, I mean, with Teacher Solas. But now it seems I was wrong.”

“Those who aren’t qualified to compete with us are probably the shop alliance of the Bull’s Pavilion. After all, it’s not a matter of differing ideas; a competition isn’t possible without ideas of equal caliber. It’s just a squabble between fools and the wise.

But—Augustus, this isn’t a competition that might happen in the future; it’s a challenge to our shop alliance right now, no, it might even be a challenge to our technological field and all related literature.”

Rosamund the Witch raised an eyebrow, deeply agreeing. After this video was released, the Starry Golden Dragon Claw became the top wizard’s shoe for the second-ring stage.

Rosamund the Witch believed that negotiations were basically impossible.

Locke already had working capital from the Golden Elixir Sand and fame from so many articles in the first district; now he also had a product that could seal the deal.

Rosamund the Witch had lost the confidence to negotiate with Locke. In fact, she had lost her confidence long ago, halfway there. It was only because Argos insisted that she reluctantly agree that she was able to suppress her unease.

Now, Argos was clearly consumed by anger and hatred, making negotiations impossible.

Argos obviously understood that there was no room for negotiation between him and Augustus; Augustus’s very existence would suppress Solas’s Footwork.

In the magic carriage, Argos leaned back in his seat, meeting Locke’s gaze through the window as he stood in the square. Argos’s eyes were cold and filled with hostility, while Locke’s gaze was calm.

Their eyes met.

At that moment, both understood that the other was their mortal enemy in the wizard’s shoe market.

There was no room for negotiation between them.

Solas’s Footwork already considered Augustus an enemy that must be eliminated.

Locke indifferently glanced at the last half of the video in his hand. “Did Soras change his mind at the last minute?”

“This new supervisor named Argos is really fickle. He doesn’t seem like a homeostatic wizard at all.”

Locke looked at Argos’s file. “Didn’t he reveal his fake forging? All I know is that his ultimate magic is

the Mist Country Deer Spinning Machine.”

“It seems that after this video, this Rose School Moon Ring Wizard will be entangled with me.”