Walking along the road to the Alchemy Department.
Ian was also pondering some of the problems he now faced.
He had advanced, but certain issues were unavoidable.
The first was resources.
After advancing, his requirements for the grade of resources had risen. Previously, he could obtain these resources through the Reserve Elemental Child sequence, but there was one problem: that sequence was intended for Late Second Ring Wizards.
After he advanced to the late stage.
Things were different.
He had effectively been automatically removed from the sequence. Of course, the Academy would not be so heartless. Some of his privileges would be partially retained for five years.
For example, access to knowledge and the exchange of resources.
But direct resource allocations were gone.
It was equivalent to retaining the privileges, but if he wanted resources, then sorry—there were none.
"But fortunately, whether it was the previous patents, the merchant association, or this advancement banquet, they have all brought me quite a lot."
Ian calculated.
The patents had previously brought in three million a year, but that was only from Gray Tower. There was also the Academy, as well as other Wizard Academies. It was only just beginning, but that still amounted to roughly another million.
That made four million a year. If the merchant association was included, another million a year was not much of a problem.
Five million a year.
Even for Ian, that was more or less enough.
But sometimes, having funds was far from enough, because resources were not something that could be bought merely with Magic Stones.
The scarcity of resources meant that many of them were firmly clutched in the hands of various Lineages.
"And there are Elemental Crystals."
Ian shook his head.
That was the most tightly controlled resource of all.
With his current