Adoptive Daughter and Still Iron (4500)

Professor Alder seemed afraid that Locke would change his mind. After stuffing a list of materials and the brewing process into Locke's hands, he left without looking back. "Come find me anytime this week. You're always welcome, my dear Locke."

Locke looked at the black leather notebook in his hand and frowned slightly. His gaze swept over the stains on its cover, which resembled blood, but after some thought, he put it away and quickly headed for Headmaster Tungus's office.

Alder's proposal was indeed somewhat tempting to him.

It would be good to master another spell and increase his Mental Power before boarding the Wizard Ship.

Besides, he possessed two primary compatible elemental particles. If he focused solely on developing Plant Magic while abandoning the development of dark magic, that would be far too wasteful.

He was still far too inexperienced on the path of a wizard, so Locke decided to seek Tungus's advice.

When Locke arrived at Headmaster Tungus's office this time, Patti was there as well. There was also a little girl of around ten with two ponytails, chatting cheerfully with Headmaster Tungus.

All three looked toward Locke as he entered after knocking. Then surprise appeared on Headmaster Tungus's face. "Locke, congratulations. You've become a Third-Class Wizard Apprentice."

"That's wonderful."

"This is a joyous occasion. I'll hold a banquet for you tonight to celebrate."

Patti froze for a moment before looking at Locke with envy. Her expression was complicated. Locke had been the last to join their group, yet he was the first to become a Third-Class Wizard Apprentice and truly become a wizard.

Thinking of her second-grade talent and Locke's third-grade talent, Patti could not help sighing inwardly. In the Wizarding World, the gap in talent was truly despairing.

The gap between second-grade and third-grade aptitude was already so great. Then what about fourth-grade and fifth-grade aptitude?

How much slower would she learn compared to those Wizard Seedlings?

Patti said to Locke, "Congratulations, Locke."

Locke nodded at Patti. "Patti, I believe you and Cody will become Third-Class Wizard Apprentices soon as well. Keep it up."

Locke's words encouraged Patti somewhat. She nodded and rallied herself. "Mm. Thank you."

"That's why I came to ask the headmaster for help. With Teacher Tungus explaining Searing Sparks to me, my rate of improvement became much faster."

Headmaster Tungus pressed his Mental Power toward Locke, but Locke's Mana reacted automatically. Though it could not completely repel Headmaster Tungus's Mana, it still protected him.

Headmaster Tungus nodded. "There are no tools on Corfu Island to carefully examine your Mana."

"Once you board the Wizard Ship, you'll have a way to accurately measure your current Mental Power and Mana."

"However, based on my experience, your Mental Power should currently be between eleven and thirteen points, somewhat higher than that of an ordinary Third-Class Wizard Apprentice. Your Mana is also very pure."

"This proves that your hard work over the past two years has not gone to waste in the slightest."

"Your first Plant Magic spell is quite well-developed, which is why your Mental Power is relatively high as well."

Headmaster Tungus said with a smile, "To be honest, your learning speed has indeed exceeded my expectations."

"If I didn't know that you couldn't possibly have any magical resources on Corfu Island to accelerate your growth, I would have thought you had used quite a few expensive and rare magical resources on yourself."

Locke thought of the Deep Blue Jade, but he had no way to explain why he could obtain so many magical gemstones on low-magic Corfu Island, so he chose to remain silent.

Headmaster Tungus pointed at the little girl beside him. "By the way, Locke, I haven't introduced her to you yet."

The little girl beside Headmaster Tungus curiously raised her head and looked at Locke. Her eyes carried cunning, reverence, and intense curiosity.

Locke said, "I was just about to ask, Teacher, who is this...?"

Patti said with a smile, "This is Teacher Tungus's newly adopted daughter. You've been in seclusion completing your spell these past days, so we didn't have time to tell you."

Headmaster Tungus said, "Yes. You, Kode, and Patti will be leaving Corfu Island in three months. If I'm left alone, an old man on this remote island, there will no longer be anyone familiar with my world by my side."

"My students will all be leaving too."

"That would be far too lonely for an old man like me."

"So, I adopted a daughter."

"That way, I can at least have a little feeling of home here."

Headmaster Tungus said with a smile, "Julianne Frank is a very lovely girl. She is also the sixth princess of the Frank Empire. But her father willingly adopted this daughter out to me..."

"Julianne, hurry and greet Mr. Locke. Locke is my finest student."

Julianne hurriedly stepped away from Headmaster Tungus's side. She bent her knees slightly, lifted the edge of her princess dress with her little hand, and curtsied to Locke. "Brother Locke, please take care of me from now on."

Locke merely nodded at her indifferently, neither warm nor cold.

Clearly, although this Julianne Frank was only around ten years old, she was not as innocent and naive as she appeared.

Since she was willing to give up her identity as a princess of the Frank Empire and become Headmaster Tungus's daughter, her motives were likely not so pure.

But Headmaster Tungus had surely considered all that himself. Since he said nothing, Locke had nothing to say either.

When Julianne saw that Locke was not interested in her, a flash of unwillingness crossed her eyes.

Before coming here, her biological father, the emperor of the Farak Empire, had instructed her never to offend any wizard here. For the sake of her motherland, she had to do her utmost to win the favor of every wizard here.

Especially Headmaster Tungus.

Therefore, when Julianne saw Locke, she had wanted to attract his attention and make him view the Farak Empire favorably.

Unfortunately, Locke was completely different from Patti and Kode. He was not interested in her at all.

This even made Julianne feel somewhat distressed, afraid that she had incurred Locke's dislike.

Julianne said somewhat aggrievedly, "Uncle Locke..."

Impatience flashed through Locke's eyes. He had come here to find Headmaster Tungus, not to speak with this overly self-conscious little princess.

Headmaster Tungus coughed. For once, he reprimanded Julianne. "Julianne, you are the junior here. How can you call Locke by his name? You should call him Uncle Augustine."

"All right, Julianne, go out first."

Headmaster Tungus could still distinguish priorities. To him, Julianne Frank was more like a pet than a daughter.

Locke, on the other hand, was currently his finest student.

Once Locke went to the Wizarding World, he would become one of Tungus's connections, and his family would benefit from Locke's protection as well.

Therefore, he would not make his outstanding student uncomfortable for the sake of a pet.

Julianne sensed the hidden ruthless indifference in Headmaster Tungus's words. It was the profound contempt a wizard held for mortals, an insurmountable divide.

Thus, Julianne trembled. She then curtsied to everyone in the office, apologized in a tearful voice, and quickly left the office.

Locke said to Headmaster Tungus, "Teacher Tungus, I would like to ask what I still need to do during the next three months."

Headmaster Tungus thought for a moment and said with a smile, "There's nothing else, really."

"In such a short time, I can't teach you a second spell either."

"Besides, most of my efforts from now on will go toward Patti. Patti and Kode still haven't completed their first Spell Model."

What Headmaster Tungus meant was that he would focus his efforts on Patti. As for Kode, he was more or less leaving him to his own devices.

After all, as long as they possessed wizard talent, even if they were tossed in as extras, they could join a wizard organization. It was merely a question of how high-ranking that organization would be.

Kode's wizard aptitude was only first-grade, the worst talent of all. Thus, Headmaster Tungus had half given up on improving his results and let him fend for himself. He had decided to devote his efforts to Patti during these final three months.

This could not really be blamed on Headmaster Tungus. The Wizarding World had always been so cold and realistic.

Locke nodded. This was not much different from what Alder had said before. He glanced at Patti and chose his words carefully. "Alder wants me to help him brew a potion. Teacher, this is the name of the potion he wants to brew."

"Do you think I should agree?"

Headmaster Tungus accepted the black notebook Locke handed over, glanced at it, and said, "Mm, just as I expected. It's the Stone Crab Bloodline Essence Potion."

"His lifespan has likely reached its limit. Repeatedly using the Life-Loan Ritual from Death Magic may have forcibly extended his life, but it contaminated his Mana and pushed his already weakened body to its limit."

"So he wants to use the Stone Crab Bloodline Essence Potion to alter his bloodline, strengthen his human body, and use the bloodline of magical creatures from the Wizarding World to enhance his physique."

Headmaster Tungus sighed. "His Mana is too chaotic now, so he can only ask you for help."

"Because he has violated who knows how many Academy laws, he no longer trusts me. He thinks I might act against him to uphold the Academy's laws."

"Actually, I've already tolerated him as much as possible. None of us have it easy, so unless absolutely necessary, I won't drive things to the extreme."

Locke asked, "Then if I truly help him brew the potion successfully, can Alder extend his life because of it?"

Headmaster Tungus shook his head. "It's your first time brewing one, so your chance of success is extremely, extremely low. Potion brewing requires Mana to be highly stable. That requires talent and at least ten years of painstaking practice."

"Unless you use expensive resources to forcibly restrict the fluctuations of your Mana within a certain range."

"But even if you are fortunate enough to brew it successfully, his outcome still won't be good."

Headmaster Tungus said, "At its core, this is biological modification of one's own body. It is indeed something a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice can do, but it usually requires decades of time and long-term advance planning. Otherwise, it is easy to turn oneself into a monster or even lose one's sanity."

"He's too desperate."

"I don't think highly of his chances."

After thinking for a moment, Headmaster Tungus said, "However, I believe he'll offer you a generous reward for the deal, so you can indeed make this trade with him."

"After all, he's the one preparing the materials, so you won't lose out. Even if every attempt fails, you can still gain some rare experience."

Headmaster Tungus smiled. "Having experience brewing potions before boarding the Wizard Ship may become a unique advantage for you."

"You're already heading in a direction inclined toward Plant Magic. If you also have experience brewing potions, perhaps if you're lucky, some wizard organizations specializing in Potions may take a liking to you."

Locke nodded thoughtfully.

Headmaster Tungus said, "Looking at it from the other side, Alder actually can't do much to you anymore."

"Although his Mana is stronger than yours, he knows a few more tricks, and has more spell options than you, he's too old."

"Even if he becomes enraged and wants to do something to you, he won't be your opponent."

"He'll only bring trouble upon himself."

After hearing Headmaster Tungus's analysis, Locke firmed up his resolve. He could agree to this deal.

Locke glanced at Patti. "By the way, Headmaster Tungus, I have another personal matter I'd like to ask you about."

Patti tactfully took the initiative to leave the office.

Headmaster Tungus looked at Locke warmly. "Go ahead."

Locke took out the Black Iron Ring he had received from Count Augustine, the token the original owner's mother had left for them.

The reason he had not taken it out before was that he did not know what the ring represented.

But now that he had become a Wizard Apprentice, and Headmaster Tungus had formed a deep teacher-student bond with him over the past two years, he was prepared to ask whether Headmaster Tungus recognized this ring.

Headmaster Tungus accepted the ring and asked in confusion, "Mm, it looks like an ordinary ring. What's wrong with it?"

"Mm?"

Headmaster Tungus quickly noticed that something was wrong. His Mana settled on the ring, yet it showed no reaction at all, as though it were insulated.

Headmaster Tungus realized that the ring was extraordinary.

Their Mana was extremely powerful. If it touched an ordinary object, that object would certainly react.

Yet this seemingly ordinary ring was not as simple as it looked. It was exceptionally sturdy and almost completely insulated against Mana, like an insulator of Mana.

This meant that the ring was extremely durable and difficult to destroy.

After observing it carefully, Headmaster Tungus returned the ring to Locke, his tone turning serious. "Locke, hide this ring well. Try not to take it out casually in the Wizarding World in the future."

"This ring is not a magical item, but the material used to make it is highly unusual. It is most likely Still Iron."

"That is a magical insulator, an extremely expensive magical material, exorbitantly costly even for Formal Wizards. Of course, Still Iron has very limited uses, and the ring in your hand is too small to make anything with, so it isn't quite that valuable."

Headmaster Tungus said, "But to avoid trouble, you should still let as few people see it as possible."

"You were right to have Patti leave just now. This thing is trouble."

Headmaster Tungus poured two cups of tea, one for himself and one for Locke. "Where did the ring come from?"

Locke answered truthfully, "It may have been left to me by one of my relatives."

Headmaster Tungus nodded. "Mm, I don't recognize the origin of the pattern on the ring either. It may be the mark of some organization or the emblem of some school."

"It could also be the personal mark of a wizard."

"This mark most likely does not come from the Southeastern Corner Region."

"Keep it safe. I will keep it secret for you. In any case, I can't leave Corfu Island."

Locke put away the ring, secretly wondering where the original owner's mother had come from.

The material of the token she had left behind was so expensive. Did that mean the original owner's mother had been more than just a Wizard Apprentice?

Forget it.

Locke dispelled the gloom in his heart. It had little to do with him anyway. He could look into information about the ring later when convenient.

If he found something, he could give the Augustine Family an answer. If he could not, no one could blame him.