Level 5 Dark Cyan Jade

Locke heard the argument outside growing increasingly heated, so he opened his door.

He saw an adult woman wearing swordsman's attire and carrying a two-handed greatsword on her back arguing indignantly with the Wizard Seedlings on the corridor level below the deck.

The woman seemed to be named An Qila. Locke could sense that her Mana was slightly weaker than his, but she had indeed reached the Third-Class Wizard Apprentice stage.

Yet from An Qila's words, Locke learned that she possessed only Level 1 wizard aptitude.

That was precisely why An Qila felt so aggrieved. If accommodations were assigned according to strength, she should at least have been living on this level.

However, the Wizard Ship's accommodations were mainly assigned based on future potential and aptitude, not current strength.

Many Wizard Seedlings in the corridor had opened their doors to see what was happening because of the fierce argument.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, An Qila's face reddened, and she became even more embarrassed and enraged.

She glared furiously at the apprentices blocking her path. "We're all Third-Class Wizard Apprentices. My Mental Power is even stronger than yours. Why can you live here while I can't?"

By then, a wizard mentor had already come downstairs, and all the Wizard Seedlings in the corridor fell silent.

Locke recognized the wizard mentor who had come down from above. It was Jarvis, who had tested them earlier.

Mentor Jarvis looked coldly at An Qila as though she were a stone by the roadside. "Third-Class Wizard Apprentice An Qila, return to where you are supposed to live. Do not make me repeat myself."

An Qila said, "But... this... this isn't fair."

"My Mana is just as strong as theirs... This isn't fair..."

Mentor Jarvis said icily, "If it weren't for the Wizard Seedling Protection Act, I would have thrown you into the sea to feed the fish already."

"Tell me, how long did it take you to become a Third-Class Wizard Apprentice?"

An Qila's face flushed. She froze for a moment, then slowly said, "It took me fifteen years."

Quite a few people in the corridor sucked in a cold breath.

After all, wizards with Level 3 aptitude generally needed only two to three years from the start of their studies to become Third-Class Wizard Apprentices, while An Qila had taken fifteen years.

Jarvis pointed to one of the Wizard Seedlings he had brought in and said, "He took only three and a half years. Most of the Wizard Seedlings on this level became Third-Class Wizard Apprentices in around two to three years."

"Even the few laggards did not take more than five years."

"In other words, they became Third-Class Wizard Apprentices equal to you in just a fraction of the time you used."

Mentor Jarvis said coldly, "Those with Level 4 wizard aptitude usually take around a year and a half to two years to become Third-Class Wizard Apprentices. As for those with Level 5 or Level 6 aptitude, becoming Third-Class Wizard Apprentices is as easy as eating and drinking for them."

"A few months to a year is enough."

Mentor Jarvis said, "That is the gap between you and them. You have only become a Third-Class Wizard Apprentice because you are old enough and have studied long enough, but from here on, the gap between you will only grow wider."

"Go back to where you belong."

"If you dare cause trouble again, then even with the Wizard Seedling Protection Act protecting you, I will make you pay the price."

Mentor Jarvis turned and left.

An Qila's pupils lost focus and dilated. "Causing trouble... So in your eyes, I'm nothing more than someone causing trouble..."

"On the Keso Continent, I was a respected prodigy favored by heaven. But on this ship, I'm merely a Level 1 aptitude person causing trouble."

The wizard mentor's words had undoubtedly shattered her convictions. An Qila's eyes became listless as she stiffly walked toward the stairs, preparing to head to the lowest level beneath the deck.

Locke closed his door. This scene had been both expected and unexpected.

Most Wizard Seedlings came from the island chains. In their own worlds, they had been lofty prodigies favored by heaven, but upon arriving on the Wizard Ship, they would discover that they were merely ordinary people, perhaps even people of extremely low status.

Once the balance in their hearts was lost, of course they would do irrational things.

Sitting on his bed, Locke mocked himself. "I still wanted to live above deck. The rooms up there have better conditions, and you can see the picturesque artificial sky and artificial gardens. The wizard mentors on the ship live above deck too."

"But I never expected there to be Wizard Seedlings striving with all their might just to live on the level where I live."

"The hierarchy of contempt really never ends."

Confidence flashed through Locke's eyes. "Wizard aptitude does not determine everything. A person with Level 3 wizard aptitude can still become a Formal Wizard."

The illusory Horadric Cube before him spun, sending out streaks of silver sparks.

From the Horadric Cube, Locke took out this time's Level 5 synthesized item: a dark cyan jade the size of an adult's index fingertip.

"This recipe worked." Locke perked up. During this period, he had constantly carried a large number of gemstones and experimented with synthesis recipes using different types of gems.

This synthesis recipe consisted of one Level 4 Deep Blue Jade, one Level 4 ordinary black agate, and one Level 4 ordinary black pearl.

In most cases, synthesizing these Level 4 gemstone items only changed their color and size, making them more valuable in mundane terms. It was rare for them to develop special effects like the Deep Blue Jade.

Yet this Level 5 Dark Cyan Jade had gained a different entry—[Level 5 synthesized item, Dark Cyan Jade. A rare gemstone from deep underground mineral veins. The cause of its formation remains incompletely understood. It is said to possibly be a hybrid jade formed from Deep Blue Jade and several natural gemstones.]

[The Dark Cyan Jade's filtering effect on Mental Power fluctuations is stronger than that of Deep Blue Jade. At the same time, a single Level 5 Dark Cyan Jade can store 10 points of Mana.]

Seeing this description, Locke froze for a moment. He immediately took a gold ring he had prepared in advance from his backpack, set the Dark Cyan Orb into it, then concealed it with the ordinary sapphires embedded along the ring's outer layer.

Following the entry's description, Locke poured Mana into the Dark Cyan Jade. He felt a continuous stream of Mana enter it.

Yet there remained some vague, intangible connection between himself and the Mana inside the Dark Cyan Orb.

With a single thought, that Mana could return to his body.

Locke quickly understood the Dark Cyan Jade's purpose and principles. "If the Deep Blue Jade is a filtering sponge, then the Dark Cyan Jade is a capacitor that stores electric current. By storing my Mental Power, the Dark Cyan Jade stabilizes my Mana fluctuations by absorbing and releasing my Mana."

"Though its effect is similar to that of the Deep Blue Orb, the principle is completely different."

"More importantly..." Locke thought, Ten points of Mana is practically equal to the Mana of a Third-Class Wizard Apprentice. Patti only has ten points of Mana.

But now I can store ten points of Mana inside the Dark Cyan Jade.

That means I have ten more points of Mana than other Third-Class Wizard Apprentices out of thin air. In battle, I can cast spells more times.

Even during ordinary research and study, this extra Mana will make me more efficient.

Locke realized the value of the Dark Cyan Orb. The Dark Cyan Orb is probably worth a fortune even in the Wizarding World. At the very least, I haven't seen anything similar on the Wizard Ship yet.

I'd better not let other wizards see that I have something like this.