Freshman Loan Contract

Locke waited in Mentor Sophia's office for a full two hours before Witch Sophia finally had time to attend to him again.

However, Locke did not feel slighted in the least.

After all, Sophia was a Formal Wizard. The Wizard Seedlings who had arrived in the Southeastern Corner Region by ship with him likely had not even caught sight of a Formal Wizard's hem.

During those two hours, Locke had not been waiting entirely in vain.

Although he could not understand any of the diagrams in Sophia's hands, he had at least broadened his horizons and learned just how complex First-Ring potions were.

Two and a half hours later, Mentor Sophia picked up the five glass bottles of potion Locke had used the Mana Centrifugal Extraction Method to separate into specific bloodline essences. "Mm, you're very proficient."

Witch Sophia looked at Locke. "Considering you're a Third-Class Wizard Apprentice and your background, you could even be called outstanding."

"Your Mana fluctuations are steadier than those of ordinary Wizard Seedlings. This may be a special talent. Stable Mana fluctuations mean you have a tremendous advantage when brewing potions."

"From now on, I'll leave the simpler separation and extraction work in my laboratory to you."

Locke looked at his left hand. By consuming the Deep Blue Jade, he truly could keep his Mana fluctuations extremely low under normal circumstances.

Sophia thought for a moment. "In return, I'll pay you three Magic Stones a day."

"What do you think?"

"Alright, Mentor. I'll listen to you." Locke had no idea how many Magic Stones an assistant could normally earn.

But he chose to trust Sophia.

Sophia was a First-Ring Wizard and his mentor. There was no reason for her to cheat him over something like this.

Even if she did not pay him Magic Stones, what reason would he have to refuse?

Being able to brew potions alongside a Formal Wizard was the sort of opportunity that countless people would scramble for even if they had to do it for free.

He had this opportunity entirely because the Academy had assigned him to Witch Sophia as her student, and because he was her first student after she became a Formal Wizard.

Witch Sophia nodded. "I calculated your pay based roughly on the rate for an outstanding Second-Class Wizard Apprentice assistant."

"I know things aren't easy for you right now."

"So, I'll try to help you as much as the rules allow."

"Also, I just took the liberty of arranging a tuition loan for you. Sign this contract. It's for roughly one thousand Magic Stones, to be repaid over fifty years, with interest of half a percent. That's already extremely low."

"Ordinary student loans charge five percent interest over fifty years."

"This money can only be used for tuition, so you won't receive the Magic Stones directly. The money will be paid straight to the Academy."

"Otherwise, under normal circumstances, no one would lend so many Magic Stones to Third-Class Wizard Apprentices like you."

Locke looked at Witch Sophia in confusion.

Witch Sophia explained, "You still have to pay to study at Lilith's Cottage."

"You Third-Class Wizard Apprentices do not, in principle, fully belong to Lilith's Cottage yet."

"You're merely paying to study, while Lilith's Cottage gives you an opportunity to learn."

"Only Second-Class Wizard Apprentices are considered to fully belong to the Academy."

"Therefore, you need to pay tuition to Lilith's Cottage every year, as well as fees for specific courses. That comes to one hundred Magic Stones per year."

Witch Sophia explained, "Of course, one hundred Magic Stones a year is already discounted. Otherwise, a single public course alone would cost at least over a hundred Magic Stones."

"This is a benefit Lilith's Cottage provides for you during these five years."

"Likewise, you must pay your own wizard mentor one hundred Magic Stones each year as payment for professional courses. In other words, over five years, you will have to pay a total of one thousand Magic Stones."

Witch Sophia adjusted her monocle. "Generally speaking, Wizard Seedlings from overseas, or local families unable to afford the cost, choose to borrow from the Academy."

"Locke, do you have any Magic Stones?"

Locke decisively shook his head.

So that was how it was. He had thought Lilith's Cottage was teaching him for free.

Lilith's Cottage was not a charity. Naturally, it could not give him lessons for free.

Moreover, even the current arrangement had already been heavily discounted.

Witch Sophia pointed at the contract on the table. "Then sign it."

"This is the loan contract with the lowest interest rate I could think of to help you. Don't worry. I signed this sort of contract back then too, and my interest rate was five percent."

"These things should have been clearly explained to you by the freshman mentor. It seems he chose to be lazy and told you nothing at all."

Witch Sophia said, "So, I contacted Lilith's Cottage's higher-ups through my magic ring and asked them to punish this year's freshman mentor."

"Honestly, a Formal Wizard's time is so precious, yet I have to explain such things to you."

"And if they don't explain it clearly, quite a few of you may end up signing harsh contracts from outside the Academy."

Witch Sophia tapped the table with her finger, dissatisfied. "It can't be ruled out that they deliberately chose not to explain it to you."

Locke chose to sign the contract. After all, there was no need for a Formal Wizard to deceive him.

Before her, he was barely any better than a frail infant or a mosquito.

Locke remembered the Formal Wizard from Four Seasons Garden whom he had seen aboard the Wizard Ship. Under that person's Magic Pressure, he had felt as if his entire body were about to melt.

Even though that Formal Wizard had not meant to target him.

After seeing Locke finish signing, Witch Sophia wrote her own name on the contract as well. "Only loans taken out in my name can have interest this low, so I need to sign my name too."

Locke felt somewhat moved. "Mentor, thank you."

Witch Sophia revealed a faint smile. "After all, you are my first student."

"Of course, I'll pay more attention to you."

"And for me, this is merely a small favor. In the end, one thousand Magic Stones is an enormous sum to you, but to me, that little money is nothing."

Witch Sophia said, "I'll help you raise your Mental Power to 50 as soon as possible. I expect to make you a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice within four years."

"Starting tomorrow, come here every day at four in the afternoon to learn the follow-up supporting cantrips for Vine Hand: Green Purifying Grasp and Poison Berry Shot."

"You also need to attend the three public courses."

"Also, I recently accepted a batch of Emerald Potion brewing orders. Use the Mana Centrifugal Extraction Method to help me extract at least fifteen bottles of [Dryad Bloodline] every day."

Because Witch Sophia was so approachable with him, Locke asked directly, "Mentor, what is Emerald Potion?"

Witch Sophia glanced at Locke and actually explained, "It's a First-Ring healing potion that can cleanse negative energy from the body. It is generally used to cleanse curses from the Hex Sub-Path of the Black Wizards' Spirit Communication School."

"It is currently the best special-effect potion in the Southeastern Corner Region for Rotting Flesh Curse, Terror Curse, and Thousand Sores Curse."

"One of its main ingredients is the bloodline essence of the Forest Child Dryad."

"The products Lilith's Cottage sells most often are all kinds of potions. I recently accepted a task to cleanse Rotting Flesh Curse."

"So I've been very busy lately. If there's nothing important, don't disturb me outside class hours. I can only spare one hour each day to teach you."