Chapter Summaries

Locke studied the Sea Golden Sand magic plant and its spells before visiting Harlan Vela, where Witch Melanie Carlisle and her students came to apologize for attacking him in the Forbidden Forest. The chapter left Locke facing the apology and gifts from Secret Fire Academy.

• Locke received a Sea Golden Sand plant and research materials from the White Wizard Association and suppressed the plant’s defenses with Forest Sanctuary and Magic Pressure.
• Locke read about the seven-spell Scorching Golden Sand Flow series and decided to study its literature and spells for the Execution Hammer Mushroom.
• Locke rode to Harlan Vela’s office and found Witch Melanie Carlisle and her Secret Fire Academy students there.
• Witch Melanie Carlisle apologized on behalf of her students for entering the Forbidden Forest and attacking Locke, and offered gifts to preserve their friendship.

Melanie Carlisle brought her Secret Fire Academy students to apologize to Locke for their attack, offering him a valuable Flame Pearl Tomato Flower and its accompanying Flamebright Aura spell. Locke accepted the gifts and agreed not to pursue the matter, while Melanie prepared to punish her students.

• Locke warned Melanie Carlisle that attacking a Formal Wizard was a serious offense.
• Melanie explained that she had brought her students to apologize and offered Locke a Flame Pearl Tomato Flower to restore their friendship.
• Harlan Vela described the plant’s magical properties and explained how Flamebright Aura could support Locke’s spells and artifacts.
• Melanie offered Locke the Flamebright Aura spellbook as well, and Locke accepted both gifts and dropped the matter.
• Melanie glared at her students, who realized they would face her anger when they returned, while Harlan Vela silently watched Locke with amusement.

Harlan Vela explained the economic motives behind the White Wizard Association’s opposition to Black Wizards and confessed his regrets over Anglong’s betrayal. He then advised Locke on advancing as a Formal Wizard, leaving Locke asking whether he had a Superior Meditation Method.

• Harlan Vela told Locke that White Wizards supported war against Black Wizards for varied political and economic reasons, including restricting Spirit Magic to protect the economy.
• Harlan Vela admitted he had hoped to cultivate Anglong, but feared his own eagerness and inattention had contributed to Anglong’s betrayal.
• Locke reassured Harlan Vela that he considered him a good teacher, and Harlan Vela accepted Locke’s support.
• Locke asked Harlan Vela for advice on his future development as a Formal Wizard.
• Harlan Vela explained that Locke needed to advance his Advanced Meditation Method to its seventh level before switching to a Superior Meditation Method to pursue the Second-Ring Wizard stage.
• Locke asked Harlan Vela whether he had a Superior Meditation Method.

Harlan Vela explained how wizarding regions differed in power, resources, and teaching positions, and why the Starfield Sea offered greater opportunities but harsher competition. Locke understood that becoming a Formal Wizard gave him more choices, though he would need to secure resources and decide carefully where to build his future.

• Harlan Vela told Locke that Superior Meditation Methods were rare in the Southeastern Corner Region and described the Starfield Sea as a center attracting talented wizards from across the Wizarding World.
• Harlan Vela explained that Sophia had secured her contract lecturer position in Parthinos through luck and connections after waiting three years to pass an assessment.
• Locke asked what a contract lecturer was, and Harlan Vela contrasted the Starfield Sea’s conditional contracts with the Southeastern Corner Region’s lifetime appointments.
• Harlan Vela warned Locke that advancing to a Second-Ring Wizard would require a Superior Meditation Method and scarce resources, while materializing his Mental Power would be the more immediate challenge.
• Harlan Vela explained that teaching positions shaped a wizard’s status and access to resources, and that Formal Wizards could pursue many paths beyond seeking an appointment.
• Locke understood that his life as a Formal Wizard offered far more choices and complexities than his days as a Wizard Apprentice.

Harlan Vela explained how Locke could strengthen his qualifications while seeking a teaching position and introduced Root Truth Institutes as a path for exceptional young First-Ring Wizards to gain resources and experience. Locke learned the admission requirements and realized that, at twenty and already at the Vaporization Stage, he had ample time to qualify.

• Harlan Vela advised Locke to earn certifications, win awards, complete projects, and train students to improve his competitiveness for teaching positions.
• Harlan Vela described Root Truth Institutes, which recruit promising young First-Ring Wizards, fund their projects, and help them pursue opportunities at stronger wizard academies.
• Harlan Vela explained that applicants must be under fifty, reach the First-Circle Liquefaction Stage, present a suitable project, and obtain recommendation letters.
• Harlan Vela outlined other temporary work options and warned Locke that some teaching positions in the Starfield Sea favor candidates with Root Truth Institute experience.
• Locke considered the requirements and recognized that his age and current advancement gave him thirty years to reach the required stage.

Locke published and patented his apprentice-stage projects, earning high article ratings and four honorary invention badges from the White Wizard Association. After arranging to preserve his ventures through Harlan Vela’s students, he headed to Chimera Market to discuss a partnership with Madam Irina.

• Locke told Harlan Vela that his Mental Power was growing by about one point per day and proposed publishing his projects, applying for patents, and cooperating with Madam Irina.
• Harlan Vela approved the plan, offered to contact Madam Irina, and promised to protect Locke’s interests in the Southeastern Corner Region.
• A month later, the Dwarf scholar Aul told Locke that his articles had received high Association and Academy ratings, including seven Association S-Class and Academy SS-Class ratings.
• Aul reported that Locke’s patent applications were approved and that the Emerald Iris Lichen, Double-Ball Plane Tree, Bear Spirit Emerald Gallbladder Potion, and Beholder Lord Potion earned him four honorary invention badges.
• Locke accepted the badges and went to Chimera Market to meet Harlan Vela and Madam Irina at Golden Secret to discuss a business partnership.

Locke discovered a trace of Abyssal Energy in Yuli Burns and suspected it was connected to the condition that had aged her and halted her Mana growth. He offered to investigate and treat her experimentally, and Yuli agreed to bring him her records and visit his laboratory.

• Locke sensed Abyssal Energy from Yuli Burns and asked whether she had encountered Abyssal creatures.
• Yuli explained that her aging began after she repeatedly used and removed Aging Curses in an attempt to increase her Mana.
• Locke told Yuli that her aging might have another cause and asked her to compile all the records of her experiments.
• Locke offered a possible experimental treatment and asked Yuli to visit his laboratory, promising that she could repay him by watching over his business in the Southeastern Corner Region.
• Yuli agreed to send her records and meet Locke two weeks later.

Locke negotiated a brand-licensing deal with Madam Irina for his Augustus Magic Plants and related products, securing monthly payments and a share of profits while she handled operations. After signing a revised contract, Locke learned from Irina that he could keep using the Nygward Astrology System beyond the Southeastern Corner Region by cracking his Gray Mist Slate.

• Madam Irina welcomed Locke and discussed his rapid advancement, his inventions, and his plans to leave the Southeastern Corner Region.
• Madam Irina proposed licensing Locke’s products under the Augustus brand, offering sixty thousand Magic Stones per month plus ten percent of net profits while she covered the costs.
• Locke weighed the offer and agreed, then sent the contract to Harlan Vela, who revised it so Irina would pay Harlan’s students from her own share.
• Madam Irina had a new contract drafted and took Locke to Witch’s Kitchen, where they discussed the costs and troubles of running her shops and added each other as Gray Mist Slate contacts.
• Madam Irina told Locke he could contact her from another Wizard Land through the Nygward Astrology System if he cracked his Gray Mist Slate.

Locke asked Lady Irina how to bypass the Nygward Astrology System, and she explained its origins and how its location tracking worked. She gave him an Everlasting Invisibility Cloak coated with No. 81 Absorption Film so he could use the system without revealing his location, and they agreed to stay in touch through the Gray Mist Slate.

• Locke returned Lady Irina’s witch tomato juice and asked her how to crack the Nygward Astrology System.
• Lady Irina explained that the system was built upon the corpse of a world serpent and warned Locke not to reveal what she had told him.
• Lady Irina said the system’s location tracking could be evaded with a special item and showed Locke an Everlasting Invisibility Cloak coated with No. 81 Absorption Film.
• Lady Irina explained that the film absorbed the magical fluctuations the system used to locate him, allowing him to use it in other Wizard Lands.
• Locke accepted the cloak as Lady Irina’s gift, and she suggested they keep in touch through the Gray Mist Slate.

Locke learned three First-Ring Botanical Magic spells and decided to submit his résumé to the White Wizard Association. At his residence, he met Hassan, who explained how he became Harlan Vela’s undercover agent and revealed the truth about the Mother-Child Giant Corpse Blood Curse.

• Locke completed Mana Grafting and learned [Gold Sand Spray], [Gold Sand Bullets], and [Goldflow Fern Spear].
• Locke decided to apply to the White Wizard Association’s Wizard Dispatch Bureau and asked Harlan Vela for a recommendation.
• Harlan told Locke to wait for another applicant, and Hassan arrived wearing a White Wizard’s robe as a newly advanced Formal Wizard.
• Hassan revealed that Harlan had recruited him as an undercover agent after his Blood Curse Court mentor withheld his Advancement Potion.
• Hassan explained that he had hidden a message to Lilith’s Cottage inside the Mother-Child Giant Corpse Blood Curse, and Locke deduced that Hassan had lifted the curse himself after the message got through.

Locke agreed to a fifth battle with Hassan, who wanted to test his reconstructed Vampire Count transformation. Their spar began in the wasteland outside the city, where Locke countered Hassan’s enhanced attacks with Golden Magic and Sea Golden Sand.

• Hassan asked Locke to fight him again, and Locke agreed to spar in the wasteland beyond the city.
• Hassan transformed into a powerful Vampire Count linked to the Blood Moon, raising his Magic Pressure to nearly 3,000.
• Hassan attacked Locke with repeated blows and Fear and Hunger-Thirst Blood Curses, but Locke’s Life Force Field held.
• Locke summoned Sea Golden Sand and used [Gold Sand Spray] to form a wall that resisted Hassan’s attacks.
• Locke turned the golden sand into three torrents that spiraled along Hassan’s arm and surged toward his face.

Locke defeated Hassan in a battle that showcased Sea Golden Sand’s power, while Hassan revealed the Blood Curse Court advancement path he had chosen. The two traveled to Verdantia University to visit the White Wizard Association’s headquarters, where Hassan used a special pardon badge to enter despite being a Black Wizard.

• Hassan attacked Locke with his Vampire abilities, but Locke pierced him with Goldflow Fern Spear and used Gold Sand Bullets to knock him from the sky.
• Hassan admitted defeat after Locke exposed his Permanent Defense Field and overwhelmed his defenses, and Locke removed the Golden Magic from his body.
• Hassan explained that he had followed the original Blood Curse Court advancement path, which the current Blood Lord had concealed out of fear of his students.
• Locke and Hassan traveled toward Verdantia University, and Locke said he planned to use Stanley’s tracking Blood Curse to lure him into a rematch.
• Five days later, Locke and Hassan arrived at the White Wizard Association headquarters, where Hassan showed a special pardon badge containing Holy Magic.

Locke and Hassan visited the White Wizard Association’s Dispatch Bureau with another young Wizard to learn how to send résumés to distant Wizard Lands. After explaining the costs and risks, the old Wizard asked Locke and Hassan where they wanted to apply.

• An elderly Dispatch Bureau Wizard explained how the Hurricane Eye Array Magic Gate transmitted résumés, along with its risks, privacy guarantees, and fees.
• A young First-Ring Wizard from Seven-Color Star Garden asked about sending résumés to the Esosend Weaving Fire Institute and the Hand of the Eclipse on the Sunshadow Peninsula.
• Locke considered the young Wizard’s prospects and noted that his own connection to Professor Harlan Vela could have helped him reach the Sunshadow Peninsula directly.
• The old Wizard told the young applicant that sending identical résumés to both Academies would cost only five hundred Magic Stones.
• The old Wizard turned to Locke and Hassan and asked which Wizard Land they wanted to apply to.

Locke and Hassan submitted résumés to Starfield Sea through the Wizard Dispatch Bureau, where Locke learned that Starfield Sea was one of the places of origin for Magic Stones. They sent their letters into the Eye of the Hurricane, leaving Locke to wait and see whether Starfield Sea would reply.

• Locke and Hassan chose to submit résumés to Starfield Sea through the blind submission channel, paying three thousand Magic Stones each.
• Hassan questioned the submission fee, and the Dispatch Bureau director explained that Starfield Sea was expensive and one of the places where Magic Stones originated.
• The director described Magic Stones’ strange properties, prompting Locke to consider whether Starfield Sea issued them as currency and to wonder about their true origin.
• Locke and Hassan paid the fee, confirmed their reply addresses, and watched the director stamp their résumés with a magical seal.
• The director led Locke, Hassan, and the Seven-Color Star Garden wizard to the Eye of the Hurricane and cast their résumés into it.

Locke and Hassan visited the White Wizard Association’s illusion library, where books appeared according to their readers’ desires. Locke used his substantial contribution points to borrow a book on ancient creature bloodlines, while Hassan discovered he could not afford his chosen book and asked Locke for help.

• Locke explained to Hassan how the library’s Visual Desert illusion revealed books and learned that Black Wizards preserved knowledge in mortal bloodlines.
• Hassan summoned an encyclopedia about Contract Masters and said he was considering changing fields to fit more easily into White Wizard society.
• Locke summoned a book about ancient creature bloodlines and learned that borrowing it required 50 contribution points, while Hassan’s book cost 20.
• Locke revealed that his articles had earned him 4,500 contribution points at the regional Association library and exchanged points to borrow his book.
• Hassan admitted he had no contribution points and asked Locke how White Wizards earned them.

Locke studied a book tracing ancient creature bloodlines among mortal families and discovered that his own bloodline came from the Augustine Family’s Golden Two-Headed Dragon lineage. He suspected his mother had concealed her true purpose, and he realized his bloodline was awakening more rapidly after he became a First-Ring Wizard.

• Locke exchanged contribution points with Hassan for magic books and asked him about Curse Magic.
• Locke read a study of ancient creature bloodlines among mortal families and noted that most recorded lineages had become too faint to use.
• Locke found an entry identifying the Augustine Family as a bearer of the Golden Two-Headed Dragon Bloodline, whose main branch had been slaughtered.
• Locke concluded that the dragon bloodline likely came from his father’s side and wondered whether his mother had sought to obtain it through a powerful purification technique.
• Locke recognized that his bloodline was growing stronger and that identifying its origin might help him accelerate its formation.

Locke studied how to awaken the Golden Two-Headed Dragon Bloodline in his body, concluding that he needed more archaeological knowledge and carefully chosen Ancient Creature Bloodlines. After returning to Lilith's Cottage, he entered the Forbidden Forest, where its creatures welcomed him but a mysterious force barred him from its depths.

• Locke calculated that he could not directly extract the Golden Two-Headed Dragon Bloodline from the Count Augustine Family's thin bloodline and realized he would need compatible Ancient Creature Bloodlines to strengthen his own.
• Locke recognized that the Orkney Ancient Giant Bear Chief Bloodline had helped awaken his hidden bloodline, while the Three-Eyed Tiger-Eyed Cat Bloodline had been unsuitable.
• Locke returned to Lilith's Cottage with Hassan and spent the following days studying magic, meditating, and discussing Curse Magic with him.
• Locke entered the Forbidden Forest through an ordinary entrance and found that its plants and creatures, including a Blazing Fire Rabbit, showed him no hostility.
• Locke tried to approach the forest's depths, but a dangerous surge of Mana forced him to retreat.
• Locke headed for his Forest Sanctuary Magic in the swamp, planning to strengthen it and acquire a Druid's Ring so he could carry it with him.

Locke expanded his Forest Sanctuary by transplanting one hundred Double-Ball Plane Trees among the six Red-Earth Hollies, creating a stronger forest ecosystem linked through mycorrhizae and his Distributed Psionic Network. The sanctuary’s power increased, and Locke planned to cultivate symbiotic Magic Plants as he investigated its potential for reaching the Second-Ring Wizard realm.

• Locke returned to the hidden research institute, checked that no one had approached it, and inspected the healthy circulation systems in its Constant Temperature Planting Room.
• Locke connected with the six Red-Earth Hollies and concluded that increasing the forest’s biomass would strengthen both the forest and his Permanent Defense Field.
• Locke had ten Dwarf-type golems dig one hundred pits and plant the prepared Double-Ball Plane Trees.
• The Red-Earth Hollies connected the new trees through their Holly Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus, sharing mana and helping the trees recover from transplantation.
• Locke incorporated the plane trees into his Distributed Psionic Network, and the 106-tree forest strengthened Forest Sanctuary Magic by thirty percent.
• Locke considered how further strengthening the forest might increase its Magic Pressure and planned to plant Emerald Iris Lichen and three kinds of cultivated Magic Vines.

Locke strengthened Forest Sanctuary by planting Magic Plants that supplied Wind and Aether particles, then used a Hive Mind Potion to expand his Psionic Pool. After returning to his laboratory, he reviewed Yuli’s records and suspected that an inferior Bear Spirit Bile Potion she had used contained material from an Abyssal creature.

• Locke had ten Dwarf-shaped golems plant Emerald Iris Lichens and Magic Vines to support the forest’s elemental cycle.
• Locke established daily routines for the golems and concluded that Forest Sanctuary could become self-sustaining after its Magic Plants adapted for a year.
• Locke drank his second Hive Mind Potion, expanding his Psionic Pool, and considered how to obtain more potions and fund future plans.
• Locke returned to his laboratory and found Yuli waiting with records of her experiments using the Aging Curse and Bear Spirit Bile Potion.
• Yuli explained that she had bought defective gray-market potions to save money, and Locke suspected one had been altered with Abyssal creature material.

Locke discovered that a demon had been parasitizing Yuli through an immature potion and draining her Life Energy. After pulling it from her shadow, he learned it mistook him for an Abyssal Lord and identified itself as a Mammon Demon.

• Locke examined Yuli and explained how mishandled Abyssal potion materials could cause hidden, random side effects.
• Locke spotted a Ghost Hand in Yuli's shadow and realized a demon had been draining her Life Energy for more than twenty years.
• The Ghost Hand seized Yuli and demanded Locke's Beholder Lord Potion, threatening to kill her.
• Locke drank the potion, pulled the Ghost Hand from Yuli's shadow, and revealed an aura that made it believe he was an Abyssal Lord.
• The Ghost Hand identified the Beholder Lord as a Lord-level demon and said it was a Mammon Demon born from Greed Energy and Dark Energy Particles.