Chapter Summaries

Locke accompanied the invited Potion Masters to Sura Grand Wizard’s residence, where they learned they would have to pass a potion-making test before meeting him. The test began with a puzzling assortment of ingredients that included no common healing materials, and the Potion Masters started choosing what little might help.

• Peggy warned Locke that the Potion Masters and the families backing them could be competitors, then sent him with the Plutarch Family wizard to White Dragon Tower No. 2.
• Locke joined thirty-six other invited Potion Masters and traveled up the tower to Sura Grand Wizard’s residence, where he noticed its magical luxuries and learned about Sun Orange Incense and Soul Paintings.
• Nyx Santos introduced himself as a renowned healing-potion specialist and demanded to diagnose Sura Grand Wizard, but the butler explained that Sura would first judge the guests by the potions they made.
• The butler announced that each Potion Master had one day to select ingredients and brew a potion, though the tables held no common healing or curse-breaking ingredients.
• Locke wondered why the ingredients included materials for Abyss Potions, while several Potion Masters rushed to claim the few herbs with any connection to healing.

Locke chose to brew potions suited to his strengths when the Plutarch Family’s test supplied unsuitable materials for healing potions. Alicia judged the thirty-seven Potion Masters and selected Locke, a Centaur, and a human witch to remain, while Santos left in anger.

• Locke abandoned the healing-potion challenge and brewed an improved Tanar'ri's Hand Potion, then made two Flame's Fury Potions while waiting for the other contestants.
• The Plutarch Family's butler collected the contestants' submissions and introduced Alicia as the judge.
• Alicia praised Locke's changes to Tanar'ri's Hand Potion and Flame's Fury Potion, then selected Locke, a young Centaur, and a human witch to stay.
• Santos protested that the test was rigged and claimed his potion was the only one that could count as a healing potion.
• Alicia told Santos that Great Wizard Sura had not selected him and warned him that further insults could violate the Land of Six Towers' laws.

Alicia brought Locke and two other Potion Masters to examine her grandfather, Grand Wizard Sura, whose attempt to create a Second-Ring bloodline had left him gravely ill. The Potion Masters began investigating his condition while Alicia offered them access to the Plutarch Family’s resources and asked them to keep his illness secret.

• Wizard Santos and the other Potion Masters were forced to leave the White Dragon Tower, while Alicia invited Locke and two other wizards to meet Grand Wizard Sura.
• Nehemiah Barrett told Alicia that Sura was unconscious and had barred his descendants from the floor; Alicia asked the three Potion Masters to stay and keep his condition confidential.
• Alicia offered the Potion Masters wealth, resources, and access to the White Dragon Tower’s potion projects if they examined her grandfather.
• Locke, the Centaur, and the female wizard examined Sura and found blackened flesh and crystalline growths in his chest.
• Alicia explained that Sura’s failed attempt to create the Dark Cave Scorpion Woman bloodline had caused severe elemental imbalances, while Blackwater Toxin and his other bloodlines continued to threaten his life.

Locke proposed improving Grand Wizard Sura’s enhanced treatment and privately agreed to help Alicia investigate her grandfather’s illness in exchange for Plutarch Family resources and a First Ring Archaeology inheritance. Alicia revealed that Grand Wizard Sura’s body had no soul whenever he fell unconscious.

• Locke reviewed Grand Wizard Sura’s costly treatment records as the Centaur wizard and the witch Potion Master argued over risky ways to correct his elemental imbalances.
• Locke suggested strengthening Grand Wizard Sura through enhanced treatment, and the two Potion Masters agreed to improve his incense and daily supplements.
• Alicia privately asked Locke for help and he proposed upgrading all seven nectars in the Holy Spring Nectar Potion, while asking her to provide a capable Magic Plant project team.
• Alicia told Locke she distrusted her relatives and feared Grand Wizard Sura’s illness was not what it seemed; Locke agreed to help in return for an Archaeology inheritance, information, and unfinished projects.
• Alicia set up a soundproofing magic array and told Locke that Grand Wizard Sura had no soul in his body whenever he fell unconscious.

Alicia told Locke she suspected her grandfather had been harmed by a direct-line Plutarch wizard, and Locke proposed using Royal Jelly Nectar and a Crystal Bee to locate his missing soul. Their discussion was interrupted by George Plutarch and Eric demanding to see Grand Wizard Sura, and Locke went out to turn them away.

• Alicia explained that her Ghost Oriole bloodline let her see souls, but her grandfather’s soul vanished whenever he fell unconscious, leading her to suspect foul play.
• Alicia said she believed a direct-line Plutarch wizard may have harmed her grandfather because his reforms threatened family wizards’ interests.
• Locke suggested secretly giving Grand Wizard Sura Royal Jelly Nectar so a Crystal Bee could track the scent of his soul.
• George Plutarch and Eric demanded access to Grand Wizard Sura, and Alicia explained their family ties and rivalry for his attention.
• Locke left the magical maze lock and told Eric that Alicia would not see them.

Locke used his overwhelming Magic Pressure to drive Eric, George, and the branch Wizards away when they tried to pressure Alicia over Grand Wizard Sura’s care. Alicia thanked Locke and invited him to review the university’s projects, while Eric plotted to claim family property through George’s marriage.

• Eric brought George and five Plutarch Family Wizards to confront Alicia and demand access to Grand Wizard Sura.
• Locke released Magic Pressure of 6700 and threatened Eric with his Sea Golden Sand, forcing Eric and his group to retreat.
• Eric complained about Locke’s strength and told George to marry a woman from the Basil Family so he could gain status and claim the Jackal-Leopard Bloodline Essence Factory.
• Alicia thanked Locke for helping her resist Eric and admitted she was unsure she could manage the family and Grand Wizard Sura’s treatment.
• Alicia invited Locke to the records management room at White Dragon Magic University to review its current projects.

Locke selected two special-grade research projects at White Dragon Magic Gem University, with Alicia granting him resources and authority to pursue them. He left with a white dragon ring that let him move freely through White Dragon Tower and the Plutarch Family’s territory.

• The archives director greeted Alicia and Locke and gave Locke a file of halted university projects.
• Locke chose a lichen-based potion project, and Alicia identified its applicant as her uncle Eric Plutarch, whose project had received substantial funding despite its implausible goal and poor application.
• Locke explained that the project’s data and resources could support his Holy Spring Nectar Potion upgrade, and Alicia agreed to hand it over.
• Locke selected a second project on Gem Succulents, hoping to develop plants that stored light particles before detonating them.
• Alicia gave Locke a white dragon magic ring with high-level permissions, allowing him to travel to Louis Mine and use Plutarch Family resources without restriction.

Locke took charge of the research institute inside Louis Mine and discovered that George Plutarch had taken credit for Wizard Takla’s Gem Succulent proposal. He revised the project into cultivating a Diamond Succulent and restarted the institute’s work, leaving Takla hopeful about its future.

• Locke entered Louis Mine and took over its research institute using his appointment from the Plutarch Family.
• Locke learned that George Plutarch had been named project lead despite Wizard Takla writing the Gem Succulent proposal.
• Takla admitted that Eric had demanded he surrender his proposal to George, who then stalled the research for years.
• Locke presented a new research plan that would cultivate a Diamond Succulent by triggering elemental backflow and self-destruction.
• Locke abolished the institute’s multi-level management, set twice-weekly meetings, and assigned Takla to oversee implementation.
• Takla welcomed Locke and offered to report the institute’s unshared research results.

Locke directed three research projects funded by the Plutarch Family and dealt with interference from the family’s finance office. He then used the White Dragon Tower’s Elemental Pool and the Sun-Moon Balance Ritual Array to advance to the Liquefaction Stage.

• Locke assigned a Botany research team to adapt existing spells for Golden Eye Grass, Shadow Grass, and Great Green Leaf Dragon Sparrow.
• Locke reviewed the three projects’ 1.5 million Magic Stone budget and noted that Alicia was facing criticism for supporting him.
• Locke told Claudia that Eric had resolved the finance office’s obstruction and instructed her to submit the projects’ reimbursement claims.
• Locke entered Elemental Pool Room No. 1, activated its protections, and prepared the Sun-Moon Balance Ritual Array to stabilize his Mana.
• After a day in the Elemental Pool, Locke converted all his Mana into liquid and emerged as a Liquefaction Wizard with more than twice his previous mental power.

Locke measured his Mana and met Alicia to investigate Grand Wizard Sura’s missing soul. Their search led them to a hidden planar gate inside a sealed room in Sura’s residence.

• Locke found that his Mana had reached 6000 and estimated that the Elemental Pool could help him reach the Crystallization Stage within six years.
• Locke received Alicia’s message and agreed to meet her at Grand Wizard Sura’s residence to investigate where Sura’s soul had gone.
• Alicia used a Crystal Bee to search Sura’s residence, and it led them to an empty room on the third floor before an invisible trap killed it.
• Locke used Eye of Flora and Shadow Grass to reveal hidden arrays in the room, and Alicia opened the sealing array with the White Dragon Insignia.
• Alicia identified the spatial vortex revealed by the array as a planar gate leading to another plane.

Locke and Alicia prepared to enter a Plane Gate while discussing its dangers and the protections needed for plane exploration. They agreed to investigate the plane, where Great Wizard Sura’s missing soul might be, and Locke secured the right to keep anything he found and to return for future exploration.

• Locke examined the Plane Gate and asked Alicia whether she had experience entering one; she explained how Elemental Particle Entanglement connected distant planes and described the risks of crossing.
• Alicia showed Locke Homeland Potions and protective exploration suits, explaining how they guarded against rejection by the plane’s World Principle and its local environment.
• Alicia hesitated over whether Locke would risk entering the unfamiliar plane with her, but Locke agreed because finding Wizard Sura’s soul was part of his duty.
• Locke set terms that anything he found would belong to him and that Great Wizard Sura would allow him to explore the plane again; Alicia agreed.
• Locke agreed to follow Alicia’s lead during the crossing, and Alicia blushed at his assurance.

Locke and Alicia entered the hidden plane in the Tower of Hundred Dragons and found a life-filled world remarkably similar to the Wizarding World. Their exploration began with a call for help from adventurers who were struggling against a monster.

• Locke stored Alicia’s ten bottles of Homeland Potion and drank one, but felt no effect.
• Alicia explained the True Sight Crystal’s recording and rescue functions and described White Wizard Association oversight, but chose not to summon the Eye of Truth to keep the hidden plane secret.
• Alicia and Locke entered the spatial vortex with the True Sight Crystal recording them.
• They arrived on a green hill and Alicia found that the plane had familiar air and elements, weak hostility toward them, and a low-level magic tide.
• Alicia wondered why her grandfather had hidden such a valuable, medium-sized life plane instead of letting the Plutarch Family develop it.
• An adventurer called to Locke and Alicia, asking them to help his party fight a monster that was too strong for their D-rank mission.

Locke and Alicia observed adventurers fighting a powerful Demonkin in another world, and Locke saved them before investigating the world’s magic and its connection to Alicia’s grandfather. They decided to approach the adventurers, especially the mage Helen, to learn more.

• Helen and four companions fought a Demonkin, but its power overwhelmed them after it used [Earth Profanation] to drain life from the surrounding land.
• Locke killed the Demonkin with [Gold Sand Torrent], then restored the withered grassland and noticed that his actions eased the World Power’s malice toward him.
• Helen and the other adventurers reacted with awe at Locke’s strength and mistook him for an exceptionally high-ranking mage.
• Locke and Alicia recognized signs of Black Magic modification in the Demonkin and discussed how Helen’s spoken magic formed spells without a Spell Model.
• Locke concluded that Alicia’s grandfather may have altered this world and agreed to contact the adventurers to investigate its magic and learn what happened to her grandfather.

Locke and Alicia learned about the mage hierarchy and the mentor system in this world while investigating whether Grand Mage Sura was related to Alicia. As their carriage entered the city, they discovered that Locke bore the birthmark linked to a prophecy about Sura’s death, and guards stopped them for inspection.

• Alicia used her Charm Bracelet to keep Helen and the adventurers from questioning their conversation, and Helen explained the world’s mage ranks and that adventurer professions came from magic items or bloodline modifications.
• Helen described Grand Mage Sura’s mentor system and the Demonfolk invasion, while Locke and Alicia wondered whether Sura was the same person as Alicia’s grandfather.
• Locke sensed that the city’s Mage Emperor had Magic Pressure above 200 and the arriving Mage Venerable had a pressure of 600, helping him compare their ranks with Wizarding World power levels.
• City guards announced that a Demonfolk spy bearing a cross-shaped blue birthmark was prophesied to kill Grand Mage Sura, and Alicia saw the same mark on Locke’s left hand.
• Locke sensed Divination School magic around them as guards stopped the carriage and ordered its passengers to get out for inspection.

Locke and Alicia infiltrated the Mage Saint Hall and discovered that its native mage system relied on a hidden power source and a Divination School wizard’s interference. There, they encountered the Demonkin army and a Mage Saint whose domain drew power from the city’s underground caves, and the Mage Saint began attacking Locke.

• Alicia used Human Charm to conceal Locke’s birthmark and erase the adventurers’ memories, while Locke inferred that a First-Ring Divination School wizard was opposing them.
• Locke and Alicia followed the Mage Venerable to the Mage Saint Hall, where Locke deduced that underground caves supplied the city’s magic and that the mage system served a wizard’s plans.
• Alicia and Locke found a Demonkin army demanding Alicia Edward, while a Mage Saint revealed that she was Grand Mage Sura’s beloved disciple and would become the next Mage Saint.
• The Mage Saint expanded a domain fueled by the caves’ elemental particles, and Locke identified its power and limitations.
• The Mage Saint recognized Locke as the child of prophecy and began reshaping his domain into an attack, summoning a flame amid the darkness.

Locke and Alicia survived the Mage Saint Farrar’s forbidden spells, and Locke explained the weakness in the Mage Plane’s magic system. Grand Wizard Sura revealed himself, stopped Farrar, and asked Locke to help his research after learning that another attempt to advance a native to Mage Saint had failed.

• Farrar used forbidden spells against Locke and Alicia, but Locke caught and shattered his attacks while explaining that Farrar’s Apprentice Level soul could not truly wield First-Ring Magic.
• Farrar prepared a final spell that would burn out his soul, but Grand Wizard Sura appeared and dispelled it.
• Grand Wizard Sura controlled Farrar’s memories and sent him back to Mage Saint Hall City believing he had defeated the Demonkin; the Mage Venerable had died during the battle.
• Alicia recognized Grand Wizard Sura, and he greeted her and Locke before explaining the Fated Death prophecy on Locke’s hand.
• Grand Wizard Sura discovered that the female native’s advancement to Mage Saint had failed and asked Locke to help native Mage Saints use First-Ring Magic, offering funding, personnel, and competition opportunities in exchange for secrecy.

Great Wizard Sura revealed that the Plutarch Family’s Scorpion Woman bloodline held a Superior Meditation Method and that Alicia had the talent to become a Second-Ring Wizard. He explained that the Mage Saint Hall City was a resource-gathering base, though Locke suspected he was still concealing his true purpose, and invited Locke and Alicia to visit.

• Locke asked Great Wizard Sura whether his plans in the world were meant to help him advance to the Second Ring, and Sura confirmed that they were.
• Great Wizard Sura told Alicia that the Plutarch Family’s Primordial Scorpion Woman Bloodline contained a Superior Meditation Method and that she alone among the current descendants had the aptitude to use it.
• Great Wizard Sura explained that he had arranged Alicia’s studies and feigned illness so she could develop her talent and eventually inherit the family business.
• Great Wizard Sura said the Mage Saint Hall City was a base for collecting and processing resources, and that he had taught the natives magic to secure their help.
• Locke remained suspicious of Great Wizard Sura’s explanation, and Sura invited Locke and Alicia to the city, promising them valuable resources.

Locke and Alicia saw how Great Wizard Sura controlled Mage Saint Hall City and used it to gather the Mage Plane’s rare resources. Sura offered Alicia the remaining Boiling Silver Spring and promised Locke a spark of Primordial Fire if he helped the mages cast First-Ring Magic.

• Locke, Alicia, and Great Wizard Sura entered Mage Saint Hall City, where the mage towers’ Spell Eyes focused on the cyan mark on Locke’s hand.
• Great Wizard Sura used his Dryad Elder bloodline and Greater Human Charm to control the city’s mages and make them accept his fabricated history.
• Great Wizard Sura showed Locke and Alicia his wizard tower, which drew energy from the plane through a network of pipes.
• Great Wizard Sura showed them the plane’s unique Magic Creatures and described the healing and meditation benefits of the Boiling Silver Spring.
• Great Wizard Sura offered Alicia the last portion of Boiling Silver Spring and showed Locke a spark of Primordial Fire, promising it if he helped the mages cast First-Ring Magic.

Locke negotiated with Great Wizard Sura over a Primordial Fire in exchange for helping native Mage Saints cast First-Ring Magic. Sura offered Locke temporary use of the flame and funding, but Locke questioned whether the money and manpower would be enough.

• Locke explained that Red-Earth Holly could strengthen the Mage Saints’ souls and help them endure the strain of casting First-Ring Magic.
• Great Wizard Sura proposed exchanging the Primordial Fire for Locke’s technique after confirming it worked.
• Locke refused to reveal the technique without better terms, citing the need for secrecy and the lack of qualified Breeders and Botany wizards.
• Great Wizard Sura removed the Primordial Fire’s restraints, let Locke use it, and offered five hundred thousand Magic Stones to build the project in Mage Saint Hall City.
• Locke said the funding was tight and asked Great Wizard Sura about manpower.

Locke accepted Great Wizard Sura’s covert project to teach local natives magic, then negotiated the value of his compensation by sealing the Primordial Fire himself. Sura recognized Locke’s strength and decided to stick to an honest transaction, while Locke kept the flame in his Astral Ring.

• Great Wizard Sura offered Locke up to five hundred thousand Magic Stones and temporary access to the Primordial Fire for his work on teaching the natives magic, and Locke accepted while warning that the project might fail.
• Sura promised to reserve the Primordial Fire for Locke even after he left the Plutarch Family, and Locke privately decided to negotiate for more valuable knowledge and benefits.
• Locke used Sea Golden Sand and the spell [Gold Sand Torrent] to surround the Primordial Fire with [Sand-Cast Holy Coffin].
• Locke reinforced the coffin with the Great Green Leaf Dragon Sparrow and Dragon Might, fully sealed the Primordial Fire, and placed it in his Astral Ring.
• Great Wizard Sura assessed Locke’s combat strength and bloodline, then decided that following the rules and conducting an honest transaction was his best choice.