Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 221 Preparation before action
In the afternoon, as agreed, Locke waited for Eragabalus and another sketch artist in his three houses.

Locke looked at Eragabalus and another first-class wizard apprentice sketch artist with surprise. "What's this?"

Elagabalus raised an eyebrow and laughed, "Rest assured, Mr. Locke, this is Tok Carlisle, my junior."

“His gallery went bankrupt, so he is now heavily in debt, and the daily interest on his loans is almost equal to the principal.”

“So, he’s completely bankrupt now, you know…” Eragabalus sighed sadly. “Any property he has now will be immediately taken away to pay off his debts.”

"So, you'll have no choice but to work for me. He'll be my assistant, and with his help, I can definitely serve you better."

Tok Carlisle appeared taciturn, simply following behind Eragabalus, watching Locke with a worried expression, fearing that Locke might have objections.

Elagabalus said to Locke, "Mr. Locke, it's not that I like bringing my family along. It's just that we artists go bankrupt faster than you potion makers and breeders. Even if you hire other sketch artists, it'll still be the same."

“We’re often classmates, and we have a whole group of people behind us. Sometimes when you hire a sketch artist, it’s like hiring a whole bunch of junior students behind him… I’ve only mentored one junior student…”

"Don't worry, my junior is really just my assistant, he won't overcharge me."

Locke was speechless. No wonder his teacher, the witch Sophia, used the word "they" this morning.

Sophia the Witch probably already knew she would encounter this situation.

However, the magic map project is huge, so hiring another quick-draw artist is not a big deal. Besides, Sophia Witch has already paid for it in advance.

Locke opened the door and invited them in. "Come in, I've also found an assistant to help us create the magic paintings. First, we'll create a magic painting for one of my magical plants called the Crystal Palm Fire Lotus."

Locke invited them to the bedroom he had prepared. According to the contract he had signed with them, they were to paint a series of magic paintings for him. Therefore, they would eat and sleep in the room he arranged, and he would also put the materials he needed for their paintings in their temporary studio.

On the first day, Locke had them draw a magic painting of a fire lotus in the crystal palm.

By the morning of the next day, they had finished the drawing. Locke looked at the two-dimensional crystal palm fire lotus hanging on the wall of his living room and nodded slightly.

While Elagabalus's decision to bring his family along was somewhat unusual, his skills were indeed quite good.

Locke pressed his finger against the magic painting on the wall. As his finger slid, the crystal palm fire lotus in the painting rotated and shifted within the painting, and every detail could be magnified or shrunk.

This magical painting could be used as a specimen in a plant identification course.

"No wonder magic paintings are so popular; they do indeed have a certain auxiliary teaching and storage function in breeding science." Locke looked at the magic painting he had created for thirty magic stones with satisfaction.

Then, Locke looked at Tok Carlisle and Eragabalus and said, "Howard, come out here. These are the assistants I mentioned."

"Now please help me draw a magic map."

Elagabalus had a faint smile on his face, very pleased that Locke had praised his magic painting.

But then he saw a vampire apprentice walk out of the small room, and his expression changed instantly, showing some fear.

"A...a dark wizard?"

Elagabalus looked at Locke and relaxed slightly after seeing how respectful Howard was to him. However, he was still somewhat afraid of Howard's inhuman appearance.

"Locke...we're still going to have to cooperate with the dark wizard?"

"You haven't mentioned this before."

Locke looked at Eragabalus and joked, "Are you afraid of wizards in black robes? Should I make him change into a white robe before coming over?" Eragabalus waved his hand. "It's not that kind of question."

He paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement, saying, "Locke, I think you're right. Colors do indeed have a significant impact on people's moods. This is precisely a core element of the visual illusions at our Artes Color Palette Institute."

“I think you really need to have this ‘black-robed’ wizard friend change his clothes before coming over, otherwise my hands are shaking so badly that I can’t even hold a paintbrush.”

Locke snapped his fingers and glanced at Howard indifferently. "Go upstairs and change into a white wizard's robe."

Howard respectfully replied to Locke, "Yes, Master."

Elagabalus looked at the obedient and docile dark wizard who was completely subservient to Locke with his every word. 'My employer is quite ruthless. Even a vicious dark wizard is like a docile lamb in his presence.'

'This employer is no ordinary person.'

Locke looked at Eragabalus and said, "Great artist, may we begin our work now?"

When Eragabarus heard Locke call him a great artist, his face flushed slightly, but he was still very pleased. "Of course, of course."

"Tork, quickly unfold the canvas. It is an honor for me as an artist to serve such a shaman who respects art."

Elagabalus seems to be good at creating magical paintings using lifelike oil paintings, so he used linen as a base and a lot of paint based on various magical plants.

Therefore, the colors he used were only richer than those used by ordinary painters.

He could obtain colors that many ordinary painters could not acquire, such as pure purple, using the sap of the perilla vine.

Of course, pigments are indeed a marginal discipline in the field of breeding, and can be considered a rather niche area.

After all, quick-draw artists themselves don't make much money, and those who study niche areas like pigments, colors, and magical plants are even less likely to earn a living.

As Locke and Howard, now dressed in white robes, recounted the details of the cursed spell research institute to Eragabalus and his assistant, Eragabalus's expression grew increasingly solemn as he stood before the easel.

He seemed to have guessed something, and every now and then he would turn his head to look at Howard, whose eyes were fierce, and Locke, whose eyes were always calm and unfathomable.

Locke looked at Eragabalus with a puzzled expression. "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Elagabalus immediately shook his head, saying somewhat nervously, "Mr. Augustine, there's no problem. It's just that I don't quite understand some of the spells for curse magic, so there might be some errors in the drawing."

Locke said, “Don’t worry, if you don’t understand, Howard will explain it to you. All you have to do is draw all the information I’m telling you on a magic map, word for word.”

"You don't need to worry about anything else, don't ask anything, and don't say anything."

"Do you understand?"

Elagabalus and his junior, Tok Carlisle, were both startled by Locke.

Tok Carlisle was almost in tears. He felt incredibly unlucky. He had just gone bankrupt, finally managed to find refuge with his senior, and now he seemed to be embroiled in a very complicated problem involving dark wizards.

That wasn't some magical map at all; the information Locke gave them in one afternoon contained information that countless curse masters dreamed of.

This information has already frightened Tok Carlisle and Eragabalus.

They were afraid that Locke might suddenly try to silence them.

(End of this chapter)