Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 857 The Alliance of Rose the Witch

Although Locke was puzzled, in accordance with the basic qualities of a white wizard, he still sat down on a sofa in the private room with a cold expression. He then crossed his arms and felt the magical pressure level of Rose, which was close to that of a Star Ring wizard, and said, "The Tacitus family is a prestigious wizarding family within the Rose Council, and your teacher and my teacher are enemies."

"You want to form an alliance with me?"

"Are you trying to negotiate with a tiger for its skin, or do you have some other motive?"

Locke crossed his arms and said coldly.

Rose Tacitus slightly raised her chin, her eyes haughty. Locke noticed that she wasn't looking at him while she was speaking to him, meaning she wasn't paying attention to him at all; she was focused on something else.

Locke had no idea what she was paying attention to.

The witch Rose said, “I’ll correct you on a few points. First, the Rose Throne and the Red Dragon Throne are not enemies, but rivals. The conflict between academic lineages is not a true wizarding war.”

"Moreover, there is a lot of cooperation between the two academic institutions. It's not just me who comes to you; people from your side also come to us, and similarly, people from our side also come to your side."

Locke suddenly spoke up: "I see. The reason why the Brandy Wizard recently abandoned his research on the Sacred Tree of Flesh and Blood was because someone from your side reminded him."

Rose the witch glanced at Locke in surprise. This time, she truly focused her attention on Locke for a few seconds before she raised her chin slightly, making herself appear taller, and her attention shifted again.

“Indeed, you are very clever, which is why I thought you could join forces with me.”

"It was someone from the Rose Throne academy on Solas's Lightfoot's side who found the Brandy Wizard and persuaded him to give up the Sacred Tree of Flesh and Blood. They also pointed out that even if he worked on his project for another three years, it would be impossible for him to get a special grant. He wasn't originally someone we would try to win over or get involved with, but Solas's Lightfoot clearly wants to cause you some trouble."

"If you get caught up in the failure of your application for the top-tier grant, you won't have much extra energy to meddle in other things. There are many things that are more complicated than you think. Although you are now considered one of the core members of the Red Dragon Throne team, your qualifications are still too shallow and your experience is insufficient."

Rose the witch sat on the sofa and said to Locke, "The second mistake is, do you think that we wizards are the kind of people who are in a lineage, labeled, and then forced to choose a side because of the different labels we bear, and are unable to make our own judgments?"

"No. We are wizards, seekers of truth. We possess free will."

“Academic lineage is one thing, but sometimes, personal interests and the interests of academic lineage may not be consistent.”

“Sometimes, those who are on the same side are our real competitors. Isn’t that right? For example, in this year’s top scholarship, is your biggest competitor me? It’s your colleagues.”

Rose the Witch spread her hands and said to Locke, "And is my greatest rival you? Not for the time being. You and I both have competitors within our academic lineage. We are wizards, and we value interests above all else. As long as we share common interests, we can form a temporary alliance, can't we?"

Locke understood and immediately asked the two most important questions.

"What do you want me to do? What can you do for me?"

Rose the Witch checked all the spell arrays in Witch's Kitchen Room 1 to ensure that the room was completely soundproof and that all magical items that could record audio and video were blocked.

"The Rose Throne ordered me to unite with Solas's Lightfoot and Melochy's Magic Step. But after the Third Ring Wizard and the Throne went to Genesis, these two shop alliances began to repeatedly disobey me. Probably because I discovered their corruption."

Rose the Witch said, "At present, I cannot force my way into the true upper echelons of the two shop alliances. Especially that Moon Ring Wizard supervisor, Holm, who is so cunning and despicable. Relying on Hades's trust in him, he completely disobeys my orders."

Locke probably understood the problem.

Although Rose the Witch is of noble status, she is still a young woman and not even a Star Ring Wizard.

She wanted to enter the true power center of Thoras's Lightfoot. After the three ring wizards in her lineage participated in Genesis, how could she win their respect and defeat the Moon Ring Wizard Master?

Clearly, she has suffered quite a few setbacks during this period.

Locke said, "So, you want me to help you deal with them?"

Rose the Witch propped her right cheek on her right hand and leaned back on the sofa, saying, "That's true. These two shops are currently attacking each other, and they each have their own plans. And I'm going to help you launch a blockbuster wizard shoe that will thwart their schemes at the moment when these two shops hold their joint themed press conference."

"That would affect the stock prices of both shop alliances, the wizard shareholders would start to waver, and your shop alliance would become famous overnight."

"Such a great benefit, don't you want it?"

"Your shop alliance will gain fame, and I can take this opportunity to unite with the wizards who support me to launch an attack on the power centers of the two shop alliances and truly control them."

"Only then will the real battle between us begin."

Locke looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“You are a key figure in your academic lineage. If I were to tell others what you said to me today, wouldn’t you be in a terrible predicament?”

Rose the Witch disagreed.

“You can say whatever you want. Nobody will believe you. Besides, you’re not that kind of person, Locke Augustine. I’ve seen your resume. You’re not someone who acts on emotion. In some ways, we’re all the same. We’re both people who will stop at nothing to achieve our goals.”

"The process doesn't matter, does it? As long as the result is there, that's all that matters."

Locke gave her a deep look. "No, I'm afraid you and I are not the same kind of people."

Rose frowned upon hearing this. She stood up and immediately prepared to leave the private room without any intention of lingering, as if she could find someone else immediately if Locke disagreed with the deal with her.

Locke said, "Rose, although we are not the same kind of people, it doesn't mean we can't cooperate."

Rose the Witch smirked and stared straight at Locke, saying, "You still say you're not the same kind of person as me. Actually, I knew all along that you would choose to cooperate with me because my proposal would be entirely beneficial to you."

"Of course, that's just how it is from your perspective."

"If you can cooperate with Camilla the Witch of the Nexus, the rival of Mount Golden Crown, then you can cooperate with me. The fact that you can befriend Hussein, who almost killed you, and become close friends with the wicked Antoine proves that you and I are both people with little sense of values."

Locke glanced at Rose the Witch and shook his head slightly.

"I think you've misjudged the situation."

"However, you can sit down and tell me how you want to cooperate with me?"

After some thought, Locke realized that regardless of whether this so-called cooperation was a trap or not, accepting it was the right thing to do.

Moreover, there's been an unexpected drop in sales of the second pre-ordered Wizard Shoes.

The struggles between academic factions and the internal conflicts among colleagues vying for top-tier funding, the external and internal contradictions—all ultimately converged. Indeed, behind every internal strife, there is often the support of an external enemy.

"Every year, the competition for top-tier funding intensifies during this phase, and outsiders might suddenly intervene each year."

'It's unlikely to be the kind of idea that involves trying to win over certain individuals. After all, it's extremely difficult to win over wizards from different schools of thought. The case of Esther the Witch is ultimately a special case. But by suddenly intervening and providing some assistance to certain less experienced wizards, the bad can weed out the good, effectively damaging the talent pool of another school.'

Locke instantly realized that the Special Fund was probably the hardest hit area every year.

It's likely that this isn't just the case at Golden Crown Mountain; other wizarding colleges are probably experiencing the same thing.

It's already quite good that Jinmianshan only experienced such severe involution at the stage of receiving a special grant.

Because other lower-level wizarding colleges may already be experiencing a serious situation of bad money driving out good money at an even lower level of grant applications.

Rose the Witch sat back on the sofa and said, “Mr. Augustine, you still know too little about wizard shoes. I’ve seen the sales report for your first pair of second-circle wizard shoes. You were able to succeed on your first try, largely because of two things.”

Locke became serious and said to the witch Rose, "Miss Tacitus, please speak."

Rose the Witch said, "First, many of your friends and classmates bought your first pair of wizard shoes. But in a short time, their demand has been met."

"I don't know why, but your wizard shoes didn't have the [Active Periodic Disposal] feature."

"That is, to make your wizard shoes unusable at a certain stage. We magic weavers certainly have ways to make a pair of wizard shoes last for thousands of years if they are not used often, and even if they are used in dangerous void environments, they can last for more than ten years."

“We certainly have the ability to repair severely damaged wizard shoes instead of asking them to replace them with new ones. We are certainly capable of extending the lifespan of their wizard shoes by helping them with regular annual maintenance.”

Rose the Witch had a mocking smile on her lips.

"But if we handle it this way, where will we make money?"

"Based on our experience with Solas Barefoot and Melochy Magic Steps, if we compromise with our customers, they will disrespect us. When Solas Barefoot and Melochy Magic Steps were first established, we, like every other newly established store, had high expectations for our customers."

"But the reality is that we are hurt time and time again."

Rose the Witch said, "Customers are like flowing water, and the shop alliance is like a reservoir. How many we can retain depends on our abilities. If you have too much useless emotion towards your customers, you are just wasting your energy."

Locke frowned. He was now certain of one thing: the beliefs of both Rose the Witch and the Rose Throne were fundamentally at odds with his own and his teacher's. Rose the Witch said, "So, firstly, because you haven't implemented 'proactive periodic obsolescence,' your customer base's demand is now saturated."

"Secondly, your first pair of wizard shoes was popular because of their low price, so many people bought them with the idea of ​​saving money. But your second pair of wizard shoes is priced at two million. That's the price of wizard shoes from the Vicos Shop Alliance."

"This means that your original low price advantage is gone, and you are missing a very important thing about Wizard Shoes."

Locke asked, "What's missing?"

Rose the Witch spoke, “Combat records. This is the most important thing I’ve come here to remind you of.”

"Don't mistakenly think that wizard shoes are a type of clothing or sports equipment. Second-circle wizard shoes and first-circle wizard shoes are different because second-circle wizards and first-circle wizards have different main areas of activity and are at different levels, which has led to a serious shift in their positioning."

"First-ring wizard shoes are at most sports equipment and magical artifacts, while second-ring wizard shoes are essentially important weapons for individual soldiers. When exploring the void, without a good pair of wizard shoes, you will be unable to move an inch."

"When we, Melochy and Solas, started out barefoot, we spent a lot of money to hire a large number of Void Explorers to enter various planes, live-stream the process, record their use of wizard shoes, and go deep into the polar regions to test the limits of the wizard shoes we designed."

"The reason this point is being omitted now is not because we are deliberately blocking information, but because our store alliance has already built up a good reputation, and we no longer need to do this."

"But Void Explorers are looking at the actual combat record of a Wizard's Shoes."

"Ultimately, all weapons are judged by their combat records. Your wizard shoes have no combat records and no reputation in combat, so it will be difficult for them to be popular among the Void Explorers."

At this moment, after being reminded by Rose the Witch, Locke realized that his sales were not good enough this time, and he had indeed made a mistake in positioning.

My second pair of second-ring wizard shoes is designed for exploration in the Void Polar region.

That is, it is mainly aimed at void explorers.

This is the main development direction of Solas's barefoot technology.

However, as a weapon-grade wizard shoe designed for this purpose, its own wizard shoes lack actual combat experience.

The most important aspect of weaponry is live-fire drills.

I actually encountered a similar situation when I was selling magical plants in the southeastern corner of the region.

Locke pondered, "I see. It's about changing our business strategy and handling my second-ring wizard shoes like we would sell weapons. Since they're weapons, we need to document their combat performance."

The Witch Rose said, "But you might be too late now. Organizing a void exploration takes at least six months. You'll also need to purchase void warships, hire void explorers, and so on, which is extremely costly..."

"Your little shop alliance probably doesn't support many Void Explorer teams anymore. Solas's Lightfoot and Melochy's Magic Step don't need Void Explorers to promote them anymore because their reputation has been established, but they still need to support some Void Explorer teams to explore and develop planes, find new materials, and so on, through employment or contract."

Locke realized that Rose the Witch was unaware that his true form had recently traveled to the Endless Void to explore different planes, likely because she had learned about him at least half a year ago.

Locke remarked, 'So that's where the problem lies.'

Locke looked up at Rose the Witch and said, “Thank you for reminding me. We can indeed be allies for now, until you and I take down Solas the Barefoot and Melochy’s current administration.”

"Aren't you afraid of raising a tiger only to have it become a threat, or of trying to get something from a tiger?"

Rose the Witch's pupils focused again as she looked at Locke and said, "I have absolute confidence in my abilities. I will soon advance to the Star Ring Wizard level, and I will also seize administrative control of the two major shop alliances, gain the support of the Tacitus family, and thus obtain the help of my senior brother Hades Sun Ring."

“As long as my plan succeeds, I will get this help. What do I have to be afraid of?”

"Our cooperation is not me raising a tiger to cause trouble, but you making a deal with a tiger. You are creating the biggest enemy in the history of the wizard shoe market."

Rose the Witch stared into Locke's eyes, a provocative smile playing on her lips, and said, "Few who cooperate with me emerge unscathed. Let me tell you that."

“It’s not that I would betray him; I would never break an agreement on my own initiative. It’s just that when I want to cooperate with someone and become an ally, it means I have absolute confidence that I can devour them. Locke, it’s you who are heading down a dead end, not me.”

"Are you scared? You can refuse."

Locke ignored Rose the Witch's provocation and then began to think seriously. Rose the Witch was indeed very dangerous, but this cooperation was actually a very profitable thing for him.

Because this is something I have to do myself.

Whether or not he cooperates with her, challenging the two established giants in the Wizard Shoes Alliance is something he is doing and will inevitably do.

By forming an alliance with Rose the Witch, I can at least receive additional assistance in the near future.

Moreover, the source of this help was indeed somewhat beyond my expectations.

Locke said, "Ms. Tacitus, it's a pleasure to work with you. We can add each other as friends within the Water Hyacinth system."

Rose the Witch glanced at Locke and said, "It seems you don't respect me. Fine, at least until we achieve our common goal, we will indeed be the best allies."

Rose the witch took out her Ganoderma lucidum plant and touched it with Locke's Ganoderma lucidum plant, and the two became friends. Before leaving room number 1, she said, "I will share information with you. We currently have a common enemy."

Rose the Witch left the private room.

Meanwhile, Locke was in VIP room number 1, organizing the information provided by the other party.

“Now, Soras’s barefoot side has someone supporting Brandy Wizard, wanting to send Brandy Wizard to compete with me, increase my pressure, and make me waste my energy on the application for special grants.”

"I wonder if they'll only be supporting the Brandy Wizard, or if they'll support others as well. Given the current situation, if they can support one, they can support a second..."

"In order to gain access to the power center of the two shops' alliance, Rose the witch chose to cooperate with me, a business rival of the two shops' alliance."

In other words, internal stability requires addressing external threats first. If we simply let them act freely, it will only create more trouble for me.

Locke thought, "It's not that Golden Crown Mountain can't find out these things, the key is that even if they do, they can't say much."

Because if a wizard can attract and find projects, that is also due to his personal ability.

Soras insisted that they admired the wizard, which was why they kept sending him resources, and that there was nothing wrong with that.

Even for Jinmian Mountain, having outsiders deliver genuine resources to Zhenzhi Academy for free was still a win.

After all, Jinmian Mountain doesn't only have its own academic lineage.

Locke said, "So, if I want to secure a spot in the top-tier grant application this year, in order to reduce the possibility of outside interference, I need to teach Soras a lesson in business competition so that they will no longer have time to secretly fund my rivals in the top-tier grant application."

"To pacify internal affairs, we must first deal with external threats."

"Only by eliminating external enemies can the competition between me and my colleagues avoid turning into vicious competition targeting me personally with the support of external forces."

Locke has sorted out his thoughts.

Rose the Witch's timing was perfect. If she had arrived any later, I would have missed the weapon test during my exploration of the plane.

But coincidentally, his true form had just entered the Three Cave Dimensions.

Locke left the Witch's Kitchen, boarded the Rainbow Sparrow, and quickly headed to Little Peach Mountain. Through the Peach Garden, he entered the Dune Plane and arrived at the tenth floor of the 2nd Research Institute.

Locke looked at the Bloodline Regeneration Pool and saw countless partially replicated copies of his own bloodline mixed with Name Potion, irrigating the Great Green Leaf Dragon Sparrow grafted onto the rootstock of the Dragon Rose.

At this time, the large green-leaved dragon bird was almost an adult.

He had already spent five million magic stones on this Great Green Leaf Dragon Sparrow, plus one dose of Zero Magic Potion.

Fortunately, this large green-leaved dragonfly is finally about to become an adult.

After observing, Locke concluded, "After another week, it will be about time to attempt at atavism."

"However, if we directly attempt ancestral evolution now, we'll have to start all over again if it fails. That would be too time-consuming and resource-intensive. Once we've successfully cultivated it, I'd better use the 'flower blooms and fades' technique to turn it into three fertile seeds, and then cultivate them individually. Although this would cost about five million more magic stones, it's the safest approach."

"Moreover, this method can also be used to determine whether the grafting and cultivation have truly been completed, rather than just a simple grafting. At the same time, the significance of this dimensional exploration to me has increased."

"First, I can test various newly cultivated magical plants."

"Secondly, we will conduct a third attempt at large-scale magical forging in that plane."

(End of this chapter)